EARTH HOUR 2012

By Lanre Okanlawon

Celebrate your action for the planet with the people of the world!

We only have one planet.  You can help protect it. Participate in the world’s largest single campaign for the planet: Earth Hour. It starts by turning off your lights for an hour at 8:30 pm  in a collective display of commitment to a better future for the planet. 

Participating... 135 countries, 5251 cities, "I WILL IF YOU WILL!"

This is Earth Hour

Date: Saturday, 31 March 2012
Time: 8.30pm (local time)

5 Things you should Know about Biomass

By Lanre Okanlawon

Biomass Fuel Cycle

One. Extracting energy from biomass is an ancient practice dating back to centuries ago where people first burnt wood to provide light and heat. Modern biomass is utilised to produce power for large scale facilities from solid biomass, biofuel or biogas.

Two. Biomass is all plant and animal matter on the surface of the earth. It is also anything that was alive a short time ago. All biomass get its energy from the sun. Plants store energy from the sun through a process called photosynthesis while animals eat plants and also store this natural energy.

Three. Biomass is a renewable source of energy. The use of biomass as an energy source means the carbon dioxide absorbed from the air while the plant was growing is released back into the atmosphere when the fuel is burned. Therefore this process is said to be carbon neutral. It is a sustainable and potentially environmentally-friendly energy source.

Four. Similar to petrochemical refining, plant biomass can be fractionated into several component parts which can be used to produce several varieties of fuels and chemical resources. Biomass currently supplies more than 14% of the world’s primary energy consumption.

Biomass Plant in Minnesota. Source: Raptor Tech

Five. Biomass can be applied for domestic, commercial and industrial purposes. All biomass power plants work proficiently. The efficiency rate is reported to about 70%; that’s higher than coal or gas fired stations. Like some other clean energy sources. There are presently various incentive schemes in different countries that give financial benefits for biomass energy production.

International Energy Agency

By Greenicles Admin

The development of affordable, inexhaustible and clean solar energy technologies will have huge longer-term benefits. It will increase countries’ energy security through reliance on an indigenous, inexhaustible and mostly import-independent resource, enhance sustainability, reduce pollution, lower the costs of mitigating climate change, and keep fossil fuel prices lower than otherwise. These advantages are global. Hence the additional costs of the incentives for early deployment should be considered learning investments; they must be wisely spent and need to be widely shared. - International Energy Agency

In Case you Missed Them- Some stories that made the news...

By Greenicles Admin

So, you want to know some of the week’s most fascinating stories in the green energy sphere, eh? Spot on! I have compiled some interesting ones in no particular order. Enjoy!

UK wants 2030 Renewable Energy Target Scrapped
This one made hit headlines on 6 major newspapers in London accusing the UK government of wanting downgrade its projected investments and targets in the renewable energy sector. By legislation, the UK is committed to generating 20% of its power from alternative energy resources by 2020. The Guardian implies that the David Cameron led government has, in a secret paper to the EU, advocated for diversification of energy sourcing, giving nuclear power and other low carbon sources equal considerations with renewable in the years to come. UK Energy secretary Ed Davey quickly responded categorically stating that the UK does not want to scrap its 2020 renewable energy target.

26MW Solar Project Launched in Arizona
First Solar, in collaboration with NRG, will commence the construction of a 26MW solar project to be completed before the end of 2012. The project will consist of thin film solar modules mounted on single axis tracker systems. The project is projected to create 200 jobs and will boost Arizona’s drive to meet its RE targets. The power will be sold to the Tucson Electric Power under a 20-year power purchase agreement.

Railways to run on Wind and Solar Energy
In a bid to becoming more environmentally friendly, the Indian Railways have initiated plans to generate power for its own use through wind and solar energy technologies. The plans include setting up 72MW wind power plants in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. 200 railway stations and 1000 manned, level-crossings will also be run on solar energy. These were confirmed in a budget speech made by India’s transport minister Dinesh Trivedi on Wednesday. According to India’s ministry of New and Renewable Energy, India is one of the world’s top 5 Green energy countries with a production capacity of 20,000MW and and additional 2,500MW added annually.

Obama Advocates for more Renewable Energy
On Thursday, President Obama compared his energy critics to people of yesteryears who insisted the earth was flat! Strongly defending his policies on low carbon green sources of energy, he made his viewpoint clear insisting that his government’s decisions on the subject is the right path to energy security and prosperity.

Nigerian Hospital to Benefit from Solar Energy
Members of the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society (MRES), a non-profit organization, have concluded plans to be in Nigeria next week for a solar energy project. One of its international goals is to provide on-the-ground support to green energy projects in developing countries. A government hospital in northern Nigeria will be its first beneficiary in Africa. The society will be donating solar equipment and providing technical support for the project.

"Greenest Ever" Olympics

By Ajeet Khurana

"Go green," the latest mantra for an eco friendly planet no longer remains the sole prerogative of environment activists and scientists alone with the 2012 Olympic Committee members putting on their thinking caps, all set to win the "green medal."

After six long decades, once again London is the venue for 2012 Olympics and the stage is being set for the mega event. The best shot of the host so far has been regenerating the Lower Lea valley in East London in an effort to spread a very meaningful message across the globe and champion the "greenest ever" Olympic Games.

In order to maintain ecological balance, it is extremely important for any country to protect its rivers, creeks and banks. Lea in London was in grave danger with proliferating number of industrial sites along the banks spitting wastes and effluents all over indiscriminately.

ODA (Olympic Delivery Authority), however, partnered with a private agency and initiated a massive clean-up operation. Cleaning such mess is usually a humungous task which calls for robust planning, laborious execution and above all honest intent. The soil along the banks of river Lea was deeply contaminated with arsenic, cyanide and hydrocarbons. At first the litter was removed manually and then the soil was passed through huge soil washers. These giant machines purged two million tones of soil and the clean scum were utilized to build the site.

As far as the river is concerned, it’s sure to meander in full glory for quite some time now. Albeit this is one good example of recycling, instances of intelligent, environment friendly measures to spur the event are galore.

Instead of confining the natural flow of water by building steep concrete banks to prevent flood, engineers have adopted a brilliant new scheme. River Lea has been widened and given a new shape so that at times of flood the water gets distributed in a stretch. Copious planting has been done all around so that the flood water is naturally hemmed by robust trees.

Despite all these measures to orchestrate a completely pollution free oxygen rich Olympics, would it really be possible to dream green with thousands of participants, attendants, officials and airlines bee lining for the show from every corner of the world?

Only time could answer this riddle. Nevertheless whether or not Carbon dioxide level rises in the air, it could be vouched for sure without any second thought, that adrenaline is definitely going to be soaring sky high in the 2012 Olympics.