What is the Sun Tax and Why Some Countries “Punish” Their Prosumers?

20.04.2024

solarni-paneli-kuća-elektrana — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Science In Hd)

There should be no obstacles for those who want to invest in renewable energy sources on the way to decarbonization of the energy sector. And yet, by introducing the so-called “sun tax”, certain countries discourage their current and future consumers from this endeavor, while the owners of solar plants perceive this as a form of punishment, even though they are producing clean energy for the national power grids.

The Sun Tax is a solar tariff imposed to reduce congestion caused by electricity flowing in two directions – to and from consumers – by investing in parts of the grid where necessary.

Romania is one of the countries where this tax was met with strong opposition, which resulted in the Romanian government cancelling it in late March this year. Spain also cancelled the tax in 2018, only three years after it had been introduced.

According to Spanish media, the Sun Tax was intended to regulate the use of solar energy and the impact of self-consumption on the national electricity grid. The tax meant that consumers had to pay additional fees for producing and using their own solar power, which at one point discouraged investments in renewable energy sources.

While European countries are slowly phasing out their sun tax, in Australia, as of 2025, prosumers will have to pay a new export tariff for the solar power they forward to the power grid.

The plan is for each state to regulate sun tax collection further, but solar plant owners hope to be protected in several ways during the process. According to the Australian organization Solar Citizens, panel owners will continue to fight for a fair deal in the hope that governments will prioritize measures that allow everyone to access affordable and clean solar energy.

Australia is one of the largest countries in the world, and certain northern parts of the country have over 300 sunny days.

A report from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) indicates that in the fourth quarter of 2023, average generation from distributed photovoltaic (PV) systems reached an all-time high of 3,433MW, up 17 per cent from the same period in 2022, thus setting a record.

Milena Maglovski

Solving Problems With Higher Harmonics

20.04.2024

Veća-slika---Wastewater-Treatment-Plant — Photo: ABB

The substantial energy efficiency and performance gains of using variable speed drives (VSD s) to control the vast number of electric motors, pumps and fans used in the water industry are well documented. A somewhat lesser-known fact is that VSDs and many other types of non-linear loads, such as EC (electronically commutated) motors, LED or fluorescent lighting, computers, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), and Wi-Fi routers, can cause an undesirable event known as harmonic distortion in the electrical network.

Harmonics can cause damage to sensitive electronic equipment, interference in communication equipment, and false readings on measurement devices. They can trip circuit breakers, blow fuses, and damage capacitors, or contribute to the overheating of transformers, cables, motors, generators, and capacitors, wasting energy and shortening the lifespan of this equipment.

Therefore, while the benefits of VSDs far outweigh the effects of harmonics, it is essential to understand the problems that harmonics can cause — and the solutions available to eliminate them.

Harmonics Explained

In a perfect world, the alternating current (AC) in an electrical grid presents as a pure sinusoidal wave, running at a base frequency of so or 6o Hertz (Hz). In reality, the use of non-linear loads creates harmonics — multiples of the base frequency — that cause significant deviations from this pure sine wave in both the current and voltage. The resulting distortion, or electronic pollution, means that energy is lost within the network rather than used by the equipment it serves.

To measure the impact of harmonics a figure known as the total harmonic distortion on current — (THDi) is used. The higher this value is, the more energy is lost in the network. As an example, a to per cent THDi results in 6 per cent greater losses than a network with no harmonics. As well as increased energy costs, the electrical system needs to be sized to be able to carry the excess current. For example, a drive with no harmonic protection could add an additional 80 per cent load to a transformer.

While a single 4-kilowatt (kW) drive, even with 1oo per cent THDi, is unlikely to cause issues, multiple drives will have a cumulative effect as the excess current produces more heat. Not only does this heat waste energy, but overheating makes equipment more unreliable and shortens its life expectancy.

These issues can have a substantial financial impact during all phases of an installation’s lifespan. System inefficiency adds to daily running costs, while premature equipment failure carries unnecessary repair and replacement costs. When selecting equipment, it is crucial to ensure it does not have an adverse effect on the power system or connected devices.

