A better way for countries to track their progress on sustainability

January 1, 2020 | 159 views

How can a country tell that it’s making progress on sustainability? How can it work out, from year to year, whether its environment is improving, along with the economy and well-being? This is incredibly difficult. A successful measure must have at least three characteristics: it needs to be based on a comprehensive set of reliable data; it must be accessible to non-specialists; and it has to be updated regularly and presented so that progress (or lack of it) can be seen easily. For decades, researchers and policymakers have been searching for a measure that everyone can agree on. But most efforts, from the Human Development Index to the Genuine Progress Indicator, end up lacking some aspect of those three characteristics.

Spotlight

Wind & Sun Ltd.

We offer a complete distribution wholesale service for solar PV (photovoltaic) and wind installers throughout the UK (United Kingdom), from product selection and installation support through to system trouble shooting

OTHER ARTICLES
ENERGY, INDUSTRY UPDATES

A vision for renewable energy

Article | July 29, 2022

Right now, renewable energy makes up a very small part of the entire energy sector of Bangladesh. But as we move into the future, and concerns about the environment become too great to ignore, exploring cleaner and greener sources of energy becomes the need of the hour. Our economy is booming, and our population is growing, so it goes without saying that our energy requirements are immense. There is plenty of scientific evidence that burning fossil fuels indiscriminately is not sustainable in the long term, so we do need to up our game in looking at alternatives.

Read More
STRATEGY AND BEST PRACTICES, INDUSTRY UPDATES

2020: The Year of Convergence in Corporate Renewables

Article | August 16, 2022

The rapid growth of corporate renewable procurement has been nothing short of a buyer-driven revolution in the United States’ electric sector. Almost 20 gigawatts (GWs) of corporate power purchasing agreements (PPAs) were completed in 2019 across the globe, up from 13 GWs of corporate PPAs in 2018 and triple the numbers from 2017.1,2 And the majority of this growth has come from the United States. Fortunately for those of us committed to renewable energy, we expect this trend to continue. But as should be expected in such a dynamic, buyer-driven sector, we are starting to see some noticeable shifts in the marketplace as it evolves and grows. I wanted to highlight some of the trends Constellation is watching for this year.

Read More
SOLAR+STORAGE

2020 Trends That Will Make Waves In The Energy Industry

Article | June 14, 2022

In the renewable world, energy is generated by weather and the amount of energy that can be produced depends on the current conditions. Energy storage can ensure a power supply is maintained when weather conditions are not optimal for generating energy. While energy storage products have already been introduced to all levels of the market there are several technology hurdles to overcome before energy storage will reach maximum potential. We believe there will be great advancements in 2020 on:

Read More

Solar Power, Great For The Environment? Or Is It The Last Thing We Need?

Article | February 10, 2020

Solar power is an undeniably a green, renewable form of electricity generation - but many organisations with questionable motives (even here in New Zealand) are trying to persuade the public (and Government – hi lobbyists!) that solar power isn’t that environmentally friendly, and that it's even harmful. At the expense of bullish corporate profits, solar power is often thrown under the bus. This article lists the facts - putting an end to the negative spin on solar so often found in the media. When solar panels produce power, they do not; create any air pollution, use zero water, create carbon emissions, noise pollution, and they won’t disturb surrounding ecosystems. Solar power is a renewable energy source, the sun’s rays are infinite, fill your boots.

Read More

Spotlight

Wind & Sun Ltd.

We offer a complete distribution wholesale service for solar PV (photovoltaic) and wind installers throughout the UK (United Kingdom), from product selection and installation support through to system trouble shooting

