New Mercedes-Benz Electric SUV to Be Revealed at Paris Motor Show

15.06.2016

Mercedes-elektromobil — Foto: Youtube / Print Screen / Mercedes-Benz USA

An electric-powered Mercedes SUV concept will be unveiled at the upcoming Paris motor show, which high-ranking insiders describe as its first step into a broad electric vehicle strategy.

The new concept, currently undergoing construction at Mercedes’ prototype workshop on the outskirts of Stuttgart in Germany, is said to provide “a clear insight” into the external appearance, interior appointments, technical layout and overall dimensions of the German car maker’s first truly dedicated electric vehicle – a uniquely styled SUV conceived to take on the Tesla Model X as well as new electric SUVs planned by Audi and Jaguar.

Mercedes-Benz set to release four EVs by 2020

The new zero-emissions SUV, tentatively planned for introduction in 2019, is the first in a series of a new electric vehicles currently under development by Mercedes, including an advanced upmarket saloon rival to the Tesla Model S and the recently unveiled Chinese LeEco LeSee, which has been conceived around the very latest in autonomous driving technology.

Up until now, Mercedes-Benz has based its limited number of production electric vehicles around existing models, namely the Smart Fortwo and Mercedes B-Class.

With the unveiling of the new SUV concept in Paris in late September, Mercedes will make public its plans for a range of uniquely styled and engineered electric vehicles to be offered as an alternative to its existing range of more traditional petrol, diesel and hybrid models.

As well as providing clues to a new electric vehicle platform under development at Mercedes – elements of which will be shared a soon to be unveiled hydrogen fuel cell propelled version of the GLC – the new SUV concept is also set to previews a brand new design language, developed by a team of in-house designers and set to be adopted by upcoming production version of the new electric SUV.

“We’ve created a whole new look that takes into consideration the unique properties of electric vehicles,” a Mercedes-Benz official with knowledge of the new electric vehicle concept revealed to Autocar.

Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz marketing boss, Ola Källenius, has hinted the German car maker may move to boost its electric vehicle efforts with an entry into Formula E.

Speaking on rumours the German car maker is actively planning to join Jaguar, Renault, Citroen and Volkswagen in supporting the global single seater electric vehicle race series, Kallenius said: “There’s no decision at the moment, but we are looking at it with great interest. It provides an interesting platform for electric vehicles though it would be important for us to ensure there is a clear technology transfer to our road cars.”

Source: www.autocar.co.uk

Peru Brings Electricity to Rural Communities

15.06.2016

Peru increased access to electrical power to more than 105,000 low income rural households, through a World Bank-supported program to extend the electrical grid and install solar power systems. This electrification effort included schools, health clinics, and community centers. The Project was instrumental in the establishment of a national tariff for regulated service with household off-grid photovoltaic (PV) systems. In addition, the Project’s productive uses promotion component assisted more than 21,000 rural producers, including women who comprised more than a third of the beneficiaries.

Challenge

Lack of access to electricity, combined with the scarcity of other infrastructure services, constrains economic development and hampers improvements in living standards in Peru. It limits the quality of medical care, and the availability of educational opportunities. The high poverty levels in rural areas of Peru and the growing gap in quality of life with rapidly developing urban areas highlight the importance of investing in basic rural infrastructure, such as electricity, as part of the national development agenda. Recognizing this, the Peruvian Government has made rural electrification one of its highest priorities.

Solution

The Peru Rural Electrification Project supported the provision of sustainable and efficient rural electrification service by ensuring that the electricity distribution companies prepared, executed, and operated rural electrification subprojects as part of their regular commercial operations. This model encourages efficiency and sustainability by working through the existing electricity distribution companies.

For the first time, renewable energy options were fully integrated into rural electricity services. The regulatory agency, the Organismo Supervisor de la Inversión en Energía y Minería (OSINERGMIN), established a regulated tariff for electricity services for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and ensured that PV customers were eligible to the existing electricity cross-subsidy.

To promote productive uses of electricity, the project used a business development services approach. It focused on outreach to small businesses through non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and developed a marketing strategy for the electricity supplier, which addressed the lack of information, tariff barriers, and quality of service.

The project’s innovative activities included:

A more efficient grid extension approach aimed at maximizing the use of project resources and mobilizing additional financing through the active involvement of distribution companies.

Promotion of productive uses of electricity in rural areas.

Assistance to distribution companies to provide the first off-grid regulated services using household PV systems.

Results

When the Rural Electrification Project began in mid-2006, more than six million people in the predominantly poor rural areas of Peru did not have access to electricity. At 30 percent cover- age, this was one of the lowest rural electrification rates in Latin America. The project’s key outcomes included:

More than 105,000 households and small enterprises, representing about 450,000 people, benefited from receiving new electricity connection.
Schools, health clinics, and community centers benefited from a total of 2,900 new electricity connections.
The program oversaw the installation of 7,100 solar home systems (SHS) for households (about 31,500 people) in remote rural areas.
Nine distribution companies in 16 regions participated in co-financing the project.
A national tariff for regulated service with household off-grid PV system was established.

