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Tobacco companies threatening African countries: Guardian
 British American Tobacco (BAT) and other multinational tobacco firms have threatened governments in at least eight countries in Africa demanding they axe or dilute the kind of protections that have saved millions of lives in the west, a Guardian investigation has found.

BAT, one of the world’s leading cigarette manufacturers, is fighting through the courts to try to block the Kenyan and Ugandan governments’ attempts to bring in regulations to limit the harm caused by smoking. The giant tobacco firms hope to boost their markets in Africa, which has a fast-growing young and increasingly prosperous population.

In one undisclosed court document in Kenya, seen by the Guardian, BAT’s lawyers demand the country’s high court “quash in its entirety” a package of anti-smoking regulations and rails against what it calls a “capricious” tax plan. The case is now before the supreme court after BAT Kenya lost in the high court and the appeal court. A ruling is expected as early as next month.

BAT in Uganda asserts in another document that the government’s Tobacco Control Act is “inconsistent with and in contravention of the constitution”.

The Guardian has also seen letters, including three by BAT, sent to the governments of Uganda, Namibia, Togo, Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Burkina Faso revealing the intimidatory tactics that tobacco companies are using, accusing governments of breaching their own laws and international trade agreements and warning of damage to the economy.

BAT denies it is opposed to all tobacco regulation, but says it reserves the right to ask the courts to intervene where it believes regulations may not comply with the law.

Later this month, BAT is expected to become the world’s biggest listed tobacco firm as it completes its acquisition of the large US tobacco company Reynolds in a $49bn deal, and there are fears over the extent to which big tobacco can financially outmuscle health ministries in poorer nations. A vote on the deal by shareholders of both firms is due to take place next Wednesday, simultaneously in London at BAT and North Carolina at Reynolds.

Professor Peter Odhiambo, a former heart surgeon who is head of the government’s Tobacco Control Board in Kenya, told the Guardian: “BAT has done as much as they can to block us.”

Experts say Africa and southern Asia are urgent new battlegrounds in the global fight against smoking because of demographics and rising prosperity. Despite declining smoking and more controls in some richer countries, it still kills more than seven million people globally every year, according to the WHO, and there are fears the tactics of big tobacco will effectively succeed in “exporting the death and harm” to poorer nations.

There are an estimated 77 million smokers in Africa and those numbers are predicted to rise by nearly 40% from 2010 levels by 2030, which is the largest projected such increase in the world.

In Kenya, BAT has succeeded in delaying regulations to restrict the promotion and sale of cigarettes for 15 years, fighting through every level of the legal system. In February it launched a case in the supreme court that has already halted the imposition of tobacco controls until probably after the country’s general election in August, which are being contested by parliamentarians who have been linked to payments by the multinational company.

In Uganda, BAT launched legal action against the government in November, arguing that the Tobacco Control Act, which became law in 2015, contravenes the constitution. It is fighting restrictions that are now commonplace in richer countries, including the expansion of health warnings on packets and point-of-sale displays, arguing that they unfairly restrict its trade.

The court actions are brought by BAT’s local affiliates, BAT Kenya and BAT Uganda, but approved at Globe House, the London headquarters of the multinational, which receives most of the profits from the African trade. In its 2016 annual report, BAT outlined the “risk” that “unreasonable litigation” would be brought in to control tobacco around the world. Its response was an “engagement and litigation strategy coordinated and aligned across the Group”.

‘Focus on emerging markets’

British packets of cigarettes, with stark warnings, beside packs from Africa. Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardian

At its annual meeting in March, chairman Richard Burrows toasted a “vintage year” for BAT, as profits rose 4% to £5.2bn after investors took their cut – their dividend had increased by 10%. When asked about the legal actions in Africa, he said tobacco was an industry that “should be regulated ... but we want to see that regulation is serving the correct interests of the health mission and human mission which should lie behind it”.

So, “from time to time it’s necessary for us to take legal action to challenge new regulation” which he said was led by “the local board”.

BAT says it is “simply not true that we oppose all tobacco regulation, particularly in developing countries”. Tobacco should be appropriately regulated as a product that has risks to health, it said, but “where there are different interpretations of whether regulations comply with the law, we think it is entirely reasonable to ask the courts to assist in resolving it”. It was opposed to only a handful of the issues in Kenya’s regulations, not the entirety, it said in a statement.

Although most countries in Africa have signed the World Health Organisation (WHO) treaty on tobacco control, none has yet fully implemented the smoking restrictions it endorses.

The WHO predicts that by 2025, smoking rates will go up in 17 of the 30 Africa-region countries from their 2010 level. In some countries a massive hike is expected – in Congo-Brazzaville, from 13.9% to nearly half the population (47.1%) and in Cameroon from 13.7% to 42.7%. In Sierra Leone it will be 41.2% (74% among men) and in Lesotho 36.9%.

In contrast, research showed last year that just 16.9% of adults smoke in the UK; and last month new figures showed UK heart disease deaths had fallen 20% since that country’s indoor smoking ban.

“The tobacco industry is now turning its focus toward emerging markets in sub-Saharan Africa, seeking to exploit the continent’s patchwork tobacco control regulations and limited resources to combat industry marketing advances,” said Dr Emmanuela Gakidou and colleagues at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle, publishing an analysis of smoking prevalence around the world in the Lancet in April.

Africa’s growing numbers of children and young people, and its increasing wealth, represent a huge future market for the tobacco industry. The companies deny targeting children and cannot sell packs smaller than 10, but a new study carried out in Nairobi by the Johns Hopkins school of public health in the US and the Kenya-based Consumer Information Network found vendors selling cigarettes along the routes children take to walk to primary schools.

Stalls sell single Dunhill, Embassy, Safari and other BAT cigarette sticks, costing around 4p (5 cents) each, alongside sweets, biscuits and fizzy drinks. The vendors split the packets of 20 manufactured by BAT. “They are targeting children,” said Samuel Ochieng, chief executive of the Consumer Information Network. “They mix cigarettes with candies and sell along the school paths.”

BAT said that its products were for adult smokers only and that it would much prefer that stalls sold whole packets rather than single sticks, “given our investment in the brands and the fact there are clear health warnings on the packs.

“Across the world, we have very strict rules regarding not selling our products to retailers located near schools. BAT Kenya provides support to many of these independent vendors, including providing stalls painted in non-corporate colours, and providing youth smoking prevention and health warnings messages. We also educate vendors to ensure they do not sell tobacco products near schools.”

Cigarettes on sale (alongside sweets) in Nairobi, Kenya. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian

The Kenya case, expected to be heard after the elections on 8 August, is seen as critical for the continent. If the government loses, other countries will have less appetite for the long and expensive fight against the wealthy tobacco industry.

BAT has around 70% of the Kenyan market; its Kenyan competitor, Mastermind, has joined in the legal action against the government.

Concerns have been raised about links between politicians and the tobacco companies. “There are allegations of some of them having been bribed in the past,” said Joel Gitali, chief executive of the Kenya Tobacco Control Alliance.

BAT whistleblower Paul Hopkins, who worked in Africa for BAT for 13 years, told a British newspaper he paid bribes on the company’s behalf to the Kenya Revenue Authority for access to information BAT could use against its Kenyan competitor, Mastermind. Hopkins has also alleged links between certain prominent opposition Kenyan politicians and two tobacco companies, BAT Kenya and Mastermind. Hopkins, who says he alerted BAT to the documents before the company made him redundant, claimed BAT Kenya paid bribes to government officials in Burundi, Rwanda and the Comoros Islands to undermine tobacco control regulations. Gitali is concerned about the outcome of the election: “If the opposition takes over government we shall be deeply in the hands of the tobacco companies.”

BAT denies any wrongdoing. A spokesperson said: “We will not tolerate improper conduct in our business anywhere in the world and take any allegations of misconduct extremely seriously. We are investigating, through external legal advisors, allegations of misconduct and are liaising with the Serious Fraud Office and other relevant authorities.”

‘We grow up dreaming we can be one of them’

The headquarters and factory of British American Tobacco in Nairobi, Kenya. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian

Tih Ntiabang, regional coordinator for Africa of the Framework Convention Alliance – NGOs that support the WHO treaty – said the tobacco companies had become bolder. “In the past it used to be invisible interference, but today it is so shameful that it is so visible and they are openly opposing public health treaties like the case in Kenya at the moment … Today they boldly go to court to oppose public health policy. Every single government is highly interested in economic growth. They [the tobacco companies] know they have this economic power. The budget of tobacco companies like BAT could be as much as the whole budget of the Africa region.

“Our health systems are not really well organised. Our policy makers can’t see clearly what are the health costs of inaction on tobacco control because our health system is not very good. It puts the tobacco industry at an advantage on public health.”

The sale across the whole of Africa of single cigarette sticks was a serious problem because it enabled children to buy them. “They are extremely affordable. Young teenagers are able to purchase a cigarette. You don’t need £1 for a pack of 20,” he said.

BAT has a reputation in Africa as an employer offering steady and well-paid jobs, said Ntiabang, based in Cameroon. “When I was about 10, I was always dreaming I could work for BAT. They have always painted themselves as a responsible company – a dream company to work for. All the staff are well-off. The young people think ‘I want to work for BAT’. They promote a lot of events and make their name appear to young people. We grow up dreaming we can be one of them.”

