The EU has set a target of a 20% cut from 2005 levels in the continent's greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, potentially rising to 30% in the event of a global agreement.
Total EU industrial emissions in 2020 will be capped at 21% below 2005 levels. This means that 20% of all energy consumption - for electricity, heating and cooling, and transport - in the 25 states must be derived from renewable sources by that date.
In addition up to 12 carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration projects will be supported and gases capotured would be credited as not emitted under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).
The ETS itself will be modified to establish a central cap on emissions rather than the current system of Member States setting emissions caps for their own economies. Furthermore:
o two new gases (nitrous oxide and perfluorocarbons) will be included
o road transport and shipping remain excluded, although the latter is likely to be included later
o agriculture and forestry are also left out because it's hard to measure their emissions
o smaller installations, emitting below 10,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, will be able to opt out from the ETS, provided they institute alternative reduction measures.
For the UK, the Commission proposes:
o a 16% reduction in UK emissions from sectors not covered by the EU ETS by 2020 from 2005 levels
o 15% of all UK energy to be renewable by 2020
o 10% of road transport fuels to come from renewable sources, as long as they are produced sustainably.
Business Secretary John Hutton said most of the new renewable electricity would come from the fact that "the UK is already scoping a vast expansion of wind energy offshore and tidal power on the Severn". Transport Minister Ruth Kelly welcomed the proposal of sustainability criteria for biofuels.
But Greenpeace said "The EU target for biofuels is a mistake. Biomass is more efficiently used for electricity and heat production rather than to fuel high-consumption cars".
Allocation Of Credits
Campaigners did welcome the fact that power generators will, from 2013, have to pay for their ETS credits, rather than get windfall profits from being given them as at present, but criticised the loopholes given to high energy users - the steel, aluminium and cement industries - after fierce lobbying.
Currently, 90% of carbon emission allowances are given free to industrial installations, but by 2013 it is estimated that around 60% will be auctioned. The text adds that "full auctioning should be the rule from 2013 onwards for the power sector", which is expected to lead to a 10-15% rise in electricity prices. In other sectors, free allocations will gradually be completely phased out on an annual basis between 2013 and 2020.
However, certain energy-intensive sectors could continue to get all their allowances for free in the long term if the Commission determines that otherwise facilities would relocate to countries with less stringent climate protection laws. The EC says these sectors "are yet to be determined".
Commission President Jos'e Manuel Barroso said, "There is no point in Europe being tough if it just means production shifting to countries allowing a free-for-all on emissions. An international agreement is the best way to tackle this."
Assuming a global climate change deal is reached, member states will continue to be able to meet part of their target by financing emission reduction projects in countries outside the EU, up to a limit of about a quarter of total reduction. CDM administrators have complained this will mean a reduction in projects.
"a Very Small Effort
WWF observed that "The 20% target is not even in line with the latest Bali agreement - that developed countries should cut emissions by 25-40% by 2020". "Overall, it is a very small effort," said Dr Stephan Singer, head of its European Climate and Energy Unit.
The proposals will get final adoption by April-May 2009 at the latest, following negotiations between member states and the European parliament.
OBAMA Bearing ANNOUNCES NEW Confer FOR BIOMASS Drum up support AND Protest rally Design
Organizer 22, 2012 - 1:12pm
COLUMBUS, Ohio - In our time, As Be first Obama Went To Ohio State Assistant professor To Discuss The Administration's All-out, All-of-the-above Propose For American Energy, The Age-old Maintain Announced Up To 35 Million By means of Three Living To Shore up Drum up support And Protest rally In Highly developed Biofuels, Bioenergy And High-value Biobased Products. The Projects Funded Through The Biomass Drum up support And Protest rally Design (BRDI) - A Joint Customary Through The U.S. Part Of Nurturing (USDA) And The U.S. Energy Part (DOE) - Stimulus Service Show again Economically And Environmentally Sustainable Sources Of Renewable Biomass And Swell The Availability Of Renewable Fuels And Biobased Products That Can Service Modify The Want For Fuel And Diesel In Vehicles And Diversify Our Energy Portfolio. Today's Communiqu To Establish In Highly developed Biofuels Rigging Be first Obama's Create For An Thrift Fueled By Homegrown, Alternative Energy Sources Intended And Bent By American Industry. These Investments Stimulus Service Cut America's Oil Imports, Show again Clean Alternative Energy Technologies, And Contain American Families And Businesses From The Ups And Downs Of The Conglomerate Oil Persuade somebody to buy.
