BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union will stick with its lowest offer for cutting carbon emissions under a U.N. climate accord, fulfilling the wishes of industry, a draft letter shows.
The 27-nation bloc has committed to unilaterally cut carbon dioxide to 20 percent below 1990 levels over the next decade.
Ahead of the U.N. climate talks in Copenhagen in December it offered to deepen those cuts to 30 percent if other rich countries made similar efforts.
That offer still stands, according to the draft letter to top U.N. climate official Yvo de Boer. But it is unlikely to be carried out because the Copenhagen talks ended with a weak deal.
Experts say the total cuts offered there by rich countries amount to no more than 18 percent and fall far short of the 25-40 percent that U.N. scientists outline as necessary to avert dangerous climate change.
The world is currently on track for temperatures to rise to 3.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by the end of this century, which would bring catastrophic melting of ice sheets and rising seas, some scientists say.
But many EU countries and industries are wary of increasing cuts to 30 percent alone, because the cost of cutting emissions might put factories at a disadvantage to rivals in less regulated countries.
LEVERAGE
"After the Copenhagen failure, the EU would be foolish to again unilaterally increase its greenhouse gas objective," Gordon Moffat, the head of steel industry group Eurofer, said in a statement on Thursday. "Another 10 percent would be fatal."
But environmentalists say the EU is naive to think its conditional 30 percent offer creates any negotiating leverage and the bloc should move there anyway to set a moral example.
"Tackling climate negotiations with the same strategy as trade negotiations will simply get them bogged down like the current Doha round of trade talks," Greenpeace campaigner Joris den Blanken said.
Spain, which holds the EU's rotating presidency until July, drafted the letter, seen by Reuters, and will wait for feedback from all 27 EU nations before signing and sending it next week.
While participants in the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme, the bloc's main weapon against climate change, were worried that a 30 percent goal would raise the cost of carbon permits, analysts said the 20 percent target was largely priced into the market.
"Thirty percent is out of the picture for now," said Emmanuel Fages of Societe Generale. "Nobody was seriously attaching any probability to it post-Copenhagen."
At a meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels on Thursday, a group of eastern European countries led by Poland joined Italy, Cyprus and Malta to call for the deletion of any reference to the 30 percent, even as a conditional offer, diplomats said.
Britain, Denmark, France and the Netherlands wanted the 30 percent offer to be prominent but to remain conditional.
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60L1WE20100122
Monday, January 25, 2010
European space company wants solar power plant in space
EADS Astrium, Europe's biggest space company, plans to put a solar power satellite in orbit to demonstrate the collection of solar power in space and its transmission via infrared laser to provide electricity on Earth.
Chief executive officer of Astrium, François Auque, said the system is at the testing stage, but that a viable system collecting and transmitting power from space could be within reach soon. Auque said space solar power is an attractive idea because it is an inexhaustible and clean form of energy. Unlike solar plants on Earth, orbital solar collectors can work around the clock, and there is no interference from clouds or atmospheric dusts or gases, which means the energy hitting photovoltaic cells in orbit is much greater than it would be for the same panels on the ground.
Earlier concepts of beaming power to Earth from space were criticized because they relied on microwaves to transmit the power to the ground, which has safety concerns, so Astrium plans to use infrared lasers instead, which means that even if they were misdirected people and objects hit by the laser beams could not be scorched.
The transmission of power via infrared laser has been tested in Astrium’s laboratories, and they are now concentrating on improving the system’s efficiency. Work on developing converters to convert received infrared energy to electricity is proceeding rapidly, and Astrium is collaborating in this work with scientists at the University of Surrey, in the UK. The company is hoping to achieve 80% efficiency in the conversion.
According to Astrium’s chief technology officer, Robert Laine, at present the power handled by the system is limited by the size of the laser that can be built. A demonstration mission would also be necessary to prove the system works, and this should be possible within the present decade.
The concept of harvesting solar power in space has been discussed for at least the last three decades, but the problems of power loss during transmission and the expense and difficulty of assembling large arrays of solar collectors in space have seemed almost insurmountable. However, Astrium is not the only company close to bringing the idea to fruition. Last September Japan announced it is planning to put a small demonstration solar collecting satellite in orbit by 2015. This system will transmit the power to Earth using microwaves.
EADS Astrium is seeking investors and partners such as the EU, national governments, space agencies, or power companies, to fund and contribute in other ways to the development of its operational orbital solar collection and transmission system.
