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[BusinessGreen.com > News > Recycling/Disposal]
American food waste also wastes millions in energy
{アメリカの食品廃棄物で、原油換算、３億５千万バレル相当が無駄に}
New research highlights energy footprint of throwing food in the bin
GreenBiz Staff, BusinessGreen, 06 Oct 2010
Americans waste a lot of food - 27 per cent of all food produced was not eaten back in 1995, the last time a study was conducted by the USDA. That number has no doubt gone up in the last 15 years, and two researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have published a paper looking at the wasted, embedded energy of all that food.
It turns out that if, by some miracle, Americans stopped wasting food entirely, the country would save two per cent of its annual energy budget, or about 350 million barrels' worth of oil.
The researchers, Michael Webber and Amanda Cuéllar, of the Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy at the University of Texas at Austin, looked at how much energy it takes to produce, package, prepare, preserve and distribute a year's worth of food in the United States. The figure they arrived at -1.4 billion barrels of oil equals between eight and 16 percent of our annual energy consumption.
"[T]he energy embedded in wasted food represents a substantial target for decreasing energy consumption in the US," the article notes. "The wasted energy calculated here is a conservative estimate both because the food waste data are incomplete and outdated and the energy consumption data for food service and sales are incomplete."
The report, which is available for download from the American Chemical Society, breaks down food waste by type, and looks at the energy used to produce, process, and transport food.
Although this is the first time food waste has been quantified as energy, it has been a focus of companies' efforts for some time - especially outside the United States. Last month, UK grocery retailers announced they had made progress in cutting their food waste, saving 1.2 million metric tons of food waste over the last five years. Sainsbury's, one of the leading UK grocers, announced earlier this year that it was investing in new technology to let grocery stores reduce food waste based on real-time supply chain decisions influenced by the weather. And in 2009, Marks & Spencer set a goal to recycle all its food waste as a way of achieving its zero-waste goal.
In the US, Sodexo last month launched an education campaign urging students to reduce their food waste on campus. And the Minnesota State Fair this year experimented with using food leftovers and animal waste to power the fair.
[BusinessGreen.com > News > Renewables]
Desertec looks to secure route to African solar farms
{デザーテック事業イニシアティブ、アフリカ太陽熱発電開発への確実な路線を歩む}
Italian grid operator Terna becomes latest shareholder in Desertec Industrial Initiative as high profile solar project gears up for its first annual conference
Jessica Shankleman, BusinessGreen, 06 Oct 2010
The high profile Desertec solar project has moved a step closer towards delivering on its ambitious plans for solar thermal power plants across the North African desert that could one day supply Europe with energy.
Italian transmission and system operator Terna confirmed last week that it has joined the Desertec Industrial Initiative (DII) as a shareholder and will provide expertise on how to integrate solar energy projects into the European grid.
Meanwhile, Steg Renouvelables, a subsidiary of Tunisian utility company Steg, also said it will sign up to the DII, providing the project with a major ally in the North African energy sector.
The new recruits take the number of company's involved in the Desertec project up to 18 shareholders and 25 associated partners, all of whom are now working to promote the creation of giant solar thermal power plants, which could, if successful, generate up to 15 per cent of Europe's electricity.
Paul van Son, chief executive at the German-based DII, welcomed Terna's decision to join the project, particularly given its expertise as a grid operator and Italy's close proximity to Tunisia.
"Apart from creating a framework for power generation in desert regions, power transmission from North Africa to the European markets is another important element for Desertec," he said. "Italy is a key country for us due to its geographical location and its proximity to Tunisia. In addition, given its core expertise as a national grid operator, Terna can contribute to our joint venture with valuable knowledge about the integration of renewable energy into electric grids."
The vision of large-scale renewable energy generation in the deserts will also be at the centre of discussions at DII's first annual conference in Barcelona at the end of this month.
EU energy commissioner Günther Oettinger is expected to deliver the keynote speech at the conference, where executives from participating companies will discuss topics such as the regulatory and incentive framework that will be required to make desert solar power a reality.