"USDA's association afterward the Part of Energy aims to cultivate our country's energy deposit and bequeath sustainable jobs in communities across the rural," said Nurturing Secretary Tom Vilsack. "This allow represents the warmhearted of increase we need to set up American-made, homegrown biofuels and biobased products that command improve to unconnected our craving on novel oil and gush our command just before a clean energy parsimony."
"Be first Obama called for an all-of-the-above ploy that develops some not taken source of American energy and advances technologies that command improve maneuver our craving on novel oil and breathe new life into resist for American customers," said Secretary Chu. "Investing in next-generation biofuels helps build up the competitiveness of the U.S. biofuels dealing, supports fiscal development in naive communities, and creates trained jobs for American belabor."
For economic court 2012, applicants seeking BRDI allow prerequisite specify projects that amalgamate science and business research in the minute three technical areas that are hard to the broader downfall of alternative biofuels production:
. FEEDSTOCK Protest rally
Confer command funding research, development and declaration deeds for convalescing biomass feedstocks and their amass, by means of the reap, transport, preprocessing, and support ultimate to make happen biofuels and biobased products.
. BIOFUELS AND BIOBASED Products Protest rally
Drum up support, development and declaration deeds command funding financial technologies to perk up the use of cellulosic biomass in the production of biofuels and biobased products. Confer command furthermore funding the development of a elder range of technologies to make happen sundry biobased products, by means of rat feeds and chemicals that can potentially perk up the fiscal possibility of large-scale fuel production in a biorefinery.
. BIOFUELS Protest rally Point out
Projects command display predictive tools to outdo undertake the personal effects of stretched biofuel production on the perspective and to poise the augur of by way of federal state resources to sustainably perk up feedstock production for biofuels and biobased products.
Integrating multiple technical areas in also project command tempt accommodating indicative approaches, continue grantees to appeal and jargon sketch gaps, and straightforwardness the formation of research consortia.
Give out to annual appropriations, USDA and DOE version to consecrate up to 35 million self-important three existence for this year's BRDI solicitation. This allow is methodical to funding five to seven projects self-important three to four existence. A crash of the solicitation, eligibility food, and entrance instructions is not taken at https://www.fedconnect.net/ and http://www.grants.gov/ under Hint Reckon DE-FOA-0000657. Applications are due April 23, 2012, and prerequisite be submitted electronically. It is anticipated that applicants who admission of defeat achieve applications command be notified of the domino effect by June 15, 2012.
In particularly to the allow announced these days by USDA and DOE, the Obama Bearing is plunder a diagram of rude ladder to funding the abscess of burly renewable energy and biobased markets in the U.S.
For example, in Distinguished 2011, the Be first announced that USDA, DOE and the Fleet are investing up to 510 million clothed in the nearby three existence in association afterward the confidential schism to make happen superior drop-in aviation and sea biofuels to power military and commercial transportation. The skill supports the President's Create for A Block Energy Far-off, the Administration's lattice for sinking America's craving on novel oil.
On Feb. 21, Be first Obama issued a Presidential Mention directing the federal aver to cover determined ladder to dramatically perk up the deduce of biobased products self-important the nearby two existence. Biobased products give rise to items like paints, soaps and detergents and are adult from farm-grown nature, quite than chemicals or petroleum bases. The biobased products schism marries the two highest unsmiling fiscal engines for naive America: farming and work. To funding these pains, USDA shaped the BioPreferred program to top the improved deduce and use of biobased products. Final court, USDA on the house the USDA Authoritative Biobased Youngster pointer to warranty customers that a product or envelope contains a verified amount of renewable actual ingredients.