Source: http://www.physorg.com/news183278937.html
Chief executive officer of Astrium, François Auque, said the system is at the testing stage, but that a viable system collecting and transmitting power from space could be within reach soon. Auque said space solar power is an attractive idea because it is an inexhaustible and clean form of energy. Unlike solar plants on Earth, orbital solar collectors can work around the clock, and there is no interference from clouds or atmospheric dusts or gases, which means the energy hitting photovoltaic cells in orbit is much greater than it would be for the same panels on the ground.
Earlier concepts of beaming power to Earth from space were criticized because they relied on microwaves to transmit the power to the ground, which has safety concerns, so Astrium plans to use infrared lasers instead, which means that even if they were misdirected people and objects hit by the laser beams could not be scorched.
The transmission of power via infrared laser has been tested in Astrium’s laboratories, and they are now concentrating on improving the system’s efficiency. Work on developing converters to convert received infrared energy to electricity is proceeding rapidly, and Astrium is collaborating in this work with scientists at the University of Surrey, in the UK. The company is hoping to achieve 80% efficiency in the conversion.
According to Astrium’s chief technology officer, Robert Laine, at present the power handled by the system is limited by the size of the laser that can be built. A demonstration mission would also be necessary to prove the system works, and this should be possible within the present decade.
The concept of harvesting solar power in space has been discussed for at least the last three decades, but the problems of power loss during transmission and the expense and difficulty of assembling large arrays of solar collectors in space have seemed almost insurmountable. However, Astrium is not the only company close to bringing the idea to fruition. Last September Japan announced it is planning to put a small demonstration solar collecting satellite in orbit by 2015. This system will transmit the power to Earth using microwaves.
EADS Astrium is seeking investors and partners such as the EU, national governments, space agencies, or power companies, to fund and contribute in other ways to the development of its operational orbital solar collection and transmission system.
Source: http://www.physorg.com/news183278937.html
Samsung Signs $6.6 Billion Deal to Build Wind and Solar Power in Canada
In what’s being described as the largest deal of its kind in the world, Samsung C&T and the Ontario government signed a $6.6 billion investment deal Thursday under which the Korean industrial conglomerate will build 2,500 megawatts of wind and solar power in the province, as well as establish manufacturing facilities that will build the equipment.
Photo
The third player in the deal is Korea Electric Power Corp., the country’s largest utility, with 10,200 megawatts of generation capacity worldwide, including a new 1,200-megawatt wind farm in China.
The deal, initially proposed by Samsung a year ago, was spurred on by the province’s Green Energy Act, which was passed last year to provide generous incentives for clean-energy production. “This means Ontario is officially the place to be for green energy manufacturing in North America,” Ontario’s premier, Dalton McGuinty, said during a signing ceremony in Toronto.
Under the terms of the agreement, officials said, Samsung must build four manufacturing plants in Ontario, promising 16,000 direct and indirect jobs over the next five years. The energy generated will be enough for 580,000 homes.
“I think 16,000 jobs in this economy is pretty good,” said Mr. McGuinty, who has taken some criticism for selecting Samsung without an open tendering process. He rejected suggestions that Samsung’s presence would crowd out other suppliers.
The first phase will be built near Windsor, in southwestern Ontario where energy was once generated by a coal plant that is due to be decommissioned by 2014.
Korean trade officials said at the event that Samsung selected Ontario as a base of operations to make wind and solar equipment for customers not just in Ontario, but across North America.
Ontario’s green energy laws include domestic content provisions that require some of the equipment to be made in Ontario. It also gives the province a leg up in the race to supply wind and solar equipment to the rapidly transforming American electricity sector, Mr. McGuinty said. “If you ask around state capitals in the U.S., they would be secretly asking themselves why they didn’t do it first.”
Quebec adopted similar domestic content rules for its own wind sector, which is largely based in the Gaspe region on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River.
Samsung is a relative newcomer to the green energy business and says it is using expertise from its other heavy industry divisions, including its shipbuilding group, to manufacture wind turbines.
And it is not the only Korean firm pushing into the North American green energy market. Last year, Hyundai Heavy Industries moved into wind turbine manufacturing and has also been pushing to make inroads into the United States.
Source: http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/21/samsung-signs-66-billion-deal-to-build-wind-and-solar-power-in-ontario/
Photo
The third player in the deal is Korea Electric Power Corp., the country’s largest utility, with 10,200 megawatts of generation capacity worldwide, including a new 1,200-megawatt wind farm in China.
