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Tag: solar

Major milestone for Greek energy as renewables power 100% of electricity demand

Posted on by dishanth
Major milestone for Greek energy as renewables power 100% of electricity demand

Renewable energy met all of Greece’s electricity needs for the first time ever last week, the country’s independent power transmission operator IPTO announced.

For at least five hours on Friday, renewables accounted for 100 per cent of Greece’s power generation, reaching a record high of 3,106 megawatt hours.

Solar, wind and hydro represented 46 per cent of the nation’s power mix in the eight months to August this year, up from 42 per cent in the same period in 2021, according to Greece-based environmental think-tank The Green Tank.

Green Tank called it, a “record of optimism for the country’s transition to clean energy, weaning off fossil fuels and ensuring our energy sufficiency.”

“European countries like Greece are rapidly accelerating away from fossil fuels and towards cheap renewable electricity. The milestone reached by Greece proves that a renewables-dominated electricity grid is within sight,” Elisabeth Cremona, an analyst at energy think tank Ember, told Euronews Green.

“This also clearly demonstrates that the electricity system can be powered by renewables without compromising reliability. But there remains more to do to ensure that renewables overtake fossil fuels in Greece’s power sector across the whole year.”

 

What’s the big picture for Greece’s energy transition?

It’s a significant milestone in the history of the country’s electricity system, and follows the bright news that renewables fully met the rise in global electricity demand in the first half of 2022.But Greece’s transition to clean energy hasn’t been entirely straightforward.

 

 

Solar panels soak up the sun’s rays at a new photovoltaic park near Kozani, Greece, pictured in August this year.

 

Like other European countries, Greece has cut its reliance on Russian gas following the war in Ukraine by increasing liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports to meet its needs. It has also boosted coal mining, pushing back its decarbonisation plan.

Using IPTO data, The Green Tank finds that renewables – excluding large hydro sources – surpassed all other energy sources, leaving fossil gas in second place as it decreased slightly for the first time since 2018.

Greece aims to more than double its green energy capacity to account for at least 70 per cent of its energy mix by 2030. To help hit that target, the government is seeking to attract around €30 billion in European funds and private investments to upgrade its electricity grid.

It plans to have 25 gigawatt of installed renewable energy capacity from about 10 gigawatt now but analysts say Athens might reach that target sooner.

IPTO has been investing in expanding the country’s power grid to boost power capacity and facilitate the penetration of solar, wind and hydro energy.

 

 

Source  euronews.green

 

Sri Lanka’s first ever agrivoltaic solar power plant opened

Posted on by dishanth
Sri Lanka’s first ever agrivoltaic solar power plant opened

Solar Universe, the 10MW solar power plant in Vavunathivu, Batticaloa was declared open today.

Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera announced the opening of the 10 MW Ground Mount Solar Power Plant.

Minister Wijesekera said that invested and developed by WindForce PLC, Vidullanka PLC, and HiEnergy Services (Pvt) Limited, it is the 1st Agrivoltaic Power Plant in Sri Lanka.

The Minister further said that the new 10MW solar power plant in Vavunathivu will add 20 GWh annually to the National Grid. (NewsWire).

 

 

 

Source NEWSWIRE

 

Solar Blanket: Sustainable, Self-Sufficient Renewable Energy

Posted on by dishanth
Solar Blanket: Sustainable, Self-Sufficient Renewable Energy

Access to sustainable living and greener choices is still fairly limited to those that can afford to do so, often raising questions around inclusivity and accessibility in relation to sustainable, self-sufficient living.

If the aim is to move towards a greener future, including the widespread adoption of sustainable energy choices at both the macro and micro scale, the opportunity for everyone to access the renewable energy solution is absolutely vital.

A recent graduate of the MA Material Futures at Central Saint Martin’s (CSM), London, Mirielle Steinhage has conceived of a solar-powered blanket that could grant access to renewable energy to those in need. The blanket is made from a conductive material that can be used to warm a person using solar power as the energy source.

People Power
Steinhage was inspired to develop the project – People Power – as a way of making sustainable energy more accessible and by exploring ways in which to introduce people to affordable renewable energy products.

This is because often, there is an imbalance in the emphasis placed on individuals to take personal responsibility versus being able to access the resources to do so. This is far from the ideal scenario in a world trying to combat climate change.

This is where Steinhage’s ‘People Power’ could prove to be crucial, as it offers those living close or beneath the breadline access to technology that would benefit them in a practical scenario.

 

Cost Savings and Circularity
The energy-saving ‘Solar Blanket’ directs heat toward the user and isolates the warmth in their immediate periphery, which avoids wasting energy on heating up an entire space. Furthermore, the blanket could retail for around 10 GBP (roughly 12 USD), and as it is solar-powered, it does not incur any extra costs for charging either via a power supply or buying replacement batteries.

