WBA publishes a new factsheet on the global potential of biomass by 2035

08.03.2016

The World Bioenergy Association (WBA) is pleased to announce the release of the factsheet ‘Global biomass potential towards 2035’ – the ninth in the series of publications. This comes at the opportune time when world leaders are developing new renewable energy targets based on the climate agreement at COP21 in Paris in December 2015. For the success of the Paris deal, an accelerated deployment of all renewable energy sources should take place including wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and bioenergy. Biomass is at present the largest renewable energy source. What can be the contribution of biomass to the global energy supply by 2035?

In this factsheet, WBA studied the realistic contribution of biomass to the global energy supply by 2035. Biomass for energy predominantly origins from 3 different sources: agriculture, forestry and waste streams. In the year 2012, the global supply of biomass was 56.2 EJ and WBA estimates that this can increase to 150 EJ by 2035. About 43% coming from agriculture (residues, by-products and energy crops), 52% from forests (wood fuel, forest residues and by-products of the forest industry) and 5% from waste streams.

Agriculture: In 2012, crops used for both food and for bioenergy include: sugarcane, corn, sugar beets, cereals, canola, oil palm, jatropha soybean, sorghum and sorghum. Plants only used for bioenergy or material purposes are: energy grasses, miscanthus, switchgrass and short rotation coppices. For agriculture, the energy output can be estimated with 26 – 34 EJ per year. Worldwide, corn, wheat, rice, sugar cane and soybean offer the biggest potential of residues. A systematic use of these by-products offers a potential of 30 – 38 EJ.

Forests: In 2012, 85% of all the biomass used for energy originated from forests or trees. Wood is by far the most important source for bioenergy. Wood for energy comprises different categories: wood fuel, charcoal, wood chips, pellets, bark, saw dust, recycled wood, black liquor and other residues of the forest harvest and the wood industry. The future potential of wood for energy depends on three aspects: (1) A better use and management of existing forests, (2) The better use of the by-products or residues of trees in non-forest areas for bioenergy instead of dumping a huge share of this material as it is done in many parts of the world today, and (3) The planting of new forests in order to compensate for the losses of forest in some regions, to increase the global forest area again and use part of this additional production for energy. 23 – 35 EJ of woody biomass can be supplied if these three conditions are fulfilled adding up to 72 – 84 EJ from woody biomass.

Waste: The organic fraction of waste streams can be used for energy purposes. Typical feedstock for energy generation from waste can be seen as: organic fraction of landfills, sewage sludge, municipal solid waste (MSW), organic fraction of agroindustry waste and unused food. The potential of the global waste streams for energy is estimated with 6 – 10 EJ.
This net potential of 150 EJ by 2035 can only be used if a wide range of government support policies promotes the sustainable production and efficient use of biomass for energy. Better protection of agricultural land, improving soil quality, increasing yields, protection of biodiversity and responsible use of water are key criteria for agriculture in general and also for bioenergy deployment.
The support programs have to be stable, reliable and specific for each region and country adapted to the regional needs and biomass resources.

As a WBA speaker puts it: “The PARIS agreement requires a rapid replacement of fossil fuels by renewables. Bioenergy together will all other Renewables could contribute about 50% of the global energy supply by 2035. ”

Please find more informations herehttp://www.worldbioenergy.org

Plug-In electric car sales for February: winter doldrums continue

07.03.2016

As in previous years, the dog days of January and February were not kind to electric-car sales this year. Both 2014 and 2015 saw the lowest number of plug-in cars sold in their first two months, and 2016 appears to be following that pattern. While February sales were slightly up on those in January, both months stayed at 6,000 to 8,000 vehicles-nowhere near the 8,800 to 14,000 per month sold last March through December. Continuing to ramp up sales of the all new 2016 Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, GM delivered 1,126 Volts in February. That compares to 693 a year ago, and brings the two-month total to 2,122 against last year’s 1,235. Sales of the Nissan Leaf battery-electric car stayed below 1,000 units for a second month, with February’s 930 a step up on January’s 755.

