Energy Transitions Commission
Date: 2020-01-22
A new study by University College London's University Maritime Advisory Services (UMAS) and Energy Transitions Commission (ETC) prepared for the Global Maritime Forum for the Getting to Zero Coalition, estimates the cost of cutting the maritime shipping industry's CO2 emission by 50 pct between 2030 and 2050 would come in at roughly $1-1.4 trillion -- that's $50 billion to $70 billion per year for 20 years. To fully decarbonize by 2050, this will require further investments of some $400 billion over 20 years, bringing the total to $1.4 trillion to $1.9 trillion.

The report notes these figures should be viewed in the context of annual global investments in energy, which in 2018 alone amounted to $1.85 trillion. The global shipping fleet accounts for 2.2 pct of CO2 emissions.

Download the The Scale of Investment Needed to Decarbonize International Shipping study HERE. (Source: Global Maritime Forum, PR, GreenCar Congress, 21 Jan., 2020) Contact: Global Maritime Forum, www.globalmaritimeforum.org; Energy Transitions Commission, www.energy-transitions.org; University Maritime Advisory Services, +44 20 3108 5965, www.u-mas.co.uk; University Maritime Advisory Services, www.u-mas.co.uk

More Low-Carbon Energy News Maritime Emissions,  

National Biodiesel Foundation
Date: 2020-01-22
The impacts of U.S. biofuel policy on deforestation in Malaysia and Indonesia are found to be insignificant, according to the latest research from leading economic modeling experts at Purdue University. The study looked at concerns from renewable fuel opponents claiming that biofuels are to blame for increased agricultural activity in southeast Asia.

Previous analysis published by U.S. EPA, California Air Resources Board and Argonne National Laboratory have quantified the benefits of using biodiesel in place of fossil fuel because of its significant reduction in GHG emissions. With a quantified reduction in CO2 emissions between 50 and 86 pct lower than petroleum, biodiesel and renewable diesel are experiencing increased use under federal and state policies.

Download the U.S. Biofuel Production and Policy Implications for Land Use Changes in Malaysia and Indonesia study HERE. (Source: Purdue University,National Biodiesel Foundation, Jan., 2020} Contact: National Biodiesel Foundation, 573-635-3893, 573-635-7913 - fax, www.biodieselfoundation.org

More Low-Carbon Energy News National Biodiesel Foundation,  Biodiesel,  

Naturgy Energy
Date: 2020-01-17
In Madrid, Spanish power and gas utility Naturgy Energy Group SA reports construction is underway on the 29.2-MW Puerto del Rosario Wind Park on the island of Fuerteventura, in the Canary Islands.

The $39 million wind park incorporates eight wind turbines and is expected to generate around 105 GWh per year, enough to meet the annual demand of 42,000 homes and offset 52,600 tpy of CO2 emissions. (Source: Naturgy Energy Group, PR, reve, 16 Jan., 2020) Contact: Naturgy Energy Group, www.naturgy.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Naturgy Energy ,  Wind,  

Eesti Energia
Date: 2020-01-17
Estonian energy producer Eesti Energia reports it cutting the use of fossil fuels for power production in line with the country's goal of cutting its carbon emissions by 50-55 pct by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. The company notes Estonia is ahead of that goal and has already reduced its emissions by over 60 pct.

Eesti Energia's renewable energy output tripled during the year, mostly coming from subsidiary Enefit Green, the largest wind energy producer in the Baltic States. Renewable energy production also increased in Ida-Viru County’s thermal power plants, where the company produces electricity from wood waste. There are also plans to develop Tootsi Wind Farm. (Source: Eesti Energia, Baltic News Network, 14 Jan., 2020) Contact: Eesti Energia, www.energia.ee

More Low-Carbon Energy News Eesti Energia,  Carbon Emissions,  CO2 ,  

Green Mountain Power
Date: 2020-01-15
Green Mountain Power (GMP) reports it is building on the success of its customer programs to cut carbon emissions and energy costs by renewing its 2019 rebates program for 2020. GMP's rebates were intended to reduce energy costs and customer carbon footprints, and customers responded by making thousands of purchases -- offsetting 156 million lifetime pounds of carbon, equal to taking 15,000 fossil-fueled vehicles off the road for a year.

The rebates helped GMP, working with customers, exceed aggressive 2019 carbon reduction goals by 40 pct. The utility's power supply is 90 pct carbon free and 60 pct renewable, with a commitment to be 100 pct carbon free in five years and 100 pct renewable by 2030. (Source: Green Mountain Power, Vermont Bus. Mag, 8 Jan., 2020) Contact: Green Mountain Power , Mary Powell, CEO, Jeff Monder, (802) 770-3392, jeff.monder@greenmountainpower.com, www.greenmountainpower.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Green Mountain Power,  Carbon Emissions,  

Air France,CORSIA
Date: 2020-01-15
Air France reports its 57,000 passengers per day can now vote on the internationally certified projects that will help offset 100 pct of the carbon emissions of the air carrier's 450 daily domestic flights.

Qualifying projects include a forest preservation project in Brazil's Amazon River delta, a photovoltaic program in Senegal, a biogas production program in Vietnam and others. The program receiving the highest number of votes will, starting this year, be included in Air France's offsetting initiative.

A global carbon offset scheme for international flights is also being introduced and is backed by the UN International Civil Aviation Organization (CORSIA) to reduce aviation CO2 emissions by 2.5 billion tonnes from 2020 to 2035. (Source: Air France, AirLine Ratings, 14 Jan., 2020)

More Low-Carbon Energy News Carbon Offset,  Aviation Emissions,  CORSIA,  

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company
Date: 2020-01-13
In the UAE, the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company reports it plans to lower its greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 25 pct by 2030. The company, which produced about 3 million bpd of oil and 10.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas, is currently among the five lowest greenhouse gas emitters in the oil and gas industry and has one of the lowest methane intensities in the world of 0.01 per cent, according to a release.

Additionally, ADNOC plans to scale up its carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) programme, from 800,000 tpy of captured CO2 to 5 million tpy by 2030. (Source: ADNOC, N Business, 13 Jan., 2020) Contact: ADNOC, Dr Sultan Al Jaber, CEO, +971 2 7070000. +971 2 6023389 - fax, www.adnoc.ae

More Low-Carbon Energy News Abu Dhabi National Oil Company,  

ExxonMobil
Date: 2020-01-13
"As we wrap up 2019, it's useful to take stock of the past year and keep looking ahead to the future and what we need to do to accomplish our energy goals. We need to do a lot. We are at a crucial inflection point with climate change, as is all too clear from the regular stream of updates in our news feeds every day. ExxonMobil’s annual Energy Outlook, which came out recently, discusses how the world is still offtrack to meet certain climate goals without a lot of additional effort.

"That further work means continued technology innovation. We have to keep finding and inventing solutions to the myriad of individual problems posed by the dual challenge. These different efforts -- both within and outside of our own research labs -- are all essential to moving us forward. They include the important renewables work being done with wind, solar and geothermal by so many around the world; they also include research focused on carbon capture technology and biofuels -- and everything in between. On ExxonMobil’s end, we are proud of our portfolio of innovative emission-lowering projects that have led to more than 10,000 patents in the last decade. Since 2000, we've spent $16.5 billion on this kind of R&D.

"Moving into 2020, we need to stay focused on several key themes related to solving the dual challenge: scale, speed, collaboration and training the next generation of scientists, engineers and other problem solvers. Scale is everything in our efforts. Reducing carbon emissions to fight climate change as we simultaneously deliver more and more energy to a growing world is a big job. And it's not just one job. As I said earlier this year, 'Not only are the sizes we are talking about so big they are sometimes unfathomable, but we must deploy solutions globally AND across countless end uses. It's not one equation with one unknown, but multiple equations with multiple unknowns.'

