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Date: 2013-04-12
Turbulence on transatlantic flights will become more frequent and severe by 2050 as CO2 emissions rise, leading to longer journey times and increased fuel consumption, according to a report journal Nature Climate Change from International Energy Agency scientists at the UK universities of Reading and East Anglia.
According to the report, increasing CO2 emissions raise the global average temperature, heating up the lower atmosphere. Warming also changes the atmosphere 10 km above ground level, making it more unstable for planes.
The study found that the chances of encountering significant turbulence by the middle of the century will increase by between 40 and 170 percent. The average strength of turbulence would also increase by between 10 and 40 percent, leading to rougher, and time-consuming air travel.
Air travel is one of the fastest-growing sources of CO2 emissions, but the effects of climate change on turbulence have not been previously studied.
(Source: IEA, Trade Arabia, April 9, 2013) Contact: International Energy Agency, www.iea.org
Tags Carbon Emissions news,
Date: 2013-03-20
As much as 80 percent the world's energy supply will come from biomass by 2020, according to a survey published at the recent World Biofuels Markets conference in Rotterdam. The survey was completed by 704 respondents and commissioned by the conference organizer, Green Power Conferences. Survey respondents said biofuels will continue to grow in Europe, but at a slower pace than previously expected because of EU policy restrictions. They were split 50-50 on whether the International Energy Agency's goal of getting 27 percent of the world's transportation fuel from biofuels by 2050 will be met, despite an increase in growth expected outside the EU. The majority of respondents said road transportation will produce the most demand for biofuels in the next five years, while 24 percent thought aviation will supply the biggest chunk of demand. The remaining 6 percent chose sea transportation as the demand driver.
The European Union has a target of supplying 10 percent of transportation fuel from renewable sources by 2020. Dutch airline KLM started last week flying a weekly New York-Amsterdam flight with a Boeing 777 running on recycled cooking oil. The carrier aims to have 1 percent of its flights operating on biofuels by 2015.
Several countries are moving ahead with plans to use biomass in electricity generation. The United Kingdom offered last week to guarantee £75 million ($113 million) in loans to the Drax Group utility to convert the UK's largest coal-fired plant to burn biomass. Drax will spend £700 million to convert three of the six units at its 4,000-MW plant in North Yorkshire to burn wood chips instead of coal.
Other utilities that have switched some coal units to biomass are RWE in Germany and DONG Energy in Denmark. (Source: Governors Biofuels Coalition, 14 Mar., 2013)
Contact: Governors Biofuels Coalition, www.governorsbiofuelscoalition.org
Tags Cellulosic Ethanol news, Biomass news,
Date: 2013-02-18
In Hong Kong, buildings consume over 90 percent of the city's electricity and contribute 60 percent of the regions greenhouse gas emissions. These surprising statistics, which were revealed earlier this week at the conference Sustainable Development through Energy Efficiency and Conservation, confirm the importance of improving the energy efficiency of the city's building stock. to allow the development of the city's plans for a low carbon economy. The Sustainable Development through Energy Efficiency and Conservation conference was hosted by Hong Kong's Council for Sustainable Development (SDC). At the conference, SDC Chairman Bernard Charnwut Chan announced a wide range of other consumption statistics, all of which confirmed the crucial role that improved energy management and utilization, as well as building energy efficiency would play in helping Hong Kong realize it's proclaimed low-carbon economy ambitions.
In a separate report, the International Energy Agency (IEA) stated that accelerating progress to make energy use in Hong Kong buildings more efficient is indispensable. The EAI said there is significant scope for adopting more efficient technologies in buildings.
(Source: Hong Kong Council for Sustainable Development, www.susdev.gov.hk
Tags Energy Efficiency news, Low Carbon Economy news,
Date: 2013-01-09
The state of U.S. energy production and energy security requires a focus on more than just increased oil production. Brent Erickson, executive vice president of Biotechnology Industry Organization's (BIO) Industrial and Environmental Section, has released the following statement in response to today's speech by American Petroleum Institute CEO Jack Gerard:
"Experts are projecting an American energy renaissance and achievement of energy self-reliance within a few decades. The International Energy Agency's latest World Energy Outlook predicts that the United States will become a net energy exporter by 2030. But the report also shows that renewable fuels and energy efficiency will make substantial contributions to this energy renaissance if there is long-term, stable policy in place.
"Still, the petroleum industry's trade organization contrarily calls for long-term continuation of oil and gas subsidies and a discontinuation of the primary policy for opening the fuel market to competitively priced renewable fuels. The IEA report notes that subsidies to the oil and gas industry continue to distort world energy markets and exacerbate environmental concerns. Notably, these subsidies have continued as the petroleum refining sector has shuttered refineries.
"API clearly is not addressing the state of all U.S. energy resources. Stable, long-term policy and economic certainty are necessary for the growth of all energy producers in the United States. We cannot have a secure American energy future without alternatives. We need an all of the above approach to transportation fuels that is in the best interests of American consumers and the U.S. economy."
BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. (Source: BIO, PR,Jan. 8, 2013) Contact: BIO, Jeff Jospeh, VP Communications, (202) 962-9230, [email protected], www.bio.org
Tags Biotechnology Industry Organization news,
Date: 2012-12-21
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), in 2011, coal was the second most used energy source worldwide, following crude oil. That means that coal is now covering 28 percent of the world's energy needs. According to estimates by the IEA -- which has represented the interests of major industrialized countries since the oil crisis of the 1970s -- coal consumption will continue to rise by around 500,000 tpy until 2017.
The reason for Europe's increased coal consumption is coal consumption can be partially attributed to relatively high gas prices, lower coal prices and nearly negligible CO2 price of €6 to €7 in Europe.
(Source: IEA, Deutsche Welle, Dec. 20, 2012)
Contact: International Energy Agency, www.iea.org
Tags IEA news, Coal news, Carbon Markets news,
Date: 2012-11-16
Renewable energy is set to rival coal as the main generator of the world's electricity by 2035 as the costs of technology fall and subsidies rise, according to the International Energy Agency. Wind farms, solar parks and hydroelectric dams are forecast to become the second biggest power generator in 2015 and rise to almost a third of all generation in 2035, a level approaching that of coal, the Paris-based agency that advises 28 nations on energy policy said in its annual outlook.
Renewable energy industry groups predict wind power installations will double over the five years through 2016, with solar photovoltaic panels tripling even as solar and wind equipment manufacturers from Denmark's Vestas Wind Systems to China's Suntech Power Holdings Co. struggle with declining margins and industry-wide overcapacity.
The IEA projected global renewable energy subsidies to rise to $240 billion in 2035 from $88 billion in 2011. That compares with $523 billion in support paid to fossil fuels last year. "Subsidy measures to support new renewable energy projects need to be adjusted over time as capacity increases and as the costs of renewable technologies fall, to avoid excessive burdens on governments and consumers," the agency said. The Global Wind Energy Council predicts installed turbines will more than double to 493 gigawatts in 2016 from 2011 levels. The European Photovoltaic Industry Association is forecasting cumulative solar panel installations to triple to 208 megawatts in 2016 from just under 70 megawatts in 2011.
According to the agency, the projected growth in low-carbon energy won't be enough to meet the United Nations goal of limiting global warming since industrialization to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), the agency said. Almost 80 percent of the emissions allowable by 2035 under a 2-degree scenario are already committed because of existing power plants, factories and buildings. (Source: International Energy Agency, Nov. 13, 2012) Contact: International Energy Agency, www.iea.org
Tags Renewable Energy news, Coal news, International Energy Agency news,
Date: 2012-11-16
The EPA has missed Tuesday deadline to decide whether or not to issue waivers for its Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS) requirement. The Renewable Fuels Standard, which was enacted in 2007 under President George W. Bush, requires refiners to mix certain amounts of biofuels, such as ethanol, with gasoline. The RFS target was 13.2 billion gallons in 2012, and will rise to 15 billion gallons by 2015.
Although suspending the RFS mandate could reduce feed prices and take pressure off the livestock industry, many analysts and industry insiders expect the EPA to deny the waiver requests, which require the EPA to find the requirements responsible for severe economic harm.
The oil and gas industry has been critical of the RFS since it was enacted and has argued the standard is akin to a hidden tax. Oil and gas companies paid $6.8 million in RFS penalties to the Treasury Department last year.
According to Institute for Energy Research VP Dan Kish, the RFS will soon outlive its original purpose.
"The premise of this (the RFS) has always been that we've had a scarcity of oil and gas, and therefore we should use some of our corn." But this flys in the face of the latest International Energy Agency report that predicts the U.S. will become the world's largest oil producer before 2020. (Source: IER, EPA, Congress 14, Nov., 2012) Contact: Institute for Energy Research
www.instituteforenergyresearch.org
Tags Institute for Energy Research news, RFS news,
Date: 2012-11-05
Emrill Energy Services was launched yesterday in Dubai as a strategic partnership between Emrill, a joint venture owned by Emaar, Al-Futtaim and Carillion. Crowley Carbon, based in Ireland, and UK-based Carillion Energy Services are also participating.