More than 21,000 rural producers, including women who comprised more than a third of the beneficiaries, were able to adopt electricity-using equipment, which increased their productivity and incomes.

Bank Group Contribution

The Project was financed by a World Bank loan for US$50 million and a Global Environmental Facility (GEF) grant for US$10 million, approved on March 2006 to cover investments, pilot projects, and technical assistance.

Partners

The Bank and the GEF supported the Ministry of Energy and Mines and its coordinating unit in the design and implementation of the project. During implementation the Bank and the distribution companies built a strong partnership. Nine distribution companies in 16 regions participated in co-financing the project, mobilizing an average of 25 percent of co-investment for a total of US$29 million, surpassing the target of US$23 million.

Moving Forward

Based on the success of this project the Government requested an additional loan to continue the application of the rural electrification model. Because this project had established a positive track record and there was an increasing demand for solar home systems the Bank approved, in 2011, the Second Rural Electrification Loan of US$50 million. This new operation and financing from the Government’s Rural Electrification Fund are continuing the effort to promote productive uses of electricity.

Beneficiaries

The project benefited poor rural households and small enterprises, in particular. More than 105,000 households and small businesses, representing about 450,000 people, benefited from receiving new electricity connections, including around 35,000 indigenous people and around 2,900 schools, health clinics and community centers. Of these, 7,100 households, or about 31,500 people living in isolated areas received solar home systems.

The project’s productive uses component assisted more than 21,000 rural producers, including women, who comprised more than a third of the beneficiaries, to adopt electricity-using equipment that increased their productivity and incomes.

www.worldbank.org

A Look at Samsung’s Environmental Activities Around the World

14.06.2016

As the planet faces a growing list of problems, from climate change and pollution to environmental degradation and resource depletion, the preservation and conservation of the environment has never been more significant.

Recognizing these challenges, and acknowledging its responsibility to work toward solving them, Samsung Electronics has aimed to carry out various environmentally-focused campaigns in all corners of the globe. In honor of the United Nations’ World Environment Day (WED) on June 5, Samsung Newsroom would like to introduce some of them.

Environmental Cleanup Activities

Among Samsung’s campaigns include those directed at making Earth a cleaner, healthier place to live. Leading by example, Samsung employees around the globe have personally participated in environmental cleanups, end-of-life (EOL) recovery campaigns and community tree plantings.

Panama

On May 31, 2015, 17 employees of Samsung Electronics Panama, along with 325 other volunteers, collected litter on a beach in Casco Viejo, Panama. The cleanup aimed to conserve one of Panama’s coastal environments; over 3,800 kilograms of trash was collected during the event.

United Kingdom

On September 18, 2015, employees of Samsung Electronics UK visited West Wittering Beach to clean up garbage along the shoreline.

Germany

On October 23, 2015, 54 employees of Samsung Electronics Germany celebrated Clean Business Day—a day designated by the Hessische Ministry of Environment—by cleaning up the local community.

Ukraine

From April 23 to 25, 2015 and on October 9, 2015, 150 employees of Samsung Electronics Ukraine participated in environmental cleanup activities that were organized by a local non-governmental organization. Employees planted trees in parks and cleaned up areas around the area.

Portugal

From November 23 to December 4, 2015, Samsung Electronics Portugal conducted an EOL recovery campaign with the employees and customers of a local Samsung Electronics service center. As a result, about four tons of EOL products including computers, mobile devices and batteries were recovered, with 500 kilograms of the devices from employees. Samsung Electronics Portugal used the profits from the EOL recovery to purchase four Samsung TVs and donated them to a Lisbon-based hospital. On World Environment Day last year, Samsung Electronics Portugal held a test-drive event with 50 of its employees to encourage the use of electric-hybrid vehicles. They also made a poster that raised awareness of existing environmental problems.

Romania

For the past five years, Samsung Electronics Romania has actively maintained its partnership with ECOTIC, a recycling organization of producers and importers of electric and electronic equipment (EEE), to lead recycling activities and raise environmental awareness. Samsung employees in Romania also provided materials to Caravanaecotic, a mobile educational experience center that ECOTIC operates to educate citizens on EOL recovery and recycling.

China

During last year’s World Water Day, 1,600 employees of Samsung Electronics China worked on a campaign that encouraged the installation of water economizer faucets and promoted a more economical use of water.

Thailand

Samsung Electronics Thailand worked on widening a canal area behind its factory on WED 2015. Additionally, 70 employees took part in collecting trash around the canal.

Environmental Education

In addition to holding environmental cleanups, Samsung Electronics has also led initiatives to promote environmental education among children in the US, Panama, Colombia, Sweden and other nations.

USA

Samsung Electronics America has consistently organized educational activities focused on increasing awareness of climate change issues among the country’s youth. Through their program, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) members were assigned tasks such as finding energy efficient products, reducing standby power consumption and visiting power plants. The best performing participants were rewarded with the latest Samsung Electronics products. The program attracted 1,038 participants from all over North America.