In Uganda in 2014, BAT managing director, Jonathan D’Souza, sent a 13-page detailed attack on the tobacco control bill, then going through parliament, to the chair of the government’s health committee.

BAT was contracting with 18,000 farmers and paid them 61bn Ugandan shillings for 16.8m kg of tobacco in 2013, said the letter. The economy has “benefited significantly” from BAT Uganda’s investments, it said. “This has helped to alleviate poverty and improve welfare in urban and rural areas,” it says.

BAT Uganda (BATU) agreed tobacco should be regulated while “respecting the informed choices and rights of adults who choose to smoke and the legal rights of a legal industry”. But it cited 11 “areas of concern”, claiming there is no evidence to support a ban on tobacco displays in shops, that large graphic health warnings on packs are ineffective, that proposals on bans on smoking in public places were too broad and that prohibiting smoking under the age of 21 was unreasonable, since at 18 young people are adults and can make up their own mind.

Documents made public by the University of Bath show that BATU had another concern: the ban on the sale of cheap single cigarettes. Adults should be “free to purchase what they can afford”, says an internal leaked paper. BATU also took action against the MP who sponsored the bill. A letter informed him that the company would no longer be contracting with the 709 tobacco farmers in his region. There is evidence that the company also lobbied other MPs with tobacco farmers in their constituencies.

The Tobacco Control Act became law in 2015, and in November last year, BAT sued. Many people choose to smoke, said an affidavit to the court from managing director Dadson Mwaura and it was important to ensure regulation did not lead to “unintended consequences that risk an untaxed and unrestrained illegitimate trade in tobacco products”. BATU’s legal product contributed to the Ugandan economy “in many dimensions”.

A vendor in Nairobi’s Uhuru Park sells single stick cigarettes. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian

The Guardian has seen letters showing that at least six other African governments have faced challenges from the multinational tobacco companies over their attempts to control smoking.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Letter to the president sent in April 2017 by the Fédération des Entreprises du Congo (chamber of commerce) on behalf of the tobacco industry, listing 29 concerns with the proposed tobacco control regulations, which they claim violate the constitution, international agreements and domestic law.

Letter to the president sent in April 2017 by the Fédération des Entreprises du Congo (chamber of commerce) on behalf of the tobacco industry, listing 29 concerns with the proposed tobacco control regulations, which they claim violate the constitution, international agreements and domestic law. Burkina Faso: Letter sent in January 2016 to the minister of health from Imperial Tobacco, warning that restrictions on labeling and packaging cigarettes risks economic and social damage to the country. Previous letter sent to the prime minister from the US Chambers of Commerce in December 2013 warning that large health warnings and plain packaging could put Burkina Faso in breach of its obligations to the World Trade Organisation.

Letter sent in January 2016 to the minister of health from Imperial Tobacco, warning that restrictions on labeling and packaging cigarettes risks economic and social damage to the country. Previous letter sent to the prime minister from the US Chambers of Commerce in December 2013 warning that large health warnings and plain packaging could put Burkina Faso in breach of its obligations to the World Trade Organisation. Ethiopia: Letter sent in February 2015 to the ministers of health and science and technology by Philip Morris International, claiming that the government’s tobacco directive banning trademarks, brands and added ingredients to tobacco breached existing laws and would penalise all consumer retailers.

Letter sent in February 2015 to the ministers of health and science and technology by Philip Morris International, claiming that the government’s tobacco directive banning trademarks, brands and added ingredients to tobacco breached existing laws and would penalise all consumer retailers. Togo: Letter to the minister of commerce in June 2012 from Philip Morris International opposing plain packaging, which “risks having damaging consequences on Togo’s economy and business environment”.

Letter to the minister of commerce in June 2012 from Philip Morris International opposing plain packaging, which “risks having damaging consequences on Togo’s economy and business environment”. Gabon: Letter from BAT arguing that there is no evidence that plain packaging reduces smoking, citing the Deloitte report of 2011, alleging its introduction would put Gabon in breach of trade agreements and promote smuggling.

Letter from BAT arguing that there is no evidence that plain packaging reduces smoking, citing the Deloitte report of 2011, alleging its introduction would put Gabon in breach of trade agreements and promote smuggling. Namibia: Letter to the minister of health from BAT, warning that planned tobacco controls will have “a massive impact … on the Namibian economy at large”.

Bintou Camara, director of Africa programs at Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said: “British American Tobacco, Philip Morris International and other multinational tobacco companies have set their sights on Africa as a ‘growth market’ for their deadly products”. Throughout Africa, tobacco companies have tried to intimidate countries from taking effective action to reduce tobacco use, the world’s leading cause of preventable death, he added.

“Governments in Africa should know that they can and should move forward with measures aimed at preventing and reducing tobacco use – and that they do so with the support of the many governments and leaders around the world that have taken strong action to protect public health.”

Cloe Franko, senior international organizer at Corporate Accountability International, said: “In Kenya, as in other parts of the world, the industry has resorted to frivolous litigation, aggressive interference ... to thwart, block, and delay lifesaving policies. BAT’s actions are emblematic of a desperate industry grasping to maintain its hold over countries and continue to peddle its deadly product.”

Philip Morris said it is regularly engaged in discussions with governments. “We are approached by or approach public authorities to discuss a range of issues that are important for them and for us, such as taxation, international trade, and tobacco control policies. Participating in discussions and sharing points of view is a basic principle of public policy making and does not stop governments from taking decisions and enacting the laws they deem best.” It said that it supports effective regulation, “including laws banning sales to minors, mandatory health warnings, and advertising restrictions”.

Imperial Tobacco said it sold its brands “where there’s a legitimate and existing demand for tobacco and take the same responsible approach in Africa as we do in any Western territory”. A spokesman said it supported “reasonable, proportionate and evidence-based regulation of tobacco”, including “health warnings that are consistent with global public health messages”. But, it said, Imperial would “continue to make our views known on excessive, unnecessary and often counter-productive regulatory proposals”.

Output: Multinational tobacco companies, including British American Tobacco (BAT), have demanded that the governments of at least eight African countries scrap or dilute health protections responsible for saving lives in the West, according to The Guardian. BAT is currently taking legal action to challenge attempts by the Kenyan and Ugandan governments to introduce anti-smoking regulations. The newspaper claims that intimidatory letters from companies have been sent to the governments of Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Namibia and Togo. Africa currently has an estimated 77 million smokers, a number set to rise almost 40% from 2010 levels by 2030.


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Rising sovereign debt levels threaten global stability: Fitch
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Output: Rising sovereign debt levels constitute a threat to global stability amid waning public support for austerity, and falling commodity prices, according to US ratings agency Fitch's mid-year sovereign review. The firm predicted that a majority of sovereigns will run weaker primary balances in 2017 following four years of overall improvement.


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Japan's Bic Camera to accept bitcoin payments in all shops
 TOKYO -- Bic Camera will allow payments in bitcoin at all locations throughout Japan as early as this month, looking to provide more options for foreign and domestic shoppers.

The Japanese electronics retailer had begun accepting the cryptocurrency at certain Tokyo stores starting in April with the help of the Japanese bitcoin exchange bitFlyer. The more than expected popularity of this option prompted Bic Camera to expand the system to the rest of its locations, the company says.

Output: Japanese electronics retailer Bic Camera will extend the acceptance of bitcoin to all its locations in the country in response to popular demand, it has said. Bic Camera first began accepting the digital currency at selected Tokyo stores in April, but will now do so nationwide and will include some of its subsidiary Kojima stores in the suburbs in the expansion.


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Indian researchers use sand to cut cost of algae biofuel catalyst
 In India, researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology have created a catalyst for biofuel production from algae using sand from Rajasthan, nickel and cobalt that cuts the price of production to half of that of fossil fuel. Many catalysts use expensive rare materials such as Rhodium that push up the price of production. The researchers say that any sand with a pillar structure at the nano level can be used to produce the catalyst, so it doesn’t have to just be that from Rajasthan.

Output: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology have developed a catalyst for biofuel production using algae extracted from Rajasthan sand, as well as nickel and cobalt. They claim production costs for the fuel would be half those of fossil fuels, and added any sand with a pillar structure at the nano level could be used.


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Statoil considering CO2 storage in Norwegian continental shelf
 The results of studies performed in 2016 show that it is technically feasible to realise a carbon capture and storage chain in Norway. The next phase of the project, which Statoil has been assigned to perform, will involve concept and pre-engineering studies in order to evaluate the possibilities in more detail, and to get accurate cost estimates towards a possible investment decision. An investment decision for project implementation is expected to be made by the Norwegian Parliament in 2019.

The technologies for carbon capture and storage in geological formations are known and established. There are 21 full-scale carbon capture and storage projects worldwide in the development or operations phase. Statoil’s CCS projects at Sleipner and Snøhvit are among these, and have given Statoil more than 20 years of operational carbon storage experience.

“The next big tasks are developing technology, regulations and general commercial conditions that may stimulate an extensive roll-out of CCS,” says Rummelhoff.

The Norwegian CCS project will be a collaboration project between onshore industry, government authorities and companies with offshore expertise, such as Statoil.

“Collaboration and sharing of knowledge are essential to accelerating the development of a market for carbon capture and storage. It is therefore important that we collaborate with other industrial players that can and will help implement projects and qualify CCS as an important climate tool,” says Rummelhoff.

