Green Innovation Time

Mr Micheal Kotter, the Chief Executive Officer, International Bio gas and Bio energy Center of Competence (IBBK) Germany says Nigeria has enough biomass capacity to provide its electricity. Kotter said this at the workshop on bio gas technical presentation organised by the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) on Thursday in Abuja. He said that even though it was his first visit to the country, he observed that Nigeria has a lot of biomass that could be channeled into the production of electricity and for organic fertiliser for agricultural purposes. Kotter said that invasive plants in some environments that destroy farmlands could also be turned to biogas by mixing it with dung to produce energy. He said that a country as big as Nigeria should be producing far more energy for its citizens to use through the cheap and efficient means of biogas production. Kotter however cautioned that not all waste was good enough for efficient production of electricity, adding that

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) in pursuance of the National Policy on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, has issued three windows for grid connected renewable energy projects. The regulator explained that the three the windows are in pursuit of its regulatory mandates established in 2015. NERC said the first window is the net-metering for very small capacities (typically below 1 megawatts [MW]. The second one is the feed-in tariff for capacities up to 5 MW of solar, 10 MW of wind, 10 MW of Biomass and 30MW of small hydro. NERC then said competitive tender for capacities above these thresholds is to be procured through the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET). source: energymixreport.com

Azuris Technologies’ General Manager in charge of the West African region, Mrs Vera Nwanze has stated that the company targets to deploy its PayGo solar systems to one million rural homes in Nigeria in line with the federal government’s commitment to increase access to renewable energy,  THISDAY  reports. Speaking to journalists in Lagos at the weekend, Nwanze, who disclosed that the company entered Nigeria in 2016, added that the federal government mandated it to deploy 20,000 units of the PayGo solar systems to off-grid communities in 10 states in the north in one year. “We are discussing to expand the programme to other states. The plan is to deploy one million of our flagship product, Quad, across Nigeria. We are in Kano at the moment and we have deployed over 1,000 units. When we deploy a unit, we register the customer and the payment is spread over a period of three years,” she explained. source: energymixreport.com

Yuri Tsitrinbaum , CEO Lumos Nigeria, offering paygo solar solutions reaching over 200,000 households, tells BusinessDay’s  ISAAC ANYAOGU and TELIAT SULE  how Lumos is deepening PayGo Solar adoption in Nigeria and what can be done to diversify the country’s energy mix. T ell us a little about your Nigerian operations, and why you decided to come to here. Looking globally, Africa is a big market and Nigeria is by far the biggest market in sub Saharan Africa. This problem of power is not only in Africa. Asian countries like Pakistan and India, are struggling with high population growth and infrastructure gap, which leaves many people in the dark. We put together an electricity service through a mobile operator (MTN) that is affordable and reliable. This enables scalability, reach to the customers and flexibility of payment for the service. There is a huge need for power in Nigeria. Today, people use mainly generators to solve the problem of access to electricity. We put a more a

 Climate change, increasing inequality and a struggling global economy are three of the biggest challenges facing humanity today. Our present economic system needs a refit to be compatible with life on this planet. Sustainable and stable economic growth is challenging in a world of rising inequality and an increasingly volatile climate. In this context, the decisions we make now on investments, infrastructure, measuring economic performances as well as choices about our lifestyles will determine how sustainable, secure and peaceful our lives will be in the future. Our economies must become fit for purpose – they must become green, inclusive and resilient. This requires aligning financial flows with climate stability, enabling consumers to choose healthy, low-carbon, sustainable lifestyles, and empowering the poor through jobs, access to education, health, skills.  Looking back at the entry into force of the  Paris Agreement  and the adoption of the  Sustainable Development Goal

Disturbed by the tonnes of waste generated in Nigeria and its poor management, some women are making efforts to create a rewarding business out of recycling, writes DANIEL ESSIET.  As the price of imported products soar and the sustainability movement gains momentum, recycling markets have strengthened across the country. Where they were once limited to aluminium cans, soda bottles and milk jugs, there are now recyclables markets for  everything. This has created new oppor-tunities for an increasing number of Nigerians to make money from trash. One of them is Chief Executive Officer, T. Cynthia Nigeria Limited, Mrs Cynthia Saka. She is making money from selling products taken from landfills. To her, waste collection and recycling is not just a matter of recovering recyclable material; but also part of the economic system. According to her, there are buyers for waste. Sometimes she gets truckloads of plastics from collectors. The next step is to get them sorted, packaged and

A rare eclipse set to traverse the US on Monday has sparked a tourism bonanza, as people flock to towns in its path to see the sun’s corona encircle the moon.  The control rooms of the nation’s electric utilities will also be watching. That is because thousands of megawatts of solar energy will disappear as skies darken.   In California, the grid operator is lining up additional supply from natural gas power plants and hydroelectric dams to accommodate the drop. PJM Interconnection, the grid spanning from Illinois to New Jersey, expects up to 2,500MW of solar power to be lost and will rely on replacement generation. The contingency plans reflect the expansion of solar energy in the US in the years since 1979, the last time a total solar eclipse awed the country. The rise has been especially dramatic in California, which aims to get half its power from renewable sources by 2030 in a bid to cut greenhouse gas emissions. California lies south of the “path of totality”, where day