Both numbers were lower than the same months last year, a puzzlement considering that the new 30-kwh 2016 Leaf with 107-mile range should now be arriving at dealers. Sales of the BMW i3 and the Volkswagen e-Golf were far below their late-2015 levels, too, at 248 and 198 cars respectively. One source suggests that BMW is deliberately keeping its inventories of 2016 i3 models low in anticipation of the longer-range 2017 version that goes into production in July. Tesla? Who knows? It’s possible, in fact, that the Tesla Model S could have been last month’s best-selling electric car but we don’t know, because Tesla Motors refuses to release monthly sales data. Among other plug-in hybrids, the Ford Fusion and C-Max Energi logged sales of 932 and 490 respectively- both up on their January numbers.

The C-Max Energi continues to sell at levels lower than last year’s, though the Fusion Energi is staying roughly on pace with its 2015 numbers. Audi delivered 248 A3 e-tron hatchbacks in the car’s second full month on sale, adding to January’s roaring launch total of 327 high numbers for a luxury maker. And a mere 6 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrids were delivered in February, indicating the the model has finally sunsetted after it went out of production last spring. A new 2017 Prius Plug-In is expected to be launched this spring or summer, and go on sale this fall, with a battery range of perhaps as much as 30 miles. Luxury plug-in hybrid SUVs surge meanwhile, three newer plug-in hybrid arrivals continued to log strong initial sales.

The BMW X5 xDrive 40e plug-in hybrid is doing surprisingly well, with February sales of 345 almost doubling the 181 delivered in January. Since it went on sale in October, BMW has delivered more than 1,400 of the luxury plug-in hybrid SUV with the 14-mile electric range. After five months of single- or double-digit sales during 2015, the Volvo XC90 T8 plug-in hybrid luxury SUV has hit its stride, with 176 deliveries last month adding to 226 in January.

http://www.greencarreports.com

UNIDO supports creation of Mesoamerican Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency

04.03.2016

The General Secretariat of the Central American Integration System (SG-SICA) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) today announced last week a strategic partnership on the creation of a Mesoamerican Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (MCREEE). During the next months, SG-SICA and UNIDO, with financial support of the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), will execute a consultative preparatory process to assess the added value, feasibility and best technical and institutional design for such a centre. The process will include the development of a needs assessment, consultative workshops, as well as the development of a project document on the centre’s first operational phase. Once established, the technical centre is expected to support the SICA Member States through targeted regional programmes and projects on sustainable energy in the areas of capacity development, knowledge management and exchange, technology innovation, policy and legislation, as well as investment and business promotion. It will also contribute to better technical coordination, donor harmonisation, long-term sustainability of project interventions, as well as the documentation of lessons learned. The centre will become part of the Global Network of Regional Sustainable Energy Centers, a South-South multi-stakeholder partnership, coordinated by UNIDO in partnership with various regional organizations which are already working in other parts of the world, including in Africa, the Pacific and the Caribbean regions.

V.V.
http://www.unido.org

Russian Scientists Suggest New ‘Nuclear Battery’ Concept

04.03.2016

The nickel-63 isotope’s properties make it a very convenient basic element for tiny, safe and low-power batteries, also known as beta-voltaic cells, with a long service life of over 50 years. They can be used in pacemakers and also as self-contained power supply sources of space satellites. As nickel-63 does not exist in nature, it is obtained by irradiating nickel-62 isotopes with neutrons inside nuclear reactors. The resulting substance is later subjected to radio-chemical processing and is divided using gas centrifuges. A group of MISiS scientists headed by Professor Yury Parkhomenko, head of its faculty of semiconductor and dielectric materials studies, have developed a technology for making systems that convert the nickel-63 isotope’s beta-radiation energy into electric power on the basis of piezoelectric mono-crystals for use by self-contained AC beta-voltaic cells.

Russia is already implementing a project to develop nickel-63 power sources. The project involves several companies under the supervision of the Zheleznogorsk Mining and Chemical Integrated Works which is affiliated with the Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation in Russia’s Krasnoyarsk Territory. Earlier, it was reported that there are plans to obtain nickel-63 isotopes for this project inside an IRT-T research reactor at the Tomsk Polytechnic University. The Zheleznogorsk Electro-Chemical Plant in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, which is also affiliated with Rosatom, is to manufacture industrial nickel-enrichment equipment. There are plans to assemble the first prototype “nuclear battery” under this project in 2017.

