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August, 2008:

Power Firms In Air-Quality Pact

Aug 4th, 2008
by AdminCTA.
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Anita Lam – SCMP – Updated on Aug 04, 2008

The government has reached a pact with the two power companies to boost air quality during the Olympic equestrian competition.

Secretary for the Environment Edward Yau Tang-wah said Hongkong Electric and CLP Power had agreed to use cleaner fuels during the events in an effort to cut emission of pollutants during the Olympic and Paralympics events.

“The two electric companies will increase their use of natural gas by about 20 per cent … we hope this will help improve the city’s air quality,” he said.

Natural gas is the cleanest of all fossil fuels, in releasing 2,591 times less sulfur dioxide and five times less nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide than coal.

But it makes up only 17 per cent of energy generation for Hongkong Electric and about a third for CLP Power due to cost concerns and technical constraints.

The two companies said gas use would revert to normal when the Games were over but they would continue to review supplies to decide whether to increase its use in the long run.

Other green measures for the events include a ban on idling engines at the venue. The Equestrian Company will also confine its fleet to vehicles with emission standards of Euro three or above.

Mr Yau said that in the long run, the government would further strengthen co-operation with Guangdong over a standardised set of air pollution indices and the two governments would also continue to assist the 60,000 Hong Kong enterprises in the Pearl River Delta to reduce emissions. Speaking on a radio programme, the minister said the government had already poured HK$93 million into a Cleaner Production Partnership Programme.

China Set To Lead In Green Energy Technology

Aug 4th, 2008
by AdminCTA.
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Bloomberg in New York – Updated on Aug 04, 2008

China, the world’s biggest greenhouse-gas emitter, is poised to lead world production of solar cells, wind power turbines and low-carbon energy technology.

The country is already the world’s largest renewable-energy producer as measured by installed generating capacity, according to a report from the Climate Group, a coalition of companies and governments that support solutions to global warming. The country is also the world’s top manufacturer of solar cells and will be the leading exporter of wind turbines by next year.

The nation’s position as a renewable-energy consumer and manufacturer runs counter to its ranking as one of the world’s biggest polluters and the country’s rapid expansion of coal-fired power generation. About 75 per cent of mainland electricity came from coal, said Wu Changhua, the China director for the Climate Group.

“They have to do clean energy because they can’t just do more and more dirty energy,” said Michael Liebreich, chief executive of London-based New Energy Finance, which provides research to clean-energy investors. “We’re seeing China as being a Number 1, 2 or 3 player in lots of different sectors in this industry.”

The mainland was closing older coal-fired power plants and replacing them with more efficient coal generators, Ms Wu said. While the nation would continue to rely on coal to fuel its rapid economic growth, state officials understood the need to move to clean energy, she said.

The government wants to reduce the amount of energy the country uses to produce each unit of economic output by 20 per cent in two years and has told its 1,000 largest energy-consuming companies to cut their power consumption even more, according to the report.

Meanwhile, the government is imposing emergency traffic and industrial production restrictions to reduce pollution during this month’s Olympic Games in Beijing.

About 16 per cent of mainland electricity came from renewable sources in 2006, led by the world’s largest number of hydroelectric generators, according to the report. The nation’s goal is to increase the proportion of renewable electricity to 23 per cent by 2020.

China invested more than US$12 billion in renewable energy last year, second only to Germany.

The nation needed to invest a further US$398 billion to reach its 2020 renewable energy goals, an average of US$33 billion a year, the report said.

“The system in China compared to many other countries seems to be more effective,” Ms Wu said. “Basically, if the top leadership in Beijing decides to drive this kind of effort, they really get things done.”

What Do You Think Of Air-Con Levels?

Aug 4th, 2008
by AdminCTA.
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Updated on Aug 04, 2008 – SCMP

A number of letters have appeared about the use of air conditioners. The correspondents have concentrated on their overuse.

Most people have restricted their remarks to shops, especially shopping malls, transport and offices, claiming, correctly, that thermostats should be at a higher setting.

I would like to concentrate on home use. In many households, not only could the temperature be set higher but, in fact, there is no need to have air conditioners on at all.

Before your readers shout “impossible”, may I say that this household has not had one of our four air conditioners operating at all this year.

Instead, we have relied on fans and adequate ventilation in the flat.

My daughter, who is 12, would be the first person to complain if this situation was in the least unbearable, but she has not registered any misgivings.

In short, we just don’t need to use air conditioners and, indeed, feel a lot more comfortable without them being on.

We do not do it for financial reasons, but it is interesting to note that our monthly electricity bill is about HK$300, whereas some good friends of ours who use their air conditioners a lot have a bill of about HK$3,000 a month.

I am certainly not advocating that all households in Hong Kong should follow our example. We live on the 22nd floor and have a flat facing the sea.

Our ceiling fans are first class and we do not suffer from mosquitoes when the windows are left open.

If one lives in a more urban environment on a lower floor, then it might be necessary to use the air con.

However, that still leaves thousands of households that have the right conditions to dispense with air conditioning. As I said, it is not for financial reasons, although the saving is useful; it is because one feels better in a more natural environment.

Air conditioning is like an addiction – once you start using it you feel you always need to use it. Try to adjust to not living in an artificial temperature. You will find it much easier than expected and also Hong Kong will benefit, because there can be a huge reduction in the import of oil.

Chris Stubbs, Discovery Bay

Head Of Green Group Touts Gore Clean Energy Goal

Aug 1st, 2008
by AdminCTA.
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Reuters in Washington – Updated on Aug 01, 2008

The head of a group founded by Al Gore told lawmakers on Thursday (early on Friday HK time) that the former vice president’s goal of generating all US electricity from clean, renewable sources within 10 years is ambitious but attainable.

Cathy Zoi, CEO of the Alliance for Climate Protection, told the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming that there were no technological or other obstacles in the way of clean power.

“Many Americans have a hard time thinking about our energy future, largely because their energy present is so challenging,” she said. “Staying on our present track is an invitation to sustained higher prices.”

Meeting Gore’s challenge will require a three-pronged, approach involving energy efficiency, renewables and an updated national electric grid, Zoi said.

She noted that existing technologies can already reduce 20 per cent of the average family’s energy use.

The cost of the clean power goal would mostly be absorbed by private sources, Zoi said.

“If policies reward reducing global warming pollution, private capital will flow towards clean energy solutions.”

Zoi said a smart electric grid could be the backbone of a modern power system able to “move power from remote resource-rich areas to places where power is consumed.”

The system would incorporate a smart meter to allow consumers to sell electricity back to the grid through power made in their homes or stored in plug-in cars.

Greg Yurek, CEO of American Superconductor Corp , said the superconductor wires his company manufactures can carry 10 times the amount of power of traditional copper cables.

These wires have the potential to double the power capacity of wind turbines.

“Grid modernisation with superconductor cables and other energy technologies will provide the capacity needed for the wide use of plug-in electric vehicles,” Yurek said.

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