The solar panel which charges the blanket remains functional in almost all weather conditions and has been designed for easy positioning in front of a window. Currently, Steinhage has three low voltage prototypes, between 5 and 12 volts. The 12-volt blanket has the capacity to heat to around 30 degrees Celsius, and the power bank remains functional for two hours on a single full charge.

The blanket’s portable power bank has the potential to be used with other compatible objects in the home. Additionally, portability means that the blanket can be used in a wide range of scenarios and environments as it is not restricted to a single room.

Steinhage’s design is made from polyester fabric combined with a conductive yarn that helps generate heat. A polyester ribbon is also part of the fabrication to prevent any damage when the yarn comes into contact with itself when folded or in use.

Steinhage specifically chose these materials for their cost-effectiveness, functionality, and durability. Moreover, they can be easily separated for recycling, making the blanket a circular product that could be later converted into other useful products.

In the future, Steinhage is focused on developing more sustainable, self-sufficient renewable energy products that are accessible to all. She hopes she can extend the People Power range to include household lighting solutions and fans that would be compatible with the same solar panel and power bank.

Source – AZoCleantech

On board with net zero: the transport boss trying to drive down emissions

Posted on by dishanth
On board with net zero: the transport boss trying to drive down emissions

David Brown of Go-Ahead is promising that his company’s bus and train operations will be carbon-free by 2035.

‘Personally, I think that’s quite cool!” David Brown, 60, is beaming like a young boy, having just recognised the bus controller at the terminus outside Victoria station as a colleague who joined London Transport at the same time as him, almost 40 years ago. “People stick in transport a long time. That’s what I love about it. They’re doing a frontline job, I’m just doing mine, there’s no difference really.”

Except Brown is trying to steer not just buses but a multinational transport group as chief executive of Go-Ahead – in particular, to wrestle its emissions down to net zero, as the sector faces up to being the biggest contributor to greenhouse gases. This year he will leave the group – whose operations include Thameslink, Southern and Southeastern trains and buses in London and nationwide – after a decade at the helm.

While Covid threatens to unravel a lot of the work done to build up rail and bus services during Brown’s career, he is clear that climate change is the bigger long-term issue. Transport has far surpassed energy generation as the biggest CO2 culprit – making up a quarter of UK emissions – and last week Go-Ahead made a pledge that its 5,000 UK buses and trains would be entirely zero-emission by 2035, cutting its CO2 by 75%. It aims to hit net zero by 2045, before the national target, by offsetting the remainder.

Although Go-Ahead’s decarbonisation strategy – edged off stage by the government’s, which was published the same day – sets out many ambitions, it admits that many are not in its own hands. So what exactly is the point?

“It’s galvanising 30,000 people to get behind a climate strategy,” says Brown. “It’s a sense of purpose. What we deliver is helping solve climate change problems – if you get people on to public transport you’re taking them out of their cars.” About 55% of transport emissions are private cars, he says; just 3% come from buses, and 1% from trains.

The pledges assume continued government spending on hydrogen and electric vehicles, and subsidy for green operations. Brown lobbied for a change announced in the government’s decarbonisation plan, improving bus operators’ grants for running electric vehicles to 22p per kilometre. “It transforms the economics for investing in new buses.”

 

A high-speed train belonging to Southeastern, one of Go-Ahead’s rail franchises Photograph: Johnny Green/PA

 

He thinks there are opportunities for more hydrogen buses, but is cautious: “The capital cost is huge and it’s unknown what the ongoing operating costs and lifetime costs will be.”

Go-Ahead’s north London depot at Northumberland Park will be what Brown bills as “the first bus-to-grid virtual power station”, where electric buses charge slowly overnight, and put energy back into the network from their batteries when supplies are needed, as wind and solar supplies – and prices – fluctuate.

In all this, as the small print of the strategy makes clear, there is a commercial imperative: “If Go-Ahead does not take action on this issue, our competitors will – and those with more climate-friendly reputations could ultimately take market share from us. This would weaken our business.”

Brown happily concurs. “There’s an altruistic view, and a commercial reason for doing it, in terms of positioning. And a people reason: younger people especially are attracted to work for companies who have purpose and are doing the right thing environmentally.”

Right now, though, public transport faces a more immediate crisis, with passenger numbers still only about half of pre-pandemic levels. And there is a renewed focus on the risks with Covid cases soaring, particularly as mask-wearing becomes optional on trains in England.