Despite the White House’s intransigence on the issue, plenty of American states and cities, both liberal and conservatively governed, recognize this  as a fact. Investment in energy is at an all-time high – and nowhere is this truer than in California, which has boosted its economy by at least $14.2 billion since 2010. The state, whose electrical grid is set to be 100 percent renewably powered by 2045, has long invested in clean energy – particularly since the 1980s. Certain counties have gone in harder in this respect on others, and a new nonpartisan report from researchers at the University of California Berkeley have zeroed in on three: Inland Empire, Riverside, and San Bernardino. Since the start of the decade, wind and (in particular) solar power plants have proliferated across these three counties – enough to power 2.6 million new homes. The report points out that by just building and maintaining these plants, 41,000 new jobs were created, which created $9.1 billion i

Orlando is now the largest city in Florida to make such a commitment and joins a growing movement of more than three dozen cities nationwide that have committed to a 100 percent clean energy future. ​ Council chambers were filled with elated members of the First 50 Coalition, a broad-based alliance led by the League of Women Voters of Orange County that is pushing for sustainability in Central Florida. "Today, Orlando takes its place on the regional, state and national stage as a forward-thinking city committed to a healthier, sustainable future," said League of Women Voters of Orange County co-president Carol Davis. "This is a first, important step, and we plan to continue to support and encourage the City to follow with concrete measures that solidify this commitment." Orlando represents the 40th city in the U.S. to commit to move to 100 percent clean and renewable energy. Mayor Buddy Dyer has already championed multiple green energy initiatives,

Last week, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland released a report on the market potential for renewable energy in eastern and southern African countries. The report covered 15 countries, which will also be included in the next stage of the Energy and Environment Partnership EEP initiated by Finland. The purpose of the survey was to review the energy development challenges facing African countries and how the challenges could be met through development cooperation and private sector participation. The survey was carried out by Danish Energy Management, a Danish energy consultancy firm. More than 180 million people in eastern and southern Africa live without energy. According to a recent study, the region's renewable energy markets offer both risks and significant opportunities. Even though the renewable energy market in the regions covered by the survey involves risks, it also offers huge customer potential. Koivu adds that companies can also obtain development fundi

Some 80 days into Emmanuel Macron’s new job, Europe’s biggest renewable energy companies are still waiting for the French president to make good on campaign pledges to boost green power. To meet  French  goals of doubling onshore wind and tripling solar power by 2023, Macron’s government still needs to show it can support investments by helping developers cut through the country’s bureaucratic red tape. Companies including Italy’s Enel SpA, Germany’s EON SE and Innogy SE remain reluctant to develop renewables in Europe’s third-biggest economy. France has lagged behind its neighbors on renewable energy, even as its  population worries  more than most Europeans about climate change. While the country still gets about 72 percent of its power through its low-emissions fleet of aging nuclear reactors, it has trailed in the installation of new wind and solar technologies, which cover only about 6 percent of total consumption. By comparison, German solar and wind generate about 20 p

TuNur Ltd. recently said that it has filed for authorization to build a solar power export project in the Sahara Desert that would supply the European market with electricity. TuNur said that the 4.5-GW project would be located in Southwest Tunisia near Rejim Maatoug. To support the project, three HVDC cable systems are under development to link Tunisia to Malta; Tunisia to central Italy; and Tunisia to the South of France. “The economics of the project are compelling: the site in the Sahara receives twice as much solar energy compared to sites in central Europe, thus for the same investment, we can produce twice as much electricity,” Kevin Sara, CEO of TuNur, said in a statement. “In a subsidy-free world, we will always be a low-cost producer, even when transmission costs are factored in.” SOURCE: www.renewableenergyworld.com

Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan has filed a bill to “help solve air pollution, public health, and low income drivers” through the use of electric and hybrid vehicles. “The Philippines is a disaster-prone country, and our roads are especially unbearable when it rains. Non-stop rains and flooding cause horrendous traffic jams. This is a direct impact of climate change to our everyday lives. We must start changing our daily lifestyle to help lessen the impact of climate change,” Pangilinan said in a statement on Sunday. In filing Senate Bill 1540 or the “Electric and Hybrid Vehicles Including Charging Stations Promotions Act of 2017,” Pangilinan wants to lessen the country’s contribution to climate change, and eventually lower the health risks brought by air pollution, as well as provide more income in the transport sector. In line with the Philippines’ commitment to reduce its carbon emissions by 70 percent by the year 2030, Pangilinan seeks to provide time-bound tax inc

 Senator Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian said that the common aim of promoting sustainable energy development and environmental responsibility will  build  stronger ties between the country and its European allies. “The Philippines and its European allies are united by a common vision for a ‘low carbon future.’ Despite disagreements on other issues from time to time, I am confident that our governments will continue to work together on research and  development  initiatives which will help bring this noble vision to life,” Gatchalian said in a statement on Thursday. The senator recently conducted a two-week visit to Germany and France to study renewable energy and  climte  change policies. SOURCE: newsinfo.inquirer.net.

