Andasol: The largest thermo solar park of Europe operating now in Granada, Spain.

In a plain near the Sierra Nevada in Granada, Spain, a spectacular complex of parabolic mirrors has emerged in recent years, which track the sun from east to west, every day. For the focus of each group of mirrors, or collector, through a special glass tube, oil circulates whose temperature is increased from 300 to 400 degree temperature along the circuit due to concentrating sunlight on it, and then it gives up the heat to the water that, in the form of steam, drives a turbine. So solar energy is transformed into electricity, as in a conventional power station, using the sun as a source of clean and free energy and not coal, petroleum or gas, avoiding so greenhouse gases emissions.
Part of the energy collected during the day through the collectors is stored as heat in molten salts within huge deposits to continue generating electricity eight hours after sunset. When the days are not sunny the station can be operated by gas. They are more than 600,000 mirrors, between 2 and 2.8 meters wide, occupying a very large space, equivalent to about 210 football fields, to produce a relatively modest total power -150 MW-but it is enough to serve half a million inhabitants and that-a very important-save 450,000 tons of CO2 annually.
Andasol is already, having carried out this month the third phase, the largest thermo solar park in Europe; but is, above all, a remarkable feat of engineering on which to base future installations of this type in southern Europe and also in northern Africa and Middle East, where there are vast and empty deserts with sunlight and high temperatures.
The best available technology for the right place, with the highest viability and lowest possible cost and environmental impact. This is always the challenge to install solar energy.

Further information about Andasol in:

http://www.elpais.com/articulo/futuro/600000/espejos/sol/Granada/elpepusocfut/20111019elpepifut_1/Tes

Deal with environmental hazards for emergencies of a crowded planet

Enfrentar un peligro ecológico por las emergencias de un planeta abarrotado

La Tierra está sufriendo del hombre que le pide más y más recursos para sobrevivir y satisfacer sus aspiraciones para el consumo. ¿Pueden los avances tecnológicos evitar un colapso total de nuestro planeta?
Según la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Agricultura y la Alimentación (FAO), el crecimiento de la población requerirá un aumento en la producción agrícola de un 50% en 2030 y el 70% en 2050. Para la mayoría de los expertos, la Tierra tiene el potencial para alcanzar estos objetivos y alimentar a 9 mil millones de personas para el año 2050 que podría tener.
De seguir las actuales tendencias de producción y consumo mundiales, ello conduciría a un aumento de 590 millones de hectáreas de tierras cultivadas o utilizadas para la ganadería (un billón y medio de hectáreas se utilizan hoy en día), pérdida de biodiversidad, un aumento de los problemas ambientales y aceleración del cambio climático.
Todos estos fenómenos se pueden evitar con otro escenario alternativo. Pero eso requiere una convergencia global hacia un nuevo modo de consumo: la disponibilidad de alimentos entonces sería de 3.000 kilocalorías por día por persona (incluyendo 500 animales), una disminución del 25% en promedio para la población de países ricos de su dieta actual; y un aumento equivalente para todos los habitantes del África Subsahariana.
La necesidad de una transición a un nuevo modelo agrícola mundial es cada vez más sugerido, incluso dentro de las instituciones internacionales: "Tenemos que asegurar una transición suave de los sistemas alimentarios y agrícolas a sistemas más eficientes y menos contaminantes " , escriben expertos del Comité de la Plataforma de Seguridad Alimentaria de la ONU en un informe el lunes 17 de octubre.
Se pone gran énfasis en la necesidad de producir más para satisfacer la creciente demanda. Pero nos olvidamos del desperdicio de alimentos o del uso de biocombustibles que compiten con los cultivos de alimentos... "
De acuerdo con un estudio publicado en 2009, el 40% de los alimentos disponibles en los EE.UU. se desperdician cada año.



Más información en:

http://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2011/10/20/face-aux-perils-ecologiques-les-urgences-d-une-planete-surpeuplee_1590844_3244.html#ens_id=1590846

