Uruguay with 94,5% renewable energy

"In less than 10 years, Uruguay has slashed its carbon footprint without government subsidies or higher consumer costs, according to the country’s head of climate change policy, Ramón Méndez. In fact, he says that now that renewables provide 94.5% of the country’s electricity, prices are lower than in the past relative to inflation. There are also fewer power cuts because a diverse energy mix means greater resilience to droughts." + info

Investir mais em biomassa

"Segundo o Secretário-geral do COPA-COGECA a biomassa proveniente da floresta e da agricultura tem um potencial que ainda não está explorado. Deve-se, assim, encontrar soluções para um melhor uso dos recursos existentes, envolvendo mais os agricultores e produtores florestais, aconselhando-os e promovendo a transferência de conhecimentos e da inovação, investindo nas novas tecnologias, desenvolvendo novos modelos económicos."

power consumption for electrical devices

"WattDoesItUse allows you to calculate the power consumption of your devices. In fact, we make it easy for you to save all of the devices you own to your profile, so that you can view your total power consumption."

Free Energy guides

Pratical Guide to 'Free Energy' Devices (pdf) by Patrick J. Kelly (2015). + info em Free Energy

Call for papers, special issue of Sustainability Journal

"Passive House Development and High Energy Efficiency Sustainable Buildings", a special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). 

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 January 2016

vinte e um euros ano com gastos energéticos (UK)

Uma moradia super-eficiente de West Kirby, Wirral, no centro do Reino Unido, gasta apenas €21 por ano em energia" para ter "aquecimento, iluminação, energia para cozinhar e acesso a água quente."

Solar thermal plant at Moroccan city

From BBC, rows of curved mirrors capture solar energy

"A giant plant using energy from the Sun to power a Moroccan city at night will open next month. The solar thermal plant at Ouarzazate will harness the Sun's warmth to melt salt, which will hold its heat to power a steam turbine in the evening. The first phase will generate for three hours after dark; the last stage aims to supply power 20 hours a day."

Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)

Enquanto aguardamos por acesso via institucional à biblioteca científica online (b-on), fica uma selecção de revistas científicas de acesso aberto, indexadas pelo DOAJ:

Frontiers in Energy Research  

Publisher's keywords: bioenergy and biofuels, energy storage, energy systems and policy, solar energy, process and energy systems engineering, nuclear energy

Materials for Renewable and Sustainable Energy 

Publisher's keywords: energy saving, fuel production, energy storage, conversion

International Journal of Smart Grid and Clean Energy 

Publisher's keywords: microgrids, renewable energy, energy storage

International Journal of Renewable Energy 

Publisher's keywords: green energy, renewable energy sources

ResearchEnergy Science & Engineering 

Publisher's keywords: General Energy, Fossil Fuels, Energy Storage, Nuclear Energy, Renewable Energy, Power Engineering

Energy, Sustainability and Society Journal

Thomas Hoppe & Ellen van Bueren (2015). Guest editorial: governing the challenges of climate change and energy transition in cities. Energy, Sustainability and Society, 5(19).

"The main question in this guest editorial of the thematic issue, entitled ‘Governing the Climate Change Mitigation and Energy Transition Challenges in Cities’, is: How can effective policy strategies be designed and implemented to govern the challenges of climate change and energy transition in cities? We develop some preliminary answers to this question based on seven research papers that form the contribution to the thematic series"

Elaine Conway (2015). Engaging small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the low carbon agenda. Energy, Sustainability and Society, 5(32).

"This paper helps to fill a gap in the literature on SME engagement with low carbon initiatives. It demonstrates both the current areas of engagement and the perceived barriers to further engagement. These findings could inform policy makers in directing support to SMEs to reduce their ecological impacts"

Bastholm, C. and Henning, A. (2014). The use of three perspectives to make energy implementation studies more culturally informed. Energy, Sustainability and Society, 4(1):3

"One advantage of focusing on energy services rather than energy supply is that it opens up for studies of energy-related ways of living and how these may be altered [33]. Another advantage is that it draws attention to the fact that the same service can be provided by different equipments and sources of energy"

beauty in wind trees

"New Wind, a research and development company in France, has developed this new technology based on the look and feel of a tree. The unobtrusive design is actually pleasing to look at, is reported to be silent, and operates in low wind unlike most wind turbines, and this has the added effect of increasing overall efficiency and power output." +info

Energy Efficiency Market Report

"The International Energy Agency has released the 2015 Energy Efficiency Market Report that provides insights into how businesses, households and policy-makers generate the investments that drive the energy efficiency market and how this market impacts our energy system."

See report

O Fundo de Apoio à Inovação (FAI) em Energias Renováveis e Eficiência Energética, tem candidaturas abertas em permanência para “Projetos de Estudos Técnicos ou Científicos Artigo 3º, nº1, d) do Regulamento do FAI Estudos técnicos ou científicos que suportem de forma efetiva o conhecimento das entidades públicas e privadas na área da eficiência energética ou das energias renováveis.” 