The deal, initially proposed by Samsung a year ago, was spurred on by the province’s Green Energy Act, which was passed last year to provide generous incentives for clean-energy production. “This means Ontario is officially the place to be for green energy manufacturing in North America,” Ontario’s premier, Dalton McGuinty, said during a signing ceremony in Toronto.
Under the terms of the agreement, officials said, Samsung must build four manufacturing plants in Ontario, promising 16,000 direct and indirect jobs over the next five years. The energy generated will be enough for 580,000 homes.
“I think 16,000 jobs in this economy is pretty good,” said Mr. McGuinty, who has taken some criticism for selecting Samsung without an open tendering process. He rejected suggestions that Samsung’s presence would crowd out other suppliers.
The first phase will be built near Windsor, in southwestern Ontario where energy was once generated by a coal plant that is due to be decommissioned by 2014.
Korean trade officials said at the event that Samsung selected Ontario as a base of operations to make wind and solar equipment for customers not just in Ontario, but across North America.
Ontario’s green energy laws include domestic content provisions that require some of the equipment to be made in Ontario. It also gives the province a leg up in the race to supply wind and solar equipment to the rapidly transforming American electricity sector, Mr. McGuinty said. “If you ask around state capitals in the U.S., they would be secretly asking themselves why they didn’t do it first.”
Quebec adopted similar domestic content rules for its own wind sector, which is largely based in the Gaspe region on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River.
Samsung is a relative newcomer to the green energy business and says it is using expertise from its other heavy industry divisions, including its shipbuilding group, to manufacture wind turbines.
And it is not the only Korean firm pushing into the North American green energy market. Last year, Hyundai Heavy Industries moved into wind turbine manufacturing and has also been pushing to make inroads into the United States.
Source: http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/21/samsung-signs-66-billion-deal-to-build-wind-and-solar-power-in-ontario/
Friday, January 22, 2010
Now Greenroads - Rating system for Sustainable Road Construction.
The Greenroads evaluation of the impact of US road building is a step in the right direction, but still has miles to travel
America has 10% of the the planet's roads and building each mile of freeway uses as much energy as 200 US homes in a year.
With 4m miles of highway, the USA has around 10% of the entire planet's paved roads – and spends $85bn (£52bn) annually on rolling out tens of thousands more miles. Building and maintaining a single mile of freeway takes as much energy as 200 US homes use in a year, consumes as much raw material as 1,000 households get through in 365 days and generates more waste than 1,200 homes produce annually.
Now University of Washington researchers and engineering firm CH2M Hill have launched the world's first rating system for sustainable road construction, along the lines of the LEED programme for green buildings. Greenroads evaluates a road's overall environmental and social impact, taking into account everything from construction materials and practices to noise pollution, habitat control and bike lanes. Projects have to fulfil basic building, waste, pollution, lifecycle and outreach plans, and can then earn extra points for using recycled or local resources, reducing their reliance on fossil fuels, minimising water use and implementing smart traffic management systems.
"We are trying to be very inclusive and address the range of roadway projects," says Steve Muench, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Washington. "For example, in an urban project you might spend a lot of time and effort building a surface that lasts decades with minimum maintenance or reduces tyre noise. In a rural environment, you might be more focused on treating stormwater and including wildlife crossings."
The Greenroads system already has the support of five US state departments of transport and the University is following 15 case study projects to see how its ratings system affects energy usage, carbon footprint and – where the rubber hits the road – cost. "We think it may cost a little more upfront but if you look at the total lifecycle cost of that road, you'll be miles ahead," says Muench. "I look at what has happened with green buildings. It started out as completely voluntary but it's evolved over the last decade and now nearly 300 government and education agencies have policies that all their new buildings must be LEED-certified. In that sense, it's no longer voluntary, it's no longer an option: it's required. With Greenroads, we want to push the industry in the right direction."
Road builders point out that they have already embraced some eco-friendly practices. The Portland Cement Association claims to have reduced energy usage by nearly 40% over the last 40 years, says 2m tons of recycled aggregate are now used in roads annually, and has ensured a less energy-intensive "warm mix" of asphalt is gradually becoming more widely used. But with 95% of aggregates still being mined fresh from the ground and highway spending forecast to increase 8% this year, America seems a long way from ever building truly sustainable roads.