Panama

Samsung Electronics Panama employees led a class where they educated some 500 elementary school students about local history and traditions. They then carried out a cleanup with the students to demonstrate the importance of protecting the environment.

Colombia

Samsung Electronics Colombia conducted an eco-friendly program for elementary school students that focused on the themes of recycling used electronics and electronic waste. The program utilized “edutainment” with fun characters and songs to help children understand the importance of our environment in an engaging way.

Sweden

Last year, Samsung Electronics Sweden, along with local recycling businesses and the National Museum of Science and Technology, held a recycling education program for 75 children. Its upcycling class, which demonstrated how discarded products can be turned into new ones, was particularly popular.

Samsung remains committed to raising awareness of environmental issues, and will continue to participate in efforts aimed at making the planet a cleaner, more sustainable place to live.

Source: www.news.samsung.com

ABB Connects Power to the Indian Grid from one of the World’s Largest Solar Plants

14.06.2016

ABB has successfully commissioned five substations to integrate a 648-megawatt (MW) solar project at Kamuthi in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu to the national transmission grid. The project was awarded by independent power producer (IPP) Adani Group in 2015, and completed on schedule. The solar photovoltaic project – made up of five plants in a single location – is the largest of its kind in the world. 360 MW from the solar project is currently grid-connected and at full capacity this facility will account for nearly 10 percent of the country’s current solar capacity of around seven gigawatts (GW).

The project contributes to India’s vision of achieving 100 GW of solar power by 2022, with the overall aim of diversifying its energy mix to meet growing demand while minimizing environmental impact. As part of this plan, the government has issued a proposal to implement 25 ultra-mega solar power projects with capacities between 500 and 1,000 MW over a period of five years. The government of Tamil Nadu is also pursuing a solar policy which envisages a solar generation capacity addition of 3,000 MW.

“We are proud to support the country’s clean energy vision and push for solar power which demonstrates its commitment to sustainable growth,” said Claudio Facchin, President of ABB’s Power Grids division. “This project exemplifies our end-to-end power and automation system integration capabilities and reinforces our commitment to the renewable energy sector, a key component of ABB’s Next Level strategy.”

ABB’s project scope included the design, supply, installation and commissioning related to the solar plant electrification and automation systems. This includes two 230 kilovolt (kV) and three 110 kV outdoor switchyards to connect to the local transmission grid and will enable clean power supply for around 150,000 households based on average national per capita consumption.

Source: www.abb.com

Alaska Continues to Bake, on Track For Hottest Year

14.06.2016

Alaska just can’t seem to shake the fever it has been running. This spring was easily the hottest the state has ever recorded and it contributed to a year-to-date temperature that is more than 10°F (5.5°C) above average, according to data released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The Lower 48, meanwhile, had its warmest spring since the record-breaking scorcher of 2012.

While May as a whole was only slightly above average — thanks in part to whiplashing weather from the beginning of the month to the end — every state in the contiguous U.S. had warmer-than-normal temperatures for the spring as a whole.

The main area of relative cool in May was in the Central and Southern plains, where considerable rains fell during the month. Storm systems generally tend to drag in cooler air and cloudy days help to keep a lid on temperatures.

“In addition, when soils are waterlogged it prevents afternoon temperatures from rising as high as they would if soils were dry,” Deke Arndt, chief of the monitoring branch of NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, said in an email.

The contiguous U.S. is having its fourth warmest year-to-date; May’s milder weather brought that trend down a bit from April when 2016 was in the No. 2 slot.

The clear standout of above-average temperatures for the Lower 48 — both in May and spring as a whole — was the coastal Pacific Northwest. Seattle had its fourth-hottest May and several spots in Washington, including Seattle-Tacoma Airport, were having their hottest year-to-date.

Alaska, for first time in modern records, had a spring average temperature of 32°F (0°C) — that may sound cold, but warmth is a relative term. That temperature handily beat the previous record hot spring of 1998 by 2°F (1°C), according to NOAA.

Several spots in Alaska, including Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau, recorded their hottest springs. Several others, including Barrow, the northernmost city in the U.S., had their second-warmest spring.

For the year-to-date, the state is running 10.3°F above the 1925-2000 average of 26.1°F (-3.3°C) and 2.4°F (1.3°C) higher than the previous mark of 23.7°F (-4.6°C) set in 1981. In fact, the past three January-May periods are among the four warmest in Alaska’s records.

Rick Thoman, climate science and services manager for the NWS’s Alaska region, said that several factors had converged to keep Alaska so relatively toasty, including persistent high pressure systems over the region and warm waters off the coast. Early snowmelt has also exacerbated the spring heat.

The effects of the elevated temperatures are readily apparent, Thoman said, with berries ripening weeks earlier than usual, very early “last frosts” and an early start to construction projects.

