EcoRadio

Category: Energy Matters

The twentieth century way of life has been made available, largely due to the miracle of cheap energy. The price of energy has been at record lows for the past century and a half.As oil becomes increasingly scarce, it is becoming obvious to everyone, that the rapid economic and industrial growth we have enjoyed for that time is not sustainable.Now, the hunt is on. For renewable sources of energy, for alternative sources of energy, for a way of life that is less dependent on cheap energy. 

  • Stakeholders Team Up To Expand Europe’s Super-Grid

     

    Indicative of the growing momentum, yet another initiative recently entered the fray: the Friends of the Super-Grid. The group consists of established players in the energy logistics chain, including Areva of France, Prysmian of Italy, and Mainstream Renewable Power of Ireland as well as Germany’s Siemens and Hochtief. It has proposed a “phase one” project to connect England, Scotland, Germany and Norway at a cost estimated of around €34 billion.

    That amount is close to the €30 billion projected by the North Sea Countries Offshore Grid Initiative. That group, which launched at the end of last year, consists of the European Union member states Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom as well as Norway, which is not part of the EU. Its goal is to spur construction of an offshore grid in the North Sea with connecting installations on the mainland. The countries hope to sign a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) later this year and lay the foundation for action.

    Who Foots the Bill?

    But the big question is: Who’s going to pay? Financing has been a sticking point in nearly all discussions about building super-grid infrastructure. It’s an expensive business – whether on land or at sea.

    Alone in Germany, Professor Georg Erdmann, an expert on energy systems at the Technical University of Berlin, expects costs to connect new offshore wind parks through 2020 to soar beyond the figures that were initially projected two years ago. He said groups working on new German wind parks know more today and now agree that the initial cost estimates were far too low.

    Greenpeace has looked at the costs of building high-voltage, long-distance onshore and offshore grids across Europe. The organization estimates that 34 existing high-voltage alternating current (HVAC) interconnections will need to be upgraded between neighboring countries at a cost of about €3 billion. At least another 17 high-voltage direct current (HVDC) interconnections will need to be installed for about €16 billion. And up to 11 new long-distance HVDC super-grid connections will be required for around €100 billion. The International Energy Agency (IEA), looking at only an upgrade of existing transmission assets in Europe, estimates investment of about € 200 billion through 2030.

    Numerous financing schemes are under discussion. The North Sea Grid Initiative plans a mix of public and private financing. Adam Bruce, global head of corporate affairs at Mainstream and chairman of the RenewableUK interest group, envisions a financing model for offshore grids and super-grids similar to the one for current grids: A regulatory framework allows transmission system operators (TSOs) to build grids and operate them at regulated rate of return “so they can attract investment to build,” he said. “For offshore, of course, you will need higher rates of return because of the risks involved.” 

    Bruce expects a new group of pan-European TSOs to run the network. “These could be a combination of existing TSOs and new players,” he said. “They could be organized within a framework, like the Airbus industrial group.”

    European grid planners picture a combination of interconnected grids: smart grids for intelligently connecting and distributing electricity from renewable sources; super grids for wide-area high-voltage distribution; and all of these integrated with existing onshore grids.  Smart grids are already attracting a number of potential new players to the energy sector, including telecommunication companies. The networks will require advanced communication, monitoring and control systems to balance supply, demand, and storage from thousands of small renewable energy producers, in addition to existing energy companies.

    Transmission Technology Debated

    As for the choice of technology, Mainstream’s Bruce says HVDC and, in particular, HVDC Light are the preferred systems for offshore grids. HVDC Light, which is based on Voltage Source Converters (VSCs), is capable of transmitting high-voltage electricity for very long distances with minimum loss.  The main advantage of HVDC Light cables over their HVAC counterparts is their reduced weight and dimensions, resulting in a higher power density. Put another way, the power they transport per kilogram of cable is higher.

    But Antonella Battaglini, senior scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, said there is “still an animated discussion about technologies” for new onshore grid installations, noting that approximately 90 percent of Europe’s grid infrastructure today is HVAC. “We will need to distribute electricity not only from renewable sources but also to storage sites,” she said. “This is where the discussion about AC and DC is most relevant.”

    Battaglini has also been a key player in the launch of the Renewables Grid Initiative, which has brought non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Greenwatch together with TSOs, including Tennet and Vattenfall. 