Climate sceptics are lessening public concern about global warming

In a briefing at the Royal Society in London on October 10th, Dr Hansen, who heads NASA's Goddard Institute of Space Studies, and is widely thought of as "the father of global warming" – his dramatic alert about climate change in US Senate hearings in July 1988 put the issue on the world agenda, was frank about the success with public opinion of the climate sceptics ,whom he termed "the climate contrarians", in effectively lessening public concern about global warming.
I think that the actual economic crisis is helping the sceptics in their battle.In spite that the greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions have increased 45% since Kyoto protocol in 1990 and the extreme climatic phenomenos that we have seen in this period.The target agreed upon was an average reduction of 5.2% from 1990 levels by the year 2012.Unfortunately,for economic reasons,carbon is everyday widely more used increasing GHG emissions and so global warming,especially in China, who became the first responsable for GHG emissions in the world followed by USA.
Part of the problem, Hansen said, was that the climate sceptic lobby employed communications professionals, whereas "scientists are just barely competent at communicating with the public and don't have the wherewithal to do it."
When he was asked if anything might re-alert the public to the dangers of climate change, Dr Hansen said: "Mother Nature."
Significant climatic "extreme events" were now occurring over 10 to 15 per cent of the planet annually, whereas between 1950 to 1980 they occurred over less than 1 per cent. He added: "So in places like Texas this year, Moscow last year, and Europe in 2003, the climate change is so big that they are undeniable. Within 10 to 15 years they're going to occur over 15 to 20 per cent of the planet, so people have to notice that the climate is changing."
Hansen's evidence that the world is warming

Texas, summer 2011
The US state this year has had its driest summer since record-keeping began in 1895, with 75 per cent of the state classified as "exceptional drought", the worst level. Shortages of grass, hay and water have forced ranchers to thin their herds – where this cow died, in the San Angelo area, there has been less than three inches of rain.
Moscow, August 2010
Russia experienced its hottest-ever summer last year – for weeks, a large portion of European Russia was more than 7 °C (12.6 °F) warmer than normal, and a new national record was set of 44 °C (111 °F). Raging forest fires filled Moscow with smoke, forcing the cancellation of air services and obliging people to don face masks.
Northern Europe, 2003
Shrivelled French grapes at the end of Europe's hottest summer on record, in 2003. The heatwave led to health crises in several countries and more than 40,000 people are thought to have died. Britain experienced its first (and so far only) 100+ F air temperature – 101.3°F (38.5°C) recorded at Brogdale, Kent, on 10 August.

More information about the briefing in http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/global-warning-climate-sceptics-are-winning-the-battle-2368617.html

Energy, climate change and water links

Energy, climate change and water are inextricably linked. If we truly want to find sustainable solutions, we must ensure that we address all three in a holistic way. They are pieces of the same puzzle and therefore it is not practical to look at them in isolation. When you have an energy problem, you cannot resolve certainly a water problem. It works the other way, too. And if you are concerned about climate change, you are actually concerned about both energy and water – whether you know it or not. Policy makers, universities and research centres, companies and civil society are all hard at work trying to find solutions to water and energy challenges. More research and increased knowledge sharing among all these actors is necessary. Together we can break down the silos and develop solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems.
Why this issue matters now
“Climate change is expected to exacerbate current stresses on water resources.[…] Widespread mass losses from glaciers and reductions in snow cover over recent decades are projected to accelerate through the 21st century, reducing water availability, hydropower potential, and changing seasonality of flows ( in some regions)”.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report

Global primary energy demand is projected to increase by just over 50% between now
and 2030. Freshwater withdrawals are predicted to increase by 50% by 2025 in developing countries, and 18% in developed countries.
Increased energy demand will produce more greenhouse gases emissions and so more environmental warming and consequently reduced water availability (of a certain quality and quantity, and at a given time, place or flow) and more increasing energy demand to get water. A new and genuine model for renewable energies and efficiency in energy and water use are necessary to meet these challenges of a probable risk.
Today’s financial crisis presents an opportunity for us to revisit the way we manage this challenge risk. We need to learn to consider critical issues such as water, energy, climate change, food, land, development and ecosystem services together. Boosting water and energy use efficiency through investment in relevant technologies and infrastructure are critical pathways to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. It is essential that the current financial crisis not lead to a drop in this support.
Water and energy policy need to be interlinked: Reliable energy, GHG emissions, climate change and water data, models and analysis tools are too needed to assess risk and make informed decisions or plans. Reliable meteorological and hydrological data should be collected at national and sub national levels for that too.
On the other hand, water and energy efficiency are linked, and this needs to be expressed clearly in measurement tools and policy. A comprehensive, common approach to water and energy efficiency- or “foot print”- measurement is needed. Also, policy on water efficiency should include energy efficiency and vice versa, because trade-offs and synergies do exist between them.

