Plastic Packaging Design Threatens New EU Recycling Targets

Posted on by
Reply

See on Scoop.it – Green & Sustainable News
Released: 25/04/2013 10:12:00

The new challenge should be that recyclability becomes a requirement fully equal to the other performance criteria. This will help to divert substantial quantities of plastics away from landfill and

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

Plastic packaging recycling does not begin with collection but design. Packaging design today is focused mainly on maximizing performance. Careless design often leads to incomplete emptying of a package and what about different combinations of polymers/materials which are incompatible for an efficient recycling process?

Plastics Recyclers Europe believe that the introduction of an EU classification system will assist designers in evaluating their creations from a recyclability point of view, in the addition it will help them in choosing the best options to improve their class.

Plastics Recyclers Europe would like to invite all interested parties to join Recy Class™ and increase plastics recycling across Europe.

More info:
www.plasticsrecyclers.eu

See on www.packagingeurope.com

LONDON, April 25, 2013: Energy from Waste: Modern Plants and Increased Revenues to Boost Investments, says Frost & Sullivan

Posted on by
Reply

See on Scoop.it – Green Energy Technologies & Development

/PRNewswire/ — Concerns on the growing volumes of municipal solid waste (MSW), the decreasing capacity of landfill sites, and the considerable rise in resource consumption will help sustain investments in the European waste to energy (WTE) plant…

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

“Waste treatment companies are gradually diverting MSW from landfill sites to use in energy generation owing to regulations on limiting landfills and incentives for lower carbon emissions,” said Frost & Sullivan Energy and Environmental Research Analyst Monika Chrusciak. “The conversion of waste to renewable energy through the application of thermal treatment technologies – increasingly viewed as an attractive solution for waste management – reduces operational costs as well.”

Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/04/25/4804660/energy-from-waste-modern-plants.html#storylink=cpy

See on www.heraldonline.com

NEMA Praises Introduction of Bill to Promote Energy Storage Technologies, National

Posted on by
Reply

See on Scoop.it – Green Energy Technologies & Development

April 25, 2013 – NEMA endorsed HR 1465, STORAGE 2013, which promotes adoption of state-of-the-art energy storage technologies, calling this legislation “carefully crafted” in its regard for entire range of energy storage technologies. …

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

“Energy storage is a key enabler of the Smart Grid and is transforming the way we think about electricity,” said NEMA President and CEO Evan R. Gaddis. “By getting us beyond the need to generate electricity at the same moment as it is used, energy storage delivers greater system efficiency, enhances reliability and resiliency, and fosters integration of renewable energy.”

STORAGE 2013 would offer a 30 percent investment tax credit for energy storage used in connection with the power grid, with no project eligible to receive more than $40 million, and the total program capped at $1.5 billion. For municipal utilities and electric cooperatives, the legislation would make energy storage eligible for new clean renewable energy bonds. To promote efficiency and distributed generation in the commercial and residential markets, the bill offers a 30 percent credit (up to $1 million) for onsite application of energy storage.

See on news.thomasnet.com

KW17 | IHS: Solar PV energy storage market to grow to USD 19 billion in 2017 – SolarServer

Posted on by
Reply

See on Scoop.it – Green Energy Technologies & Development

IHS Inc. (Englewood, Colorado, US) has released a new report which predicts that the market for energy storage to accompany solar photovoltaic (PV) generation will grow more than 100% annually to 7 GW in 2017, representing USD 19 billion in value.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

Due to the energy storage subsidy, IHS expects Germany to play a leading role, as it did in the larger PV industry. The company predicts that 70% of installed storage in 2013 will be located in Germany.

IHS expects that if the program proves successful, other nations will pass similar subsidies. …

Market for storage with utility-scale PV as well

IHS also expects that storage will be used in larger PV systems, as connection requirements for PV become increasingly demanding. The company forecasts that utility-scale PV with storage will grow to more than 2 GW annually by 2017, led by Asia and the Americas.

See on www.solarserver.com

International Battery and Energy Storage Alliance Founded – Solar Novus Today

Posted on by
Reply

See on Scoop.it – Green Energy Technologies & Development

IPVEA and EuPD Research form International Battery and Energy Storage Alliance

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

The newly founded alliance plans to support and enable cooperation between companies from the fields of solar energy production, electrical energy storage and smart grid technologies. Together, the members of the International Battery and Energy Storage Alliance (IBESA) will create access to professional resources, market intelligence, new networks, and emerging markets. Over 70 members of the International PV Equipment Association (IPVEA) will immediately benefit from this strong partnership.

