The EU could be powered almost entirely by renewable energies in 2050 without power disruptions by adding intelligence to its existing grids and building new cross-border connections, according to a study by Greenpeace and the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC), an industry group.The report, published yesterday (4 February), argues that with the right political framework, existing grid infrastructure can be upgraded to handle a green energy supply system where 90% of electricity comes from renewable sources by 2050.Current electricity transmission and distribution systems were designed over 40 years ago to serve large, centralised conventional power plants, the report oulines. By contrast, the new power system could be built on micro-grids and smart grids that use advanced communication and control technologies to connect and distribute small renewable energy generators, like roof-mounted solar panels, more efficiently, it says.The intelligent grids will then have to be linked up into a super grid by building new interconnections, the study explains. This will guarantee the security of supply at all times by transporting large energy leads across regions, it says.Moreover, there is no reason to fear power cuts when the sun doesn't shine or the wind isn't blowing, the research argues. Using case studies, it demonstrates that such extreme weather events are very rare and can be compensated by a mix of different renewable sources. [Also called natural balancing -DoDo]The study estimates that the cost of strengthening interconnections and building new super grid connections to supply Europe securely would amount to around 209 billion euros by 2050.
The report, published yesterday (4 February), argues that with the right political framework, existing grid infrastructure can be upgraded to handle a green energy supply system where 90% of electricity comes from renewable sources by 2050.
Current electricity transmission and distribution systems were designed over 40 years ago to serve large, centralised conventional power plants, the report oulines. By contrast, the new power system could be built on micro-grids and smart grids that use advanced communication and control technologies to connect and distribute small renewable energy generators, like roof-mounted solar panels, more efficiently, it says.
The intelligent grids will then have to be linked up into a super grid by building new interconnections, the study explains. This will guarantee the security of supply at all times by transporting large energy leads across regions, it says.
Moreover, there is no reason to fear power cuts when the sun doesn't shine or the wind isn't blowing, the research argues. Using case studies, it demonstrates that such extreme weather events are very rare and can be compensated by a mix of different renewable sources. [Also called natural balancing -DoDo]
The study estimates that the cost of strengthening interconnections and building new super grid connections to supply Europe securely would amount to around 209 billion euros by 2050.
Germany's solar industry estimates that the government's proposed cuts in feed-in tariffs will result in a 44 per cent reduction in the price paid for solar electricity. Feed-in tariffs provide a guaranteed price above market rates at which utilities must buy solar power from generators....The solar industry employs around 60,000 people in Germany, most of whom are in eastern regions, which have a strong manufacturing base and high unemployment compared to western regions of the country.
Germany's solar industry estimates that the government's proposed cuts in feed-in tariffs will result in a 44 per cent reduction in the price paid for solar electricity.
Feed-in tariffs provide a guaranteed price above market rates at which utilities must buy solar power from generators.
...The solar industry employs around 60,000 people in Germany, most of whom are in eastern regions, which have a strong manufacturing base and high unemployment compared to western regions of the country.
The protests were staged yesterday, but I found no English-language report yet. The rate cut plans were criticised by East German regional leaders irrespective of party allegiance. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
Rail is the perfect answer to respond to the challenge of greening passenger and freight transport, said Felipe González, chairman of the reflection group on the future of Europe beyond 2020."We cannot avoid going back to the concept of railways. In the past, railways were a response to industrialisation and changing times, and will be so again in the future. I don't want to shock anyone, but the comparison can be used," said González as he collected a European Railway Award this week for his contribution to modernising the Spanish transport system.He said that compared to other alternatives, rail transport - both passenger and freight - is particularly suited to "Europe's dimensions and demographic density"."If I had had the time, I would have tabled a proposal for Spain to continue to progressively substitute road with rail in the transport of goods," he continued.
"We cannot avoid going back to the concept of railways. In the past, railways were a response to industrialisation and changing times, and will be so again in the future. I don't want to shock anyone, but the comparison can be used," said González as he collected a European Railway Award this week for his contribution to modernising the Spanish transport system.
He said that compared to other alternatives, rail transport - both passenger and freight - is particularly suited to "Europe's dimensions and demographic density".
"If I had had the time, I would have tabled a proposal for Spain to continue to progressively substitute road with rail in the transport of goods," he continued.
Plans to let national governments decide whether to allow genetically modified (GM) crop cultivation on their land could unblock a paralysis in EU GMO approvals, but risk igniting internal market disputes. Proposals from the Dutch and Austrian governments, under consideration by the executive European Commission, have won the backing of several countries and interested parties, and will be at the top of the new Commission's agenda. If the plan succeeds, the proposal could see speedier authorisation of GM crop varieties, giving more choice to farmers who are increasingly dependent on them for cost benefits, especially in the animal feed sector. But some see the plans as fraught with risks and incompatible with the bloc's internal market laws, which guarantee the free movement of goods. They could also engender competitive war between farmers in different countries and contravene international trade laws.