    Plenty of other groups are researching grids for North Sea countries, including the European Wind Integration Study (EWIS) and the Irish Scottish Links on Energy Study (ISLES). Super-grid construction related to renewable energy is also a hot topic in the industry association European Network for Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), the European Commission’s Trans-European Networks for Electricity (TEN-E) and the Electricity Regional Initiative (ERI).

    If renewable energies are to play a huge role in Europe’s ambitious targets to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases 20 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050 as EU leaders claim, then all these initiatives and other stakeholders need to come together and take action soon, experts say. “The 20-20 targets can’t be achieved in several European countries without extensive infrastructure expansion for renewable energy,” Battaglini said. “It’s time for a common voice for grid extension.” 

    John Blau is a U.S. journalist based in Germany. He specializes in business, technology and environmental reporting and also produces extensive industry research. John has written extensively about environmental issues in Germany.

  • Venezuela gas rig sinks into Caribbean

    Venezuela gas rig sinks into Caribbean

    Posted 7 minutes ago

    A natural gas exploration rig hailed as evidence of Venezuela’s engineering prowess sank in the Caribbean early on Thursday, less than a month after a deadly explosion in the Gulf of Mexico sank a BP-owned oil rig and created a natural disaster.

    All 95 workers on the Venezuelan rig were rescued safely and there was no gas leak, the government said.

    The BP accident claimed 11 lives and triggered one of the world’s worst oil spills, threatening sensitive coastal areas.

    Venezuelan energy minister Rafael Ramirez said the well being explored by the Aban Pearl platform had been safely sealed after the rig sank near the north-east coast, close to the Trinidad and Tobago islands.

    “This is different from the Gulf of Mexico, because it is a testing well,” he said.

    The rig’s captain and the last three engineers on board had to dive into the sea as the football field-sized platform disappeared beneath the waves, he said.

    The Aban Pearl was the first offshore gas rig operated by state oil company PDVSA. State television frequently portrayed the platform as evidence of Venezuela’s engineering prowess.

    The OPEC nation has been producing oil for more than a century, almost all of its oil and gas output onshore or from the inland Lake Maracaibo.

    Offshore drilling, especially deep water production, is expected to provide more of the world’s oil supply as production in onshore fields declines while demand rises.

    The BP spill has prompted a push for tighter offshore drilling regulations in the United States. The Venezuelan accident could bring more scrutiny to offshore drilling.

    – Reuters

  • Shelved ETS funds clean energy programs

    Shelved ETS funds clean energy programs

    By Ben Atherton

    Updated 3 hours 52 minutes ago

    The Government remains committed to its controversial emissions trading scheme “over the medium term”, but in the meantime it will be concentrating on providing more support for Australia’s renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors.

    Money saved by the shelving of the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) will be redirected into a $652 million new Renewable Energy Future Fund over the next four years.

    Forming part of the $5.1 billion Clean Energy Initiative, the fund will be used to support renewable energy projects like wind and solar power as well as to encourage households to reduce their energy usage.

    And there will be $30 million over two years for a national campaign to “educate the community in climate change”.

    The money includes funds to set up a new website as well as run ad campaigns in the print media and on radio and television.

    More than $100 million will be spent on advising more than 600,000 households on ways to improve energy and water efficiency under the new-look Green Loans program.

    The budget papers confirm the ill-starred CPRS will not be reintroduced to parliament before the end of 2012 and “will only do so after this time if there is sufficient international action” from major world economies like the US, China and India.

    In the drought-hit Murray-Darling system an additional $100 million is being brought forward for water buybacks to help restore southern Australia’s parched wetlands to health.

    There is also an extra $20.1 million for marine conservation, with $12 million over two years for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

    Tags: environment, alternative-energy, climate-change, conservation, environmental-management, government-and-politics, the-budget, federal-government, environmental-policy, australia

    First posted 4 hours 30 minutes ago

  • How to make a solar water heater from plastic bottles

    How to make a solar water heater from plastic bottles

    Giovana Zilli

    6th May, 2010

    Retired mechanic Jose Alano invented a simple, cheap, energy saving rooftop solar water heater which is benefiting thousands of people. Here’s how it’s done…

    José Alano is a model of creativity in tackling environmental problems in Brazil. In 2002, the retired mechanic transformed a pile of plastic bottles and cartons into a solar water heater. Since then, thousands of people in southern Brazil have benefited from Alano’s invention, saving money while reducing waste.

