DeBeurs.nl

voda 28 april 2017 16:00

0

India’s plans to build 370 coal plants to screw up the Paris Climate Agreement

Motherboard reported that India is caught between a push for renewable energy and unsustainable development. Depending on what data you're looking at, India is either leading the way in embracing renewable energy, or putting the planet at risk with its fossil fuel dependence. Given the country's current blueprint for coal, the latter seems more likely.

Researchers at the University of California Irvine and CoalSwarm, a research platform that tracks coal, looked at India's plans to construct 370 coal-fired power plants in coming years. Their study, in the journal Earth's Future, determined that these projects would not only increase India's fossil fuel output by 123 percent, but also threaten its place in the Paris Climate Agreement, a global treaty to reduce carbon emissions. (These plants were in the works before the Paris Agreement was signed.)

India, which consistently ranks in the top-ten most polluted countries in the world, had pledged to reduce carbon emissions by 35 percent by 2030. But unless it decides not to build the coal plants currently in the works, or does not plan to use them to full capacity, that will be impossible.

The study's lead author, Christine Shearer, a senior researcher with CoalSwarm, in a statement said that "In looking closely at all of India's active coal plant proposals, we found they are already incompatible with the country's international climate commitments and are simply unneeded."

India is in a difficult position when it comes to energy. As the second-most populated country in the world, and one of the fastest-growing economies, it has struggled to develop without overusing fossil fuels. Some of the $50 billion invested in the coal plants is geared toward ending "energy poverty": an estimated 240 million people, or 20 percent of the population, remain without access to electricity, according to the World Coal Association.

But India has also made huge strides in solar and wind power. Solar energy could soon be even cheaper than coal, and the government-run Solar Energy Corporation of India has been instrumental in lowering tariffs on solar power. Even the private sector is now on board, as Indian news website Scroll reported, since India has made renewable energy more accessible and cost-effective than many of its counterparts in Asia.

However, if India goes through with its coal plans, it will unleash unprecedented carbon emissions from the country, and no amount of clean energy will be able to counteract the impact.

Source : Motherboard

Bijlage:

voda 5 mei 2017 16:50

0

AP farmers oppose power lines in fields - Report

The Hans India reported that representatives of the villagers of Nandigama, Veerulapadu and nearby areas are opposing the laying of power lines in their lands without the consent of the land owners and asked Collector B Lakshmikantham to help the farmers to get compensation if the lines were laid.

The representatives alleged that the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited failed to pay compensation to the local farmers for using their lands for the construction of Vemagiri-Chilakaluripeta 765KV / DC Transmission lines which passed through the villages.

Representatives of the farmers Ch Venugopal Rao and M Mahendranadh submitted a representation to the District Collector on Tuesday.

In the representation, they said the Power Grid should obtain the consent of the land for the construction of towers for carrying out Power Grid works, but it has not been happening in the villages.

They said that if the land owner refused to give his consent, the licensee should approach the District Collector and get written permission.

They added that under the rule, the District Collector while fixing the compensation or rent or both, should fix it after considering the representation of the land owner.

Thereafter, the licensee will pay compensation to the land owner and obtain a written permission/authorisation from the District Collector and then continue the activity. If the owner refuses to allow him or obstructs the licensee from the construction, it will become a cognisable offence, said Venugopala Rao and Mahendranath.

Source : The Hans India

voda 9 mei 2017 16:20

0

Halvering winst energieconcern E.ON

Gepubliceerd op 9 mei 2017 om 09:46 | Views: 716

E.ON SE 08 mei
7,13 +0,06 (+0,82%)

ESSEN (AFN/BLOOMBERG) - De nettowinst van het Duitse energieconcern E.ON is in het eerste kwartaal van dit jaar bijna gehalveerd ten opzichte van vorig jaar. Het bedrijf had onder meer te kampen met hogere commissies voor stroomnetwerken en hield een kerncentrale langer offline dan oorspronkelijk was gepland.

De nettowinst daalde met 46 procent tot 628 miljoen euro. De omzet ging met 7 procent omlaag tot 10,5 miljard euro, mede door een lager verkoopvolume in Groot-Brittannië. De kerncentrale in Brokdorf in het noorden van Duitsland werd in februari stilgelegd voor werkzaamheden die echter langer in beslag nemen dan voorzien. Nu wordt verwacht dat de centrale in mei weer in gebruik wordt genomen.

E.ON hield wel vast aan zijn jaarverwachtingen. Daarbij wordt gerekend op een onderliggende nettowinst van 1,2 tot 1,45 miljard euro. In het eerste kwartaal bedroeg de onderliggende winst 525 miljoen euro.

voda 9 mei 2017 16:59

0

Greenpeace warns giant Bangladesh coal plant threatens the health of thousands

Environmental organisation Greenpeace said that a giant coal-fired power plant approved by Bangladesh could drastically worsen air pollution for millions and cause the early deaths of 6,000 people over its lifetime.

Bangladesh is constructing the 1,320-megawatt power plant on the edge of the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest, despite warnings the controversial project threatens the fragile ecosystem and human health.

The United Nations has already urged Bangladesh to halt construction, warning it poses an unacceptable risk to the UNESCO-protected mangroves that provide a barrier against deadly storm surges and cyclones.