"As we work to solve for these multiple unknowns, we are pursuing projects big and small. What they share in common is the strict requirement that they must lead to a scalable solution. Energy is gigantic, from the infrastructure that supports it to the markets that drive its supply and demand. Any solution we find in the lab, however brilliant, must be ready to immediately scale.

"And it needs to happen quickly. As we know, scientific discovery is an ongoing endeavor -- you can't put a deadline on invention. But we can accelerate innovation. First, we can follow the example of parallel processing from computer science. In our labs, we don't wait for the basic science to be definitively 'concluded' (if it even can be). We start the engineering while we're still doing the science and iterate between the two. That requires collaboration between different types of researchers and innovators – between our corporate lab and government and academic labs, for example -- and that's the other way we speed up scalable solutions: with partnerships. Partnerships are a force multiplier. They are absolutely key when it comes to solving the dual challenge. When I look back on the past year, I am proud of the scope and variety of partnerships we undertook as a company. To name just a few:

National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (and other DOE-funded labs) -- in a 10-year, $100 million collaboration to bring advanced energy technologies to market at scale, focused on reducing carbon emissions.

IBM -- to collaborate on quantum computing that could help make energy exploration and extraction enormously efficient.

MIT Energy Initiative -- to extend our existing relationship supporting this project, which is committed to discovering new emission-reducing technology.

Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) locations in Madras and Bombay -- to continue our research with scientists and students working on the ground in India to address the energy needs and challenges on the subcontinent, including studying life cycle greenhouse gas emissions in India's power sector.

Clariant and Genomatica -- to convert residue left over from farming into biofuel that can power trucks, ships and more. Clariant has expert processes to extract sugars from agricultural leftovers like wheat straw, while Genomatica turns sugars into biofuels.

Global Thermostat -- to evaluate the scalability of their innovative carbon capture technology, which removes CO2 from the atmosphere and industrial sources.

Microsoft -- to digitally transform 1 million acres of unconventional oil and gas fields in the Permian Basin, making it the largest-ever oil and gas acreage to use cloud technology, and also making it more efficient. Energy efficiency is an often overlooked area when we think about the dual challenge.

(Source: ExxonMobil, PR, , 31 Dec., 2019) Contact: ExxonMobil, Dr. Vijay Swarup, VP Research and Development , www.linkedin.com › dr-vijay-swarup-120a95159, (972) 444-1107, www.exxonmobil.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Climate Change,  ExxonMobil,  Vijay Swarup ,  

Equinor
Date: 2020-01-10
Oslo-headquartered Norwegian oil and gas major Equinor -- fka Statoil -- reports it aims reduce the absolute greenhouse gas emissions from its operated offshore fields and onshore plants in Norway by 40 pct by 2030, increasing to 70 pct by 2040 and to near zero by 2050, using 2005 as a baseline.

The GHG reduction goal will cover all of the company's Norwegian offshore fields and onshore plants, including both Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions of CO2 and methane, levels of which are very low at the Norwegian continental shelf.

The reductions will be achieved through large scale industrial measures, including energy efficiency, digitalization and the launch of several electrification projects at key fields and plants, including the Troll and Oseberg offshore fields and the Hammerfest LNG plant, at an estimated cost NOK 50 billion ($5,630,500,000 US) or more. (Source: Equnior, Smart Energy Jan., 2020) Contact: Equinor, Eldar Saetre, CEO, Pal Eitrheim, VP New Energy Solutions, www.equinor.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Equinor,  Carbon Emissions,  Climate Change,  

Cenovus
Date: 2020-01-10
On the Canadian prairies, oil-soaked Alberta-based integrated oil and gas company Cenovus Energy has unveiled plans to reduce per-barrel greenhouse gas emissions by 30 pct by the end of 2030 with the end goal of net -zero emissions by 2050.

To that end, the company will reclaim 1,500 decommissioned well sites, complete $40 million ($30.65 million US) of caribou habitat restoration work by 2030, and institute a comprehensive climate and greenhouse gas emissions strategy to help it reach targets. The strategy will also advance its methane emission reduction initiatives that are already underway at its Deep Basin operations. (Source: Cenovus, KFGP-FM, Jan., 2020) Contact: Cenovus, (403) 766-2000, (403) 766-7600 - fax, questions&comments@cenovus.com, www.cenovus.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Cenovus,  Carbon Emissions,  Climate Change,  CO2,  

SakPower
Date: 2020-01-10
On the Canadian Prairies, SaskPower reports its carbon capture and storage (CCS) facility at its Boundary Dam Power Station captured 57,590 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the month of December, for a total of 616,119 tonnes captured in 2019. The facility's average daily capture rate in December was 2,504 tonnes with a peak one-day capture rate of 2,863 tonnes. The facility was online 72 pct of the time, compared with an average of 70 pct for the previous 12 months.

Since first coming online in October 2014, the Boundary Dam CCS unit has captured 3,081,452 tonnes of CO2. (Source: Saskpower, Estevan Mercury, 9 Jan., 2020) Contact: SaskPower, Mike Marsh, (306) 566-2121, www.saskpower.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News SaskPower,  CCS,  Boundary Dam,  

FetBlue,Neste
Date: 2020-01-08
U.S. air carrier JetBlue reports as of July, 2020 it will offset jet fuel CO2 emissions from all domestic flights. The airline will also use sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on flights departing San Francisco International Airport, beginning in July.

JetBlue has run targeted offset programs since 2008, addressing a total of 2.6 billion pounds of emissions. The new program aims to offset 15-17 billion pounds each year.

JetBlue will also continue to partner with Carbonfund.org -- a leading U.S. based nonprofit carbon reduction and climate solutions organization. Since 2008, JetBlue has offset more than 2.6 billion pounds of CO2 emissions in partnership with Carbonfund.org. JetBlue's new carbon offsetting partners now also include established experts in the space -- EcoAct and South Pole. JetBlue has also contracted with sustainable aviation fuel producer Neste to help fuel its fleet beginning in mid-2020. (Source: JetBlue, PR, BusinessWire, Jan., 2020) Contact: JetBlue, David Barger, President, CEO, (718) 286-7900, www.jetblue.com; ; Neste, +358 10 458 4128, www.neste.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News JetBlue,  Aviation Emissio ns,  Carbon Offset,  Neste,  Aviation Biofuel,  

Svante Inc., LafargeHolcim, Oxy Low Carbon Ventures,
Date: 2020-01-08
Burnaby, British Columbia-based Svante Inc., LafargeHolcim, Oxy Low Carbon Ventures, LLC, and Paris-based Total SA are reporting a joint study to assess the viability and design of a commercial-scale carbon-capture facility at the Holcim Portland Cement Plant in Florence, Colorado.

The study will evaluate the cost of the facility designed to use Svante's technology to capture up to 725,000 tpy of CO2 from the cement plant, which would be permanently sequestered underground by CO2 management and storage specialist Occidental.