"Right now, we're on the side of the scale where we produce waste that is not very useful, we use more than we put back and we're altering ecosystems more than we should," admits Muench. "With Greenroads, we're basically trying to get a point where we're doing less evil."
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jan/19/greenroads-us-road-construction-environment
America has 10% of the the planet's roads and building each mile of freeway uses as much energy as 200 US homes in a year.
With 4m miles of highway, the USA has around 10% of the entire planet's paved roads – and spends $85bn (£52bn) annually on rolling out tens of thousands more miles. Building and maintaining a single mile of freeway takes as much energy as 200 US homes use in a year, consumes as much raw material as 1,000 households get through in 365 days and generates more waste than 1,200 homes produce annually.
Now University of Washington researchers and engineering firm CH2M Hill have launched the world's first rating system for sustainable road construction, along the lines of the LEED programme for green buildings. Greenroads evaluates a road's overall environmental and social impact, taking into account everything from construction materials and practices to noise pollution, habitat control and bike lanes. Projects have to fulfil basic building, waste, pollution, lifecycle and outreach plans, and can then earn extra points for using recycled or local resources, reducing their reliance on fossil fuels, minimising water use and implementing smart traffic management systems.
"We are trying to be very inclusive and address the range of roadway projects," says Steve Muench, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Washington. "For example, in an urban project you might spend a lot of time and effort building a surface that lasts decades with minimum maintenance or reduces tyre noise. In a rural environment, you might be more focused on treating stormwater and including wildlife crossings."
The Greenroads system already has the support of five US state departments of transport and the University is following 15 case study projects to see how its ratings system affects energy usage, carbon footprint and – where the rubber hits the road – cost. "We think it may cost a little more upfront but if you look at the total lifecycle cost of that road, you'll be miles ahead," says Muench. "I look at what has happened with green buildings. It started out as completely voluntary but it's evolved over the last decade and now nearly 300 government and education agencies have policies that all their new buildings must be LEED-certified. In that sense, it's no longer voluntary, it's no longer an option: it's required. With Greenroads, we want to push the industry in the right direction."
Road builders point out that they have already embraced some eco-friendly practices. The Portland Cement Association claims to have reduced energy usage by nearly 40% over the last 40 years, says 2m tons of recycled aggregate are now used in roads annually, and has ensured a less energy-intensive "warm mix" of asphalt is gradually becoming more widely used. But with 95% of aggregates still being mined fresh from the ground and highway spending forecast to increase 8% this year, America seems a long way from ever building truly sustainable roads.
"Right now, we're on the side of the scale where we produce waste that is not very useful, we use more than we put back and we're altering ecosystems more than we should," admits Muench. "With Greenroads, we're basically trying to get a point where we're doing less evil."
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jan/19/greenroads-us-road-construction-environment
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Green Fuel for 13 cities in India: Indian Govt
NEW DELHI: Thirteen major cities — including the four metros — will get Euro-IV grade motor fuels from April 1 as per the government's
commitment to the Supreme Court and the roadmap laid down by the Mashelkar report. Also from that date, the rest of the country will move to Euro-III standard but sale of such diesel may be delayed by 3-6 months in some cites due to logistical issues.
"Euro-IV petrol and diesel will be supplied for sure in 13 designated cities from April 1. Petroleum minister Murli Deora has called a review meeting to assess the situation and a clear picture (about supply of Euro-III diesel in remaining parts) will emerge after that," petroleum secretary R S Pandey said on the sidelines of an IndianOil science seminar on Tuesday.
Euro-IV standard specifies a maximum of 50 parts per million of sulphur in petrol and diesel. Euro-III fuel specifications allow a maximum of 350 parts per million of sulphur.
Pandey said efforts were being made to ensure Euro-III petrol to be supplied in rest of the country and some more time was being sought to start sale of diesel of the same grade.
The time lag, Pandey said, was because some refineries were yet to complete their upgrade and would continue to produce Euro-II grade fuel beyond April. Such fuels could not be exported due to inland location of the units. And so, it would be difficult to manage three grades of fuel.
IndianOil's Barauni refinery in Bihar and Digboi and Guwahati units in Assam will commission facilities to produce Euro-III compliant diesel by June-July.
Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/Oil-secy-says-13-cities-to-keep-date-with-green-fuel/articleshow/5439801.cms
commitment to the Supreme Court and the roadmap laid down by the Mashelkar report. Also from that date, the rest of the country will move to Euro-III standard but sale of such diesel may be delayed by 3-6 months in some cites due to logistical issues.
