Solar boat launch sets Mediterranean conservation campaign

A catamaran powered exclusively by the sun cast off from Spain’s southeastern coast, starting a journey that is completely free of fossil fuels.

The tired and tested catamaran, the 46ft WWF Solar, which set off on July 14, is part of WWF Spain’s new ‘Embárcate’ (Get on Board) campaign to promote the use of the renewable energies and the conservation of marine ecosystems.

Micro-hydro power

Practical Action promotes small-scale hydro schemes that generate up to 500 kilowatts of power. The micro-hydro station, which converts the energy of flowing water into electricity, provides poor communities in rural areas with an affordable, easy to maintain and long-term solution to their energy needs.

Practical Action has developed micro-hydro systems with communities in Peru, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, and Kenya. These systems, which are designed to operate for a minimum of 20 years, are usually 'run-of-the-river' systems. This means they do not require a dam or storage facility to be constructed but simply divert water from the stream or river, channel it in to a valley and 'drop' it in to a turbine via a penstock (pipeline).

WIND ENERGY - THE FACTS

From a European, as well as a global perspective, wind power is undergoing rapid development. Within the past 10 years the global installed capacity of wind power has increased from approximately 2.5 GW in 1992 to a little below 40 GW at the end of 2003, with an annual growth rate of around 30%. However, only at few sites with high wind speeds can wind power compete economically with conventional power production at present.
This section focuses on the cost structures of a wind power plant, including the lifetime of the turbine and operation and maintenance costs. Finally, it analyzes how the costs of wind power have developed in previous years and how they are expected to develop in the near future. Wind power is used in a number of different applications, including both grid-connected and stand-alone electricity production, as well as water pumping. This section analyzes the economics of wind energy primarily in relation to grid-connected turbines which account for the vast bulk of the market value of installed turbines.

धेरै समस्या एउटै समाधान बायोग्यास

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बायोग्यास प्लान्टले समुद्री सतहभन्दा २१०० मिटरभन्दा माथि राम्रोसँग काम गर्दैन भनिन्थ्यो, तर ३८५० मिटरको उचाइमा अवस्थित लाङटाङ उपत्यकाको सबैभन्दा अग्लो बस्ती क्यान्जिङ गोम्पामा प्लान्ट स्थापना गरेर बायोग्यास सहयोग कार्यक्रम -बीएसपी-नेपाल) ले चौंरीगाईको गोबरबाट ग्यास उत्पादन गर्ने सरल उपाय पत्ता लगाएको छ । गाउँमा बायोग्यास प्लान्ट स्थापना भएकोमा खुसी ट्रेकिङ गाइड पासाङ डेम्दी शर्ेपा भन्छन्, "यसले थुप्रै दाउरा जोगाउनेछ र धेरै मानिसले प्लान्ट बनाउने छन् ।" उच्च हिमाली भेगमा प्लान्टको भूमिगत डाइजेष्टरको माथिपट्ट कम्पोष्ट थुपारिदिँदा डाइजेष्टरलाई न्यानो राख्न र ग्यास उत्पादन गर्न मद्दत पुग्छ ।

क्यान्जिङ गोम्पाको होटल याला पिकमा बनेको पहिलो प्लान्ट बाहिरबाट हर्ेदा फोहोरको थुप्रो जस्तै देखिन्छ, तर माथि वाफ उडिरहेको त्यस थुप्रोमुनि प्लान्टको भूमिगत डोम र डाइजेष्टरबाट जाडोमा समेत होटलको भान्छामा मिथेन ग्यास आइरहेको हुन्छ । "हामीले डाइजेष्टरलाई तातो राख्न सोलार हिटरदेखि ग्रीन हाउसभित्र बायोग्यास प्लान्ट निर्माणसम्मका धेरै तरिका अपनायौं । तर ती सबै महँगो समाधान थिए, कम्पोष्ट थुपार्नु सस्तो ठहरियो", बीएसपीका इञ्जिनियर हरिबहादुर केसी भन्छन् । जाडोमा ग्यास कम हुने समस्या भोगिरहेका होचा पहाडी र तर्राई भेगका उपभोक्ताले पनि यही उपायबाट ग्यास उत्पादनलाई यथावत् राख्न सक्ने उनको सुझाव छ ।

Carbon footprint

A carbon footprint is "the total set of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions caused by an organization, event or product" . For simplicity of reporting, it is often expressed in terms of the amount of carbon dioxide, or its equivalent of other GHGs, emitted.

The concept name of the carbon footprint originates from ecological footprint discussion. carbon footprint is a subset of the ecological footprint and of the more comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).

An individual, nation, or organization's carbon footprint can be measured by undertaking a GHG emissions assessment. Once the size of a carbon footprint is known, a strategy can be devised to reduce it, e.g. by technological developments, better process and product management, changed Green Public or Private Procurement (GPP), Carbon capture, consumption strategies, and others.

The mitigation of carbon footprints through the development of alternative projects, such as solar or wind energy or reforestation, represents one way of reducing a carbon footprint and is often known as Carbon offsetting.