This joint initiative follows the recently-launched Project CO2MENT between Svante, LafargeHolcim and Total in Canada at the Lafarge Richmond cement plant, where progress has been made towards re-injecting captured CO2 into concrete. (Source: Savante Website, BusinessWire, 6 Jan., 2019) Contact: Svante Inc., Claude Letourneau, , Pres., CEO, Julia McKenna , Inv. Relations, 604.456.0504, jmckenna@svanteinc.com, www.svanteinc.com; LafargeHolcim, www.lafargeholcim.com; Oxy Low Carbon Ventures, Jeff Alvarez, IR, (713) 215-7864, jeff_alvarez@oxy.com, www.oxy.com; Total SA, +33 1 47 44 46 99, www.total.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Total SA,  Svante Inc.,  LafargeHolcim,  Oxy Low Carbon Ventures,  CCS,  CCUS,  CO2,  Carbon Capture,  

Tarshid,Siemens Saudi Arabia
Date: 2020-01-06
In Riyadh, the Saudi Arabia National Energy Services Company (TARSHID) reports it has inked an Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) with Siemens Saudi Arabia. The deal is a holistic building performance, energy efficiency and sustainability solution expected cut the Saudi National Information Center's annual energy consumption by 28 percent, reduce the building's CO2 emission by 4,300 tpy.

This agreement is in line with the Kingdom Vision 2030 and its continuous efforts to rationalize energy consumption, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, accelerate smart building performance initiatives and reduce national domestic energy usage. (Source: TARSHID, Asharq Al-Awsat, 5 January, 2020) Contact: TARSHID, www.tarshid.com.sa; Siemens Saudi Arabia, www.new.siemens.com/sa/en.html

More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency ,  Siemens,  TARSHID,  CO2,  Carbon Emissions,  

Eni S.p.A.
Date: 2019-12-30
Italian energy giant Eni S.p.A. is reporting the opening of 48-MW pilot wind energy project in Kazahstan, the country's largest. The wind farm is expected to generate roughly 200 gigawatt hours (GWh) per year and reduce CO2 emissions by 172,000 tpy when fully operational.

Eni S.p.A. notes it intends to invest as much as $1.5 billion in world wide wind energy projects. (Source: Eni, reve, 28 Dec., 2019) Contact: Eni S.p.A., www.eni.com/en_IT/home.page

More Low-Carbon Energy News Eni S.p.A.,  Wind,  Kazakhstan,  

Irving Oil
Date: 2019-12-23
St.John New Brunswick-based Irving Oil, Canada's largest carbon emitter has reportedly abandoned a previous pledge to cut carbon output by 17 pct from 2005 levels by 2020, in favor of a "keeping up with the Jones" approach of keeping its emissions and environmental performance competitive with its rivals.

In 2017, the 320,000 bpd Irving family owned refinery in St. John emitted just over 3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), according to Environment Canada. In effect, the company is no longer targeting an outright reduction in carbon emissions but is maintaining the status quo as dictated by the top 25 pct of rival refineries in Canada through 2025.

Founded in 1924, privately held Irving Oil operates Canada's largest refinery in Saint John, New Brunswick, more than 900 fueling locations and a network of distribution terminals spanning Eastern Canada and New England. It also operates Ireland's only refinery, located in the village of Whitegate, according to Wikepedia. (Source: Irving Oil, Reuters, Chronicle Herald, 20 Dec., 2019) Contact: Irving Oil, www.irvingoil.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Carbon Emissions,  Climate Change,  

Netherlands,Climate Change
Date: 2019-12-23
At the Hague, the highest court in the Netherlands, the Supreme Court, is reported to have upheld a ruling requiring the government to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25 pct of 1990 levels by the end of 2020 -- a target that surpasses European Union emissions reduction targets. By the end of 2018, the country's emissions were down only 15 pct for a 10 pct shortfall on 1990 levels.

In June this year, the government announced plans to trim the country's GHG emissions by 49 pct by 2030 and phasing out coal-fired power generation starting in 2020. (Source: EU News, Various Media, BBC, 20 Dec., 2019)

More Low-Carbon Energy News Netherlands,  Carbon Emissions,  Climate Change,  

Heriot-Watt University
Date: 2019-12-20
In the UK, chemical engineers from Heriot-Watt University are reporting a collaboration with a team of international researchers to design materials inspired by drug design tools used by the pharmaceutical industry that could synthesise new metal-organic framework materials (MOFs) -- porous crystals that combine metal nodes with organic linkers -- that can capture CO2.

The researchers conducted experiments that mimicked real industrial operations and compared the performance of their new materials with those that are currently commercially available. According to Dr Susana Garcia, Assoc. Dir., Heriot-Watt Research Centre for Carbon Solutions, "Instead of the conventional trial and error, we computer-generated 325,000 MOFs and identified the features of the best performers. We now have the tools to tailor-make a material that will separate carbon dioxide in the most economical way for a given source, like industrial emissions, and make it available for other purposes like carbon storage or as a resource for the chemical industry." (Source: Heriot-Watt University, PR, Engineer Live, 17 Dec., 2019) Contact: Heriot-Watt University, Dr Susana Garcia, Assoc. Dir., Heriot-Watt Research Centre for Carbon Solutions, www.hw.ac.uk

More Low-Carbon Energy News Carbon Capture,  Carbon Emissions,  

Broc Oil, REGI,B20
Date: 2019-12-20
In the Bay State, Haverhill-headquartered Broco Oil reports it has contracted to provide Renewable Energy Group (REGI) produced biodiesel-blended heating oil to Boston city-owned buildings and municipal facilities.

Under its contract, Broco will deliver an estimated 90,000 gpy of B-20 heating oil that will reduce the City's CO2 equivalent (CO2e) building emissions by 322,560 ppy -- equivalent GHG emissions of 357,728 passenger vehicle miles according to the U.S. EPA. (Source: Broco Oil, PR, 17 Dec., 2019) Contact: Broc Oil, www.brocoil.com: Renewable Energy Group, Marc MacLean, 603-812-1248, marc.maclean@regi.com, www.regi.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Biodiesel,  Biodiesel Blend,  B20,  Renewable Energy Group,  B20 ,  

The Climate Group
Date: 2019-12-20
The Climate Group, in partnership with Signify (formerly Philips Lighting), reports it is working to accelerate the adoption of LED street lighting in cities as well as driving a more urgent goal for all indoor lighting across the private sector to be LED by 2020. To that end, the Climate Group is working to create a network of companies and governments to speed up the sharing of energy efficient LED lighting information.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), a global switch to LEDs is one of the most actionable and ready-to-implement technologies for cities to transition to a low-carbon economy. This is especially important given that lighting accounts for nearly 6 pct of global CO2 emissions, with outdoor street lighting accounting for 25-50 pct of a city's entire electricity use. With LED lighting, cities and municipalities can expect to make energy savings of between 50-70 pct, alongside reduced maintenance costs. (Source: The Climate Group, PR, DEC., 2019) Contact: Signify, www.signify.com/en-gb; The Climate Group, Toby Morgan, LED Program Manager, LED@theclimategroup.org, www.theclimategroup.org

More Low-Carbon Energy News LED Light,  Energy Efficient Light,  

COP25,Climate Ambition Alliance
Date: 2019-12-20
The Chilean Presidency of the COP25 Meeting in Madrid has announced a renewed Climate Ambition Alliance aimed at accelerating the transformation necessary to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change and stabilize the global average temperature rise at 1.5 degrees C above pre-industrial levels.

Countries participating in the Alliance commit to accelerate action by 2020 and achieve net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050. To that end, 73 countries have 'signaled their intention to submit an enhanced climate action plan" to the UNFCCC. An additional 11 countries have initiated an internal process to enhance ambition and to reflect this enhanced ambition in their national plans by 2020. Schmidt further announced that 73 parties to the An additional 14 regions, 398 cities, 768 businesses and 16 investors are also on board to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050.