Temperatures in Alaska have also steadily risen — like the planet as a whole, and the Arctic in particular — thanks to the excess heat trapped by human emissions of greenhouse gases. There is a 99 percent chance that 2016 will be the hottest year on record globally, mainly due to that excess heat.

NOAA forecasters expect the odds this summer to continue to favor above-average temperatures across Alaska, and there’s a good chance that 2016 as a whole could be record-hot for the state as well. But that depends on how the rest of the year plays out.

“Certainly, the combination of five months already in the books and the outlook for continued warmth raises the chances for the warmest year on record,” Arndt said. “But it would just take one or two really cold months to change the scenario from ‘warmest year’ to ‘one of the warmest years.’ ”

Source: www.climatecentral.org

Energy Department Invests More than $10 Million in Efficient Lighting Research and Development

14.06.2016

Building on the new commitments to the Global Lighting Challenge announced last week during the Clean Energy Ministerial, the Energy Department is announcing funding for nine research and development projects that will support solid-state lighting (SSL) core technology research, product development, and manufacturing research and development. The projects will help accelerate the development of high-quality light-emitting diode (LED) and organic light-emitting diode (OLED) lighting products that can significantly reduce energy costs for American families and businesses by using less electricity than products currently in use and ensure that the U.S. remains globally competitive.

“Solid-state lighting research and development has contributed to more than $2.8 billion in U.S. energy cost savings over the past 15 years, and further improvements in the technology will increase those savings even more in the years to come,” said Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz. “By 2030, solid-state lighting could reduce national lighting electricity use by nearly half—which would equate to the total energy consumed by 24 million American homes today and could save American families and businesses $26 billion annually.”

Today’s most advanced LED products are about 10 times more energy efficient than conventional incandescent lighting and last more than 25 times longer. LEDs are intense sources of light consisting of inorganic materials, where OLEDs are diffuse light sources that consist of organic materials.

Department-funded research and development will foster technology breakthroughs to unlock new levels of SSL performance and energy savings. For example, DOE targets aim to increase the efficiency of today’s LEDs by an additional 66 percent. LED lighting also offers new potential for advanced lighting control, including color tuning and intelligent, adaptive lighting.

In total, the nine selected projects will receive more than $10.5 million and will make a cost-share contribution for a total public-private investment of over $13.5 million, as they help to further reduce the cost and improve the quality of SSL products:

Cree, Inc. (Durham, North Carolina)—Developing a high-efficacy LED lighting fixture that has good color rendering as well as advanced features such as the ability to tune the color of the light;
Columbia University (New York, New York)—Developing improved quantum dots to increase the efficiency and lower the cost of LEDs;
GE Global Research (Niskayuna, New York)—Developing an efficient LED fixture that features interchangeable modules and allows for simplified manufacturing and customized performance specifications;
Iowa State University (Ames, Iowa)—Demonstrating a method to significantly increase the light output of white OLEDs by changing their internal features;
Lumenari, Inc. (Lexington, Kentucky)—Developing a narrow-bandwidth red phosphor to improve the efficacy of phosphor-converted LEDs;
Lumileds (San Jose, California)—Improving the design of an LED to make it more efficient by using a patterned sapphire substrate flip-chip architecture;
North Carolina State University (Raleigh, North Carolina)—Developing a way to get more light out of OLEDs using low-cost corrugated substrates;
Pennsylvania State University (State College, Pennsylvania)—Developing a way to better understand and predict the occurrence of short circuits in OLED lighting panels in order to reduce failure rates; and
University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Michigan)—Developing three innovative methods to harness the light within OLEDs.

This is the eleventh round of the department’s investments in solid-state lighting core technology research and product development. For more information on the selections and SSL technologies, visit Energy.gov.

Source: energy.gov.

ABB to Power More Volvo Emission-Free Electric Buses in Luxembourg

14.06.2016

ABB has received an additional order for EV fast chargers for the City of Luxembourg for five new Volvo electric hybrid buses. A previous order with Volvo Buses was placed last year for the transit system. All stations and buses will be delivered later in 2016, with one of the EV chargers to be located at the city’s central station.

“The decision to operate the first electric hybrid plug-in buses by the end of 2016 in the City of Luxembourg perfectly aligns with our continuous efforts to create a sustainable city. The society will immediately benefit from this project through a cleaner environment, reduced noise levels and increased comfort during bus journeys. This ambitious pioneering project represents the starting point in our endeavor to a zero emission urban bus system for the City of Luxembourg in the near future”, says Sam Tanson, First Deputy Mayor of the City of Luxembourg, in charge of Finance and Mobility.

Around 160,000 people commute to and from the City of Luxembourg each day. The government is making investments in sustainable mobility to reduce overall environmental impact and traffic volume. The City has a goal to cut overall carbon dioxide emissions by at least 20 percent by 2020.

This is ABB’s second order with Volvo Buses in 2016. In February ABB announced the order for EV fast chargers in conjunction with Volvo for 11 electric hybrid buses for the city of Namur, Belgium.