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A Modern Solution to Harmonic

A common mitigation technique to address the trouble — some effect of harmonics is to oversize power components or cables to deal with overheating. For example, the incoming transformer may have to be a higher rating, for which the local power utility will charge higher fees. Many local power companies require operators in water supply and wastewater treatment to take preventive measures to decrease the harmonic distortions that its equipment may cause.

Oversizing backup generators is another common approach to mitigate harmonics induced challenges. However, this approach requires more space, increases project costs, and negatively affects project sustainability.

A sensible alternative to investing in oversized (and therefore more expensive) equipment is to install devices that reduce or eliminate harmonic frequencies from the outset.

Variable speed drives (VSDs) control the speed and torque of a motor driving a water application such as a pump or fan. When using these drives, the conventional approach to tackle problems created by harmonies has been to install external filters or use multi-pulse transformers. However, anew and more efficient technique is to use a specific type ofVSD known as an ultra-low harmonic (ULH) drive. These drives have built-in harmonic mitigation, including an active supply unit and an integrated low harmonic line filter.

While traditional 6-pulse VSDs decrease THDi to around 40 per cent, the best ULH drives can reduce harmonic content in a network to below 3 per cent. With such a low THDi, water facilities can avoid the massive oversizing of power network components and decrease their material usage.

Instead of over sizing, these components can then be sized appropriately — transforming the overall investment costs of the entire system. For example, compared with standard VSDs, incoming power cables might be reduced in size by about io per cent. Furthermore, the size of distribution transformers might be reduced by zo per cent, generators by 5o per cent, and switchgear and circuit breakers by 10-30 per cent.

ULH drives also boost a facility’s reliability. Because of the minimal harmonic content, they eliminate process interruptions from network overloads caused by increased line current. The drives also eliminate malfunctions in connected devices caused by a distorted current. Overall, ULHdrives reduce the installation footprint and total cost of ownership.

Source: ABB

Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS

Which EU Countries Have Met the Targets for Public Chargers?

19.04.2024

punjač — Photo-illustration: Freepik (freepik)

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Maxim Hopman)

The number of public chargers for electric vehicles has tripled in the previous three years in the EU. Data collated by the European Federation for Transport & Environment showed that at the end of 2023, there were more than 630,000 chargers in total. What’s more, the charging network has grown at a faster rate than electric vehicles themselves over the past year.

In 2024, most Member States have already met the set goals, while only Portugal, Hungary, and Lithuania have not. However, they are expected to do so by the year-end. As stated, Greece and Ireland have to continue investing more effort.

The data also show that Bulgaria occupies first place in terms of good results in the accomplishment of set goals, followed by Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Last year, the European Union adopted the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directive, which recently entered into force in all Member States.

The Directive prescribes several main goals for the period from 2025 to 2030.

First, as of 2025, fast charging stations of at least 150kW for cars and vans will have to be installed every 60 kilometers along the main transport corridors of the European Union (TEN-T).

Second, as of 2025, stations with a minimum power of 350kW for heavy-duty vehicles should be located every 60 kilometers along the basic TEN-T network and every 100 kilometers along the extended TEN-T grid. By 2030, the grid will have to be fully covered.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Oskar Kadaksoo)

In terms of hydrogen filling stations, both for cars and trucks, they must be deployed from 2030 in all urban areas and every 200 kilometers along the TEN-T core grid.

Seaports that receive a minimum number of large passenger vessels or container ships must provide access to shore power by 2030.

By 2025, airports will have to provide electricity at all exits for all docked planes.

Electric vehicle drivers will also have to be able to easily pay for the service at the stations. At the same time, the operators will be obliged to provide full information about the availability of chargers, waiting times, and prices.

Furthermore, if the set goals are accomplished, a total of one million charging stations will be installed by 2025, and 3.5 million are expected to be installed by 2030.

Katarina Vuinac

Transition to Renewables Calls for New Approach to Energy Security

18.04.2024

vetar — Photo-illustration: Freepik (wirestock)

The transition away from fossil fuels to renewables requires a new interpretation of the concept of energy security, according to a new report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) published today.