São elegíveis despesas com trabalhadores, subcontratações (até 30% do valor com trabalhadores), viagens e alojamento, e custos indirectos (até 5%). Montante máximo por candidatura 200 000 euros. 

+ info (montantes e formulário) fai.pt/candidaturas-em-continuo/#projetosdeestudos

[curso online] Programa de Capacitação em Energias Renováveis

O Programa de Capacitação em Energias Renováveis é da iniciativa do Observatório de Energias Renováveis para América Latina e Caribe, "(...) focado no contexto das tecnologias de produção de energia renovável e eficiência energética que cumpram com as necessidades da América Latina e Caribe, de maneira a fomentar os investimentos nessa área." O "programa visa a promover o acesso a energias limpas e oferece aos profissionais e gestores de políticas conhecimentos de qualidade e atualizados sobre tecnologias energéticas". 

Oferece 7 módulos "incluindo a análise de exemplos práticos. Os usuários irão encontrar em cada um dos módulos diferentes elementos de formação, como guia didático, apresentações em vídeo, conteúdo extenso, slides interativos e exercícios. Todos os módulos de EAD estão disponíveis em Inglês, Espanhol e Português, cada um com 16 horas/aula. (...) Os usuários receberão um certificado digital" 

Módulos:

Energia e Mudanças Climáticas; 

Energia Mini-Eólica;

O Biogás; 

Energia Mini-Hidrelétrica; 

Energia Solar Térmica; 

Energia Solar Fotovoltaica; 

Eficiência Energética em Edifícios.

[event] Bioeconomy Investment Summit

Bioeconomy Investment Summit, Brussels, 9 e 10 de Novembro:

"The objective of the two-day Summit is to identify possible ways to mobilize private and public investment for the Bioeconomy, by notably ensuring supportive framework conditions including policy and regulatory environments. The event will be hosted by the EU Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, Carlos Moedas and bring together high-level representatives from the European institutions, industry, primary producers, civil society, the scientific community, representatives from regional public investment banks, private equity firms investing in the bioeconomy, members of the European Parliament and producers in the agricultural, forestry and marine sectors."

SETplan 2015 Conference

Beyond NZEB: Has LC thinking a meaningful use for an energy policy agenda? Partidário P, Martins P, Frazão R and Cabrita I, DGEG / DEIR (.pptx)

Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews publishes review articles designed to bring together under one cover, current advances in the ever broadening field of renewable and sustainable energy.

Renewable Energy Policy in the European Union: is there a firm foundation for the EU’s 2030 renewable energy targets? (2015):

"The first group consists of the member states with weak policy effectiveness (i.e. the lowest scores: less than 0.15) – these include Portugal, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, and Romania. In order to meet their target share of RES by 2020, these member states will have to make substantial improvements to their policy frameworks. Portugal and Luxembourg especially lag behind in this regard."

Hyperloop transportation - from fiction to reality

"Verdadeiramente, quando dizemos Hyperloop não estamos a falar de um comboio mas de um sistema de transporte composto por cápsulas impulsionadas por ar comprimido abastecido através de energia solar e de baterias de longa duração.(...) Em declarações ao jornal espanhol ABC, o director-geral da Hyperloop Transportation Technologies afirma que apesar de o projecto implicar a construção de tubagem especial e de grandes dimensões, a construção da infraestrutura será mais barata do que os caminhos de ferro. E, além do mais, gerará mais energia do que aquela que consumirá pelo que a sua operação será sempre – afirma – rentável."

Energy from waste coffee

Activated carbon derived from waste coffee grounds for stable methane storage (2015):

"An activated carbon material derived from waste coffee grounds is shown to be an effective and stable medium for methane storage. The sample activated at 900 °C displays a surface area of 1040.3 m2 g−1 and a micropore volume of 0.574 cm3 g−1 and exhibits a stable CH4 adsorption capacity of ~4.2 mmol g−1 at 3.0 MPa and a temperature range of 298 ± 10 K. The same material exhibits an impressive hydrogen storage capacity of 1.75 wt% as well at 77 K and 100 kPa. Here, we also propose a mechanism for the formation of activated carbon from spent coffee grounds. At low temperatures, the material has two distinct types with low and high surface areas; however, activation at elevated temperatures drives off the low surface area carbon, leaving behind the porous high surface area activated carbon."

Waste Coffee Grounds as an Energy Feedstock (2011):

"The aim of this study was to demonstrate the utilization of waste coffee grounds as a potential new-low cost alternative feedstock for biodiesel production.(...) spent coffee grounds were collected from local coffee houses. The grounds were dried in an oven at 105° C to remove moisture (mostly 25 wt%) and then the oil was extracted by applying a soxhlet process. A low-boiling organic solvent such as n-hexane was used. Afterwards the oil was separated from the solvent using a rotary evaporator and its physicochemical properties were measured. The experimental results showed that the oil content of spent coffee grounds is between 10-15 % w/w (on a dry weight basis). The oil was converted to biodiesel via transesterification reaction. All the reactions were carried out at 65oC for 2 h with anhydrous methanol in methanol-to-oil molar ratio, 9:1using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as catalyst in amount (1%). The conversion of coffee oil was found to be about 92 %. Finally, the quality parameters of the produced biodiesel were determined according to the European standard EN 14214. (...) In addition, the waste solid remaining after the oil extraction can be utilized as compost as well as fuel pellets. This work could offer a new perspective in the production of biofuels."