“Sustainable mobility investments that reduce congestion and improve air quality are increasing,” said Pekka Tiitinen, President of ABB’s Discrete Automation and Motion division. “As part of our Next Level strategy, we will continue to develop our e-mobility technology portfolio and work closely with companies like Volvo to ensure we provide the solutions these cities and public transportation systems expect.”

About ABB bus chargers

- Easy to integrate into existing bus lines (inverted pantograph enables use of a low-cost and low weight interface on roof of the bus)
- Modular design offering charging power of 150 kW, 300 kW or 450 kW
- ABB’s proven suite of connectivity features enables maximum availability, high uptime and fast service response
- Based on IEC 61851-23, the international standard for fast charging of electric vehicles ensuring the appropriate safety systems are in place, the electrical design is in accordance with regulations, and the systems architecture and working principle are supported by a wider automotive community in the future

About Volvo 7900 Electric Hybrid buses

- Can be powered by electricity for up to 70% of operating time
- Quiet and exhaust-free when running on electricity
- 60% lower energy consumption* than a corresponding diesel bus
- 75 to 90% lower emissions of carbon dioxide* compared with a conventional diesel bus, depending on the fuel used
- Equipped with an electric motor, batteries and a small diesel engine
- The batteries are recharged at the route’s end stations in between 4-6 minutes

*Estimated value on a city bus route of 10 kilometres, compared to a diesel bus Euro 6

Source: www.abb.com

ABB Inaugurates Microgrid in South Africa, Boosting Renewables and Power Reliability

13.06.2016

ABB today commissioned an integrated solar-diesel microgrid installation at its 96,000 square meter Longmeadow facility in Johannesburg, South Africa. This is a world premiere for the innovative solution with fully grid-connected and off-grid functionalities designed to maximize the use of renewable energy and ensure uninterrupted power supply to keep the lights on and the factories running during any planned or unplanned power outages on the main grid supply.

South Africa has the highest electricity consumption in the sub-Saharan region and demand continues to outpace supply. Power shortages, fossil fuel price volatility, environmental concerns and the increased focus on renewable energy sources like wind and solar, are leading to the search for sustainable solutions. South Africa is not alone when it comes to power shortages and outages and several other emerging economies in Africa, Asia, South America and other parts of the world face similar challenges. There are thousands of facilities that could leverage such a microgrid solution to address the matter.

ABB’s microgrid installation in Johannesburg comprises its compact and versatile PowerStore^TM battery-based grid stabilizing system to address frequency and voltage fluctuations. It also includes a Microgrid Plus distributed control system (DCS) to manage the supply of power and balance the fossil-fuel and renewable energy sources in accordance with loads, in a coordinated manner, enabling access to utility grade power.

The 1 MVA/380 kWh PowerStore™ and Microgrid Plus, together with a 750 kW rooftop photovoltaic field have been added to the existing back-up solution at the location to boost renewables and provide continuity of supply during disruptions or transitions from grid to island operation. The modular and containerized microgrid solution is pre-designed for this type of application. A cloud-based remote service system will be deployed for the operations and maintenance of the microgrid in keeping with ABB’s Internet of Things, Services and People (IoTSP) approach.

“This innovative microgrid solution helps address a real-world challenge by providing stable and cost-effective continuity of power supply while minimizing environmental impact,” said Claudio Facchin, President of ABB’s Power Grids division. “Penetration of growth markets like Africa and leveraging innovative technologies like microgrids to improve power reliability are key elements of ABB’s Next Level strategy.”

ABB is a pioneer in microgrid technology with more than 30 global installations across a diverse range of applications serving remote communities, islanded grids, utility grid support and industrial campuses.

Source: www.abb.com

CO2 Turned into Stone in Iceland in Climate Change Breakthrough

10.06.2016

Carbon dioxide has been pumped underground and turned rapidly into stone, demonstrating a radical new way to tackle climate change.

The unique project promises a cheaper and more secure way of burying CO2 from fossil fuel burning underground, where it cannot warm the planet. Such carbon capture and storage (CCS) is thought to be essential to halting global warming, but existing projects store the CO2 as a gas and concerns about costs and potential leakage have halted some plans.

The new research pumped CO2 into the volcanic rock under Iceland and sped up a natural process where the basalts react with the gas to form carbonate minerals, which make up limestone. The researchers were amazed by how fast all the gas turned into a solid – just two years, compared to the hundreds or thousands of years that had been predicted.

“We need to deal with rising carbon emissions and this is the ultimate permanent storage – turn them back to stone,” said Juerg Matter, at the University of Southampton in the UK, who led the research published in the journal Science.

The Iceland project has already been increased in scale to bury 10,000 tonnes of CO2 a year and the basalt rocks used are common around the world, forming the floor of all the oceans and parts of the land too. “In the future, we could think of using this for power plants in places where there’s a lot of basalt and there are many such places,” said Martin Stute, at Columbia University in the US and part of the research team.

Testing has taken place in the Columbia River Basalts, extensive deposits in Washington and Oregon in the US. India, which has many polluting coal power plants, has huge basalt deposits in the Deccan Traps.