Geopolitics of the energy transition: Energy security outlines a multi-dimensional energy security concept for the 21st century. The systemic nature of the ongoing transition and its wide-ranging social and economic impacts warrant holistic thinking that encompasses technology and its value chains, system flexibility, climate change effects, energy demand, and human security among other things.

IRENA Director-General, Francesco La Camera, said: “The energy system is undergoing a profound transformation, and renewables are bound to bring greater resilience through decentralisation and greater reliance on domestic sources. It is vital to proactively shape this resilience with foresighted policies and investments. While lessons from the fossil fuel era can inform some aspects of the transition, a holistic approach that considers the unique attributes of renewables and modernises economic, social, and diplomatic strategies is necessary.”

He added, “The evolving energy system calls for a security strategy that integrates environmental concerns, economic trends, and social ramifications. Technologies, not fuels, are the centerpiece of the new energy system. By revisiting traditional security approaches and identifying emerging factors, this report seeks to equip policy makers with a better understanding of energy security in the era of renewables.”

Under IRENA’s World Energy Transitions Outlook, renewables would comprise three-quarters of the global energy mix by 2050. Electricity would become the main energy carrier, meeting more than 50 per cent of consumption by 2050. The renewables-based system is characterised by high electrification and efficiency, complemented by green hydrogen and sustainable biomass.

IRENA also estimates that 11 terawatts of installed renewable power capacity will be needed by 2030, requiring a tripling of renewable power and a doubling of energy efficiency, as affirmed at COP28.

As a result, major geopolitical shifts are set to profoundly influence energy trade dynamics, alter international dependencies, and reshape the geopolitical landscape. Cross-border trade in electricity will rise in prominence, fostering mutual benefits, in contrast to the asymmetric dependencies of the oil and gas sector.

IRENA’s new report indicates that energy security in a renewables-based era will need to evolve in several key areas.

It states that resilient technology supply chains will be vital to support the transition, for both developed and developing countries. Furthermore, security and political considerations will hold the key to the successful deployment of the infrastructure required to support flexible renewables-based energy systems. This infrastructure must he highly resilient to extreme weather events, while cyber threats, physical attacks or, a combination of both, rains prominence in highly electrified and digitilised systems.

Human security will be equally important, according to the report, particularly for energy end-users, including in the areas of water and food insecurity, disease, economic marginalisation, inequality and energy poverty.

In addition, energy demand, particularly in Africa and Asia, has profound geopolitical implications for global energy markets, trade patterns and strategic alliances, the report states. Managing it through energy efficiency policies and investments can help mitigate competition over resources and markets.

Finally, the report calls for climate change effects to enter energy security considerations and indicates that renewables should be leveraged to provide cost-efficient, integrated and reliable solutions for climate adaptation.

Source: IRENA

Schneider Electric: Digitization as the Key to the Energy Transition

17.04.2024

The Schneider Electric Innovation Summit was once again a meeting place for the latest automation, electrification, and digitalization solutions. Representatives of numerous companies met in Paris, where Schneider Electric, a leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, presented new solutions designed to help them devise strategies, digitize and decarbonize their operations and expedite the accomplishment of sustainability goals.

This event was an opportunity to talk with Hélène Macela-Gouin, Vice-President of Schneider Electric in France, who informed the summit participants about the importance of digitization and automation in the energy transition process and introduced us to the latest goals of the Schneider Electric Company.

According to her, digitization is the best way to achieve energy efficiency. Many believe that reducing electricity consumption is enough to mitigate the effects of climate change, but Gouin notes that, in addition to reduced consumption, how we use electricity is also very important. The answer, she says, lies in the automation and digitization of consumption.

“We must create a future that suits everyone. We can have lower and better consumption, and we at Schneider Electric are focused on both. Innovations allow us to reduce consumption in buildings through automation, passive infrastructure, installing renewable energy sources on roofs, and digitizing electricity consumption,” said Hélène Macela-Gouin.

NEW SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC HUB: INGRID BUILDING IN NOVI SAD SETS BENCHMARK FOR SUSTAINABLE AND INNOVATIVE WORK ENVIRONMENT

Circular economy in Schneider Electric’s focus

Gouin also spoke about data centers whose sustainability is the company’s focus. Data centers are constantly expanding to meet the needs of digital lifestyles and more intelligent buildings and industries. Schneider Electric’s goal is to merge data centers with the circular economy.

