By Hans De Keulenaer / Published on Thu, 2009-02-26 06:30
Is this fine by the Flemish government appropriate?
As of January 2009, all new residential houses in Flanders must be audited by the Flemish Energy Agency (VEA). This is to ensure that energy use is kept within appropriate limits. Houses are rated according to their so-called E-level, which must be less than 100 to receive approval.
Minimum Efficiency Performance Standards (MEPS) like this can be a very effective tool for reaching carbon emission reductions. However, the way in which MEPS are established is crucial if they are to reach their goal in the medium and long term. A Flanders case clearly demonstrates how this idea can take a wrong turn.
Recently, the VEA (note - VEA = the Flemish Energy Agency) fined a couple in the small Flemish town of Kuurne €16,000 for having built a house with an E-level of no less than 175. The insulation of the house is according to modern practice. The main cause for the high E-level appears to be the electric accumulation heating. This is a strange conclusion, and raises questions about proportionality that merit further investigation.
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By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Thu, 2008-11-20 06:30
The problem of additionality
Green electricity sold by utility companies is a peculiar product. It guarantees the origin of your power, just like an ethical investment fund guarantees the origin of your profit, but what is the solid evidence for such a guarantee?
Guarantees of Origin (GoO) provide official proof that a certain amount of electricity has been generated by renewable sources. However, this system of accreditation was created before various kinds of state incentives for renewable energy came into being and complicated the situation with the problem of additionality.
The question of additionality is basically a question of whether the green power would have been produced anyway if the sale had not taken place. In most cases, additionality exists when the supply of electricity is generated over and above the requirement to meet existing legal obligations, or does not receive any state subsidies.
According to the website of Eugene Standard, most green power labels in Europe still do not include criteria for additionality – a system they view as 'greenwashing'. Even if additionality seems to be ensured in principle, there are still ways to escape it in practice.
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By Sergio Ferreira / Published on Fri, 2008-09-26 14:18
The following article is the result of an interview with Jean Van Vyve and provides a brief overview of the significance of and prospects for nuclear energy in the energy sector. The article is published as an eBook so you can scroll the different pages using the titles below. The full article is also available as a PDF for download.
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By Angelo Baggini / Published on Fri, 2008-06-06 14:00
Year: 2006
Policy Status: In force
As of 2006, the Walloon government awarded grants for the installation of micro-cogeneration systems and high-efficiency wood-burning furnaces and heating boilers.
Households, entreprises, self-employed workers and private entities were all eligible to receive grants.
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By Angelo Baggini / Published on Tue, 2008-06-03 14:00
Year: 2006
Policy Status: In force
Upon its publication in the EU Official Journal on 4th January 2003, the EU Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD) entered into EU law, allowing member states to transpose the Directive into domestic building codes until 4th January 2006. The Directive's principal objectives are:
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By Sergio Ferreira / Published on Fri, 2008-05-09 13:06
How will the wind market evolve in the upcoming years? Benoît Henriet does not count on an everlasting pattern of growth. ‘The current political atmosphere is of course very favourable, he admits. ‘Presently, this has brought about huge investments in the sector. But the opportunities cannot last indefinitely. The continuous development of new wind farms is simply not feasible. The availability of viable new sites is already becoming scarce in Belgium, as well as in several other European countries.’
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By Sergio Ferreira / Published on Fri, 2008-05-09 13:03
Once the operating licence is granted, the developer can begin negotiations with turbine suppliers. In general, a contract for supply and installation of the turbine also includes a 10 year maintenance service agreement.
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By Sergio Ferreira / Published on Fri, 2008-05-09 13:02
If the outcome of the environmental impact assessment is positive, a next phase is to gain acceptance from local residents and authorities. A Public Meeting is organized to which local authorities and local residents are invited. ‘This is a fundamental step,’ stresses Benoît. ‘You are naïve if you expect all local residents to be unconditionally in favour of the project. Most people are strongly in favour of wind turbines, so long as they are built far away from their own home.’
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By Sergio Ferreira / Published on Fri, 2008-05-09 13:00
Finding a suitable site is probably the most difficult step in a wind farm development project. It is a problem common to Belgium as well as many other European countries. Many of the areas that have favourable wind conditions are too close to built areas or to a natural reserve, or they are prohibited for military reasons, or already occupied by another wind farm or wind farm development project. Moreover, Belgian regulations prohibit the ‘co-visibility of wind farms’ — that is, two separate wind farms cannot be seen simultaneously from one spot.
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By Sergio Ferreira / Published on Fri, 2008-05-09 12:55
Even though the company has been operating for more than five years, it has yet to see its first project become operational. This is not unusual and demonstrates the lengthy process associated with wind farm development.
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By Sergio Ferreira / Published on Fri, 2008-05-09 12:05
The following article is the result of an interview with François and Benoît Henriet of the Belgian wind energy development company Greenwind. The article is published as an eBook so you can scroll the different pages using the titles below. The full article is also available as a PDF for download.
The wind energy industry is booming worldwide, favoured by ambitious targets for renewable energy, various subsidy mechanisms, and rising prices for fossil fuels. This does not mean however that wind companies have struck gold. A wind development project is a complex affair with many barriers and one requiring favourable climatic and geographical conditions that are available in only relatively few countries in Europe. Leonardo ENERGY talked with François and Benoît Henriet of the Belgian wind development company GreenWind about the difficulties in finding appropriate wind park sites and about the future potential for wind energy in Europe.
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By Michele De Witte / Published on Tue, 2008-02-05 11:00
The limitation of disturbances caused by fluctuating loads of medium size, at Low Voltage (LV), concerning appliances with input current > 16 A and < 75 A is the subject of this article. Now, why did we develop a practical tool in order to easily assess the disturbances? It's simple: the standards dealing with these issues are not exactly easy in use.
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By Michele De Witte / Published on Tue, 2008-01-29 12:39
Introduction
The limitation of disturbances caused by distorting loads of medium size, at Low Voltage (LV), concerning appliances with input current > 16 A and 75 A is the subject of this article. Now, why did we develop a practical tool in order to easily assess the disturbances? It's simple: the standards dealing with these issues are not exactly easy in use.
Low-voltage disturbances - harmonics
Main sources and examples
Harmonics are mainly caused by non-linear loads. This non-linearity can be intrinsic but can also be the result of repeated commutations of power electronic components.
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By Guy Kasier / Published on Mon, 2008-01-14 12:04
As national demographics see an ever increasing growth in the older age groups, so there is a significant demand for homes that cater to this market and to people who, for whatever reason, require some form of assisted living in their home to enable them to stay there rather than being cared for away from home – privately or by the state.
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By Hans De Keulenaer / Published on Tue, 2008-01-08 17:27
The Belgian site being studied in this paper is connected to the public transmission grid (380 kV) by a High Voltage (HV) station. This HV station incorporates a 25 kV substation linked to a second substation via 25 kV underground cables. The second substation supplies the electric installations on the site.
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