"Euro-IV petrol and diesel will be supplied for sure in 13 designated cities from April 1. Petroleum minister Murli Deora has called a review meeting to assess the situation and a clear picture (about supply of Euro-III diesel in remaining parts) will emerge after that," petroleum secretary R S Pandey said on the sidelines of an IndianOil science seminar on Tuesday.
Euro-IV standard specifies a maximum of 50 parts per million of sulphur in petrol and diesel. Euro-III fuel specifications allow a maximum of 350 parts per million of sulphur.
Pandey said efforts were being made to ensure Euro-III petrol to be supplied in rest of the country and some more time was being sought to start sale of diesel of the same grade.
The time lag, Pandey said, was because some refineries were yet to complete their upgrade and would continue to produce Euro-II grade fuel beyond April. Such fuels could not be exported due to inland location of the units. And so, it would be difficult to manage three grades of fuel.
IndianOil's Barauni refinery in Bihar and Digboi and Guwahati units in Assam will commission facilities to produce Euro-III compliant diesel by June-July.
Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/Oil-secy-says-13-cities-to-keep-date-with-green-fuel/articleshow/5439801.cms
Thursday, January 7, 2010
SPML wins orders worth Rs 64 crore for solid waste management in Uttar Pradesh
Subhash Projects And Marketing Ltd (SPML) one of India's leading infrastructure development companies has won two orders totaling to Rs. 64 crore from Construction & Design Services, Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam for solid waste management related activities in the state. The orders consist of Development of Integrated Solid Waste Management Facilities for Allahabad Municipal Corporation and Mathura Nagar Palika Parishad, Uttar Pradesh.
The capital cost of the Project is Rs.62 Crs., which will be partly funded by the Govt. grant amounting to Rs.40 Crs. The concession period will be for 30 years and the tipping fees will be paid on per tonne basis.
These order wins will strengthen SPML's base in the field of environmental engineering, one of the focus areas for SPML and a crucial requirement for the well being of the country in present times. SPML is also providing solid waste management solutions in Delhi through DWM since 2007.
Mr. Subhash Sethi, Vice Chairman, SPML, commented, "With rapid urbanisation, the need for scientific and efficient waste management has become a critical issue today. After the success of our pilot project through Delhi Waste Management, a PPP venture, wherein we have an output of 1500 tonnes a day, we are looking at providing ERP driven solutions to various urban local bodies for collection and segregation of solid waste."
About Subhash Projects & Marketing Ltd.:
Subhash Projects And Marketing Limited (SPML) is a leading infrastructure development company with more than two and half decades of multi-disciplinary experience in Water, Power, Environment, Infrastructure, Manufacturing and Technology. The company that started in 1981 as a water pumps agency in Guwahati has evolved today into a multi-faceted conglomerate. Promoted by the Sethi family, SPML was incorporated as a public limited company in August 1983. An ISO - 9001: 2000 certified company, SPML has executed more than 400 projects across India and has established its leadership in the contracting business.
SPML has proven business capabilities in the Water, Energy, Environment and Infrastructure domain, on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) & Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) basis.
SPML's vision to become a force in the global infrastructure sector is supported by its core strengths - pan India presence, 28 years of experience in turnkey projects, innovative in- house designs and engineering solutions, highly skilled team of over 2000 professionals; complimented by its focus on innovation and cutting edge technology.
Source: http://www.indiaprwire.com/pressrelease/construction-building/2010010740942.htm
The capital cost of the Project is Rs.62 Crs., which will be partly funded by the Govt. grant amounting to Rs.40 Crs. The concession period will be for 30 years and the tipping fees will be paid on per tonne basis.
These order wins will strengthen SPML's base in the field of environmental engineering, one of the focus areas for SPML and a crucial requirement for the well being of the country in present times. SPML is also providing solid waste management solutions in Delhi through DWM since 2007.
Mr. Subhash Sethi, Vice Chairman, SPML, commented, "With rapid urbanisation, the need for scientific and efficient waste management has become a critical issue today. After the success of our pilot project through Delhi Waste Management, a PPP venture, wherein we have an output of 1500 tonnes a day, we are looking at providing ERP driven solutions to various urban local bodies for collection and segregation of solid waste."
