Small West Yorkshire town aims to be first town with food self-sufficiency by growing all its own vegetables

"(NaturalNews) Different local authorities throughout the USA have been harassing homeowners for growing veggies or herbs in their front lawns. But in the small town of Todmorden, England, a grass-roots food movement has been started by one woman who grew veggies in her front yard and let neighbors pick them free." Read more HERE.

News Snippets

RENEWABLE ENERGY
Kruger park to replace geysers with solar water heaters, heat pumps - Engineering News

Solar panel-covered parking bays for Lepelle Northern Water - Engineering News

Standard Bank registers solar water heater CDM programme - Engineering News

Internal approvals in hand for first renewable projects - Eskom - Engineering News

Further financial-close delay in prospect for 28 renewables bidders - Engineering News

India encourages SA firms to participate in big renewables push - Engineering News

Third renewables bid window to open ‘soon’, despite window-one delay - Engineering News

Deadline for closure of first 28 renewables bids extended to meet developers 'halfway' - Engineering News

GREEN BUILDING
DEA breaks ground on R8bn ‘green’ head office -Engineering News
-Engineering News

GREEN COURSES / TRAINING / JOBS
Terra Firma Academy - Green Career Training - Launches new website / greeb courses - check it out here

Jobs and Plastic Recycling (South Africa) - An article in Legalbrief Environmental

ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Eskom starts Phase 2 of residential energy efficiency programme -Engineering News

The most common energy efficiency mistake that cannot be undone - Global Carbon Exchange

ENERGY RESEARCH
Enlarged institute aims to stimulate home-grown green-energy innovations -Engineering News

WATER
2012 Youth Water Awards Winners named - Simply Green

UPCYCLING
Upcycling Ship Containers - Simply Green

NATURAL GAS
An article about the Natural Gas Debate - Simply Green

FOOD
Antibiotics in Chickens Linked to Bladder infections - Simply Green

Soy as animal feed, now for fish - This is an interesting Simply Green article on the topic of the use of soy as animal feed, also in fish farming.

Organic vs Industrial Agriculture - the key to feeding a warming world? - Another interesting read on Simply Green

New Genetically Modified Food Arrives in SA - Find out more and/or get involved to stop it here.

EVENT GREENING
A case study on event greening - Global Carbon Exchange

Sustainability Week 25 to 29 July 2012 - Sandton Convention Center (Johannesburg)

Find out more here.

A bit of good news from Greenpeace

Loud and Clear - Solar Radio Launch Success (in Oshwe) - read more here, on the Greenpeace Africa Blog

Our Victories Continue (West Africa Anti-overfishing campaigns) - read more here, on the Greenpeace Africa Blog.

Rainbow Warrior coming to Cape Town - 12 August 2012 - Greenpeace's newest greenest working activist ship is coming to South Africa, read more here.

News Snippets

SOLAR ENERGY
Local solar training academy launched - Engineering News

LCD Panel Makers Could Drive 60% Reduction in Thin-Film Solar PV Costs - Simply Green

Minister outlines Upington solar park jobs potential - Engineering News

Solar roof construction at Vodacom building progressing - Engineering News

Solar water heater target exceeded – Peters - Engineering News

RENEWABLE ENERGY
French new energy research group seeks SA collaborators - Engineering News

MetroWind expects to deliver first power from PE project in 13 months - Engineering News

WATER
WRC study to map out areas for fog harvesting - Engineering News

ELECTRICITY - SOUTH AFRICA
SA power supply tightens as nuclear unit trips - Engineering News

Russian nuclear group opens office in South Africa - Engineering News
ACID MINE DRAINAGE
AMD feasibility study to be completed in 2013 - Engineering News

FOOD SECURITY
Food security threat looming – Land Bank - Engineering News

Global food security index reveals food-secure nations - Engineering News

CLIMATE CHANGE
Carbon emission targets lack ambition – Basic Ministers - Engineering News

DAIRY HORMONES
The Staying Power of Dairy Hormones - Simply Green

New Hydrogen Catalyst Takes off Like a Rocket - Simply Green

AFRICA/CHINA
China aims to rewrite perceptions on Africa investment - Engineering News

AUTO INDUSTRY
Go green, for less – Toyota’s new 3.8l/100 km Yaris hybrid - Engineering News

SUGAR & POWER
Illovo ‘well positioned’ for cane, sugar and cogeneration growth - Engineering News


The 2012 Living Planet  has been published, view it here.