Brown frowns. “Whenever anyone talks about a tight, packed environment, they talk about public transport – and I want to scream and say hold on, the average journey time on a bus is 18 minutes max, the doors are opening all the time, fresh air is coming in and out, the windows are open on the top deck. You really aren’t exposed as you would be in a packed pub sitting there for two hours, there’s no comparison.”

He doesn’t mention names, but the prime minister, Brown’s former boss when mayor of London, suggested even as he was removing the legal requirement to wear masks that people “might choose to do so in enclosed spaces, such as public transport”.

 

We used to bring 150,000 people into London Bridge every morning. They’re not coming at the moment.That affects everyone. – David Brown, Go-Ahead

Brown argues: “There seems to be a little bit of demonising it and that shouldn’t be the case. There is no evidence that anyone can catch Covid on a train or a bus, none whatsoever.”

That conviction comes despite the Covid deaths of a significant number of bus drivers. Brown says Go-Ahead believes none contracted Covid at the depot or while working.

Another factor may be at play, he suggests, comparing the clamour to travel abroad on planes, which are more enclosed than buses or trains: “People are choosing to do that because the prize at the end is going on a holiday. They might not be choosing public transport because the prize at the end is going to work.”

He sees a similar phenomenon with rail: “We have much busier trains at the weekend now, people are going to the coast – they love it, they don’t worry about what’s happening in the trains in those circumstances.”

On the mask issue, he says, he wants transport “to be treated the same as other parts of the economy”. If he could choose, “I’d want to say, everyone should be doing it everywhere, in any environment, I want that consistency”. Come Monday, he will still wear a mask. “It’s not protecting you, it’s protecting other people … it’s just a polite thing to do.”

Covid, he says, has only accelerated underlying changes towards working from home and ordering goods. “I don’t think we’ll go back to packed trains, because social trends are changing. Commuter journeys are going to become more discretionary.”

But net-zero targets depend on people returning to public transport, rather than the car, he says. “We have to find ways of getting people back on the railways, and we have to tackle the costs, because the cost base is not sustainable now.”

 

However, he points out that public transport is often seen abroad as part of the “fabric of society”, and subsidised accordingly. ”You need to cut your cloth, attract customers – and you may need government money, because of the social benefits.”

Nowhere is this more apparent to him than in the capital. “We used to bring 150,000 people into London Bridge every morning. They’re not coming at the moment. That affects everyone. The big fear I have for places like London is how do you keep that vibrancy of the city centre, if you don’t have all those people coming in? You need all that activity and buzz – otherwise, you’re just in the suburbs.”

It seems inconceivable to remember, he says, that in the job-scarce 1980s, when he started as a graduate trainee, the discussion at London Transport was about cutting back the Bakerloo and the Northern lines because the population of the capital was in decline.

But without public transport, “it wouldn’t move, it wouldn’t function”. The challenge now for operators, he says, is “making sure that when people do come back, that we’re ready and we’re there for them. If they don’t find that the 7.25am is still operating or we don’t have the same frequency of service, then we’ve got a problem.”

 

 

By @GwynTopham

Source The Guardian

Testing, testing: how responding to climate change will make our world quieter

Posted on by dishanth
Testing, testing: how responding to climate change will make our world quieter

Our hearing organs start to develop at two or three weeks of gestation, and as we continue to develop in the womb we can hear well enough to react to sound. Sight may well be listed second in influential academic Marshall McLuhan’s ordering of the human senses into a hierarchy of importance yet traditionally, industrial design has focused on sight and touch, especially for expensive items. But, as we learn more about the design of infrastructure required for a net-zero emissions future, audio is becoming increasingly important in how we design, and for whom.

A more sustainable future means that our world will likely become quieter as energy-efficient technology has the potential to reduce noise impacts.

In most machines or systems, noise reflects a loss of energy in the system – energy being wasted rather than put to productive use. As we focus on reducing emissions and increasing energy efficiency, there is potential to achieve a quieter environment.

Creating power with solar panels or hydrogen instead of boilers and steam turbines; powering vehicles with batteries or hydrogen fuel cells rather than gasoline or diesel engines; electrifying rail lines to take diesel-electric locomotives out of service, and developing high-efficiency electric motors to make commercial processes (from air conditioning to manufacturing) whisper-quiet.

What are the ramifications of a quieter world as communities transition to net zero emissions, and how does that impact design? Could the noisiness of your factory floor or your suburb become a measure of how sustainable you are as a business or a community?

 

Do we need more or less noise?

This question is in the eyes (or ears) of the beholder. Rachel Carson’s seminal text ‘Silent Spring’, responsible for kicking off the modern environmental movement, argues that a healthy natural environment should be ‘noisy’ with natural life.