Output: Statoil is evaluating the development of a carbon dioxide (CO2) storage project on the Norwegian continental shelf. Proposed by Norwegian state enterprise Gassnova, the storage project will capture CO2 from three industrial facilities in Eastern Norway and transport it to a receiving plant on Norway's western coast. From there, the carbon will be sent through pipelines to be permanently stored in reservoirs under the sea bed. The project will be the world's first storage site to receive CO2 from several industrial sources.


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OpenStax offers $10 student learning analytics platform
 OPENSTAX, a nonprofit out of Rice University that offers free online textbooks, is doing more than offering open educational resources these days. The organization is expanding with a learning system called OpenStax Tutor Beta, a platform that measures how students learn in order to offer individualized homework and tutoring.

The new tool costs $10 per student and is accessible through the OpenStax Tutor website. The first subjects to be available on the platform will be college-level physics, biology and sociology. Inside Higher Ed reports that the nonprofit plans to eventually expand to all subject areas.

Output: Non-profit organisation Openstax has expanded its education system with online tool OpenStax Tutor Beta. The programme enables students to measure how they are learning and allows the creation of more individualised homework and tutoring. The platform will cost $10 per student, and the first subjects to be offered will be college-level biology, sociology and physics, although Openstax aims to expand to cover all subjects.


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LanzaTech, Indian Oil Corp. to create bioethanol from off-gases
 In Turkey, at the World Petroleum Congress, India’s flagship national oil company Indian Oil Corporation and carbon recycler LanzaTech unveiled a Statement of Intent to construct the world’s first refinery off gas-to-bioethanol production facility in India.

The basic engineering for the 40 million liter per year demonstration plant will begin by Q4 for installation at IndianOil’s Panipat Refinery in Haryana, India. It will be integrated into existing site infrastructure and will be LanzaTech’s first project capturing refinery off-gases.

Carbon 2.0: value-creation drives conservation

No metals refinery emits waste gold or silver. You never hear of a platinum or diamond waste stream problem. Which shows, in the end, the way forward. Create a value opportunity and you’ll see how fast emissions-reduction complaining turns into CO2 hoarding.

So, what’s most compelling about this announce is that more than 50 percent of the carbon comes from waste CO2 — and that an integrated oil refiner sees value in the waste stream.

Second most compelling feature? It saves the refinery’s carbon for the carbon must-haves — shifting the use of off-gases (hydrogen, carbon monoxide, CO2) from refinery processing away from making low-value power and steam (the energy for which can come from renewable solar, for example). Why use off-gases to make power and steam? Conversely, why not burn the Mona Lisa for its energy value?

There’s carbon in everything we eat, everything we wear, and in everything we currently drive. Even hydrogen or electric cars are lightweighting fast — and that means more carbon and less steel.

As waste carbon acquires value, we’ll see the shift — from power and venting to aviation, large trucks, and and more chemical applications all the time. “It’s not very likely we will make yoga pants out of silicon,” Holmgren wryly observed.

The carbon shift in the Panipat project

The potential impact of using off-gases from the refining sector in India is considerable. India would be able to produce 40-50 kilotonnes per year of ethanol, per refinery, while saving about 1 million metric tons of CO2 per annum. This is the equivalent emissions savings, per refinery, to switching 2.5 million vehicles over to all-electric in California using today’s grid.

Shifting from CO2-as-liability to CO2-as-feedstock

LanzaTech’s first commercial facility converting waste emissions from steel production to ethanol will come online in China in late 2017. But the gas composition in a refinery is much different as the high levels of CO associated with the chemistry of steel production are not there.

So, what’s changed?

As LanzaTech’s Jennifer Holmgren explained to The Digest, “CO has both carbon and energy but CO2 only has carbon and so a form of energy is required. Fortunately refineries do have H2 so we are good to go. Our bug eats CO2 and uses H2 to get the energy since CO2 has none. Mix a couple of refinery gas streams and you get CO, CO2, H2 and away you go. In the gas blend we are using with IOC, more than 50% of the carbon in the ethanol comes from CO2. So we are fixing CO2 in products. Definitely a paradigm shift and for sure now CO2 can become an opportunity feedstock rather than a liability. If we can start thinking differently, then we can succeed in our battle with CO2.”

The LanzaTech backstory

This year, we expect to see the commissioning of the 16 million gallon first commercial at the Shougang plant in Caofeidan, China. Next year, we’ll see the 21 million gallons second commercial at the ArcelorMittal plant in Ghent, Belgium.

We covered the range of potential products from the technology in E Pluribus, Unum: LanzaTech, Global Bioenergies demonstrate The Biotechnology App Store, here:

In December 2016, we reported that the DOE invested $4 million with LanzaTech to design, construct, and operate an integrated demonstration-scale biorefinery that will use industrial waste gases to produce 3 million gallons per year of low-carbon jet and diesel fuels. LanzaTech and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have already successfully demonstrated their renewable jet fuel production technology.

In September 2016, we reported that LanzaTech produced 1,500 US gallons of Lanzanol jet fuel, resulting from the partnership with Virgin Atlantic. The Lanzanol was produced in China at the RSB (Roundtable of Sustainable Biomaterials) certified Shougang demonstration facility. The innovative alcohol-to-jet (AtJ) process was developed in collaboration with Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL) with support from the US Department of Energy (DOE) and with the help of funding from HSBC. More on that here.

In July 2015 we reported on the ArcelorMittal, LanzaTech and Primetals Technologies project in Ghent, here.

Multi-Slide Guide

The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to LanzaTech’s ATJ jet fuel tech is here.

Becoming a Carbon Superhero: The Digest’s 2017 Multi-Slide Guide to LanzaTech is here.

The India backstory

In March, we reported that ethanol’s growth is spelled I-N-D-I-A, here.

India is adopting a cleaner and greener economic growth pathway today, with the Government running one of the largest renewable capacity expansion programs in the world. The implementation of the National Smart Grid Mission, along with new programs for increasing energy capacities from wind and waste conversion, are key elements of this vision. This vision is inextricably linked to the principle of ‘need-based consumption’ which follows the need to maximize on existing resources and decarbonize everyday activities. For liquid fuels, this is highlighted by targets initiated by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas to increase the supply of ethanol-blended petrol (E10) to all parts of the country.

“India is on track to exceed its Paris commitments,” said India’s Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan. “This is thanks to investment in novel low-carbon technologies such as this project between IndianOil and LanzaTech. It is promising to see carbon turned from a liability into an opportunity, where we can reduce emissions, maximize resources and decarbonize our economy.”

The Indian Oil backstory

In May, we reported that the Haryana state government has approved Indian Oil’s investment proposal for a $93.3 million 100,000 liter per day second-generation ethanol plant using crop waste including 50 acres of free or nearly free land in Panipat to site the facility. The plan is for the plant to be commissioned within the next two years. Back in March, the state government asked the company to submit an investment proposal, promising that it would be considered favorably.

Last November, we reported that Indian Oil Corp. Ltd (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd (HPCL) will invest $586 million in developing seven second-generation ethanol plants to help the government achieve its 22.5% ethanol blending goals. Each facility is planned to produce between 100,000 and 150,000 liters of ethanol per day along with compressed-CNG for use in vehicles.

“Innovation is one of IndianOil’s core values as evidenced by our continued investment in our R&D and engineering teams,” said Mr. Sanjiv Singh, Chairman IndianOil. “Innovation helps us learn and grow and this project at the Panipat Refinery enables us to continue to move forward with our commitment to build a strong sustainable business that demonstrates concern for society and the environment. The biofuels we will be able to produce will support the requirements for motor spirit blends set by the Government of India while enabling IndianOil to add value while reducing its emissions.”

“India is leading a transformational shift which balances industrial growth with the needs of society and the environment,” said Dr Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech. “Changes in the energy paradigm pose a serious challenge for energy companies but IndianOil is taking the challenge as an opportunity. They are leading the next generation of refiners as they diversify India’s energy sources and explore alternative ways to meet the country’s energy needs, sustain economic growth and alleviate energy poverty. We are very proud to be working with IndianOil as it plans the first deployment of LanzaTech technology in one of its major refineries, demonstrating the broad applicability of emissions recycling across industrial sectors, beyond steel.”

The Bottom Line

We’ve been following the India story all throughout the year, but perhaps this is the most exciting element given the technological milestone of directly using CO2 as a feedstock. The timing is uncertain, but the direction is not — CO2’s days as a valueless emission, suitable only for wrangling over pollutants — may be over.

And that’s a long-standing story in energy. Years ago, oil refiners used to throw gasoline into the river, lacking a use for it. It wasn’t the EPA that came along and stoped that — it was technology that unlocked the value.

Output: Indian Oil Corporation and carbon recycling firm LanzaTech have agreed to build the world's first gas-to-bioethanol production facility at the Panipat Refinery in Haryana, India. The facility would use carbon off-gases as a feedstock to produce bioethanol, saving around 1 million metric tons of CO2 per year, and forms part of India's ambitious green energy plan.


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Redrow Redrow's Heritage Collections caters to work-from-home trend
 Homes for home workers in Hertfordshire

Working from home is increasing, leading more people to want a property with dedicated office space, according to housebuilder Redrow.

Research suggests that home working has increased by more than 25% in the last five years, with almost a third of employees now spending at least a day a week working at home.

