Europe

France: 100% renewables as cheap as 50% nuclear

Jun 1st, 2015

AcidNews June 2015

The findings of a new report show that renewables can entirely cover French electricity needs by 2050 instead of a mix of nuclear, renewables and fossil fuels, which currently is the government plan.

A report by the French Environment and Energy Agency (Ademe), aided by the General Directorate for Energy and Climate, has concluded that supplying the nation’s electricity demand with renewables by 2050 would cost about the same as the plan currently favoured by the president and the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, which is to meet France’s power needs with 50 per cent nuclear, 40 per cent renewables and 10 per cent fossil fuels by 2050.

The potential for electricity generation from renewables in France by 2050 (1,268 TWh a year) is triple the nation’s projected electricity demand over that period (422 TWh). Reaching this goal would require demand management that lowers consumption by 14 per cent, despite a projected population increase of six million. A diversity of sources would be required to achieve a 100 per cent renewable electricity mix. The study projects a mix of 63 per cent offshore and onshore wind, 17 per cent solar, 13 per cent hydro, and 7 per cent thermal energy (including geothermal). The regions with the best renewable development potential are Aquitane, Brittany, MidiPyrénées, the Pays de la Loire, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, and Rhône-Alpes. The report assumes that pre-tax consumer electricity costs will rise about 30 per cent by mid-century.

Between 2019 and 2025, almost half of France’s 58 nuclear reactors will reach the 40-year lifespan for which they were designed. They will then need to apply for a licence extension, which requires upgrading to new technology, or will have to be decommissioned. Both options are costly.

Source: http://www.mediapart.fr/journal/france/080415/energie-le-rapport-cache-sur-une-france-100-renouvelable

http://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2015/04/09/une-france-avec-100-d-electricite-renouvelable-pas-plus-couteux-que-le-nucleaire_4613278_3244.html

http://www.go100percent.org/cms/index.php?id=45&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=395&cHash=c49d899dffe50003b28e67bc8ffa6655

European coal and gas power on the way out

May 21st, 2015

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AcidNews June 2015

In a conference in mid-May organised in the run-up to the Paris climate negotiations in December 2015, gathering corporate executives from major power companies, Gérard Mestrallet, chief executive of Engie, one of the world’s biggest power companies said that fossil fuel electricity generation indeed is on its way out in Europe.

The profitability of gas and coal power generation have deteriorated to the point that future growth is more likely to come in big emerging markets such as India and China. According to Mr Mestrallet, power companies have stopped investing in thermal power generation in Europe and instead are investing in renewables.

European power companies are adapting to a market in which renewables are more profitable. Furthermore these power companies often struggle with overcapacity and competition from the growth of subsidised renewables. However, European power companies continue to build big power plants in emerging countries: Brazil, Chile, Peru, the Middle East and Asia.

Most of the corporate executives claimed to take climate change seriously and thus wanted to see Europe as a zero emissions area in 2050, with companies such as Czech CEZ taking the lead.

Source: Financial Times, 21 May 2015

Anaerobic Digestate

Jan 1st, 2014

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Germany Testing Wireless Induction Charging for Electric Buses

Mar 29th, 2013

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http://inhabitat.com/wireless-induction-charging-for-electric-vehicles-to-be-tested-on-german-buses/

Primove, a subsidiary of transportation giant Bombardier, just announced plans to test wireless induction charging on public buses in Manheim, Germany! In a few months the company will outfit two buses with “invisible” inductive technology that powers the vehicles with wireless chargers installed below the asphalt of existing bus routes.

primove-induction-charging-2-537x331

Induction works by creating a magnetic field using conductors. Primove uses rods of varying lengths buried underneath the asphalt to act as those conductors. The magnetic field then generates electricity when another conductor, in this case a vehicle, comes in contact with the field. The electricity that’s generated is then picked up by the undercarriage of the vehicle and routed to its battery.

Charging can happen when the vehicle is stopped or even just moving over the induction surface. When there is no vehicle within its field, the charger is inactive. And according to Primove, its induction rods won’t interfere with cell phones or pacemakers. The best part about this wireless technology is that it isn’t susceptible to water or the weather.

A key benefit to Primove’s inductive charging system is that it allows for continuous electric bus operation due to high-power charging locations embedded within existing bus routes. Another benefit is that by extending battery life with intermediary inductive charging, electric vehicle batteries can get smaller and make more room for passengers. Plus, induction charging lowers the cost of ownership of an electric vehicle as you can charge your battery for free by just driving on the streets with embedded chargers.