Orange you glad I said biofuel?

Check out this Simply Green article that gives an overview of converting orange peels to biofuel and how it should soon become a reality.

Solar Technology

Check out this Simply Green article on double-sided solar cells, the cells are supposed to produce up to 50% mor energy than regular solar cells.

This Simply Green article gives an update on the progress of the world's largest solar bridge in London.

News Snippets

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Green economy to be phased in to achieve sustainable development – Minister - Engineering News

SOLAR  AND WAVE ENERGY
Acquisition expands solar company’s SA sales network - Enigneering News

Solar Impulse Completes World Record Flight from Spain to Morocco - Simply Green

There is yet to be sufficient discussion in South Africa over decommissioning costs of existing or future nuclear build - Simply Green

Eco Wave Successfully Test Two Wave Energy Devices - Simply Green

New Graphene Solar Cell Efficiency Record - Simply Green

All-Carbon Solar Cell Harnesses Infrared Light - Simply Green

One Step Closer to Invisible Solar Cells in Our Windows - Simply Green

GREEN BUILDING
Nedbank unveils Menlyn Maine green-star-rated building - Engineering News

Growthpoint acquires and ‘greens’ R210m Pta office - Money Web

CLIMATE CHANGE
Gigaba unveils climate change policy framework for State firms - Engineering News

BIOFUELS
Initial aviation biofuel strategy to be released in Q3 - Engineering News

RENEWABLE ENERGY
40% growth in global renewable energy generation forecast - Engineering News

NUCLEAR
Department of Energy Holding Back Information on Nuclear Readiness - NGO Pulse

COAL
South Africa hopes carbon capture will make coal a clean energy source - Engineering News

Coal’s Share of Electricity Generation Continues to Decline - Simply Green

GREEN HOUSING
Real Economy Report - Engineering News

Rio+20 - An overview

This Berkley Center article provides an overview of how things unfolded at the Rio +20 Convention.

And here is another take from SANGONET on the carbon footprint of these talks.

Cheap Coal is Dead

This Simply Green Article provides some key facts and quotes from Part 1 of Carl Pope's series on “Cheap Coal Is Dead”.

South Africa adopts air quality standard to promote public health

"Water and Environmental Affairs Minster Edna Molewa on Friday established a national ambient air quality standard, aimed at improving public health. The 2005 World Health Organisation (WHO) Air Quality Guidelines found that airborne particulate matter and public health is consistent in showing adverse health effects at exposures experienced by urban populations in cities throughout the world. “The guidelines suggest that there are currently no safe levels against ultrafine particulate matter and recommend that countries consider adoption of an increasingly stringent set of standards, tracking progress through emission reductions and declining concentrations of particulate matter,” the department said in a statement. The range of health effects of ultrafine particulate matter on humans is broad, affecting the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Current scientific evidence indicates that guidelines cannot be proposed that would lead to complete protection against adverse health effects of particulate matter, as thresholds have not been identified. “It is important that South Africa develops the ambient air quality standard for 2.5 micron meter (PM2.5) as it will contribute positively in protecting and enhancing the health of South African citizens,” the department said." Source and more here, on Engineering News

News Snippets

RIO+20 CONFERENCE
Assess sustainable development progress, says Zuma - Engineering News

World leaders pledge $513bn to sustainable development - Engineering News

24 Companies Worth $500bn Commit to Assigning a Value to Nature at Rio+20 - More here on triplepundit

SOLAR POWER
Intermittency could limit solar PV market penetration - Thupela Video - Engineering News

SA should consider upscaled CSP roll-out plan – BrightSource - Engineering News

Solar PV could achieve grid parity by 2015 - Engineering News

SA banks have capacity to fund solar projects – Standard Bank - Engineering News

GREEN BUILDING
First refurbished green building to earn 5-star rating - Engineering News