Related News

SUSTAINABILITY,ENERGY

SMUD Announce Entering into a Partnership with Swell Energy

Swell Energy | January 03, 2023

Swell Energy and Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) publicly announced their agreement for Swell to serve as the aggregator for SMUD's new 'My Energy Optimizer Partner+' program, a virtual power plant effort powered by home customers. The virtual power plant program is one of California's most advanced and inventive undertakings. It combines household solar and battery storage systems to minimize greenhouse gas emissions and make the electric grid more sustainable, resilient, and reliable. Individual solar and battery storage systems only help customers manage their own energy needs. While the program allows customers to use their own systems with others to collect and transmit renewable energy sources to help their communities, customers who sign up for My Energy Optimizer Partner+ will get compensation, called GridRevenueTM, both upfront and over time based on the size of their solar and energy storage systems. As more and more customers add solar panel systems and battery storage solutions, they will be able to manage their energy needs better while reducing their community's carbon footprint. The success of programs like My Energy Optimizer Partner+ will bring additional opportunities for the local population while enabling the large-scale deployment of renewable energy and reducing the need for traditional energy sources in the area. About Swell Energy Swell Energy is an energy management and smart grid solutions provider, working towards the mass adoption and distribution of clean energy technologies. It empowers customers to take control of their energy use and costs, achieve energy security, and participate in the transactive grid. In addition, it offers financing and virtual power plant programs to residential owners and businesses while collaborating with reputable local solar and solar storage organization to ensure smooth and high-quality installations.

Read More

SUSTAINABILITY,STRATEGY AND BEST PRACTICES

Advent Technologies and Vantage Towers Greece Collaborate for a Greener Purpose!

Advent Technologies | December 23, 2022

Contents 1. Eco-friendly POC 2. An Innovative Move 3. Merits of Using Methanol-powered Fuel Cells 4. What Next? Advent Technologies Holdings, a US corporation that develops, manufactures, and assembles complete fuel cell systems, recently announced a proof-of-concept (POC) project in collaboration with one of Europe’s leading tower companies, Vantage Towers Greece. “The total carbon footprint of EU-27 was equal to 6.8 tonnes of CO2 per person in 2019. Services, that accounted for 25% of the total carbon footprint, only accounted for 7% of the direct CO2 emissions” -Eurostat The duo has developed an environment-friendly idea for replacing diesel generators with fuel cells. Vantage Towers Greece, the only independent tower infrastructure company in Greece, believes that non-permanent sites, which are not connected to the power grid, can get electricity by replacing diesel generators with fuel cells. 1. Eco-friendly POC Vantage Towers Greece, a subsidiary of Vantage Towers Group, is planning to incorporate Advent Technologies’ serene biomethanol-powered fuel systems as backup and primary power sources for its telecom towers. The POC aligns with Vantage’s overall strategy of driving sustainable digitalization in Europe. In addition, the company aims to reduce carbon emissions across its network by using clean energy solutions. 2. An Innovative Move From a greener alignsperspective, liquid biomethanol is a better option! It’s much easier to transport and store liquid biomethanol as a hydrogen carrier than hydrogen gas. Moreover, it also enhances the safety of operations by reducing over 80% of carbon emissions compared to diesel generators. 3. Merits of Using Methanol-powered Fuel Cells Advent Technologies’ methanol-powered fuel cells may prove to be a game-changer. Apart from being environment-friendly, it also possesses certain vital advantages, such as a small carbon footprint, no NOx or SOx emissions, less noise compared to conventional generator units, a long operating lifetime, and low service or maintenance fees. Besides, Advent fuel cells can operate in any weather i.e., from extreme cold to hot and humid climates. 4. What Next? If this move turns out to be a success, the two companies may join hands for other wider deployments. Nevertheless, Advent Technologies has already installed around 500 methanol-powered serene fuel cell systems in the Asian market to be used as a backup and primary power source for the telecommunications sector. About Advent Technologies Headquartered in Boston (Massachusetts), Advent Technologies Holdings is a US corporation that supplies customers with critical components for fuel cells in the renewable energy sector. With offices in California, Greece, Denmark, Germany, and the Philippines, the company has over 150 patents issued, pending, and/or licensed for fuel cell technology.