While having a laptop on your knee is fine for casual browsing and the dining table can double as a desk occasionally, regular home workers will require a dedicated office space where they can concentrate away from the distractions of family life.

Kerry McCoubrey, sales director for Redrow Homes (Eastern), explains: “Flexible working patterns and the increased ability to spend at least part of the working week at home make it easier to balance work and family life. As people spend more time telecommuting than physically commuting they start to think more about the part of the home they’re working in. The properties in our Heritage Collection, including those at The Maples in Buntingford, have been well thought-out to meet the demands of modern life, including the ability to work from home with a study included in several designs.”

Four and five-bedroom detached homes are currently available at The Maples, priced from £599,995.

Properties with studies include the four-bedroom Canterbury and the five-bedroom Sandringham and Highgrove styles.

“The advantage of having a home office can’t be underestimated,” Kerry adds.

“It can help keep regular working hours so that you keep to ‘office hours’ at home. There’s no need to pack and unpack each day as you have a dedicated work space. Plus the children will know that while mum or dad are in the study it’s the equivalent to them being ‘at work’ and they shouldn’t be disturbed.”

The Maples is the perfect commuter base, with a choice of options for travelling into London. Homeowners could make a short drive to nearby Royston, Ware or Hertford East stations and then hop on the train to the capital. Ware and Hertford East are a 20-minute drive from the development, offering journey times to London Liverpool Street of 47 and 51 minutes respectively.

It’s also a great place to raise a family as there’s a choice of ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’ schools within walking distance of the new homes at The Maples.

Buntingford High Street is home to a selection of stores and cafes; while there are options for more serious retail therapy in in Hertford, which is 20 minutes away by car, or Cambridge, which can be reached in 35 minutes.

The show home at The Maples is open Thursday to Monday from 10am to 5.30pm. For more information see redrow.co.uk/themaples.

Output: Homes within Redrow's Heritage Collection are designed with modern living in mind, including the trend toward flexible working, according to Kerry McCoubrey, sales director for Redrow Homes (Eastern). Regular home workers are increasingly looking to have dedicated office space in their homes.The four-bedroom Canterbury and five-bedroom Sandringham and Highgrove styles have studies. Over the past five years, home working has risen by over 25%, and around a third of people now work at least one day from home each week, according to research.


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Input:
Bowhead develops blockchain-enabled medical device
 Blockchain technology can serve many different purposes, most of which have yet to be discovered. The medical sector is one area prone to disruption and innovation. Bowhead Health is trying to bring the medical sector and blockchain technology closer together as we speak. They are providing a real-time biometric test unit which is fully powered by the blockchain. An interesting concept, to say the least.

Blockchain in the Medical Sector Makes Sense

Our society can greatly benefit from solutions which allow us to optimize our health. More specifically, there is a growing need for personalized solutions and treatments. Despite the health supplements market being valued at US$200bn annually, there are still far too many generic “solutions”. Bowhead Health aims to change this one step at a time. Their new product will allow anyone in the world to test their body and work out a personalized solution to optimize their health.

One particular factor that comes to mind is preserving patient anonymity. The company will take care of this, as they give users the option to disclose their information for research or not. All of the patient records are stored in smart contracts, which is a nice touch. Users will always be in full control of their data, and how others can interact with this information. Blockchain technology can be used for both public and private information, after all.

What is the Bowhead Product?

The Bowhead device in question is connected to the internet and monitors the health of individuals at home. It can also be used as a way to acquire new knowledge for both patients and healthcare professionals. Some users will need expert advice and be keeping tabs on their habits is of the utmost importance in this regard. What makes the Bowhead even more attractive is how it can dispense personalized medication. The initial phase will let it provide supplements and vitamins, but there is always room for future improvements.

While the Bowhead itself will take care of the dispensing aspect, there will also be a companion app for iOS and Android. This app will allow patients to see their data, interact with healthcare professionals, and even receive reminders to stay on top of their schedule. All things considered, it sounds like a very potent ecosystem which will radically change the world of healthcare as we know it today. Plus, the app is very intuitive to use, which makes it accessible to [less] tech-savvy users alike.

Whitepaper and Token Sale

There is a lot more going on behind the scenes of Bowhead health. The team has put together a comprehensive whitepaper which touches upon every aspect of this project one can think of. It is evident such a device can make a major impact on the healthcare industry as a whole. In fact, the paper also mentions the prototypes which have been developed over the past 18 months, including the Bowhead, its mobile app, and test cartridges.

Rolling out such a project on a global scale will not be cheap. This is why the Bowhead Health team will organize an ICO, during which 40 million of the 100 million AHT tokens will be sold. Said token represents the payment distribution from pharmaceutical and research companies. The ICO will commence on July 17th and run until August 31st. There is no minimum investment goal nor a maximum cap. Tokens will be priced at US$0.65 per AHT, although a bonus schedule is in place for the first 15 million tokens being sold.

Output: Healthtech Bowhead Health has created a prototype of the world's first real-time, biometric test unit powered by blockchain, according to a company white paper. The device connects to the internet and monitors users' health, storing the information on smart contracts, with patients given the option to remain anonymous. An accompanying app allows users to observe their data and talk to healthcare professionals. Bowhead is set to launch an initial coin offering between 17 July and 31 August to fund the roll-out of the Bowhead device.


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Input:
How to get the last 20% of energy from renewables
 The bottom line: We have more options than problems.

A number of people made some really interesting comments on my recent CleanTechnica article, “Mark Z. Jacobson & The 100% Renewable Energy Naysayers.” Some of these had to do with the problem of getting the last 20% of our energy from renewable sources, after we got to the 80% mark.

The problem is that some applications seem to need combustion, and they seem to make that last 20% daunting. Two examples are manufacturing cement and powering large passenger aircraft. I decided to make up a list of sources of renewable energy that might have some bearing on the discussion.

Renewable fuels for heat and transportation can be divided into two categories. One consists those that contain carbon, and this can be subdivided into those that are derived from natural sources and those that are synthesized. The other category is fuels that are carbon-free.

We should note that it is not necessarily true that a fuel that contains carbon will contribute to climate change or pollution. Similarly, it is untrue that carbon-free fuels will certainly not pollute. Also, please remember that the list presented here is incomplete. (I am including general references to Wikipedia articles, in addition to references to more specific sources, for the readers’ convenience. They are indicated as such.)

Natural Carbon-Based Fuels

Biomass can be purpose-cut wood, waste from other wood products, straw, or other products, including even municipal waste. Its use may be very polluting or very clean. Its production may take a lot of energy and its use release a lot of carbon dioxide, or it may be carbon neutral. Possibly the least polluting way to use biomass is for generating gases, including wood gas, biogas, and similar products.

Biogas can be made using anaerobic digesters. The source materials can be just about all organic materials, including agricultural waste, waste wood, food waste, and municipal waste. The United States Department of Agriculture says we could have 11,000 electricity-producing anaerobic digesters on farms, but that figure represents a fraction of what could be used for processing municipal waste. They really can be used almost anywhere. There are about 5 million households in China that use anaerobic digesters to process their waste into fertilizer, with the gas produced used to cook food.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) says we could replace 40% of our natural gas with biogas, if we are aggressive. My suspicion is that we will be aggressive because entirely separate from a need for energy is a need to deal with the waste that can produce biogas.

Another approach is gasification, which can use biomass as fuel for any gas-powered engine, whether it is an ordinary car engine or a turbine. The first systems using wood gas seem to have been invented in the 1830s. The technology was widely used in Europe during the Second World War, when systems were put on ordinary road vehicles because gasoline was not available. There were about 600,000 cars and trucks running on firewood, according to some estimates. Wood gas is also currently used for producing electricity. It is arguably cleaner-burning than natural gas, it has low cost, and it can come from local sources. (Wikipedia: Wood Gas )

The Fischer-Tropsch process, which is over 90 years old, mean that wood gas and biogas can be used for creating liquid fuels. The resulting fuels have very little sulfur and are less polluting than fossil fuels. Using this process, it is possible to get the advantages of wood gas without altering engines or burners. These liquid fuels are often more expensive than low-cost petrochemicals, but, as we will see, they are not our only alternatives for renewable replacements for gasoline, home heating oil, or diesel oil. (Wikipedia: Fischer-Tropsch process )

Algal biofuel is considered a potentially low-cost, low-pollution, and low-carbon possibility. The US Defense Department is researching algal biofuel extensively. It has concluded that 1,000 gallons of oil can be extracted per acre per year, about 3 times the productivity of corn ethanol. The cost has been higher than fossil oils, but it has been declining. (Wikipedia: Algal biofuel )

Biodiesel can be manufactured out of any biological oil or fat, from soybean oil to lard. It can be made from used oil, which would otherwise be a problem for treatment plants or landfills, and which we would have to pay to get rid of. It is in some ways better than the fossil fuel it replaces. It is kinder to engines and does not pollute as badly. It costs a bit more, but many people believe it is worth the difference because it is considered carbon neutral. (Wikipedia: Biodiesel )

Methanol can be made from biological sources, including wood. We would suggest not using it as a fuel because of its toxicity. It does irreversible damage to the optic nerves from exposure to minute quantities, making it dangerous to breathe the fumes, with problems getting worse with increasing exposure. It is of use in the manufacture of biodiesel, but if you are using it, we recommend caution. (Wikipedia: Methanol fuel )

Ethanol is created in large quantities from corn, in the United States, and is a major transportation fuel in Brazil, where it is made from cane sugar, with the bagasse being used for heat and power. Its use is very controversial in the USA, partly because the energy it provides is only 10% to 20% greater than what was required to create it, making it at best only slightly better than gasoline as a carbon polluter. It can also damage engines if too much is blended into the fuel. (Wikipedia: Ethanol fuel, section on efficiency of common crops )

It also gets the largest single subsidy we have for renewable energy. There are crops that are thought better alternatives than corn for making ethanol, and switchgrass is one.

