Kula wind power plant to start delivering electricity, works at La Piccolina launched

04.04.2016

MK-Fintel Wind’s 9.9 MW project in Serbia’s northwest will soon complete its test drive, started in late February. Ivan Stanisavljević, project manager, told Balkan Green Energy News the operator will start delivering power from the three Vestas wind turbines in Kula as soon as it obtains the exploitation permit. The state is obligated to stimulate 500 MW in wind power, according to quotas for green energy until 2020.

Energy minister Aleksandar Antić has been saying the power purchase agreement will be introduced soon. Still, the first wind power plant in the country will operate normally under the terms from the pre-contract, Stanisavljević added. The venture company of Italy’s Fintel Energia Group SpA and MK Group from Serbia started the construction of the facility in February. Blades are 178 metres high and they are able to generate 27 GWh per year, equivalent to the needs of 8,000 households, the company said earlier. MK-Fintel also doesn’t expect that connecting the plant to the supply system will lead to higher electricity bills. Meanwhile, media reports cited a statement from MK Group that works were launched at La Piccolina wind farm at Vršac, in the country’s northeast. Fifty people were reportedly hired for the works at the future facility, worth EUR 10 million and planned for a capacity of 6.6 MW.

Source: http://balkangreenenergynews.com

IEA and Thailand launch Thailand Energy Information Centre in Bangkok

04.04.2016

The International Energy Agency (IEA) and Thailand today launched a centre to consolidate high-quality, accurate and comprehensive energy information. Thailand’s Vice Minister of Energy, Nattipon Kanokchot, and IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol unveiled the Thailand Energy Information Centre in Bangkok during an inauguration ceremony attended by high-level government officials, industry executives and members of the diplomatic corps. During the event, deep gratitude was expressed for the IEA’s strong support for Thailand. While Thailand’s energy data are considered by the IEA to be among the best in Southeast Asia, further efforts through the centre to improve energy data and information will facilitate better energy policy making in the country. To connect the work of the centre to the IEA’s efforts to enhance global co-operation on energy data and statistics, the IEA’s Chief Statistician will take an advisory role as a member of the centre’s steering committee. “I am delighted that Thailand – which became an Associate member country of the IEA in 2015 – invited us to be a partner in the Thailand Energy Information Centre,” said Dr. Birol.

“Thailand shares the IEA’s priorities and goals, and is a leading example for many other emerging economies in areas such as energy security, energy data and energy policy analysis. With the launch of the centre, Thailand will make further progress to meet its ambitious energy policy objectives.” Energy Minister Anantaporn Kanjanarat of Thailand said the centre heralds a new era of engagement between the IEA and Thailand. “This new relationship could enhance Thailand and IEA co-operation in various areas under the Association membership,” he said. “We would like to thank the IEA for supporting Thailand for many years with several co-ordinated activities such as energy emergency response study, data and statistics analysis. We hope that Thailand and the IEA could strengthen our co-operation by working closely in wider-range areas of energy.” The opening of the centre comes just days after Dr. Birol and China’s Energy Minister (Administrator) Nur Bekri jointly announced plans in Beijing to establish an IEA-China Energy Co-operation Centre.

These developments mark important steps in the IEA’s new “open doors” approach towards deeper and wider-ranging collaboration with the emerging economies. Vice Minister Kanokchot said the Thailand Energy Information Centre aims to be an integrated energy information centre and analytical think-tank. He added that the centre will reach out to all stakeholders in the country and “overcome technical barriers” that have in the past created misunderstanding from energy information. “We need to enhance our capacity, and the IEA has been the key partner to support us,” said Vice Minister Kanokchot. During his visit to Bangkok, Dr. Birol met (as pictured) with with the Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand as well as Energy Minister Anantaporn Kanjanarat. Dr. Birol also presented the IEA’s new Thailand Electricity Security Assessment, a report that represents the Agency’s first peer-reviewed engagement with Thailand. The study makes recommendations aimed at enhancing Thailand’s energy security, supporting its transition towards clean energy technologies, improving energy efficiency and developing a regional electricity market.

http://www.iea.org

England’s green power: East Riding best for wind while Cornwall tops solar

01.04.2016

Analysis by Green Alliance has mapped onshore wind turbines and solar panel installations for the first time. The East Riding of Yorkshire is England’s top area for producing wind power, a new analysis has found, with Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire not far behind. The national hotspot for solar generation is sunny Cornwall, perhaps unsurprisingly. But though Cornwall is also one of the windiest counties, it fails to make the top 10 for wind electricity generation. Cambridgeshire emerges as arguably the greenest county in England and Wales, in terms of electricity generation, as the only county to make the top 10 for both onshore wind generation (in third place) and solar power (fifth place). The analysis of the distribution of green power generation around the country comes from the Green Alliance thinktank, which has mapped onshore wind turbines and solar panel installations for the first time.