The Alliance will also focus on implementing measures to strengthen the protection of forests and oceans,improve water management, resilient infrastructure and sustainable cities. (Source: Government of Chile Press Release, Dec., 2019)Contact: UNFCCC, www.unfccc.int

More Low-Carbon Energy News COP25,  Climate Change,  UNFCCC,  

Port of Antwerp
Date: 2019-12-20
In the Netherlands, a collaboration of eight players in the port sector -- Air Liquide, BASF, Borealis, INEOS, ExxonMobil, Fluxys, Port of Antwerp and Total -- are reporting an agreement to conduct a study of the economic and technical feasibility of developing carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) at the Port of Antwerp.

The consortium believes that both storing and using carbon can make a useful contribution to achieving the energy and climate objectives at Flemish, Belgian and European level and lead to reductions in CO2 emissions in the run-up to 2030. To that end, the Port of Antwerp and a number of other partners have submitted the necessary applications to the European Commission.

The Port of Antwerp in Flanders, Belgium, is a port in the heart of Europe accessible to capesize ships. It is Europe's second-largest seaport, after Rotterdam. Antwerp stands at the upper end of the tidal estuary of the Scheldt which is navigable by ships of more than 100,000 Gross Tons as far as 80 km inland. -- Wikipedia. (Source: Port Staretegy, 18 Dec., 2019) Contact: Port of Antwerp , Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO, +32 (0)3 205 20 11, www.portofantwerp.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News CCS,  CCUS,  

COP25,Amnesty International
Date: 2019-12-20
" 'What do we want? Climate justice! When do we want it? NOW!!!' If you have been to just one climate march in your life, you will have certainly heard this slogan. It has become omnipresent whenever people are expressing concerns over the climate crisis. Behind this simple chant, there are deep demands rooted in human rights principles. There is the call for fast climate action by government and corporations, to avoid even more catastrophic human rights impacts than what we are seeing now. There is the appeal to wealthier industrialized states which have contributed the most to the climate crisis to step up and pay up in order to redress some of the injustices accentuated by climate change. There is the reminder that climate action needs to have people's participation and human rights, including Indigenous peoples' rights, at its centre. At all costs it needs to avoid human rights violations and contribute to making society a more equal, just and inclusive place for all.

"Yet human rights considerations still play a marginal role in climate negotiations. The outcomes of the Madrid climate talks (COP25) are just another proof of it. Following a year of school climate strikes and mass mobilization in many countries of the world, states were expected to act in line with the urgency proved by scientists and increasingly felt by people. Instead, most wealthier countries and other high emitting countries remained stuck in selfish and short-sighted considerations which prevented real progress.

"While the final COP25 decision recognized the urgency of enhancing climate action, it failed to set a clear obligation for states to come up with ambitious national climate plans in 2020 capable of keeping the global average temperature rise below 1.5 degrees C. This shows a complete disregard for the human rights of people who will be most affected by spiking climate impacts. For millions of people around the world, the formulation and, above all, the implementation of strong climate plans simply means a difference between life and death.

"Wealthy countries are responsible for the bulk of greenhouse gas emissions and have for years profited from them, while people in poorest countries are suffering most of the damages inflicted by the climate crisis. In Madrid, they had the opportunity to recognize this historic imbalance and accept their duty to pay for the devastation already wreaked by climate impacts such as cyclones, droughts and sea-level rise. Instead, they opposed the mobilization of new and additional resources to support affected people. This in practice means turning their back to the almost 4 million people who have lost their homes, livelihoods or access to public services in the two cyclones in Mozambique earlier this year, or to residents of Pacific islands in urgent need of relocation due to sea-level rise.

"Similarly, states were once again unable to reach an agreement on mechanisms allowing countries to trade emission reductions. Countries like Australia, Brazil and China continued to push for loopholes which would have ultimately resulted in weakening the effects of climate mitigation measures, in violation of the rights of those who stand most at risk from climate impacts.

"Also, worryingly, there was insufficient willingness from states to include explicit reference to human rights safeguards in carbon trading rules. Such guarantees are necessary to ensure that negative human rights impacts can be assessed and addressed prior to adopting climate mitigation projects and that people directly impacted by carbon market projects have a say in shaping such measures. This is a very strong demand from Indigenous peoples, as they too often have paid the price of ill-conceived climate projects, such as hydroelectric dams or biogas initiatives initiated without their free, prior and informed consent and resulting in forced evictions, water contamination, or permanent damage to their cultural rights.

"What came out of this last round of climate negotiations paints a grim picture. It was certainly a source of frustration at COP25, prompting civil society observers to take a massive direct action inside the negotiation venue on 11 December. This move was met with an unprecedented decision by UN security officers to expel more than 300 observers for the day.

"In 2020 we need to step up our game. We need to forge strong coalitions at national level to demand ambitious and human rights-compliant climate action that achieves a just transition away from fossil fuels. We need to mobilize like never before. The world's most important struggle needs the world's most powerful, diverse and united people's mass movement ever assembled. As the year ends, we can all start 2020 by making our new or renewed commitment to climate justice our New Year's resolution." (Source: Amnesty International, 17 Dec., 2019) Contact: Amnesty International, www.amnesty.org

More Low-Carbon Energy News COP25,  Climate Change,  Carbon Emissions,  CO2,  

Germany
Date: 2019-12-18
Reuters is reporting Germany will raise the price (tax) on transportation and heating CO2 emissions to €25 ($27.56) per ton from 2021. The prices will rise to €30 in 2022, €35 in 2023, €45 in 2024, €55 in 2025 then spike to €65 in 2026.

Germany aims to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to 55 pct of their 1990 level by 2030. (Source: Reuters, Various Media, 17 Dec., 2019)

More Low-Carbon Energy News Carbon Tax,  

Hypergiant
Date: 2019-12-18
Business Insider India is reporting researchers at Austin-Texas-based artificial intelligence (AI) specialist Hypergiant is touting its new EOS Bioreactor technology with Artificial Intelligence (AI).

EOS uses algae-based chemical process technology to capture greenhouse gases. EOS Bioreactor optimizes the growing environment for algae and captures carbon dioxide equivalent to an acre of trees.

"Hypergiant Industries is the AI industrial complex for leading global enterprises and governments. We help major institutions innovate with breakthrough machine intelligence-driven technology. The solutions, products, and companies we create support our customers on their mission to speed beyond norms and realize an exploded potential of the future we were promised through AI," according to the company website. (Source: Hypergiant, Mashable India, 17 Dec., 2019) Contact: Hypergiant, Daniel Haab, R&D Dir., (737) 808-4055, info@hypergiant.com, www.hypergiant.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News COs,  Algae,  Carbon Dioxide,  

ACEEE
Date: 2019-12-16
A recent CommercialCafe study ranking the top 50 U.S. cities on CO2 emissions reductions, air quality improvements, improvements in air quality, the number of US GReen Building Council LEED certifications, growth in environmentally focused occupations, ratings given by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and other related factors has rated top ten 10 U.S. cities making the most progress toward sustainability. According to the study , Washington, D.C. leads followed by New York City, Denver, Boston, Los Angeles, Seattle, Baltimore, Atlanta and Portland, Oregon, in that order. (Source: CommercialCafe, KATU News, 14 Dec., 2019) Contact: CommercialCafe, www.commercialcafe.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy,  ACEEE,  Energy Efficiency,  

Red Trail Energy
Date: 2019-12-13
Following on our June 16th coverage, Richardton, North Dakota-based corn ethanol producer Red Trail Energy LLC reports preparations for its carbon dioxide emissions underground storage project are underway with plans to drill a test well within the next few months. Depending on the tests results, Red Trail could start injecting CO2 by fall 2021, according to the company. (Source: Red Trail Energy, Star Tribune, 11 Dec., 2019) Contact: Red Trail Energy, Gerald Bachmeier, CEO, (701) 974-3308, www.redtrailenergy.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Red Trail Energy,  Ethanol,  CCS,  Carbon Capture & Storage,  

University of Virginia
Date: 2019-12-11
A recently released study from the University of Virginia notes that farming, agriculture and other land practices presently contribute around 11 gigatons to CO2 emissions per year -- roughly one quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. However, the study argues that the land could actually be converted into an absorber of carbon, given the right conditions.