Boats are seen at sunset in the Sunderbans in Khulna, some 350 kms southwest of Dhaka. The UN has warned that a coal power plant would "irreversibly damage" the pristine forest, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997

Boats are seen at sunset in the Sunderbans in Khulna, some 350 kms southwest of Dhaka. The UN has warned that a coal power plant would 'irreversibly damage' the pristine forest, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997

But in a new report Greenpeace warned emissions from the plant represented one of the single largest threats to air quality for millions living across Bangladesh and as far as neighbouring India.

'Over its operational lifetime, the plant´s emissions will increase the risk of stroke, lung cancer, heart and respiratory diseases in adults, as well as respiratory symptoms in children,' stated the report released Friday.

'People in Dhaka and Calcutta (India), particularly children and the elderly, would also be harmed. Even if Bangladesh currently had zero air pollution, the plant alone would cause the premature deaths of 6,000 people, and low birth weights of 24,000 babies.'

The plant at Rampal in Bangladesh's south-west could also deposit enough mercury to render fish unsafe to eat for millions living across the Bay of Bengal, and devastate the aquatic food chain of the Sundarbans.

The plant -- a joint project by India and Bangladesh -- would be powered by nearly five million tons of coal shipped every year along the mangroves' fragile waterways, a natural habitat for endangered Bengal tigers and rare Irrawaddy dolphins.

Greenpeace said that scheduled to open in 2018, the plant is projected to discharge nearly 125,000 cubic metres of chemically-tainted water every day into nearby water catchments.

Source : Daily Mail

Bijlage:

voda 9 mei 2017 17:02

0

EU countries have brought in USD 1billion of coal subsidies since Paris - Analysts

EU countries are using the low carbon transition to justify new subsidies to the coal industry, instead of investing in clean alternatives, say analysts. According to a report by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), six member states have introduced support totaling €875 million a year ($960m) since 2015. That is in spite of signing up to the Paris climate deal, which signalled a shift away from fossil fuels.

The bulk of this is schemes to keep old coal plants online, ostensibly needed as back-up generation for times when variable wind and solar power cannot meet demand. Germany and Poland are among countries planning further such “capacity mechanisms”.

This is a “false justification”, report co-author Shelagh Whitley told Climate Home, based on flawed demand predictions and a bias towards fossil energy supplies over measures to flex usage.

She said that “What we need is really investment in the technologies that will support these [clean energy] systems over the longer term. If we are moving to a 100% renewables, we need storage, we need demand side response measures. They [capacity mechanisms] are favouring incumbents, where there is very little evidence that they provide the best solution to the problem.”

For example, the UK system operator paid conventional generators that might have otherwise closed £180 million ($233m) over three years to stay on standby. This reserve was never called on, the Times reported.

That scheme is being replaced by another, which critics say delays coal plant decommissioning and discriminates against clean options for managing the grid.

Whitley said that the UK government does not count this as a fossil fuel subsidy, earning it a “very poor” rating for transparency from the ODI. “It is very well recognised that capacity mechanisms are a subsidy.”

In total, the ODI report identified 65 subsidies worth €6.3 billion a year ($6.9bn) to coal mining and power activities across 10 EU countries. That is likely to be an underestimate, as some data is not available.

While there are signs of mining subsidies – the major part – getting phased out, schemes that throw aging coal plants a lifeline are coming into fashion.

Germany is set to pay for 2.7GW of coal capacity to stay on the system until 2021. Poland is gearing up to spend more than €20 billion ($22bn) on a capacity market, with some coal-fired plants expected to bid for payments.

The European Commission has warned that backdoor subsidies to coal may constitute illegal state aid – although the competition directorate has already cleared some such schemes.

Under its guidance, new plants benefiting from capacity mechanisms should emit no more than 550 grams of carbon dioxide per kilowatt hour. That would rule out coal plants unless fitted with carbon capture and storage technology. Whitley argued this limit should be extended to existing plants looking to participate.

Source : Climate Change News

Bijlage:

voda 12 mei 2017 15:55

0

Rural electrification programme on track - Government

The government said that with over 13,000 of the total 18,452 villages electrified, the rural electrification programme is on track for completion within the targeted time-frame. Officials told Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi during a review meeting of key infrastructure sectors, over 22 lakh rural BPL (Below Poverty Line) households were electrified in 2016-17, and over 40 crore LED bulbs were distributed in the same period.

They said that the total inter-regional transmission capacity has been significantly enhanced with 41 gigawatts transmission capacity being added from May 2014 to April 2017.

A government statement said that the Prime Minister emphasised on prioritising manufacturing of solar equipment even as he was told that the total renewable generation capacity has crossed 57 gigawatts, with an increase of 24.5 per cent being registered in the last fiscal year.

The statement said that "Solar and wind tariffs have now achieved grid parity with rates well below 4 rupees per kilowatt-hour."

Mr Modi also called for establishment of some model solar cities, where the power requirement is fulfilled solely by solar energy.

He said that a similar effort can be made to make certain localities kerosene-free.

During the meeting to review progress in petroleum and natural gas, power, renewable energy and housing sectors, the Prime Minister was also informed that over 32 lakh houses have been completed in rural areas in the last fiscal.