ELECTRIC VEHICLES/TRANSPORT
SA electric vehicle unplugged as Optimal Energy closes its doors - Engineering News

Article about the Toyota Prius
Toyota Prius now 3rd in World Auto Sales -  CleanTechnica

Trucking fleet reduces carbon emissions by 7% - More here on SHEQ Africa

CLEAN ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT
UN chief unveils clean energy pledges, investments - Engineering News

Dulux South Africa implementing ‘green’ initiatives - Engineering News

Waterberg declared national air-quality priority area - Engineering News

AfDB and WWF urge leaders to invest in Africa’s natural capital - Engineering News

OCEAN ENERGY
TIA, Eskom extends ocean-energy open-innovation deadline - Engineering News

WIND POWER
Challenge lay beyond initial renewable energy target – WWF - Engineering News

Power from the Wind in South Africa"South Africa should invest in wind energy as a means to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions and also take a lead in promoting green energy on the continent" - NGO Pulse

GEOTHERMAL
Kenya courts private geothermal investors - Engineering News - Engineering News

Article on moving South Africa forward

"In this article, the author emphasises the need for South Africa to consider stepping up efforts to introduce renewable energy and to enable all citizens to enjoy their constitutional right to accessible energy."

Source and More here on NGO Pulse

Article on Eskom's performance

Read this EE publishers article about Eskom's performance

"The annual financial results for the financial year ending 31 March 2012 of South Africa's primary electricity supplier, Eskom, were announced today. Eskom is a state owned enterprise, wholly owned by the South African government."
 
Source and More here on EE Publishers

DoE tests market appetite for small-scale renewables projects

"South Africa’s Department of Energy (DoE) has initiated the long-awaited process to procure electricity from small-scale renewable energy projects of between 1 MW and 5 MW.

The department has indicated that it intends procuring 100 MW from small-scale wind, solar photovoltaic, biomass, biogas and landfill gas technologies under its Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPP), which was initiated in 2011."
Source and More here on Engineering News

Renewables Global Status Report

"First released in 2005, REN21's Renewables Global Status Report (GSR) has grown to become a truely collaborative effort of over 400 authors, contributors and reviewers, and is today the most frequently referenced report on renewable energy market, industry and policy trends. It provides testimony of the undeterred growth of electricity, heat, and fuel production capacities from renewable energy sources, including solar PV, wind power, solar hot water/heating, biofuels, hydropower, and geothermal. Complementary country information can be viewed on http://www.map.ren21.net/"

Source and More Here on REN21

Article on SA's Energy Sector

Check out this Institute for Security Studies article on the above topic. NGO Pulse.

News Snippets

SOLAR POWER
AEG sets up solar equipment factory outside Cape Town - Engineering News

RENEWABLE ENERGY
Calls for wind energy localisation road map - Engineering News

Chinese wind towers hit with US tariffs - Engineering News 

Nersa approves 28 renewables licences as financial close deadline nears - Engineering News

50 MW SA solar project part of Saudi group’s diversification drive - Engineering News

Seven window-two solar PV developers set to invest R12bn - Engineering News

Eskom, TIA call for ocean-energy innovation bids - Engineering News 

Small renewables tender within weeks, DoE says  - Engineering News

Second-window renewables developers begin to emerge - Engineering News

AUTO INDUSTRY
Ford clinches engine of the year title with powertrain small enough to fit on A4 paper - Engineering News

AVIATION
EU emissions trading scheme a ‘polarising obstacle’ – Iata CEO - Engineering News

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
‘No-go’ mining areas to be announced soon – Molewa - Engineering News

CARBON CREDITS
Promethium launches initiative to consolidate carbon projects - Engineering News

CLEAN TECHNOLOGY
China retains position as top clean energy technology manufacturer - Engineering News

AUTO INDUSTRY
Industry to endorse oil companies jumping 2017 clean fuels gun – Naamsa - Engineering News

POWER SYSTEM
Eskom pursues winter maintenance sans big buy-back cushion - Engineering News

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
World can feed more people more efficiently – FAO - Engineering News

Shale gas can contribute to greener economy – says Econometrix - Engineering News 

NUCLEAR ENERGY
SA’s assessment of nuclear readiness to be handed to IAEA for review - Engineering News 

