by Komoneed | Jan 12, 2024
Hydropower is a cornerstone of sustainable energy solutions. It promotes environmental responsibility, economic stability and energy reliability as the world continues to shift towards a sustainable and environmentally responsible future.
As a technology, hydropower provides essential grid stability and energy storage capabilities, enabling the seamless integration of intermittent renewable sources like wind and solar. Simultaneously, contributing to climate change mitigation through water resource management, flood control, and ecosystem restoration in well-planned and sustainable initiatives.
SMEC is advancing hydropower projects globally by utilising innovative designs and technologies that emphasise environmental sustainability, enabling the harnessing of renewable energy from flowing water, redefining the renewable energy landscape.
In October 2023, the International Hydropower Association (IHA) held the World Hydropower Congress in Bali where SMEC’s Karen Atkinson (Chief Operating Officer, South East Asia (SEA) Division) and Bob Tilbury (Market Director – Water), were among the presenters. Both shared their insights on current projects and contributing to the ongoing dialogue on the role and urgency for sustainable energy solutions.
Globally, there are key actions required within hydropower and the renewables sector more broadly to help achieve net-zero goals by 2050.
Acknowledging industry challenges with a sense of urgency
Despite its immense potential, the hydropower industry faces significant challenges, especially as emphasis shifts to the transition from global warming to the more immediate ‘global boiling’ scenario. This term, which Indonesian President Jokowi Widodo used in his opening remarks, shows the escalation in urgency for action to address climate risks. SMEC recognises the pressing issues of perceptions, financing, market mechanisms for capacity and firming, and industry capacity in consulting and construction. Perception-related issues involve concerns such as the environmental impact of hydropower and potential displacement of communities. Addressing these hurdles is imperative to unleash the full potential of hydropower as a sustainable energy source and to address the immediate environmental challenges posed by the climate crisis.
Actionable steps for industry advancement
The Congress highlighted three pivotal actions imperative for driving the industry forward, calling for collective efforts and individual engagement. SMEC advocates for industry-wide dissemination of knowledge, and advocacy for essential policies, regulations, and market mechanisms. Sharing lessons and best practices related to financing and sustainable contracting models will be crucial in propelling the industry’s growth. Additionally, supporting organisations like IHA, pivotal in promoting the industry and addressing climate change, is critical for industry advancement.
Embracing sustainable hydropower
SMEC firmly endorses the IHA-authored San Jose Declaration and Bali Statement, underscoring the importance of sustainable hydropower as the driver for green industrial growth. This commitment aligns with the milestone launch of the Hydropower Sustainability Alliance (HAS) at the Congress, an initiative dedicated to enhancing transparency and trust through a rigorous Hydropower Sustainability Standard, combining efforts from both public and private sectors to certify sustainability, ensuring a mutual understanding between civil society and hydropower developers. This emphasises the imperative need for sustainable policies and standards for the industry’s global well-being.
Message to COP 28: a call for collaborative progress
The message conveyed at the Congress to COP 28 is clear: the future of hydropower lies in sustainable development, recognising that green economic growth cannot occur without the pivotal role of hydropower. A key outcome of the Congress; the Bali Statement stresses that sustainable hydropower should be the backbone of national strategies fostering low-carbon economies, especially in regions like ASEAN where substantial hydropower potential exists.
However, success in these areas hinges on strong governmental and financial support, recognising and understanding the significance of present and future renewable energy landscapes, and delivering hydropower projects that meet the Hydropower Sustainability Standard. SMEC advocates for the transition towards a future where sustainable growth is propelled by water, wind, and solar energy collectively. Emphasising the integration of pumped storage with solar and wind, SMEC believes that sustainable development is the path to achieving net-zero goals by 2050.
The imperative of collective action
The future of hydropower relies on collaborative efforts. It is imperative for all stakeholders to unite and work together to tackle the challenges impeding sustainable development in the industry. Collective action is fundamental in steering the industry towards a prosperous and sustainable future. Karen Atkinson, who delivered SMEC’s closing statement at the high-level Stakeholder Forum, highlighted this critical insight, stating, “Embracing sustainable hydropower as the fundamental driver is not just a choice; it is an imperative for the future of our planet.”
The World Hydropower Congress provided invaluable perspectives and directions for the future. The event emphasised the pivotal role of sustainable hydropower, advocating for concerted efforts, strategic alliances, and workforce transformation to drive the industry toward a sustainable, prosperous future. As a business SMEC stands poised to incorporate these insights into its strategies, continuing its commitment to fostering sustainable development and innovation in the hydropower sector.