Source : IANS

voda 12 mei 2017 15:56

0

Gujarat Govt writes to centre over electricity crisis as Adani says Mundra project becoming unviable

The Gujarat government written to the Centre saying the state faces an electricity crisis as Adani Power has told the state that running its imported coal-based power project at Mundra is increasingly becoming unviable.

Last month, Supreme Court denied compensation to Adani Power’s Mundra power plant for the rise in the price of coal that it imported from Indonesia. Two officials, including one from the finance ministry, confirmed that Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani has written a letter saying that if the issue is not resolved at the earliest, it may lead to an electricity crisis in the state.

One of the officials said that “The letter has informed us that Adani Power has told the state government that it is increasing becoming difficult to operate the Mundra plant. We need to consider what kind of help we may offer. We may give them guidance, if they need.”

Mr Piyush Goyal, Power, Coal, Renewable Energy and Mines Minister said it was matter for the state and the regulators to look at.

The finance ministry official said that if required, an inter-ministerial discussion with representation from officials in power and coal ministries will be held to resolve the issue. Adani Power in 2006 signed a pact with the Gujarat state power distribution utility for supply of 1,000 MW electricity at Rs. 2.35 per unit.

The company, along with Tata Power, claimed compensation from the distribution utilities for costlier imported coal post a change in law in Indonesia.

On April 11, the Supreme Court ruled that increase in coal prices due to change in overseas laws cannot be considered as change in law under the PPA. According to Nomura, Adani Power may have to write off 80% of `4,400-crore compensatory tariff upto December 2016, which it recognised as part of revenues. “If they (Adani) are not able to sustain this, the lenders can look at invoking management change,” said one of the official quoted above.

A senior bank executive, however, said that banks alone cannot save the project unless some policy action is taken. Adani Power and Tata Power had approached power regulator Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) for compensation after Indonesia banned coal supply at less than international prices in September 2010. CERC had ruled that such change cannot be classified as change in law or force majeure under the PPAs but allowed compensatory tariff under exercise of regulatory power.

Source : ET

voda 15 mei 2017 16:25

0

Hogere nettowinst RWE

Outlook 2017 gehandhaafd.

(ABM FN-Dow Jones) RWE heeft in het eerste kwartaal van 2017 weer winst geboekt, na een miljardenverlies in 2016. Dit maakte de Duitse energieleverancier maandag voorbeurs bekend.

Het bedrijf zag de financiële en niet-operationele resultaten verbeteren, waardoor er onder de streep een nettowinst resteerde van 946 miljoen euro. In dezelfde periode een jaar eerder boekte RWE nog een winst van 860 miljoen euro. In 2016 kampte de Duitse energieleverancier nog met een miljardenverlies vanwege afschrijvingen. Volgens RWE droegen alle segmenten bij aan de kwartaalwinst.

Het aangepaste resultaat voor rente en belastingen (EBIT) kwam uit op 1,6 miljard euro en de aangepaste nettowinst bedroeg 689 miljoen euro, hetgeen minder was dan de 838 miljoen euro uit de eerste drie maanden van 2016.

De nettoschuld van RWE steeg in het afgelopen kwartaal wel met 1,0 miljard euro tot 23,7 miljard euro ten opzichte van ultimo 2016. De vrije kasstroom bleef negatief, mede vanwege seizoensgebonden effecten.

Outlook

RWE handhaafde de outlook voor 2017. Het concern verwacht, gezien de gezonde reguliere operationele financiële ontwikkeling, waaronder schuldvermindering, vanaf 2017 weer een dividend van 0,50 euro per aandeel aan preferente en gewone aandeelhouders te zullen betalen. Het concern streeft ernaar dit dividendniveau in de jaren erna te handhaven.

RWE mikt voor het lopende boekjaar bovendien op een operationeel resultaat (EBITDA) tussen de 5,4 miljard en 5,7 miljard euro. Over 2016 stond dit resultaat op 5,4 miljard euro. De aangepaste nettowinst komt in de verwachting van het bedrijf uit Essen uit tussen de 1,0 miljard en 1,3 miljard euro tegen 0,8 miljard euro over 2016.

Het aandeel RWE sloot vrijdag vlak op 15,60 euro.

Door: ABM Financial News.

info@abmfn.nl

Redactie: +31(0)20 26 28 999

Copyright ABM Financial News. All rights reserved

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

voda 18 mei 2017 23:09

0

Coal to be India's energy mainstay for next 30 years – NITI Aayog

According to a government report, coal will remain India's main energy source for the next three decades although its share will gradually fall as the country pushes renewable power generation. The country is the world's third-largest coal producer and the third-biggest greenhouse gas emitter. It depends on coal for about three-fifths of its energy needs and aims to double its output to 1.5 billion tonnes by 2020. The report, which has yet to be made public, showed that by 2047, however, coal's share of India's energy mix would shrink to 42-48 percent, from about 58 percent in 2015.

The report said that "India would like to use its abundant coal reserves as it provides a cheap source of energy and ensures energy security as well."

It was written by Indian think tank NITI Aayog, which advises the government on policy issues and is chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the Institute for Energy Economics Japan (IEEJ).

India is also the world's second-largest coal importer and environmentalists worry that despite its commitment to renewable energy, the country's rising use of coal at a time when many Western nations are rejecting the dirty fossil fuel will hamper the global fight against climate change.