AUTO INDUSTRY
BMW 5 Series hybrid kicks off German car maker's green campaign  - Engineering News 

CLIMATE CHANGE
Deadlock breaks at UN climate talks, agenda agreed - Engineering News 

AGRICULTURE
Power, ethanol production from sugar cane to benefit Tongaat Hulett - Engineering News

SA policies should encourage investment in agriculture - Engineering News 

GHG EMISSIONS
Emissions-cut hiatus slows work to limit warming - Engineering News

CARBON EMISSIONS
EU allows aid to limit CO2 cost for big power users - Engineering News

4th Annual Wind Power Africa Conference & Renewable Energy Exhibition (28 - 30 May 2012)

A FLOE article providing some feedback on this event:
On short notice, we managed to secure a complimentary space at the 4th Wind Power Africa Conference and Renewable Energy Exhibition which was held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 28 to 30 May 2012. I had to think quickly about how we could add value to the exhibition with the very few resources at our disposal.

I did some research on the internet and came across an association of organisations called "Wind Empowerment". Wind Empowerment currently has 27 member organisations based across the globe, all of which somehow promote wind energy projects, specifically empowering rural poor communities by teaching them how to build their own wind turbines based on Hugh Piggott's open source wind turbine design. The design is such that it allows for the builders to make the turbine completely from scratch using mostly locally sourced materials. Wind Empowerment offers a platform for these organisations and the public to network, share experiences and learn from each other.

I immediately contacted Hugh and via Hugh came into contact with Piet Chevalier who is the founder of "I Love Wind Power" and who is also assisting Wind Empowerment with some work. "I Love Wind Power" has kicked off educational wind power community projects in Mali, Tanzania, Mexico and more recently in Brazil.

Piet and I had a long Skype conversation one week before the wind power conference and he kindly shared some resources with me.

As we always try to do when participating in such events, I decided to use recycled materials where possible in building our stand. I managed to source a large refrigerator cardboard box at Game's depot at my local mall and spent the Saturday before the conference painting the box to make a colourful background for our stand. The background shows a big bright sun shining on South Africa, the South African flag blowing in the wind and little houses with solar panels on roofs, wind turbines up on a hill and a boiling kettle on a solar cooker in the foreground. Most importantly, it shows the people of South Africa, all with smiles on their faces and a sign that says "Power for People" and "RE for SA!". Our objective with this background was to convey the clear message that we believe renewable energy solutions are do-able solutions for the benefit of the people of South Africa. Cleaner decentralised power solutions with free and 100% clean "fuel" is what South Africans (humans and animals) need and want!

In addition to our bright background, I made a 'chart' showing the map of Africa pinpointing all the locations where Wind Empowerment organisations are active. Noticeably, South Africa is not (yet) one of the countries, but hopefully this will change soon. I also ran an "I Love Windpower" video presentation on my laptop for people to see what work this organisation has done so far in Mali and elsewhere.

A fair amount of interest was generated in our stand and I met some great people and listened to interesting presentations. Interestingly, I found that the few members of the public I spoke to who came to view the exhibition were looking for more information on how they can buy or make their own wind turbines. Our stand offered some information in this regard. Most of the other stands were geared at marketing machinery and services available to developers of large wind farms although there was one local company that does smaller installations and also offers an "Off the Grid" course. There were quite a few delegates from abroad, especially Europe, some of who were representing businesses selling smaller wind turbines geared towards the domestic market. One of these companies actually offers for sale an 'all in one' power station geared towards rural environments that is set up in a container and which utilises a wind turbine and pv panels to harvest renewable energy. Their wind turbine design is apparently 'storm proof' and can easily be set up and relocated.

Below are a few snippets of things I learned/took out of this event:

*the general consensus is that small (single) wind turbine projects are more suited to rural environments, although there are designs and methods available for use of small turbines in urban environments, there are certain obstacles to overcome for example, insufficient height allowance, surrounding objects such as trees, buildings and other structures that interfere with wind flow, close proximity to neighbours who may find the turbine to be a disturbance, not to mention whether the wind blows enough or not.