V.V.
http://sputniknews.com

India introduces car sales tax to combat pollution

02.03.2016

India has introduced a new tax on car sales aimed at helping fight high levels of air pollution and congestion. The surprise move, announced by the finance minister, Arun Jaitley, is a victory for campaigners and a defeat for the powerful car industry. Commentators said the move showed how attitudes to car use had changed in India. “There are some things that are politically palatable now that were not before. Jaitley has seen there is political space and public support. Once Indians owning cars was seen as a sign of economic success. Now this sort of tax is seen as Indians being responsible,” said Samir Saran, of the Observer Research Foundation, a Delhi-based thinktank.

India is home to many of the most polluted cities in the world, with levels of harmful particles in Delhi, the capital, regularly exceeding European and US safe limits by 15 or 20 times. Medical experts have predicted huge health problems as tens of millions of children grow up breathing very poor air. Municipal authorities in Delhi and elsewhere have struggled to cope with the problem, hampered by political infighting, poor law enforcement and public ignorance. After a particularly severe bout of pollution last year, the chief minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, announced a scheme to cut traffic, and thus pollution, by allowing cars with licence plates ending in odd and even numbers to drive only on alternate days.

Two coal-burning power stations were also shut. The measures are to be repeated in April. Though it made little impact on pollution levels, the scheme was credited with raising consciousness of the problem across the country and seen as a success.
In his annual union budget, Jaitley imposed a sales levy of up to 4% on new passenger vehicles, effective immediately, spurring a selloff by investors in stocks in some of India’s biggest automobile companies such as Maruti Suzuki India Ltd and Tata Motors. The budget appeared aimed largely at India’s massive rural population, possibly with an eye on forthcoming state elections. Winning these might help the BJP overcome political opposition to their reform plans at national level.

“This was a political budget. People are suffering. India has had two years of poor monsoons, which have hit farmers and the government have to be seen as responsive,” said Saran, the analyst. The lack of radical measures will disappoint some foreign investors and observers who have long hoped India would implement major reforms to boost the economy in the south Asian power.

V.V.

www.theguardian.com

Constant power clause discriminates renewable sector

02.03.2016

Bandere, Elektrodistributivna mreža, Struja — Photo: Pixabay

Penalties for green energy producers for not delivering constant power are overregulation abuse and the Renewable Energy Producers Organization in Romania (Patres) hopes the current court case will result in a favourable verdict, its vice president Martin Moise told Energynomics portal. The regulation introduced last year equals power from renewable sources like that from a classic generator, with an explanation that it outlines suitable technical parameters, he added. Patres expects a verdict by mid-year and there are different energy providers who joined the organization’s initiative, as the norm favours generation from conventional sources, mostly operations of state-owned companies, Moise stressed.

At the Day-Ahead Market, where green power producers must pay for the deficit, prices are higher and volatile, and the system came to cover almost half of estimated net consumption in December, he said and added this results in larger bills for consumers. Patres is concerned because the introduction of the feed-in tariff is overdue. The organization believes a guaranteed price for renewable energy from small units stimulates unnecessary expansion of capacity. Furthermore, small capacities get positive discrimination at the expense of large producers, Moise said. He concluded investment in bigger units is risky in Romania.

V.V.

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Zumtobel moving project bureau to Serbia

02.03.2016

Prime minister Aleksandar Vučić met Ulrich Schumacher, chief executive of Zumtobel Group AG, supplier of integral lighting solutions, to discuss further successful cooperation and investment prospects. The Austrian company decided to move its project centre for Central and Eastern Europe from Poland to Serbia. After the first meeting with Schumacher in November, Zumtobel donated advanced street lighting to Niš and the capital city, the government in Belgrade said. The Austrian group’s head said the reasons for the decision were Serbia’s favourable geographic position, tax system, highly-skilled and well-educated workforce, capable of becoming part of big companies. There are plans for expansion of operations of the regional centre to entire Europe, Schumacher said. An ad for jobs in the company is open until March 4 for 15 electrical engineers and architects. In the second phase of development, the company plans to hire another 50 Serbian university graduates, according to the statement.

V.V.

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Coal is dying. Who’s going to pay for the cleanup?

29.02.2016

Over the past couple of years, a record number of coal plants have gone offline in the U.S., largely in response to falling prices, but also due to increased environmental regulations, better alternatives, and just plain bad press. Coal production hit a 30-year low in 2015, and there’s a real movement against coal now: activists have shut down coal plants and stopped the construction of new ones, as well as effectively blocked coal export terminals.

