In the near future, green energy will be more competitive than electricity produced from coal-fired power plants, according to the European Energy Commissioner. A share of 30% of renewable energy in final consumption is an achievable target even though this percentage has not been commented at this time. This was pointed out by the European Commissioner for Energy Miguel Arias Cañete at a press conference, together with the Minister of Energy Temenujka Petkova after the Informal EU Ministerial Meeting, that took place yestarday in Sofia. According to him, at the current level of RES prices, the EU can achieve a more ambitious target for the share of renewable energy at the same level of cost-effectiveness as in 2014, when the target of 27% was set. Commissioner Cañete gave an example of the prices of photovoltaic panels, which for this period decreased by 80%. The Renewable Energy Directive was one of the three dossiers that were discussed within the informal council. The other two were the Energy Efficiency Management Regulation and the Energy Efficiency Directive. The message from the EC to the member states is that we should have ambition, said Commissioner Cañete. According to him now is the time for the EU to step up its goals. The EU commissioner pointed out that some of the ministers at the meeting were very ambitious about the share of RES while others insisted that the current target of 27% be maintained. The role of the Bulgarian Presidency will be to find a compromise between the EP and the Council. Cañete also reminded that the EP had called for a 35% target, and that a recent analysis by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) showed potential for a RES share of 34%. Overall, the ambition is to achieve a higher target of 27%, but not as high as the EP insists, the Commissioner said.
Minister Petkova participated in the conference "Strategy of the refining industry till 2050: transition for liquid fuels and opportunities for the sector", organized by the Bulgarian Petroleum and Gas Association and the European Petroleum Association „Fuels Europe“. Minister of Energy pointed out that the main question is how and with tempo to make the transition to low-carbon energy. She reminded that at the end of 2016, the European Commission proposed the Clean Energy Package for all Europeans, which also sets out measures to achieve the goals of decarbonising the economy, protecting the environment and clean air. According to the Energy Minister, this legislative project is one of the most ambitious and large-scale documents related to sectoral energy legislation. In her words, it includes a series of measures that are related to energy efficiency, renewable energy, The Energy Management Regulation within the European Energy Union.
The problem with energy efficiency in Bulgaria was debated by our MPs and representatives of the European institutions during a meeting in the National Assembly on theme: "Renewable Energy in Bulgaria - Opportunities and Challenges of the Clean Energy Package." The meeting was led by the Chairman of the Energy Committee, of the National Assembly Delyan Dobrev, representatives of an official European Commission delegation, Claude Turmes a member of the European Parliament, and President of EUFORES, a European non-governmental organization focused on renewable energy, and members of the Bulgarian Parliament attended. Regarding of the economy's growth towards the use of energy in Bulgaria is at the worst level of the whole EU, Dobrev said. He noted that Bulgaria is working on the energy efficiency package. Thanks to European solidarity and through the funds, Bulgarian enterprises have the opportunity to apply for financial support for modernization and energy efficiency improvement, he said. Two or three years ago we launched a program for multifamily residential buildings, the state has spent 1 billion euros, Dobrev noted. According to him, 50-60 percent is the real savings for households as a result of the program. That support should continue, Dobrev said.
Five are nominated for new members of the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission, it is clear from the website of the National Assembly. On April 4, the procedure for renewing the composition of the energy regulator started. Four commissioners were then nominated by lot, two from the Electricity division, one from the water and sewerage department and one from the members with experience in law or economics. The lot determined that their positions were left by the lawyer Remzi Osman, the members of the Electricity division: Alexander Yordanov and Georgi Zlatev and Valentin Petkov, who is part of the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission in the water and sewerage department. From the published names it is clear that three of the withdrawn commissioners can get a new, this time full six-year term in the regulator – for members are again nominated Remzi Osman, Alexander Yordanov, and Georgi Zlatev. This means that if they are elected, they will remain in their post in the next rotation in the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission after three years. The chairman of the Energy Commission at the National Assembly, Delyan Dobrev, explained that the aim is to preserve the balance in Energy and Water Regulatory Commission. The new names proposed by MPs are Penka Trendafilova and Evden Nikolov.
