ENERGY EFFICIENCY COALITION
by Zeljko Serdar
srijeda, 26. ožujka 2025.
Mastering Chaos / Stay Clear Minded!
nedjelja, 9. veljače 2025.
Permaculture / Cultivating Sustainability
Observe and Interact - By observing natural patterns and interactions, we can design sustainable systems.
Catch and Store Energy - This involves capturing and storing resources when they are abundant for use in times of need.
Apply Self-Regulation and Accept Feedback - We need to discourage inappropriate activity to ensure that systems can continue to function well.
Design from Patterns to Details - Observing patterns in nature and society provides insights for designing efficient systems.
Use Edges and Value the Marginal - The most interesting events often occur at the edges, where different environments meet. The interface between things is where the most valuable, diverse, and productive elements often exist.
Creatively Use and Respond to Change - We can have a positive impact on inevitable change by carefully observing and then intervening at the right time.
četvrtak, 6. veljače 2025.
The Soothing World of ASMR / An Introduction
ponedjeljak, 2. listopada 2023.
What Are Chestnuts (Castanea sativa)?
What Are Chestnuts (Castanea sativa)?
Pitomi kesten (Castanea sativa Mill.) važna je, široko rasprostranjena, višestruko korisna vrsta drveća u mediteranskom području, od koje se koriste drvo, plodovi, med i tanin. Rak kestenove kore, uzrokovan introducirnom gljivom Cryphonectria parasitica, ugrožava opstanak sastojina pitomog kestena. Glavni cilj ovoga projekta je utvrditi:
(1) neutralnu i adaptivnu raznolikost u prirodnim populacijama pitomog kestena u Hrvatskoj iz okolišno različitih staništa;(2) povezanost genetičke strukture, morfološke raznolikosti, kemijske raznolikosti i okolišnih razlika (klimatskih i pedoloških) u prirodnim populacijama i kultivarima pitomog kestena;
(3) kvalitetu sjemena i zahtjeve za klijanje sjemena pitomog kestena;
(4) genetičku osnovu raznolikosti za adaptivna svojstva na sadnicama uzgojenima u stakleniku i u recipročno-transpantacijskim pokusima;
(5) epigenetičke odgovore na sušni stres;
(6) tolerantnost selekcioniranih genotipova na patogene;
(7) otpornost na patogene sadnica uzgojenih u rasadniku;
(8) povezanost između populacijsko-genetičkog pristupa i pokusa u stakleniku kao i recipročno-transplantacijskih pokusa;
(9) nastavak dugoročnog praćenja populacija C. parasitica;
(10) neutralnu i adaptivnu raznolikost hrvatskih kultivara pitomog kestena;
(11) razlike između hrvatskih kultivara pitomog kestena u morfologiji listova i plodova te kemijskom sastavu plodova;
(12) razgraničenje sjemenskih zona i izrada smjernica za prijenos sjemena za hrvatske populacije pitomog kestena.
Osim doprinosa osnovnim znanstvenim spoznajama o biologiji i ekološkim odnosima pitomog kestena, rezultati ovoga projekta doprinijet će održivom gospodarenju sastojinama pitomog kestena u Hrvatskoj. Rezultati će direktno doprinijeti zaštiti geografskog porijekla maruna, autohtonih hrvatskih kultivara pitomog kestena. Također će biti selekcionirani genotipovi tolerantni na sušni stres kao i oni s većom tolerancijom na biotski stres, odnosno infekciju gljivom Cryphonectria parasitica.
https://youtu.be/5xbyThtOcLM?si=ylt8WIBPfvF0FNTk
srijeda, 18. siječnja 2023.
The future of energy
The future of energy is looking greener. Moving into 2023, drivers for renewable growth are some of the strongest the industry has seen, including competitive costs, supportive policies, and burgeoning demand.
By 2024, almost 33 percent of the world’s electricity is forecast to come from renewables, with solar photovoltaic (PV) accounting for nearly 60 percent (or at least 697 gigawatts) of expected growth, according to Renewables 2019, a report from the International Energy Agency published in November 2019. Onshore wind (309 GW), hydropower (121 GW), offshore wind (43 GW), and bioenergy follow (41 GW).
Drastically lower production costs, growing concern around climate change, evolving global energy policies, and increased pressure from investors on companies to adopt environmental social governance (ESG) policies are pushing renewables into the mainstream.