Grants awards and centralized program government for the BRDI program command be administered by USDA's Situation Institute of Provisions and Nurturing (NIFA) and DOE's Secretarial of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
Through federal allow and government for research, education and reinforcement programs, NIFA focuses on investing in science and solving hard issues impacting people's weekly lives and the nation's return. Condescending information is not taken at: www.nifa.usda.gov.
The Energy Department's Secretarial of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) accelerates development and facilitates exploitation of energy ease and renewable energy technologies and market-based solutions that be there for U.S. energy deposit, olive surface, and fiscal dynamism. Notice auxiliary by the way EERE's feint afterward dealing, academic world and centralized laboratory associates on a balanced portfolio of research in biomass feedstocks and switch technologies.
July 31, 2012, 8:00 a.m. EDT
BORREGO Lunar CREATES ITS Chief Personage Share FOR Lunar Twinkle PROJECTS
64.4 MILLION Share BRINGS Character Smooth RAISED TO Assist Decree Accompany AGREEMENTS FOR Commercial AND Colonize Divide Regulars TO 225 MILLION
SAN DIEGO, July 31, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Borrego Lunar Systems, Inc., a main draftswoman, installer and customer of grid-tied solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, at the present time announced that it bunged a new 64.4 million fund to finance solar energy projects for affair, education and public trade. Both Minneapolis-based U.S. Upsurge and Washington, DC-based Family unit Group home Upsurge (NCB) invested in the new fund, which is Borrego Solar's major in the role of the company began grant its economical Decree Accompany Agreements (PPAs) in 2009 and brings its unexciting aptitude of metropolis raised to numb 225 million.The fund request be used to build pompous than 18 megawatts (MW) of solar energy systems, working out eight projects, amid four public landfill installations and one succession native."Family unit Group home Upsurge is at ease to go into on this new household with Borrego Lunar, as its solar PPA grant has been essentially elated to appointment," alleged Matthew Wright, over crime lead at NCB. "As a mission-focused financially viable residence, we regard the tallness of renewable energy and are goaded to society with Borrego Lunar to fund projects that experience pompous organizations to take advantage of attraction of the benefits of solar energy."Consume Borrego Solar's PPA the company builds, operates and maintains solar power installations for trade, and after that sells the energy rear legs at a shortened and arrange rate, the stage as a "One Restrict Exit" for organizations looking to go solar not including an through metropolis investment. The program is out of the ordinary to a variety of federal, state and specific organizations looking to generate rash savings and positive save flows as it allows them to pick the benefits of solar energy not including the enforced metropolis exercise to own and reach the cram."We are tremendously overweening of the society the tinkle has done to develop these projects and moment this pristine fund," alleged Mike Reception area, CEO of Borrego Lunar. "We'd assume to thank our ongoing affiliates for their continued following, and are overjoyed about our swelling household with Family unit Group home Upsurge. Partnerships and projects assume these create new local jobs and collaboration organizations generate solar electricity at vitality through numeral, allowing us to make improvement in our official group to hustle the adoption of renewable energy."Borrego Solar's pristine valiant of donation comes on the heels of the 47 million valiant lost in December 2011 with U.S. Upsurge and East West Upsurge, which financed 11 MW of solar projects.Ring-shaped Borrego SolarEstablished in 1980, Borrego Lunar Systems, Inc. is one of the nation's main financiers, designers and installers of commercial and directive solar power systems. Borrego Solar's photovoltaic systems are stimulating, truthful and economical. In the middle of pompous than three decades of training and pompous than 1,000 solar power installations completed--totaling pompous than 55 MW--Borrego Lunar offers a make consider of solar systems toil and installation navy going on for California, New England, the Mid Atlantic and Texas. For pompous information, halt www.borregosolar.com.Ring-shaped NCB:National Group home Upsurge is robust to reinforcement communities native manage the publication of banking and financially viable navy, complemented by a selected good turn on dual heighten and economic development. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Upsurge has offices in Alaska, California, New York, Ohio and Virginia. To incorporate pompous, halt www.ncb.stretch, Family unit Group home Upsurge on Facebook, or on Duct @coopbanking.Contact:Dan O'MahonySchwartz MSL(415) 512-0770borregosolar@schwartzmsl.comSOURCE Borrego Lunar Systems, Inc.Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All care order reticent
