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Energyworld.com
New coal technology won't solve climate woes
According to the World Coal Association (WCA) “high efficiency, low emissions” coal technology will allow Indonesia to “continue to use its coal resources”, whilst also meeting its international commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
This is simply false: No new coal plants are compatible with the goal of keeping global temperature increases below 2 degrees Celsius.
The WCA recently held workshops in Indonesia to promote this technology, and the Indonesian government seems only too keen to hear the coal industry’s message. It is already planning to increase the number of coal-fired power plants in operation in Indonesia — adding 35 Gigawatts (GW) of new coal to the 26 GW already in existence.
But there are five good reasons why the coal industry’s plan won’t work.
First, greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced far more than so-called “highly efficient coal” can manage. Coal power’s most efficient technologies can reduce carbon dioxide ( CO2 ) emissions per unit of electricity by around a third, at most.
But, by 2050, emissions from electricity production need to be reduced by over 90 percent — and not only in Indonesia.
Therefore, any new clean coal plant constructed in the coming decades will have to be dismantled if we are to avoid irreversible climate change, potentially leaving a legacy of stranded assets, as we are already seeing in other markets.
Second, the WCA has suggested that more efficient coal can help Indonesia achieve its current emission reduction target. But this does not mean avoiding dangerous climate change.
The government’s target of reducing emissions by 29 percent by 2030 (excluding forestry) was rated as “inadequate” by independent experts prior to the Paris climate change talks last year.
It allows Indonesian greenhouse gas emissions to quadruple before any cuts take place as the baseline on which the reductions are based is set so high.
As stated by Kornelis Blok, professor of energy systems analysis, Technical University of Delft, Netherlands: “Clean coal technology comes too late to still make a significant contribution to climate change mitigation.
“The accumulated carbon in the atmosphere leaves no room for further deployment of more efficient coal technology. CO2 emissions per unit of generated electricity are simply still too high.
“Energy strategies resulting in higher shares of coal power are in sharp contrast with climate change mitigation ambitions. Indonesia has everything to become a strong, sustainable economy.
“But it requires a drastic rethinking about the role of coal and the deployment of better alternatives i.e. renewables such as geothermal and solar.”
Third, carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology — a key part of the “clean coal” narrative — is too expensive and likely unviable in Indonesia. CCS involves capturing the CO2 from burning coal and moving it elsewhere.
In Indonesia, this would mean using non-existent transport to move the carbon dioxide to distant geological reservoirs — an expensive and probably unrealizable prospect. CCS is hence not part of the government plans.
Fourth, renewable technologies are already starting to outcompete coal on cost grounds. A tender for solar photovoltaics in the United Arab Emirates recently resulted in a bid of less than US$30/MWh, about one third of the generation cost of conventional plants in Indonesia.
The cost of more efficient coal is far higher than that of current coal technology, making them even less viable.
Fifth, renewable resources in Indonesia are gigantic: the geothermal energy potential may well be the largest in the world, and solar potential is huge.
Combined with wind, sustainable bioenergy and hydropower, the country could be fully supplied by cheaper and safer energy sources. Energy savings improve the potential even further.
Access to electricity is rightly high on the political agenda in Indonesia as a way of supporting economic and societal development. But the answer isn’t more, unabated coal.
Ecofys’ recent research shows that building new high-efficiency coal plants is simply incompatible with the 2° Celsius target agreed upon in Paris. Our research shows that there is simply no room in the carbon budget for any more coal plants, anywhere in the world, and in fact existing coal plants in rich countries need to be shut down by 2030, or make significant investments to reduce their emissions.
The country needs an energy strategy that truly incorporates climate constraints, shifting away from fossil energy. The Indonesian government is already gradually moving in the right direction on renewables — it intends to source quarter of its energy from renewables by 2025, which means adding about 46 GW of renewables in the next decade.
It has just announced a feed-in tariff for solar, which will start to drive investment toward new, cheap and reliable solar generation.
Clearly shifting away from fossil fuels goes along with significant economic and societal consequences — both positive and potentially negative.
But countries and actors are successfully moving onto a low-carbon pathway.
The global transition is happening now, and Indonesia needs to ride this wave by investing in renewables and energy efficiency, instead of falling for the WCA efforts to keep a dangerous and declining industry afloat for a few more years.
This is simply false: No new coal plants are compatible with the goal of keeping global temperature increases below 2 degrees Celsius.
The WCA recently held workshops in Indonesia to promote this technology, and the Indonesian government seems only too keen to hear the coal industry’s message. It is already planning to increase the number of coal-fired power plants in operation in Indonesia — adding 35 Gigawatts (GW) of new coal to the 26 GW already in existence.
But there are five good reasons why the coal industry’s plan won’t work.
First, greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced far more than so-called “highly efficient coal” can manage. Coal power’s most efficient technologies can reduce carbon dioxide ( CO2 ) emissions per unit of electricity by around a third, at most.
But, by 2050, emissions from electricity production need to be reduced by over 90 percent — and not only in Indonesia.
Therefore, any new clean coal plant constructed in the coming decades will have to be dismantled if we are to avoid irreversible climate change, potentially leaving a legacy of stranded assets, as we are already seeing in other markets.
Second, the WCA has suggested that more efficient coal can help Indonesia achieve its current emission reduction target. But this does not mean avoiding dangerous climate change.
The government’s target of reducing emissions by 29 percent by 2030 (excluding forestry) was rated as “inadequate” by independent experts prior to the Paris climate change talks last year.
It allows Indonesian greenhouse gas emissions to quadruple before any cuts take place as the baseline on which the reductions are based is set so high.
As stated by Kornelis Blok, professor of energy systems analysis, Technical University of Delft, Netherlands: “Clean coal technology comes too late to still make a significant contribution to climate change mitigation.
“The accumulated carbon in the atmosphere leaves no room for further deployment of more efficient coal technology. CO2 emissions per unit of generated electricity are simply still too high.
“Energy strategies resulting in higher shares of coal power are in sharp contrast with climate change mitigation ambitions. Indonesia has everything to become a strong, sustainable economy.
“But it requires a drastic rethinking about the role of coal and the deployment of better alternatives i.e. renewables such as geothermal and solar.”
Third, carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology — a key part of the “clean coal” narrative — is too expensive and likely unviable in Indonesia. CCS involves capturing the CO2 from burning coal and moving it elsewhere.
In Indonesia, this would mean using non-existent transport to move the carbon dioxide to distant geological reservoirs — an expensive and probably unrealizable prospect. CCS is hence not part of the government plans.
Fourth, renewable technologies are already starting to outcompete coal on cost grounds. A tender for solar photovoltaics in the United Arab Emirates recently resulted in a bid of less than US$30/MWh, about one third of the generation cost of conventional plants in Indonesia.
The cost of more efficient coal is far higher than that of current coal technology, making them even less viable.
Fifth, renewable resources in Indonesia are gigantic: the geothermal energy potential may well be the largest in the world, and solar potential is huge.
Combined with wind, sustainable bioenergy and hydropower, the country could be fully supplied by cheaper and safer energy sources. Energy savings improve the potential even further.
Access to electricity is rightly high on the political agenda in Indonesia as a way of supporting economic and societal development. But the answer isn’t more, unabated coal.
Ecofys’ recent research shows that building new high-efficiency coal plants is simply incompatible with the 2° Celsius target agreed upon in Paris. Our research shows that there is simply no room in the carbon budget for any more coal plants, anywhere in the world, and in fact existing coal plants in rich countries need to be shut down by 2030, or make significant investments to reduce their emissions.
The country needs an energy strategy that truly incorporates climate constraints, shifting away from fossil energy. The Indonesian government is already gradually moving in the right direction on renewables — it intends to source quarter of its energy from renewables by 2025, which means adding about 46 GW of renewables in the next decade.
It has just announced a feed-in tariff for solar, which will start to drive investment toward new, cheap and reliable solar generation.
Clearly shifting away from fossil fuels goes along with significant economic and societal consequences — both positive and potentially negative.
But countries and actors are successfully moving onto a low-carbon pathway.
The global transition is happening now, and Indonesia needs to ride this wave by investing in renewables and energy efficiency, instead of falling for the WCA efforts to keep a dangerous and declining industry afloat for a few more years.
Theresa May defends newspapers over attacks on article 50 judges Source-theguargian
Theresa May has come to the defence of the British newspapers that attacked three high court judges after they ruled that the government could not trigger article 50 without a vote in parliament.
Speaking on board a flight to Delhi for her first bilateral meeting abroad, the prime minister said she believed the high court had every right to deliver its verdict but argued that journalists were similarly free to complain about it.
The decision and its response caused controversy after the judges were branded “enemies of the people” and the cabinet minister Sajid Javid said the ruling flew in the face of democracy and was an unacceptable attempt to frustrate the will of the people.
“I believe in and value the independence of our judiciary. I also value the freedom of our press,” she told reporters. “These both underpin our democracy.”
May also stressed that the government was determined to overturn the legal decision, which prevents her from starting the formal process of exiting the EU without a vote in the Commons and Lords.
She warned MPs and peers that it was their duty to respect the outcome of June’s referendum in favour of Brexit, as she highlighted that a similar legal case in Belfast had resulted in an opposite ruling.