Among the measures recommended by the study were richer countries transitioning to plant-based diets and reducing food waste, while aiding poorer nations to curb deforestation and restore degraded land. If a concerted global effort was made, land could be absorbing three gigatons of carbon by 2050, turning one of our biggest liabilities into a helping hand in the fight against climate change. The study also recommends:

95 pct reduction in deforestation and land degradation by 2050. This would include more robust conservation policies in developing tropical countries, as well as the conversion of coastal wetlands into protected areas and the prohibition of peatland burning.

25 pct reduction in agricultural emissions by 2050. This would include introducing synthetic or organic fertilizers, enhancing the water-agriculture interface in places where rice cultivation is a primary industry and managing emissions from fermentation and manure.

50 pct adoption of plant-based diets by 2050. This would involve encouraging a healthier diet through consumer campaigns and governmental policies, as well as the development of new foodstuffs to entice unconvinced consumers.

50 pct reduction of current level of food waste by 2050. This would involve tightening up gaps in the supply chain, improving consumer awareness through advertising campaigns and enhancing refrigeration and distribution capabilities in the developing world.

Restoration of forests, coastal wetlands and drained peatlands. This would involve financing ecosystem services, improving in local and national conservation policies and investing in restoration practices.

Improving forestry and agroforestry management. This would include optimising current forestation conservation process and integrating agroforestry into lands currently used for agriculture and grazing.

Enhancing soil carbon sequestration capabilities. This would include controlling soil erosion, reducing tillage of the land and restoring degraded soils, as well as the application of biochar where appropriate.

Deploying bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) in developed countries. This would involve investing into the research and development of BECCS technologies and deploying them in relevant sites. (Source: University of Virginia, Environmental Technology, 1 Dec., 2019) Contact: University of Virginia, Stephanie Roe, Environmental Researcher, Report Lead Author, 434-924-7761, www.evsc.as.virginia.edu

More Low-Carbon Energy News Carbon,  Carbon Storage,  

Alberta, Emissions Reduction Alberta,Lrhigh Cement
Date: 2019-12-11
On the Canadian prairies, the government of Alberta reports it is contributing $1.4 million towards a $3 million feasibility study of capture and storage of carbon emissions project at the Lehigh Cement plant in Edmonton. If constructed, the project could capture an estimated 600,000 tpy of CO2 and avoid up to 90 pct of the plant's current emissions.

The project will align with the province's new Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) program which is intended to help industries deploy pioneering, emissions-reducing technologies and will support research and investment in clean technology. (Source: Gov. of Alberta, Journal of Commerce, Dec., 2019) Contact: Lehigh Cement, (780) 420-250, www.lehighhanson.com; Emissions Reduction Alberta, Steve MacDonald , CEO, 780-498-2068, info@eralberta.ca, www.eralberta.ca; Technology Alberta Innovation and Emissions Reduction System, www.alberta.ca/technology-innovation-and-emissions-reduction-system.aspx

More Low-Carbon Energy News CCS,  Cement,  Emissions Reduction Alberta,  

Food and Agriculture Organization
Date: 2019-12-11
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has announced a new $7.1 million forestry management initiative to help 26 Asian, African and Latin American nations provide improved data on forest health and management as well as land use -- a key pledge of all State signatories to the COP15 Paris Climate Agreement.

The Paris Agreement calls on countries to combat climate change and to accelerate and intensify the actions and investments needed for a sustainable low-carbon future. This includes regular reports every five years on emissions levels and emission reduction initiatives, forest and soil health data and an assessment of progress in addressing these issues.

The FAO program will be widely available to universities, the private sector and intergovernmental organizations. (Source: UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Guardian Blog, Dec., 2019) Contact: Food and Agriculture Organization, www.fao.org

More Low-Carbon Energy News Climate Change,  Forestry,  CO2,  Carbon Emissions,  

Western AustraliaEnvironmental Protection Authority
Date: 2019-12-11
Western Australia's (WA) state environmental watchdog Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) reports it has dropped a controversial recommendation requiring all new and expanding natural resource-based projects emitting more than 100,000 tpy of CO2 to entirely offset those emissions.

The requirement prompted a major backlash from the mining and oil and gas industries, who warned the proposal would threaten jobs and projects. The government caved to the objections and a new round of consultation on less stringent industrial emissions is now underway. (Source: WA EPA, Various Media, ABC Australia, 9 Dec., 2019)Contact: WA Environmental Protection Authority, www.epa.wa.gov.au

More Low-Carbon Energy News CO2,  Carbon Emissions,  Austarlia Carbon Emissions,  

Mediterranean Shipping Company
Date: 2019-12-11
Geneva, Switzerland-headquartered Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A.(MSC) notes it is committed to using "responsibly sourced" biofuels on a regular basis when bunkering vessels in Rotterdam. The company initially trialed using 10 pct biofuel blends and has now increased this to 30 pct for a significant reduction in CO2 emissions.

Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A. is a Swiss-Italian international shipping line operating in all major ports of the world. It is the world's second-largest shipping line in terms of container vessel capacity. (Source: Mediterranean Shipping Company , Seatrade, 9 Dec., 2019) Contact: Mediterranean Shipping Company, Bud Darr, exec. VP, Policy & Government Affairs , +41227038888, info@msc.com, www.msc.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Mediterranean Shipping Company,  Biofuel,  Marine Biofuel,  Biofuel Blends,  

University of Maryland
Date: 2019-12-11
In College Park, the University of Maryland reports it cut its net greenhouse gas emissions in half between 2005 and 2018, reaching its Climate Action Plan target of carbon neutrality more than a year ahead of schedule.

Presently, the schools net emissions of about 175,000 metric tpy of CO2 are the university's centralized energy plant; decentralized heat and power generators; fleet vehicles; and faculty, staff and graduate student commuting. Projects are under way across campus aimed at identifying and implementing strategies to reduce emissions from each of them. (Source: University of Maryland, Maryland Today, 9 Dec., 2019) Contact: University of Maryland, Maureen Kotlas, Exec. Dir.,Environmental Safety, Sustainability and Risk, mkotlas@umd.edu, (301) 405-3960, www.essr.umd.edu

More Low-Carbon Energy News Carbon Emissions,  

Packard Foundation
Date: 2019-12-09
According to the newly released Global Change Biology study from the Los Altos, California-based David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the burgeoning bioenergy sector must peak and decline in the next 30 years to alleviate extreme pressure on land. The study researchers assert that projections envisioning the use of biomass from crops, trees or grasses for fuel through 2100 overlook the technology's high carbon footprint and excessive land use.

An Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report released last year found that many scenarios capable of reducing the threat of climate change relied heavily on bioenergy, predicting that energy from biomass could make up 26 pct of primary energy in 2050 -- up from 10 pct in 2020 -- and predicting that solar and wind combined would likely only account for 22 pct. Those scenarios often relied on significant use of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), which involves growing trees across a large area of land to produce wood pellets burned for energy, then capturing and sequestering the carbon emissions. In its analysis, though, the IPCC found significant challenges associated with a high reliance on bioenergy, noting in particular that the vast areas of land required to produce biomass for energy would compete with food production and other human needs.