Three Welsh counties – Dyfed, Mid Glamorgan and Powys – figure in the top 10 for onshore wind, though the analysis did not include Scotland. Separately, figures published by the Department of Energy and Climate Change on Thursday showed that Scotland produced more than half of its electricity needs from renewable sources last year, for the first time. Amy Mount, senior policy adviser at the Green Alliance, told the Guardian: “The distribution shows that countries are playing to their strengths. Most of the wind power is clustered in the windiest sites, generally coastal areas, and the south gets more sun than the north. While funding for renewables is constrained, developers will favor the sites that maximize their technology’s potential. It also means these are the places that will suffer from the drop in construction activity due to the current block on subsidy-free wind and solar power. There’s much more we can do across the country to make the most of our great British weather.”

The future of onshore wind and solar power are now in doubt, as the government has slashed support and brought in tighter rules on planning permission to discourage new construction. Ministers have also taken a hostile stance towards renewables in their rhetoric, to the consternation of investors. The chilling effect on the renewable sector comes even as the economics of onshore wind and solar power have never looked more favorable, and about a quarter of the UK’s electricity now comes from renewable sources. Mount said: “Wind is now cheaper than new gas plants and is one of the most popular forms of electricity generation. Solar costs have come down dramatically. Renewables are now core to the UK’s electricity system. Yet in the March budget the government did nothing to clarify whether onshore wind and solar technologies have a future in the UK.” She added that the government’s system for ensuring the future of the electricity supply, which relies on contracts awarded to generators, was not providing enough assurance to maintain a steady supply of renewable generation construction. “Developers need subsidy-free contracts to ensure the electricity they generate will be bought, to give them the confidence to invest. But we still don’t know if or when these will be available and in the meantime families and businesses are paying for more expensive, high-carbon energy.”

Sonia Dunlop of the Solar Trade Association said that although current solar generation is concentrated in the south-west, other areas were catching up. “The UK’s solar transformation started in the south-west, with the south-east hot on the west country’s heels. That is made clear in this data. But solar photovoltaic technology works well all over the UK, and deployment is now picking up all over the country. However, we are at risk of stopping this in its tracks, due to the government’s decisions to cut back or close the subsidy framework. We need to get behind our industry and invest in a market that will soon be worth trillions worldwide.”

Local authorities can also make a big difference to whether onshore wind and solar installations are encouraged or thrown out during the planning permission process. Martin Heath, director of the Hampshire Renewable Energy Cooperative, said: “Hampshire is one of the country’s sunniest areas and it is brilliant to see us third in the [solar] league table. But we are also one of the highest per capita users of electricity, so we need to make the most of our tremendous potential for more renewable energy. We have some of Europe’s best tidal resources in the Solent, and wonderfully windy areas off our coast. Hampshire is England’s most wooded county so we have lots of biomass as well. We should be aiming to be number one [in renewables].” Scotland, not included in the Green Alliance maps, has its own target, from the devolved government, of generating 100% of its electricity consumption from renewable sources within five years. But much of the policy framework on which renewable energy investment depends is still in the hands of the Westminster government. Jenny Hogan, director of policy for Scottish Renewables, the trade body, said: “There is still a huge amount of potential for future growth [of renewables in Scotland] if the industry is given the right backing by government. [But] recent changes to government support and hold-ups in the consenting process for offshore wind farms have set us on a path to fall short of the 2020 target [of generating 100% of Scotland’s electricity needs from renewable sources].”

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/

Carbon emissions highest in 66 million years, since dinosaur age

30.03.2016

The rate of carbon emissions is higher than at any time in fossil records stretching back 66 million years to the age of the dinosaurs, according to a study on Monday that sounds an alarm about risks to nature from man-made global warming. Scientists wrote that the pace of emissions even eclipses the onset of the biggest-known natural surge in fossil records, 56 million years ago, that was perhaps driven by a release of frozen stores of greenhouse gases beneath the seabed. That ancient release, which drove temperatures up by an estimated 5 degrees Celsius (9 Fahrenheit) and damaged marine life by making the oceans acidic, is often seen as a parallel to the risks from the current build-up of carbon in the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels. “Given currently available records, the present anthropogenic carbon release rate is unprecedented during the past 66 million years,” the scientists wrote in the journal Nature Geoscience. The dinosaurs went extinct about 66 million years ago, perhaps after a giant asteroid struck the Earth.

Lead author Richard Zeebe of the University of Hawaii said geological records were vague and “it’s not well known if/how much carbon was released” in that cataclysm. Current carbon emissions, mainly from burning fossil fuels, are about 10 billion tonnes a year, against 1.1 billion a year spread over 4,000 years at the onset of the fast warming 56 million years ago, the study found. The scientists examined the chemical makeup of fossils of tiny marine organisms in the seabed off the New Jersey in the United States to gauge that ancient warming, known as the Paleoeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). U.N. studies project that temperatures could rise by up to 4.8C this century, causing floods, droughts and more powerful storms, if emissions rise unchecked.