According to the report, India aims to cut thermal coal imports to zero by the end of this fiscal year and use its abundant domestic stockpiles to address its electricity needs. However, it will have to start importing again after its coal production peaks in 2037.

The report said that imports could rise to as much as 62 percent by 2047 from over 25 percent now if the country doesn't make its coal mining more efficient.

India aims to generate 175 gigawatts of electricity through renewables by 2022 and boost natural gas to 15 percent of its energy needs, from 6.5 percent currently, as it plans to use cleaner fuels for power plants and transport.

NITI Aayog estimates renewables will account for 10-17 percent of India's energy demand in 2047, up from about 4 percent now, while the share of natural gas could be limited to 8-10 percent.

Source : Reuters

voda 19 mei 2017 12:52

0

RWE en Engie bestuderen strategische alliantie - media

Een scenario is uitruil van belangen.

(ABM FN-Dow Jones) RWE en Engie bestuderen de opties voor een strategische alliantie, waaronder de uitruil van RWE's meerderheidsbelang in Innogy voor een minderheidsbelang in Engie. Dit meldde persbureau Reuters vrijdag op basis van bronnen.

Er vinden momenteel geen actieve gesprekken plaats tussen topbestuurders van de twee bedrijven, maar adviseurs en bankiers zouden wel praten over bepaalde scenario's. Een Franse overheidsbron bevestigde de gesprekken aan Reuters maar gaf geen details. Ook is het nog niet zeker dat de gesprekken zullen slagen, benadrukte de bron aan het persbureau.

Eén van de scenario's die wordt bestudeerd is dat RWE een belang van 76,79 procent in zijn beursgenoteerde tak Innogy ruilt voor een direct minderheidsbelang in Engie. Dit zou moeten gebeuren in de vorm van een uitruil van aandelen.

Een deal tussen het Duitse RWE en het Franse Engie kan een belangrijke alliantie zijn in de energiesector. Een fiat zou evenwel pas gegeven kunnen worden na de Duitse verkiezingen in september, zeiden bronnen tegen Reuters.

Een woordvoerster van Engie wilde geen commentaar geven op het bericht maar herhaalde de uitspraken van CEO Isabelle Kocher, die eerder dit jaar nog aangaf dat er geen plannen zijn voor een transformatiedeal. Innogy en RWE gaven ook geen reactie aan het persbureau.

Door: ABM Financial News.

info@abmfn.nl

Redactie: +31(0)20 26 28 999

Copyright ABM Financial News. All rights reserved

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

voda 24 mei 2017 15:51

0

More coal will lead to more poverty - Oxfam report

Think Progress reported that there’s an argument within the fossil fuel industry that access to fossil fuels like coal and oil are necessary for developing nations to help pull themselves out of poverty. A new report released by Oxfam, however, warns that extracting more coal won’t help energy-poor countries build their economies, but instead will worsen global warming and entrench vulnerable communities in poverty.

The report, titled “More Coal Equals More Poverty,” argues that the vast majority of energy-poor households in developing countries lack access to a traditional electricity grid, meaning traditional energy sources like coal would do little to help bring electricity to those currently living without it. Moreover, the report warns, extracting and burning fossil fuels like coal would release more greenhouse gas emissions into the air, worsening the impacts of climate change. And those impacts?—?increased heat waves, rising sea levels, and more variable growing seasons?—?will have an outsized impact on the world’s poor, many of which depend on subsistence farming for food and economic support.

To maintain a 50 percent chance of staying within 2°C of warming?—?the limit agreed upon in the Paris climate agreement?—?the report notes that 80 percent of the world’s coal reserves would need to remain untapped. That, in turn, means the world would have to quickly move away from coal power to low-carbon forms of energy, like wind and solar.

The report said that “Renewables are the clear answer to bringing electricity to those who currently live without it. The real cost of burning more coal will be measured in further entrenched poverty?—?through the escalating impacts of climate change and humanitarian disasters, increasing hunger and deaths and disease caused by pollution.”

The report was specifically aimed at the Australian government, which has been supportive of a proposed coal mine in Queensland, Australia; if built, it would be the largest coal mine in the country’s history. The federal resource minister has called the mine “great news,” and argued that it would help boost both regional and Australian economies.

The mine has run into some problems with funding, however, as at least 19 banks throughout the world have committed?—?either specifically or due to a company policy?—?to not finance the coal mine. On Monday, Adani?—?the Indian company behind the proposed mine?—?postponed a final decision on the $16.5 billion project “indefinitely,” citing uncertainty over the royalties offered by the Australian government. The government had previously been debating whether to offer an agreement that would have allowed the mine’s backers to pay just $2 million a year in royalties, which some economists argued could cost Queensland $1.2 billion in revenue.

The Oxfam report argues that Australia’s stance towards the coal mine is “fundamentally at odds with the global shift to renewable energy,” and ignores the opportunities for job and economic growth created by low-carbon technologies like wind and solar.

The report points to countries like India and China, which have pledged to greatly expand their renewable capacity in the coming years. China has promised to invest $360 billion by 2020 in renewable generation, and has seen its coal consumption steadily decline in recent years. In 2016, China also set a record for number of solar panels installed; it now expects to reach its goal for solar installations, originally set for 2020, two years early.