One potential challenge for the new technique is that it requires large amounts of water: 25 tonnes for each tonne of CO2 buried. But Matter said seawater could be used, which would be in plentiful supply at coastal sites. Another is that subterranean microbes might break down carbonate to methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, but this was not seen in the Iceland research.

The research, called the Carbfix project, took place at Iceland’s Hellisheidi power plant, the world’s largest geothermal facility. The plant pumps up volcanically heated water to run electricity-generating turbines but this also brings up volcanic gases, including carbon dioxide and nasty-smelling hydrogen sulphide.

The researchers re-injected 230 tonnes of the gas, which was dissolved in water to prevent it escaping, down into the basalt to a depth of 400-500m. They used tracer chemicals to show that over 95% of CO2 was turned into stone within two years, “amazingly fast” according to Matter. Edda Aradottir, who heads the project for Reykjavik Energy, said: “It was a very welcome surprise.”

The Iceland project has now begun scaling up to bury 10,000 tonnes of CO2 a year, plus the hydrogen sulphide which also turns into minerals. The Columbia University group are also investigating another rock type, found in Oman, which may be able to turn CO2 into rock even better than basalt.

Conventional CCS also requires the CO2 to be separated from the mix of gases emitted by power stations and industrial plants, which is expensive. But the basalt-based CCS does not require this. However, Matter said there would still be a role for conventional CCS in places where power plants are close to good reservoirs.

The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has concluded that CCS is hugely important to tackling climate change in the most cost-effective way. Without CCS, the costs of halting global warming would double, the IPCC said, an assessment with which the UK government’s advisers, the Committee on Climate Change, agrees.

However, the UK government cancelled a pioneering £1bn CCS competition in November. Globally, CCS has not developed as quickly as hoped, although some companies are using CO2 injection to drive more oil and gas from older fields. Haszeldine said there have been over 100 injections of CO2 gas in different countries worldwide since 1972, none of which are known to have leaked.

Other innovative approaches to CCS are being explored, including an ExxonMobil-backed project using fuel cells to make capturing CO2 cheaper and one from Ford which uses CO2 to make foam for use in their vehicles. Groups are also working on chemical advances to capture CO2 more easily.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Welcome to Formentera, the Island that Wants all its Cars Electric

10.06.2016

The tiny Mediterranean island of Formentera has taken delivery of six electric cars as part of an ambitious plan to be the first island in Europe to banish traditional cars from its shores.

At 12 miles (19km) from end-to-end and with a population of about 12,000, Formentera is the smallest of Spain’s Balearic Islands. In summer, however, 15,000 cars are in circulation, arriving by ferry or rented on the island.

The six e-Mehari cars were donated by Citroën as part of a pilot scheme for transport on the island to be all electric, although no target date has been set. As the distances are short, the e-Mehari’s range of 124 miles is not an issue.

The first stage consists of offering hotels and tourist apartments tax incentives to install charging points, as there are only 14 on the island. However, with 16 charging points per million people in the rest of Spain this is much higher than average.

Officials say that 200 businesses associated with tourism have already shown an interest in installing charging points against tax breaks.

The tourism department is encouraging hotels to hire out electric cars to customers as an extra service. It estimates that within two years this would triple the number of charging points.

“Formentera is working to maintain its characteristic landscape and peacefulness,” the island’s tourism minister Alejandra Ferrer said. “We’ve been discussing this for years with residents and with tourist organisations. The electric car is key to eliminating air pollution and cutting down on noise.”

Citroën has donated the cars, which cost around €25,000, for hoteliers to try them out. They are working on agreements with hotels and car rental companies to sell e-Meharis at a discount.

The plastic-bodied e-Mehari (which means Arabian camel in Arabic ) is based on the old petrol version designed by a French fighter pilot which Citroën produced from 1968 to 1988. The island has always had a special fondness for this car and there are still 147 of the old type Meharis on Formentera.

The sales of hybrid and electric cars in Spain are rising rapidly, spurred by government incentives. The Spanish carmakers association says they now represent 2.5% of the market, with some 13,000 vehicles now registered.

Source: www.theguardian.com

21-Year-Old’s Miracle Ocean-Cleaning Tech Ready To Get Its Feet Wet

09.06.2016

plastic-bottles — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

It could eventually remove more than 150 million pounds of trash from the Pacific Ocean.

It’s time to see if this activist’s plan to clean the ocean can really hold water.

Boyan Slat, a 21-year-old who gained worldwide recognition two years ago for his ambitious plan to rid the oceans of plastics, is one step closer to making his idea a reality. His foundation just raised the 1.5 million euros they needed to test their technology in real-life conditions, which will take place in the North Sea this summer.

Slat is founder and president of the Ocean Cleanup, a foundation dedicated to developing advanced technologies to rid the oceans of plastic. For the past three years, he’s been working on creating a massive underwater barrier that would collect and remove trash from the Pacific ocean.