Alongside companies in the photovoltaic, battery and solar storage sectors, IBESA is also a valuable partner for energy providers, municipal utilities, installers, consulting firms and banks. …

Interested companies can contact the International Battery and Energy Storage Alliance directly in order to become members.

See on www.solarnovus.com

China Eastern tests flight using biofuel – Xinhua | English.news.cn

Posted on by
Reply

See on Scoop.it – Green & Sustainable News

Sinopec is the first company in China to master the technology of turning palm oil and waste cooking oil into jet biofuel l.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

The jet, which used a palm oil biofuel made by China Petroleum and Chemical Corp, or Sinopec, Asia’s largest oil refiner, flew for 85 minutes after taking off from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport.

Liu said he performed several extreme maneuvers, including diving above 12,000 meters, but found no significant difference between the Sinopec biofuel and gasoline. The plane’s left fuel tank was filled with gasoline to allow him to compare.

“The performance of the biofuel during the takeoff was powerful,” the pilot added.

Sinopec is the first company in China to master the technology of turning palm oil and waste cooking oil into jet biofuel.

 

See on news.xinhuanet.com

Lawmakers float renewable energy finance bill – The Hill’s E2-Wire

Posted on by
Reply

See on Scoop.it – Green Energy Technologies & Development

A bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers revived legislation Wednesday that aims to spur renewable energy investment through federal tax code tweak. Lawmakers unveiled the Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act — spearheaded in the Senate by Sens.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

The bill would extend master limited partnerships to renewable energy projects ranging from wind power to energy efficiency. Currently, only oil-and-gas projects can use the financing mechanism.

“This market-driven solution supports the all-of-the-above energy strategy we need to power our country for generations to come. Our legislation will unleash private capital, create jobs and modernize our tax code,” Coons said in a statement.

See on thehill.com

Lithium-polysulfide “Flow” battery helps solar and wind power the grid

Posted on by
Reply

See on Scoop.it – Green Energy Technologies & Development

Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University have managed to design a low-cost, long-life battery that could enable solar …

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

The new Stanford/SLAC battery design uses only one stream of molecules and does not need a membrane at all. Its molecules mostly consist of the relatively inexpensive elements lithium and sulfur, which interact with a piece of lithium metal coated with a barrier that permits electrons to pass without degrading the metal.

When discharging, the molecules, called lithium polysulfides, absorb lithium ions; when charging, they lose them back into the liquid. The entire molecular stream is dissolved in an organic solvent, which doesn’t have the corrosion issues of water-based flow batteries.

“In initial lab tests, the new battery also retained excellent energy-storage performance through more than 2,000 charges and discharges, equivalent to more than 5.5 years of daily cycles,” Cui explained.

See on www.tgdaily.com

USDA Renews Dairy Energy Pact – Domestic Fuel

Posted on by
Reply

See on Scoop.it – Green & Sustainable News

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack today renewed a historic agreement with U.S. dairy producers to accelerate the adoption of innovative waste-to-energy projects and energy efficiency improvements on U.S. dairy farms…

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

USDA support for agricultural and waste-to-energy research has played a key role in the agreement’s success to date. Since signing the MOU, USDA has made nearly 180 awards that helped finance the development, construction, and biogas production of anaerobic digester systems with Rural Development programs, such as the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels, Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program, Value Added Producer Grants, amongst others. These systems capture methane and produce renewable energy for on-farm use and sale onto the electric grid. Additionally, during this period, USDA awarded approximately 140 REAP loans and grants to help dairy farmers develop other types of renewable energy and energy efficiency systems at their operations.

See on domesticfuel.com

More Major Companies Embrace New Recycling Label | Ethical Consumption

Posted on by
Reply

See on Scoop.it – Green & Sustainable News

A dozen major U.S. companies, including General Mills (NYSE:GIS), Kellogg’s (NYSE:K), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and REI, have already joined the labeling scheme. Since launching last January, How2Recycle has established itself as the only labeling system that convey recyclability across all material types and provides explicit directions to consumers to influence their recycling behavior.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

“Consumers are faced with a confusing landscape of material and recycling messages that are often inconsistent or misleading. We believe this label will help consumers and companies more effectively communicate recyclability and contribute to more successful resource recovery,” said Anne Bedarf, who led the development of the label, at a launch ceremony for How2Recycle last year.

“As we enable consumers to recycle correctly, we ensure more quality recycled material is available for us to use, our consumers send less waste to landfill, and we can reduce the energy needed to create new packages,” added Lorio, whose company was recently named one of the “Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World” by Corporate Knights.

See on www.justmeans.com