In India, where some 240 million people have no access to electricity, investors have been funneling money into renewable projects. Last year, India received a $20 billion dollar investment from Japan’s Softbank, and another $2 billion from the French energy company EDF, both aimed at expanding the country’s solar market. And in December, the U.S. government’s development finance institution, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) announced a partnership with the Indian government to help finance renewable energy throughout India?—?though its unclear how that partnership will fare under the Trump administration, which has shown itself to be unfriendly to renewable investment.

Source : Think Progress

voda 24 mei 2017 16:08

1

India's first green energy corridor project begins with UHVDC

Economic Times reported that India conducted the ground-breaking ceremony for its first green energy corridor project with an ultra high-voltage direct current (UHVDC) link over 1,800km with the aim to bring power to 80 million people. The project by state-run Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL) is being executed by ABB Group in partnership with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL).

A statement issued by the ABB said that “This link is a key element of integrating renewable energy with the main grid. It will integrate thermal and wind energy for transmission of power to high consumption centers located thousands of kilometers away, supporting electricity demands in the south and transmitting clean energy to the north, when there is excess wind power.”

The mega project is worth over Rs 4,350 crore. The Raigarh-Pugalur 800 kilovolt (kV) ultrahigh-voltage direct current (UHVDC) system aims to connect Raigarh in Central India to Pugalur in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.

The statement said that “The project is a great example of the Make in India initiative where design, engineering, manufacturing of major components and project execution is done locally.”

According to the statement, HVDC technology has assumed greater significance worldwide to transmit more power over longer distances.

Source : Economic Times

voda 24 mei 2017 16:11

1

Poland will rely on coal for next 15 years - PG Silesia

Mr Michal Herman, the head of the country's biggest private miner, said that WARSAW Poland will remain dependent on coal for the next 15 years due to a lack of alternative energy sources and as trade unions retain their grip on the industry.

Poland currently generates more than 80 percent of its electricity from burning coal produced by its state-owned mines - a level miner PG Silesia doesn't see changing any time soon.

Mr Michal Herman, the head of PG Silesia, said in an interview at the Reuters Central & Eastern Europe Investment Summit, said that "Focusing on coal is the only model in Poland. There is no other way, unless you want to close the economy."

Despite European Union requirements to cut carbon emissions, Poland has vowed to stick to coal, saying it is its only accessible source of energy and switching to others in a short time would be too costly.

Poland said that it needs new coal plants to avoid blackouts and to keep its economy on track, but EU proposals on energy market reform could make it even more difficult to build new plants.

Mr Herman also doubts Poland will move forward with plans to build a nuclear power plant in the next 20 years as the country lacks the technical expertise to achieve this goal.

He said that "I think there will be no nuclear power plant built in the next 15 years, I would even say not in the next 20 years. There is no expertise, no know-how, but there are discussions right now."

Local media quoted the energy minister as saying last week that Poland would have to spend around 200 billion zlotys ($54 billion) to reduce the share of coal in its energy mix to 50 percent by 2050.

Since winning parliamentary elections in October 2015, the pro-coal Law and Justice party (PiS) has restructured the troubled coal mining industry with the help of state-run listed utilities, which injected cash into the mines. It has also decided to shut down most loss-making mines.

He added that "Poland will defend coal, because of the mining traditions, the trade unions are strong, around 1 million voters are connected to coal."

Poland has always subsidized its coal mines, but in the past two years there were big changes to the industry with the two biggest coal mines merged and capitalized by state-run utilities.

However, that has created strong competition for smaller private miners like PG Silesia, which is owned by Czech utility EPH. They have breathed a sigh of relief that coal prices have rebounded in the past year and there has been an unexpected coal deficit in Poland.

Source : Reuters

voda 26 mei 2017 15:19

1

Jump in renewable energy jobs worldwide in 2016 - IREA

AFP quoted the Abu Dhabi-based International Renewable Energy Agency as saying that the renewable energy sector employed 9.8 million people worldwide in 2016, almost twice as many as in 2012. In its "Renewable Energy and Jobs - Annual Review 2017", IRENA says the sector employed five million people five years ago.

Mr Adnan Z. Amin, director general said that "Falling costs and enabling policies have steadily driven up investment and employment in renewable energy worldwide since IRENA's first annual assessment in 2012, when just over five million people were working in the sector."

Mr Amin said that "In the last four years, for instance, the number of jobs in the solar and wind sectors combined has more than doubled."

The review said that last year, the number of people employed in the sector, "excluding large hydropower, reached 8.3 million". If large hydropower projects are included, the total number of global renewable-energy jobs climbs to 9.8 million.

According to IRENA, the highest number of renewable energy jobs are in Brazil, China,Germany, India, Japan and the United States.

Source : AFP

voda 2 juni 2017 17:11

0

Mr Trump reported plan to ditch Paris climate deal is all about coal
Published on Fri, 02 Jun 2017

Reuters reported that the world's biggest planned coal mine is once again lurching toward the finish line as India's Adani Enterprises moves ahead with a final decision on its Carmichael project in Australia. Even if Adani does approve the AUD 4 billion thermal coal and rail project in central Queensland state, the venture is shaping up as a turning point for coal in Australia, with consequences for the industry across Asia.

The first implication of the Carmichael saga is that it shows that major coal projects in Australia need subsidies from governments to be viable, undermining the industry assertion that coal is the cheapest source of energy and has a major competitive advantage in Asia.

