10. International Roundup

COP 9: Milan

The ninth gathering of the Conference of Parties to the UN Framework  Conference on Climate Change in Milan in November, could see the final ratification of the Kyoto treaty. Progress has already been made on defining the operational rules for the Clean Development Mechanism (see below) which could then go live and the various emission credit markets would become real rather than speculative. The USA is still out of the picture of course, as is Australia, but there have been indications that Russia was now serious about signing, which would tip the balance. There certainly is a need to get moving, as this world wide image web sites makes clear: http://www.gci.org.uk/images/C&C_Bubbles.pdf

CDM rules set 

The Executive Board of the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) has  considered the first 14 project proposals, and, in effect, has established precedents for baseline and monitoring methodologies. Meeting in Bonn in June, the Board agreed that six of the proposals could be considered in this context- including a bagasse cogeneration project, two landfill projects in Brazil, a landfill project in South Africa, a windfarm project in Jamaica and an HFC decomposition project in the Republic of Korea.

Proponents of CDM projects are required to use approved baseline methodologies to demonstrate that their project is truly “additional” and would not have happened anyway. They have to use the monitoring methodologies to account for their project’s actual emissions. If an accredited certifier considers that these methodologies have been correctly applied and thus validates a project, the Board will automatically register a project within eight weeks unless a review process is requested. With a system for accrediting operational entities, the proposed methodologies and a number of requests for registering projects now in place, the first CDM projects could thus be registered around the end of  2003.

The CDM was established under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol as a way of promoting sustainable development while minimizing the costs of limiting greenhouse gas emissions. In return for investing in a CDM sustainable development project, companies will earn “certified emission reductions” that developed countries may use to meet their Kyoto commitments.

For more information about the CDM please consult  http://unfccc.int/cdm

200m Euro for EU Energy Projects

MEPs have approved a new 200 million Euro package of funding for “intelligent energy” projects across the EU.  The funding- for innovative energy projects from wind to water and solar power- will be available over a four year period until 2006.

Eastern MEP, Mrs Eryl McNally, Energy Spokesperson for the Socialist Group, who steered the report through the European Parliament said, “The remaining fossil fuels will be used up within the lifetime of today’s babies, so it’s about time we thought of intelligent alternatives. That means more renewable energy, more efficient energy use, cleaner transport and a big push to help developing countries with new energy technologies.”

She highlighted the UK perspective: “Across the UK, EU investment in alternative energy has allowed innovative British projects to get off the ground, building offshore wind farms along the UK’s coastline, finding new processes to generate power and provide heat from farm and food wastes and using solar panels to provide power. With intelligent energy, we are investing in security of supply, as well as protecting the environment and making industry more competitive. By funding intelligent energy, everyone is a winner.”

She added, “Existing EU funding has given rise to a catalogue of British success stories- from Northumberland, where two wind turbines on the Blyth Wind Farm are generating enough electricity for 3,000 homes, to Worcestershire where solar power is lighting the bus stops across the Parish of Bretforton.  In every region, sources as diverse as wind, sun and straw are being turned into energy to heat homes, drive industry and power lights in a sustainable way. With 200 million Euros of additional funding, a whole range of innovative energy projects from solar power, to windmills and geothermal energy will go ahead in the UK, the rest of Europe and the Developing World.”

 McNally added, “We need intelligent energy to meet our development goals. We can’t build an electricity grid for the more remote parts of the developing world.  If the people there are going to have electricity it has to be intelligent and renewable.  Intelligent energy will help the UK to meet the Government’s target of getting 10% of the UK’s electricity from renewable sources by 2010 and will be an important building block in meeting Britain’s KYOTO targets to reduce gas emissions.”

Source: European Labour Party News Release

2 million Dutch green energy consumers 

According to a survey by GreenPrices, the Dutch market for green energy is still increasing. In the first months of 2003 about 400,000 more consumers chose green energy, bringing the total by May to 1.8 million households. GreenPrices say  this means that ‘26% of the total amount of households in the Netherlands uses green electricity’.  GreenPrices said they expected 2 million households to be provided with green electricity at some point this year, adding ‘When this figure will be reached, depends on the price changes of green energy, due to an increase of the ecotax to 3,49 eurocents per kWh as of 1st of July 2003. However it appears that most energy companies intend to keep their price at the same level or below the price of ‘grey’ electricity.’

BP-Fossil fuels for ever ?