Massachusetts is considering  a plan  that would classify wood pellets and other tree products as sources of renewable energy, allowing the logging industry to contribute to the state’s climate goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The plan is part of proposed new rules updating the state’s standards for alternative energy, which are expected to be finalized in the coming months. If approved, the updated standards would subsidize biomass fuel and add it to the energy sources that contribute to a requirement for at least 5 percent of the state’s electricity to come from certain renewables by 2020. SOURCE: www.climatecentral.org

I Scorching temperatures, drought, storms and famine triggered by  climate change  have led to thousands of extra suicides in  India , a report has found. During the south Asian nation’s growing season, every one degree Celsius of warming above 20°C sees an average of 67 more people take their own lives, according to the study. Experts said the findings, published in the  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences  (PNAS), are particularly alarming as India’s average temperatures are expected to rise another 3°C by 2050, meaning hundreds of extra deaths. India’s farmers are already regularly hit by extreme weather events, including strong storms and heat waves, and some still rely on natural rainfall to water their crops. Scientists have shown that those weather patterns are already increasing as the planet warms. Looking at suicide data from India’s National Crime Records Bureau between 1967 and 2013, along with data on agricultural crop yields and on temperatu

In a democracy, we hope that science helps to inform the public about its problems. In the case of climate change, believe it or not, the evidence suggests this is going relatively well. Climate science is a vast, sprawling field of knowledge that has achieved great success in occupying the public consciousness. According to Yale University’s  Climate Change in the American Mind  project, six in ten Americans are worried about global warming, seven in ten think global warming is happening and eight in ten think humans have the ability to reduce global warming. These figures have fluctuated very little since 2012, suggesting that the US public is relatively well informed about the risk, reality and policy potential of climate change, even in the face of well-documented attacks by climate sceptics. SOURCE: www.theguardian.com

There is no gain saying the fact that man depends on his environment for existence and sustenance such that man’s life is shaped by his environment and this underscores the need for the protection of the environment from all forms of degradation, especially those brought about by the activities of man. Realising the significance and inevitability of the environment for survival of man, environmental experts have been arguing vociferously that without the environment man cannot exist since human activities are made possible by the existence of his environment. Undoubtedly, the world continues to be under the threat of climate change problems like global warming, greenhouse gas effects, flooding, acid rain typhoons, rising sea levels, rising sea temperatures resulting in depletion of marine organisms, earthquakes, wind storms, land and mud slides, desertification, tsunami, erosion, volcanic activities, hurricanes, pollution, deforestation among several others. No doubt, the n

"Flooding issue has gone beyond weather forecasting so we need to engage in capacity building" This is one of the statements of Dr.Chidi.M.Onuoha a Development Economist on Moneyline with Nancy showing on AIT. The issue of ecological fund was discussed and it was revealed that diverting of disbursed ecological fund can be tagged as climate denial. It is no more hidden that climate change is real, not fallacious and should be treated as such. Eco funds should be used for erosion control and the government needs to educate the people on flood by using measuring,reporting and verification system(MRV) to drive any project. Dr John Osonwa Climate Change and Environmental Change expert, who was also present in the show said that flooding is a national issue and ecological funds should be deployed to banks e.g river Niger, Benue and dams inclusive and should also be used for gathering of data and building capacity. Capacity building by sharing knowledge,awareness and the

Different representatives from Africa gathered at the 2017 Governing Inclusive Green Economy in Africa (GIGGA) to discuss issues with a focus on Green Economy and Development in Africa.  In attendance were: Dr. Chidi M.Onuoha President ( Sustainable Energy Practitioners Association of Nigeria SEPAN)  Professor Chuks Okereke ( University of Reading) UK, Dr. Adam Cooper( University College London) Dr. Henry Fobeyin (Oxford Brookes University UK) Prince Kennedy.C.Ahanotu Research Officer Green Initiative of Nigeria(GEIN),Barr. Victoria Nkpoku Legal Officer Green Initiative of Nigeria (GEIN)   Dr. Tony Nyong (African Development Bank), Dr Peter Tarfa, ( Director Climate Change, Federal Ministry of Environment), Engr.Sunday Edibo ( Director Land Resources and Rep. of Hon Minister for Agric),Professor Haruna Ayuba( Director, Academic Planning, Nasarawa State University Keffi),Dr Innocent Onah (Coordinator Global Legislators Organization- Office of the Senate President, Nigerian Nati