With average UAE consumers using a massive 16 tonnes of oil per person per year, the facilities management specialist Emrill and two of the world's biggest energy efficiency companies are attempting to reduce carbon emissions from UAE buildings by 40 per cent.
The company hopes to retrofit commercial and residential buildings to reduce some of the $6 billion (Dh22.03bn) a year the UAE spends on gas and oil.
The UAE is the third-largest energy consumer per head in the world, ranking behind Qatar and Trinidad & Tobago. The US ranked ninth.
In terms of carbon, the UAE produces 22.6 tonnes of CO2 per head per year, making it the sixth-highest carbon consuming country in the world. The UAE uses 50 per cent more energy per capita than the United States.
The company added that according to the International Energy Agency, the UAE subsidises every man, woman and child in the country by $2,500 - the second-highest subsidy in the world behind Kuwait. (Source: Emrill, The National, 5 Nov., 2012) Contact: Emrill Energy Services, www.emrill.com
Tags Emrill news, Carbon Emissions news,
Date: 2012-11-05
The recently released Technology Roadmap: Hydropower report from the International Energy Agency and the Brazilian Ministry of Mines and Energy suggests that global hydroelectricity production could double by 2050, preventing annual emissions of up to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 from fossil-fuel plants. The report challenges the notion that the world's hydroelectric resources have peaked, arguing instead that emerging economies -- with the proper policies in place -- have the potential to generate renewable power from large hydro plants.
According to IEA deputy executive director Richard Jones, hydroelectricity is a very cost-effective technology but new developments face tough financial challenges. Jones says that governments must create a favorable climate for industry investment when designing electricity markets. To help foster this "favourable climate," the report recommended that governments set development plans and targets, ensure developers and operators document their approach to sustainability, include financing for hydro on policy agendas, develop risk-mitigating financial instruments for investors, and adopt a holistic approach to deployment that takes into account other aspects of water management.
The report also highlights hydropower's diversity -- from run-of-river to reservoir plants plus pumped-storage -- and its advantages, such as "reliability, proven technology, large storage capacity, and very low operating and maintenance costs." It also notes that many hydropower plants also provide flood control, irrigation, navigation and freshwater supply.
As the IEA points out, hydropower provides 16.3 per cent of the world's electricity, with new capacity additions since 2005 generating more electricity than all other renewable energy sources combined. (Source: IEA, REneweconomy, Oct. 30, 2012) Contact: International Energy Agency, www.iea.org
Tags Hydropower news, IEA news,
Date: 2012-10-31
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA) and Brazilian Mines Ministry (IEA) just released joint report -- Technology Roadmap: Hydropower -- doubling hydropower output could cut billions of tons of CO2 emissions from fossil-fuel plants. The report outlines detailed actions "needed from policy makers to allow hydroelectric production to double, and addresses necessary conditions, including resolving environmental issues and gaining public acceptance," IEA said in a statement. The report also challenged the notion that the world's hydroelectric resources had peaked, claiming that emerging economies had significant potentials to generate electricity from large plants.
Albert Geber de Melo, General-Director of the Brazilian Electric Energy Research Centre (CEPEL), noted that in emerging economies and developing countries, "large and small hydropower projects can improve access to modern energy services, alleviate poverty and foster social and economic development, especially for local communities."
Hydropower is the leading renewable electricity generation technology worldwide, with new capacity additions since 2005 generating more electricity than all other renewables combined, according to the Technology Roadmap report.
The report is the latest in a series of IEA publications that focused on global low-carbon energy technologies, from biofuels to smart grids, and provided recommendations for governments and other stakeholders in policy and market design, sustainability and public acceptance, financial challenges, as well as technology development. (Source: International Energy Agency, Shanghai Daily, Oct. 30, 2012) Contact: International Energy Agency, www.iea.org
Tags Hydropower news, International Energy Agency news,
Date: 2012-10-29
Research conducted at Tyndall Center for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia indicates that building new power stations is more popular than improving energy efficiency and end-use.
The study found that great efforts are directed towards energy supply technologies, however much more should be done in order to improve energy efficiency and end-use. The team assessed different energy technology innovations and considered their potential to reduce greenhouse emissions, their possible technological improvements as well as their environmental and social benefits. It was established that energy efficiency and end-use offer high potential for cost reduction, emission reduction as well as high social returns. Nevertheless, a high proportion of investments is still not allocated appropriately.
According to the International Energy Agency, since 1974, $38 billion has been spent on energy end-use and efficiency innovations. In comparison, $41 billion has been spent on nuclear fusion alone. Furthermore, fossil fuels received a total of $500 billion in subsidies, while all other energy generating technologies received a grand total of $160 billion.
Small-scale innovations, no matter how efficient and environmentally-friendly they are, do not receive the needed attention. Although they might not be as fancy as solar panels or wind turbines, and do not receive as much support from the public as any of the other supply technologies, they still hold great potential for social return of investments. (Source: Tyndall Center for Climate Change Research, Green Optimistic, Oct. 27, 2012) Contact: Tyndall Center for Climate Change Research, www.tyndall.ac.uk
Tags Energy Efficiency news,
Date: 2012-10-02
This week two different conferences adddressing energy efficiency are being held: one in Quito, Ecuador, and the other in Mexico City. In Quito, there are four events to promote energy efficiency in the productive sectors of Latin American and the Caribbean countries. The events, which together form an Energy Efficiency Week, are being organized by the Ministry of Industry and Competitiveness of Ecuador, the Latin American Energy Association (OLADE) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). The Energy Efficiency Week brings together policymakers and high-level technical staff from ministries of Industry, Productivity, Environment and Energy from over 20 Latin American and Caribbean countries, as well as experts from development agencies and international financial institutions present in the region. The aim is to promote the development of technology solutions that improve competitiveness through higher productive and environmental performance, leading to job creation and poverty reduction. Meanwhile, at the same time, in Mexico City, policymakers from more than 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean are participating in a regional training event on sustainable energy. This event is jointly organised by the International Energy Agency (IEA) as the lead trainer, the Mexican Department of Energy as host, and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) as the lead sponsor. The Sustainable Energy Training Seminar, attended by more than 50 government and industry representatives, is focusing on low-carbon energy policies and technologies, including energy efficiency and renewables. It brings together the latest analysis, approaches and best practices from around the world, such as energy portfolio modelling and technology-specific deployment roadmaps. (Source: Carbon Solutions America, Energy Collective, Oct.1, 2012)
Date: 2012-09-28
Aussie coal mining giant RIO Tinto seems to be changing it tune on climate change and now recognizes that global warming is "largely caused by human activities" as opposed to the company's earlier claim that human activity only a contributing factor.
In a speech yesterday, Rio's head of coal in Australia, Bill Champion, said the company recognized the value of action on climate change. "The scale of the necessary emissions reductions and the need for adaptation, coupled with the world's increasing requirements for secure, affordable energy, create large challenges," he said. "We support a co-ordinated global approach to reduce emissions. Until that is in place, as well as after, we recognize that it will be necessary for individual jurisdictions to take actions." Rio Tinto had factored a carbon price into its investment decision-making for the past 10 years, Champion said. "We factor into our planning and decision-making, including our choice of investments, the costs and associated risks of emissions and business disruption, as well as the costs and benefits of mitigation and adaptation, and the opportunities created for our business by the move to a low-carbon economy."
In June 2008, touching on climate change in a speech in Montreal, Rio chief executive Tom Albanese said, "We believe -- like most credible experts -- that greenhouse gas emissions from human activities do contribute to climate change." And in October 2009, Rio's US technology and innovation group executive, Preston Chiaro, told US Senate hearings that emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities "are contributing to climate change and that avoiding human-caused changes to the climate is an important international goal."
But now, in an August statement policy document, Rio recognized that "climate change is occurring and is largely caused by human activities." That's the same language Champion was used yesterday. He said coal use represented about 25 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions but there would continue to be demand for coal even under the International Energy Agency's most aggressive scenarios for action on climate change. (Source: Sydney Morning Herald, 29 Sept., 2012) Contact: Rio Tinto, + 44 20 7781 2000, www.riotinto.com
Tags Rio Tinto news, Coal news, Climate Change news,
Date: 2012-09-12
In a statement from a FICCI Roundtable Energy Technology Perspectives 2012; Pathways to a Clean Energy System in Ahmedabad, International Energy Agency (IEA) executive director Maria van der Hoeven urged energy ministers of all countries to set the stage for a low-carbon future and recommended creation of an investment climate that builds confidence in the long-term potential of clean energy technologies and scales-up efforts to unlock the potential of energy efficiency. Hoeven said common goals supported by stringent and predictable policies are essential to establish the necessary credibility within the investment community. She also stressed that governments should commit to, and report on, progress on national actions that aim to appropriately reflect the true cost of energy production and consumption. Pricing carbon emissions and phasing out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, while ensuring access to affordable energy for all citizens, are central goals.