In related news, Germany's energy watchdog yesterday urged the government to accelerate the country's grid expansion, warning that stringent planning regulations are undermining the country's ambitious renewable energy policies.
Germany is planning to build 850km of new power lines by 2015, but in the past five years only 90km have been completed, largely as a result of planning difficulties.
Speaking to Reuters, Matthias Kurth, president of the Bundesnetzagentur – the agency in charge of processing planning applications – accused some of Germany's 16 regions of dragging their feet when making planning decisions.
"The current speed is too slow," he said. "Planning and approval processes must be hurried."
[BusinessGreen.com > News > Renewables]
US Navy connects first wave power system to grid
{アメリカ海軍、潮力発電システム網に初アクセス}
PowerBuoy installed off the coast of Hawaii begins feeding energy into the grid
Danny Bradbury, BusinessGreen, 06 Oct 2010
The US Navy has installed a wave power system at the Kaneohe Bay Marine Corps Base in Oahu, Hawaii, in what it says is the first grid-connected wave power installation in the US.
The test wave generation system, installed by Ocean Power Technologies, will generate 3 to 4 kilowatts of power, according to the Navy.
The device, called the PB40 PowerBuoy, is situated three-quarters of a mile off the coast in 100 feet of water. It is the third buoy that has been tested by the Navy since it began evaluating wave-based power in 2001.
The Navy said the test site will be expanded in the future to a capacity of one megawatt, as it tests out a number of commercial-scale systems from different suppliers.
Marine Corps Base Hawaii Commanding Officer Col. Robert Rice said the wave system was part of a wider project that would see the Marine Corps base at Kaneohe Bay become completely energy self-sufficient by 2015.
The project also represents the latest in a series of renewable energy deployments by the US Navy, including solar-powered parking lots and algae-based fuel.
Last year, Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus announced five renewable energy targets designed to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.
These included the deployment of a 'Green Strike Group' of nuclear and biofuel-powered vessels by 2016, the halving of petroleum in its non-tactical commercial fleet by 2015, and the production of half its shore-based energy from alternative sources. Half of all shore-based installations will also be net zero energy consumers within ten years.
[BusinessGreen.com > News > Recycling/Disposal]
American food waste also wastes millions in energy
{アメリカの食品廃棄物で、原油換算、３億５千万バレル相当が無駄に}
New research highlights energy footprint of throwing food in the bin
GreenBiz Staff, BusinessGreen, 06 Oct 2010
Americans waste a lot of food - 27 per cent of all food produced was not eaten back in 1995, the last time a study was conducted by the USDA. That number has no doubt gone up in the last 15 years, and two researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have published a paper looking at the wasted, embedded energy of all that food.
It turns out that if, by some miracle, Americans stopped wasting food entirely, the country would save two per cent of its annual energy budget, or about 350 million barrels' worth of oil.
The researchers, Michael Webber and Amanda Cuéllar, of the Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy at the University of Texas at Austin, looked at how much energy it takes to produce, package, prepare, preserve and distribute a year's worth of food in the United States. The figure they arrived at -1.4 billion barrels of oil equals between eight and 16 percent of our annual energy consumption.
"[T]he energy embedded in wasted food represents a substantial target for decreasing energy consumption in the US," the article notes. "The wasted energy calculated here is a conservative estimate both because the food waste data are incomplete and outdated and the energy consumption data for food service and sales are incomplete."
The report, which is available for download from the American Chemical Society, breaks down food waste by type, and looks at the energy used to produce, process, and transport food.
Although this is the first time food waste has been quantified as energy, it has been a focus of companies' efforts for some time - especially outside the United States. Last month, UK grocery retailers announced they had made progress in cutting their food waste, saving 1.2 million metric tons of food waste over the last five years. Sainsbury's, one of the leading UK grocers, announced earlier this year that it was investing in new technology to let grocery stores reduce food waste based on real-time supply chain decisions influenced by the weather. And in 2009, Marks & Spencer set a goal to recycle all its food waste as a way of achieving its zero-waste goal.
In the US, Sodexo last month launched an education campaign urging students to reduce their food waste on campus. And the Minnesota State Fair this year experimented with using food leftovers and animal waste to power the fair.