Following the IHA World Hydropower Congress and COP28 there is hope that through a global collaborative approach, effective change can be achieved. At COP28, IHA announced that 125 countries have pledged to triple the total global renewable power capacity by 2030 to at least 11,000 GW and doubling energy efficiency improvement rates to be in with a hope of meeting 1.5°C goals. To achieve this, hydropower has a crucial role to play.
SMEC is proud of the technical expertise which our teams bring to this challenge and the role the engineering industry will play in shaping the global energy landscape, creating sustainable, secure, and prosperous communities for all.
by Komoneed | Jan 12, 2024
A $50 million facility capable of recycling the equivalent of up to one billion 600 mL PET plastic beverage bottles a year has commenced operations in Melbourne, coinciding with the start of Victoria’s Container Deposit Scheme.
The Circular Plastics Australia (PET) plant will convert used beverage bottles into food-grade resin, which can then be used to make new recycled PET beverage bottles and food packaging such as meat trays and fruit punnets. The plant will recycle bottles collected through the Container Deposit Scheme as well as PET plastic packaging from household and office recycling bins.
The facility contains equipment capable of producing 2.5 tonnes of recycled PET resin per hour. Multiple infrared and optical sorters first separate out any non-PET material, such as bottle lids, labels and metals. The PET bottles are then shredded, ground and washed, before the flaked material goes through a two-stage heating and drying process. The washed flake finally undergoes an extrusion and purification process to produce the recycled PET resin certified to US FDA standards.
The plant, when fully operational, will be able to produce around 20,000 tonnes of recycled PET resin each year.
Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek tours the plant.
This is the second Circular Plastics Australia (PET) recycling facility now operational in Australia, with the first, a similar sized plant in Albury NSW, commencing operations in March 2022.
Circular Plastics Australia (PET) is a joint venture between Pact Group, Cleanaway Waste Management, Asahi Beverages and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), formed to provide a bottle-to-bottle solution to help accelerate the local plastic circular economy. Pact managed the build and operates the two facilities, Cleanaway provides used PET plastic for recycling, and Asahi Beverages and CCEP use recycled resin to make new bottles. Pact also manufactures recycled food and beverage packaging for its customers.
By recycling plastic waste locally, the two Circular Plastics Australia (PET) plants are helping to create a ‘closed loop’ solution for plastic beverage bottles and reduce Australia’s reliance on virgin and imported recycled resin.
Sanjay Dayal, Pact Managing Director and CEO, and Cleanaway CEO Mark Schubert each expressed their pride at being part of this sustainable solution.
Asahi Beverages CEO Amanda Sellers said, “This plant helps ensure soft drink bottles collected via the Victorian CDS and recycling bins get another life as beverage bottles or food packaging. It’s a big step towards creating a truly circular economy in Victoria. Already, all our 450 ml and 600 ml water and soft drink bottles are made with 100% recycled plastic (excluding caps and labels).”
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Australia Managing Director Orlando Rodriguez said, “CCEP is determined to be a leader in Australia’s circular economy. Through this investment, alongside the introduction of Victoria’s CDS, we have made great strides in closing the loop on beverage packaging locally. Seven out of 10 of our PET bottles are now made from 100% recycled plastic (excluding caps and labels).”
The CPA (PET) project in Altona North received $6 million in funding through the Australian Government’s Recycling Modernisation Fund and the Victorian Government’s Circular Economy – Recycling Modernisation Fund.
Top image caption: Pact Managing Director and CEO Sanjay Dayal, Member for Oakleigh Steve Dimopoulos MP and Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek at the plant’s opening. Images courtesy of Pact.
by Komoneed | Jan 12, 2024
Climatelinks 2023 Year in Review: Most Visited Blogs
jschoshinski
Mon, 12/18/2023 – 15:31
Climatelinks has over a thousand blogs, with more than 150 published just this year. The most visited blogs in 2023 offer technical guidance for practitioners, share successful interventions from countries where USAID works, and explore the intersections between climate change and other development sectors.
Here are the five most visited Climatelinks blogs of 2023:
Lunar Landscaping: How Digging ‘Half-Moons’ Helps Re-Green Niger
In the West African Sahel, climate change and desertification are contributing to reduced rainfall and increasingly poor soil health, which presents a problem for the many people in the region who rely on subsistence agriculture and herding livestock. In Niger, “half-moons” are an increasingly popular strategy for rainwater retention because of their low cost–but do they work? Satellite imagery from SERVIR can help answer this question.
What is Water Security?
This water security primer explores why water security matters, what works to improve it, and how to measure its outcomes. Water is essential to the stability of every country, so understanding water security means looking beyond the immediate question of supply to political, economic, social, and environmental impacts, including how strengthening water security can improve climate resilience.