Plans to let national governments decide whether to allow genetically modified (GM) crop cultivation on their land could unblock a paralysis in EU GMO approvals, but risk igniting internal market disputes.
Proposals from the Dutch and Austrian governments, under consideration by the executive European Commission, have won the backing of several countries and interested parties, and will be at the top of the new Commission's agenda.
If the plan succeeds, the proposal could see speedier authorisation of GM crop varieties, giving more choice to farmers who are increasingly dependent on them for cost benefits, especially in the animal feed sector.
But some see the plans as fraught with risks and incompatible with the bloc's internal market laws, which guarantee the free movement of goods. They could also engender competitive war between farmers in different countries and contravene international trade laws.
The article quotes pro-GM-lobby sources only, but a lot of them... *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
Thousands of tons of trash are thrown into the sea each year, endangering humans and wildlife. A classified German government report obtained by SPIEGEL ONLINE indicates that efforts by the United Nations and the European Union to clean up our oceans have failed entirely....according to a classified German government strategy paper obtained by SPIEGEL ONLINE, if you add up all the good such measures have done, you still end up with zero. In fact, according to the confidential paper, international efforts aimed at protecting the oceans have failed across the board. Our oceans have devolved into vast garbage dumps. Even strict laws have yet to do anything to help the oceans, the paper states. Take the case of the North and Baltic seas. Although dumping into them has been illegal since 1988, the amount of waste found in these seas has still "not improved." The government also estimates that, each year, 20,000 tons of waste finds its way into the North Sea alone, primarily from ships and the fishing industry. The paper concludes that all related international agreements have been "unsuccessful."
...according to a classified German government strategy paper obtained by SPIEGEL ONLINE, if you add up all the good such measures have done, you still end up with zero. In fact, according to the confidential paper, international efforts aimed at protecting the oceans have failed across the board. Our oceans have devolved into vast garbage dumps.
Even strict laws have yet to do anything to help the oceans, the paper states. Take the case of the North and Baltic seas. Although dumping into them has been illegal since 1988, the amount of waste found in these seas has still "not improved." The government also estimates that, each year, 20,000 tons of waste finds its way into the North Sea alone, primarily from ships and the fishing industry. The paper concludes that all related international agreements have been "unsuccessful."
The avalanche risk remains high in the alpine regions of Austria and Germany. Eight skiers and snowboarders have been killed this week, including a British airman smothered while on a training exercise.
The Salt Lake Tribune has the disheartening news: Rep. Mike Noel, the Legislature's chief climate-change skeptic, declared Thursday that global warming is a conspiracy to control world population. The House Natural Resources Committee then approved a resolution that expresses the Utah Legislature's belief that "climate alarmists' carbon dioxide-related global warming hypothesis is unable to account for the current downturn in global temperatures." The resolution, sent to the House on a 10-1 vote, would urge the Environmental Protection Agency to drop plans to regulate the pollution blamed for climate change "until a full and independent investigation of the climate data conspiracy and global warming science can be substantiated." The resolution is a smorgasboard of anti-science rhetoric, coal-industry talking points and nonsensical fearmongering. Here are some lowlights of the claims the resolution makes:
The Salt Lake Tribune has the disheartening news:
Rep. Mike Noel, the Legislature's chief climate-change skeptic, declared Thursday that global warming is a conspiracy to control world population. The House Natural Resources Committee then approved a resolution that expresses the Utah Legislature's belief that "climate alarmists' carbon dioxide-related global warming hypothesis is unable to account for the current downturn in global temperatures." The resolution, sent to the House on a 10-1 vote, would urge the Environmental Protection Agency to drop plans to regulate the pollution blamed for climate change "until a full and independent investigation of the climate data conspiracy and global warming science can be substantiated."
Rep. Mike Noel, the Legislature's chief climate-change skeptic, declared Thursday that global warming is a conspiracy to control world population.
The House Natural Resources Committee then approved a resolution that expresses the Utah Legislature's belief that "climate alarmists' carbon dioxide-related global warming hypothesis is unable to account for the current downturn in global temperatures."
The resolution, sent to the House on a 10-1 vote, would urge the Environmental Protection Agency to drop plans to regulate the pollution blamed for climate change "until a full and independent investigation of the climate data conspiracy and global warming science can be substantiated."
The resolution is a smorgasboard of anti-science rhetoric, coal-industry talking points and nonsensical fearmongering. Here are some lowlights of the claims the resolution makes:
Sociologist Michael Schwartz, a sharp Iraq-watcher and author of a provocative book on the Iraq War, surveys the travails of Iraq's oil industry since the 2003 Bush-Cheney invasion and points to the continued difficulties of the Iraq petroleum industry.My own guess is that eventually the security situation will settle down enough to allow the foreign petroleum companies now signing bids to develop specific fields to press forward. It will be a long slow haul, but Iraqi petroleum will likely come online over time. When that expansion of production happens,it will have a big impact on Iraq. There will be massive internal migration of labor to the Basra and other oil-rich areas, mixing up Sunni Arabs and Kurds with regional labor migrants from e.g. Egypt, India and Pakistan
Waterloo - A significant expansion of nuclear energy worldwide is unlikely to occur before 2030. This provides a window of opportunity to urgently fix the currently inadequate system for governing nuclear energy to avoid accidents, nuclear terrorism and weapons proliferation. These are the key findings of the three-and-a-half year Nuclear Energy Futures project released today by The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) in Ottawa. The project was unique in considering together the normally `stove-piped' subjects of nuclear safety, security and non-proliferation. Nuclear Energy and Global Governance to 2030 reports the findings of the three-and-a-half year Nuclear Energy Futures project. Flowing from the findings is the project's five-point Action Plan for policymakers in Canada and abroad.