While various Australian governments have invested in infrastructure for mining in the past, the Carmichael mine had been touted as proof that profitable ventures could be done entirely by the private sectoYahoo Finance cited President Mr Trump as saying that he will be announcing his decision whether to stay in the Paris agreement on climate change “over the next few days,” but multiple media outlets have reported that senior officials at the White House have indicated a withdrawal is imminent. There’s always a chance that Mr Trump will change his mind, but if the president does spearhead a Paris exit, it will be because of one thing: coal.

A brief primer on the Paris agreement
The Paris agreement, signed by 195 members of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and ratified by 147, went into effect in November with the aim of tackling the global challenge of a warming Earth.

The three aims of the convention: mitigating greenhouse gas emissions to reduce global warming to a safer threshold of within 2 degrees of pre-industrial levels; adapting to “adverse impacts” from climate change; and providing financing commitments to accomplish these goals, even for developing countries.

Adding a focus towards adaptation-addressing the symptoms, not simply the cause-was a significant change over the previous agreement, the 1992 Kyoto Protocol, which was a commitment to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.

Paris’s commitment was groundbreaking in other major ways: it provided aframework to deal with climate change comprehensively; it required developing countries to contribute alongside developed countries; and it was built on consensus and volunteerism—it is not a treaty. This makes it possible for President Mr Trump to unilaterally exit the agreement, and for other countries to follow the US’s lead should they so choose.

It’s all about coal
Throughout his campaign, Trump made repeated promises to bring back coal-a strategy that won him West Virginia. When in office, Mr Trump erased key Obama regulations to protect waterways from coal-mining waste in an effort to help the industry. Though the rule was praised by public health advocates, Trump referred to it as a “terrible job killing rule.”r, with government support limited to ensuring a competitive regulatory framework.

Much of the recent controversy over the mine has centred on two issues, both of which go to the heart of just how cheap coal is as a fuel source.

First, Adani delayed making a final investment decision on the 25 million tonne a year mine, saying that it had yet to reach a deal on royalty payments with the Queensland state government.

While the details of the company's talks with the state government haven't been made public, the main issue appears to be Adani's desire to have either a royalty holiday for the initial period of operation, or extended payments.

For its part the Queensland government has been adamant that Adani will have to pay the royalties due, but at the same time sources within the Labor Party-ruled state have said the government is considering flexible arrangements for the Adani project.

The issue has effectively wedged the state government, as Premier Anastasia Palazsczuk has to balance her desire to create jobs against a public resentful of giving tax breaks to foreign corporations to extract natural resources that can't be replaced.

Second, Adani wants the federal government to agree to loan it about $1 billion to develop the rail infrastructure to the mine, which is located in the remote Galilee Basin, more than 200 kilometres (120 miles) from the port to be used for exporting the coal.

Once again, Australia's Liberal Party-led federal government is facing a choice similar to its Queensland state counterpart. If the federal government does advance the loans in the name of job creation, it will face questions from the media and environmentalists opposed to the mine as to how many jobs in other parts of the economy could be created with an investment of USD 1 billion.

Both the federal and state governments also have to deal with a well-funded environmental campaign against the Adani mine and a public that is increasingly sceptical about giving cash to foreign corporations.

This is especially the case in the wake of media reports about the lack of taxes being paid by the global oil firms that have invested some USD 200 billion in making Australia the world's biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas.

Adani said that it has reached an agreement with the Queensland government on royalties, without disclosing details, and it will consider a final investment decision on the Carmichael mine at its next board meeting, due within a month. If the Adani board does decide to go ahead with the mine, it's likely to be a difficult and fraught process, as environmentalists will use every legal avenue and possibly some illegal methods of protest to try and halt it.

While the activists are opposed to any and all coal mining, it could be argued that even if they lose the Carmichael battle they may end up winning the coal war, as any company considering building a new mine would be wary of the reputational damage that will invariably come with the project.

Source : Yahoo Finance

Bijlage:

voda 2 juni 2017 17:20

0

New England's last big coal-burning power plant switches off permanently - Report

AP reported that New England's largest and one of its last coal-fired power plants was shutting down permanently. The Brayton Point Power Station was scheduled to power down before a deadline, culminating a decades-long shift from coal, oil and nuclear energy to lower-cost natural gas. The plant has burned coal since 1963 along Mount Hope Bay in Somerset, near the Rhode Island border. It has generated controversy for almost as long, with residents, fishermen and environmentalists decrying the damage that its cooling canals - nicknamed "killing canals" by activists in the 1970s - caused to fisheries.

The coal plant's final hours came on the same day that President Mr Donald Trump's administration said he expects to withdraw the United States from a landmark global climate agreement. The Republican president has moved to delay or roll back federal regulations limiting greenhouse gas emissions while pledging to revive long-struggling US coal mines.

Environmental concerns led Brayton Point's operators to build giant twin cooling towers in the last decade that can be seen for miles. But in 2013, at the completion of the costly upgrade, a decision was made to close the plant.

Mr Robert Clark, president of Utility Workers Union of America Local 464, which represents workers at the plant, said that "You have guys that worked their whole life in these heavy industries and they're being kicked to the curb, all in this rush for natural gas."