The statement also recommended scaling up efforts to unlock the potential of energy efficiency. The IEA has developed 25 energy efficiency recommendations to help governments achieve the full potential of energy efficiency improvements across all energy-consuming sectors. Other measures advocated include acceleration in energy innovation and public research, development and demonstration.
Governments should also develop and implement strategic energy research plans, backed by enhanced and sustained financial support. Additionally, governments should consider joint RD&D efforts to co-ordinate action, avoid duplication, and improve the performance and reduce the costs of technologies at the early innovation phase, including sharing lessons learned on innovative RD&D models, the statement stressed. (Source: International Energy Agency, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Economic Times, Sept. 4, 2012) Contact: International Energy Agency, www.iea.org
Tags International Energy Agency news, Clean Energy news, Energy Efficiency news
Tags International Energy Agency news, Energy Efficiency news,
Date: 2012-09-11
In a statement from a FICCI Roundtable Energy Technology Perspectives 2012; Pathways to a Clean Energy System in Ahmedabad, International Energy Agency (IEA) executive director Maria van der Hoeven urged energy ministers of all countries to set the stage for a low-carbon future and recommended creation of an investment climate that builds confidence in the long-term potential of clean energy technologies, levels the playing field for clean energy technologies and scales-up efforts to unlock the potential of energy efficiency. Hoeven said common goals supported by stringent and predictable policies are essential to establish the necessary credibility within the investment community She also stressed that governments should commit to, and report on, progress on national actions that aim to appropriately reflect the true cost of energy production and consumption. Pricing carbon emissions and phasing out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, while ensuring access to affordable energy for all citizens, are central goals.
The statement also recommended scaling up efforts to unlock the potential of energy efficiency. The IEA has developed 25 energy efficiency recommendations to help governments achieve the full potential of energy efficiency improvements across all energy-consuming sectors. Committing to application of these recommendations would form a good basis for action and accelerate results. Other measures advocated include acceleration in energy innovation and public research, development and demonstration.
Governments should also develop and implement strategic energy research plans, backed by enhanced and sustained financial support. Additionally, governments should consider joint RD&D efforts to co-ordinate action, avoid duplication, and improve the performance and reduce the costs of technologies at the early innovation phase, including sharing lessons learned on innovative RD&D models, the statement stressed. (Source: International Energy Agency, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Economic Times, Sept. 4, 2012) Contact: International Energy Agency, www.iea.org
Tags International Energy Agency news, Clean Energy news, Energy Efficiency news,
Date: 2012-09-07
Many long-term strategies for combating climate change count heavily on the ability to capture huge amounts of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels and permanently store it in deep underground rock formations. But high costs and lingering technical uncertainties mean carbon capture and storage (CCS) might not be able to play a significant role in cutting carbon emissions.
A recent report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) warns that the development and deployment of CCS is "seriously off pace" as a way to prevent the average global temperature from rising more than 2 degrees C -- a widely used target in climate strategy. The window to begin applying CCS toward consequential emissions reduction is "shrinking fast," says the agency, which has declared that CCS must supply over a fifth of the emissions reductions needed by 2050 to keep the temperature rise below 2 degrees C.
There are presently eight large-scale CCS projects in operation, according to the Global CCS Institute, none of which are at power plants. These projects, in all, bury nearly 20 million metric tons of CO2 per year. By comparison, coal burning in the U.S. and China emits about 2.1 billion and 6.95 billion metric tons, respectively, each year.
To meet the 2 degree C goal, says the IEA, a minimum of 110 additional projects at power plants and industrial facilities should be brought on line by 2020 -- enough to capture and store 269 million metric tons of CO2 that year. Although 67 large-scale projects are in planning or construction phases, it can take more than a decade to build a new CCS project.
Price is one of the biggest hinderance to CCS. Chemically separating CO2 from plant exhaust or natural gas streams is expensive. Before the gas can be buried, it must be compressed to a super-critical state and transported via pipeline to the injection site -- two processes that are also expensive. Without incentives, CCS adds too much to the price of power production from existing plants to be cost-effective.
Information about the global storage capacity is limited, but a 2012 study by MIT researchers found that in the U.S., underground rock formations called deep saline aquifers could hold at least a century's worth of CO2 emissions from the nation's coal-fired power plants. Captured CO2 is already widely used for enhanced oil recovery in which the gas is pushed into an oil reservoir to chemically mobilize hard-to-get hydrocarbons, making them easier to pump out. The injected gas is then either trapped in the oil reservoir or is "produced" while extracting oil and re-injected. This technically qualifies as CCS.
John Litynski, the carbon storage technology manager for the National Energy Technology Laboratory's office of coal and power, sees enhanced oil recovery as a way to kick-start the CCS industry, since the NETL estimates that around 20 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide could be economically stored this way. "You've got a market driver with the oil production and you've got really well understood reservoirs for storage," he says. "It's probably going to be the first mover." (Source: IEA, Technology Review, 2012) Contact: IEA, www.iea.org
Date: 2012-08-27
Following on our June 29 coverage, International Energy Agency (IEA) says CO2 Emissions climbed to an all-time high last year, reducing the chances that the world could avoid a dangerous rise in global average temperature by 2020. Most climatologists believe the rapid rise of CO2 in the atmosphere has led to an increase in global average temperature by about 1 degree Celsius. Scientists and the IEA contend that countries need to keep the global average temperature from rising by more than 2 degrees Celsius in order to avoid profound damage to life on Earth, from water and food scarcity to rising sea levels to greater incidence and severity of disease. Last year's jump in carbon emissions sets the world even more firmly on the path to a 2 degree Celsius increase.
China is the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide, followed by the U.S. Although China's emissions rose significantly because of its coal consumption, the increase would have been more substantial had the country not taken steps over the last decade to improve energy efficiency.
CO2 emissions in the U.S. fell by 1.7 percent, in 2011, as more power companies switched to natural gas from coal and a mild winter reduced heating demand. Emissions in the United States have now fallen by 7.7 percent since 2006, according to the IEA, which called it "the largest reduction of all countries or regions." (Source: Boise State Arbitor on Line, 27 Aug., 2012) Contact: IEA, www.iea.org
Tags Carbon Dioxide news, Carbon Emissions news, IEA news,
Date: 2012-08-14
International Energy Agency (IEA)executive director Maria van der Hoeven told a Toronto audience yesterday that pricing carbon is one of the key elements to ensure that what people pay for energy reflects its true costs. That must be done if the world is to move toward a sustainable energy future, she said.
The IEA is an agency formed by the biggest industrialized nations to analyze energy data and co-ordinate energy policy. In recent years it has supported a shift to renewables, but without abandoning existing fossil fuels.
van der Hoeven said that theIEA has no preferred means of carbon pricing and that it is up to each country, group of countries, or region to decide on the best approach. The agency has, however, recommended the elimination of all fossil-fuel subsidies to level the playing field for renewables. British Columbia is the only Canadian jurisdiction that has implemented a carbon tax, although Alberta has rules that are essentially a form of cap-and-trade pricing.
Many environmental groups have called for some form of carbon pricing across the country, and a report earlier this year from the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy said the government should set a price on pollution and carbon-dioxide emissions.
(Source: IEA, Globe & Mail, Aug. 13, 2012)
Contact: IEA, www.iea.org
Tags International Energy Agency news, Carbon Emissions news, Carbon Price news,
Date: 2012-07-23
This morning, the Korean government unveiled a detailed plan for its GHG emissions trading scheme, apparently seeking a smooth start of the program in light of persistent fears from industries about increased environmental costs. A prior notice outlining key details of a national carbon exchange system was issued on the enforcement ordinance which will launch in January 2015. It is a follow-up measure after the National Assembly on May 2 passed the legislation for the cap-and-trade scheme with near unanimity.
Under the the legislation, the envisioned scheme is projected to cover around 60 percent of the country's carbon pollution by imposing limits on facilities that produce more than 25,000 tons of CO2 a year. Companies will be granted permits to emit a certain amount of carbon dioxide. The new ordinance, however, envisions all of the permits being doled out for free in the first two years of the program. The proportion of free giveaways will then be scaled down to 97 percent for the 2018-2020 period and to below 90 percent for the 2012-2025 period.
Steel, semiconductors and some other key export-oriented industries will be made an exception to this reduction, receiving a full 100 percent of the permits for free.
Environmental groups immediately criticized the government for watering down its original plan in the face of industrial resistance. "The carbon trading scheme has lost its sense from its very inception, because the government accepted much of the demands of interested industries," said the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement in a statement. Most of the heavy polluters and big corporations will be granted all the permits for free for the entire span of the program, under the plan to give leniency to export-sensitive industries, it claimed. "Because carbon-emission permits are to be doled out for free, we fear the carbon market will not take off at all, or if it does, it may be seriously distorted," the group said. The carbon market plan, although it passed the parliament without much political debate, has pitted industries against environmentalists.