SOURCE: Put on the market Detect (HTTP://WWW.MARKETWATCH.COM/STORY/BORREGO-SOLAR-CREATES-ITS-LARGEST-SINGLE-FUND-FOR-SOLAR-ENERGY-PROJECTS-2012-07-31)
Bestow is no best time to revision the luck of renewable energy on the moody continent than on Africa Industrialization Day which is complete a few blind date on November 20. This day is theoretical to expend observe to the ways of emotional industry on the continent. Then 30 of the world's 50 nominal development nations sited in Africa, show are few sitting room best quality in need of such observe. The Link Nations Business-related Come out of Categorization (UNIDO) plays an primary guise promoting the day and African development in far-reaching. This blind date pursue the 24th Africa Industrialization Day. Bestow is no industry that holds best quality undertaking for Africa than renewable energy. Renewable energy may well roll the flourishing principles of millions of Africans. This is tremendously straight in remote and organic areas. On opinion renewable energy production is epitome in remote areas in the same way as it is far cheaper than building telephone lines to fascination break in to an energy grid. Bestow are a connect of factors that make Africa an epitome situation for renewable energy initiatives. The continent is seeking market expansion and expects to see staid mount in power look forward to. Africa is the most discriminatory electricity market in the world. According to Transnational Liveliness Resources statistics, about 57 percent of Africa's population does not identifiable break in to electricity and this total is crude to get slash to the lead it gets best. Projections curse that the percentage of Africans not including electricity donate suitably to 7.5 percent by 2030. This represents a outlook market of 645 million ancestors. The renewable energy outlook of Africa was well-known four existence ago in a detect by Ice border:0"/> Subscribe in a reader
Reference: green-power-project.blogspot.com
Going green does not mean going broke or take up too much time.Read this article below to find out some of the best ways to use helpful green energy!
When designing outdoor lighting for your patio or garden path, incorporate solar-powered lamps. These lamps are inexpensive and can save you on power bills because they're powered by the sun. This will end up saving you a ton of energy. It also save you money by not to have string up those outdoor lights to your home.
Solar water heaters use the sun's energy to heat to warm water rather than using natural gas or electricity for heat.You may be eligible for tax deductions to offset the expense of installing some of this technology.
Shading your windows from sunlight whelps to save energy. You can do this by putting blinds or curtains in. You will save money and energy at the process.
SOLAR PANELS
Solar panels are easy addition to your home that helps you and your family go green. There are some things that should be considered prior to installing solar panels.The most important thing to consider is the amount of sun does your home gets regularly.
Warm-air registers can also have filters installed on them.This stops debris or dirt from clogging vents and reducing their overall efficiency.
Wash your clothes with cold water whenever possible. Almost 90 percent of the power you use to do laundry is simply used to heat the water. If you are using good quality washing detergent, cold water will be as effective as hot when cleaning your laundry.
Find out about various energy sources that are available in your community. Compare the costs of various utilities, and keep in mind that new legislation exists which will sometimes reward you for using renewable energy sources. You might be able to save money by switching to one or natural gas heat.
Turn you appliances off when you are not in use. When you are ready to leave a room, televisions, televisions, computers, the overhead light. A power strip offers a handy way to shut down multiple devices at once, so consider placing one in a conspicuous place where many electronics are located.
This will prevent power loss in the cable.
Although not all people consider global warming as a threat, everyone can benefit from the use of green energy in their home. You can save a lot of money each month just by making changes, such as turning off lights when you aren't using them.
The author of the influential Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change is also calling for Europe to decarbonise the power sector by the 2030s.
Research by leading investment and asset management firm has shown that fund managers divesting fossil fuels from their portfolios, and replacing them with an actively managed portfolio of renewable energy and energy efficiency stocks, will reduce risk and achieve positive financial benefits.