Waterloo - A significant expansion of nuclear energy worldwide is unlikely to occur before 2030. This provides a window of opportunity to urgently fix the currently inadequate system for governing nuclear energy to avoid accidents, nuclear terrorism and weapons proliferation.
These are the key findings of the three-and-a-half year Nuclear Energy Futures project released today by The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) in Ottawa. The project was unique in considering together the normally `stove-piped' subjects of nuclear safety, security and non-proliferation. Nuclear Energy and Global Governance to 2030 reports the findings of the three-and-a-half year Nuclear Energy Futures project. Flowing from the findings is the project's five-point Action Plan for policymakers in Canada and abroad.
Remember the old Wendy's ad? Old ladies peered between hamburger buns at a tiny patty and angrily demanded, "Where's the beef?" That is how many of us on the Plains reacted when President Obama called for massive investments in clean coal and nuclear energy but left out wind -- an industry that reported record gains in 2009, that is rebuilding rural economies nationwide. "Where's the wind?" we wondered. What about the energy solutions our nation's farmers and ranchers can provide? President Obama's rousing call to lead the world's clean energy economy generated rare applause from both sides of the aisle during last week's State of the Union. For the Administration -- and for clean energy advocates -- there is a critical lesson and an important missed opportunity in last week's applause. The lesson: we can pass a strong energy bill for the 21st century. Recent polls show that most Americans are now where Heartlanders have been for some time: at least half are unsure about climate science and place climate change relatively low on their priority list. That is far from tragic, though, because numerous polls also show that residents of the Plains and the coasts alike overwhelmingly support energy efficiency, renewable energy, and low-carbon transportation options. Americans support energy solutions that happen to reduce greenhouse gas emissions whether or not they care about climate change. We need -- and have numerous versions of -- an energy bill that bolsters national security, builds energy independence, creates jobs, ensures long-term economic resilience, and keeps the U.S. competitive in a global economy headed toward a low-carbon future.
Remember the old Wendy's ad? Old ladies peered between hamburger buns at a tiny patty and angrily demanded, "Where's the beef?" That is how many of us on the Plains reacted when President Obama called for massive investments in clean coal and nuclear energy but left out wind -- an industry that reported record gains in 2009, that is rebuilding rural economies nationwide. "Where's the wind?" we wondered. What about the energy solutions our nation's farmers and ranchers can provide?
President Obama's rousing call to lead the world's clean energy economy generated rare applause from both sides of the aisle during last week's State of the Union. For the Administration -- and for clean energy advocates -- there is a critical lesson and an important missed opportunity in last week's applause.
The lesson: we can pass a strong energy bill for the 21st century.
Recent polls show that most Americans are now where Heartlanders have been for some time: at least half are unsure about climate science and place climate change relatively low on their priority list. That is far from tragic, though, because numerous polls also show that residents of the Plains and the coasts alike overwhelmingly support energy efficiency, renewable energy, and low-carbon transportation options.
Americans support energy solutions that happen to reduce greenhouse gas emissions whether or not they care about climate change. We need -- and have numerous versions of -- an energy bill that bolsters national security, builds energy independence, creates jobs, ensures long-term economic resilience, and keeps the U.S. competitive in a global economy headed toward a low-carbon future.
The weather is looking good here at the Kennedy Space Center for Sunday's pre-dawn launch of the Endeavour shuttle. We had torrential rain and tornado warnings on Friday, but the forecasters say there is an 80% chance of acceptable flight conditions come 0439 EST on Sunday. The weekend's launch is an important moment for Europe and its involvement in the space station project. The Endeavour orbiter will deliver the final planned connecting unit, known as Node 3 or Tranquility, and a dome shaped element with windows refferred to as the Cupola. Both units were made in Italy by Thales Alenia Space. Thales has now produced about a half of the total pressurised volume on the US side of the platform.
We had torrential rain and tornado warnings on Friday, but the forecasters say there is an 80% chance of acceptable flight conditions come 0439 EST on Sunday.
The weekend's launch is an important moment for Europe and its involvement in the space station project.
The Endeavour orbiter will deliver the final planned connecting unit, known as Node 3 or Tranquility, and a dome shaped element with windows refferred to as the Cupola.
Both units were made in Italy by Thales Alenia Space. Thales has now produced about a half of the total pressurised volume on the US side of the platform.