Carbon dioxide forms a weak acid in seawater, threatening the ability of creatures such as lobsters or oysters to build protective shells. “Our results suggest that future ocean acidification and possible effects on marine calcifying organisms will be more severe than during the PETM,” Zeebe said. “Future ecosystem disruptions are likely to exceed the relatively limited extinctions observed at the PETM,” he said. During the PETM, fish and other creatures may have had longer time to adapt to warming waters through evolution. Peter Stassen, of the University of Leuven who was not involved in the study, said the study was a step to unravel what happened in the PETM. The PETM “is a crucial part of our understanding of how the climate system can react to carbon dioxide increases,” he told Reuters.

http://www.reuters.com

EU invests €217 million in energy infrastructure

29.03.2016

Member States agreed on a Commission proposal to invest €217 million in key trans-European energy infrastructure projects, mainly in Central and South Eastern Europe. In total, 15 projects were selected following a call for proposals under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), an EU funding programme for infrastructure. The selected projects will increase energy security and help end the isolation of Member States from EU-wide energy networks. They will also contribute to the completion of a European energy market and the integration of renewables into the electricity grid. The European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Cañete said: “Today, we are targeting those regions in Europe which need it the most. With this funding we will help secure supplies and fully integrate Europe’s energy market by connecting networks across Europe. We must press ahead with the modernisation of our energy networks to bring any country still isolated into the European energy market. Modern energy networks are also crucial to ensuring efficient use of our energy resources and therefore key to reaching our climate goals.”

In the gas sector, the allocated grants will cover, among others, studies for modernising the Bulgarian gas transmission network which will improve the possibilities for the transport of gas in the region, notably for the benefit of Greece, Romania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey. Funding will also be allocated to studies on the Midcat project which will help eliminate infrastructure bottlenecks between the Iberian Peninsula and France, and connect gas supplies from Algeria and Spanish LNG terminals with the rest of Europe.

The inter connector linking gas networks in Romania, Bulgaria, Austria and Hungary will also get EU funding. This is an important development for the EU gas market as this will allow gas from the Caspian region and other potential sources, including LNG, to reach Central Europe. The development of electricity infrastructure will also benefit from CEF financial assistance. This includes environmental and engineering design studies for the Germany-Denmark interconnection which will help supply Nordic electricity to Central Europe.Of the 15 proposals selected for funding: 9 are in the gas sector (financial aid worth €207 million) and six in electricity sector (€10 million); 13 relate to studies, such as environmental impact assessments (€29 million), and two to construction works (€188 million). The European Commission proposal to select these projects was supported by the CEF Coordination Committee, which consists of representatives from all Member States. Later this month the Commission will formally adopt the list of proposals which will receive financial assistance under CEF-Energy.

Background

Under the Connecting Europe Facility a total of €5.35 billion has been allocated to trans-European energy infrastructure for the period of 2014-2020. In order to be eligible for a grant, a proposal has to relate to a project included in the list of ‘projects of common interest’. There are currently 195 energy infrastructure projects on the list. When completed, the projects would each ensure significant benefits for at least two Member States, enhance security of supply, contribute to market integration and further competition as well as reduce CO2 emissions. The list is updated every two years. Under the first call for CEF-energy in 2014, 34 grants received €647 million in financial support. In 2015, two CEF-energy calls for proposals were launched. Within the first call for proposals,€150 million was allocated to energy infrastructure projects. Under the second call, 15 projects out of 24 eligible applications were selected. Proposals that were not selected under this call may apply for funding again under the next call for proposals scheduled for later this year.

Source: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-16-94_en.htm

“Good Practice of the Year” award

29.03.2016

The call for submissions for the 3rd annual “Good Practice of the Year” award is now open! The Renewables Grid Initiative http://renewables-grid.eu/activities/good-practice-award.html warmly invites you to share the success stories of your most innovative approaches to grid planning. Take part in 1 of 3 categories: Communication & Participation, Technology & Design and Environmental Protection.

Submit your outstanding practice in grid development until the 15th of April to stephanie@renewables-grid.eu. The winners will be honored at the European Commission’s Energy Infrstructure Forum in Copenhagen. For more information about the award please see: Renewables Grid Initiative_Good Practice Award 2016

Source: http://www.caneurope.org/

2016 Arctic Sea Ice Wintertime Extent Hits Another Record Low

29.03.2016

Arctic sea ice appears to have reached a record low wintertime maximum extent for the second year in a row, according to scientists at the NASA-supported National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) and NASA.

Every year, the cap of frozen seawater floating on top of the Arctic Ocean and its neighboring seas melts during the spring and summer and grows back in the fall and winter months, reaching its maximum yearly extent between February and April. On March 24, Arctic sea ice extent peaked at 5.607 million square miles (14.52 million square kilometers), a new record low winter maximum extent in the satellite record that started in 1979. It is slightly smaller than the previous record low maximum extent of 5.612 million square miles (14.54 million square kilometers) that occurred last year. The 13 smallest maximum extents on the satellite record have happened in the last 13 years.

The new record low follows record high temperatures in December, January and February around the globe and in the Arctic. The atmospheric warmth probably contributed to this lowest maximum extent, with air temperatures up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit above average at the edges of the ice pack where sea ice is thin, said Walt Meier, a sea ice scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

The wind patterns in the Arctic during January and February were also unfavorable to ice growth because they brought warm air from the south and prevented expansion of the ice cover. But ultimately, what will likely play a bigger role in the future trend of Arctic maximum extents is warming ocean waters, Meier said.