“In terms of the legal situation, we have had two court cases in the UK. They have come out with different decisions. The Northern Irish court found in favour of the government; the high court found against the government. We think we have strong legal arguments and will be taking those arguments to the supreme court,” she said. “What’s important for MPs and peers is to recognise that parliament voted to give the decision on our membership of the European Union to the people on 23 June – a majority voted and we should now deliver.”
The prime minister also made clear that she would not compromise over the issue of immigration, which she saw as a red line when it came to her “end goals” in Brexit negotiations.
She hit back at comments from Nick Clegg, the former deputy prime minister, that he would use the court ruling to pursue a soft Brexit, arguing that parliamentarians should be able to block a “more self-harming, hard Brexit”.
May responded: “I think the people spoke on the 23 June and I think it was an important aspect that underpinned people’s approach to that was a concern they had about control of movement of people from the EU into the UK. I believe it is important for the UK government to deliver on that.”
But she was unable to say whether the government would be able to bring the overall net migration numbers down to her government’s target of the tens of thousands by a 2020 general election.
May’s comments came as Labour said it would not block the triggering of article 50, which begins the formal process of Britain leaving the EU. Tom Watson, the deputy leader, said the party would instead seek to put pressure on May to bring more detailed negotiating terms to the House of Commons.
The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, appeared to suggest in an interview with the Sunday Mirror that his party would be prepared to vote against the government invoking article 50 unless May signed up to his Brexit “bottom lines”, including pressing for full access to the single market and safeguarding workers’ rights.
But appearing on Pienaar’s Politics on BBC Radio 5 Live, Watson clarified the party’s position, saying: “No, we’re not going to hold this up. The British people have spoken and article 50 will be triggered when it comes to Westminster.
“I think it’s important, the country needs to hear this, because I think most people think that that court judgment meant that the referendum result has fallen. It hasn’t, it will go through. We want Theresa May to be accountable to parliament, but the people have spoken and we respect that decision.”
Corbyn later echoed Watson’s assurances.
Labour MPs in Brexit-leaning constituencies are nervous about the party adopting any position that appears to be one of seeking to keep Britain in the EU. But unless the party is willing to block the triggering of article 50, it is unclear how Labourcan exert influence over the process.
The prime minister has reassured European leaders that she plans to stick to her self-imposed deadline of triggering article 50 by the end of March.
Corbyn had told the Sunday Mirror: “Sorry, but we live in a democracy and the government has to be responsive to parliament. It’s not my timetable, so it’s up to her to respond.”
The Scottish National party and the Liberal Democrats are thought to be willing to vote down any legislation on article 50 unless they receive reassurances. Added to Corbyn’s tough language, this suggests the government could be defeated, triggering an early election, which Corbyn said he would welcome. “It would give us the chance to put before the British people an alternative economic strategy for this country,” he said.
The interview, which came after Corbyn refused to answer questions about a potential early general election from an ITV reporter earlier in the day, sowed confusion about Labour’s Brexit strategy, which had appeared clearer since a shadow Brexit team led by Keir Starmer was appointed last month.
The government is planning to appeal against Thursday’s high court judgment, which ruled that it would be illegal for the government to trigger article 50 without consulting parliament.
The Brexit secretary, David Davis, said the judgment appeared to imply that the government would have to bring a bill before both houses of parliament, and all opposition parties, as well as remain-leaning Conservatives, were considering how they would use the extra leverage that could give them.
The prime minister wrote in the Sunday Telegraph: “Parliament voted to put the decision about our membership of the EU in the hands of the British people. The people made their choice, and did so decisively. It is the responsibility of the government to get on with the job and to carry out their instruction in full. MPs and peers who regret the referendum result need to accept what the people decided.”
On Saturday, the justice secretary, Liz Truss, issued a statement upholding the independence of the judiciary.
Voting Hours For Bulgarian Presidential Elections Extended - Election Commission
Bulgarian voters will have an additional hour to cast their ballots in the elections of president and vice president, the country's Central Election Commission (CEC) said Sunday.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to the country's Constitution, the candidate for presidency should gain over 50 percent of votes, if over a half of the voters turn out to vote. In case none of the candidates gain the necessary amount of votes, the second round of elections will be held in seven days. "The voters who have not cast their ballots yet should present their documents to the members of the election commission and can then vote after 20:00 [local time, 18:00 GMT] but not later than 21:00 local time," the CEC said in its statement.
Read more: https://sputniknews.com/europe/201611061047126697-voting-election-commission/
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to the country's Constitution, the candidate for presidency should gain over 50 percent of votes, if over a half of the voters turn out to vote. In case none of the candidates gain the necessary amount of votes, the second round of elections will be held in seven days. "The voters who have not cast their ballots yet should present their documents to the members of the election commission and can then vote after 20:00 [local time, 18:00 GMT] but not later than 21:00 local time," the CEC said in its statement.
Read more: https://sputniknews.com/europe/201611061047126697-voting-election-commission/
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