And while the Paris climate talks, unfortunately, did not call for keeping all the world’s coal underground, President Obama’s Clean Power Plan will go a long way to eliminating coal power in the U.S. He also announced that no new coal mining leases will be granted on public land. This is a good thing — coal is one of the largest sources of carbon pollution in the country, plus it’s bad for both the land it’s taken from and the people who do the taking. This week, The Wall Street Journal reports, Arch Coal Inc. became the latest coal company to file for bankruptcy — and they did it with $4.5 billion in debt. Arch joins Walter Energy, Patriot Coal, and Alpha Natural Resources, which all filed for Chapter 11 last year.

But what’s to be done with all those defunct coal plants? From the mountains of West Virginia to high deserts of Arizona, there are over 600 coal plants across the country, and when these companies go belly up, they leave behind a big mess. Someone has to clean it up. But who? Green groups — and others — are worried that by filing for bankruptcy, coal companies will be off the hook for cleanup costs. There are provisions in place to make sure this doesn’t happen, but how effective are they?

From the WSJ: Coal miners such as Arch must, under state and federal law, post reclamation bonds to show their ability to clean up the land and treat the water at their mining sites. Some states allow what is called self-bonding, in which the bonds aren’t backed by any insurance. While self-bonds can save companies money, questions arise about their ability to fulfill the bonds when they run into financial trouble. If a company can’t pay for cleaning up the polluted land and water at a mine, the bill could be passed on to taxpayers. In Arch’s case, its lenders have agreed to cover up to $75 million in cleanup and other regulatory obligations in connection with a proposed $275 million bankruptcy loan.

But that falls short of the $485 million in self-bonds that court papers show Arch has posted for its Wyoming mining operations. “Regulators must not allow Arch to shirk its responsibility to have adequate bonds for coal-mine cleanup. Bankruptcy should not be used as a haven for the company to escape its obligations,” Powder River Chairman Bob Le Resche said. “State and federal taxpayers must not be left with the bill.” But will they be? Peter Morgan, a staff attorney with the Sierra Club in Denver, told the International Business Times that “If a self-bonded company does find itself in financial difficulty, if it does end up liquidating, there’s no separate financial assurance. At that point the state is on the hook for 100 percent of those reclamation costs.”

V.V.

www.grist.org

Sri Lanka Targets 100% Renewable Energy Share By 2030

29.02.2016

Sri Lanka has given indications it intends to significantly increase the share of renewable energy in its electricity generation by the end of the next decade. Secretary to the Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs recently told media outlets that his government is considering increasing the share of renewable energy in electricity generation to 100% by 2030. The new consideration by the Sri Lankan Government represents a significant increase over the recently stated plans of the countries electricity utility. The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) proposed the Long-term Generation Expansion Plan 2015-2034. Sri Lanka’s installed power generation capacity at the end of 2014 was 3.9 GW, of which 11%, or 442 MW, is based on renewable energy capacity.

Renewable capacity is dominated by mini-hydro power technology, which contributes 293 MW capacity, while wind energy technology represents 124 MW capacity. The CEB plans to increase the renewable energy capacity to 972 MW by 2020, which would contribute 20% to the total power generation in the country. Renewable energy’s share in power generation is currently expected to peak in 2025 at 21.4% with an installed capacity of 1,367 MW. As part of the Long-term Generation Expansion Plan, installed renewable energy capacity in 2034 is expected to reach 1,897 MW, with wind energy being the dominant technology. Wind energy is expected to overtake mini hydro in terms of installed capacity by 2023.

Installed capacity targets for the four renewable energy technologies projected by the CEB are mini-hydro: 673 MW; wind energy: 719 MW; biomass-based power: 279 MW; and solar power: 226 MW. The Public Utilities Commission had criticized the Long-term Generation Expansion Plan proposed by the CEB, claiming that it did not focus much on the promotion of renewable energy technologies.

V.V.

www.cleantechnica.com

Croatia has biggest rise in wind power in Southeastern Europe

26.02.2016

Wind power capacity in 2015 increased 22% in Croatia, the most in the region, as the country added 76.2 MW, data published by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) show, SeeNews reported. Croatia’s cumulative wind power capacity stood at 422.7 MW at the end of the year, EWEA said in its 2015 Wind in Power report. The countries covered by the report are Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia and Macedonia. Romania remained the region’s leader in terms of cumulative wind power capacity with 2,975.9 MW, up by 0.8% as compared to a year earlier.