The idea works like this: The V-shaped underwater wall would corral trash passing through into one concentrated area, to then be more easily removed and recycled.

If Slat’s technology is successfully implemented, it could remove almost half of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch — or 154 million pounds of trash, according to the organization’s estimates — in just 10 years. Current efforts would take up to 79,000 years to do the same, according to Slat.

The technology would go a long way to help the planet, as at this stage, without any reforms, the world’s oceans will contain more plastic than fish by 2050.

But before placing a 60-mile barrier in the Pacific ocean, they need to test it on a smaller scale — which is where the North Sea test this summer comes in.

If zou want to read an exclusive interview with Slat visit The Huffington Post’s site.

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Arctic Could Become Ice-Free

08.06.2016

Professor Peter Wadhams of Cambridge University predicts we could see ‘an area of less than one million square kilometres for September of this year’.

The Arctic is on track to be free of sea ice this year or next for the first time in more than 100,000 years, a leading scientist has claimed.

Provisional satellite data produced by the US National Snow & Ice Data Centre shows there were just over 11.1 million square kilometres of sea ice on 1 June this year, compared to the average for the last 30 years of nearly 12.7 million square kilometres.

This difference – more than 1.5 million square kilometres – is about the same size as about six United Kingdoms.

Professor Peter Wadhams, head of the Polar Ocean Physics Group at Cambridge University, told The Independent that the latest figures largely bore out a controversial prediction he made four years ago.

“My prediction remains that the Arctic ice may well disappear, that is, have an area of less than one million square kilometres for September of this year,” he said.

“Even if the ice doesn’t completely disappear, it is very likely that this will be a record low year. I’m convinced it will be less than 3.4 million square kilometres [the current record low].

“I think there’s a reasonable chance it could get down to a million this year and if it doesn’t do it this year, it will do it next year.

“Ice free means the central part of the Arctic and the North Pole is ice free.”

Most of the remaining ice within the Arctic Circle would be trapped among the myriad of islands along Canada’s north coast.

The last time the Arctic was clear of ice is believed to be about 100,000 to 120,000 years ago.

The rapid warming of the polar region has been linked with extreme weather events such as “bomb cyclones”, flooding in the UK and out-of-season tornadoes in the United States.

And the sea ice off the north coast of Russia, which normally insulates the water below to keep it cool, is no longer present for much of the year, allowing the sea to get significantly warmer than before.

Scientists have monitored greenhouse gas methane – once frozen on the sea bed – bubbling up to the surface at an alarming rate.

According to one study published in the journal Nature by Professor Wadhams and others, this could produce an average rise in global temperature of 0.6 degrees Celsius in just five years.

“That would be a very, very serious upward jerk to global warming,” Professor Wadhams said, saying the prospect was “frightening”.

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Adidas Creates Running Shoe Made with Recycled Ocean Plastic Debris

08.06.2016

To celebrate World Oceans Day, adidas and Parley for the Oceans have announced the release of a limited number of the iconic running shoe showcased at last year’s Parley Talks ‘Oceans. Climate. Life.’ hosted by the President of the General Assembly at the United Nations in New York.

People around the world are being given until the end of July 2016 to enter a creative Instagram contest to earn one of the 50 available pairs.

Zinedine Zidane who is supporting the movement said:
“This is an inspiring partnership between adidas and Parley. What adidas and Parley is doing, by turning waste into a running shoe, shows that even waste that is harming the planet can be used to create something special.”

The shoe upper is made from Parley Ocean Plastic®, which is collected in coastal areas in the Maldives, as well as illegal deep-sea gillnets retrieved by Parley for the Oceans’ partner organisation Sea Shepherd. The shoe has been created with adidas’ most innovative production method: adidas Tailored Fibre Technology, a revolutionary manufacturing technique that enables unique footwear designs to be tailored to the individual needs of any athlete.

As of June 8, World Oceans Day, people will be able to earn a pair by taking part in an Instagram contest. People will be asked to create a video and show how they pledge to avoid single use plastic items and support Parley’s Ocean Plastic Program. The competition will close on July 31, 2016. The full rules of the game as well as the countries where the competition will be run will be disclosed on adidas and Parley’s social channels.

“This adidas x Parley running shoe is already iconic,” said Eric Liedtke, adidas Group Executive Board member responsible for Global Brands. “It’s a shoe for game changers. We can’t wait to hear the stories of those who stand up, suggest creative solutions, take action and want to join us on our journey to clean up the oceans.”

Source: news.adidas.com

UK Should ‘Shut down all Coal Power Plants Two Years before 2025 Pledge’

07.06.2016

The UK should close all its coal-fired power stations two years earlier than the government’s pledge of 2025, according to green Conservatives including former energy minister Lord Greg Barker.

The move would not cause the lights to go out, would cut both carbon emissions and air pollution and would boost cleaner energy projects, according to a report from Bright Blue, a thinktank of Tory modernisers.

The report also concludes that if the troubled Hinkley C nuclear plant is cancelled it could be replaced by renewable energy.