About Subhash Projects & Marketing Ltd.:
Subhash Projects And Marketing Limited (SPML) is a leading infrastructure development company with more than two and half decades of multi-disciplinary experience in Water, Power, Environment, Infrastructure, Manufacturing and Technology. The company that started in 1981 as a water pumps agency in Guwahati has evolved today into a multi-faceted conglomerate. Promoted by the Sethi family, SPML was incorporated as a public limited company in August 1983. An ISO - 9001: 2000 certified company, SPML has executed more than 400 projects across India and has established its leadership in the contracting business.
SPML has proven business capabilities in the Water, Energy, Environment and Infrastructure domain, on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) & Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) basis.
SPML's vision to become a force in the global infrastructure sector is supported by its core strengths - pan India presence, 28 years of experience in turnkey projects, innovative in- house designs and engineering solutions, highly skilled team of over 2000 professionals; complimented by its focus on innovation and cutting edge technology.
Source: http://www.indiaprwire.com/pressrelease/construction-building/2010010740942.htm
7 Green Business Resolutions for 2010
Being an eco-conscious business is no longer just something that’s the right thing to do – it makes financial sense. Environmental policy and energy efficiency are priorities of the Obama administration, so businesses that don’t take voluntary steps to reduce their carbon footprints may face regulations later on. What’s more, consumers are demanding more sustainable practices from the companies they patronize.
New Year’s is perfect time to hone a game plan for the year ahead. Here are seven steps to get your business greener in 2010:
1. Write a sustainability plan. Put your environmental goals in writing, so you have a roadmap to follow throughout the year. Any plan should include a mission statement describing what you’re trying to achieve and set some attainable goals for the year ahead – along with descriptions of how you’ll achieve those goals. Find out more about sustainability planning here.
2. Focus on low- and no-cost first. Before you install solar panels, look for easy, affordable ways to cut waste. You may be surprised: Simple steps, such as setting energy-saving modes on office computers, installing motion sensors to control lights or writing an office recycling policy can generate big effects and savings at little cost.
3. Get an audit. Most utility companies offer their commercial customers energy audits for free or at little cost. An auditor can tell you how where your business uses the most energy and the expected financial payback of various upgrades, so you know where to target your precious dollars.
4. Track your progress. Keep tabs on the steps your taking and monitor how much money and waste or energy you’re saving. Not only will this provide great motivation (and bragging rights), but it will allow you to see whether your sustainability plan is working. You might, for instance, track your monthly energy bills or track your carbon savings.
5. Find financial incentives. States and cities are suppose to use some of their federal stimulus dollars toward energy-conservation projects and many are rolling out grants and other financial incentives for businesses making energy-efficiency improvements. Also, many utilities already offer rebates and low-interest loans to business customers making energy upgrades, such as installing high-efficiency lights, or installing renewable power sources. Don’t overlook these incentives and take advantage while you still can – they may not be around forever. You can find a list for incentives in your state here.
6. Mobilize your employees. The most successful environmental initiatives in the workplace are those that involve all employees, so think creatively about getting employees motivated to pitch in. Some businesses form “green” committees made up of employees, while others reward perks to employees who take steps to reduce their carbon footprint.
7. Make it fun. Keeping your business on track with its sustainability plan will require persistence. But you’ll boost the odds if you make it fun and interesting. You might have competitions in the office to see who can reduce the most waste or host a regular educational series on environmental topics.
Source: http://smallbiztrends.com/2010/01/7-green-business-resolutions-for-2010.html
New Year’s is perfect time to hone a game plan for the year ahead. Here are seven steps to get your business greener in 2010:
1. Write a sustainability plan. Put your environmental goals in writing, so you have a roadmap to follow throughout the year. Any plan should include a mission statement describing what you’re trying to achieve and set some attainable goals for the year ahead – along with descriptions of how you’ll achieve those goals. Find out more about sustainability planning here.
2. Focus on low- and no-cost first. Before you install solar panels, look for easy, affordable ways to cut waste. You may be surprised: Simple steps, such as setting energy-saving modes on office computers, installing motion sensors to control lights or writing an office recycling policy can generate big effects and savings at little cost.
3. Get an audit. Most utility companies offer their commercial customers energy audits for free or at little cost. An auditor can tell you how where your business uses the most energy and the expected financial payback of various upgrades, so you know where to target your precious dollars.
4. Track your progress. Keep tabs on the steps your taking and monitor how much money and waste or energy you’re saving. Not only will this provide great motivation (and bragging rights), but it will allow you to see whether your sustainability plan is working. You might, for instance, track your monthly energy bills or track your carbon savings.