Bulgaria came in second with a cumulative wind energy capacity of 691.2 MW, flat from a year earlier, followed by Croatia. Serbia installed its first 9.9 MW of wind energy. Slovenia and Macedonia ended the year with a cumulative wind energy capacity of 3.4 MW and 37 MW, respectively, both flat from a year earlier. During 2015, as much as 13,805.2 MW of wind power was installed across Europe, 5.4% more than in the previous year, as 12,800.2 MW of it was in the European Union.

V.V.

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Statkraft, Credit Suisse Fund to Invest $1.2 Billion in Wind Power in Norway

25.02.2016

Statkraft AS and partners including a Credit Suisse-backed fund will invest 1.1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) in wind power in central Norway, reviving a project after bringing down costs and boosting capacity. Together with investment company Nordic Wind Power DA and utility Troenderenergi AS, Statkraft plans to build six wind farms in mid-Norway by 2020 with a combined capacity of 1,000 MW, the company said Tuesday in a statement. Statkraft will own 52.1 percent, while Nordic Wind, a company backed by Credit Suisse Energy Infrastructure Partners, will hold 40 percent. “It is the biggest wind power investment in Norway and the biggest onshore wind power project in Europe,” President Christian Rynning-Toennesen said at a web cast press conference in Trondheim. “It will produce enough power to provide 170,000 Norwegian houses with light and heat.” Norwegian state-owned Statkraft in 2014 canceled a similar $1.4 billion wind project because it was deemed unprofitable. The new project had been ”significantly revised” to improve profitability, with fewer and larger units at windier locations farther north, according to Rynning-Tønnesen.

Economies of scale set the project apart from other renewable opportunities, Dominik Bollier, a managing partner at Credit Suisse Energy Infrastructure, said at the press conference. A long-term contract with Norwegian aluminum producer Norsk Hydro ASA finally provided the cash-flow stability needed, he said. Still, since the first project Nordic power prices for 2020 have dropped 35 percent. The region is facing a power glut from renewable generation, which caused Vattenfall AB and EON SE to decide to shut four Swedish nuclear reactors by 2020, which are able to produce 15 TWh a year. Vestas Wind Systems A/S, the Danish turbine maker, received an order for 278 units with a combined capacity of 1 GW to supply the project. Shares gained 2.9 percent as of 12:58 p.m. in Copenhagen. The joint venture, Fosen Vind DA, will build a total of six wind farms on the Fosen peninsula, the island of Hitra and in Snillfjord that will produce 3.4 TWh of power a year. “This is one of the biggest onshore industrial projects in Norway,” Petroleum and Energy Minister Tord Lien said in a statement. “The decision will contribute to the production of renewable energy and gives the basis for climate-friendly industrial development.”

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The First American City to Ban Plastic Water Bottles

22.02.2016

Plastic pollution is one of the greatest burdens to the environment. Believe it or not, enough plastic is discarded every year to circle the globe four times. Even worse, it is estimated that 50 percent of the plastic on this planet is used only once before being thrown away. To curb the issue of plastic pollution, the city of San Francisco has just done something monumental: it has become the first in America to ban the sale of plastic water bottles. The move is building a global movement to reduce the huge amount of waste from the billion-dollar plastic bottle industry which is taking a toll on the environment. Over the next four years, the ban will phase out the sales of plastic water bottles that hold 21 ounces or less in public spaces.

A waiver is permissible if an adequate alternative water source is not available, reports Global Flare. Think Outside the Bottle campaign, a national effort that encourages restrictions of the “eco-unfriendly product,” was one of the largest supporters of the proposal. While the San Francisco ban is less strict than the full prohibitions passed in 14 national parks and a number of universities in Concord, Massachusetts, it is a step in the right direction. Those who violate the ban could face fines of up to $1,000. That’s certainly an incentive to invest in are usable glass bottle. The ban is “another step forward on our zero-waste goal,” said Joshua Arce, the chairman of the Commission on the Environment.