Butanol is a fuel that is very similar to gasoline. It has an octane rating of 87 and can be blended with gasoline in any proportion to fuel cars without damaging auto engine parts as ethanol does.

In October of 2013, ITRI, the largest research and development laboratory in Taiwan, introduced a system for manufacture of butanol it called “ButyFix,” which it claimed sequestered more carbon than the product released in manufacture and use combined. It also claimed that this solution could be made from any cellulose source, including wood, straw, or algae, and sold for $2 per gallon at the pump, making it highly competitive with fossil fuels. ITRI also said that any ethanol-producing plant could be easily converted to use the process. In April of 2016, ButyFix received a gold Edison Award in the alternative energy category.

Syngas is a synthetic replacement for natural gas and biogas. Though it can come from fossil fuels, it can also come from biologic sources. Believe it or not, it can even be made from carbon dioxide captured at the stacks of plants burning carbon-based fuels, or extracted from lakes or the ocean, by using the Sabatier reaction, which was discovered about 1910. It can even be made from the air. Alternatively, syngas can be made from carbon monoxide, using the Fischer-Tropsch process, invented in 1925.

Research has continued up to the present, and improvements to these reactions now exist, requiring comparatively little energy for the production. Though some processes and fuel sources produce syngas with only about half the energy density of natural gas, it can be purified to make its energy density higher. It can also be made into other fuels, including replacements for oil, gasoline, or plastics. (Wikipedia: Syngas , Power to Gas , and Alternative fuel. )

Since the feedstock for syngas based on carbon dioxide can be just lake or sea water, the cost of syngas is closely related to the cost of the electricity used to make it. In 2010, when the low demand costs of wind power could be as low as 0.71¢/kWh, syngas could compete with fossil fuels when oil cost $55 per barrel. As it happens, the cost of wind power has dropped so low that long-term power purchase agreements average 2¢/kWh (see: 2015 Wind Technologies Market Report and Lazard’s Levelized Cost of Energy Analysis ), and in low-demand times, the cost actually can fall into negative territory. This implies very inexpensive gas fuel can be produced where a lot of wind power is available.

Synthetic gasoline and aviation fuel can also be made from carbon dioxide found in the ocean to make synthetic gas, and that could potentially be used to make a liquid fuel cost-effectively. For this reason, it is being studied by the Navy. A study published in 2010 says, “The U.S. Navy estimates that 100 megawatts of electricity can produce 41,000 gallons of jet fuel per day and shipboard production from nuclear power would cost about $6 per gallon.” If you follow the numbers in the spreadsheets in the study, it is clear that $4.32 of that $6 is a pay-down on the cost of a nuclear reactor. This implies that if the energy is supplied on land at low-demand times, the cost of aviation fuel might be well below $2 per gallon. (I saw a Navy slideshow presented in 2012 in which it was stated that the cost on land from wind power at low-demand rates would be $1 per gallon, but unfortunately I cannot document how that amount was calculated.)

Carbon-Free Fuels

Compressed air is being put forward as a power source for both electricity and transportation. Though it has been used to power cars and other vehicles, it is being considered for large-scale storage for electric power. A 3,000 MW wind farm proposed for Wyoming plans to have energy storage using compressed air in Utah, as the electricity flows to Los Angeles. (Wikipedia: Compressed air energy storage )

Liquid nitrogen boils at the low temperature of -195.79° C (-320° F). It can be maintained without pressure in an insulated tank for periods of days to months by allowing it to boil slowly, cooling what remains. This is acceptable environmentally, because the atmosphere is 80% nitrogen anyway. It has been suggested as a transportation fuel for years, but it is regarded as impractical for many reasons. (Wikipedia: Liquid nitrogen vehicle )

Hydrogen has great potential as a fuel for a number of reasons, but also has some important drawbacks.

One method for manufacturing hydrogen is electrolysis of water, which releases only oxygen as a by-product. If this is done during times of low electricity demand, while the wind powers wind turbines, hydrogen can actually be produced at no marginal cost, or even negative cost. Burning hydrogen produces water, using the same amount of oxygen that was released when the hydrogen was made. This makes its use potentially environmentally neutral.

One big drawback for storing hydrogen is that its molecules are so small that they can fit between the atoms in steel, so they leak out of storage by passing right through the sides of the containers. This is a problem for long-term storage, but does not happen quickly enough to be of much concern for short-term use. (Wikipedia: Hydrogen fuel )

Hydrogen is not energy dense. It can, however, be mixed with other gases, such as syngas or biogas, to improve the mixture. (Wikipedia: HCNG )

Ammonia has been used successfully as a fuel for transportation. What we are talking about here is not the ammonium hydroxide that you can buy in stores, which many people call “ammonia.” This is anhydrous ammonia, a gas that can be liquefied and held in a tank. Unlike ammonium hydroxide, ammonia will burn in air.

During the Second World War, shortage of gasoline and diesel oil in German-controlled areas of Europe pushed the Belgians to look into alternate fuels for their buses. By fitting the vehicles with appropriate fuel tanks and making the necessary alterations to the engines, they were able to use ammonia as a replacement for diesel oil and gasoline.

The production and consumption of ammonia is similar to those of hydrogen, as the products of combustion are identical to the sources for the fuel. In the case of ammonia, hydrogen is manufactured, with oxygen as a by-product, and then it is combined chemically with atmospheric nitrogen, using heat, pressure, and a catalyst. The first system for doing this is about a century old, but new techniques are more efficient.

Ammonia has its drawbacks, including low energy density and toxicity, though the products of combustion are quite safe. When the ammonia is burned, the products of combustion are nitrogen and water, the same products it was made from. (Wikipedia: Ammonia, section on use as a fuel )

There are doubtless other ways of dealing with those last dribbles of fossil fuels we need to get rid of, and with research, more may appear. I apologize for any I might have missed.

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Output: Once energy users receive 80% of their energy from renewable sources, it becomes very challenging to decarbonise the final 20%, said Vibrant Clean Energy founder Christopher Clack. Processes like manufacturing cement and powering large passenger aircraft are extremely difficult to run with carbon-free fuels. However, a range of natural carbon-based fuels made from biomass or natural gases could be used to replace oil, gasoline or plastics. Additionally, carbon-free fuels including compressed air, liquid nitrogen, hydrogen and ammonia can be used as an alternative to fuel if handled correctly.


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Input:
Commercial property coalition launches sustainability toolkit
 Join our growing army of changemakers and get unlimited access to our premium content

The Better Buildings Partnership (BBP) toolkit has received industry support from major firms including The Crown Estate, Grosvenor and Aviva Investors. The toolkit enables investment and acquisition teams to better manage ‘investment critical’ sustainability issues such as climate change and energy security during the due diligence stage.

“It is absolutely critical that sustainability risks and opportunities are reflected in owners’ investment decisions,” said BBP programme director Sarah Ratcliffe.

“The responsibility for this, however, should not be the preserve of the ‘sustainability experts’ but simply part of business as usual. This toolkit supports this by enabling investment teams to understand the issues and take the lead in embedding them within their own internal processes.”

‘Huge value’

Key areas that the toolkit will aim to tackle include flooding and the soon-to-be introduced Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES), which requires private, non-domestic properties to reach an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of at least ‘E’ before granting a tenancy to new or existing tenants.

The toolkit includes a sustainability investment checklist which sets out the information that should be requested and reviewed, from the initial pre-bid stage through to transaction. It also contains a 100-day review section which outlines the key questions that should be considered post-transaction to ensure a smooth transition into property management.

One of the businesses to have endorsed the toolkit, Aberdeen Asset Management, has said that the toolkit will help the group engage with its increasingly sustainability-focused investors.

“The ‘sustainability profile’ of new properties can not only significantly influence an owner’s ability to achieve its sustainability objectives, but can also have important implications for capital investment programmes, leasing and service charge arrangements,” Aberdeen Asset Management’s head of UK property transactions Robert Cass said.

“This toolkit, developed by the industry, for the industry, is of huge value in helping owners approach this subject.”

Hot property

Many sections of the property sector are driving improvements in the performance of building stocks through energy efficiency upgrades and low-carbon commitments. It was last week revealed that members of the BBP – representing in excess of £180bn assets under management – had improved the energy efficiency of their built environment portfolio by 25% since 2011, amassing £16m in savings as a result.

BBP member Canary Wharf Group (CWG) has managed to reduce emissions by 14.4% across its estate despite increasing its portfolio in the last year, the British property firm’s latest CSR report revealed earlier this month. Meanwhile, fellow BPP affiliate Land Securities recently announced the approval of its science-based target to reduce emissions by 80% by 2050.