“In terms of circularity, Schneider Electric achieves the same quality and resilience of our products with a reduced environmental impact and lower carbon dioxide emissions. We can be very efficient operationally, but the issue of building data centers must also meet sustainability criteria. This is a more complex problem, and that’s why we looked for a solution in the circular economy. UPS devices manufactured in this way have the same quality, durability, and warranty as all our roducts, with a smaller carbon footprint”, Gouin said.

This way, the company reduces its electronic waste and greenhouse gas emissions. Schneider Electric’s ambition is to create a road map that will enable the broader application of the circular economy in all locations in Europe.

Launched in 2016, the Schneider Electric Innovation Summit showcases the company’s latest innovations, solutions, and partnerships that will drive the future of automation, electrification, and digitization.

Bojan Stević

BIG Solar Uses an Environmentally Friendly Method to Clean and Maintain Solar Panels

17.04.2024

Solar energy is an excellent source of clean and renewable energy. Whether summer or winter, solar power plants require dedicated maintenance and regular cleaning to function properly and last as long as possible. Dust, dirt, leaves and other small debris can accumulate on solar panels, reducing efficiency. This can lead to loss of energy generation, increased maintenance costs and, in some cases, damage to the solar panels. This is why regular and efficient cleaning of solar panels is very important.

BIG Solar from Banja Luka is the first company specializing exclusively in cleaning and maintaining solar power plants and solar panels on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The company uses state-of-the-art machines and brushes from renowned manufacturer Kärcher, and their iSolar programme was created to clean and maintain solar panels while applying the professional cleaning method. The company has abundant experience in panel cleaning. They believe in the future of solar energy and are therefore committed to providing top-quality solar panel cleaning services to help maximize the utilization of your solar power plant.

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Cleaning with RO water

BIG Solar uses the latest technology for cleaning solar panels. It washes all solar power plants exclusively with pure reverse osmosis (RO) water, which had pollution, heavy metals, salts, bacteria and viruses removed from it. This process is called Reverse Osmosis. Professional cleaners first inspect the solar panels to determine how dirty they are. They then use a soft automatic brush soaked in RO water to clean all panel surfaces. Cleaning panels with RO water has numerous advantages, including clean and efficient panels, extended service life and safe, environmentally friendly, simple and fast cleaning methods. The economic reasons for cleaning solar panels with RO water are increased energy production, as clean panels can produce up to 25 per cent more energy than dirty ones. Keeping the panels clean can save money on electricity bills, too.

Prepared by: Mirjana Vujadinović Tomevski

Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS

Soil health: Parliament sets out measures to achieve healthy soils by 2050

16.04.2024

poljoprivreda - agroculture - soil — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Dylan de Jonge)

To improve the health of EU soils, MEPs support efforts to monitor and improve the soil ecological status in the EU.

Parliament on Wednesday adopted its position on the Commission proposal for a Soil Monitoring Law, the first-ever dedicated piece of EU legislation on soils, with 336 votes to 242 and 33 abstentions.

MEPs support the overall aim to have healthy soils by 2050, in line with the EU Zero Pollution ambition and the need for a harmonized definition of soil health as well as a comprehensive and coherent monitoring framework to foster sustainable soil management and remediate contaminated sites.

The new law will oblige EU countries to first monitor and then assess the health of all soils on their territory. National authorities may apply the soil descriptors that best illustrate the soil characteristics of each soil type at national level.

MEPs propose a five-level classification to assess soil health (high, good, moderate ecological status, degraded, and critically degraded soils). Soils with either good or high ecological status would be considered healthy.

According to the Commission, there are an estimated 2.8 million potentially contaminated sites in the EU. MEPs support the requirement to draw up a public list of such sites in all EU countries at the latest four years after entry into force of this Directive.

EU countries will also have to investigate, assess and clean up contaminated sites to address unacceptable risks to human health and the environment due to soil contamination. Costs must be paid by polluters in line with the ‘polluter pays’ principle.