However, COVID-19 has revealed a mixed reaction to the relative silence that so many people experience from working remotely. For some, prolonged silence and isolation made them desperate for interaction with others; some introverts thrived in lockdown and never want to return to an office; others craved solitude after the noise of home-schooling kids, while trying to work.

Anecdotally, people are seeking out silence, as evidenced by the trend of city folks moving to regional centres. There is also the increasing use of noise-cancelling headphones, allowing people to curate their own audio environment, regardless of what sounds are actually around them.

The influence of increased or decreased noise on creativity, mental health and reflectiveness is probably down to the individual, although there are questions to be asked as we design this new audio world. Sound-masking systems conceal noise in new offices, but what if these became more common? Would organisations lose creativity if eavesdropping was lost? Research shows eavesdropping actually makes us better people. Could plugged-in employees result in decreased stress at the expense of less creativity and social engagement?

Hearing is a primal threat detector for humans and design has compensated for quieter noise in the past: for instance, the first cars were preceded by a person ringing a bell as a warning. Silence can be a problem, which is why electric trams and cable cars traditionally ring a bell to alert pedestrians to their approach, and why pushbikes have a bell on their handlebars.

Now, electric vehicle makers have synthetic sounds generated from their quiet motors – to make pedestrians aware that cars are around. While this has already become a legal requirement in the EU, other automakers are looking for workarounds: for example, Ford reportedly wants to include an ‘off switch’ for its line-up of police vehicles, presumably so officials can sneak up on suspected criminals.

 

How audio design can improve sustainable outcomes

Audio design in infrastructure could become a way to solve problems or achieve better sustainability outcomes. Look at start-up Ping Services, the creators of a stethoscope for monitoring the ‘health’ of wind turbines. Acoustic technology ‘listens’ to turbine blades to monitor their condition and helps predict degradation without early retirement, a common issue afflicting wind turbines.

The idea of creating an ‘acoustic fingerprint’ of well-maintained operating equipment, as a measure of equipment performance, has multiple applications across many industries such as mining and manufacturing. Ping, a small Adelaide start-up, is reaping the benefits of being an innovative first mover in using noise, or absence of it, as a measure of efficiency.

This movement towards less noise could change our property and settlement patterns, reducing urban sprawl. For instance, real estate next to busy roads may not necessarily lose value in a future of predominantly electric vehicles, because the reduced noise and reduced particulate emissions (no engines, less brake wear) will alleviate the impact on an amenity that a busy roadway would normally have.

A school in the Netherlands has placed acoustics at the heart of design under the premise that less noise equals less stress, illness and lower absentee rates. More than 30 000 m² of stone wool tiles and a long wall of reindeer moss supports the ceiling in creating a comfortable acoustical environment. Acoustic panels themselves are becoming more sustainable with options now made from chemical-free pulp.

The opportunities a net-zero future brings for design are endless. As roadways become narrower due to automated, quieter and non-emitting vehicles, the physical environment can be integrated further into design. Increased vegetation has the power to muffle harsh noise and absorb carbon dioxide. Just as rooftop gardens and flower walls are now commonplace, the best of Mother Nature’s audio like the calming benefits of birdsong could be incorporated on a broader scale.

 

Designing for silence

An electrified economy could potentially see increased audio pollution restrictions (for example, construction site noise limits, airport curfews) to reduce intrusions on people’s audio space. In the same way that smog and pollution were controlled in response to the industrial revolution’s excesses, the transition to a net-zero economy could include further control of public sound.

New regulations around use of drones already protect local wildlife, and sound laws have been enacted by governments and councils to account for technology that causes ambient public noise to recede from electrification and high-efficiency motors.

Not all of these will be reactions against sound: already, pleasant background sounds are actively introduced in places where people need to be calm, such as medical settings, or synthetic engine noise is simulated in electric vehicles to create a sportier sound upon acceleration.

Incorporating the design of sound into the built environment from the beginning is the best way to achieve a quieter environment, and avoids subjective tastes dictated by a few for the group. Already there are moves to design quiet spaces while, at the same time, we are warned of the psychological dangers of silence. Between the two extremes is a design challenge for perhaps audio-neutrality – more likely to be attained if we start with human need.

Decarbonising economies to combat climate change is a complex journey and won’t happen overnight, and neither will our response to lowering noise levels. Instead of the future soundscape being managed as an afterthought, more value could be obtained if we consider it early in the design phase, especially of workplaces and educational institutions, as a driver of qualitative measures such as engagement, fulfilment and purpose.