George Ogleby

Output: The Better Buildings Partnership (BBP) has created a toolkit offering practical guidance for managing sustainability risks and opportunities during the acquisition process, with a particular focus on forthcoming Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards as well as flooding. BBP's toolkit includes a checklist of information to be accessed and assessed from initial pre-bid stage to transaction, and is aimed at helping businesses engage with sustainability-focused investors.


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Aston Martin cuts run of RapidE model to 155 after LeEco pulls out
 In February 2016, Aston Martin announced that it would work with Chinese tech company LeEco on the RapidE, an electric version of the Rapide four-door sports sedan. LeEco, facing a cash crunch, has pulled out of the project, but Aston Martin Chief Executive Andy Palmer told Reuters that his company will still produce the EV.

The plan seems to be to make the RapidE a bit more exclusive. Aston Martin will build only 155 units, a third of the original plan. The launch date has been pushed back to 2019.

“We’ve decided to make this car rare, which will obviously tend to push the price higher,” Palmer said. “Aston Martin now plans to proceed independently, funding further development of RapidE by ourselves.”

Aston will start taking orders for the RapidE next month. Prices start at around 200,000 pounds ($255,000), 50,000 pounds more than the existing V12 Rapide.

Battery packs for the RapidE will come from a new production facility built by a consortium led by Williams Advanced Engineering, which supplies power packs to the Formula E electric car racing series, and also built the RapidE prototype that was unveiled in 2015.

Aston’s further EV plans include an electric version of the DBX crossover it plans to launch in 2019.

“The RapidE project was always about learning in readiness for the DBX derivative,” Palmer said. “We can do that through a limited series.”

Source: Reuters via Jalopnik

Output: Aston Martin has cut the run of its electric RapidE model by a third after Chinese tech firm LeEco, facing a funding crunch, pulled out of the project. The luxury carmaker will now produce 155 units of the electric vehicle (EV), while its launch date has been pushed back to 2019. Aston will start taking orders next month with prices starting at £200,000 ($255,000), about £50,000 more than the V12 Rapide.


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Statoil considers converting gas power station to hydrogen
 The Magnum gas power plant has three combined cycle gas turbines (CCGT) with a capacity of 440 MW each. One CCGT emits approximately 1.3 million tons of CO2 per year.

Designing a large-scale value chain

The technology for producing hydrogen by converting natural gas into hydrogen and CO2 is proven and known. The new element is to design a large-scale value chain.

“Designing a large-scale value chain where production of hydrogen from natural gas is combined with CO2 capture, transport and storage can open up new business opportunities”, says Rummelhoff.

So far, high costs combined with lack of CO2 storage facilities have limited the development of a low-carbon value chain for hydrogen based on natural gas.

In 2016, the Norwegian government initiated a new national CO2 capture, transport and storage project. Studies confirmed the feasibility of storing CO2 on the Norwegian continental shelf, with high storage capacity and the potential to expand the facilities to manage additional CO2 volumes beyond the initial demonstration project.

If the Norwegian CCS demonstration project is realized, this may open up for future CO2 storage from other projects, including the joint Vattenfall, Gasunie and Statoil project.

Giving new possibilities

Statoil has more than 20 years of experience with CO2 storage on the Norwegian continental shelf. The company has launched a climate roadmap, which details our targets for CO2 emission reductions and improved carbon intensity and energy efficiency.

“Statoil has introduced several measures to reduce emissions from our oil and gas activities. With the joint Statoil, Gasunie and Vattenfall project we see the possibility of also helping potential customers reduce their CO2 emissions at a large scale. As the upstream facilities required to reform natural gas into hydrogen need to be large scale, there is a significant scope for economy-of-scale by introducing additional markets to the energy system”, says Rummelhoff.

Related page

Output: A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by Statoil, Gasunie and Vattenfall to explore converting a Vattenfall gas power station in the Netherlands into a hydrogen-powered plant, potentially reducing annual production of CO2 by four million tons. Statoil wants to design a "large-scale value chain where production of hydrogen from natural gas is combined with CO2 capture, transport and storage" to open up new business opportunities”, the company said. The main challenges thus far have been high costs combined with lack of CO2 storage facilities, it said.


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Urban Collective offers to find your ideal rented home for £600
 Post navigation

A proptech firm is launching, promising to revolutionise the rental sector.

Urban Collective is offering to cut down on the hassle and time it takes tenants to search for a property.

The start-up has launched a property find service, starting in London, that provides experts, or “Sherpas”, with local knowledge of each client’s chosen area.

Once assigned, they will establish their client’s dream home profile, understanding their property and lifestyle needs, and create a shortlist of available properties on their behalf.

They can also conduct accompanied viewings.

The service will cost tenants £600 for a one- to three-bed property or £900 for a four- to five-bed.

Clients pay 50% upfront and 50% on signing of the lease.

Urban Collective will refund the full fee if the tenants don’t like the shortlist or don’t arrange any viewings.

A spokesperson for the company told EYE: “This frees up time to spend on other things, such as work – particularly important for business owners or those for whom time is money – or to use the little amount of free time they do have to do things they want to, such as spend time with family.

“Others may just find the current process too much hassle and would like someone to take the heavy lifting out of this life admin, much like a personal shopper does, or a personal assistant.

“The service is also ideal for expats moving to London. Our Sherpas are all local experts so can advise on areas based on their clients’ needs, and organise viewings before they even reach the city. The sooner they are able to find a property in their new city, the less time and money spent on hotels/other accommodation.”

Alongside the Sherpa service is a free UrbanCo app that lets renters search for lifestyle-focused listings from Zoopla, with properties curated based on their proximity to amenities such as gyms and hospitals, or commuting options rather than simply price and location.

The Urban Collective is founded by tech entrepreneur couple Mayank Mathur and Valerie Vigouroux because of their own frustrations when trying to find somewhere to rent.

They say they spent up to 75 hours having discussions with over a dozen agents and viewing over 40 properties before finding their eventual home – and that was before the moving admin.

Mathur said: “A tenant’s rent is their biggest monthly expense, yet the renting journey is significantly lagging behind customer service standards found in other industries.

“During our home search last year, we found our experience was the same as it was the last time we rented ten years ago. It hadn’t evolved or improved.

“We wasted countless hours researching listings with generic search criteria and answering the same questions when briefing different agents, only to end up visiting multiple properties that didn’t remotely match our requirements.”

Frustrated by their experience and confident there was a better way of renting, they partnered with the only estate agent they met during their search who understood their personal challenge, Octavian Pop, whose CV includes working as a lettings negotiator at Foxtons.

Pop said: “The Urban Collective provides an alternative and more enjoyable process for people to rent a home.

“The property market has changed in the past two decades – more professionals and business owners are unable, or choosing not, to buy, meaning they stay in the rental market longer.

“It’s time that the search experience is overhauled and brought into the 21st century to match the customer service tenants experience elsewhere.”

Output: Proptech start-up Urban Collective has launched a scheme it claims will revolutionise the rental sector by providing experts with local knowledge to help people find their perfect home. The service, which begins with the assignment of an expert, or "Sherpa", to develop a property and lifestyle profile for the client, costs between £600 ($776) and £900, depending on the size of the desired property. Sherpas can also carry out pre-arranged viewings. Urban Collective has also launched an app enabling tenants to scour lifestyle-focused listings from Zoopla.


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Corvus to supply batteries for hybrid offshore supply vessels
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Corvus Energy has been selected as the supplier of a lithium ion based energy storage system (ESS) for the hybridisation of PSV Far Sun (photo: Farstad Shipping)

Corvus Energy has announced that it has been selected as the supplier of a lithium ion based energy storage system (ESS) for the hybridisation of Farstad Shipping’s PSV Far Sun being integrated by Vard Electro, in the second half of 2017. The Orca Energy ESS from Corvus will supply electrical power to the PSV’s propulsion system electrical network to enable environmentally-friendly and lower cost operations.

The energy storage system will be utilised during all aspects of the PSV’s operation, particularly during dynamic positioning and harbour operations where fuel consumption and emissions will be significantly reduced. Equally important to Farstad and Statoil (who maintains a long-term charter for the PSV), the ESS will increase safety through provision of spinning reserve for improved response time as well as increased redundancy.

“As we have experienced with many vessel types, the Orca ESS is ideally suited for the hybridisation of the Far Sun PSV,” says Ronald Hansen, Global Service Manager of Corvus Energy. “Through close collaboration with Vard, our teams have developed a lean solution which meets the aggressive environmental, safety, performance and operating cost objectives of Farstad and Statoil.”

Statoil, an important client of Farstad Shipping, is focused on improved safety, efficient operations and reduced environmental impact. Through a long-term contractual relationship and a strong emphasis on reducing emissions, Statoil has been a key element in the efforts to have battery technology installed on board Far Sun.

“The energy storage system will provide significant savings for Farstad and Statoil over time, enabling the ship to more efficiently utilise energy produced by the generators, as well as simplifying the use of shore power. This will substantially reduce consumption and emissions. Another effect is less noise from ships in port,” says Christian Søvik, VP Global Services of Vard Electro.

Output: Corvus Energy will supply batteries for hybrid offshore supply vessels powered by PSV Far Sun's propulsion system network. Corvus' energy storage system allows for greener and lower-cost operations and will be used in all aspects of the PSV's operation, particularly during dynamic positioning and harbour operations where energy consumption and emissions will be significantly cut.