Around 60-70 percent of European soils are estimated to be in an unhealthy state due to issues such as urban expansion, low land recycling rates, intensification of agriculture, and climate change. Degraded soils are major drivers of the climate and biodiversity crises and reduce the provision of key ecosystem services costing the EU at least 50 billion euros per year, according to the Commission.

Source: European Parliament

Oil Demand Growing at a Slower Pace as Post-Covid Rebound Runs its Course

15.04.2024

oil-ulje-mašine — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (John Cameron)

Global oil demand growoilth is currently in the midst of a slowdown and is expected to ease to 1.2 million barrels a day (mb/d) this year and 1.1 mb/d in 2025 – bringing a peak in consumption into view this decade. This is primarily the result of a normalization of growth following the disruptions of 2020-2023, when oil markets were shaken by the Covid-19 pandemic and then the global energy crisis sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Despite the deceleration that is forecast, this level of oil demand growth remains largely in line with the pre-Covid trend, even amid muted expectations for global economic growth this year and increased deployment of clean energy technologies.

In both 2022 and 2023, global oil consumption rose by more than 2 mb/d as economies continued their recoveries from the Covid-19 shock and saw spikes in personal mobility, along with exceptional releases of pent-up demand for travel and tourism. While there are reasonable grounds for uncertainty about how complete the global recovery is, both oil demand data and mobility indicators suggest that its pace has slowed sharply and that the period of demand growth above the historical average is coming to an end.

Without a steep fall in oil prices, a sudden resurgence in the post-pandemic recovery or an acceleration in economic activity, it is unlikely that global oil demand growth will approach the levels seen in 2022 and 2023. Indeed, the pace of gains slowed substantially in the second half of 2023, and the latest data shows that the trend continued at the beginning of 2024.

Oil use increased by an estimated 1.6 mb/d year-on-year in the first quarter of 2024, down from 1.9 mb/d in the fourth quarter of 2023 and more than 3 mb/d during the middle of last year. Given that China was the last major economy to lift public health restrictions related to the pandemic and saw an abrupt economic recovery in mid-2023, this easing of year-on-year demand growth is likely to continue during 2024.

Read the whole article HERE.

Source: IEA

Wealthy Countries Have Learned Their Lesson – They Are Trying to Restore Their Estuaries

14.04.2024

more-reka- river- sea — Photo-illustration: Pixabay (Stanbalik)

People have always inhabited the banks of rivers that are vital to our existence, but it seems that human intervention in the last three decades is slowly taking its toll.

Experts from Inha University in South Korea found that in the past 35 years, at least 100,000 hectares of land around estuaries worldwide have been converted to urban or agricultural land. Their research was published in the scientific journal Earth’s Future.

According to scientists, the construction of dams and land reclamation at estuaries have far-reaching consequences for aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. They reduce coastal protection from storms, affect water quality, and lead to flooding.

The study found that land reclamation, including draining or adding sediment for construction purposes, accounted for 20 per cent of estuarine area loss. At the same time, humans globally altered 44 per cent of estuaries with dams and/or reclamation.

The reclamation of the Qiantang River Estuary in China has already taken its toll, causing severe flooding in nearby cities. It has cost the country an average of 4 billion US dollars per year over the past 50 years.

Wealthy countries are trying to recover

Estuaries are places where fresh river water mixes with salty ocean water, and as such, they are unique ecosystems. However, it seems that we have put more emphasis on estuaries as transport hubs and suitable places for urbanization than on their importance as habitats for wild species; in the past few decades, we have forgotten to preserve their environmental health. This is why many developed countries, such as the Netherlands and Germany, are now trying to restore their degraded estuaries by removing dams and restoring vital ecosystem functions.

These countries have already lost large areas of their estuaries and, therefore, can serve as a kind of warning to developing countries that, in addition to economic benefits, when modifying their estuaries, they should also consider environmental protection, said Guan-hong Lee, a geoscientist from Inha University in South Korea who led the study.

