By Hans De Keulenaer / Published on Wed, 2008-10-01 15:39
IEEP
and its partner, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) have
published a report on “Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Policies
in Europe and the United States”. This report includes the main
conclusions of our joint project - Transatlantic Platform for Action on
the Global Environment (T-PAGE). T-PAGE has provided a platform for
debate to stimulate dialogue and exchange of experiences between
environmental NGOs, academia and other interested civil society
organisations in the U.S. and EU. The project has been co-funded by the
European Commission within the framework of its programme to promote
transatlantic dialogues at the non-governmental level.
This report includes the series of research papers produced during
the course of the project. The papers include summaries of European and
U.S policies on climate change and energy; an analysis of the EU
Emission Trading Scheme (ETS); a summary of the current state of U.S.
policy on cap and trade; a summary of policy approaches to promoting
biofuels on both sides of the Atlantic; and an analysis of EU and U.S.
public perceptions of the environment and climate change.
The project culminated in a final conference held in Washington DC
in April 2008. At this conference, participants agreed that greenhouse
gas emissions from the transport sector should be addressed as a
priority in overall climate policy through a broad mix of policy tools;
while on the issue of biofuels, participants recommended a common
strategy based on a combination of perspectives and called for a
critical evaluation of the impact of biofuel production methods and
outputs on the environment.
The report is available from: http://www.ieep.eu/publications/pdfs/tpageccfinalreport.pdf
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By Sergio Ferreira / Published on Mon, 2008-09-22 13:04
How sustainable is a kWh?
What is the best technology to produce it?
These questions are often asked and the answers are not clear-cut, as there are a lot of variables.
Therefore, Leonardo ENERGY has produced this eco-sheet to help clarifying the issue. The environmental burden of generating one kWh from 7 different energy sources is quantified. It shows that there is no silver bullet solution, but there are advantages to explore.
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By Angelo Baggini / Published on Fri, 2008-09-12 09:00
Year: 2005
Policy Status: In force
The Environmental Fund was established in 2005 to implement state promotion of the environmental care, and operates under the Ministry of the Environment.
The Fund provides various subsidies, in the form of grants and soft loans, which support invesment in energy efficiency and renewable energy. Legal and natural persons are eligible for this support.
The Fund is financed through fees and fines linked with the environmental pollution, with grants and subsidies covering the following areas:
- Heat and hot water production using low-emission energy sources. The support is meant to achieve prescribed emission limits by means of the change of fuel used or the change of combustion technology. This includes projects oriented at public buildings (schools, hospitals, office buildings etc.)
- Heat and hot water production using renewable energy sources (RES). Financial support is provided for the construction of new RES equipment substituting original fossil fuel combustion boilers, or for the development of new equipment and facilities (Biomass, solar energy, heat pumps etc.).
- Support of the production of heat, hot water and electricity by the utilisation of RES (solar-thermal systems, photovoltaic panels, wind power plants, etc.). These projects generally target applicants who are natural persons.
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By Angelo Baggini / Published on Sun, 2008-06-08 09:00
Year: 2007
Policy Status: In force
In August 2007, the cabinet of the German government decided on an Integrated Energy and Climate Change Programme to underpin the aims of the coalition treaty and the results of the EU Spring Council meeting of 2007 which had set the parameters for an integrated European climate and energy policy.
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By Hans De Keulenaer / Published on Wed, 2008-05-07 14:41
Emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulphur dioxide (SO2) from large combustion plants (LCP) could have been considerably lower in 2004, a report presented today by the European Environment Agency says.
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By Hans Nilsson / Published on Sun, 2008-05-04 14:17
For a long time, the dominanting has been that taking action against climate change is a risky business for a country and its industry, an idea underpinned by some economic thinking saying that unilateral action is at best useless and that policy measures must be strictly targeted. One problem requires one measure only, otherwise, measures will be diluted and even counterproductive. Nowadays, both politicians and their advisors have a different tune. Actions may not be as costly, early actions may give an advantage and policies may be mutually supportive. Could it be the Stern Review that has turned into a Stern Tsunami?
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By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Thu, 2008-02-21 08:30
What’s the difference?
In these times of climate change concern, individuals and organizations alike are eager for measurable criteria to compare the impact of products and services on global warming. The notions of 'Life Cycle Assessment', 'Carbon Footprint', and 'Ecological Footprint' often appear in the media, but their exact meaning and the differences between them are rarely explained or widely understood.