Small businesses have opposed the government's move to put a price on carbon, claiming that it would put Korean firms at a disadvantage in the global market because their competitors in bigger economies with bigger polluters -- namely the U.S., Japan and China -- are not subject to such a cap.
Environmentalists, on the other hand, view it essential for Korea to adopt the system to pursue the much-touted zero-carbon, green growth. The country, the world's eighth-largest emitter of carbon pollution based on 2009 figures from the International Energy Agency, aims to reduce emissions by 30 percent from projected levels by 2020. (Source: Korea Herald, 23 July, 2012)
Tags Korea Carbon Trading news,
Date: 2012-06-29
Many long-term strategies for combating climate change count heavily on the ability to capture huge amounts of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels and permanently store it in deep underground rock formations. But high costs and lingering technical uncertainties mean carbon capture and storage (CCS) might not be able to play a significant role in cutting carbon emissions.
A recent report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) warns that the development and deployment of CCS is "seriously off pace" as a way to prevent the average global temperature from rising more than 2 dgrees C -- a widely used target in climate strategy. The window to begin applying CCS toward consequential emissions reduction is "shrinking fast," says the agency, which has declared that CCS must supply over a fifth of the emissions reductions needed by 2050 to keep the temperature rise below 2 degrees C.
There are presently eight large-scale CCS projects in operation, according to the Global CCS Institute, none of which are at power plants. These projects, in all, bury nearly 20 million metric tons of CO2 per year. By comparison, coal burning in the U.S. and China emits about 2.1 billion and 6.95 billion metric tons, respectively, each year. To meet the 2 degree C goal, says the IEA, a minimum of 110 additional projects at power plants and industrial facilities should be brought on line by 2020 -- enough to capture and store 269 million metric tons of CO2 that year. Although 67 large-scale projects are in planning or construction phases, it can take more than a decade to build a new CCS project.
A big hindrance to CCS is its price tag. Chemically separating CO2 from plant exhaust or natural gas streams is expensive. Before the gas can be buried, it must be compressed to a super-critical state and transported via pipeline to the injection site -- two processes that are also expensive. Without incentives, CCS adds too much to the price of power production from existing plants to be cost-effective.
Information about the global storage capacity is limited, but a 2012 study by MIT researchers found that in the U.S., underground rock formations called deep saline aquifers could hold at least a century's worth of CO2 emissions from the nation's coal-fired power plants. Captured CO2 is already widely used for enhanced oil recovery in which the gas is pushed into an oil reservoir to chemically mobilize hard-to-get hydrocarbons, making them easier to pump out. The injected gas is then either trapped in the oil reservoir or is "produced" while extracting oil and re-injected. This technically qualifies as CCS.
John Litynski, the carbon storage technology manager for the National Energy Technology Laboratory's office of coal and power, sees enhanced oil recovery as a way to kick-start the CCS industry, since the NETL estimates that around 20 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide could be economically stored this way. "You've got a market driver with the oil production and you've got really well understood reservoirs for storage," he says. "It's probably going to be the first mover." (Source: IEA, Technology Review, June 29, 2012) Contact: IEA, www.iea.org
Tags CCS news, IEA news,
Date: 2012-06-13
The International Energy Agency (IEA) is calling on governments to increase CCS funding and ramp up efforts to improve energy efficiency or risk missing climate change targets. Progress in deploying nine out of 10 technologies that curb carbon emissions and reduce energy use is stalling, the Paris- based agency, which advises 28 nations, said today in a report.
Greater use of electric vehicles and pollution-trapping CCS equipment are needed to cut energy-related CO2 emissions by half by 2050, according to the IEA. That's required to ensure an 80 percent chance of limiting the average global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius, it said. The IEA reiterated that about $140 trillion will be required to shift to a low-carbon energy industry by 2050. Public funding for CCS, which could account for about 20 percent of the required CO2 reductions by 2050 and involves the permanent storage of emissions underground, is inadequate, the report said. Energy efficiency technologies are impeded by a lack of incentives and "non-economic" barriers, according to the report.
The Agency said 38 projects that fit CCS to power generation are required by 2020 to reach climate goals while none operate now. More progress is also needed in less mature renewable technologies such as offshore wind and concentrated solar power. (Source: IEA, June 11, 2012)
Tags International Energy Agency news,
Date: 2012-06-05
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), not surprisingly, "Global carbon-dioxide emissions from fossil-fuel combustion reached a record high of 31.6 gigatonnes in 2011." Surprisingly, the IEA added that "US emissions have fallen by 430 Mt (7.7%) since 2006, the largest reduction of all countries or regions. This development has arisen from lower oil use in the transport sector and a substantial shift from coal to gas in the power sector." 430 million tonnes of CO2 is equal to all CO2 from all Canadians outside Alberta and equal to eliminating all of the emissions from Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah and Nevada combined!
Until now, the failure by the USA to make significant emission cuts has been at the center of the global deadlock over what to do about climate pollution. Many of the biggest polluting nations, including China, India, Russia, Canada, Australia, and Brazil, have been reluctant to create policies to reduce CO2 as long as the biggest emitter of them all, the USA, wasn't joining in. Now, according to the IEA, Americans are promising CO2 cuts, delivering on their promise and leading the world in total CO2 reductions. (Source: IEA, Vancouver Observer, 4 June, 2012) Contact: IEA, www.iea.org
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Date: 2012-05-29
Global CO2 emissions from fossil-fuel combustion reached a record high of 31.6 gigatonnes (Gt) in 2011, according to preliminary estimates from the International Energy Agency (IEA). This represents an increase of 1.0 Gt on 2010, or 3.2 percent. Coal accounted for 45 percent of total energy-related CO2 emissions in 2011, followed by oil (35 percent) and natural gas at 20 percent.
The 450 Scenario of the IEA's World Energy Outlook 2011, which sets out an energy pathway consistent with a 50 percent chance of limiting the increase in the average global temperature to 2 degrees C, requires CO2 emissions to peak at 32.6 Gt no later than 2017, i.e. just 1.0 Gt above 2011 levels. The 450 Scenario sees a decoupling of CO2 emissions from global GDP, but much still needs to be done to reach that goal as the rate of growth in CO2 emissions in 2011 exceeded that of global GDP. "The new data provide further evidence that the door to a 2 degree C trajectory is about to close," said IEA Chief Economist Fatih Birol.
In 2011, a 6.1 percent increase in CO2 emissions in countries outside the OECD was only partly offset by a 0.6 percent reduction in emissions inside the OECD. China made the largest contribution to the global increase, with its emissions rising by 720 million tonnes (Mt), or 9.3 percent, primarily due to higher coal consumption. "What China has done over such a short period of time to improve energy efficiency and deploy clean energy is already paying major dividends to the global environment", said Dr. Birol. China's carbon intensity fell by 15 percent between 2005 and 2011. Had these gains not been made, China's CO2 emissions in 2011 would have been higher by 1.5 Gt. India's emissions rose by 140 Mt, or 8.7 percent, moving it ahead of Russia to become the fourth largest emitter behind China, the U.S. and the European Union. Despite these increases, per-capita CO2 emissions in China and India still remain just 63 percent and 15 percent of the OECD average respectively.
CO2 emissions in the U.S. in 2011 fell by 92 Mt, or 1.7 percent, primarily due to ongoing switching from coal to natural gas in power generation and an exceptionally mild winter. US emissions have now fallen by 430 Mt (7.7 percent) since 2006, the largest reduction of all countries or regions. This development has arisen from lower oil use in the transport sector and a substantial shift from coal to gas in the power sector.
CO2 emissions in the EU in 2011 were lower by 69 Mt, or 1.9 percent, as sluggish economic growth cut industrial production and a relatively warm winter reduced heating needs. By contrast, Japan's emissions increased by 28 Mt, or 2.4 percent, as a result of a increase in the use of fossil fuels in power generation post-Fukushima. (Source: International Energy Agency, PR, 25 May, 2012)
Contact: International Energy Agency, +33 1 40 57 65 09, www.iea.org
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Date: 2012-05-25
The Chicago Tribune is reporting that China's central government plans to spend 170 billion yuan ($27 billion) this year to promote energy conservation, emission reductions and renewable energy, the Ministry of Finance said in a statement on its website on Thursday. China is targeting cuts to its 2020 greenhouse gas emissions by 40-45 percent compared with 2003 levels and aims to boost its use of renewable energy to 15 percent of overall energy consumption.
On Thursday, a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) said China spurred a jump in global CO2 emissions to their highest ever recorded level in 2011, offsetting falling emissions in the US and Europe.
However, the EIA report said that China's carbon intensity fell by 15 percent between 2005 and 2011, suggesting the world's second-largest economy was finding less carbon-consuming ways to fuel growth.