Sound is important to us. It is not only one of the first senses to develop, but it is also widely-believed to be the last sense people retain before they lose consciousness forever. While COVID-19 has provided an unexpected context in which to consider the audio environment we want to live, work and play in, climate change is providing ongoing opportunities to return to the sounds of nature.

You’ll have to keep listening to find out what a net-zero emissions future sounds like. Perhaps it might not only be smelling the roses, but also hearing the birds chirp. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful world!

Aurecon’s award-winning blog, Just Imagine provides a glimpse into the future for curious readers, exploring ideas that are probable, possible and for the imagination. This post originally appeared on Aurecon’s Just Imagine blog. Get access to the latest blog posts as soon as they are published by subscribing to the blog.

 

 

Source Eco News AU

How Solar And Renewable Energy In Africa Makes A Better Future

Posted on by dishanth
How Solar And Renewable Energy In Africa Makes A Better Future

When we hear Africa, the first thing that comes in our mind that it is the world’s second largest continent and second most-populated continent with 1.2 billion people. But it is strange that around 600 million people in Africa are living without having regular access to electricity and most of the population lives in rural areas which are hard to reach.

For these people, it would take many more years to gain access to electricity, and this entire process will require the right amount of investment. Though, business entrepreneurs and households in rural Kenya has discovered a promising solution to this problem in installation of mini-grids to meet their day-to-day demands,

Local businesses can be connected to the microgrids provided by the community, and the payments can be taken through online mobile money system which is already being used in many countries worldwide.

In the past few decades, with the significant advancement in technology and reduced production costs, solar technology has become quite inexpensive and affordable.  The growing availability of solar appliances like solar fans, LED lights, solar refrigerators, TV and the other types of equipment has increased the solar energy expansion in rural areas.

 

Why is Africa moving towards Solar and renewable energy?

A published study Brighter Africa by McKinsey has stated that sub-Saharan Africa will utilize about 1600 terawatt of electricity by the year 2040, and it is four times of utilized electricity of the year 2010 and Similar to combined electricity of Latin America and India in 2010 (but still there are 30 % of the population who still do not have access to electricity.)

 

 

The investment required to meet this production level by 2040 is around $490 billion and $345 billion will be required for its transmission and distribution.  There will rise in the share of natural gas from 6 to 45 % by the year 2040, and the expense of coal will drop from 51 % to 23%. The share of renewables will increase up to 26%  which is presently around 21%.

 

Future Scope of Solar and Renewable Energy for Africa

Solar and wind energy has now become the most efficient way to generate energy as the life span of the coal-powered station has almost completed.  By 2050, around 95 % of electricity in Africa will be generated by using renewable energy resources like solar, wind and geothermal energy.

Renewable energy is the most effective solution to the long-running shortage of electricity supply in South Africa as in Africa around two-thirds of the population which is approximately 600 million people have electricity access. With only seven countries of this continent with exceeding 50% of electricity rates, electricity access is the main reason behind the development. It is essential to power telecommunication, water supply, healthcare, and educational services.

With the potential of generating 10 terawatts of solar energy, 1 gigawatt of geothermal energy and 1300 gigawatts of wind power, renewable energy will be the future of Africa. It will eliminate the requirements of fossil fuels which has a negative impact on the environment as well as society.  African governments, as well as the private sector, are now finding cheaper and smarter ways to produce the energy and tackle the electricity deficit in the continent.

Most of the experts agree that Africa requires to increase its electricity production by using renewable sources like wind, predominantly solar and hydroelectric. Africa is the continent of a growing private market for renewable energy ventures which results in the increased number of investors who are investing in the development of technologies that can lead to sustainable and clean energy generation.

Energy market of various countries in Africa is experiencing a structural transformation which is in the direction of a more economically integration of renewable energies. The rapid rollout of wind and solar energy in some of the African Countries depicts that “renewable plays an essential role in the overall energy mix Africa.”

According to the Solar Magazine interview with Benjamin Attia ( Wood Mackenzie Power & RenewablesAnalyst), stated that Wood Mackenzie had a collaborative partnership with Energy 4 impact(Non-profit organization). They seek to decrease poverty by accelerating energy access. They are providing bsiness, financing, and technical advice to off-grid energy businesses working in sub-Saharan Africa.

 

Facts related to Solar and Renewable Energy Implementation in Africa?

 

Rising off-grid solar investment

  • In early December, Government of UK stated that they will invest another ₤100 million through the REPP (Renewable Energy Performance Platform) in various projects. So, it boosts the growth of the renewable energy sector of Sub Saharan Africa. This fund was made in 2015 for helping the project developers to overcome the financial problems.
  • Wind, hydroelectric, spanning solar, biomass and geothermal power generation,  the REPP program is funding 18 renewable energy projects in different countries of Sub-Saharan Africa which includes Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria, and Burundi – as per the news update.
  • The new funding of  €100 million will manage the finance of many projects and programs based on renewable energy in Sub-Saharan Africa for the upcoming five years as per the UK government. Moreover, REPP is an integral part of the UK commitment to internationally invest about €5.8 billion regarding climate finance by 2020.