Milena Maglovski

Social Networks from a Different Eco-Angle

14.04.2024

instagram shashava kelerabaf — Photo: courtesy of Milice Adamović

Countless novelties are met with not-so-good opinions. An effective example of this is social networks where people post inappropriate and hateful words, accompanied by unpleasant visual covers, which worryingly leads us to the question – is this really a reflection of our society? The girl who, presenting her biography, wrote in the first sentence, “Milica Adamović: Lives, works and tries to breathe in Belgrade”, is an inspiration to many in terms of perceiving the world around us differently and taking bad things from our environment to reshape them and give them a better value.

She graduated with her master’s degree from the Faculty of Biology, majoring in ecology and environmental protection. This gave Milica the knowledge she could further develop and donate to science, thanks to her love for this field. However, as she says, she realized that her field of interest was not science, no matter how much she loved it. This led her down a different path, at the beginning of which she embarked on research about environmental communication. After completing the relevant course, she realized that this was a field in which she could apply her love for science and knowledge to inform the wider public.

“In my opinion, environmental problems were communicated aggressively, which gave birth to the desire to reframe this and show it through a different filter. I wanted to simplify science for people and present problems and solutions to them. In a way that is more pleasing to me and will also suit a certain target group“, Milica explains.

While social media are brimming with content that does not always provide proper direction to the young generation and even the entire society, Milica brought something new to social networks. As she explained, social media offers the possibility of getting closer to people you wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to meet.

IN FOCUS:

“They allow people to feel as if they are not alone. For instance, until recently, I was the only vegan in my environment. Thanks to social networks, I now know at least 30 other vegans, and I feel like a part of that community, which, at the end of the day, is the most important thing for people, i.e. to have a sense of where they belong“, she adds.

The content she creates covers environmental topics, including capitalism, sustainable fashion, energy efficiency, veganism, environmental justice, a fair green transition, greenwashing and eco-anxiety and the importance of taking care of one’s mental health in the age of climate crisis. She also likes to share the latest good news from Serbia, the region and the world with her followers. Milica tries to identify the problem that a certain target group has and then offers solutions in an interesting way through practical advice or humorous content. Although every topic arouses interest, Milica’s SHASHAVA KELERABA Shashava Keleraba (in English, The Silly Kohlrabi) is Milica’s nickname from student trips. “I have a friend who liked to spice up every Charades game by linking things nobody in their right mind would like to certain words. One of those things was silly kohlrabi. My colleagues and I each chose our own nickname. They all outgrew theirs; I kept mine,“ explained Milica. experience has shown that people react best to topics of greenwashing and its recognition by certain companies.

“Also, recycling is one of the burning topics, but I don’t focus on it that much because prevention is more important, that is, doing things in a way that we don’t have to resort to recycling or throwing something away. Recycling is the easiest step (if we can call it that), and if we want to go above that, there are so many stairs we need to climb. My goal is to make it as easy as possible for people to walk up the higher stairs“, says Milica.

The majority of her audience is women (82.4 per cent), who are in her age group (25–34). As she explained, they are mostly environmentally conscious, regardless of the economic branch they work in, from dentists to bank managers.

Prepared by: Katarina Vuinac

Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS

New EU Rules to Improve Urban Wastewater Treatment and Reuse

13.04.2024

otpadne-vode — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Ivan Bandura)

With 481 votes in favour, 79 against and 26 abstentions, Parliament adopted the deal reached with the Council in January 2024 on revising the EU’s water management and urban wastewater treatment standards to better protect public health and the environment.

By 2035, urban wastewater will undergo secondary treatment (i.e., the removal of biodegradable organic matter) before it is discharged into the environment, in all agglomerations of the size of 1,000 population equivalent (p.e., standard measuring unit describing the average pollution released by one person per day) or more. By 2039, tertiary treatment (i.e. the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus) will be applied in all wastewater treatment plants covering 150,000 p.e. and above, and by 2045 in those covering 10.000 p.e. and above. An additional treatment removing a broad spectrum of micro-pollutants (‘quaternary treatment’) will be mandatory for all plants over 150,000 p.e. (and over 10,000 p.e. based on a risk assessment) by 2045.

The monitoring of various public health parameters (such as known viruses and emerging pathogens), chemical pollutants, including so-called “forever chemicals” (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS), microplastics and antimicrobial resistance will be strictly monitored.