(Source: Chicago Tribune, 24 May, 2012)
Tags China Carbon Emissions news,
Date: 2012-04-26
The U.K. has allocated as much as £60 million ($97 million) to encourage CCS technology development in emerging markets. The funds will boost projects and develop new partnerships, U.K. Energy Minister Greg Barker said today in a statement. The money was drawn from International Climate Finance funding that's already been announced, according to an e-mailed statement.
The International Energy Agency estimates that 3,400 plants using CCS technology are needed by 2050 to meet a goal of cutting carbon emissions in half. Efforts to introduce CCS are falling behind, along with nuclear power and biofuels, IEA Deputy Executive Director Richard Jones told energy ministers from 23 nations meeting in London. (Source: BBC, 25 April, 2012)
Date: 2012-03-27
Carbon Friendly Solutions Inc. (cnsx:CFQ),through its wholly-owned subsidiary Microcoal International Inc. has signed a MOU with Hebei Iron and Steel Group Limited (HBIS), a major iron and steel producer in China, setting out the terms for a detailed project design package to be developed for a large scale industrial facility. HBIS utilizes approximately 9 million tonnes of coal per year to produce steel. Microcoal technology has been developed to reduce input costs, optimize operational performance and decrease environmental footprint.
Microcoal is focused on upgrading coal through the use of their patented technology. International Energy Agency statistics indicate that China is one of the largest thermal and metallurgical coal markets worldwide. Thermal coal is primarily used for generating electricity, while metallurgical coal, which must contain specific coking properties, is used in steel-making. China produces 51% of the world's metallurgical coal making it world's largest producer and consumer of metallurgical coal, accounting for over 500 million tonnes of consumption in 2010.
Further, Carbon Friendly reports that its second visit to China has been successful in establishing a number of relationships with coal-fired utilities, which may provide significant opportunities for Microcoal's patented technology, given that China relies on coal for 79% of its electricity generation. (Source: Carbon Friendly Solutions, March 26, 2012) Contact: Stan Lis, CEO, Carbon Friendly Solutions, (604) 676-9792, [email protected], www.carbonfriendly.com
Tags Carbon Friendly Solutions news,
Date: 2012-03-15
The National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS) has responded to environmental group World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) findings that Singapore has the largest carbon footprint per capita in the Asia-Pacific. The NCCS issued its response to "provide a better understanding of the facts" and took issue with the WWF citing Singapore as "a society that may be one of the best examples of what we should not do" - a statement which "seriously misrepresents the situation", said the NCCS. The secretariat cited how the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) Asian Green City Index last year had assessed Singapore as Asia's greenest metropolis and said Singapore ranked "well above average" for its policies on energy and carbon emissions.
The EIU study found that Singapore used three megajoules of energy to generate US$1 (S$1.30) of GDP - half the Index's average of six megajoules. The Index had examined the environmental performance of 22 Asian cities in eight categories including environmental governance, air quality, energy and carbon dioxide emissions. The NCCS also noted that the methodology used by the WWF in its upcoming Asia Footprint Report differs from that of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The latter attributes emissions from goods to the country where they are produced, while WWF attributes carbon emissions from the goods to the importing country.
Based on the UNFCCC's method, Singapore ranked below countries such as Brunei, Australia and South Korea in terms of per capita emissions, said the NCCS. Even so, the NCCS noted "inherent limitations" in the use of per capita indicators to measure carbon emissions. "Carbon emissions per capita as a measure disadvantages countries with small populations," it said. This is so for Singapore due to its small land area, with no readily available alternative energy sources.
Singapore ranks favourably when it comes to energy intensity, the NCCS also pointed out.
Its CO2 emissions per dollar or GDP is among "the lowest internationally" - or 123 out of 137 countries, based on data from the International Energy Agency.
Last Monday, the WWF had revealed that Singapore topped the list of carbon emitters per capita in the Asia-Pacific, saying its high GDP per capita fueled consumption habits and citing the corporate sector and construction industry as a significant contributor.
(Source: Today Online, March 14, 2012) Contact: NCCS, www.nccs.gov.sg
Date: 2012-02-10
Renewable energy consulting and information services provider AWS Truepower LLC, has joined a model inter-comparison task from the International Energy Agency called WakeBench. The more than 40 participating organizations representing 12 countries are charged with improving best practices for wind farm modeling techniques and providing a forum for industrial, governmental and academic partners. The results aim to help develop, evaluate and improve the atmospheric boundary layer and wind turbine wake models for use in both onshore and offshore wind energy. The goal is to advance the industry's ability to accurately model wind turbine wakes, especially in large wind farms. Each WakeBench participant will run its wake model using the same initial conditions in order to do a fair comparison. The models will be validated at several different sites. This project started in October 2011, will last for three years, and is being co-managed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Centre of Spain which is putting together all the test cases and will gather the results from each model and perform the comparison. (Source: AWS TruePower, February 8, 2012) Contact: AWS Truepower, Philippe Beaucage, senior research scientist, (518) 213-0044, www.awstruepower.com
Tags AWS Truepower news,
Date: 2012-02-09
Lawmakers in South Korea have voted to impose GHG limits on the nation's largest companies, overruling industry opposition and laying groundwork for the third emissions-trading program in the Asia-Pacific region. A special committee of the National Assembly on climate change passed legislation today to establish a so-called cap-and-trade system in 2015. The bill now goes to the nation's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, and then to the assembly's plenary session on Feb. 16, the last step for the law.
South Korea, the world's eighth-largest carbon emitter based on 2009 figures from the International Energy Agency, approved limits after disagreements between opposition and the ruling Grand National Party postponed the effort last year. The nation said in November 2009 its target for 2020 is to cut emissions by 30 percent from forecast levels, following similar programs in Australia and New Zealand.
(Source: National Assembly, Korea, February 8, 2012)
Date: 2012-01-20
Norway will spend NOK 1.8 billion ($300 million) a year to devise ways to help some of the world's poorest people get better access to energy and to develop a new market-based system to limit emissions from global energy production, a foreign ministry official said Wednesday. The Nordic nation expects to launch a plan by June that will see several richer states give money to nine poor countries to invest in new and more efficient power plants. The government hopes the scheme will be eventually used as a worldwide example for attracting private sector cash via a new type of carbon market. The Energy+ Partnership will see Norway, UK, France, Denmark, Switzerland, Netherlands and South Korea give money to Bhutan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Maldives, Morocco, Nepal, Senegal and Tanzania. The cash will depend on how well the recipient countries can prove they are increasing public access to energy while cutting greenhouse gas emissions compared to unchecked levels, according to a policy document seen by Point Carbon News.
Norway has already started working with Ethiopia and the Maldives, and in February will meet with officials from Kenya and Liberia, said Terje Kronen, an official from Norway's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Energy+ Partnership is due to be launched at the Rio+20 summit in June, where world leaders will discuss global measures to provide universal access to energy - a goal the International Energy Agency said will cost at least $48 billion a year.
Norway, whose vast offshore oil reserves have helped it to become one of the world's richest countries, wants the effort to mirror the REDD+ Partnership on halting deforestation in the developing world. The Energy+ plan is intended to help drive efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries, where renewable energy and energy efficiency measures account for around 9 percent of worldwide abatement potential. The policy document said Energy+ cash will help the poorer countries develop the energy section of their country-wide U.N. pledges to cut emissions, known as Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions. It will also develop practical examples "in establishing new carbon markets." Last month's U.N. climate negotiations in Durban opened the door for the emergence of several new carbon market mechanisms, but investors expect little progress on them without more government backing.
Governments want to drive deeper emissions reductions by developing new markets across entire sectors rather than the existing project-by-project approaches in the U.N's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation.
Norway insists that finance from hosting CDM offset projects can still be used to develop cleaner energy sources alongside Energy+ cash. (Source: Reuters, January 19, 2012)
Date: 2012-01-19
Greenhouse gas emissions will rise in the short to medium term as countries abandon nuclear power, says the International Energy Agency's (IEA) Chief Economist. Following the Fukushima disaster that hit Japan in March last year, Germany has already begun to scale back its nuclear power capacity, while other countries including France and Japan are considering scaling back their programmes. Speaking at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, Fatih Birol warned that the increase in coal use that would result from this move would far outweigh any boost in renewable energy. "We will see high CO2 levels if we take out one of the major technologies that will help us deal with climate change," Birol said.
While saying plans to fill the gap with renewables were bold, he warned that in reality it could have devastating impacts for the climate.
Birol also used today's speech to once again call for a phasing out of fossil fuel subsidies, which he says ensure poorer people remain without access to energy.
(Source: RTCC, January 17, 2012) Contact: International Energy Agency, +33 1 40 57 65 09, www.iea.org
Tags International Energy Agency news,
Date: 2011-12-14
The pace of global biofuels production growth will be slower than previously forecast over the next five years due to weaker prospects for Brazilian ethanol and as the US market becomes saturated, the International Energy Agency (IEA)said today.