    The idea came from the lack of recycling collection services in his small home town of Tubarão. Refusing to throw plastic bottle, carton and other recyclable waste into the landfill, José Alano soon realised he had a problem: a room full of rubbish.

    ‘Being 59 years old, I have had the opportunity to witness the technological advances of science, which improved food storage. But nowadays, some packaging weighs almost the same than the food itself! Years ago, my wife and I realised that we were not prepared for this new form of consumption.’

    Using his basic knowledge on solar water heating systems, he and his wife built an alternative version using 100 plastic bottles and 100 milk cartons. ‘It worked perfectly well, and we got rid of our waste in a responsible way,’ he says.

    A winning invention

    Alano’s initiative became widely known in Brazil after winning the Superecologia prize, offered by the Superinteressante magazine for renewable projects in the not-for-profit sector. Since then, the retired mechanic has been busy with workshops and lectures in community centres and schools, particularly in the Brazilian southern state of Santa Catarina, where he lives.

    Yet, Alano never wanted to profit from it, and explains why: ‘I am a simple person, but I am very aware of my own responsibilities as a consumer. The recycled solar water heater was just my small contribution to the environment, and to improve the lives of people who need to save money. I registered the invention, so nobody else could copy and profit from it. Although the information on how to build it is in the public domain and anybody can access it, there are two restrictions: to its industrial production and to its use by politicians during electoral campaigns.’

    The information on how to build the recycled solar heater has reached communities through the support of local governments, media, state-owned and private electricity companies, which also donated pipes and other materials.

    Alano says that now it is difficult to keep track of all the projects being developed across Brazil, but he mentions some figures from the southern states: ‘More than 7,000 people are already benefitting from the solar heaters in Santa Catarina state alone. There are two cooperatives, one in Tubarão and other in Florianópolis, the last producing 437 solar heaters to be installed in council houses. In Paraná state, the number of solar heaters had reached 6,000 in 2008, thanks to the DIY leaflets and workshops that the governmental body SEMA organised there.’

    Big savings

    The alternative water heater can provide power savings of up to 30 per cent, but apart from that, Alano notes that every recycled solar water heater built also means less plastic bottles and cartons finding their way to landfill. Since Alano’s invention, Tubarão has been benefiting from regular collection of recyclable waste, something that unfortunately still doesn’t happen in many Brazilian towns.

    Alano has lost count of the number of times he has lectured or been visited by groups of students, eager to learn about the invention. However, this is not his only one. Alano designed a low cost multifunctional bed for disabled people, but he is struggling to find a business partnership. Although there has been much interest to put it into production, Alano says that the problem is always to keep profits lower in order to benefit the consumers.

    Eight years after its creation, the solar heater still takes a lot of his time, but he believes that now he will finally be able to focus on the multifunctional bed and other projects: ‘The recycled solar water heater is only the result of persistence over frustration’, he explains. ‘I don’t consider myself an inventor. I am just a citizen trying to find solutions to problems.’

    Do it yourself
    Despite latitude and climate differences between southern Brazil and Britain, the solar water heater designed by Alano is based on the principle of thermosyphon, used in many commercial heaters sold in the UK for as much as £6,000. In this system, neither pumps nor electricity are used to induce circulation. The different water densities are enough to cause a cyclic movement from the collector panel to the tank: less dense hot water upwards, more dense cold water downwards.

    The assembly is straightforward, and can be better understood through the illustrations contained in the DIY leaflet (text only in Portuguese). Obviously, size does mater. Alano reckons that to heat water for a shower of one person, a 1m² panel would be enough.

    If you are interested in building up your own, these are the basic materials needed: 2L plastic bottles (60), cartons (50), 100mm PVC pipe (70 cm), 20mm PVC pipe (11.7m), 90-degree 20 mm PVC elbows (4), 20mm PVC T-connectors (20), 20 mm PVC end caps (2), PVC glue, black matt paint and roller, sand paper, self-amalgamating tape, rubber hammer, saw, wood or other material for the support.