“It is likely that we’re going to keep seeing smaller wintertime maximums in the future because in addition to a warmer atmosphere, the ocean has also warmed up. That warmer ocean will not let the ice edge expand as far south as it used to,” Meier said. “Although the maximum reach of the sea ice can vary a lot each year depending on winter weather conditions, we’re seeing a significant downward trend, and that’s ultimately related to the warming atmosphere and oceans.” Since 1979, that trend has led to a loss of 620,000 square miles of winter sea ice cover, an area more than twice the size of Texas.

This year’s record low sea ice maximum extent will not necessarily result in a subsequent record low summertime minimum extent, Meier said. Summer weather conditions have a larger impact than the extent of the winter maximum in the outcome of each year’s melt season; warm temperatures and summer storms make the ice melt fast, while if a summer is cool, the melt slows down.

Arctic sea ice plays an important role in maintaining Earth’s temperature—its bright white surface reflects solar energy that the ocean would otherwise absorb. But this effect is more relevant in the summer, when the sun is high in the sky in the Arctic, than in the winter, when the sun doesn’t rise for months within the Arctic Circle. In the winter, the impact of missing sea ice is mostly felt in the atmosphere, said Jennifer Francis, a climate scientist at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

“In places where sea ice has been lost, those areas of open water will put more heat into the atmosphere because the air is much colder than unfrozen sea water,” Francis said. “As winter sea ice disappears, areas of unusually warm air temperatures in the Arctic will expand. These are also areas of increased evaporation, and the resulting water vapor will contribute to increased cloudiness, which in winter, further warms the surface.”

Source: https://www.nasa.gov

China pushes for mandatory integration of renewable power

28.03.2016

China has ordered power transmission companies to provide grid connectivity for all renewable power generation sources and end a bottleneck that has left a large amount of clean power idle, the country’s energy regulator said on Monday. The grid companies have been ordered to plug in all renewable power sources that comply with their technical standards, the National Energy Administration (NEA) said. China’s power is primarily delivered by the State Grid Corp of China [STGRD.UL] and the China Southern Power Grid Co [CNPOW.UL], with the latter responsible for delivering electricity in five southern provinces and regions. China has become the world’s biggest wind and solar power user, but a large amount of renewable power has not been able to reach the grid because transmission capabilities are lagging generating capacity by around three to five years. The State Grid is banking on building new ultra-high voltage (UHV) long-distance transmission lines to fill the gap.

“The construction of UHV lines are to help with cross-regional power delivery,” said Wang Yanfang, a State Grid spokeswoman, referring to the need to deliver power from remoter regions to energy-hungry eastern China. Northern and western provinces, where energy resources are plentiful, are far from the industrial hubs in the nation’s eastern coastal regions. To transport surplus power from the north and west, China currently has 17 UHV transmission lines in operation or under construction. Suppliers generating power with wind, solar, biomass, geothermal and wave energy will benefit from the full integration plan, the NEA said. Integration will also encourage wind and solar power suppliers to participate in the country’s pilot power trading program, although grid companies will also be forced to make guaranteed purchases of a portion of the power generated.

“The authorities and provincial grid companies should promote cross-regional trading of renewable power to scale up its acceptance,” the NEA said. The regulator said the volume of electricity the grid is forced to buy will be determined by technical criteria such as transmission capacity and end-user demand in regions where capacity has been idled. The mandatory contracts mean that renewable power companies will still be compensated if they are squeezed out by other suppliers, said the NEA. Other renewable sources, such as biomass, geothermal, wave and small-scale solar power, will be integrated with the grid without the need to trade on the market.

Source: http://www.reuters.com

Decoupling of global emissions and economic growth confirmed

28.03.2016

IEA analysis shows energy-related emissions of CO2 stalled for the second year in a row as renewable energy surged. Global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) – the largest source of man-made greenhouse gas emissions – stayed flat for the second year in a row, according to analysis of preliminary data for 2015 released recently by the International Energy Agency (IEA). Please look here for the document: 1 EnergyRelatedCO2_TimeSeriesData

“The new figures confirm last year’s surprising but welcome news: we now have seen two straight years of greenhouse gas emissions decoupling from economic growth,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. “Coming just a few months after the landmark COP21 agreement in Paris, this is yet another boost to the global fight against climate change.” Global emissions of carbon dioxide stood at 32.1 billion tonnes in 2015, having remained essentially flat since 2013. The IEA preliminary data suggest that electricity generated by renewable played a critical role, having accounted for around 90% of new electricity generation in 2015; wind alone produced more than half of new electricity generation. In parallel, the global economy continued to grow by more than 3%, offering further evidence that the link between economic growth and emissions growth is weakening.

In the more than 40 years in which the IEA has been providing information on CO2emissions, there have been only four periods in which emissions stood still or fell compared to the previous year. Three of those – the early 1980s, 1992 and 2009 – were associated with global economic weakness. But the recent stall in emissions comes amid economic expansion: according to the International Monetary Fund, global GDP grew by 3.4% in 2014 and 3.1% in 2015. The two largest emitters, China and the United States, both registered a decline in energy-related CO2 in 2015. In China, emissions declined by 1.5%, as coal use dropped for the second year in a row. The economic restructuring towards less energy-intensive industries and the government’s efforts to decarbonise electricity generation pushed coal use down. In 2015, coal generated less than 70% of Chinese electricity, ten percentage points less than four years ago (in 2011). Over the same period low-carbon sources jumped from 19% to 28%, with hydro and wind accounting for most of the increase.