More information in:
http://www.wbcsd.org/DocRoot/Dg6GYWJq7xuaLO0OwZOi/WaterEnergyandClimateChange.pdf

Reducing Dioxins in Cement Kilns during burning wastes

Las dioxinas no se forman allá donde el oxígeno es suficiente y la temperatura de incineración es la adecuada tanto dentro del horno como en la salida de los gases de emisión. Sin embargo, si se forman durante el calentamiento de residuos bajo condiciones de escasez de oxígeno en las incineradoras o cementeras o/y temperaturas no adecuadas. Los residuos clorados bajo condiciones de escasez de oxígeno producen fácilmente las dioxinas cloradas, causantes de cáncer. Se pueden incluso formar dioxinas clorados, durante la incineración de la madera bajo condiciones pobres de oxígeno, a partir de las ligninas y los hongos blancos de la madera que contienen cloro e incluso del poquísimo cloro que pueda existir en el aire. Por ello, las medidas correctoras y condiciones técnicas de prevención, usando las técnicas asequibles disponibles más adecuadas y las condiciones de temperatura y suministro de oxígeno más adecuadas para ello es necesario; aparte de seguir programas de vigilancia y control, realizando tanto los autocontroles de análisis interno por la fábrica emisora de las dioxinas, como externo por organismos acreditados por la Administración pública.
La formación de dioxinas se puede reprimir y que sean destruidos mediante altas temperaturas ( 1420-1480ºC) y tiempos largos de permanencia que son standard en los hornos de cemento. También se puede limitar la formación de dioxinas limitando la cantidad de residuos clorados en el mix de residuos usado tanto en cementeras o incineradoras y también enfriando rápidamente los gases de salida tanto en hornos que emplean procesos húmedos y en los hornos con procesos largos y secos . Los datos de varios hornos de cemento operando sugieren que los hornos precalentados y precalcinados dan emisiones más bajos de dioxinas y furanos clorados PCDD/ PCDF que los hornos de procesos húmedos.

Fast glaciers melting have worrying implications over agriculture and water supplies

Algunos glaciares de Patagonia funden 100 veces más rápido que en cualquier momento de los últimos 350 años.

Las conclusiones, basadas en una nueva técnica de cálculo de pérdida de hielo desarrollada, estudiando los glaciares de Patagonia en Sudamérica, tienen implicaciones inquietantes para la irrigación de cultivo y suministros de agua en el mundo entero. La cantidad de hielo perdido de Patagonia es equivalente a una quinta parte, más del contenido del Lago Erie, uno de los Grandes Lagos de Norteamérica.

Los científicos del descubrimiento dicen que sus conclusiones muestran que la velocidad de fusión al principio del siglo XX era mucho más lenta que la calculada antes pero que durante los últimos 30 años ha sido considerablemente más rápido que lo supuesto. Lo que más alarmó al equipo era que la velocidad de pérdida se ha acelerado rápidamente desde 1980.

Read more at:http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-04-glaciers-faster-thought.html

El calentamiento del planeta causado por mayores emisiones de CO2 y otros de efecto invernadero por las actividades del hombre provocan supuestamente las pérdidas de estos glaciales. La lucha contra el cambio climático, reduciendo las emisiones de gases con efecto invernadero, debe ser un objetivo prioritario para evitar mayores pérdidas de hielo del planeta y sus implicaciones sobre la escasez de agua para la agricultura y el suministro de agua para los ya casi 7000 millones de habitantes de la tierra.

Europe planning to ban gasoline and diesel vehicles by 2050

Transport fuel supply today, in particular to the road sector, is dominated by oil , which has proven reserves that are expected to last around 40 years . The combustion of mineral oil derived fuels gives rise to CO2 emissions and, despite the fact the fuel efficiency of new vehicles has been improving, so that these emit significantly less CO2 , total CO2 emissions from transport have increased by 24% from 1990 to 2008, representing 19.5% of total European Union (EU) greenhouse gas emissions.
The EU objective is an overall reduction of CO2 emissions of 80-95% by the year 2050, with respect to the 1990 level. Decarbonisation of transport and the substitution of oil as transport fuel therefore have both the same time horizon of 2050. Improvement of transport efficiency and management of transport volumes are necessary to support the reduction of CO2 emissions while fossil fuels still dominate, and to enable finite renewable resources to meet the full energy demand from transport in the long term.
Alternative fuel options for substituting oil as energy source for propulsion in transport are:
• Electricity/hydrogen, and biofuels (liquids) as the main options
• Synthetic fuels as a technology bridge from fossil to biomass based fuels
• Methane (natural gas and biomethane) as complementary fuels
• LPG as supplement

Read more at:
http://ec.europa.eu/transport/urban/vehicles/directive/doc/2011_01_25_future_transport_fuels_report.pdf