Geographic and downstream off-grid solar expansion

Sub Saharan off-grid solar companies continuously raising financial sources for expanding geographically and to enhance the range of their off-grid electronic products. Also:

  • During Dec 2011, Off-Grid Electric or Zola Electric had stated that it has acquired about USD 32.5 million credit facility, so that they can finance and manage their activities in Tanzania within the five years.

D.light was established in 2007, it works towards providing solar power to 62 countries and around 88 million people according to the management.  The products and services offered by company extend to include the portable solar lanterns which double as the LED lighting, flat-screen TV, mobile phone rechargers and the small home appliances.

The D.light has raised around US$100 million in the past two years in equity and debt financing.  Even, some of the initial investors of D.light took profit of the latest investment funding and make their exit.

 

Final Verdict

As the power sector sub-Saharan Africa facing various challenges but still there is a real push for change. Like Sustainable Energy program of UN assisting private sector activity in various parts of the value chain. Even, the region holds the ability to lead the sector development to the new level. And the Success will drive the economic growth of the continent and improve the lives of millions of people. Also, supports in increasing electricity supply over various industry and providing millions of jobs around the continent.

IEA: Renewables Will Lead Global Generation in 2025

Posted on by dishanth
IEA: Renewables Will Lead Global Generation in 2025

The world’s power generation is about to become even more green, according to a new publication from the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The group on Nov. 10 published its “Renewables 2020″ report, and highlighted how generation capacity from both wind and solar will double across the next five years and surpass global generation from both coal and natural gas. The IEA said renewable energy this year is growing at its fastest annual pace in the past six years, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency said the pandemic has in fact hastened the closure of older thermal power generation infrastructure; as an example, American Electric Power this week announced it would shut down nearly half its entire fleet of U.S. coal-fired power plants.

The IEA in the report said “the COVID-19 crisis is hurting—but not halting—global renewable energy growth,” noting that “renewable markets, especially electricity-generating technologies, have already shown their resilience to the crisis.”

 

90% of New Generation Is Renewable

“From January to October 2020, auctioned renewable capacity was 15% higher than for the same period last year, a new record,” the report said. “At the same time, the shares of publicly listed renewable equipment manufacturers and project developers have been outperforming most major stock market indices and the overall energy sector.”

The report said almost 90% of new power generation in 2020 will be renewable, with about 10% of new output coming from natural gas- and coal-fired plants. The IEA said a continuance of that trend would make renewables the world’s largest power source in 2025.

Fatih Birol, the agency’s executive director, in a statement, said, “Renewable power is defying the difficulties caused by the pandemic, showing robust growth while other fuels struggle. The resilience and positive prospects of the sector are clearly reflected by continued strong appetite from investors—and the future looks even brighter with new capacity additions on course to set fresh records this year and next.”

Birol continued: “Governments can tackle these issues to help bring about a sustainable recovery and accelerate clean energy transitions. In the United States, for instance, if the proposed clean electricity policies of the next U.S. administration are implemented, they could lead to much more rapid deployment of solar PV [photovoltaic] and wind, contributing to faster decarbonization of the power sector.”

John Lichtenberger, senior vice president of Core Solar, an Austin, Texas-based developer of solar power projects, recently told POWER, “the cost of solar technology has come down so much” that developing solar power is a “no-brainer, from an environmental standpoint and an economic standpoint. Renewables are not a novelty, they’re a legitimate cost-effective, environmental way to generate power. Solar technology [has] been refined and improved, and the cost has come down. The technology has become a commodity, [and] we’re seeing production across the globe.”

 

Global Energy Demand Falls

The IEA said the coronavirus pandemic is a major factor in a 5% decline this year in global demand for energy. The report, though, said “priority access to the grid and continuous installation of new plants are all underpinning strong growth in renewable electricity. This more than compensates for declines in bioenergy for industry and biofuels for transport—mostly the result of lower economic activity. The net result is an overall increase of 1% in renewable energy demand in 2020.”

The report said new deployments of renewable energy, led by China and the U.S., mean that “net installed renewable capacity will grow by nearly 4% globally in 2020, reaching almost 200 GW. Higher additions of wind and hydropower are taking global renewable capacity additions to a new record this year, accounting for almost 90% of the increase in total power capacity worldwide. Solar PV growth is expected to remain stable as a faster expansion of utility-scale projects compensates for the decline in rooftop additions resulting from individuals and companies reprioritizing investments. Wind and solar PV additions are set to jump by 30% in both the People’s Republic of China and the United States as developers rush to complete projects before changes in policy take effect.”