In the United States, emissions declined by 2%, as a large switch from coal to natural gas use in electricity generation took place. The decline observed in the two major emitters was offset by increasing emissions in most other Asian developing economies and the Middle East, and also a moderate increase in Europe. More details on the data and analysis will be included in a World Energy Outlook special report on energy and air quality that will be released at the end of June. The report will go beyond CO2 emissions and will provide a first in-depth analysis of the role the energy sector plays in air pollution, a crucial policy issue that today results in 7 million premature deaths a year. The report will provide the outlook for emissions and their impact on health, and provide policy makers with strategies to mitigate energy-related air pollution in the short and long term.

http://www.iea.org

Towards Energy Union: The Commission presents sustainable energy security package

25.03.2016

The Commission on 16^th of February presented its energy security package with necessary proposals to equip the EU for global energy transition as well as to be prepared for possible energy supply interruptions. Energy security dimension is one of the cornerstones of the Energy Union strategy, a key political priority of the Juncker Commission. The package sets out a wide range of measures to strengthen the EU’s resilience to gas supply disruptions. These measures include moderating energy demand, increasing energy production in Europe (including from renewables), further developing a well-functioning and fully integrated internal energy market, as well as diversification of energy sources, suppliers and routes. Further, the proposals bring more transparency to the European energy market and create more solidarity between the Member States.

What does the package adopted by the Commission consist of?

Security of Gas Supply Regulation

Gas plays a role in the transition to a low-carbon economy and remains important in the EU energy mix. However the existing external dependence requires the EU to strengthen the resilience of its markets when confronted by gas supply disruptions. To reap full benefits of liquid and competitive market it is necessary to enhance the transparency on EU gas market. To address this fragility of the system, the Commission proposes a shift from national approach to a regional approach when designing security of supply measures. Further, the proposal introduces a solidarity principle among Member States to ensure the supply of households and essential social services, such as healthcare, in case their supply was affected due to a severe crisis.

A decision on Intergovernmental Agreements in energy

The EU needs to ensure that intergovernmental agreements signed by its Member States with third countries and relevant to EU gas security are more transparent and fully comply with EU law. To that end it introduces an ex-ante compatibility check by the Commission. This ex-ante assessment makes it possible to check compliance with competition rules and internal energy market legislation before the agreements are negotiated, signed and sealed. The Member States will have to take full account of the Commission’s opinion ahead of signing the agreements.

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) and gas storage strategy

Europe is the biggest importer of natural gas in the world. Europe’s overall LNG import capacity is significant – currently it is enough to meet around 43% of total current gas demand (2015). However, significant regional disparities as regards access to LNG remain. The Commission sets a liquefied natural gas (LNG) strategy that will improve access of all Member States to LNG as an alternative source of gas. The central elements of this strategy are building the strategic infrastructure to complete the internal energy market and identifying the necessary projects to end single-source dependency of some of the Member States.

Heating and Cooling strategy

The heating and cooling of buildings and industry consumes half of the EU’s energy. Further, it is 75% powered by fossil fuels. The proposed Heating and Cooling strategy focuses on removing barriers to decarbonisation in buildings and industry. It also stresses that increased energy efficiency and use of renewables will have an impact on energy security. Looking into this sector more strategically is crucial as the EU wants to improve its interdependence from external suppliers.

Source: http://europa.eu

2017 BMW 330e plug-in hybrid on sale in late summer

24.03.2016

bmw-electric — Photo-ilustration: Pixabay

BMW has finally set a U.S. launch date for its plug-in hybrid 3-Series variant. The plug-in hybrid was briefly mentioned during BMW’s unveiling of a mid-cycle refresh for the entire 3-Series lineup last year. Then a European-spec model was unveiled at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show back in September. Now, we have confirmation that the 2017 BMW 330e iPerformance will go on sale in the U.S. late this summer. Since the 330e was first shown, BMW has begun adding the “iPerformance” tag to plug-in hybrids based on existing models, in order to tie them to the “i” family of dedicated plug-in models. So the 330e is now the 330e iPerformance, and the previously-revealed X5 xDrive40e and 740e xDrive are now officially the X5 xDrive40e iPerformance and 740e xDrive iPerformance, respectively.

The 330e powertrain consists of a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and eight-speed automatic transmission, working with an electric motor and 7.6-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. Unlike the other two iPerformance models, the 330e is rear-wheel drive, rather than all-wheel drive. Total system output is 248 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, allowing for 0 to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds and a top speed of 140 mph, says BMW. Operating solely on electric power, the 330e can also drive up to 14 miles, at speeds up to 75 mph, according to the company. Official EPA range and fuel-economy ratings aren’t in yet, though. BMW estimates recharging will take 2.5 hours from a 240-volt Level 2 AC source, and six to seven hours from a 120-volt outlet.