*In Africa, rural communities make use of diesel generators as their main source of energy. Diesel is expensive and renewable energy solutions are therefore competitive even in these environments.

*There is much experimentation going on with wind turbine designs. Prof Jooste from the Vaal University of Technology gave a talk about some designs they have been experimenting with and how they are finding more efficient alternatives to the more conventional wind turbine design. Of note was his statement regarding larger wind farms is that his research showed that to rather use more small turbines than fewer large ones can prove to be more efficient/provide better output.

*I also met a few individuals from small towns surrounding Cape Town, who shared with me their experiences in implementing and experimenting with their own renewable energy solutions, some of whom offer home/farm installation services and some who have come up with their own unique inventions. David, one of FLOE's founders, gave a presentation on his idea for how we can all start producing our own clean power at home, sell excess back to Eskom and also get paid by Eskom for using less grid power, all the while saving Eskom money, costing government nothing, reducing our reliance on dirty/risky conventional power, and even earning additional income for your households!

*One speaker said that a good distance between a wind turbine and a house to avoid noise disturbance is 60 to 70 meters (this also depends on the design of the wind turbine, how it is erected and also the noise insulation of the building).

*Although Germany is very active in re installations, organisations have been formed by some German citizens who strongly oppose wind turbines due to their belief that they are not aesthetically pleasing and also cause noise disturbance, etc.

*Everybody is very excited about pv prospects for S Africa.

*The cost of PV / Wind power has come down dramatically since the early 1990s and the trend is continuing, with the speed of cost reduction increasing rapidly, especially over the past few years.

*Large RE projects are taking off in other African countries and ironically, SA, the most "advanced" African country is lagging behind.

*There is a lot of interest in underwater turbines to harness the immense power capacity of ocean currents which are available 24/7.

*One speaker said that wind turbines were being designed to accommodate a certain type of wind which is experienced over a very short portion of the year, when they should rather be designed around what the conditions are like for the majority of the year.

*Speakers shared valuable information regarding their experiences in constructing wind farms in other African regions. An interesting point that stood out for me regarding site selection was how holes would need to be drilled to check if the ground conditions were suitable for the building of wind turbine foundations. Developers also needed to take into consideration external costs e.g. fixing neglected infrastructure or even building new.

*Another topic of interest was the logistical problems encountered (i.e. transporting large wind turbine components in Africa where infrastructure, roads and even suitable trucks and cranes were lacking.). One speaker pointed out his concern for how this will be tackled with the upcoming roll out of large wind power developments in South Africa.

*Yats Gopaul of Cape Africa Renewable Energy Services gave a talk titled "1 - 15MW - The other side of delivering power to the people" and reminded us all that we need to start thinking out of the box for our energy solutions. It was encouraging to hear that this local company is showing an interest in community based projects.

*The Endangered Wildlife Trust gave a talk about wind turbines and the impact on birdlife. The message was an over-all positive one in that they don't oppose all wind turbine developments but do call for proper processes to be followed to ensure correct siting of wind turbines. I also learned that the public can report wildlife mortality/ies on any of Eskom’s infrastructures by calling the ESKOM-EWT Toll free number on 0860 111 535 or by email wep@ewt.org.za.

All and all, I am extremely pleased that we were able to participate. We learned a lot and I believe we achieved our goal of showing delegates and visitors that the ordinary residents of SA want RE.

I would like to thank Mr Hermann Oelsner and Dominique of AFRIWEA (African Wind Energy Association) and the CITCC for organising the event and making it possible for us to attend by sponsoring a space for us and I would like to thank Mr Hugh Piggott of Wind Empowerment and Mr P Chevalier of I Love Wind Power for the information offered and also for the great work you are doing across the African continent and abroad. I am hoping that we will be able to collaborate with a few other individuals in SA whom I met at the conference to work together on getting a project off the ground in SA.

Aside: I hope that the CTICC and other such facilities will soon consider switching from using small plastic water bottles to re-usable glass jugs for serving water. Regarding catering, although we were pleased to see the nice variety of veggie dishes on offer at this event, it would be wonderful if such facilities would consider stepping it up a notch, for example maybe changing the buffet ratio from 80% meat/20% veggies to 20% meat/80% veggie and by perhaps avoiding beef all together... and for a 'green geared' event (such as this one) to be all veg. Article by Ninette Tarlton of Free Life on Earth.