Towards Sustainable Fisheries in the Philippines
In the Philippines, overfishing, ocean acidification, and climate impacts have reduced fish catch and degraded marine resources. In the face of these challenges, local communities, with support from USAID, are taking steps to protect their way of life and create resilient and sustainable growth for fisheries and fishing communities.
How Can Climate Action Be Inclusive?
Inclusive climate action means both reducing the effects of climate change on the most vulnerable communities and ensuring the benefits and burdens of climate action are equitably distributed. This blog covers why inclusive climate action is important, how to achieve it, and where it is already being implemented.
Hydropower in Tanzania: Planning for Resiliency
Hydropower generation is a key component of low-emissions development strategies, providing two-thirds of global renewable electricity generation. However, climate change impacts, such as sea level rise, flooding, and drought, threaten hydropower as power stations have to be near water sources. In drought-prone Tanzania, USAID supported the national utility to take an Integrated Resource and Resilience Planning approach to assess the impact of drought and other future scenarios on alternative power sector investments.
Honorable Mentions
These blogs published in 2023 were also among the most-visited on the site this year.
2023 Climatelinks Photo Contest Winners
The 2023 Climatelinks Photo Contest, which asked people from around the world to submit photos of their climate change and development work, received more than 250 submissions representing over 40 countries. This blog highlights the thirteen winners, which were selected from across sectors, including WASH, biodiversity, natural climate solutions, and more.
Helping Communities in Zimbabwe Restore their Wetlands—and their Water
In Zimbabwe, only 21 percent of the country’s wetlands are considered ecologically stable. USAID Resilient Waters conducted an extensive series of discussions and meetings with communities in Zimbabwe to identify problems and develop solutions for conserving the other 79 percent. As a result, the community agreed upon four activities to support the rehabilitation of wetlands and rangelands.
Focusing on Agency can Strengthen Social and Behavior Change Programming to Support Climate Adaptation
Agency is a critical component of people’s ability to adapt and respond to changing circumstances and has the potential to strengthen resilience in the face of shifting external conditions. By studying agency through a gendered lens, health-focused social and behavior change practitioners can create programs that strengthen everyone’s capacity for climate change adaptation and build resilience to climate change.
Do you have an idea for a Climatelinks blog? We would love to hear from you! All you need to do is fill out this form and we will be in touch to discuss next steps if it’s a good fit.
Teaser Text
The most visited blogs in 2023 offer technical guidance for practitioners, share successful interventions from countries where USAID works, and more.
Publish Date
Tue, 12/19/2023 – 12:00
Author(s)
Jamie Schoshinski
Hero Image
Pukek as Traditional Fishing Method.jpg
Blog Type
Blog Post
Strategic Objective
Adaptation
Integration
Mitigation
Region
Global
Topic
Adaptation
Agriculture
Climate/Environmental Justice
Coastal
Inclusive Development
Clean or Renewable Energy
Gender and Social Inclusion
Locally-Led Development
Marine
Resilience
Water and Sanitation
Water Management
Country
Niger
Philippines
Tanzania
Zimbabwe
Sectors
Climate
by Komoneed | Jan 12, 2024
EV homage of ultra-rare Porsche will do over 200 miles on a charge and 0-60mph in 3.7 seconds
by Komoneed | Jan 12, 2024
Bush’s Proteins, part of A J Bush & Sons, has been operating since 1909 and in the rendering industry since the 1950s in NSW and 1970s in Qld. It provides rendering to the meat industry, collecting organic animal material from butcher shops and abattoirs in and around the greater Brisbane metro area and nearby regional centres.
Rendering is the hygienic treatment of high moisture material from the meat industry that is not sold for human consumption.
From this material, the company manufactures nutrient-rich protein meal and tallows/oils. Rendering contributes to the circular economy by diverting this material from landfills into an organic recycling process.
Bush’s Proteins has always looked for equipment that offers a return on investment, with features and benefits commensurate or greater than the price paid. For wastewater pumps, it uses Gorman-Rupp.
Gorman-Rupp Super T Series self-priming wastewater pumps are mounted at ground level, above the wastewater pits, making them easier to access for monitoring and maintenance. Their internal clearances can be adjusted in minutes, allowing operators to keep pumps at peak efficiency over their lifetime. The pumps are also capable of pumping solid materials such as rags, ear tags, gloves and other debris. Their large, removable cover-plate allows operators to remove any larger blockage without disturbing piping or having to employ lifting devices such as cranes.
Gorman-Rupp wastewater pumps can deliver flow rates from 5 through to 200 L/s, with pressures to 90 m. They can also be provided in materials of construction to cater for abrasive and/or corrosive wastewater streams.