Overall, the report found that encouraging renewable energy, energy efficiency, storage and electricity interconnectors to other countries would benefit energy bills and security of supply, as well as tackling climate change.

Energy secretary Amber Rudd pledged in November to phase out unabated coal burning by 2025, a move that was widely praised. But the government has also cut solar power subsidies, blocked onshore wind farms, cut support for energy efficiency and cancelled a £1bn carbon capture and storage project.

“Thanks to a Conservative government, the UK is now committed to taking dirty, polluting coal out of our energy mix completely,” said Barker. “So we should take maximum advantage of this bold move. The government should give investors [building greener energy projects] even greater certainty and with that, put UK plc firmly at the forefront of the global drive for clean and smart energy technologies.”

The new report includes analysis by Aurora Energy Research of how closing coal plants early might affect the nation’s security of supply. This included a “high stress” scenario in which the expansion of renewables is slow, Hinkley C is cancelled and coal power stations close early.

“Despite what some exaggerated claims suggest, a coal phase out even under a ‘high stress’ scenario, will not result in the lights going out,” said Ben Caldecott, author of the report and associate fellow of Bright Blue. “Our analysis shows the significant benefits for pollution and system security of further encouraging renewables, interconnection, storage, demand side response and energy efficiency.”

The report said there is “plenty of time” under each scenario to commission any new gas power stations needed to keep the lights on.

A spokesman for the Department of Energy and Climate change said: “The government is absolutely committed to phasing out power production from unabated coal and we are the first country to set an end date for doing so. We will consult on how we plan to do this in the coming months.”

The report said: “The UK should [take] the lead in promoting coal phase-out internationally. The UK has significant technical and moral leadership it can deploy to encourage other countries to agree to a coordinated phased approach for closing down coal-fired power stations. The world’s climate future really does hinge on what other countries do with their coal fleets.”

On Hinkley, the report said: “The future of Hinkley Point C nuclear power station appears to be highly uncertain. Should the project not materialise, renewables can easily fill the capacity gap in the late 2020s. This should be ‘Plan B’.” It noted the fast build time and rapidly falling cost of renewable energy and said: “The ability of these technologies to deliver this capacity is already impressive and will be even more so in the mid to late 2020s.”

Source: www.theguardian.co.uk

Chile Has So Much Solar Energy It’s Giving It Away for Free

07.06.2016

Chile’s solar industry has expanded so quickly that it’s giving electricity away for free.

Spot prices reached zero in parts of the country on 113 days through April, a number that’s on track to beat last year’s total of 192 days, according to Chile’s central grid operator. While that may be good for consumers, it’s bad news for companies that own power plants struggling to generate revenue and developers seeking financing for new facilities.

Chile’s increasing energy demand, pushed by booming mining production and economic growth, has helped spur development of 29 solar farms supplying the central grid, with another 15 planned. Further north, in the heart of the mining district, even more have been built. Now, economic growth is slowing as copper output stagnates amid a global glut, energy prices are slumping and those power plants are oversupplying regions that lack transmission lines to distribute the electricity elsewhere.

“Investors are losing money,” said Rafael Mateo, chief executive officer of Acciona SA’s energy unit, which is investing $343 million in a 247-megawatt project in the region that will be one of Latin America’s largest. “Growth was disordered. You can’t have so many developers in the same place.”

A key issue is that Chile has two main power networks, the central grid and the northern grid, which aren’t connected to each other. There are also areas within the grids that lack adequate transmission capacity.

That means one region can have too much power, driving down prices because the surplus can’t be delivered to other parts of the country, according to Carlos Barria, former chief of the government’s renewable-energy division and a professor at Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, in Santiago.

“Michelle Bachelet’s government has set the energy sector as a priority,” said Carlos Finat, president of the country’s renewable association, known as Acera. “But planning has been focused in the short term when it is necessary to have long term plans to solve these type of issues.”

Inadequate Infrastructure

The government is working to address this issue, with plans to build a 3,000-kilometer(1,865-mile) transmission line to link the the two grids by 2017. It’s also developing a 753-kilometer line to address congestion on the northern parts of the central grid, the region where power surpluses are driving prices to zero.

“Chile has at least seven or eight points in the transmission lines that are collapsed and blocked, and we have an enormous challenge to bypass the choke points,” Energy Minister Maximo Pacheco said in an interview in Santiago. “When you embark on a path of growth and development like the one we’ve had, you obviously can see issues arising.”

Solar capacity on Chile’s central power grid, known as SIC, has more than quadrupled to 770 megawatts since 2013. Much of that comes from the grid’s northern sections, the Atacama region that’s home to the copper industry. Total installed capacity increased 5 percent in the past year, with half coming from solar farms, according to the grid operator, Cdecsic. SIC supplies power to the regions where 90 percent of the country’s residential demand is located.

The country is expected to install almost 1.4 gigawatts of solar power this year, up from 371 megawatts in 2015, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

Source: www.bloomberg.com

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