    With the diagrams in the DIY leaflet as a guide, use the 100mm PVC pipe as a mould and cut off the bottom of the bottles. Cut the 20mm PVC pipes into 10 x 1m and 20 x 8.5 cm pieces, and assemble with the T-connectors. Cut and paint the cartons (pag.10-12), as well as the one-meter long pipes. Assemble according to figure B.

    The panels must be placed at least 30 cm below the tank and be sited on a south facing wall or roof. To optimise heat absorption, the panels must be mounted at the angle of your latitude, plus 10°. In London, for instance, the panel’s inclination should be 61°. Alano recommends that the plastic bottles in the panels should be swapped for new ones every 5 years: ‘Over time, the plastic becomes opaque, which reduces the heat caption, while the black cartons can be repainted.’

    Giovana Zilli is a freelance journalist

     

  • Dome placed over leaking US oil well

     

    It is now more than two weeks since the BP oil rig exploded 67 kilometres off the Louisiana coast.

    Since then an estimated 200,000 gallons of oil a day has been spewing into the sea.

    It is the biggest oil spill since the Exxon Valdez disaster in 1989 and many fear that the consequences of this one could be even worse.

    The first reports have come in that the oil had closed in on the delicate Chandelier Islands off the Louisiana coast.

    The group of islands forms a natural barrier between the Gulf and the Mississippi Delta wetlands.

    Late on Friday BP engineers were directing underwater robots to position the huge purpose-built concrete dome over the leak 5,000 feet below the surface.

    It may take some days to know for sure if the capping operation works.

    Department of Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano says she is not overly optimistic.

    “I hope it works. It has not been used at that depth before, but we are still proceeding as if it won’t,” she said.

    “If it does that of course will be major positive development.”

     

    Fishing disaster

     

    Small boats have been laying boom out there since the spill began in the hope that the oil can be stopped before it reaches the sensitive marshes, the breeding areas for one of the country’s most fertile fishing grounds.

    Stan Cuhanovic, who first came to the Louisiana from Croatia in 1971, has been working this part of the gulf ever since.

    Out in the bay he punched in the coordinates on his on board satellite navigation system and spelt out the consequences should the oil breach the islands.

    “Very productive fishing areas. Oysters, they’re growing by itself – you don’t have to do anything to them,” he said.

    “If this area is ruined it would be devastating for the oyster people.”

    Fishing is a huge industry in Louisiana and although no-one quite knows what the impact of the spill will be, many are expecting the worst.

    This disaster will change life for everyone, but until now most people there had embraced the oil industry as part of the fabric of life in the gulf.

    As Stan Cuhonavic tells it, many here worked in both industries.

    “A lot of people who are doing the part time fishing, they work in oil field on their day off,” he said.

    “They use their small shrimp boat and they go trawling and catching the shrimp.”

    Even if the cap works no-one here thinks the crisis is over.

    In the short-term, more oil exploration in the gulf is highly unlikely and many fear it could take decades for the fishing to recover.

    Tags: business-economics-and-finance, industry, oil-and-gas, disasters-and-accidents, accidents, maritime-accidents, united-states

    First posted 30 minutes ago

  • Gulf of Mexico oilspill spreads all the way to Capitol Hill

     

    The rig that suffered the catastrophic blowout was owned and operated not by BP but by Transocean, the world’s largest specialist, which may have lulled investors’ fears. When the legal bills are finally settled, that may limit the financial impact on BP. But the company, in the regulatory wording, is the “responsible party” for the field (it owns 65%) and that could be a key factor in the inevitable blame game.

    Unfortunately for BP, its political stock in the US can hardly be described as high. As recently as last October, a US government agency declared that BP still had “systemic” safety issues at Texas City, the refinery where 15 people were killed and 170 injured in 2005. Relations with the relevant agency are said to have improved since then but it’s not the best starting point for BP.

    As far as we know, its reaction to the latest incident has satisfied US officials. With 76 vessels trying to contain the spill, the company’s chief executive, Tony Hayward, has called the scale of the response “truly unprecedented”. That helped to create the impression that BP was ahead of the game. But news that the rate of leakage from the well could be five times worse than feared, and that the slick is reaching shore, has prompted the City to rethink. President Obama was only stating a fact when he said that BP is “ultimately responsible” for the cost of the spill and clean-up, but it was a reminder to BP’s investors that oil is always political.