Independent Bulgarian Energy Exchange (IBEX) EAD, 100% owned by “BSE-Sofia” AD, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Electricity Transmission System Operator of Macedonia (MEPSO), Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) of Macedonia and the Electricity System Operator (ESO) EAD of Bulgaria. The Memorandum forms the basis for the coupling of the “Day ahead markets” of the two countries. The Memorandum is expected to be signed also by the Bulgarian Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC). This happened during the first stakeholder meeting on the 12th of April 2018 in Sofia. Representatives of the Ministry of Energy of Republic of Bulgarian, from the Ministry of Economy of Republic of Macedonia, from EWRC, as well as from the Energy Community Secretariat and the consultancy consortium supporting the project, actively took part in the event.
The European Parliament (EP) adopted the renewed Energy Efficiency Directive, which set a target for buildings close to zero energy consumption in the EU by 2050. The renewal of the directive is the result of an agreement with the Council in December 2017, backed by a plenary in Tuesday, the European Institution announced. Under the revised rules, Member States will need to develop long-term national strategies for the maintenance and renovation of residential and public buildings with a vision of reducing EU emissions by 80-85% compared to 1990 levels. National strategies will provide roadmaps for heavily decarbonised buildings by 2050 with intermediate targets for 2030 and 2040. Measurable progress indicators will need to be established to monitor the implementation of national strategies.
The road to China’s autonomous-driving future is paved with solar panels, mapping sensors and electric-battery rechargers as the nation tests an “intelligent highway” that could speed the transformation of the global transportation industry. The technologies will be embedded underneath transparent concrete used to build a 1,080-meter-long (3,540-foot-long) stretch of road in the eastern city of Jinan. About 45,000 vehicles barrel over the section every day, and the solar panels inside generate enough electricity to power highway lights and 800 homes, according to builder Qilu Transportation Development Group Co. Yet Qilu Transportation wants to do more than supply juice to the grid: it wants the road to be just as smart as the vehicles of the future. The government says 10% of all cars should be fully self-driving by 2030, and Qilu considers that an opportunity to deliver better traffic updates, more accurate mapping and on-the-go recharging of electric-vehicle batteries—all from the ground up.
FlexiSolar, the solar carport specialist based near Cambridge, has started construction of a large scale commercial carport at Bentley Motors’ manufacturing headquarters in Crewe, Cheshire. In a six-month project due to complete in September, FlexiSolar will build what is set to become the UK’s largest solar carport system to date, with 10,000 solar panels with a capacity of 2.7MW. The bespoke solar structures will shelter approximately 1,378 car parking spaces at the Bentley manufacturing facility. Bentley Motors creates handcrafted luxury cars at its factory in Crewe. The prominent manufacturing site already demonstrates a strong commitment to solar as an onsite generation technology, having installed a 5MW solar rooftop installation in 2013. FlexiSolar is backed by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency driven to support the science and technology innovations that will grow the UK economy. Robert Carpenter, managing director of FlexiSolar, said: “This large scale solar carport system is a clear example of an integrated energy solution and one that utilises an existing parking area without sacrificing valuable land resources.”
The world’s first electrified road — which charges the batteries of electric cars and trucks as they drive over it — has opened near Stockholm, Sweden. The road stretches 1.2 miles and is part of a government-led plan to electrify nearly 12,500 miles of streets and highways across the country. The road charges vehicles through an embedded electric rail. To use the road, an electric car or truck needs to install a moveable arm on its undercarriage that connects with the rail and charges the vehicle’s battery while driving over it. The system costs $1.2 million per kilometer, making it 50 times cheaper than building an urban tram line. The developers of the road say the technology helps eliminate the need for roadside vehicle stations, which can delay travelers while they wait for their vehicles to charge. It also means car batteries can be smaller since they wouldn’t have to store as much charge, which would help cut battery and manufacturing costs. “There is no electricity on the surface,” Hans Säll, chief executive of the eRoadArlanda consortium behind the project, told The Guardian. “There are two tracks, just like an outlet in the wall. Five or six centimeters down is where the electricity is. But if you flood the road with salt water, then we have found that the electricity level at the surface is just one volt. You could walk on it barefoot.”
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Date: 11/16/2018 2:29:32 PM