Please look here for campaign flyer: think_outside_the_bottle_flier

“We had big public events for decades without plastic bottles and we’ll do fine without them again.” This isn’t the first effort by the city to curb plastic pollution. In the past, San Francisco banned plastic bags and plastic foam containers. By 2020, the city aims to have no waste going to its landfill. Its diversion rate now stands at 80 percent. What did the American Beverage Association, which includes Coca-Cola Co. and Pepsi Co, have to say about the plastic bottle ban? The ban is “nothing more than a solution in search of a problem. This is a misguided attempt by city supervisors to decrease waste in a city of avid recycles.” San Francisco may be more recycle-happy than other cities, but plastic pollution needs to be curbed. Perhaps in the future, other cities will follow the city’s bold lead and phase out plastics completely.

Source: http://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org

IEA and UfM join forces to strengthen climate action in the Euro-Mediterranean region

22.02.2016

The International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) signed on 17 February in Paris a memorandum of understanding (MoU) setting out the outlines of closer co-operation between the two organisations on projects of mutual interest in the energy field.

“This memorandum of understanding is in line with the IEA’s objective of expanding bilateral energy programmes both with individual partner countries and inter-governmental organizations such as the UfM. Together, we will identify the challenges and opportunities that I am certain can best be addressed through joint action and collective responsibility,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol (right in photo).

UfM Secretary General Fathallah Sijilmassi (left) stated that “fostering regional co-operation in the field of energy is paramount to effectively advance regional integration, stability and human development. The MoU with IEA represents a clear opportunity to develop synergies and implement joint actions that can contribute to these common goals.” The two parties share similar goals and have together identified a number of potential areas of co-operation. These include, but are not limited to, joint projects involving research and technical assistance; collaboration on joint publications; data sharing; training and capacity building; and regional co-operation on energy efficiency and renewable energies as well as the exchange of expertise between the two parties in areas such as climate change, the water-energy-food nexus and regional energy market integration. In order to give a new political impulse to regional co-operation on energy, the 43 UfM member states decided in May 2015 to establish three high level UfM Energy Platforms on gas, regional electricity markets, and renewable energy and energy efficiency. The MoU is valid for five years and may be extended for subsequent additional periods of three years.

www.iea.org

Mayoral hopefuls urged to back tenfold increase in London solar capacity

19.02.2016

London could deliver a tenfold increase in solar power over the next 10 years, closing the gap which has seen the capital become the worst performing major city and region in the UK for solar adoption. That is the conclusion of a new report released today by campaign group Greenpeace, which is calling on all of the London Mayoral candidates to come forward with a detailed plan to boost the city’s flagging solar industry. Both frontrunners, Labour’s Sadiq Khan and the Conservative’s Zac Goldsmith, have said they want to boost the city’s solar sector, but the Greenpeace report challenges them to adopt specific policies to improve the adoption of solar technologies across the capital. The report highlights how just 0.5 per cent of London’s 3.4 million homes use solar power, lagging far behind adoption rates in the rest of the country.

It argues that a suite of policies could drive faster adoption of solar technologies, including “establishing a London Solar Task Force to bring together communities, investors, and industry groups; installing solar panels in unused spaces owned by Transport for London and City Hall; and loaning out roof space to community energy projects”. It also proposes the issuing of green bonds to fund solar projects in the capital and makes the case for a London equivalent of the feed-in tariff to restore some of the incentives cut last year by the government. The campaign group said analysis by consultancy Energy for London showed this range of measures could deliver a 10-fold increase in solar power across London by 2025, delivering solar panels on close to 200,000 London rooftops at a cost of 0.3 per cent of the investment needed through to 2050 to meet the capital’s rising energy demand. “London is a world leader in innovation, yet it’s missing out on the energy revolution of the century,” said Greenpeace UK energy campaigner Barbara Stoll. “From rooftop space to business know-how and grassroots enthusiasm, the capital has the complete toolkit to unleash a solar revolution that can generate jobs, investments, clean and ever cheaper energy for tens of thousands of Londoners. What’s long been missing is the political will to make it happen.

London badly needs solar champions, and we want the next mayor to be one.” Her comments were echoed by Leonie Greene, head of external affairs at the Solar Trade Association. “If our capital city is to move from solar laggard to solar leader the new mayor will need a very ambitious solar vision indeed,” she said. “It is good news that the Mayoral candidates recognize the failure to deliver on solar to date, and they have set out some impressive solar policies. But Greenpeace is right that the new Mayor will need not only every power at their disposal, but a great deal of creativity and innovation to help overcome the roll-back in support from central government.” In related news, the Green Party’s Mayoral candidate Sian Berry will today announce plans to set up a new London Energy Company to ensure Crossrail is powered by 100 per cent clean electricity. The proposed company would operate as a subsidiary of Transport for London and would be tasked with installing solar panels across its own 5,700-acre estate of stations, depots, offices, other commercial units and brownfield sites. It would then also support solar farms on the outskirts of London that would ultimately seek to cover 100 per cent of the power required by Crossrail.

