We reported on this blog recently the latest IPCC report ‘Special Report Renewable Energy Sources (SRREN)’( http://srren.ipcc-wg3.de )which has projected that the renewable energy could account for almost 80% of the world's energy supply within four decades. Now let us look at what we can do given the existing policies.
The report did stress that the projection would hold only if government pursued favourable policies. The report has said that if the full range of renewable technologies were deployed, the world could keep greenhouse gas concentrations to less than 450 parts per million, the level scientists have predicted will be the limit of safety beyond which climate change becomes catastrophic and irreversible. And all that at a mere 1 percent of GDP cost.
The report gives overwhelming scientific evidence that renewable energy can also meet the growing demand of developing countries, where over 2 billion people lack access to basic energy services and can do so at a more cost-competitive and faster rate than conventional energy sources.
Now consider in this context the present Indian government's intention to increase the nuclear power capacity from 4,800 MW to 275,000 MW by 2050; the projection by Integrated Energy Policy that coal power capacity should increase from 80,000 MW to 400,000 MW and the hydel capacity to grow from 37,000 Mw to 150,000 MW by 2031-32. (China has just accepted that its huge hydel project The Three Gorges Dam has led to a slew of problems which must be addressed fast.)
We do not seem inclined to make the big change.
But this is the time for the country to seize the opportunity to go clean. With a 40 percent still lacking access to electricity, and even a section of the rest not yet relying heavily on commercial energy sources, there are fewer chances of upheaval than a developed nation heavily reliant on the same.
Decentralised energy shows the way. Take for example, solar. An expert estimate assumes about 30 crore house holds in the country by 2031-32 (@ 4 persons per house), and assuming that about 7.5 crore houses (25% of the total) in the country will be suitable and economically able to install roof-top solar photovoltaic systems of 2 kW each, about 150,000 MW installed capacity of solar power in distributed mode is feasible at low additional cost to the society.
The Wadebridge Renewable Energy Network (WREN) in the UK plans to generate 30% of the town's electricity from solar by 2015. WREN is starting installations with 100 homes, half of which will be buying the systems themselves, and half of which will be funded through a partnership between solar provider Solarcentury and Triodos Bank.
Finally, one simply cannot forget the role energy conservation has to play. A recent Oak Ridge University study says that over a half of electricity generated in the US is wasted, and that without including heat losses!
Will the powers that be take the step towards making the IPCC prediction come true?
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
UK revs up on the low carbon route
The government of the United Kingdom took what is seen in some quarters as a significant step to shift to a low-carbon economy, providing clear signals to investors that the U.K. wants to host large-scale clean energy projects moving forward.
The agreement announced today takes the form of a legally binding target to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2025, as part of the country's fourth carbon budget. This goal is far deeper than the European Union’s goal of cutting emissions 20 percent by 2020, and it would mean that Britain would make faster emissions cuts than other similar size countries, including Germany.
The Committee on Climate Change had called for a 80 percent reduction in emissions.
The target will be viewed further in 2014 in the face of what has been achieved by then.
The goal could require households to spend on new energy-saving devices for the home. It could also revive stalled government support for large projects, like those that capture power from tides and that bury carbon dioxide emissions.
But how well will policy back up the target remains to be seen given the signals. For instance, the extraordinary U-turn on feed-in tariffs, for instance, left the solar industry reeling in shock. The government's decision to indicate it will slash financial support to solar over 50 kW has effectively pulled the rug out from under the industry, as The Guardian notes.
Also falling short of expectations was the energy bill, presented to parliament for its second reading last week by the energy and climate change secretary. The proposals lacked detail, joined-up thinking and realistic strategies to deliver on the scale really needed to address fuel poverty and reduce climate emissions, says the Guardian.
Unambitious and incoherent policies will not help achieve aggressive targets as the latest one. That goes for any nation.
The agreement announced today takes the form of a legally binding target to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2025, as part of the country's fourth carbon budget. This goal is far deeper than the European Union’s goal of cutting emissions 20 percent by 2020, and it would mean that Britain would make faster emissions cuts than other similar size countries, including Germany.
The Committee on Climate Change had called for a 80 percent reduction in emissions.
The target will be viewed further in 2014 in the face of what has been achieved by then.
The goal could require households to spend on new energy-saving devices for the home. It could also revive stalled government support for large projects, like those that capture power from tides and that bury carbon dioxide emissions.
But how well will policy back up the target remains to be seen given the signals. For instance, the extraordinary U-turn on feed-in tariffs, for instance, left the solar industry reeling in shock. The government's decision to indicate it will slash financial support to solar over 50 kW has effectively pulled the rug out from under the industry, as The Guardian notes.
Also falling short of expectations was the energy bill, presented to parliament for its second reading last week by the energy and climate change secretary. The proposals lacked detail, joined-up thinking and realistic strategies to deliver on the scale really needed to address fuel poverty and reduce climate emissions, says the Guardian.