The battery pack is located under the trunk load floor, which cuts trunk space from 17 cubic feet to 13 cubic feet, but preserves the 40/20/40 split-folding rear bench seat that allows longer items to be loaded through into the back-seat area. Like many plug-in hybrids, the 330e has a choice of driving modes. “Auto eDrive” automatically selects a combination of gasoline and electric power, “Max eDrive” prioritizes electric driving, and “Save Battery” holds battery charge at 50 percent. The car can also use real-time traffic information to plot when it is best to use electric power. It might, for example, save the charge for driving through urban areas, or to give the gasoline engine an extra boost on hills. All of that comes at a base price of $44,695 (including destination). When it goes on sale this summer, the 330e will join the 7-Series, X5, and i8 plug-in hybrids, as well as the all-electric and range-extended i3s, in a growing U.S. lineup of BMW plug-in cars.

http://www.greencarreports.com

The energy sector will mark the next decade in the global economy

23.03.2016

Vladimir Bošković, Head of the Department for small and medium enterprises

Sberbank currently has 33 branches in Serbia, 611 employees and nearly 69,000 clients. It is a financial institution which has been doing business in Russia for 170 years and is known as one of the most successful banks in the world. Sberbank provides services for individuals, but also for small, medium and large enterprises and we talked with Vladimir Bosković, Head of the Department for small and medium enterprises about that. We put special emphasis on the fact that this bank is one of few in Serbia which supports projects concerning energetics, environmental protection and energy efficiency. On the occasion of conference COP 21, straight from the horse’s mouth we find out how one successful bank operates in Serbia and what type of projects have been supported so far.

EP: In your opinion, why Sberbank has decided to support projects concerning energy efficiency, environmental protection and thus support economic development in Serbia?

Vladimir Bošković: Serbia as a country with limited energy resources has a lot of potential for saving, and improvement of energy efficiency is one of precondition for energy stability of the country as well as the economy in general. The energy sector became the most profitable and the most attractive sector for investment long time ago, and according to estimations of international financial institutions it will become the sector which will denote the following decades in global economy alongside with griculture. Given the current active experience in funding the area of energy efficiency and renewable energy resources, Sberbank Serbia in its offer has all models necessary for financing the projects in this area thus giving concrete contribution to environmental protection. In cooperation with KfW (German Development Bank), we have invested more than 10 million EUR in more than 400 projects from earmarked credit line for the improvement of energy efficiency so far. By measuring concrete output our contribution expressed in units of measurement is nearly 20 million kWh per year of energy savings, as well as CO2 emission in the mount of 11 million tons per year.

EP: Which conditions should a private of legal person meet in order to obtain a loan from Sberbank?

Vladimir Bošković: Since this is an earmarked credit line, it represented an additional motive for us as a bank to offer far more favourable conditions than commercial, average conditions on the market to our clients. The only condition for clients was that each investment contributes to energy saving of minimum 20% accompanied by the reduction of CO2 in the same proportion. Our focus is private sector, and credit lines are designated for the stimulation of small and medium enterprises, as well as private individuals. The biggest part of implemented projects was related to the investment in building design and construction, and slightly less to the replacement of the equipment/ machines in production processes and the purchase of vehicles for the service and transportation sector. Bearing in mind potentials for investment, we also decided to direct our plans towards public sector and local self-government. The reason why we haven’t implemented more projects in local self-government sector lies in inadequate funding models, which can be surpassed in the near future by defining PPP (Public Private Partnership) as an adequate model of financing that would be acceptable for the banks and also for other participants in partnership. Legal framework has existed for a long time ago, but the reason of higher prudence of banks is still insufficient number of implemented projects done under this model.

EP: Can you find out, in direct contact with clients or potential clients from Serbia, to what extent do the clients understand the problem of global warming and climate change that are also themes of the conference COP21?

Vladimir Bošković: We are one of the first banks in the market which has introduced the credit lines for these projects and our main advantages are knowledge and experience. With the help of consultant teams, who have been an integral part of the implementation of the credit line together with KfW, we obtained certain knowledge and expertise that are necessary for active approach of our employees in sales so that they could be able to properly raise the awareness level among clients about the significance of investing in these projects. Employees have undergone several levels of energy efficiency, and some of them have gained additional knowledge, thus we formed an internal consulting team for energy efficiency whose primary role was the assess compliance with the criteria for financing, as well as constantly gaining knowledge in this area. The key factor is the implementation of legislation which will create a favorable ground for promotion and encourage further investments in this sector and that is what the experience of EU countries has indicated. We expect recent implementation of series of laws and bylaws which are in the process of implementation. I would mention only few of them: the announced amendments of the Law on Planning and Construction, full implementation of energy certification of buildings, the implementation of the Law on the Efficient Use of Energy which introduces the number of necessary measures for the increase of energy efficiency (I primarily refer to the ollection of heat energy according to the consumption in the distinct heating system), establishment of the energy management at the level of companies and local self-government, as well as many others.

Continuous work on raising of the awareness on energy efficiency and the importance of these investments for environmental protection, we confirm responsible business activity through investing into these and similar projects in the energy sector.