Updating medium-term forecasts made in June, the IEA said it sees global biofuels growth from 2010 to 2016 at just 400,000 b/d, versus 500,000 b/d previously. It now expects biofuels supply to reach 2.22 million b/d in 2016, up from 1.822 million b/d in 2010.
Brazilian ethanol production in 2011 is now expected to decline by 75,000 b/d to 375,000 b/d due to a poor sugar cane harvest and high sugar prices, the IEA said. (Source: International Energy Agency, December, 13, 2011) Contact: International Energy Agency, +33 1 40 57 65 09, www.iea.org
Tags International Energy Agency news, Sugar Cane Ethanol news,
Date: 2011-11-21
Concentrations of the three main greenhouse gases linked to global warming reached their highest-ever levels last year, a UN agency said today. The UN's World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported a 29 per cent increase from 1990 to 2010 in radiative forcing - the warming effect on the climate from greenhouse gases - of which carbon dioxide accounted for 80 per cent.
The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere increased to 389 parts per million molecules of air in 2010, a rise of 2.3 parts per million on the previous year, which represents a larger increase than the average for the 1990s and the past decade. Meanwhile methane, a far more potent greenhouse gas than CO2, grew to 1,806 parts per billion and nitrous oxide rose to 323.3 parts per billion. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), potent greenhouse gases that last far longer in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, are also on the increase according to a separate UN report released today. The International Energy Agency warned earlier this month that the world was just five years away from irreversible climate change and, ahead of the Durban climate change conference, WMO secretary-general Michel Jarraud called for urgent action to limit emissions.
"Even if we managed to halt our greenhouse gas emissions today - and this is far from the case – they would continue to linger in the atmosphere for decades to come and so continue to affect the delicate balance of our living planet and our climate," Jarraud said. "Now more than ever before, we need to understand the complex and sometimes unexpected interactions between greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, Earth's biosphere and oceans." (Source: WMO, November, 21, 2011)Contact: Michel Jarraud, Secretary-General, World Meteorological Organization, +41 (22) 730-8200 [email protected], www.wmo.int
Tags World Meteorological Organization news,
Date: 2011-11-18
The UK could miss its renewable transport targets unless it spends £900 million on advanced biofuels over the next 20 years, a government-commissioned study said today. Growing demand for biofuels has proved highly controversial, critics claiming that fuels made from energy crops have led indirectly to deforestation and driven up food prices. But the new report from the UK's National Centre for Biorenewable Energy, Fuels and Materials (NNFCC), said that new, more sustainable biofuel technologies can play a key role in ensuring that the government meets its commitment to sourcing 10 per cent of the energy used in UK road and rail transport from renewable sources by 2020.
The report explained that conventional sources of biofuel, such as vegetable oil, are likely to be in short supply in the future as the heat and power sectors compete with aviation and road transport to secure access to biodiesel. The NNFCC estimates that, as a result, conventional biofuels will produce only 3.7 to 6.6 per cent of the energy needed in road and rail transport by 2020. However, the report added that advanced techniques for producing biofuel from waste, such as gasification and pyrolysis, are now at a point where they can start to produce the necessary quantities of fuel from sustainable sources, including household waste, wood and straw. The greatest potential is in diesel and aviation fuels produced from syngas, bioethanol produced by the fermentation of syngas, and biobutanol produced by fermentation, the report said. These sources avoid the problems presented by conventional energy crops which compete for agricultural land and have been blamed for forcing up food prices.
The NNFCC said that advanced biofuels could meet up to 4.3 per cent of the UK's 10 per cent renewable transport fuel target by 2020 and save 3.2 million tonnes of CO2 annually, equivalent to taking nearly a million cars off the road. The report also predicted that this scenario requires an investment of £895 million in eight production plants, which would require around one million tonnes of woody biomass, two million tonnes of wheat, and 4.4 million tonnes of household, commercial and industrial waste. Under a more modest scenario, £139 million could be spent on four plants, which could create enough fuel to contribute 2.1 per cent towards the target and save 1.6 million tonnes of CO2eq.
Earlier this year, the International Energy Agency said that biofuels could make up more than a quarter of all transport fuel by 2050, but again this would require an enormous expenditure of up to $13 per ton (£8 per ton).(Source: NNFCC, November, 18, 2011)
Contact: Dr Geraint Evans , Head of Biofuels and Bioenergy , NNFCC, +44 (0)1904 435182, [email protected], www.nnfcc.co.uk
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Date: 2011-11-08
A London-based Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) study focused on large French and UK IT companies has found that they could achieve significant cost savings and as much as 50 percent carbon reductions by 2020 if they moved their IT systems to shared data networks. Since big IT companies are also the developers of cloud services, they are keen to see expansion of the services. The study follows a recent forecast that use of cloud services could triple in the next two years.
The Open Data Center Alliance, an umbrella group of more than 300 companies including global banks, released a statement last week saying they had planned to adopt cloud services much faster than thought.
The study found that blue-chip companies in the UK plan to accelerate the adoption of cloud computing from 10% to almost 70% of their information technology by 2020. The study claims that these companies could benefit from billions in savings if they do. Cloud computing allows companies to reduce costs by buying less hardware and using servers located elsewhere to store, manage and process data. For example by 2020, large UK companies that use cloud computing could achieve annual energy savings of 7pound;1.2 billion (€1.39 billion) and carbon reductions equivalent to the annual emissions of over 4 million passenger vehicles, the study says. In France, where nuclear plants generate the bulk of electricity, that figure was much lower.
The most compelling argument for cloud adoption is not cost-savings or energy reductions but speeding up the time it takes for a company to start trading. The technology has been heralded as a panacea for business but opponents are concerned about privacy and security of data.
In addition, in terms of cutting global emissions, the cloud's contribution may look more like a drop in the water, according to some calculations. The EU is still haggling over whether it will commit to a 20% or 30% cut in CO2 emissions by 2020. In addition, the chief economist of the International Energy Agency recently attempted to put any ambitions for carbon reductions into perspective. (Source: Carbon Disclosure Project , November, 7,2011)
Access report https://www.cdproject.net/Documents/Cloud-Computing-The-IT-Solution-for-the-21st-Century-Addendum-France-UK.pdf
Contact: Rosie Reeve , CDP , +44 (0)207-415-7082, [email protected];
Elinor Newman-Beckett , Verdantix , +44 (0)2033-716-792, [email protected];Rebecca Atherley ,AT&T, +44 (0)207- 663- 5143, [email protected]
Tags Carbon Disclosure Project news, Cloud Computing news,
Date: 2011-11-03
According to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), Wind energy in China could reach 1000GW of capacity by 2050. China is continuing to put increased emphasis on its expanding domestic wind farm sector to help provide ever-increasing amounts of emissions-free electricity. The latest evidence of China's unrelenting faith in wind power comes in a report that predicts the rapidly-developing Asian nation could have 1,000 GW of installed wind turbines capacity by 2050. The report - China Wind Energy Development Roadmap 2050 - was released last week by the National Development and Reform Commission's Energy Research Institute (NDRC-ERI) and the International Energy Agency (IEA). According to an IEA press release, the English language summary of the report notes that the share of wind power in Chinese electricity production could rise to 17% by mid-century from just 1% today. The press release notes that reaching 1,000 GW of wind power by the middle of the century would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1.5 gigatonnes annually in 2050, or roughly equivalent to the combined CO2 emissions of Germany, France and Italy in 2009.
The report was followed days later by a story in the Financial Times that said China is bracing for a slowdown of 20% in wind turbine installations this year because of tightening government regulation and bottlenecks on the electricity grid. The FT story quoted one unnamed European turbine maker executive saying the Chinese wind turbine market was facing a "bloodbath." The IEA press release said it would cost an estimated €200 billion to 2050 to achieve China's wind power target, but that there are tremendous opportunities for wind developers and investors in the world's most populated nation. As a region, GWEC has noted that Europe was the global leader with cumulative installed capacity of 86 GW at the end of 2010, Asia was second with 58.6 GW and North America was third with 44.1 GW.
The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) expects a European cumulative wind capacity of 230 GW by 2020 and 400 GW by 2030.
EWEA also believes that wind could produce up to 50% of the EU's electricity in 2050. (Source: EWEA, November, 1, 2011) Contact: EWEA, www.ewea.org
Tags European Wind Energy Association news, Chinese Wind news,
Date: 2011-11-02
A report by the Australian-based Global CCS Institute on Wednesday says the world is on track to have 20 CCS projects by 2020, despite last month's cancellation of $l.5 billion in funding for a British plant. The report also says that when compared with other low-carbon emission technologies, CCS can be a cost-effective tool to curb GHG pollution from coal and gas-fired power stations .CCS is not yet competitive for the power sector but governments and the International Energy Agency see it as a key way to fight climate change by trapping and burying GHG emissions while maintaining stable energy supply.