Unambitious and incoherent policies will not help achieve aggressive targets as the latest one. That goes for any nation.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Powered by solar
The number of homes and shops equipped with solar power systems in rural Bangladesh doubled in the last year to more than 870,000 with the help of funding from the World Bank and other organizations, according to a World Bank report. In 2009, the World Bank provided $130 million to support government initiatives to reach remote parts of Bangladesh that would otherwise not be connected to the national grid.
Fewer than half the people in Bangladesh have access to electricity. For Bangladesh, which already faces 2,000 megawatts of electricity shortages, finding new sources of power will become increasingly critical as population growth, industrialization, and a rise in the use of electrical appliances adds another 500 megawatts of demand annually.
In another new report, the U.S.-based advisory firm KPMG LLP predicts that India, Asia’s third-largest energy consumer, may be able to produce electricity from solar power as cheaply as from coal by 2017.
India may install three times as much solar capacity as the government intends by 2022 if sun-powered electricity is able to match the cost of conventional power, a point referred to as grid parity.
Today, solar power costs more than twice as much as the 5.42 rupees per kilowatt-hour that it costs to deliver electricity to consumers. The cost of fossil-fuel electricity may rise as much as 5.5 percent annually as India has to buy more expensive imported coal and replace aging plants, the report said. The country’s coal deficit may triple over the next five to seven years, a unit of Moody’s Investors Service had earlier predicted.
If solar power becomes competitive with other sources, India could add 39,070 megawatts of grid-connected solar projects from 2017 and 2022,says the KPMG report. That's good news given the bad news that the majority of Himalayan glaciers are indeed melting due to climate change. New data from the Indian Space Research Organization shows that 75% of the region's glaciers are retreating, on average 3.75km (2.33 miles) between 1989-2004.
If solar power is to play a big role, subsidies will be required to stay. The inevitable questions around solar will be asked over and over again, regarding costs and land requirement. But this is one source which promises not to peak in the near future! Isn't that reason enough to shift?
Fewer than half the people in Bangladesh have access to electricity. For Bangladesh, which already faces 2,000 megawatts of electricity shortages, finding new sources of power will become increasingly critical as population growth, industrialization, and a rise in the use of electrical appliances adds another 500 megawatts of demand annually.
In another new report, the U.S.-based advisory firm KPMG LLP predicts that India, Asia’s third-largest energy consumer, may be able to produce electricity from solar power as cheaply as from coal by 2017.
India may install three times as much solar capacity as the government intends by 2022 if sun-powered electricity is able to match the cost of conventional power, a point referred to as grid parity.
Today, solar power costs more than twice as much as the 5.42 rupees per kilowatt-hour that it costs to deliver electricity to consumers. The cost of fossil-fuel electricity may rise as much as 5.5 percent annually as India has to buy more expensive imported coal and replace aging plants, the report said. The country’s coal deficit may triple over the next five to seven years, a unit of Moody’s Investors Service had earlier predicted.
If solar power becomes competitive with other sources, India could add 39,070 megawatts of grid-connected solar projects from 2017 and 2022,says the KPMG report. That's good news given the bad news that the majority of Himalayan glaciers are indeed melting due to climate change. New data from the Indian Space Research Organization shows that 75% of the region's glaciers are retreating, on average 3.75km (2.33 miles) between 1989-2004.
If solar power is to play a big role, subsidies will be required to stay. The inevitable questions around solar will be asked over and over again, regarding costs and land requirement. But this is one source which promises not to peak in the near future! Isn't that reason enough to shift?
Thursday, May 12, 2011
1.3 t food wasted annually
One-third of the world's food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted each year, according to a study released on Wednesday by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Roughly 1.3bn tonnes of food is either lost or wasted globally due to inefficiencies throughout the food supply chain, says the report, based on research by the Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology (Sik).
According to the report, industrialised and developing countries waste or lose roughly the same amount of food each year – 670m and 630m tonnes respectively. But while rich countries waste food primarily at the level of the consumer, the main issue for developing countries is food lost due to weak infrastructure.
Significantly, the average European or North American consumer wastes 95kg-115kg of food a year, above all fruits and vegetables. In contrast, the average consumer in sub-Saharan Africa, south Asia or south-east Asia wastes only 6kg-11kg.
Goes without saying that reducing this colossal waste should be a priority facing a burgeoning population.
According to the report, industrialised and developing countries waste or lose roughly the same amount of food each year – 670m and 630m tonnes respectively. But while rich countries waste food primarily at the level of the consumer, the main issue for developing countries is food lost due to weak infrastructure.
Significantly, the average European or North American consumer wastes 95kg-115kg of food a year, above all fruits and vegetables. In contrast, the average consumer in sub-Saharan Africa, south Asia or south-east Asia wastes only 6kg-11kg.
Goes without saying that reducing this colossal waste should be a priority facing a burgeoning population.
The Green fleet
More than 50 percent of the 64,000 new transit buses expected to arrive on roadways worldwide by 2015 will be fueled by alternative sources of energy, compared with 28 percent of new bus deliveries in 2010, according to a report by U.S.-based Pike Research.