Addressing the World Gas Conference in Tokyo in June,  BP  chief executive John Browne claimed that  “Hydrocarbons will not just remain the most important source of energy- they will actually become more important.”  Despite the conference theme, “Catalysing for an Eco-Responsible Future,” Browne said energy industry leaders “have to be realistic” in accepting the continued global reliance on fossil  fuels. “If you add together all the alternative and renewable sources of supply- excluding hydro, which of course is available only in specific locations- all that supply, added up on a global basis over a full year, would barely meet the needs of the city of Tokyo.”

By 2020, the world will consume the energy equivalent of 36 million tonnes of crude oil per day, with 65 percent coming from oil and gas, Browne said. “The inescapable conclusion is that energy supply will continue to be dominated by hydrocarbons”. Lets hope that they manage to sequester at least some of the resultant CO2.

Renewables around the world

Plans for Irelands 520MW 200 turbine offshore windfarm on the Arklow sandbank, which  runs between 7km and 10km off the coast of Co Wicklow, are progressing, with a deal having been signed between Irish-owned Airtricity and the US General Electric corporation.  More than 500 jobs are expected to be created during the construction phase. An exclusion zone for shipping is expected to be set up around the turbines, although ships already have to avoid the Arklow sandbank because it is known to be dangerous. The wind farm, which is to be developed in phases, should eventually, when completed in around five years time, supply  around 8% of the country’s energy needs. It’s location near to a major pumped storage system should help with system balancing.

GE Wind grows

More on: http://www.gewind.com

Sources: ElectricNet/ Associated Press

LA - more  solar

Los Angeles has reaffirmed its 10 year, $150m solar photovoltaic incentive program.  Since 1998 every year $8-16 m are provided by the City of LA to encourage residents and businesses to use Renewable Energy by subsidizing the cost of installing solar electric systems. Now the Los Angeles Department Board of Water and Power is to boost the 2003/2004 Solar Energy budget to $20m. The Solar Programme is one of several LADWP Green LA Programmes which aim to help California reach its goal of obtaining 20% of its electricity from renewables by 2017. ‘It also underlines that cities are not only powerful potential markets for the introduction of Renewable Energy Technologies but also the national and regional seats of political power’ according to Peter Droege, Member of WCRE Chairmen Committee for Australia/Pacific,  in a WCRE paper ‘Renewable Energy and the City’ (www.wcre.org).

Aussies happy to pay for Green Power

Although the Australian government has refused to sign the Kyoto Climate Change accord, on the grounds that it might undermine the economy, and has dragged its feet on renewables, a survey conducted by Greenpeace has found that 83% of Australians are prepared to pay an extra $3.50 on their monthly electricity bills in exchange for increased use of clean, renewable energy. Respondents said that they are willing to pay more if this was the condition set by the Federal Government for boosting a mandatory renewable energy target to 10% by 2010.

Let’s copy Denmark

A conference on renewable energy organised by the Scottish Council for Development and Industry, was told that Scotland could and should  follow the example of  Denmark, a small country with the same size of population as Scotland. Via its renewable programme Denmark has already created 20,000 jobs.

Most Europeans want renewables

An EC survey of public opinion in the EU has found that 67% felt that renewables will the best for the environment in 2050, compared to 3% for nuclear fission. The fossil options also only got 2-3%. ‘Public opinion on energy: issues, options and technologies’ EC, 2003.

Green Morocco

Morocco, imports 97% of its energy needs, but has a large untapped  renewable energy potential, including solar radiation estimated at 5Kwh/M2/Day, a wind potential of 6,000 MW and a forest wealth of 9m hectares. Morocco has drawn up a strategic development plan to diversify supply resources, use national sustainable sources, preserve natural resources and protect environment. The programme aims increase the contribution of renewables from the present 0,24% to 10% by 2011, and reduce imported energy from 97%t to 80% by 2020. This will require investments estimated at US $190 million in 2011 and generate more than 11,500 jobs, particularly in rural areas.

Syria - $1.5bn on renewables

With its demand for energy nearly tripling in the past three decades, Syria has approved a plan, being developed in conjunction with UNEP, calling for investment of $1.48 bn up to 2011 to produce power from  renewables.  About half the planned investment will go for 800MW of wind power, and the plan also calls for installation of 16,000 solar power units in 1,000 villages. Although in the short term it was more expensive than using conventional sources, the plan would mean that renewables will supply about 4% of the country’s energy total energy needs by 2011, reduce emissions by 2.6 m tons p.a., and create 7,225 new jobs.