The Global Change Biology assessment examine a flurry of recent reports that suggest even more problems with large-scale bioenergy projects reliant on large tracts of land, and also show that more cost-effective alternatives will be available in the coming decades. Pulling from these recent studies, the authors establish three reasons why large-scale bioenergy must and can peak and decline in the next 30 years:

Large-scale bioenergy emits carbon. Carbon emissions from bioenergy can be greater in the near-term than emissions from the fossil fuels it is replacing, undermining the assumption that bioenergy is always a relatively low-emission and low-cost form of energy. Burning wood pellets, for example, creates a "double climate problem." Manufacturing and shipping wood pellets entails substantial emissions of fossil CO2, and it can take decades or centuries for harvested areas to return to pre-harvest carbon stocks.

Large-scale bioenergy puts a squeeze on land. Land is already a scarce resource, and it will become even scarcer with time due to an increase in the human population and a rise in the appreciation of the conservation value of natural and mostly-natural ecosystems--even if agricultural yields continue to increase. Because land is so limited, we should use it as efficiently as possible for energy production. In contrast to land-intensive bioenergy, the amount of electricity that can be produced from a hectare of land using photovoltaics is at least 50-100 times that from biomass.

Large-scale bioenergy is inferior to other solutions. And, by mid-century, land-intensive bioenergy will face fierce competition from superior technologies such as wind and solar energy, the development of efficient storage and other flexibility solutions, and the advent of more effective carbon removal technologies such as direct air capture with carbon storage.

The assessment comes at a time when the bioenergy industry is ramping up worldwide, with the EU in the lead. Bioenergy currently accounts for 10 pct of the world's energy, and 50 pct of our renewable energy. In the EU, bioenergy accounts for two-thirds of all renewable energy (nearly half from wood). Two-thirds of the EU's "20 pct Renewable Energy by 2020" target depends on bioenergy. And the bloc is also about to greenlight the conversion of five large coal plants to bioenergy plants that burn imported wood pellets from overseas forests.

Land-intensive electrical power projects in particular are picking up steam as governments and industry leaders seek to transform disused coal factories into new profit centers. Between 2006 and 2015, the production of wood pellets for biomass energy use quadrupled to 26 million tons. Worldwide, demand for globally traded wood pellets destined for use in phased-out coal plants or new dedicated bioenergy plants is expected to rise 250 pct by 2027.

The study lays out a bioenergy trajectory that policymakers can use to encourage sustainable bioenergy while also opening the door for new technologies to replace land-intensive bioenergy in the very near future. These recommendations include improved accounting of the actual carbon emissions associated with the use of biomass, favoring biomass from waste, residues or land management practices that enhance carbon storage, and providing incentives for energy storage, direct air capture technologies, and low-carbon alternatives to fossil fuels. Above all, the authors argue that bioenergy projects should be avoided if they involve natural forests, such as converting natural forests to bioenergy plantations, or use land best suited for food crops. And the authors caution that claims that bioenergy projects are a zero-carbon form of energy should be met with skepticism.

The Packard Foundation through 2020, will have awarded nearly $1 billion in grants to reduce carbon emissions, one of the its greatest program commitments in its 55-year history. (Source: David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Dec., 2019) Contact: David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Walt Reid, Director Conservation and Science Program, Report Author, 650-948-7658, www.packard.org

More Low-Carbon Energy News Bioenergy,  CO2,  CCS,  Biofuels,  Carbon Emissions,  

NORDEN
Date: 2019-12-09
In Denmark, Hellerup-headquartered global "tramp" shipping company NORDEN A/S and Kvasir Technologies, a spin-off from the Technical University of Denmark, report they are are testing a plant-based biofuel as part of a joint industry initiative aimed at developing Danish expertise in environment-friendly low-carbon maritime shipping fuels.

Kvasir Technologies is focused on transforming biomass lignin and using it in fuel production. As part of the joint project, a full-scale test of Kvasir's fuel will be conducted on one of NORDEN's vessels to better understand the characteristics of biofuel and prove its suitability as a future maritime fuel,

In September 2018, NORDEN was the first to conduct a test voyage on a large ocean-going vessel powered by CO2 neutral biofuel. (Source: Norden, Bunkerspot, 6 Dec., 2019) Contact: Kvasir Technologies, +45 22 11 07 75, www.kvasirtechnologies.com NORDEN, Henrik Rojel, Fuel Efficiency and Decarbonisation Manager, +45 33 15 04 51, www.ds-norden.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Biofuel,  Marine Biofuel,  Maritime Biofuel,  

Norwegian Airline
Date: 2019-12-09
Norwegian, the low-cost airline reports it will join the UNFCCC's Climate Neutral Now Pledge to measure and report its greenhouse gas emissions, reduce its greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible and offset remaining emissions with UN Certified Emission Reductions (CERs).

To that end, Norwegian has partnered with the Oslo-based climate company CHOOOSE to make it easy for customers to offset their carbon footprint as part of the ticketing process.

When first selecting a flight, Norwegian informs customers how its flights' emissions compares to industry average. The CO2 emissions calculation is based on the official methodology of the United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the International Council of Clean Transportation (ICCT) and Norwegian's own flight emissions data. Next, customers are offered a simple option to offset their calculated carbon footprint directly in the checkout process. For customers that opt in, offsetting is then performed through carefully selected CO2-reducing clean energy projects in regions Norwegian flies to. The projects are certified by the UN and the Gold Standard. The Gold Standard also includes contributions to other UN Sustainable Development Goals. (Source: Norwegian, PR, 5 Dec., 2019) Contact: Norwegian, Geir Karlsen, Acting CEO, www.norwegian.com; CHOOSE, Andreas Slettvoll, CEO, hey@chooose.today, wwwchooose.today; International Council of Clean Transportation, www.theicct.org

More Low-Carbon Energy News Carbon Offsetting,  Airline Emissiuons,  Aviation Emissions,  

EXXON, Climate Leadership Council
Date: 2019-12-09
The Americans for Carbon Dividends (ACD) political action group is reporting Houston-headquartered oil industry giant ExxonMobil Corp. has made a $1 million donation to ADC's lobbying campaign to promote a U.S. tax on CO2 emissions, a central factor in global warming. The contribution came less than a month after the oil giant agreed to contribute $100 million to oil companies' efforts to develop technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The ADC aims to spend $5 million on an initial lobbying campaign to win support for the tax, said , senior vice president at the group. PAC is looking to build legislative support for its carbon tax. It proposes an initial $40 a ton tax on carbon dioxide that would increase over time, with the money raised to be returned to consumers. The PAC has raised $1 million each from Exelon Corp, First Solar Inc and the American Wind Energy Association and expects to reach its goal of a $5 million in coming months. (Source: Exxon, Denton Daily, Reuters, 8 Dec., 2019) Contact: Climate Leadership Council, Greg Bertelsen, www.clcouncil.org; Americans for Carbon Dividends, www.afcd.org

More Low-Carbon Energy News Climate Leadership Council,  Exxon,  Climate Change,  Carbon Emissions,  

US Energy Information Administration
Date: 2019-12-09
The recently released U.S. Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions, 2018 Report examines economic trends and changes in fuel mix that influence energy-related CO2 emissions in the U.S. As a result, most of the CO2 emissions being discussed are the result of fossil fuel combustion or their use in the petrochemical and related industries, the report states.

In the short term, energy-related CO2 emissions are influenced by the weather, fuel prices and disruptions in electricity generation. In the long term, CO2 emissions are influenced by public policy, reduced costs and improved efficiencies of new technology, demand-side efficiency gains and economic trends, according to the report.