[BusinessGreen.com > News > Renewables]
Desertec looks to secure route to African solar farms
{デザーテック事業イニシアティブ、アフリカ太陽熱発電開発への確実な路線を歩む}
Italian grid operator Terna becomes latest shareholder in Desertec Industrial Initiative as high profile solar project gears up for its first annual conference
Jessica Shankleman, BusinessGreen, 06 Oct 2010
The high profile Desertec solar project has moved a step closer towards delivering on its ambitious plans for solar thermal power plants across the North African desert that could one day supply Europe with energy.
Italian transmission and system operator Terna confirmed last week that it has joined the Desertec Industrial Initiative (DII) as a shareholder and will provide expertise on how to integrate solar energy projects into the European grid.
Meanwhile, Steg Renouvelables, a subsidiary of Tunisian utility company Steg, also said it will sign up to the DII, providing the project with a major ally in the North African energy sector.
The new recruits take the number of company's involved in the Desertec project up to 18 shareholders and 25 associated partners, all of whom are now working to promote the creation of giant solar thermal power plants, which could, if successful, generate up to 15 per cent of Europe's electricity.
Paul van Son, chief executive at the German-based DII, welcomed Terna's decision to join the project, particularly given its expertise as a grid operator and Italy's close proximity to Tunisia.
"Apart from creating a framework for power generation in desert regions, power transmission from North Africa to the European markets is another important element for Desertec," he said. "Italy is a key country for us due to its geographical location and its proximity to Tunisia. In addition, given its core expertise as a national grid operator, Terna can contribute to our joint venture with valuable knowledge about the integration of renewable energy into electric grids."
The vision of large-scale renewable energy generation in the deserts will also be at the centre of discussions at DII's first annual conference in Barcelona at the end of this month.
EU energy commissioner Günther Oettinger is expected to deliver the keynote speech at the conference, where executives from participating companies will discuss topics such as the regulatory and incentive framework that will be required to make desert solar power a reality.
In related news, Germany's energy watchdog yesterday urged the government to accelerate the country's grid expansion, warning that stringent planning regulations are undermining the country's ambitious renewable energy policies.
Germany is planning to build 850km of new power lines by 2015, but in the past five years only 90km have been completed, largely as a result of planning difficulties.
Speaking to Reuters, Matthias Kurth, president of the Bundesnetzagentur – the agency in charge of processing planning applications – accused some of Germany's 16 regions of dragging their feet when making planning decisions.
"The current speed is too slow," he said. "Planning and approval processes must be hurried."
[BusinessGreen.com > News > Renewables]
US Navy connects first wave power system to grid
{アメリカ海軍、潮力発電システム網に初アクセス}
PowerBuoy installed off the coast of Hawaii begins feeding energy into the grid
Danny Bradbury, BusinessGreen, 06 Oct 2010
The US Navy has installed a wave power system at the Kaneohe Bay Marine Corps Base in Oahu, Hawaii, in what it says is the first grid-connected wave power installation in the US.
The test wave generation system, installed by Ocean Power Technologies, will generate 3 to 4 kilowatts of power, according to the Navy.
The device, called the PB40 PowerBuoy, is situated three-quarters of a mile off the coast in 100 feet of water. It is the third buoy that has been tested by the Navy since it began evaluating wave-based power in 2001.
The Navy said the test site will be expanded in the future to a capacity of one megawatt, as it tests out a number of commercial-scale systems from different suppliers.
Marine Corps Base Hawaii Commanding Officer Col. Robert Rice said the wave system was part of a wider project that would see the Marine Corps base at Kaneohe Bay become completely energy self-sufficient by 2015.
The project also represents the latest in a series of renewable energy deployments by the US Navy, including solar-powered parking lots and algae-based fuel.
Last year, Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus announced five renewable energy targets designed to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.
These included the deployment of a 'Green Strike Group' of nuclear and biofuel-powered vessels by 2016, the halving of petroleum in its non-tactical commercial fleet by 2015, and the production of half its shore-based energy from alternative sources. Half of all shore-based installations will also be net zero energy consumers within ten years.
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