Tag Archives: alternative
Time For Europe To Embrace ‘Affordable, Sustainable’ Energy Solutions
Published 29 May 2013 The European Union should embrace new renewable solutions such as gas fermentation technologies to advance towards a low-carbon economy, argues Jennifer Holmgren. Jennifer Holmgren is chief executive of LanzaTech , which has developed a biological fermentation process that transforms industrial waste gases and residues into fuels and chemicals. Pressed by Europe’s economic crisis, EU leaders at a recent summit called for “affordable and sustainable energy” to underpin the EU’s “competitiveness, jobs and growth”. Many see this as wishful thinking, and argue for a relaxation of the club’s ambitious 2020 energy and emissions reduction targets. If the EU is to weather the crisis and emerge stronger and more competitive than ever, energy policies need to be looking resolutely forward, not back. Technologies are advancing faster than the policies designed to harness them. The EU is debating amendments to the Renewable Energy Directive and Fuel Quality Directive to include sustainability criteria. These criteria could help determine whether Europe can indeed meet its 2020 targets. If policies can catch up with science, sustainable energy can fuel Europe’s growth. Researchers in many different fields have made working out the conundrum of affordable and sustainable energy their priority for years now. Their investments are paying off. A number of new technologies are questioning our perceptions of waste for example, by turning greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide into a valuable resource, and the potential is vast and varied. It is part of a growing trend among researchers who say why capture and bury these gases – a technique supported by EU policies– when you can recycle them into valuable commodities? The EU’s 2020 target to source 10% of Europe’s transport fuel from renewables, is reachable by deploying a variety of existing and new technologies, including gas fermentation which captures carbon-rich waste and residues from European manufacturers and recycles it into biofuel in a closed loop system. These processes allow industries not only to reduce their carbon footprint, but moreover to convert this liability into a valuable green commodity, and be at the forefront of a greener, more sustainable economy. This kind of economy supports green growth for industry, preserving and creating jobs across Europe as manufacturers and industry invest in green technologies while maintaining a healthy bottom line. The old argument that a cleaner, greener economy and job-creation are mutually exclusive just doesn’t hold water anymore. Greening a traditional industry by deployment of a gas fermentation facility at a steel plant for example can create 40 to 50 jobs. CleanTech also boosts foreign direct investment, with global supply chain partners and customers ready to finance and build plants in Europe. Furthermore, increased efficiency and reduced dependence on fossil imports reinforce energy security, and help reduce costs. It is crucial that Europe, in its role as global leader in the fight against climate change, embrace these technologies. Looking beyond 2020, they are an important part of the equation if the EU is to meet its commitments to reduce GHGs 95% by 2050. As Commission President José Manuel Barroso said at the summit, however, there is no silver bullet solution. In its drive for a more sustainable economy, Europe needs to assess all technologies over time and not stop with one policy. There is a high risk for policies focusing on one or a few technologies that may not work in the long run or produce unintended consequences in the future. There is a need to de-risk those policies by diversifying but also coordinating the different policies to further support deployment of clean technologies. Many policymakers and researchers have rightly argued that the solution to climate change requires a wide range of measures. Why not expand the concept of renewable energy beyond solar, wind and other means of harnessing the forces of nature? You need carbon to produce liquid fuels and chemicals – and we can source this from wastes and residues from industry in Europe today. Why not look at what up to now has been seen as a burden we’d just like to go away or bury, and see greenhouse gases as an opportunity, as one solution in a complex equation to ensure a more sustainable, growing economy? Continue reading
New EU Climate Policy Unlikely Before 2015: Poland
May 23, 2013 Poland’s Minister of the Environment Marcin Korolec is pictured in Rio de Janeiro, on June 22, 2012. The European Union is unlikely to hammer out its new policy on global warming ahead of a global climate deal that could be clinched in 2015, … more The European Union is unlikely to hammer out its new policy on global warming ahead of a global climate deal that could be clinched in 2015, Poland’s environment minister said Wednesday. “A long discussion on climate change is getting underway. There’s no chance that new measures will be adopted during the current terms of the European Parliament and the European Commission,” minister Marcin Korolec told Poland’s PAP news agency. In its efforts to reduce global warming, the international community is to draw up new, universal climate pact by 2015, which should come into effect by 2020. Korolec’s comments come after UN climate chief Christiana Figueres warned last week that the world had entered a “new danger zone”, with record levels of Earth-warming carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. Korolec believes Brussels could soon propose cutting EU fossil fuel imports by 30 percent by 2030, and back production of electric cars. The 27-member EU—struggling to overcome recession sparked by the eurozone’s lumbering debt crisis—should also ban costly and inefficient energy subsidies as a means of forcing the development of new, economically viable, power solutions, he said. Korolec also slammed a European Commission proposal to freeze a portion of carbon emission quotas under the EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS) in order to drive up the price of those on the market. “It raises doubts when the European Commission itself proposes to intervene in a market system which it set up in the first place,” he said. “Poland has opposed this from the start and I’m confident that the European Parliament will reject it again,” he added. The parliament refused to raise the price on greenhouse gas emission quotas in April to avoid further burdening heavy industries in Europe already feeling the effects of the eurozone crisis. The European Commission revealed last week that the EU’s emissions were down 2.0 percent in 2012, reflecting the economic slowdown . The ETS covers more than 12,000 power plants and manufacturing installations across the EU plus Norway and Liechtenstein, according to the Commission. It is a key part of EU efforts to reduce its CO2 emissions by some 20 percent by 2020, compared with 2005 levels. Read more at: http://phys.org/news…poland.html#jCp Continue reading