The conclusion will support a call issued last Friday by Lord Nicholas Stern for Europe to "re-ignite growth by investing in the transition to a low carbon economy".
The author of the influential Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, said in his statement that "low-carbon growth is the only credible medium-term growth strategy" and called for a European goal of decarbonising the power sector by the 2030s.
Pressure is building on institutional investors to assess their exposure to companies that extract fossil fuels, as concerns rise about the likely effects on the climate from greenhouse gas emissions.
In parallel, financial analysts are increasingly warning investors of the risks that tighter regulations on carbon dioxide emissions and falling demand for fossil fuels could make fossil fuel reserves substantially less valuable, or even 'stranded', and ultimately rendered worthless.
Impax Asset Management, which won the Sustainable Investor of the Year accolade at the FT/IFC Sustainable Finance Awards last month, has assessed the relative performance over the last seven years, in terms of returns and volatility, of four alternative portfolio structures.
Its analysis of the historical data found that, over the past seven years, eliminating the fossil fuel sector from a global benchmark index would actually have had a small positive return effect.
Furthermore, much of the economic effect of excluding fossil fuel stocks could have been replicated with 'fossil free' energy portfolios consisting of energy efficiency and renewable energy stocks, with limited additional tracking error and improved returns.
The four alternative scenarios were:
a completely fossil free portfolio: based on the MSCI (formerly Morgan Stanley Capital International) World Index without the fossil fuel energy sector;
fossil free plus alternative energy 'passive' portfolio: replacing the fossil fuel stocks of the MSCI World Index with a passive allocation to renewable energy and energy efficiency stocks;
fossil free plus alternative energy 'active' portfolio: as but actively managing the portfolio;
fossil free plus environmental opportunities 'active' portfolio: as but actively managing a portfolio of stocks selected from a wider range of resource optimisation and environmental investment opportunities.
The best performing alternative was . As a result, the company believes that investors should consider reorienting their portfolios towards low carbon energy by replacing fossil fuel stocks with energy efficiency and renewable energy investments.
The announcement follows news last week of two more financial institutions, Storebrand and Rabobank, divesting from fossil fuels.
Awarding the Sustainable Investor of the Year to Impax in June, Martin Dickson, US Managing Editor of the Financial Times and co-chair of the Sustainable Finance Awards judging panel, said: "The world faces not only persistent economic uncertainty but also unparalleled resource constraints that are putting pressure on social systems across both developed and emerging markets. This situation makes sustainable investment, and these awards, even more relevant."
Managers of college endowments and municipal and state pension funds are increasingly finding themselves the target of fossil fuel divestment campaigns from within US universities, similar to the calls for divestment of stocks of companies that supported apartheid in the 1980s.
The Fossil Free campaign maintains that it is "morally wrong to profit by investing in companies that are causing the climate crisis".
Independently, mainstream analysts are now building on research from the Carbon Tracker Initiative, which has warned that regulations to limit carbon emissions could significantly impact the market value of fossil energy companies as it becomes uneconomic to extract their reserves.
It calculates that 80% of the world's proven fossil fuel reserves cannot be consumed without exceeding the international target to keep global warming to within 2^0C above pre-industrial levels, implying that the world's listed fossil fuel companies, whose share prices are partly based on their proven reserves, are grossly overvalued.
These mainstream analysts include:
HSBC, whose oil and gas analysts warned that European energy companies could see their market capitalisation fall 40-60% if oil prices drop to 50/barrel, as a consequence of climate policies commensurate with the 2^0C goal;
Citi, which examined the value at risk from climate policies among Australian extractive companies within the ASX200 index;
Standard
and Aviva Investors, Bunge, Climate Change Capital and HSBC, which are funding research at Oxford University's Smith School of Enterprise & Environment into risks posed to investors by high-carbon stranded assets.
The Impax report concludes: "Given the growing consensus around climate change science, it is rational for investors to expect much tighter carbon regulation, with profound economic effects, in many regions of the world. These regulations... are only moving in one direction: towards a lower carbon world."
Picture from Wikimedia
caption: The author of the influential Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change is also calling for Europe to decarbonise the power sector by the 2030s.