5. Find financial incentives. States and cities are suppose to use some of their federal stimulus dollars toward energy-conservation projects and many are rolling out grants and other financial incentives for businesses making energy-efficiency improvements. Also, many utilities already offer rebates and low-interest loans to business customers making energy upgrades, such as installing high-efficiency lights, or installing renewable power sources. Don’t overlook these incentives and take advantage while you still can – they may not be around forever. You can find a list for incentives in your state here.
6. Mobilize your employees. The most successful environmental initiatives in the workplace are those that involve all employees, so think creatively about getting employees motivated to pitch in. Some businesses form “green” committees made up of employees, while others reward perks to employees who take steps to reduce their carbon footprint.
7. Make it fun. Keeping your business on track with its sustainability plan will require persistence. But you’ll boost the odds if you make it fun and interesting. You might have competitions in the office to see who can reduce the most waste or host a regular educational series on environmental topics.
Source: http://smallbiztrends.com/2010/01/7-green-business-resolutions-for-2010.html
Monday, January 4, 2010
Tobacco biofuel to solve energy/ environment crisis?
By Lewis Page
Boffins in Philadelphia, America have come up with a radical new plan for biofuels. Rather than the cars of tomorrow running on various forms of alcohol, sunflower oil, algae etc, the scientists propose that they should instead be fuelled by burning tobacco.
"Tobacco is very attractive as a biofuel because the idea is to use plants that aren't used in food production," says Dr Vyacheslav Andrianov of Thomas Jefferson University.
"We have found ways to genetically engineer the plants so that their leaves express more oil. In some instances, the modified plants produced 20-fold more oil in the leaves."
It seems that typical baccy leaves contain 1.7 percent to 4 percent of oil as a proportion of dry weight. One gene modification tried out by Andrianov and his colleagues gave 6.8 percent of oil per dry weight.
Production of oil in the leaves is seen as the big trick. Tobacco seed oil has already been tried out in diesel engines, but baccy doesn't produce enough seeds to be useful - just 600kg per acre. However it is a "high-biomass" plant overall, once the leaves are included.
"Based on these data, tobacco represents an attractive and promising 'energy plant' platform, and could also serve as a model for the utilization of other high-biomass plants for biofuel production," says Andrianov, whose paper is soon to be published in the Plant Biotechnology Journal.
Baccy power would seem likely to suffer from the same issues as any other "first generation" or crop biofuel, however, despite Andrianov's optimism. Biofuels typically require the use of huge amounts of farmland to supply energy on the scale required by modern industrial civilisation, and this would still be the case with tobacco. Food might not be taken directly out of the market to make fuel, as happens with corn-based alcohols, but in the event of baccy power becoming a mainstream idea one might expect farmland to be switched from food production to tobacco. This would lead to starvation and deforestation just as ordinary biofuels do.
This is why many people keen to see biofuels succeed - for instance the aviation industry - prefer to focus on "second generation" feedstocks such as algae or jatropha, which could perhaps be grown in unused areas such as seas or deserts. Tobacco certainly doesn't fall into this class, however.
Tobacco farmers might still find the idea of an alternative, subsidised biofuel market pleasing in today's smoking-ban-swept world, though, just as US corn farmers and their powerful political allies do. And the nicotine-enslaved victims of the smoking bans would perhaps be on-side too, pleased at the idea of every car, train, home boiler etc puffing out clouds of delicious carcinogenic smoke.
Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/12/31/tobacco_biofuel/
Boffins in Philadelphia, America have come up with a radical new plan for biofuels. Rather than the cars of tomorrow running on various forms of alcohol, sunflower oil, algae etc, the scientists propose that they should instead be fuelled by burning tobacco.
"Tobacco is very attractive as a biofuel because the idea is to use plants that aren't used in food production," says Dr Vyacheslav Andrianov of Thomas Jefferson University.
"We have found ways to genetically engineer the plants so that their leaves express more oil. In some instances, the modified plants produced 20-fold more oil in the leaves."
It seems that typical baccy leaves contain 1.7 percent to 4 percent of oil as a proportion of dry weight. One gene modification tried out by Andrianov and his colleagues gave 6.8 percent of oil per dry weight.
Production of oil in the leaves is seen as the big trick. Tobacco seed oil has already been tried out in diesel engines, but baccy doesn't produce enough seeds to be useful - just 600kg per acre. However it is a "high-biomass" plant overall, once the leaves are included.