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Trucks and planes ensure future demand for oil: Total
 The oil industry must accept that global demand for crude may fall by 2050 but rich potential remains in hydrocarbons, especially gas, the head of French energy giant Total said Tuesday.

Total CEO Patrick Pouyanne said climate policies and electric cars would affect demand for oil in the next three decades.

"It is possible that by 2040-2050 oil demand will not be as high as it is today," he told the World Petroleum Congress in Istanbul.

"It is a scenario that is possible" if the targets of the 2015 Paris climate accord are implemented, he said.

But Pouyanne insisted there would remain a demand for oil, even if electric cars prove a success, as there is no substitute in sight for fossil fuels in heavy trucks and planes.

"I urge the industry to be responsible as there is plenty of opportunity for all of us," he said.

"We have to have competitive oil assets to face demand that may not be as high as we expected."

He described gas as the "ideal carbon of the future" that could be used alongside renewables.

"We have to bet on gas," he said

Pouyanne described the fall in the oil price over the last years from highs of 145 dollars a barrel in 2008 to around 45 dollars now as "traumatic" but said the industry had shown a capacity to change.

As well as showing greater efficiencies, energy majors could still show what he described as a "pioneer spirit", he said, pointing to his own company's return to Iran.

Total on July 3 defied US pressure by signing a multi-billion-dollar gas deal with Iran, the first by a European firm in more than a decade.

Output: There is also no substitute in sight for fossil fuels in heavy trucks and planes, ensuring future demand for crude oil, said Total CEO Patrick Pouyanné. Global demand for crude may fall by 2050 due to climate policies and electric vehicles, but there is still rich potential in hydrocarbons, particularly gas, which could be used alongside renewables, he said.


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Sonnen brings mobile phone model to Australian power market
 Originally published on RenewEconomy.

Christoph Ostermann, the founder and CEO of German battery storage developer Sonnenbatterie, could hardly believe his luck: Just as he prepared to announce a plan to take Australia’s energy utilities “out of business”, the utilities announced – en masse – a near 20 per cent jump in the cost of grid power.

The Australia battery storage market – already seen by Sonnen as the one of the most promising in the world thanks to its excellent sunshine, its high penetration of rooftop solar, volatile energy markets and extremely high retail electricity prices – suddenly got even more attractive.

“It was perfect. We said: ‘Thankyou very much’,” Ostermann told journalists at the launch of the Sonnenflat battery storage retail product in Sydney on Wednesday night.

Sonnen unveiled what it describes as a major assault on the traditional energy utility business model by introducing a unique offer that replicates the sort of deal consumers can get from a mobile phone company, and with a quick pay-back.

“That’s our goal, to take the traditional utility out of business,” Ostermann says. “What we do is provide grid power for free.”

Well, not quite, but almost. A household with at least 5kW of solar can buy one of Sonnen’s battery storage systems, and then be provided with all their electricity needs for a flat rate of $30, $40, or $50 a month, depending on the size of their solar system, storage and daily usage.

This graph above illustrates what is available. An average house will be able to consume around 10,000kWh a year, or nearly 30kWh a day, and cut its annual bill of around $3,400 to just $480 a year.

Of course, you also need the battery storage, which might cost around $15,000 for an average system. But even this would provide a pay-back within 5 years, and so once paid off the only cost to the consumer is the annual fee. Sonnen provides a guarantee for its storage systems of 10,000 cycles. That effectively gives it a near 20 year life.

The Sonnenflat product is designed to take the hassle and confusion out of the solar and storage equation, which can be devilishly complicated for the consumer.

It merges, into one product, the various new concepts such as peer-to-peer trading and virtual power plants. The participants in the Sonnenflat will essentially sell excess power to each other, or to Sonnen, who then package it up and use it to trade – via a third party – in the wholesale and other markets, such as ancilliary services.

For the customer, it takes away the pressure and worry about when to use appliances. They don’t have to care about load shifting or how much is stored or exported or drawn down from the grid.

For a flat fee, Sonnen will take care of it, the customer users what they want, within certain parameters. (And, it should be pointed out, it may not be available in areas with very high fixed network charges, such as in Essential Energy)

Sonnen says it already has around 600-700 battery storage installations across Australia since it entered the market last November, and by the end of this year it aims to have 2,000 customers taking part in its Sonnenflat system. That equates to a “virtual power plant” of around 20MWh.

But in 2018, it expects to increase that number four-fold (80MWh) and then to double it each year.

Ostermann says the market is ripe for the picking, particularly the existing fleet of rooftop solar. If one quarter of the 1.6 million households signed up for his deal, then that would equate to a virtual power plant of 1.4GW – nearly the size of the Hazelwood power generator that closed down earlier this year.

He sees the retrofit market as the most promising, because many households have effectively paid off their solar system. But the falling cost of solar panels also makes it attractive for new customers.

Professor Ross Garnaut, the chairman of Zen Energy, the Adelaide-based battery storage developer which has a partnership with Sonnen, described it as an “important step in Australia’s energy transition.”

Would this kill the traditional energy utility business model, I asked him during the presentation. “That’s the idea,” he said.

Indeed, Ostermann says that utilities that do not evolve will die. But Sonnen is seeking alliances among the incumbents as well. Before the launch, it was holding discussions with AGL Energy about using its wholesale market trading systems.

It has also signed up a small retailer to manage the customers. It wouldn’t say who it was, but RenewEconomy understands it is the new energy start-up Energy Locals.

Ostermann says that utilities will have no choice but to write down their assets as they understand the implications of all this rooftop solar and battery storage providing “free electricity” once their purchase price has been amortised.

“They are sad and happy at same time. They are laughing and crying. It’s like standing at train station and watching (a train) leave and trying to run and catch up with it when they realise ‘oh shit, our business model is disrupted.’

“They are trying to adapt. They are intelligent enough to recognise that it is impossible with their current model.

“If you look 10 years ahead, you will see amortised PV sites that are generating electricity at zero cost. New installations are getting cheaper and cheaper. They will have to write off assets they sitting on.”

The indications are that battery storage market is showing signs of rapid expansion, according to Jonathon Fisk, co-founder and director of Solaray Energy.

“In June alone, Solaray took orders for over half a megawatt of storage just in Sydney and we see the Sonnenflat product adding to our rapid and continued growth,” he says.

“It will give our customers the option to never pay for energy again. This is the model for the future and could well be how the majority of batteries and solar PV is bought in the future.” Solaray also distributes Tesla and Enphase batteries.

Reprinted with permission.

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Output: German battery storage developer Sonnenbatterie aims to "take the traditional utility out of business" by changing the way that households purchase electricity. A home with at least 5kW of solar can buy one of Sonnen’s battery storage systems and then pay a flat rate of AUD30, AUD40 or AUD50 a month, depending on the size of their solar system, storage and usage. After paying about $15,000 for an average battery system, households can cut their annual energy bill to about $480 a year from $3,400, providing payback within five years. Sonnen power packs have a life of about 20 years assuming about 10,000 cycles in that period.


Instruction: create a high quality summary of the given input

Input:
TalkTalk Price rises planned for 40,000 TalkTalk customers from 1 August
 TalkTalk is upping its prices again on 1 August. Find out how you could switch or haggle your way to a better deal.

TalkTalk will hike prices for 40,000 customers from 1 August, with some broadband bills rising by as much as £21 a year.

Some pay monthly mobile phone customers will be even harder hit, with bills rising by up by £30 a year.

The Telecoms giant is in the process of contacting those affected by the increase by letter or email.

People who have signed up or renewed their broadband with TalkTalk since October last year will be on a fixed price plan and so won’t be affected by the price rises.

There will also be increases to call rates for telephone customers.

Customers will pay 13.5p per minute (up from 12.5p per minute) for calls to UK landlines and mobiles.

Call connection charges are going up from 18p to 20p per call, while premium call charges will rise from 7.5p to 10.5p per minute.

A “large proportion” of customers will be unaffected by the call increases as they have all-inclusive packages.

Announcing the changes, a TalkTalk spokesperson said:

"We’ve been investing millions in improving our unlimited broadband network, making our TV service faster and simpler to use, and introducing industry-leading security services and calling features which we provide as standard.

"If you're on one of our Fixed Price Plans we can guarantee your broadband price will stay the same for the length of your contract. If your package has a boost with inclusive calls these charges may not affect you."

How to beat the hikes

If you want to move away from TalkTalk and you’re not within the minimum term of your contract, you can leave without paying an exit fee.

Head over to broadbandchoices.co.uk or Recombu to find the best broadband and mobile deals for you.

If you’re on a Simply and Essential broadband plan or locked in a mobile contract, Ofcom says you have the right to cancel fee-free.

Just tell TalkTalk within 30 days of receiving your letter or email detailing the price changes. If you don’t, you’ll need to pay a termination fee.

Those who want to stay with the provider have the option of calling up and haggling for a better deal. Read How to haggle and save a fortune to find out more.

Alternatively, you can have a look at how to cut your Sky bill and how to cut your BT bill.

Be in with a chance of winning £500 every week with loveMONEY! Click here to find out more

Output: TalkTalk plans to raise prices for 40,000 customers from 1 August. Bills could rise as much as £21 a year for certain broadband customers and up to £30 a year for some monthly-paying mobile customers. Those who have joined or renewed their broadband with the telecoms firm since October 2016 will not be affected by the increases as they will be on a fixed price plan.