The agency said India and the European Union also will drive increases in renewable energy, which the report said will result in a record expansion of global renewable capacity additions of nearly 10% next year, the fastest growth since 2015. The IEA recently said that solar power today is now the cheapest source of electricity in history.

The report said that total installed wind and solar PV capacity is on track to overtake natural gas in 2023, and coal in 2024—and said that generation from all renewable resources will become the “largest source of electricity generation worldwide in 2025,” supplying one-third of global power output.

The IEA report said, “Solar PV alone accounts for 60% of all renewable capacity additions through 2025, and wind provides another 30%. Driven by further cost declines, annual offshore wind additions are set to surge, accounting for one-fifth of the total wind annual market in 2025.”

 

 

Darrell Proctor is an associate editor for POWER

Source: Power Magazine

Super-charged: How Australia’s biggest renewables project will change the energy game

Posted on by dishanth
Super-charged: How Australia’s biggest renewables project will change the energy game

Australia doesn’t yet export renewable energy. But the writing is on the wall: demand for Australia’s fossil fuel exports is likely to dwindle soon, and we must replace it at massive scale.

The proposed Asian Renewable Energy Hub (AREH) will be a huge step forward. It would eventually comprise 26,000 megawatts (MW) of wind and solar energy, generated in Western Australia’s Pilbara region. Once complete, it would be Australia’s biggest renewable energy development, and potentially the largest of its type in the world.

Late last week, the federal government granted AREH “major project” status, meaning it will be fast-tracked through the approvals process. And in another significant step, the WA government this month gave environmental approval for the project’s first stage.

The mega-venture still faces sizeable challenges. But it promises to be a game-changer for Australia’s lucrative energy export business and will reshape the local renewables sector.

 

The projects promise enormous clean development opportunities for Australia’s north and will create thousands of jobs in Australia – especially in high-tech manufacturing.

 

Writing on the wall

Australia’s coal and gas exports have been growing for decades, and in 2019-20 reached almost A$110 billion. Much of this energy has fuelled Asia’s rapid growth. However, in recent weeks, two of Australia’s largest Asian energy markets announced big moves away from fossil fuels.

China adopted a target of net-zero greenhouse emissions by 2060. Japan will retire its fleet of old coal-fired generation by 2030, and will introduce legally binding targets to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

There are signs other Asian nations are also moving. Singapore has weak climate targets, but on Monday inked a deal with Australia to cooperate on low-emissions technologies.

 

Export evolution

The Asian Renewable Energy Hub (AREH) would be built across 6,500 square kilometres in the East Pilbara. The first stage involves a 10,000MW wind farm plus 5,000MW of solar generation – which the federal government says would make it the world’s largest wind and solar electricity plant.

The first stage would be capable of generating 100 terawatt-hours of renewable electricity each year. That equates to about 40 per cent of Australia’s total electricity generation in 2019. AREH recently expanded its longer term plans to 26,000MW.

The project is backed by a consortium of global renewables developers. Most energy from AREH will be used to produce green hydrogen and ammonia to be used both domestically, and for shipping to export markets. Some energy from AREH will also be exported as electricity, carried by an undersea electrical cable.

Another Australian project is also seeking to export renewable power to Asia. The 10-gigawatt Sun Cable project, backed by tech entrepreneur Mike Cannon-Brookes, involves a solar farm across 15,000 hectares near Tennant Creek, in the Northern Territory. Power generated will supply Darwin and be exported to Singapore via a 3,800km electrical cable along the sea floor.

The export markets for both AREH and Sun Cable are there. For example, both South Korea and Japan have indicated strong interest in Australia’s green hydrogen to decarbonise their economies and secure energy supplies.

But we should not underestimate the obstacles standing in the way of the projects. Both will require massive investment. Sun Cable, for example, will cost an estimated A$20 billion to build. The Asian Renewable Energy Hub will reportedly require as much as A$50 billion.

The projects are also at the cutting edge of technology, in terms of the assembly of the solar array, the wind turbines and batteries. Transport of hydrogen by ship is still at the pilot stage, and commercially unproven. And the projects must navigate complex approvals and regulatory processes, in both Australia and Asia.

But the projects have good strategic leadership, and a clear mission to put Australian green energy exports on the map.

 

Shifting winds

Together, the AREH and Sun Cable projects do not yet make a trend. But they clearly indicate a shift in mindset on the part of investors.