Calculating all the big environmental impact categories
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the broadest indicator and an internationally standardized method (ISO 14040 and ISO 14044). It not only evaluates the impact on climate change, but also other impact categories such as acidification potential, eutrophication potential, ozone depletion potential, and ground level ozone creation. For each of these impact categories, the product or system is evaluated over its complete life span, from the extraction of raw material and manufacturing, to the use of the product by final consumers and end-of-life processes like recycling, energy recovery, and ultimate waste disposal.
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By Hans De Keulenaer / Published on Thu, 2008-01-31 11:58
Eric A. Woodroof, Ph.D., C.E.M., shows clients how to make more money and simultaneously help the environment. Dr. Woodroof has over 15 years of experience helping over 250 facilities improve profits with energy-environmental solutions. He has written over 20 professional journal publications and his work has appeared in hundreds of articles. He is the Chairman of the Board for the Certified Carbon Reduction Manager program and he has been a Board Member of the Certified Energy Manager Program since 1999. Dr. Woodroof has worked with the U.S.
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By Hans Nilsson / Published on Mon, 2007-10-29 08:00
The Chinese leadership confirms, in the recent party-congress, its intention to change the economy for the better, not only in terms of volume, but also in terms of environmental quality. The question is, however, whether it will work, or if they have already passed some critical crossroads from which there is no turning back.
The energy situation is bad, but water pollution might be worse
The Magazine 'Foreign Affairs' has a broad survey in their latest edition that shows the state in several sectors and aspects, including water supply, deforestation, urbanization, air quality etc. The survey covers more aspects than we normally see in the reporting on China. It is still not comprehensive, but rather a gathering of snapshots. As such, it still gives more facets to the overall understanding on both why the leadership is so concerned and where the present development could lead.
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By Hans Nilsson / Published on Mon, 2007-09-17 09:50
So goes the old saying, but now it seems disputed. Some ten years ago, the Harvard economist Michel Porter postulated that regulations to protect the environment could have positive effects not only on the environment itself, but on industry as a whole. It could actually become more competitive and have a "win-win" case.
The thrust of Porter's argument is that industry works in a world of dynamic competition. They can, and must, develop their processes, make better use of raw materials and change their products. "Properly designed environmental standards can trigger innovations," he said.
This was in opposition to the "static" view, which basically takes technology, products, processes and consumer needs as fixed.
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By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Wed, 2007-05-23 07:30
Economic, energy and environmental benefits investigated
The US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) conducted a study to assess the effect of deploying Concentrating Solar Power Plants (CSP) in California. It investigated the economic return, the impact on the energy supply, as well as the environmental benefits. The final paper of the study has been published on TroughNet.
The NREL chose a 100 MW parabolic trough plant with six hours of storage as the representative CSP plant to focus the results of the study. Cumulative deployment scenarios of 2,100 MW and 4,000 MW between 2008 and 2020 were assumed. California has certainly enough potential CSP sites to realise such scenarios.
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By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Tue, 2007-04-03 07:30
Greater than direct domestic water usage
With all the concern about carbon dioxide emissions, it is easy forget that other major environmental issues exist in the electric power sector. One of them is the use of freshwater by thermoelectric power plants (coal, nuclear, oil, steam side of CCGT power plants). Water withdrawal by thermoelectric power plants is huge, averaging about 95 litres per kWh. Coal-fired power plants with once-through cooling systems withdraw 142 litres per kWh while nuclear power plants with once-through cooling systems require as much as 175 litres per kWh.
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By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Thu, 2006-12-14 08:30
Zero–impact does not exist
Every type of energy utilisation for electricity generation has environmental consequences. The main consequences of burning fossil fuels and of nuclear power are well-known. Renewable energy sources (wind, solar, biomass, hydroelectric, geothermal, etc.) are generally thought of as harmless, but this doesn’t mean they have no environmental consequences at all. Most of them have a significant aesthetic impact and require large areas of land. Some also have a significant impact on the eco-system (birds, fishes, etc.).
No decision tool available
Not all of the environmental impact is included in the price of electricity. Part of it, the so-called externalities, is paid indirectly by society. Moreover, some environmental impacts are local, others regional, and others even global. That makes it very complex to compare the environmental impact of various energy sources and to take a well-founded decision on which energy source to use.
In their paper Environmental Effects of Electricity Generation, The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) published a table that compares the environmental impact of all major renewable energy sources for generating electricity (see paper page 53 table 13). It is an interesting overview, but should be used only for illustrative purposes. For decision-makers having to determine the future energy supply, a generally accepted quantification technique of the environmental impact is still lacking.
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By HDK / Published on Mon, 2006-06-05 05:58
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is getting a bad image because of its contribution to global warming. But a Utilipoint article reveals another side of a unique gas which has several unsuspected beneficial uses.
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