The law introduces extended producer responsibility (EPR) for medicinal products for human use and cosmetic products, to cover the costs of quaternary treatment (to remove micro-pollutants from urban wastewater). At least 80 per cent of the costs will be covered by producers, complemented by national financing.

EU countries will be required to promote the reuse of treated wastewater from all urban wastewater treatment plants where appropriate, especially in water-stressed areas.

Quote

Rapporteur Nils Torvalds (Renew, FI) said: “The legislation will significantly improve water management and wastewater treatment standards in Europe, especially with new rules on removing micro-pollutants coming from medicines and personal care products. We are making sure that the impact of the rules on the affordability of medicines will not be disproportionate and that harmful chemicals such as PFAS will be monitored and better dealt with in the future.”

Next steps

Council needs to formally approve the agreement as well before it can enter into force.

Background

In October 2022, the Commission tabled a proposal to revise the urban wastewater treatment directive, aligning it with the EU’s policy objectives on climate action, circular economy and pollution reduction. The legislation is one of the key initiatives under EU’s zero pollution action plan for air, water and soil.

Source: European Parliament

MT-KOMEX BH – Regional actor for solar energy

13.04.2024

After a hundred thousand solar panels were installed in Serbia, it was entirely natural for the company MT-KOMEX that the next step was to expand its business in the region. With significant experience in constructing solar power plants – over 200 of them and an installed power of over 100 megawatts, it strengthened its presence by opening the company MT-KOMEX BH in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Complex legal regulations and procedures for construction, which differ in different administrative parts of BiH, including the Federation of BiH and Republika Srpska, are a big challenge for everyone who wants to build solar power plants. Radoslav Marić, director of MT‑KOMEX BH d.o.o., highlights this as a key challenge and adds that it is necessary to harmonize laws and practices in accordance with regional trends, citing the examples of the Republic of Serbia and Croatia that have adopted laws on the use of renewable energy sources.

– As for the business, turnkey construction is unique in Bosnia and Herzegovina and represents significant support for potential investors. MT-KOMEX BH operates on this principle – Marić points out.

From creating a project for the power plant, obtaining permits, delivering the necessary materials, technology and labor to the site, then assembling and installing panels, installing inverters and other necessary infrastructure, and finally checking readiness for commissioning – all these stages are included in the phrase “turnkey”, and which are therefore the responsibility of the entire team.

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The project with which the company will present itself and show how this works in practice is the debut project in Bosnia and Herzegovina – the Photovoltaic Power Plant (FNE) Rešetnica, which will be built in the town of the same name in the town of Goražde, in the Bosnian-Podrinje Canton.

In this case, the investor, Public Company Elektroprivreda Bosne i Herzegovina d.d. – Sarajevo, to get a fully functional facility positioned at about 900 meters above sea level, on an area of about 8,200 m2 (0.82 hectares), which is expected to produce about 1,411 MWh of energy annually.

Countries in the region have significant potential for solar energy, but the percentage of electricity from this source is still modest. Like in Serbia, hydropower plants improve the energy picture regarding electricity from clean sources in BiH, but thermal power plants are still the leading electricity producers. However, according to some estimates, the country has between 1,500 and 2,200 hours of sunshine per year, which is an excellent incentive to work on improving solar energy. Bosnia and Herzegovina in the south of the country reach over 2,300 hours of annual average. In contrast, according to the data, Neum, the only city in this country with access to the Adriatic Sea, has an average of 2,600 sunny hours per year.

The countries in the region, including BiH and Serbia, have more hours of solar radiation than many other European countries, and the best conditions are in the southeastern part of our country, including the southern parts of neighboring countries. Also, there are large areas that have not been used and could be effectively used to install solar panels, including the mountainous and hilly areas Bosnia and Herzegovina are known for.

MT-KOMEX BH is currently developing big ideas and projects, which will further affirm the company as a leader in the field of renewable energy sources, but this time also in the region, contributing to the transition towards a sustainable and environmentally responsible future of the energy sector.

Prepared by: Milica Vučković

Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS

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