The union protested the closure.

Houston-based plant owner Dynegy said that it bought the plant after the decision to close it. It has worked to help the plant's 170 workers find other jobs. A smaller crew is staying on for the decommissioning process though the end of July.

Three smaller New England coal plants still operate in New Hampshire and Bridgeport, Connecticut. But they seldom run, and the Bridgeport plant is expected to close by 2021 to make way for a gas-fired plant on the same site.

Mr David Onufer, Dynegy spokesman said Mr Trump's election didn't affect Brayton Point's outlook because the 2013 decision to shut it was irreversible. He also said that low electricity prices and the high cost to maintain aging facilities were the main reasons for the closure. The company has no plans to redevelop the property.

Ms Marcia Blomberg, a spokeswoman for ISO New England, the region's electric grid operator, said the market system selects the lowest cost resources needed to meet demand. And in recent years, that's been natural gas more frequently than coal.

Source : AP

Bijlage:

voda 5 juni 2017 16:39

0

US renewable energy expected to continue growth

AP reported that President Mr Donald Trump may abandon US pledges to reduce carbon emissions, but global economic realities ensure he is unlikely to reverse the accelerating push to adopt cleaner forms of energy. Around the world, coal-fired power plants are being shuttered as governments and private companies invest billions in wind turbines and solar farms. Even in regions of the US where coal is plentiful, electric utilities are increasingly shifting to cheaper, cleaner-burning natural gas.

In the absence of federal action to address climate change, some left-leaning states such as California and New York are moving ahead with ambitious clean-energy policies of their own.

Mr Trump said that he will announce his decision on whether to pull the United States out of the Paris climate accord during a Rose Garden event Thursday afternoon. The Paris accord was negotiated by President Barack Obama in 2015. A White House official told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Trump is expected to withdraw from the deal, though aides cautioned he had not yet made a final decision.

Reports of the impending move by the American president triggered statements of support for the climate accord from scores of world leaders. At a meeting of the G7 in Sicily last week, only Trump refused to reaffirm their nations' continuing support for the Paris deal, which was signed by nearly 200 countries.

Mr Glen Peters, a Norwegian scientist who tracks global carbon emissions, said that "A US withdrawal from Paris will be a disappointment to the climate community, but it may also embolden other countries to fill the void left by the US and take on a greater leadership role. The declines in US emissions in the last decade have largely happened without strong climate policies, and a withdrawal from the Paris Agreement may have minimal effect on US emissions but give a hit to international morale."

Mr Trump, a Republican who has claimed global warming is a hoax, has moved quickly since taking office to delay or block restrictions on burning of fossil fuels enacted by his predecessor that he claims are holding back economic growth. The president has pledged to reverse decades of decline in coal mining, which now accounts for fewer than 75,000 US jobs.

Almost every other industrialized economy in the world is moving in the opposite direction.

Source : AP

voda 5 juni 2017 16:40

0

Mr Trump's climate decision comes under fire from business leaders - Report

BBC reported that US coal producers welcomed President Mr Trump's decision on Thursday to pull the US out of the Paris climate deal. But the move drew criticism from other business executives, who said it would hurt US companies' ability to work abroad and inhibit innovation. Mr Trump cast his move as part of a bigger 'America first' agenda, aimed at restoring US jobs in struggling industries.

The Dow Jones closed up 0.6% following the widely expected announcement. Before Mr Trump confirmed he would go ahead with his campaign pledge to withdraw, a slew of major companies issued statements urging him to remain in the deal. After the announcement, they expressed disappointment.

Jeff Immelt, chief executive of GE, said that "Climate change is real. Industry must now lead and not depend on government."

Tesla boss Elon Musk confirmed he would quit his seat on White House advisory groups. He wrote on Twitter "Am departing presidential councils. Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world."

Several other major companies, including Morgan Stanley, Unilever, Intel and big tech firms, such as Apple, had opposed withdrawal, saying it would have spurred energy innovation in the US, among other benefits.

Energy companies including Exxon Mobil and Chevron, had also pressed the administration to remain in the pact.

'They went wild'
Under the deal, the US, which accounts for about 15% of global greenhouse gas emission, had committed to a 26% to 28% reduction from 2005 levels by 2025.

The US also promised USD 3bn in aid to a United Nations fund to help poorer countries to tackle climate change problems. In his announcement on Thursday, Mr Trump said the deal, which involved voluntary commitments, put the US at a disadvantage. He said he would be willing to renegotiate under different terms.

He said that "The rest of the world applauded when we signed the Paris Agreement -- they went wild; they were so happy -- for the simple reason that it put our country, the United States of America, which we all love, at a very, very big economic disadvantage. They don't put America first. I do, and I always will."

'Saving coal jobs'
For the US coal lobby, the decision by US President Donald Trump to withdraw from the global Paris agreement on climate change was a win.

Murray Energy, a coal mining company based in Ohio, applauded the move, describing it as an important part of the Trump administration's broader environmental agenda.

Chief executive Robert Murray said in a statement that "In following through on his promise, President Trump is supporting America's uncompromising values, saving coal jobs, and promoting low-cost, reliable electricity for Americans and the rest of the World."

Mr Paul Bailey, the president of the coal lobbying organisation American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, said the standards established under the previous Obama administration were too stringent. We support President Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement. Meeting President Obama's goal would have led to more regulations, higher energy prices, and dependence on less reliable energy sources."