Interview led by: Vesna Vukajlović

Turkey hits historic gas consumption record in January

22.03.2016

Turkey’s monthly natural gas consumption reached a historic record high at 5.78 billion cubic meters (bcm) in January 2016, according to data from Turkish Energy Watchdog. In January 2016, 5.78 bcm of natural gas was consumed, Turkish Energy Market Regulatory Authority, EMRA, announced on Tuesday in its monthly natural gas report for January. The new monthly record is 5.7 percent higher than the previous highest consumption which was seen in January 2015 with 5.47 bcm. Turkey’s daily highest consumption was also seen in January 2016 with a consumption rate of 235 million cubic meters of gas, Turkey’s Energy Ministry had announced in February 2016. During January 2016, the most natural gas was consumed by households with 2.45 bcm and electricity plants with 1.34 bcm. Istanbul became the biggest natural gas consuming region followed by Ankara and Kocaeli.

Other gas imports records

Turkey’s natural gas imports rose by 7.8 percent to 5.39 bcm in January, compared to the same month last year. This represents the highest amount of natural gas imported in the country’s history, according to EMRA’s data. The country imported the most natural gas from Russia with 2.78 bcm. Iran and Azerbaijan followed with 852 million cubic meters (mcm) and 594 mcm respectively. Russia’s share in Turkey natural gas imports fell to 51.65 percent from 53.81 percent last January.

LNG’s role increases in natural gas supply

LNG was the main instrument to meet the country’s natural gas demand in January 2016. Turkey imported 396 mcm more natural gas than the previous January out of which 240 mcm was supplied by LNG facilities, according to the report. LNG imports for Turkey increased 25.97 percent to 1.16 bcm in January compared to the same month last year. Turkey imported the most LNG from Algeria with 468 mcm and Nigeria with 171 mcm. Turkey also imported 520 mcm of LNG from spot markets in January.

http://aaenergyterminal.com

China’s new 5-year plan is out, and it doesn’t sacrifice the environment for the economy

22.03.2016

countryside-2326787_1920 — Photo: Pixabay

On Wednesday, Chinese lawmakers approved the country’s 13th Five-Year Plan, the high-level document that will guide policymaking through 2020, including the country’s approach to climate and energy policy. As the world’s second-largest economy and the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, China necessarily plays a role in shaping global climate policy — and if it can deliver on the goals outlined in the plan, that role will undoubtedly expand. The plan is the first to set a national cap on energy consumption — 5 billion tons of standard coal equivalent for 2020 — as well as offering new visions for energy efficiency and air pollution. A World Resources Institute analysis concluded that this FYP sets China on a path to a 48 percent reduction in carbon intensity levels by 2020, compared to 2005 levels. (Carbon intensity refers to the ratio of CO2 emissions to GDP.) For reference, China’s pledge to the Paris Agreement has the country slashing carbon intensity by 60-65 percent of 2005 levels by 2030. All told, it’s the “greenest Five-Year Plan that China has ever produced,” said Barbara Finamore, director of NRDC’s Asia program, on a press call. There’s a lot more to the FYP than energy policy, but many of the other pieces are complementary when it comes to the climate. New standards on air quality indicators like PM 2.5, for example, will no doubt rein in the country’s rampant coal burning. But it’s not all about coal, either. While China saw a cut in coal use of around 3 percent in 2015, it increased its oil consumption by 5.6 percent in the same year. “If China is going to peak its CO2 emissions, it cannot just rely on [cutting] coal,” said Finamore. “Transportation emissions and oil consumption are going to be exceedingly important.” And they are: The FYP addresses vehicle emissions and public transportation in cities, in addition to allocating new money to high-speed rail initiatives.

It’s easy to raise questions about China’s ability to follow through on these kinds of ambitious plans in the face of slowing economic growth. The FYP outlines a target GDP growth rate of 6.5 percent through 2020 — speedy by global standards, but a far cry from the 10 percent growth rate of yesteryear. But that’s not the right way to think about it, said Paul Joffe, senior foreign policy counsel at WRI. “China envisions a ‘new normal’ level of growth,” explained Joffe to press. “At that level, they view the economic and environmental targets as entirely compatible.” In other words, anyone wildly gesticulating at China’s flagging growth rate needs to take a chill pill. Ten percent is simply not sustainable. Joffe’s description of coinciding economic and environmental goals bucks the conventional economic logic that says “you need to consume more to grow more,” said Kate Gordon, a vice chair at the Paulson Institute. That logic is faltering. Earlier this week, the International Energy Agency released data suggesting energy-related emissions and global GDP growth are decoupling. Indeed, Gordon argues that China’s energy-efficiency savings have in part allowed for that kind of decoupling. As the economy transitions to a larger focus on services — which the FYP has growing from 50.5 to 56 percent of the Chinese economy by 2020 — and a lesser emphasis on industry, the split between GDP growth and emission trends becomes even more apparent. A reasonably glaring omission in China’s FYP is the lack of an explicit goal for new renewable energy installed, though it’s conceivable that new goals for solar and wind capacity could find their way into the sub-plans that will be released over the coming months.