“There is huge potential in London for a wide range of low- and zero-carbon technologies to be used to generate heat and electricity from the sun, the wind, the ground and air using heat pumps, gas created from waste, and from London’s tides and river flows,” Berry will say. “Unfortunately Boris Johnson hasn’t even bothered to push solar PV. That means London has missed out on the UK’s solar revolution, with cities in the north of England and even Scotland installing more panels per home than London, even though we get more sun in the south. Our London Energy Company will work to turn this situation around.”

www.theguardian.com

Solar power at night? Solar City and Tesla say they can do it

19.02.2016

Solar City, the solar energy company whose largest shareholder is Tesla Motors chief executive Elon Musk, has picked batteries made by his electric-car maker to provide 13 megawatts of electric storage for an array of solar panels to be built on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The combined solar and energy storage system is designed to give KIUC, the Kaua’i Island Utility Cooperative, dispatch able electricity in the evening, and after the sun goes down. KIUC has a 20-year contract with Solar City to buy the solar generated electricity at a competitive price of 14.5 cents per kilowatt hour. Solar City has chosen Tesla as its battery provider.

The project now needs approval by the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission. Last April, Musk unveiled a suite of batteries to store electricity for homes, businesses and utilities, marking Tesla’s expansion beyond electric cars with battery technology that Musk said would “fundamentally change the way the world uses energy.” The equipment allows businesses and homeowners to store power, reducing the need to rely on utility grids for electricity. The deal with Solar City and KIUC gives some momentum for Tesla Energy, and Musk has said utility-scale deals could be 80 per cent to 90 per cent of sales for the business unit. The company’s Power wall battery, which can be installed in home garages, has generated enormous interest from consumers. But the bigger market is the larger Powerpack, which allows utilities to reduce the need for expensive facilities that only run during times of peak demand. Solar City’s deal also shows how Musk’s two companies can link up to help each one find more business in two relatively nascent markets.

“Global excitement in Tesla Energy products remains very strong,” said Tesla in its recent fourth-quarter letter to shareholders. “To accommodate this demand, we transitioned production to the Gigafactory in Q4. While this transition did take slightly longer than we had expected, both Power wall and Power pack production is now operating smoothly and expanding at the Giga factory.” In the utility industry, energy storage is finally coming of age. In Tesla’s home state of California, a groundbreaking energy storage mandate requires PG&E Corp., Edison International’s Southern California Edison and Sempra Energy’s San Diego Gas & Electric to collectively buy 1.3 gigawatts of energy storage capacity by the end of 2020. New York is also turning to storage to relieve congestion on transmission lines and plans for the potential retirement of aging power plants.

www.afr.com

With renewable energy sources to cleaner future

16.02.2016

The use of renewable energy has become one of the key components of sustainable development after developed countries have recognized the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Although Serbia has great energy potential when it comes to these sources of energy, it is insufficiently or not at all used.
Our country is the biggest part of the energy obtained by burning fossil fuels, coal , oil and gas, and in that way contributes to global climate change. On the impact of these changes in our country are mainly forests, water , agriculture, transportation and electric power. The biggest challenge in Serbia represents a transition to cleaner technologies , with cost-effective , which further hampers the undeveloped market and the lack of experience in Serbia. Based on the potential of renewable resources and the needs of clients, Sberbank has created a special model for financing renewable energy. Project financing refers to the construction of buildings or facilities for the production of electricity using renewable energy sources , which will be the subject of connection to the electricity grid in order to sell electricity. To implement the model of project financing it is necessary to establish a new company (Special Purpose Company ), which is the carrier of the project , and the founders of the newly established companies may be individuals , legal persons and in special cases, companies with proven experience in this field.

The project of construction of these facilities must be in accordance with the current Law on Planning and Construction and the Law on Energy with the participation of investors from a minimum of 30 % of the investment. By investing in renewable energy sources confirm responsibility and together with our clients we build a healthier environment.

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