A major factor in recent reductions in the carbon intensity of electric generation in the U.S. is the reduced generation of electricity using coal while increasingly using natural gas. Natural gas emits less CO2 for the same amount of electricity generated, and non-carbon generation (including renewables), which do not emit the gas.

Between 2005 and 2018, EIA has calculated that cumulative U.S. C02 emissions reductions attributable specifically to shifts from coal to natural gas and to non-carbon generation totaled 4,621 million metric tons (MMmt). Of this total, 2,823 MMmt resulted from decreased use of coal and increased use of natural gas; 1,799 MMmt resulted from decreased use of coal and increased use of non-carbon generation sources.

Between 2005 and 2017, total U.S. electricity generation increased by almost 4 pct while related C02 emissions fell by 27 pct. During the same period, fossil fuel electricity generation declined by roughly 9 pct, and non-carbon electricity generation increased by 35 pct.

Download the U.S. Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions, 2018 Report HERE. (Source: US Energy Information Administration, 14 Nov., 2019) Contact: US EIA, www.eia.gov

More Low-Carbon Energy News CO2,  CO2 Emissions,  Natural Gas Emissions,  Climate Change,  

COP25,ScottishPower
Date: 2019-12-06
"Every green megawatt of electricity will be crucial if we stand any chance of hitting 'net zero' in 2050, so innovation from energy companies is more important than ever.

"This means squeezing the absolute maximum potential out of every clean energy project that we consider. In the UK and Ireland the perfect blend of clean power from onshore renewables should include a mixture of clean energy technologies.

"The costs for building wind, solar and batteries have reduced considerably in recent years, and they complement each other very well. They perform best at different times of the day and at different times of the year." -- Keith Anderson, ScottishPower, Speaking at COP25 in Madrid.Contact: ScottishPower, Keith Anderson, +44 0 141 614 0000, www.scottishpowerrenewables.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Renewable Energy,  Energy Storage,  ScottishPower,  CO25,  

Repsol
Date: 2019-12-06
In Madrid, Spanish energy major Repsol SA reports its 2021-2025 Strategic Plan sets new goals for the reduction of its carbon intensity indicator from a 2016 baseline -- 10 pct by 2025, 20 pct by 2030, 40 pct by 2040, and net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050.

To that end, the company plans to double the production of high-quality biofuels derived from vegetable oils (HVO) to 600,000 tpy in 2030, half of which will be derived from waste transformation before 2025. Repsol will also integrate renewable energy into refining operations, which will incorporate production of green hydrogen as well as the use of renewable energy to fuel industrial processes.

Repsol was the first company in the industry to support the Kyoto Protocol, and it is now intensifying its decarbonization ambitions with the aim of being a net- zero emissions company by 2050. In addition, the company has pledged to work so that all the associations and initiatives in which it participates are in alignment with the targets derived from the Paris Agreement. (Source: Repsol, PR, RE Mag., 3 Dec., 2019) Contact: Repsol SA, Josu Jon Imaz, CEO, (+34) 91 7538100 / 91 7538000, sacportal@repsol.com, www.repsol.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Repsol,  Biofuel,  Net-Zero Emissions,  

University of Wyoming
Date: 2019-12-06
In the Cowboy State, the Casper Star-Tribune is reporting the US DOE will partner with and fund University of Wyoming researchers in Laramie with $5 million to study the economics and technology behind carbon capturing at two of the state's coal-fired power plants -- the Dave Johnston power plant in Glenrock and the Naughton power plant in Kemmerer.

To advance the project, the University Energy Resources Council is seeking proposals for the construction of coal-based generation technology that can collect carbon emissions. Proposals until be accepted until 5 p.m. Feb. 14, 2020. (Source: University of Wyoming, Casper Star-Tribune, News Observer, AP, 4 Dec., 2019) Contact: University of Wyoming Energy Resources Council, Trish Steger, Executive Administrative Assistant, 307-766-6897, Fax: 307-766-6701, psteger@uwyo.edu, www.uwyo.edu/ser/about-us/energy-resources-council, www.uwyo.edu

More Low-Carbon Energy News University of Wyoming ,  CO2,  Carbon Capture,  

Repsol
Date: 2019-12-06
In Madrid, Spanish energy major Repsol SA reports its 2021-2025 Strategic Plan sets new goals for the reduction of its carbon intensity indicator from a 2016 baseline -- 10 pct by 2025, 20 pct by 2030, 40 pct by 2040, and net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050.

To that end, the company plans to double the production of high-quality biofuels derived from vegetable oils (HVO) to 600,000 tpy in 2030, half of which will be derived from waste transformation before 2025. Repsol will also integrate renewable energy into refining operations, which will incorporate production of green hydrogen as well as the use of renewable energy to fuel industrial processes. (Source: Repsol, PR, RE Mag., 3 Dec., 2019) Contact: Repsol SA, Josu Jon Imaz, CEO, (+34) 91 7538100 / 91 7538000, sacportal@repsol.com, www.repsol.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Repsol,  Biofuel,  Net-Zero Emissions,  

MIT
Date: 2019-12-04
In the Bay State, MIT engineers are reporting the creation of a device to trap carbon dioxide while consuming less energy and at a lower cost than current technologies, according details published in the journal Energy and Environmental Science.

The devise works much like a battery and absorbs the CO2 from the air that passes on its electrodes. And, unlike current carbon capture techniques, it works in a wide range of sizes ranges of concentrations. It could therefore be used to purify CO2 from flue gases from factories and power plants, or even extract it directly from the atmosphere.

The new MIT system contains two thin sheets of soft electrodes covered with two different chemical compounds. During charging, one of the compounds -- polyanthraquinone -- reacts with CO2 and incorporates the gas into the electrode. The idea is to let a stream of flue gas or air through the unit during charging to clean it of CO2. Once the electrode is saturated, the device would go into discharge mode and pure CO2 released could be compressed to be stored underground or used for the manufacture of fuels and other chemicals.

The system uses about one gigajoule of energy per ton of CO2 captured. Other existing methods can use up to 10 times more, according to Sahag Voskian, developer of the technology. (Source: MIT, Anthropocene Magazine, Tech Ballad, 1 Dec., 2019) Contact: MIT, Sahag Voskian, 617.253.4588, svoskian@mit.edu, www.hattongroup.mit.edu/sahag-voskian

More Low-Carbon Energy News CO2,  Carbon Captute,  MIT,  

Enel Green Power
Date: 2019-12-04
Enel renewable energy subsidiary Enel Green Power Mexico (EGPM) reports its $165 million, 220 MW Magdalena II solar facility in the Mexican state of Tlaxcala is now oiline.

With this project, EGPM has exceeded 2,300 MW of managed capacity, of which 977 MW are wind power, 1,308 MW from solar and 53 MW from hydro. The company is also completing 593 MW of wind projects, including Amistad II and Amistad III, of around 100 MW each, and Amistad IV, of around 149 MW, all located in the state of Coahuila, as well of the 244 MW Dolores plant, located in the state of Nuevo Leon. Magdalena II incorporates 550,000 bifacial modules generating approximately 640 GWh per year, and avoiding about 350,000 tpy of CO2. (Source: Enel, Enel Green Power Mexico, PR, reve, 1 Dec., 2019) Contact: Enel Green Power Mexico, +52 55 5083 0310, www.enelgreenpower.com › country-mexico

More Low-Carbon Energy News Enel Green Power,  

CCS
Date: 2019-12-04
A group of world leading maritime shipping companies and ship builders, including NYK, Sovcomflot, DSM and others, are reported to have joined forces with the København, Denmark-based Maritime Development Center to develop DecarbonICE, an on-board carbon capture and storage (CCS)solution.