The projects promise enormous clean development opportunities for Australia’s north, and will create thousands of jobs in Australia – especially in high-tech manufacturing. As we look to rebuild the economy after the Covid-19 pandemic, such stimulus will be key. All up, AREH is expected to support more than 20,000 jobs during a decade of construction, and 3,000 jobs when fully operating.

To make smart policies and investments, the federal government must have a clear view of the future global economy. Patterns of energy consumption in Asia are shifting away from fossil fuels, and Australia’s exports must move with them.

John A. Mathews is Professor Emeritus in the Macquarie Business School at Macquarie University. Elizabeth Thurbon is Scientia Associate Professor in the School of Social Sciences at UNSW Sydney. Hao Tan is Associate Professor with the Newcastle Business School, University of Newcastle. Sung-Young Kim (김성용) is Senior Lecturer in the Macquarie School of Social Sciences at Macquarie University. This article was originally published on The Conversation.

 

 

By John Mathews and Elizabeth Thurbon and Hao Tan, Sung-Young Kim

Source: Eco Business

BP to Cut Oil and Gas Production 40%, Invest 10x More in Green Energy

Posted on by dishanth
BP to Cut Oil and Gas Production 40%, Invest 10x More in Green Energy

BP, the energy giant that grew from oil and gas production, is taking its business in a new direction, announcing Tuesday that it will slash its oil and gas production by 40 percent and increase its annual investment in low-carbon technology to $5 billion, a ten-fold increase over its current level, according to CNN.

Despite losing $16.8 billion in the second quarter of 2020, the ambitious plan to become a leading purveyor of clean energy sent the company’s share price soaring 7 percent Tuesday, as The New York Times reported.

“This coming decade is critical for the world in the fight against climate change, and to drive the necessary change in global energy systems will require action from everyone,” BP said in a statement, as CNN reported.

As part of its plan, the company will stop its oil and gas exploration in new countries and reduce its current production and carbon emissions by one-third, as The Washington Post reported.

In a discussion with analysts on Tuesday, BP’s Chief Executive Bernard Looney set his company apart from its European counterparts, which have made vague commitments to address the climate crisis. Looney’s pledge to invest around $5 billion a year in renewable energy like wind, solar and hydrogen, a clean-burning gas, made it the first oil and gas giant to specify its investment goal, according to The New York Times.

“This makes the BP the first supermajor to spell out, in detail, what the energy transition will actually entail, in practical terms,” said Pavel Molchanov, senior energy analyst for the investment firm Raymond James, to The Washington Post.

“BP today introduces a new strategy that will reshape its business as it pivots from being an international oil company focused on producing resources to an integrated energy company focused on delivering solutions for customers,” the company said, as Reuters reported.

The company expects demand for fossil fuels to fall by 75 percent by 2050, if the increase in global temperatures is limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius, or by 50 percent if warming is less than 2 degrees, BP head of strategy Giulia Chierchia told investors, as CNN reported.

BP said its will cut its oil and gas production by at least one million barrels a day by 2030, a 40 percent reduction from 2019 levels, as CNN reported.

While the company will dramatically expand its portfolio of clean energy technologies, the next five years will see BP continue to invest most of its money in oil and gas production, according to CNN.

“We believe our new strategy provides a comprehensive and coherent approach to turn our net zero ambition into action,” Looney said in a statement Tuesday, as The Washington Post reported.

The investment in low-carbon initiatives is set to jump to more than $3 billion by 2025 and $5 billion by 2030, “en route to 50 gigawatts of renewable generation capacity by 2030 alongside scale-up of other clean tech businesses,” Molchanov said, as The Washington Post reported.

The company sees a profitable future in providing clean energy to cities. According to The Washington Post, BP plans to advise cities on “power packages” with renewables, back-up batteries and financing. It also will also start to offer electric vehicle recharging stations at its retail gasoline stations.

Oswald Clint, an analyst at Bernstein, a market research firm, told The New York Times that BP’s plans were “peer-leading” and that its potential to smoothly manage large projects in the renewables area was “underappreciated.”

Environmental activists were lukewarm about the plans. Greenpeace UK described the announcement as a “necessary and encouraging start,” but said BP must go further. “BP has woken up [to] the immediate need to cut carbon emissions this decade,” senior climate campaigner Mel Evans said in a statement, as CNN reported.

 

 

By Jordan Davidson

Source: EcoWatch

How the First Net-Zero Energy Communities in the U.S. Operate

Posted on by dishanth
How the First Net-Zero Energy Communities in the U.S. Operate

 

   

 

   

   

 

   

  

 

     

 

 

 

 

     

  

 

 

 

   

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Source: Earth911