Read More

STRATEGY AND BEST PRACTICES,ENERGY

NV Energy Selects Energy Vault for 440 MWh Energy Storage System in Nevada

Energy Vault Holdings, Inc. | December 13, 2022

Energy Vault Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: NRGV) (“Energy Vault” or the “Company”), a leader in sustainable grid-scale energy storage solutions, announced that NV Energy, Nevada’s largest public utility, has awarded the Company with a project for the deployment of a short duration energy storage solution. The Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), one of the largest in Nevada, is expected to start construction in Q2 2023 with commercial operation expected by the end of 2023. The 220MW/440MWh grid-tied BESS will be deployed at a site located near Las Vegas. The 2-hour energy storage system is designed to store and dispatch excess renewable energy, including wind and solar power. The BESS will be charged and discharged on a daily basis and designed to dispatch stored renewable energy at peak consumption hours to help meet the high demand during Nevada’s peak load hours. “Energy Vault is pleased to be selected by NV Energy for a mission critical project supporting Nevada’s largest electric provider in achieving its goal of net zero emissions by 2050, This is Energy Vault’s first public utility customer for our short duration energy storage solutions, which furthers our strategy to be the energy storage company of choice for utilities, IPPs and large energy users. We look forward to beginning our relationship with NV Energy to help them meet their IRP needs for both short and long duration energy storage.” -Marco Terruzzin, Chief Commercial and Product Officer, Energy Vault. With a portfolio of approximately 4.8 GWh of contracted and awarded projects, equally distributed between short and long duration, Energy Vault is rapidly expanding to become the leading solutions provider for large and complex projects supporting multiple underlying hardware storage technologies. About Energy Vault Energy Vault® develops and deploys utility-scale energy storage solutions designed to transform the world's approach to sustainable energy storage. The company's comprehensive offerings include proprietary gravity-based storage, battery storage, and green hydrogen energy storage technologies. Each storage solution is supported by the Company’s hardware technology-agnostic energy management system software and integration platform. Unique to the industry, Energy Vault’s innovative technology portfolio delivers customized short-and-long-duration energy storage solutions to help utilities, independent power producers, and large industrial energy users significantly reduce levelized energy costs while maintaining power reliability. Utilizing eco-friendly materials with the ability to integrate waste materials for beneficial reuse, Energy Vault’s EVx™ gravity-based energy storage technology is facilitating the shift to a circular economy while accelerating the global clean energy transition for its customers. Please visit www.energyvault.com for more information

Read More

SUSTAINABILITY,ENERGY

SMUD Announce Entering into a Partnership with Swell Energy

Swell Energy | January 03, 2023

Swell Energy and Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) publicly announced their agreement for Swell to serve as the aggregator for SMUD's new 'My Energy Optimizer Partner+' program, a virtual power plant effort powered by home customers. The virtual power plant program is one of California's most advanced and inventive undertakings. It combines household solar and battery storage systems to minimize greenhouse gas emissions and make the electric grid more sustainable, resilient, and reliable. Individual solar and battery storage systems only help customers manage their own energy needs. While the program allows customers to use their own systems with others to collect and transmit renewable energy sources to help their communities, customers who sign up for My Energy Optimizer Partner+ will get compensation, called GridRevenueTM, both upfront and over time based on the size of their solar and energy storage systems. As more and more customers add solar panel systems and battery storage solutions, they will be able to manage their energy needs better while reducing their community's carbon footprint. The success of programs like My Energy Optimizer Partner+ will bring additional opportunities for the local population while enabling the large-scale deployment of renewable energy and reducing the need for traditional energy sources in the area. About Swell Energy Swell Energy is an energy management and smart grid solutions provider, working towards the mass adoption and distribution of clean energy technologies. It empowers customers to take control of their energy use and costs, achieve energy security, and participate in the transactive grid. In addition, it offers financing and virtual power plant programs to residential owners and businesses while collaborating with reputable local solar and solar storage organization to ensure smooth and high-quality installations.

Read More

SUSTAINABILITY,STRATEGY AND BEST PRACTICES

Advent Technologies and Vantage Towers Greece Collaborate for a Greener Purpose!