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Input:
TalkTalk TalkTalk trials in-app chat feature to improve customer support experience
 Tuesday, Jul 11th, 2017 (1:38 pm) - Score 791

Customers of broadband and phone provider TalkTalk, specifically those who make use of their free iOS and Android based MyTalkTalk app, will be pleased to learn that the ISP has added a new in-app chat feature that enables them to talk with customer support without making a call.

At present the new feature is being added as part of a beta trial that starts today, although it’s expected to be rolled out to all app users during the autumn. Features like this are attractive to ISPs because they reduce the load on call centres. On the flip side they also make it easier for customers to keep a record of their support queries and remove the need to wait in a tedious telephone queue.

Kerry Edwards, TalkTalk’s Customer Experience Director, said: “We know how important our products and services are to our customers and if something goes wrong we want them to be able to contact us quickly and easily. However we know that life doesn’t always allow for customers to stay on the phone or on live chat to our agents, so this app update means customers can now chat to us when it’s convenient whilst we can get on and resolve the problem.”

Apparently, once a customer has sent a message, delivery notifications ensure that both the customer and the agent can see when messages have been received and read. Push notifications will then alert customers to new messages.

Output: Internet service provider TalkTalk is trialling an in-app chat feature that enables users of its MyTalkTalk app to talk to customer support without making a call. The feature, which is expected to ease demands on the company's call centres and also improve the customer experience by cutting time spent in telephone queues, is anticipated to be rolled out in the autumn.


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Up to 15 million UK jobs at risk from disruption, finds report
 Robotics and artificial intelligence will reduce social mobility in the UK, the chief executive of the Sutton Trust has told Sky News.

"The rise of robotics is taking away the traditional ladders of opportunity in the workplace," Lee Elliot Major said.

"What we're worried about is that those are taking the paraprofessional jobs - the jobs that were the stepping stones for people to rise up the social ladder.

"People from poorer backgrounds will be disproportionately affected because those are the people that have these jobs normally."

In a report, the Sutton Trust said that only 29% of people believe today's youth will have a better quality of life than their parents - down from 42% in 2003.

:: Sky Views - Why I'm backing robots over humans

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:06 Robots created with 'human' social skills

The report suggested that bringing the UK up to the average Western European levels of social mobility could add 2.1% to GDP per year, a total boost of around £39bn.

It also found that up to 15 million jobs in the UK "could disappear due to technological disruption".

The result could be a two-tier society, the Trust said, with "an elite high skilled group dominating the higher echelon of society and a lower-skilled, low-income group with limited prospects of upward mobility and an irremediably broken social ladder".

Advertisement

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:40 Could technology turn against us?

Tony Burke, assistant general secretary for manufacturing of the union Unite, told Sky News: "We are taking (automation) very seriously as an issue.

"Nobody's faced this before. Unlike previous industrial revolutions that created employment, the problem with the Industrial Revolution 4.0 is it is actually going to reduce it.

"Our problem is that our government doesn't have a strategy for how they're going to manage this."

A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: "As part of building our Industrial Strategy, the Government has asked a team of industry experts led by Siemens CEO Juergen Maier to look into the challenges and opportunities of digital technology and automation.

"This review will consider how we can work together with businesses to ensure the benefits of new technologies are felt in different sectors of the economy, creating new, exciting and well paid jobs across the country."

Output: Technological disruption threatens to take away 15 million jobs in the UK, said a report from non-profit organisation the Sutton Trust. The disappearance of white collar jobs that help people climb the social ladder will result in a societal divide between highly-skilled, higher-income workers and less skilled, low-income workers, it said. Just 29% of people believe today's younger generation will have a better quality of life than their parents, compared with 42% in 2003, the report added. By raising social mobility to average western European levels, the UK could add 2.1% to GDP per year, the trust suggested.


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Google offers AR education experience through Tango
 Augmented Reality is taking on a more defined format for the consumer market: mobile devices. Google sees AR’s potential for educational uses.

At the Augmented World Expo, I met with Jared Finder, a Google software engineer working on Tango, the company’s new augmented reality technology for mobile devices.

“VR is about taking you to another world, whereas AR is about taking things and embedding them in the real world,” Finder said. “So I think that plays up also to educational uses. If you want to learn about something, what could be better than being there and seeing it?”

Google has made an app for K-12 education called Google Expeditions. It takes students through virtual field trips to volcanoes, coral reefs, and even the International Space Station. Initially, Expeditions was a VR experience created for Google Cardboard. The new Tango version let’s you experience those places in AR with other people in the real classroom.

“One thing that’s really cool about AR is that it’s a shared experience because it’s part of the real world, and we all share the real world,” Finder said.

The following video by Google explains how Tango Expeditions works.

Output: Google has developed an educational app for mobiles that offers students a shared augmented reality (AR) experience. Tango is aimed at K-12 students, and enables them to take virtual trips to volcanoes, the International Space Station or a coral reef.


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Passive drift inflicts first losses on asset managers since 2008
 The global money management industry felt the impact this past year of the growing challenges it faces, even as assets under management grew, according to a study from Boston Consulting Group.

Assets under management totaled $69.1 trillion as of Dec. 31, up 7% from the previous year's total of $64.6 trillion, primarily due to market gains. Net new inflows remained primarily flat at 1.5% of beginning-of-the-year AUM, the same as the previous year.

On a regional basis, AUM increased in all regions except for the Middle East and Africa. North American AUM increased to $33 trillion in 2016, up 6% from the year before. European AUM increased 7% to $18.4 trillion; Asia, excluding Japan and Australia, increased 16% to $6.6 trillion; Japan and Australia increased 4% to $6 trillion; Latin America increased 14% to $1.5 trillion; and the Middle East and Africa remained flat at $1.3 trillion.

Brent Beardsley, senior partner and managing director at Boston Consulting Group, said in a press briefing that this is the first year since the financial crisis the firm has seen revenue and profit decline in the industry.

"Despite all that growth and the market appreciation, revenue and profit in the industry were down and that was primarily due to fee pressure."

He cited the "continuing shift away from traditional core active strategies," and mentioned that even in more specialized asset classes such as small-cap equities, emerging markets or high yield, "people are going passive."

Net revenues fell to $112 billion from $114 billion, a 1.8% decrease from the year before. The last time revenue dropped was from 2007 to 2008, from $100 billion down to $80 billion.

Net revenues, as a share of assets under management, fell to 26.7 basis points in 2016 from 28.1 basis points, while operating profits as a share of net revenues fell to 38% from 39%.

"In the alternative space, it's really a shift toward more and more illiquid asset classes," Mr. Beardsley said, citing asset classes such as private equity, real estate and infrastructure, in an attempt to gain revenues. Alternative strategies, despite accounting for only 15% of total assets under management, according to the study, contribute 42% of total revenues.

BCG cites five opportunities for money managers to make significant gains in an environment where it is nearly impossible to gain both assets under management and revenues. They cite adoption of "advanced data and decision-making technologies;" entry into the Chinese market; strategic mergers and acquisitions; structural cost management; and "innovation and excellence in managing the overall business portfolio."

Output: The global asset management industry has seen its first drop in profits since the 2008 financial crisis as investors' drift to cheaper, passively-managed strategies put pressure on fees. A study by Boston Consulting Group found that despite a 7% increase in assets under management to $69.1tn, firms posted a decline in revenue to $112bn from $114bn in 2016. New inflows grew just 1.5%.


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Input:
Sinclair Pharma Estetic shows where to use Ellanse for best results
 11.07.2017 - 23:59

La tendencia a lo natural está en auge y dentro de la Medicina Estética más aún… Los pacientes buscan verse mejor y “retocarse” las imperfecciones que con el paso del tiempo van apareciendo en el rostro y el cuerpo, eso sí, siempre que el resultado sea lo menos artificial posible.

En este sentido, y de cara a las mejoras en la cara y cuello, uno de los grandes aliados es el colágeno ; sin embargo, con el paso del tiempo, la producción que genera el organismo va disminuyendo, tanto en cantidad, como en calidad.

Para ello, la gama Ellansé de Sinclair tiene la clave, ya que se trata de la nueva generación de estimuladores de colágeno que ofrecen una corrección inmediata, aporta el volumen perdido; con resultados duraderos, de hasta cuatro años.

No obstante, para que los resultados sean los más adecuados, hay que saber cuáles son las zonas en las que es mejor utilizar Ellansé.

Por ejemplo, para comenzar, se recomiendan las zonas del tercio medio del rostro, como el naso labial, aumento malar; también los pliegues del mentón; línea de marioneta y el arco mandibular.

Otro tipo de tratamientos más avanzados, como el levantamiento de ceja; comisura oral; línea peri-oral; moldeado de la nariz; o aumento de barbilla, también son posibles con Ellansé .

Eso sí, donde no se aconseja la inyección de estimuladores de colágeno es en los labios, los párpados o la zona del entrecejo.

Porque tú eres lo más importante… Estetic.es

Output: Estetic highlights the growing demand for natural-looking results from aesthetic medicine and the role that collagen stimulation plays in that trend. Emphasis is put on appropriate application of products like Sinclair's Ellanse to ensure the best results. It advises against injecting collagen simulators on the lips, eyelids and brow area.