Market reaction
Oil stocks such as ExxonMobil and Chevron climbed on Thursday, as did the overall market. The broad S&P 500 share index and the technology index, the Nasdaq, closed at new highs, having already been climbing throughout in the day. But investors had been expecting President Trump's announcement and reaction was mixed.

Peabody Energy, the US's largest publicly traded coal company, saw its shares slide 0.66% on Thursday. Peabody welcomed the decision to leave the Paris accord.

Source : BBC

voda 5 juni 2017 16:42

0

Chinese push to become world leader in renewable energy - Greenpeace

The New Economy reported that China’s push to become a world leader in renewable energy has taken a significant step forward, as the country’s National Energy Administration ordered the cessation of 104 individual coal-fired power plants. The move is the latest stage in the country’s five-year plan to transition to green energy. Earlier in the year, the NEA announced China’s commitment to invest USD 292bn in renewable energy technology by 2020.

Closing down the coal projects represents a significant boon for the Chinese Government; as late as November last year, it was reported that around $500bn could be wasted on unnecessary coal-fired power plants in China, mostly pushed ahead by local governments against the will of state authorities. This threatened to create a Catch-22 situation, in which the projects would potentially be even more wasteful and damaging to shut down than to complete, both in terms of environmental damage, and in terms of job losses and financial impact.

Greenpeace said in a statement that “Stopping under-construction projects seems wasteful and costly, but spending money and resources to finish these completely unneeded plants would be even more wasteful.”

The decision to scale back coal power in China could not have come too soon. In October last year, climate think tank Energy Transition Advisors predicted that if China were to complete all coal power projects then under construction, it would use up its entire International Energy Agency carbon budget by 2036. The carbon budget is an absolute maximum that countries can produce while still leaving a 50 percent chance of keeping global warming at or below two degrees Celsius.

Unfortunately, power plants do not account for all coal-fired industry in China. The country is home to many privately owned steel mills, which supply their own power by burning vast quantities of coal. As International Business Times reported last year, many of these steel plants are run illegally, and avoid closure by paying informal fines to local inspectors.

Source : The New Economy

voda 7 juni 2017 21:44

0

Tommeleins Warmteplan goedgekeurd: Vlaanderen wil jaarlijks 9.500 zonneboilers plaatsen

De Vlaamse regering heeft het Warmteplan van Vlaams minister van Energie Bart Tommelein goedgekeurd. De bedoeling is dat er tot 2020 jaarlijks gemiddeld 9.500 zonneboilers bijkomen en 6.400 warmtepompen.

Tegen 2020 wil Vlaanderen 9.197 gigawattuur groene warmte-energie produceren. ‘Daarbij is het cruciaal dat we voor de juiste energievorm kiezen op de juiste plaats, op het juiste moment en met een correcte ondersteuning’, aldus Tommelein. ‘Denk aan groene warmte uit biomassa op de juiste schaal, gekoppeld aan warmtenetten. Collectieve warmtenetten, niet alleen in nieuwe verkavelingen, maar ook als een bestaand gasnet vervangen wordt. Maar net zo goed aan individuele oplossingen zoals warmtepompen en zonneboilers. We moeten echt af van de automatische keuze voor fossiele brandstoffen.’

Het Warmteplan streeft tegen 2020 naar 1.000.000 megawattuur warmte-energie via warmtenetten per jaar, goed voor 50.000 gezinnen. Dat is bijna een verdubbeling ten opzichte van de bestaande warmtenetten. De Vlaamse Overheid zal de warmtekaart die ze vorig jaar voorstelde, verder verfijnen.

De lokale besturen zijn een belangrijke partner in het uitbouwen van warmtenetten. Vlaanderen zal een warmte-ambassadeur aanstellen om hen daarbij te helpen. De minister onderstreept nogmaals dat op vlak van warmtenetten verschillende marktspelers hun rol moeten kunnen spelen.
‘Het is de hoogste tijd dat Vlaanderen na zonne- en windenergie, ook voluit kiest voor warmte-energie. Dit Warmteplan zal ons daarbij helpen’, besluit Tommelein.

solarmagazine.nl/nieuws-zonne-energie...

AEX 910,59 +6,38 +0,71% 10 mei


Germany40^	18.773,50	+0,00%
BEL 20	4.013,33	+0,70%
Europe50^	5.084,27	-0,02%
US30^	39.507,00	0,00%
Nasd100^	18.156,80	0,00%
US500^	5.221,51	0,00%
Japan225^	38.190,30	0,00%
Gold spot	2.360,72	0,00%
EUR/USD	1,0771	-0,10%
WTI	78,28	0,00%

Accsys	+5,43%
CM.COM	+2,92%
NX FILTRATION	+2,63%
RANDSTAD NV	+2,61%
ForFarmers	+2,43%

Kendrion	-2,99%
UMG	-2,95%
Alfen N.V.	-2,63%
EBUSCO HOLDING	-2,29%
VIVORYON THER...	-1,85%

Energie « Terug naar discussie overzicht

Diverse energie items

Meedoen aan de discussie?

Direct naar Forum

Markt vandaag

Aandelenadviezen van IEX.nl

Stijgers

Dalers