REFocus Magazine

"(...) Renewable Energy Focus provides a forum for debate and dialogue between research, industry, financial organisations and government bodies worldwide. With in-depth coverage and incisive editorial on all areas of renewable energy"

POSEUR

Programa Operacional Sustentabilidade e Eficiência no Uso de Recursos (página POSEUR):

A estratégia para o PO SEUR alude a uma perspetiva multidimensional da sustentabilidade assente em três pilares estratégicos que estão na origem dos 3 Eixos de Investimento do Programa:

• Eixo I - Apoiar a transição para uma economia com baixas emissões de carbono em todos os sectores;
• Eixo II - Promover a adaptação às alterações climáticas e a prevenção e gestão de riscos;
• Eixo III - Proteger o ambiente e promover a eficiência dos recursos.

Hybrid solar cells

Hybrid solar cell converts both light and heat from sun's rays into electricity: "(...)researchers layered a dye-sensitized solar cell on top of a PEDOT film, which heats up in response to light. Below that, they added a pyroelectric thin film and a thermoelectric device, both of which convert heat into electricity. The efficiency of all components working together was more than 20 percent higher than the solar cell alone."

+ info: Photothermally-Activated Pyroelectric Polymer Films for Harvesting of Solar Heat with a Hybrid Energy Cell Structure, ACS Nano, Just Accepted Manuscript, DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.5b04042

Energy Technology Perspectives (2015)

"(...) the 2015 edition of Energy Technology Perspectives (ETP 2015) examines innovation in the energy technology sector and seeks to increase confidence in the feasibility of achieving short- and long-term climate change mitigation targets through effective research, development, demonstration and deployment (RDD&D). ETP 2015 identifies regulatory strategies and co‑operative frameworks to advance innovation in areas like variable renewables, carbon capture and storage, and energy-intensive industrial sectors. (...) ETP 2015 features the IEA annual Tracking Clean Energy Progress report, which this year shows that efforts to decarbonise the global energy sector are lagging further behind." + info

Executive Summary  Table of Contents

Webinars da IEA

IEA webinars [via AC]

[news] solar roof with heat and power

“In addition to PV panels, an innovative thermal duct system warms and cools air to supplement air conditioning in the homes. These first installations are an important step as the technology moves towards commercialisation and cost competitiveness with conventional rooftop PV.” + info

Projected Costs of Generating Electricity (2015)

"A wide range of fuels and technologies are presented in the report, including natural gas, coal, nuclear, hydro, solar, onshore and offshore wind, biomass and biogas, geothermal, and combined heat and power, drawing on a database from surveys of investment and operating costs that include a larger number of countries than previous editions. (...) Readers will find a wealth of details and analysis, supported by over 200 figures and tables, underlining this report’s value as a tool for decision makers and researchers concerned with energy policies, climate change and the evolution of power sectors around the world." + info

Conferência da APREN, CCE, 3 de Dezembro

+ info: programa

PV Watts Calculator

This tool "[e]stimates the energy production and cost of energy of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) energy systems throughout the world. It allows homeowners, small building owners, installers and manufacturers to easily develop estimates of the performance of potential PV installations."

[media news] zero-carbon house

Professor Phil Jones takes a tour of the zero-carbon house

Latest survey from International Energy Agency Natural Gas

The latest version of the survey is available in two formats:

 

http://www.iea.org/media/statistics/surveys/gas/natgas.pdf (pdf)

http://www.iea.org/media/statistics/surveys/gas/gas_web.xls (excel)

 

More information on Natural Gas:

• http://www.iea.org/topics/naturalgas/ (for general IEA work on natural gas)
• http://www.iea.org/statistics/statisticssearch/ (for Natural Gas, choose Natural Gas, Country/Region and Year)
• http://www.iea.org/statistics/relateddatabases/monthlygasdataservices/ (to order the Monthly Natural Gas Full Service)

Renewable Energy for Islands

The cases consist of three different islands (Vanuatu, Marshall, and Fiji) using renewables readiness assessments (RRA). "Renewables Readiness Assessments for the three island nations find that a combination of solar, wind, geothermal, marine, biomass and biofuel could meet domestic energy needs while decreasing electricity costs, increasing energy access, and boosting energy independence":

• Vanuatu RRA: http://bit.ly/1IsurpW
• Marshall Islands RRA: http://bit.ly/1Nws6cX
• Fiji RRA: http://bit.ly/1Nv6myN

Project Sunroof

This project aims "to make installing solar panels easy and understandable for anyone. Project Sunroof puts Google's expansive data in mapping and computing resources to use, helping calculate the best solar plan for you."

It allows, for now, any homeowner in USA and Canada (more to come) to get a personalized plan by entering the street address: "When you enter your address, Project Sunroof looks up your home in Google Maps and combines that information with other databases to create your personalized roof analysis."