The most significant growth will occur in North America and Asia, where more than 60 percent of all new buses will be powered with alternative fuels within five years. This is especially significant since the two regions together will represent nearly 70% of all new bus deliveries during that timeframe.
According to the report, hybrid electric buses will have the smallest impact on infrastructure since they usually use diesel fuel; while natural gas buses are less expensive, they require fueling stations. While the number of hydrogen fuel cell buses will continue to increase, their growth will be small compared with other alternative fuels because they require hydrogen refueling points.
Good news but then this is about the new vehicles added. Not all vehicles. Still, 32,000 is a sizeable number when you consider that transport sector comes second to power plants in emissions.
The most significant growth will occur in North America and Asia, where more than 60 percent of all new buses will be powered with alternative fuels within five years. This is especially significant since the two regions together will represent nearly 70% of all new bus deliveries during that timeframe.
According to the report, hybrid electric buses will have the smallest impact on infrastructure since they usually use diesel fuel; while natural gas buses are less expensive, they require fueling stations. While the number of hydrogen fuel cell buses will continue to increase, their growth will be small compared with other alternative fuels because they require hydrogen refueling points.
Good news but then this is about the new vehicles added. Not all vehicles. Still, 32,000 is a sizeable number when you consider that transport sector comes second to power plants in emissions.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
When water acidifies...
The acidification of the world's oceans could have major consequences for the marine environment. New research shows that coccoliths, which are an important part of the marine environment, dissolve when seawater acidifies.
Acidification of the oceans is a serious problem. The acidification has enormous consequences not only for coccoliths, but also for many other marine organisms as well as the global carbon cycle.
Coccoliths are very small shells of calcium carbonate that encapsulate a number of species of alga. Algae plays an important role in the global carbon-oxygen cycle and thus in our ecosystem.
The study by the Nano-Science Center, University of Copenhagen, showed how acidification affects the coccoliths. They are protected from dissolution by a very thin layer of organic material that the algae formed, even though the seawater is extremely unsaturated relative to calcite.
The protection of the organic material is lost when the pH is lowered slightly. In fact, it turns out that the shell falls completely apart when we do experiments in water with a pH value that many researchers believe will be the found in the world oceans in the year 2100 due to the CO2 levels.
Everything is connected to something in the world wide web of life. A rip in the web can cascade into chaos down the line. But do we care? Wouldn't seem so, with the attention now turning to natural gas and shale deposits that pose their own dangers.
Acidification of the oceans is a serious problem. The acidification has enormous consequences not only for coccoliths, but also for many other marine organisms as well as the global carbon cycle.
Coccoliths are very small shells of calcium carbonate that encapsulate a number of species of alga. Algae plays an important role in the global carbon-oxygen cycle and thus in our ecosystem.
The study by the Nano-Science Center, University of Copenhagen, showed how acidification affects the coccoliths. They are protected from dissolution by a very thin layer of organic material that the algae formed, even though the seawater is extremely unsaturated relative to calcite.
The protection of the organic material is lost when the pH is lowered slightly. In fact, it turns out that the shell falls completely apart when we do experiments in water with a pH value that many researchers believe will be the found in the world oceans in the year 2100 due to the CO2 levels.
Everything is connected to something in the world wide web of life. A rip in the web can cascade into chaos down the line. But do we care? Wouldn't seem so, with the attention now turning to natural gas and shale deposits that pose their own dangers.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Possible, but expensive
A new study by the American Physical Society shows that it's technologically feasible to take CO2 out of the atmosphere but to do so will cost at least $600/ton, 7.5 times more expensive than capturing emissions from power plant smokestacks.
Meanwhile, a team of leading researchers from some of Australia's top universities and research institutes will join forces to develop new ways to capture and transform carbon dioxide. The team will explore how smart materials, called metal-organic frameworks (or MOFs) can be used to capture and concentrate CO2 with minimum energy requirements.
These materials are capable of absorbing large amounts of CO2 into nanometre-sized holes within their structures, leading potentially to the efficient separation of this gas from power station flue gases.
The team will also look at how MOFs can be used to convert CO2 into useful substances, including feedstocks for agriculture, hydrocarbon fuels and precursors to complex metal oxides for use in solar cells.
Never say die! What perhaps we are forgetting is that fossil fuels will not last forever. Already peak coal is on the near horizon. Does it make sense to invest so much money on something short-lived?
Meanwhile, a team of leading researchers from some of Australia's top universities and research institutes will join forces to develop new ways to capture and transform carbon dioxide. The team will explore how smart materials, called metal-organic frameworks (or MOFs) can be used to capture and concentrate CO2 with minimum energy requirements.
These materials are capable of absorbing large amounts of CO2 into nanometre-sized holes within their structures, leading potentially to the efficient separation of this gas from power station flue gases.
The team will also look at how MOFs can be used to convert CO2 into useful substances, including feedstocks for agriculture, hydrocarbon fuels and precursors to complex metal oxides for use in solar cells.
Never say die! What perhaps we are forgetting is that fossil fuels will not last forever. Already peak coal is on the near horizon. Does it make sense to invest so much money on something short-lived?
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