The DecarbonICE concept captures ship exhaust CO2 and other GHGs in a cryogenic process and turns it into dry ice. Proven offshore technology is then applied during normal ship operations to transport the dry ice into the seafloor sediments for permanent sequestration as liquid CO2 and CO2 hydrate.

In combination with future carbon neutral fuels like biofuels and electro fuels, the DecarbonICE technology can create carbon negative shipping and thus contribute to atmospheric carbon reduction at a significantly lower cost than shore-based CCS. capture.

The shipping industry is looking for carbon free solutions to achieve the IMO 2050 target of a 50 pct CO2 emissions reduction compared to the 2008 level. (Source: Maritime Development Center, Port News, 1 Dec., 2019) Contact: Maritime Development Center, +45 33 33 74 88, www.mdc.center

More Low-Carbon Energy News CCS,  Carbon Capture & Storage,  CO2,  Maritime Emissions,  IMO,  

Air Liquide, Air Products, ExxonMobil , Shell
Date: 2019-12-04
In the Netherlands, the Port of Rotterdam CO2 Transport Hub and Offshore Storage Project (PORTHOS) is reporting a non-binding agreement with Air Liquide, Air Products, ExxonMobil and Shell to collectively work on preparations for the capture, transport and storage of carbon dioxide in Rotterdam for eventual storage in empty gas fields beneath the North Sea.

The carbon capture will take place at Air Liquide, Air Products, ExxonMobil and Shell refineries and hydrogen production facilities in Rotterdam. The transport and storage of the CO2 beneath the North Sea will be prepared by Porthos.

The Netherlands has clear climate objectives: the emission of greenhouse gases must be reduced by 49 pct by 2030 and by 95 pct by 2050 compared with 1990. One way to achieve the climate objectives is to capture CO2 for use or for storage underground (CCUS). The national coalition agreement and the national Climate Agreement underline the importance of CCUS for the energy transition. (Source: PORTHOS, Gas World, Dec., 2019) Contact: PORTHOS, +31 6 2246 6553, info@rotterdamccus.nl. www.rotterdamccus.nl/en

More Low-Carbon Energy News Air Liquide,  Air Products,  CCS,  CCUS,  ExxonMobil ,  Shell ,  Carbon Capture,  

Canada Green Building Council
Date: 2019-12-04
The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) has released the results of its Disclosure Challenge, an initiative designed to champion the importance of energy bench-marking and data transparency in the Canadian commercial real estate market. The results have CaGBC and initiative participants, including QuadReal, Triovest Realty Advisors Inc., Concert Properties Ltd., Colliers International, and the Minto Group calling on federal and provincial governments to implement consistent building data disclosure regulations and requirements.

For Canada to reach its emissions reduction targets and transition to a low-carbon economy over the next decade it is essential that existing buildings achieve significant energy efficiency improvements. One of the barriers to meeting these goals is the current lack of publicly available data on commercial building performance in Canada.

While energy bench-marking regulations are in effect in Ontario, the Challenge marked the first time Canadian real estate owners have voluntarily disclosed their Canada-wide portfolio data. These five participants publicly disclosed available data for over 11 million square meters of space in buildings spread across the country from Victoria to Halifax including offices, warehouses, residential apartment buildings and retail shops. Insights from the Disclosure Challenge show:

In comparison with Natural Research Canada (NRCan) average site energy use intensity values, overall participant office buildings performed approximately 10 pct better than the average office in Canada, whereas participant multi-residential buildings were about even with the average.

Average energy use intensity for office and multi-residential buildings in the challenge were 286 kWh/m2 and 256 kWh/m2 respectively. As compared to high-performance efficiency standards for new office and multi-residential buildings in Canada coming into force in different jurisdictions (with a standard of 100 kWh/m2). Disclosure Challenge office buildings were approximately 65 pct less efficient and multi-residential buildings were 61 pct less efficient.

GHG Emissions intensity varied across the country and was generally correlated with the electricity supply grid intensity, so office buildings in Alberta were as high as 170 kgCO2e/m2 and apartments in British Columbia were as low as 24 kgCO2e/m2 .

View the full Canada Green Building Council Disclosure Challenge HERE. (Source: Canada Green Building Council, PR, Dec., 2019) Contact: Canada Green Building Council, Thomas Mueller, Pres. and CEO, (866) 941-1184, info@cagbc.org, www.cagbc.org

More Low-Carbon Energy News Canada Green Building Council,  Energy Benchmark,  Energy Efficiency,  Building Eddiciency,  

Auistralia,Climate Change
Date: 2019-12-02
According to the Australian Department of the Environment and Energy, year to June, Australia emitted 532 million tons of CO2 and equivalent greenhouse gases (Mt CO2 -e), a .01 pct drop from the previous 12-month period.

Agricultural emissions exerted the strongest downward pressure, falling 5.9 pct on the previous year to 67.4 Mt CO2-e, driven by decimated livestock numbers as a result of both drought and this year's floods in northern Queensland. Electric power generation contributed 179.9 Mt CO2 -e, down 1.2 pct for the year and 1.8 pect for the quarter, although it remained by far the biggest single source of greenhouse gas emissions.

The Department credited increased use of renewable energy and decreases in coal and natural gas power generation for falling emissions levels. Transport sector emissions also fell by 0.5 pct while emissions in all other sectors increased. Fugitive emissions rose 4.4 pct as a result of escaped methane during the natural gas extraction process. Emissions from fossil fuels burned directly by industry increased 3.6 pct.

Australia's Paris Climate Accord targeted of 26 to 28 pct below 2005 levels by 2030. Currently, Australia's emissions are 12.5 per cent below 2005 levels. (Source: Australian Department of the Environment and EnergyFinancial Review, 29 Nov., 2019) Contact: Australian Department of the Environment and Energy, 1800 057 590, www.environment.gov.au

More Low-Carbon Energy News Carbon Emissions,  Australia Emissions,  Climate Change,  

Lafarge,SVante
Date: 2019-12-02
Following the implementation of Project CO2MENT, cement giant Lafarge Canada reports flue gas from its Richmond Cement Plant is now being captured using a $28-million Savante system that purifies cement flue gas by trapping its contaminants to enable an efficient and durable CO2 capture process.

The next phase of Project CO2MENT will demonstrate of CO2 utilization solutions such as reinjecting it into low-carbon fuels, CO2concrete, and fly ash, will begin in 2020.

The CO2MENT Project -- a partnership between LafargeHolcim and TOTAL S.A. -- is constructiung a 1 tpd plant in Richmond, BC that will re-inject captured CO2 into concrete as a storage solution. A 30 tpd demonstration plant was completed this summer at Husky Energy's Pikes Peak South thermal project in Saskatchewan, Canada. (Source: Lafarge Canada Inc., PR, Businesswire, 29 Nov., 2019) Contact: Lafarge Jill Truscott, (403) 723-7151, jill.truscott@lafargeholcim.com; Svante, Claude Letourneau, Pres., CEO, www.svanteinc.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Lafarge,  

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Date: 2019-12-02
The London, UK-headquartered European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) reports it will lend $183 million to state-owned the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC), a state-owned company for grid and network modernization, new sub-station construction to accommodate the injection of 1.3 GW of electricity produced from renewable sources.

The EBRD funded projects are expected to reduce CO2emissions by 77,000 tpy in Egypt. (Source: EBRD, Afrik21, 30 Nov., 2019) Contact: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, +44 (0) 207 338 6000, www.ebrd.com; Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company, www.eehc.gov.eg

More Low-Carbon Energy News European Bank for Reconstruction and Development ,