Existing targets include 150GW of new solar capacity and 250GW of wind by 2020. Of course, it’s also not just about capacity, said Gordon. You’ve also got to get that electricity on the grid. In its Paris Agreement pledge, China committed to raising its share of renewable to 20 percent of its energy mix by 2030. The plan’s ambition gives post-Paris climate-action further momentum, and can only serve to strengthen the recent U.S.-China climate pact. As with all ambitious plans, though, implementation will be key — and the country is outlining some stark transitions. Upwards of 1.8 million workers in the coal and steel industries are expected to lose their jobs due to changes outlined in the FYP, and those workers will need to be retrained and reemployed. Truly delivering on those goals will require an unprecedented degree of foresight and coordination. Or to put it in Finamore’s own words: “It’s going to be tough.”

www.grist.org

North America’s largest coal power plant to become 44-MW solar farm

17.03.2016

power-plant, carbon, co2 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Located on the shores of Lake Erie, the Ontario Power Generation Nanticoke Generating Station was once North America’s largest coal-fired power plant. It was once capable of producing almost 4,000 megawatts at full capacity, but the aging plant has been shuttered since 2013. Now the site is to be re-purposed for a 44-MW solar farm, as part of a larger effort to replace coal with renewable sources, according to Cleantech Canada. The new solar farm is one of many projects stemming from a large solar-procurement project announced last week by Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), Ontario’s grid operator.

Called the Large Renewable Procurement program, it includes 16 contracts for renewable energy, totalling 454.9 MW of power for the Canadian province. Ontario completed a phase out of coal power in 2014, which included the shutdown of the Nanticoke plant. The site’s redevelopment into a solar farm will be led by Sun Edison Canadian Construction LP, which will partner with Six Nations Development Corp. and Ontario Power Generation. Each of the solar providers involved in the Ontario Large Renewable Procurement program will receive an average 15.67 cents (about 11 cents U.S.) per kilowatt-hour for the energy their sites generate. That means Ontario residents likely won’t get much relief from recent increases in electricity rates. Average electricity costs in the province have risen significantly over the past decade, and some suggest that the phaseout of coal is at least partially to blame.

In November 2015, average peak electricity costs stood at 17.5 cents/kWh (13 cents U.S.), compared to 9.7 cents/kWh (7 cents U.S.) in November 2006, according to the Ontario Energy Board. For off-peak power, residents paid an average 8.3 cents/kWh (6 cents U.S.) in November 2015, compared to 3.4 (3 cents U.S.) cents for the same month in 2006. But regardless of current electricity rates, the long-term environmental benefits of Ontario’s shift away from coal will be worthwhile. The province had no smog days at all in 2015—the first full year of the coal phase out—compared to 53 such days in 2005. Construction of the Nanticoke solar farm will begin once the necessary environmental approvals and contracts are completed.

http://www.greencarreports.com

Earth Hour shines a light on climate action

16.03.2016

This Earth Hour, Saturday, 19 March 2016 8:30 p.m. local time, as the world’s most iconic landmarks prepare to switch off their lights, supporters will be invited to take a stand for climate action on their own personal landmarks – their Facebook and Twitter accounts. Social media users can promote their commitment to the planet by donating their Facebook feeds to spread climate awareness and action in a few clicks on earthhour.org/climateaction. Users can also add a custom-made Earth Hour filter to their profile pictures on Facebook and Twitter to show they believe this is our time to change climate change.
“Social media knows no physical boundaries and neither does climate change,” said Siddarth Das, Executive Director, Earth Hour Global.

“A simple action on social media is the kind of powerful statement that can excite friends and communities to be a part of the climate action we need to take on this global challenge.” With the innovative ‘Donate Your Social Power’ Facebook app, created by Earth Hour in collaboration with creative agency iris Worldwide, supporters around the world can share climate information that matters most to them. By donating their timelines, users can invite friends and followers to discover how people and communities are helping protect #PlacesWeLove in Australia such as the World Heritage Forests in Tasmania and the Great Barrier Reef or how they can be a part of India’s ambition to #GoSolar.

They can also collectively shine a light on the most pressing climate issues facing countries, people and wildlife in Latin America and be a part of Africa’s efforts to change climate change by helping protect forests and promoting access to climate education and renewable energy. “Climate action today will decide the future of our planet for generations to come. As more people sign up, an increasing number of individuals will be able to see how climate action starts with each of us, here and now,” said Das. “Earth Hour empowers each individual through a social event, interactive campaigns or through social networks to be a part of making climate change history.”

This year marks Earth Hour’s tenth lights out event. In the past nine years, WWF and Earth Hour teams worldwide have harnessed the power of the movement to raise support and funds for access to renewable energy, protection of wildlife and their habitats, building sustainable livelihoods and driving climate-friendly legislation and policy. In 2016, Earth Hour will continue to power grassroots efforts to change climate change including driving a petition for 100 per cent renewable energy in Spain, protecting forests and biodiversity in Africa and helping devise a comprehensive solution to Southeast Asia’s persistent haze crisis by working with governments, businesses and civil society simultaneously on peatland protection and sustainable palm oil. Earth Hour 2016 will be celebrated on Saturday, 19 March 2016 between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. in your local time zone. Log on to www.earthhour.org for more stories and articles on teams using the Earth Hour movement to shine a light on climate action. This is our time to change climate change.

www.wwf.com

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