CCS costs are still an issue, and the British government decision last month to withdraw funding for the country's first and most advanced CCS project at Longannet in Scotland has underscored critics' doubts that CCS can reach commercial scale by the end of the decade. Late last month, the government said it had dropped funding for the project that would have trapped emissions in a 330 megawatt unit but that the £1 billion in subsidies would be dedicated to a different CCS project.Other project have been delayed or cancelled in Norway, Dubai and the United States.
The cost of cutting or avoiding CO2 emissions for a coal-fired power plant fitted with current CCS technology ranges from $23 to $92 per tonne of CO2 and is a little higher for natural gas-fired power plants, the report said.
This compared to an avoided cost of $90 to $176 per tonne for offshore wind, $139 to $201 per tonne for solar thermal, and more for solar photovoltaic, or PV.
(Source: Contact: Global CCS Institute, Reuters, November, 2, 2011)
Contact: Global CCS Institute, + 61 2 6175 5300, www.globalccsinstitute.com
Tags Global CCS Institute news,
Date: 2011-10-28
In a soon to be available 134-page report entitled CO2 Emissions From Fuel Combustion, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said Australia's coal-related emissions rose to 220.9 million metric tons in 2009 from 73.2 million metric tons in 1970. From 1990 to 2009, the country’s burning coal emissions jumped 61 per cent.
Australia supplies coal to more than 20 countries. In 2009-10, according to data from the Australian Coal Association, Australia"s biggest markets were Japan, China, South Korea, India, Taiwan and Europe.
The IEA said two-thirds of global emissions in 2009 originated from just 10 countries, with China and the United States both producing 41 per cent of the world's carbon emissions. Electricity/heat generation and transport were the major factors that produced two-thirds of global carbon dioxide emissions in 2009, up from 58 per cent in 1990. (Source: All headline News, IEA, October, 27, 2011)
Free report available soon HERE
Contact: International Energy Agency, +33 1 40 57 65 09, www.iea.org
More Energy Overviews International Energy Agency news,
Date: 2011-10-25
Meeting the target for global warming enshrined in the 2009 Copenhagen Accord, where world leaders set a goal of voluntarily limiting warming to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, will require carbon emissions to decline by more than eight percent by 2020 compared to 2010 and then continue their fall.
In a paper published online in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Climate Change, researchers led by Joeri Rogelj of the Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, revisited computer models used in the light of 2 degrees C Copenhagen objective.
Their study found that in scenarios that saw a "likely" higher than 66-percent chance of staying below 2 degrees C, global emissions would have to peak between 2010 and 2020. By 2020, annual emissions would have to be 44 billion tonnes, or gigatonnes, of CO2 or its equivalent CO2e (a measurement of all GHGs ranging from CO2 - emitted by burning fossil fuels - to methane, from deforestation and agricultural processes0 per year. This would amount to an 8.5-percent cut compared with 2010, when global emissions were 48 gigatonnes. Emissions would have to keep falling thereafter.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) says that CO2-only emissions in 2010 were the highest in history, rebounding sharply after a dip in 2009 caused by the global financial crisis.
The Copenhagen Accord, which was drafted at the last minute by a small group of leaders, failed to win the endorsement of a plenary of 194-party UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and was attacked as undemocratic. Green groups said its voluntary approach would not deliver the necessary carbon cuts.
Scientists, meanwhile, are cautious about the 2 degrees C target, saying it is not a guarantee of safety.
Many say there have already been perceptible changes to snow and ice cover, habitat and reproductive patterns by migrating species as a result of existing warming, of roughly 1 degree C since 1900.(Source: Agence France-Presse, October, 24, 2011)
Contact: Joeri Rogelj of the Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science , ETH, +41 44 63 27 709, [email protected]
More Energy Overviews Copenhagen Accord news,
Date: 2011-10-25
Due to the 2008-2009 economic crisis global CO2 emissions decreased for the first time since 1990, but a large rebound is anticipated in 2010. While CO2 emissions in non-Annex I countries grew by 3.3 percent in 2009, emissions of Annex I countries fell 6.5 percent, according to a new publication from the International Energy Agency (IEA). Most of the reduction, however, comes from a decrease in the energy consumption due to the 2008-2009 economic crisis. Statistics for 2009 show that emission levels for the group of countries participating in the Kyoto Protocol were just shy of 15 percent below their 1990 level.
These findings are contained in a free document (attached below) which contains highlights from CO2Emissions from Fuel Combustion 2011, an IEA statistics publication which will be released in November 2011. The free document, which contains all the latest information on the level and growth of CO2 emissions, has been released in the lead-up to the UN climate negotiations in Durban, South Africa, to provide input and support for the UN process. Key findings include:
Access report HERE Contact: IEA, www.iea.org
More Energy Overviews International Energy Agency news, Global Emissions news,
Date: 2011-10-18
DNV has recently developed recommended guidelines and best practices for CO2 geological storage selection and risk assessment. Areas addressed include feasibility studies for CO2 capture from onshore power plants, offshore and onshore gas production from gas streams containing high CO2, and subsequent storage in depleted gas fields. Use of CCS for enhanced oil recovery is also high on the agenda.
DNV has over the past few years developed sets of recommended guidelines and best practices for carbon capture and storage projects (CCS) that cover critical issues such as risk management, site selection, transportation in pipelines, and well integrity assessment. Among the documents is also the CO2 Well Integrity guideline which was published in June 2011. As a result of active promotion of these guidelines in Asia from DNV's Clean Technology Centre (CTC) in Singapore, DNV is now involved in several CCS feasibility studies throughout the region.
The establishment of CCS projects is a vital component in the mixture of actions required towards global CO2 emissions reduction. The International Energy Agency Technology Road Map in 2009 recommended more than 100 CCS projects, half of them in emerging economies, to be operational by 2020. As CCS projects often take more than 5 to 10 years to develop it is opportune for many countries in Asia Pacific to initiate CCS efforts and capability building as soon as possible. (Source: DNV, Oct., 2011)
Contact: Robert Poore, V.P. Business and Service Development,DNV, (206) 387-4225, [email protected], www.dnv.com
More Energy Overviews Enhanced Oil Recovery news, DNV news,
Date: 2011-10-05
Today the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) reacted to an International Energy Agency report that revealed global fossil-fuel subsidies reached almost half a trillion dollars in 2010. According to the IEA, this figure is up $110 billion over 2009 and could reach $660 billion by 2020 despite the G20 countries committing over 2 years ago to eliminating these subsidies.
At the 2009 Pittsburgh G20 summit Chaired by President Obama, leaders committed to eliminating both consumption and production subsidies that topped $300 billion that year. The GRFA has tracked activity on this promise and despite progress being made in several countries there appears to be little real progress in reducing these market-distorting subsidies. According to today's IEA report these consumption subsidies reached $409 billion in 2010 and could top $660 billion by 2020.
"As we strive to develop alternatives to oil we must recognize that alternative fuels are not competing on a level playing field," said Bliss Baker, spokesperson for the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance. "These massive multi-billion dollar crude oil subsidies completely outweigh current biofuel incentives and are a serious obstacle to the development of cleaner greener alternatives. Oil has a huge competitive advantage financed by global taxpayers," added Mr. Baker
Next month the G20 will meet in France and the issue of oil subsidies is on the agenda; however the issue is likely to be overshadowed by agricultural issues according to the background information being prepared for these meetings. "Despite the IEA's optimism that there is some momentum in reducing subsidies, progress remains very slow and sporadic," said Mr. Baker. "It is time for the G20 to show leadership and reverse this practice of never-ending subsidies to big oil. It is time to move beyond crude oil and into a world with sustainable alternatives such as biofuels and other renewable forms of energy. They must put their money where their mouth is and invest in renewable alternatives," concluded Mr. Baker.
The Global Renewable Fuels Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting biofuel friendly policies internationally. Alliance members represent over 65% of the global biofuels production from 44 countries. Through the development of new technologies and best practices, the Alliance members are committed to producing renewable fuels with the smallest possible footprint. (Source: GRFA, October, 4, 2011)
Contact: Bliss Baker, Global Renewable Fuels Alliance,
(416) 847-6497, [email protected], http://www.globalrfa.org
More Energy Overviews Global Renewable Fuels Alliance news,
Date: 2011-09-23
China is playing a leading role in applying carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies, an initiative that the International Energy Agency (IEA) expects to help cut global carbon emissions in industrial sectors by 4 gigatons a year by 2050.
To date, China has announced six CCS projects, but has the potential to launch additional CCS projects in the next 10 years, the IEA said, adding that those projects will help it meet its emission-reduction target. China has committed to reduce its CO2 emissions by 40 to 45 percent from 2005 levels for each unit of GDP by 2020. CCS can be profitable for China - the world's second-largest economy and a major emitter - if it develops its own technology and sells it to other countries.