Premier Helen Zille switched on solar energy system at Carbon-Neutral garment manufacturer

On Tuesday, 22 May, Premier Helen Zille switched on and launched the recently installed solar energy system of the Impahla Clothing textile factory in Maitland as part of the Western Cape government's championing of renewable, especially solar, energy to promote a more sustainable future in the province. Impahla Clothing became the first carbon-neutral garment manufacturer in South Africa through implementing carbon off-setting projects (including tree-planting in Khayelitsha). The company's installation of a solar-powered electricity generation system, funded by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), marks a significant boost to the factory's drive towards energy security and self-sufficiency.

Solar PV, wind dominate again as second window renewables bidders are named

" The South African government announced on Monday that 19 companies had been selected as preferred bidders during the second bidding window for the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPP), which closed on March 5. A total of 79 bids were submitted by the deadline, representing more than 3 200 MW of potential capacity. Overall, the REIPPP programme, which is seeking to procure 3 725 MW of renewables capacity, was expected to attract investments of around R100-billion between 2012 and 2016." Source and more here, on Engineering News

SWH programme now geared towards local procurement – Minister

" From this year, only suppliers which commit to localising their product would be allowed to participate in the government-funded solar water heating (SWH) programme, Energy Minister Dipuo Peters said this week." Source and more here, on Engineering News

WWF warns of over-consumption, calls for sustainable policies

"The ever-growing demand for resources, driven by a growing global population, which could hit 10.9-billion by 2050, is putting “tremendous” pressure on the planet’s biodiversity and is threatening South Africa’s future security, health and well-being, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said in a report on Tuesday." Source and more here, on Engineering News

Mexican wind energy boom plays out on gusty shores

" LA VENTOSA - On an arid plain where sudden gusts of wind can rip roofs off buildings and knock over tractor trailers, Mexico is building a new engine for its energy future. Surrounded by towering turbines in every direction, the town of La Ventosa - which means "the windy place" in Spanish - is at the heart of a wind power boom in the country. Mexico, the world's 14th biggest economy, still punches well below its weight in terms of wind energy, ranking 24th on the planet in installed capacity last year, according to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). But the market is growing fast. By the end of this year, the national wind energy association expects Mexico to jump to number 20 on the list, which is dominated by wealthy European nations, the United States, China and India." Source and more here, on Engineering News

News Snippets

Vestas says close to deal on 297 MW SA orders - Engineering News

Bank pleased with its share of R28bn renewables projects - Engineering News
V&A Waterfront’s green credentials awarded - Engineering News

Mobile services could help smaller farmers improve productivity - Engineering News

New Holland Agriculture shows off new hydrogen tractor at Nampo - Engineering News

Sasol backs solar car race, SA to host record attempt - Engineering News

Final fate of PBMR to be decided during 2013 - Engineering News

Call to Think Green When Introducing Policies - more here on SangoNet

Second renewables bidder announcement delayed to May 21 - Engineering News

SA battles to keep blackouts at bay - Engineering News

News from the DTI on SA's nuclear plans - Engineering news
Scientists urge action on world's biggest problems (water & energy) - Engineering News

SA aims to use fuel cell research as an innovation, beneficiation catalyst - Engineering News

Honda in breakthrough rare earths recycling move - Engineering News

Eastern Cape Sustainable Rural Development Needs Multi-Faceted Intervention - more here.

US$400 Million earmarked for small holding farmers in Africa - Read more here.

Global solar power capacity set to jump - Engineering News

EU nations get cold feet over climate change fund - Engineering News

Draft of delayed water resources review by September, says DG - Engineering News

Nine bidders vie for Transnet electric-locomotive order - Engineering News

Green building council to host fifth convention in October - Engineering News

SA endorses carbon capture roadmap- Engineering News

ity works towards a carbon neutral future - City of Cape Town

Nuclear Power will worsen the wealth gap - an article by Bishop G Davies of SAFCEI.

GMO Threat to Consumer Rights to Have Market Influence - SAFCEI