This year alone, more than 12 large U.S. coal companies had filed for bankruptcy as of October 2019, in a signal of the shifting landscape. In Australia, the National Electricity Market showed that on Nov. 6, renewables reached a milestone—powering 50 percent of the country’s main electricity grid. Rooftop solar provided nearly 24 percent, followed by wind (about 16 percent), large-scale solar (about 9 percent), and hydro (about 2 percent). While renewable energy costs may continue to rise temporarily in 2023 due to ongoing supply chain challenges, wind and solar will likely remain the cheapest energy sources in most areas, as fuel costs for a conventional generation have been rising faster than renewable costs.
Federal clean energy policies. Among other supportive provisions, the IRA extends wind and solar tax credits for projects that begin construction before 2025 and technology-neutral credits through at least 2032. Projections suggest the law will spur 525 to 550 GW of new US utility-scale clean power by 2030.
State clean energy policies. Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia are targeting 100% renewable energy or 100% carbon-free electricity, often through clean and renewable energy mandates and incentives, with target dates between 2040 and 2050.
Utility decarbonization. As of October 2022, 43 of the 45 largest US investor-owned utilities have committed to reducing their carbon emissions, and boosting renewables are one of their key strategies for meeting those commitments.
Corporate renewable procurement. With a record 11 GW of US clean energy installations in 2021, the US is set to exceed that in 2022. More than 380 global businesses have committed to 100% clean electricity by joining the RE100 renewable electricity initiative, up from about 200 in 2019.
In Germany, a Norwegian company is running one of Europe’s largest power generation facilities—and doing it virtually, in an innovative example of how the sector could overcome challenges that arise when there's little wind or sun to generate power. The plant, which according to CNN Business could power 5 million homes, uses a cloud-based artificial intelligence program to link more than
1,500 wind, solar, and hydropower plants across the continent with electricity generation and storage facilities like batteries.
Renewables were the more sustainable—if more expensive—option. By 2023, they will actually make good business sense.
In 2023: The Near Future of Renewables, we present our predictions for how the sector will reimagine itself by capitalizing on this scalable green wave.
1. The future of solar is bright - Although slowed slightly by geopolitical tension and trade uncertainty, solar capacity will continue to grow over the next several years—surpassing a terawatt of global solar power generation by 2023.
2. Storage takes center stage - Storage will take its rightful place as a key grid asset by 2023, helping to increase the reliability and resilience of increasingly decentralized power systems. The adoption of diverse energy storage solutions, including long-duration batteries for utility-scale renewable integration, will grow by at least 30 percent year-over-year leading up to 2023.
3. No headwinds for wind power - Wind power will continue to grow, with increased storage capabilities explicitly developed for on and offshore wind, helping to improve the economics and productivity of such projects. Half of the 2023 global investments in the wind will go towards offshore technology and projects.
4. The energy convergence continues - Natural resources companies, from mining to oil and gas, will continue to invest in clean or renewable energy technology, including carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration—both to diversify their portfolios and reduce their corporate carbon footprints. By 2023, 20 oil and gas majors will have joined the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative, up from 13.
5. Cleantech investments soar - Following a cycle of disappointing returns, private equity and venture capital will return to the cleantech space in full force. Whether called cleantech or climate tech, the regulatory, economic, and scientific impetus for these technologies will see $600 billion dollars in global private investment by 2023.
Overall, as the industry heads into 2023, increasing demand and enticing, long-term incentives are creating strong stimuli. Of course, the uneven economy right now poses some rough sailing, but the destination is in sight and achievable. Citizens want more solar. Residential solar demand is growing faster than ever, up 35% in H1 2022 year over year, as households react to rising retail electricity prices and weather-driven power outages.
The private sector takes notice. Private investment in renewables hit a record high of $10 billion in the past year. That could continue, as investors are attracted by transparent returns on mature technologies backed by 10-year tax credits with direct payment options.
četvrtak, 22. prosinca 2022.
U.S. power grid
In 2022/2023, solar and wind are expected to add more than 60% of the utility-scale generating capacity to the U.S. power grid (46% from solar, 17% from wind). The United States is a resource-rich country with abundant renewable energy resources.
Renewables are on track to generate more power than coal in the United States this year. But the question is whether they can grow fast enough to meet the country’s climate goals.
Supply chain constraints and trade disputes have slowed wind and solar installations, raising questions about the United States' ability to meet the emission reductions sought by the Inflation Reduction Act. The Biden administration is banking on the landmark climate law cutting emissions by 40 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.