Jirau : The World’s Largest Renewable CDM Project Obtains Registration At The United Nations
WEBWIRE – Monday, May 27, 2013 The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) registered the Jirau Hydropower Plant on May 17, 2013 under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). The renewable energy produced by Jirau will allow a reduction of up to six million tons of CO2 emissions annually as it will reduce the need to dispatch (or build new) fossil fueled power plants. The Jirau hydropower plant is the largest renewable energy plant ever registered and it demonstrates that the Clean Development Mechanism, when applied in tandem with national greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation and enabling policies, is capable of promoting major infrastructure projects. Gérard Mestrallet, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GDF SUEZ declared: “The Jirau CDM project stands as a key element in Brazil’s efforts to promote sustainable economic growth based on renewable power. This recognition by the United Nations illustrates the strong commitment of GDF SUEZ to develop renewable energy around the world and in Brazil.” The Jirau project is a key element in Brazil’s National Policy on Climate Change, which promotes expansion based on hydroelectricity and other renewable technologies, such as wind and biomass. This policy encourages a balance between low GHG emissions, energy security, environmental protection and social development. GDF SUEZ has been a pioneer of CDM since its participation as a founding member of the Prototype Carbon Fund in 2001 and is actively using the program to promote clean energy investments. To date, the Group has registered a portfolio of 15 CDM projects in Asia, Africa and Latin America, using wind, water, geothermal and biomass as sustainable sources of renewable energy. The CDM registration is effective as of December 26, 2012, which enables the project to sell its credits to the European emission trading scheme (EU ETS). About the Jirau Project The Jirau project, which is under construction on the Madeira River in the state of Rondônia in Brazil, is currently jointly owned by GDF SUEZ (60%)(1), Eletrosul (20%) and Chesf (20%). Designed as a run-of-the-river facility with a small reservoir, the plant will have an installed capacity of 3,750 MW and potential to meet the electricity demand of 10 million Brazilian households. The commissioning of the project is expected to start in mid 2013. About CDM The CDM was set up by the Kyoto Protocol as one of the flexibility mechanisms to complement emissions trading between developed countries that accepted targets as listed under Annex 1 of the Protocol(2). Carbon credits from CDM are granted when companies from such developed Annex 1 countries undertake investments enabling the reduction of CO2 emissions in developing countries to support their clean and sustainable development. As the emission reductions obtained can be used to meet part of the obligations, the CDM is a first step towards a global carbon market. About GDF SUEZ in Latin America GDF SUEZ Energy Latin America provides innovative energy and gas solutions in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama and Peru, supporting this emerging continent in its economic growth, respecting the environment and providing essential services to its people. It has 3,300 employees in the region and 12.2 GW capacity in operation and an additional 4.7 GW under construction. Two thirds of the electricity it generates is renewable. It also transports, distributes and sells gas in addition to regasifying LNG and has a share in more than 45 Mm3 per day in natural gas operations through generation companies, marketing and infrastructure operators. For more information, please visit www.gdfsuezla.com —- (1) On May 13, GDF SUEZ and Mitsui announced a partnership where Mitsui will take a 20% equity interest in the project, expanding the long-term partnership between the two Groups. The closing of the transaction is expected to occur during the second half of 2013, upon satisfaction of certain conditions, including obtaining approvals from Brazilian authorities (ANEEL – Electricity Energy Regulatory Agency and CADE – Brazilian anti-trust entity) and lenders (BNDES and local commercial banks). (1) As defined by UNFCC About GDF SUEZ GDF SUEZ develops its businesses (electricity, natural gas, services) around a model based on responsible growth to take up today’s major energy and environmental challenges: meeting energy needs, ensuring the security of supply, fighting against climate change and maximizing the use of resources. The Group provides highly efficient and innovative solutions to individuals, cities and businesses by relying on diversified gas-supply sources, flexible and low-emission power generation as well as unique expertise in four key sectors: liquefied natural gas, energy efficiency services, independent power production and environmental services. GDF SUEZ employs 219,300 people worldwide and achieved revenues of €97 billion in 2012. The Group is listed on the Paris, Brussels and Luxembourg stock exchanges and is represented in the main international indices: CAC 40, BEL 20, DJ Euro Stoxx 50, Euronext 100, FTSE Eurotop 100, MSCI Europe, ASPI Eurozone, Vigeo World 120, Vigeo Europe 120 and Vigeo France 20. Continue reading