Advent Technologies | December 23, 2022

Contents 1. Eco-friendly POC 2. An Innovative Move 3. Merits of Using Methanol-powered Fuel Cells 4. What Next? Advent Technologies Holdings, a US corporation that develops, manufactures, and assembles complete fuel cell systems, recently announced a proof-of-concept (POC) project in collaboration with one of Europe’s leading tower companies, Vantage Towers Greece. “The total carbon footprint of EU-27 was equal to 6.8 tonnes of CO2 per person in 2019. Services, that accounted for 25% of the total carbon footprint, only accounted for 7% of the direct CO2 emissions” -Eurostat The duo has developed an environment-friendly idea for replacing diesel generators with fuel cells. Vantage Towers Greece, the only independent tower infrastructure company in Greece, believes that non-permanent sites, which are not connected to the power grid, can get electricity by replacing diesel generators with fuel cells. 1. Eco-friendly POC Vantage Towers Greece, a subsidiary of Vantage Towers Group, is planning to incorporate Advent Technologies’ serene biomethanol-powered fuel systems as backup and primary power sources for its telecom towers. The POC aligns with Vantage’s overall strategy of driving sustainable digitalization in Europe. In addition, the company aims to reduce carbon emissions across its network by using clean energy solutions. 2. An Innovative Move From a greener alignsperspective, liquid biomethanol is a better option! It’s much easier to transport and store liquid biomethanol as a hydrogen carrier than hydrogen gas. Moreover, it also enhances the safety of operations by reducing over 80% of carbon emissions compared to diesel generators. 3. Merits of Using Methanol-powered Fuel Cells Advent Technologies’ methanol-powered fuel cells may prove to be a game-changer. Apart from being environment-friendly, it also possesses certain vital advantages, such as a small carbon footprint, no NOx or SOx emissions, less noise compared to conventional generator units, a long operating lifetime, and low service or maintenance fees. Besides, Advent fuel cells can operate in any weather i.e., from extreme cold to hot and humid climates. 4. What Next? If this move turns out to be a success, the two companies may join hands for other wider deployments. Nevertheless, Advent Technologies has already installed around 500 methanol-powered serene fuel cell systems in the Asian market to be used as a backup and primary power source for the telecommunications sector. About Advent Technologies Headquartered in Boston (Massachusetts), Advent Technologies Holdings is a US corporation that supplies customers with critical components for fuel cells in the renewable energy sector. With offices in California, Greece, Denmark, Germany, and the Philippines, the company has over 150 patents issued, pending, and/or licensed for fuel cell technology.

Read More

STRATEGY AND BEST PRACTICES,ENERGY

NV Energy Selects Energy Vault for 440 MWh Energy Storage System in Nevada

Energy Vault Holdings, Inc. | December 13, 2022

Energy Vault Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: NRGV) (“Energy Vault” or the “Company”), a leader in sustainable grid-scale energy storage solutions, announced that NV Energy, Nevada’s largest public utility, has awarded the Company with a project for the deployment of a short duration energy storage solution. The Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), one of the largest in Nevada, is expected to start construction in Q2 2023 with commercial operation expected by the end of 2023. The 220MW/440MWh grid-tied BESS will be deployed at a site located near Las Vegas. The 2-hour energy storage system is designed to store and dispatch excess renewable energy, including wind and solar power. The BESS will be charged and discharged on a daily basis and designed to dispatch stored renewable energy at peak consumption hours to help meet the high demand during Nevada’s peak load hours. “Energy Vault is pleased to be selected by NV Energy for a mission critical project supporting Nevada’s largest electric provider in achieving its goal of net zero emissions by 2050, This is Energy Vault’s first public utility customer for our short duration energy storage solutions, which furthers our strategy to be the energy storage company of choice for utilities, IPPs and large energy users. We look forward to beginning our relationship with NV Energy to help them meet their IRP needs for both short and long duration energy storage.” -Marco Terruzzin, Chief Commercial and Product Officer, Energy Vault. With a portfolio of approximately 4.8 GWh of contracted and awarded projects, equally distributed between short and long duration, Energy Vault is rapidly expanding to become the leading solutions provider for large and complex projects supporting multiple underlying hardware storage technologies. About Energy Vault Energy Vault® develops and deploys utility-scale energy storage solutions designed to transform the world's approach to sustainable energy storage. The company's comprehensive offerings include proprietary gravity-based storage, battery storage, and green hydrogen energy storage technologies. Each storage solution is supported by the Company’s hardware technology-agnostic energy management system software and integration platform. Unique to the industry, Energy Vault’s innovative technology portfolio delivers customized short-and-long-duration energy storage solutions to help utilities, independent power producers, and large industrial energy users significantly reduce levelized energy costs while maintaining power reliability. Utilizing eco-friendly materials with the ability to integrate waste materials for beneficial reuse, Energy Vault’s EVx™ gravity-based energy storage technology is facilitating the shift to a circular economy while accelerating the global clean energy transition for its customers. Please visit www.energyvault.com for more information

Read More

Events