Many analysts think the United States will ultimately shake off the slowdown thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act's $369 billion in clean energy investments. But it may take time for the law’s impact to be felt. Tax guidance needs to be finalized before developers begin plunking down money on new facilities, and companies now face headwinds in the form of higher interest rates and the looming threat of a recession.
The Inflation Reduction Act's emission reductions hinge on the country’s ability to at least double the rate of renewable installations over the record levels observed in 2020 and 2021.
Assuming intermediate efficiency, solar photovoltaic (PV) modules covering 0.6% of the U.S. land area could meet national electricity demand. PV module prices have declined to an average of $0.27/watt. The U.S. manufactured 1% of PV cells and 3% of PV modules globally in 2020. In 2021, a new record high of over 23.6 GW of solar photovoltaic capacity was added in the U.S., raising the total installed capacity to over 121 GW. Solar accounted for 46% of the new generating capacity in 2021.
Hydrothermal resources, i.e., steam and hot water, are available primarily in the western U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii, yet geothermal heat pumps can be used almost anywhere to extract heat from the shallow ground, which stays at relatively constant temperatures year-round. Electricity generated from geothermal power plants is projected to increase from 15.9 billion kWh in 2021 to 47.4 billion kWh in 2050. Geothermal electricity generation has the potential to exceed 500 GW, which is half of the current U.S. capacity.
U.S. onshore wind resources have a potential capacity of almost 11,000 GW and a current installed capacity of 132.7 GW. Offshore wind resources are potentially 4,200 GW, the current capacity is 42 MW, and the development pipeline contained over 28 GW of projects in 2019. Over 16 GW of wind capacity was installed in the U.S. in 2020, an 85% increase from 2019. The federal production tax credit (PTC) significantly influences wind development, but cycles of enactment and expiration lead to year-to-year changes in investment. In 2020, the PTC was extended to allow wind projects beginning construction in 2020 or 2021 a PTC at 1.5¢/kWh for 10 years of electricity output. Based on the average U.S. electricity fuel mix, a 1.82 MW wind turbine (U.S. average in 2019) can displace 3,679 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year. By 2050, 404 GW of wind capacity would meet an estimated 35% of U.S. electricity demand and result in 12.3 gigatonnes of avoided CO2 emissions, a 14% reduction when compared to 2013.
In the U.S., net electricity generation from conventional hydropower peaked in 1997 at 356 TWh/yr. Currently, the U.S. gets about 260 TWh/yr of electricity from hydropower. While electricity generated from hydropower is virtually emission-free, significant levels of methane and CO2 may be emitted through the decomposition of vegetation in the reservoir. Other environmental concerns include fish injury and mortality, habitat degradation, and water quality impairment. “Fish-friendly” turbines and smaller dams help mitigate some of these problems.
Wood—mostly as pulp, paper, and paperboard industry waste products—accounts for 43% of total biomass energy consumption. Waste—municipal solid waste, landfill gas, sludge, tires, and agricultural by-products—accounts for an additional 9%. Biomass has low net CO2 emissions compared to fossil fuels. At combustion, it releases CO2 previously removed from the atmosphere. Further emissions are associated with the processing and growth of biomass, which can require large areas of land. Willow biomass requires 121 acres of land to generate one GWh of electricity per year, more land than other renewable sources.
For now, U.S. renewable output is edging higher. Wind and solar output are up 18 percent through Nov. 20 compared to the same time last year and have grown 58 percent compared to 2019, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The government energy tracker predicts that wind, solar and hydro will generate 22 percent of U.S. electricity by the end of this year. That is more than coal at 20 percent and nuclear at 19 percent.
Renewable output also exceeded coal in 2020, though that year saw a decrease in energy generation across the board due to the economic lockdowns associated with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Wind and solar growth have to continue at a blistering pace to meet the United States' climate targets. Researchers at Princeton University estimate the country needs to install about 50 gigawatts of wind and solar annually between 2022 and 2024, or roughly double the 25 GW that the United States installed annually in 2020 and 2021.
srijeda, 7. prosinca 2022.
Agrošumarstvo u sklopu Hrvatskog Centra Obnovljivih Izvora Energije (HCOIE)
Field windbreaks
In the case study in Croatia reported here, the farmer requested CCRES to assist in providing the agrometeorological input into the set-up of experiments under conditions in farmers' fields, with a system of wind barriers with trees, in irrigated crops in Lika Region.
Zeljko Serdar, Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources (CCRES)