The IEA estimated that by 2050, CCS can potentially reduce carbon emissions from industrial sectors by 4 gigatons annually, accounting for about 9 percent of the global reductions needed to halve energy-related CO2 emissions by then. (Source: China Daily, September, 22, 2011)
Contact: Maria Van der Hoeven, Executive Director, International Energy Agency, +33 1 40 57 65 09, www.iea.org
More Energy Overviews International Energy Agency news, Carbon Capture news,
Date: 2011-09-23
The financial crisis and fading government support for climate action have seriously eroded global CCS plans, the International Energy Agency (IEA) warned on Thursday.Sequestration was supposed to account for one-fifth of the world's emissions reductions under the IEA's roadmap for keeping global temperature rise within two degrees Celsius by the end of the century. But the global temperature is on course to rise by 3.5 degrees, due to poor progress on CCS, the acceptance of a carbon price, and other carbon-cutting efforts, the IEA said.
According to the agency's figures, global energy demand has more than doubled in the past 40 years and even with the most favorable assumptions will grow another 35 percent by 2035, which will take CO2 emissions above 35 gigatonnes per year. Projects to capture and bury a major chunk of that are behind schedule and finding it harder to secure funds.
To reach the two degree goal, the agency estimates that there will have to be 1,500 CCS large-scale projects around the world by 2035. To date, only 74 large scale projects have been announced worldwide. The US has 24 CCS projects.
. Outside Europe, few countries have set a price for carbon. Australia's government is now trying to do just that, and is expected to set a level of about $23 per tonne. U.S Secretary of Energy Chu says the price of carbon would have to be $80 a tonne for CCS to be economically viable with current technology.
CCS needs more state support, but cash-strapped governments are backing away from financial commitments. With little political and financial capital behind CCS, however, its prospects are diminishing. (Source: IEA, September, 22, 2011)
Contact: Maria Van der Hoeven, Executive Director, International Energy Agency, +33 1 40 57 65 09, www.iea.org
More Energy Overviews International Energy Agency news,
Date: 2011-07-11
Plans by major vehicle manufacturers for EVs and PHEVs are far below sales targets set by national governments, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Lew Fulton, a transport analyst at the IEA, said EVs are a way to boost energy security while offering an affordable alternative to conventional fuels.
"Most major auto manufacturers have announced their EV and/or PHEV production plans, which add up to 0.9 million units by 2015 and about 1.4 million units per year by 2020. However, it is well below existing national sales targets of about 1.5 million in 2015 and 7 million in 2020." Fulton said in a prepared statement.
The IEA said global EV targets represent only a fraction of the 1 billion cars expected on the roads by 2020, however.
In a May report, the IEA found that energy consumption in electric motor-driven systems makes up about 19 percent of the global electricity demand, eclipsing the electricity used for lighting. (Source: IEA, July, 8, 2011)
Contact: Lew Fulton, Transport Analyst, IEA, (+33 1) 40 57 65 00, [email protected] www.iea.org
More Energy Overviews International Energy Agency news,
Date: 2011-07-06
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the number of EVs and PHEVs put into use this decade is set to fall far short of national sales targets, based on currently announced production plans from major manufacturers. "Most major auto manufacturers have announced their EV and/or PHEV production plans, which add up to 0.9 million units by 2015 and about 1.4 million units per year by 2020," said Lew Fulton, Senior Transport Analyst at the IEA in a statement. "However, it is well below existing national sales targets of about 1.5 million in 2015 and 7 million in 2020." (Source; IEA, July, 5, 2011) Contact: Lew Fulton, Senior Transport Analyst, International Energy Agency, (+33 1) 40 57 65 00,www.iea.org
More Energy Overviews International Energy Agency news,
Date: 2011-06-27
"Africans are leading with their own plans for climate change, and they have called for additional financing instruments that respond directly to their priorities," African Development Bank (AfDB) VP , Bobby Pittman, said at the 2011 Climate Investment Funds Partnership Forum last week in Cape Town, South Africa.
Addressing 250 participants at the opening session, the Pittman added: "Looking ahead, it is becoming clear that future climate financing could benefit from instruments that are open to all countries and can be adjusted to respond to country priorities and implementation capacity; and a clear allocation of resources per implementing agency, which can be revised based on the pace of execution of projects and programs."
Given that nearly 600 million people in Africa remain without access to modern energy, broadening the supply of low-cost environmentally-friendly energy to more people and developing renewable forms of energy to diversify the sources for generating electric power are major Bank priorities. About $1 billion is invested in renewable energy in Africa yearly, according to the International Energy Agency. Over the next three years, the AfDB intends to invest more than $3.5 billion in improving energy access, with more than a third of the amount going to renewable energy. The African Development Bank is responding to climate change with a clear focus on the areas that are most critical for Africa and on expanding Africa's access to international climate change financing, both through global mechanisms like the Climate Investment Funds and dedicated internal mechanisms design to meet specific African challenges.
"Despite all of these efforts, the bottom line is that there is an urgent need to improve access to climate finance at the scale required for transformational impact in Africa and put in place mechanisms that can best respond to Africa's needs," Pittman concluded. (Source: African Development Bank (AfDB) , June, 24,2011)
Contact: Bobby Pittman, VP, African Development Bank, (+216) 71 10 39 00, www.afdb.org
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Date: 2011-06-22
In the UK, the Institution for Mechanical Engineers (IMECHE) has renewed its calls for the support of technology that extracts carbon emissions from the atmosphere, known as geo-engineering. On Friday, the group released a statement calling for the Government to prioritize funding for geo-engineering, such as artificial trees, air capture machines and synthetic fuels, saying they hold the key to tackling CO2 emissions from hard to manage sources, such as aircraft, ships and industrial processes.
IMECHE first published a report in 2009 that claimed geo-engineering could buy the world valuable time to decarbonize the global economy in the battle against climate change. Its latest call comes in the wake of figures released last month by the International Energy Agency that suggest GHG emissions rose by a record amount last year, raising the spectre of a temperature rise of more than two degrees Celsius; the threshold above which scientists warn we risk catastrophic climate change.
IMECHE wants the Government to support a number of carbon dioxide removal technologies, including machines that capture CO2 from the air and store it underground; artificial trees that absorb carbon from the air and bury it underground; and carbon recycling, where industries that need CO2 as a chemical feedstock for the production of products such as fertilizer, source their CO2 from the air – thereby establishing a 'closed’ loop for the carbon.
The institution says the Government should support research to establish the cost and feasibility of air capture technology and policies that that enable the adoption of negative emissions and carbon recycling.(Source: IMECHE, June, 17, 2011)
Contact: IMECHE, +44 (0)20 7222 7899, www.imeche.org
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Date: 2011-06-17
A halving of a global nuclear power expansion after Japan's Fukushima disaster would increase global growth in CO2 emissions by 30 percent through 2035, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Last month, the IEA warned that a political goal to limit climate change to safer levels was barely achievable after global emissions rose by near 6 percent in 2010. A halving of nuclear power growth would make the task even more difficult, said IEA chief economist Fatih Birol.
CO2 emissions rose above 30 billion tonnes last year, a new record and just short of the amount that IEA estimated was consistent with the world's new warming target. The IEA was referring to a scenario where the world added another 180 GW of nuclear power between now and 2035, instead of its previous forecast of 360 GW. Such a nuclear retreat would cut the sector's share of power generation, he added. "We think this is bad news in terms of having less diversification in the global energy mix, a less secure picture," Birol said.
Coal and gas demand would increase by about 5 percent in 2035, compared with what the IEA expected before Fukushima, and renewables by 6 percent, implying upward pressure on fuel and power prices.
Governments worldwide have ordered nuclear safety reviews after the March 11 quake and tsunami in Japan triggered a meltdown and radioactive release at the country's Fukushima nuclear plant.
Shortly thereafter, Germany announced plans to shut all its nuclear reactors by 2022 and Italians Italians voted to ban nuclear energy for decades to come. (Source: IEA, June, 15,2011)
Contact: Bo Diczfalusy, Director of Sustainable Energy Policy and Technology, IEA, http://www.iea.org
More Energy Overviews International Energy Agency news,
Date: 2011-05-17
GHG emissions from buildings could be cut by 25% by 2050 using energy-saving technologies that are already proven and affordable, according to the International Energy Agency. "Technologies such as solar thermal, heat pumps, thermal energy storage, and CHP for buildings have the potential to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 2 gigatonnes by 2050 and save 710 million tonnes oil equivalent of energy," the IEA said in a report.
There are, however, widespread market barriers to the deployment of heating and cooling equipment that is energy-efficient and emits less CO2. Governments need to offer the right incentives to people making the decision to buy heating and cooling equipment so they consider the environmental perspective, the report contends.
(Source: IEA, May, 16, 2011)
Contact: Bo Diczfalusy, Director of Sustainable Energy Policy and Technology, IEA, http://www.iea.org
More Energy Overviews International Energy Agency news,