"Based on these data, tobacco represents an attractive and promising 'energy plant' platform, and could also serve as a model for the utilization of other high-biomass plants for biofuel production," says Andrianov, whose paper is soon to be published in the Plant Biotechnology Journal.
Baccy power would seem likely to suffer from the same issues as any other "first generation" or crop biofuel, however, despite Andrianov's optimism. Biofuels typically require the use of huge amounts of farmland to supply energy on the scale required by modern industrial civilisation, and this would still be the case with tobacco. Food might not be taken directly out of the market to make fuel, as happens with corn-based alcohols, but in the event of baccy power becoming a mainstream idea one might expect farmland to be switched from food production to tobacco. This would lead to starvation and deforestation just as ordinary biofuels do.
This is why many people keen to see biofuels succeed - for instance the aviation industry - prefer to focus on "second generation" feedstocks such as algae or jatropha, which could perhaps be grown in unused areas such as seas or deserts. Tobacco certainly doesn't fall into this class, however.
Tobacco farmers might still find the idea of an alternative, subsidised biofuel market pleasing in today's smoking-ban-swept world, though, just as US corn farmers and their powerful political allies do. And the nicotine-enslaved victims of the smoking bans would perhaps be on-side too, pleased at the idea of every car, train, home boiler etc puffing out clouds of delicious carcinogenic smoke.
Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/12/31/tobacco_biofuel/
Sunday, January 3, 2010
China Guarantees a Market for Renewable Energy
China is trying out an interesting new rule that privileges energy sources like solar and wind power over coal. The country has modified existing law to require that utilities buy all the available power from renewable energy developments.
The new law is more than a bureaucratic formality: it’s an attempted antidote to habitual under-planning. Some completed wind farms weren’t even hooked up to the grid last year, and the waits have continued this year. It’s also tempting for Chinese utilities to buy from existing coal plants at the expense of renewables.
Now, any utility company that fails to buy power from a renewable energy development in its territory will be fined.
As the Motley Fool points out, domestic wind companies like A-Power Energy Generation Systems stand to benefit from the rule. Solar power isn’t as development-ready, but aggressive companies like First Solar, which is already planning a huge solar farm for Inner Mongolia, could also use the rule to their advantage.
The real winner, though, may be China’s distribution grid. Forced to quickly connect remote developments with urban centers, the utilities will in the process have the chance to build an interconnected super-grid that pools the country’s wind resources.
There’s good reason to put money into a national grid — with current wind generation fragmented, new coal plants have had to be built just to deal with wind’s intermittency problems. The government’s strong central planning abilities suggest that it could easily help push such a project.
It’s a grand experiment, of sorts; in the United States, lawmakers are considering pushing renewables from the opposite direction, by requiring utilities to use more as part of their power mix. It may turn out that the Chinese plan, aimed at creating an assured market for those best qualified to build solar and wind plants, will turn out to be the superior option.
Source: http://industry.bnet.com/energy/10002714/china-guarantees-a-market-for-renewable-energy/
The new law is more than a bureaucratic formality: it’s an attempted antidote to habitual under-planning. Some completed wind farms weren’t even hooked up to the grid last year, and the waits have continued this year. It’s also tempting for Chinese utilities to buy from existing coal plants at the expense of renewables.
Now, any utility company that fails to buy power from a renewable energy development in its territory will be fined.
As the Motley Fool points out, domestic wind companies like A-Power Energy Generation Systems stand to benefit from the rule. Solar power isn’t as development-ready, but aggressive companies like First Solar, which is already planning a huge solar farm for Inner Mongolia, could also use the rule to their advantage.
The real winner, though, may be China’s distribution grid. Forced to quickly connect remote developments with urban centers, the utilities will in the process have the chance to build an interconnected super-grid that pools the country’s wind resources.
There’s good reason to put money into a national grid — with current wind generation fragmented, new coal plants have had to be built just to deal with wind’s intermittency problems. The government’s strong central planning abilities suggest that it could easily help push such a project.
It’s a grand experiment, of sorts; in the United States, lawmakers are considering pushing renewables from the opposite direction, by requiring utilities to use more as part of their power mix. It may turn out that the Chinese plan, aimed at creating an assured market for those best qualified to build solar and wind plants, will turn out to be the superior option.
Source: http://industry.bnet.com/energy/10002714/china-guarantees-a-market-for-renewable-energy/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)