| Energy
The Paris Agreement: The Sweet Smell of Sweat
Johan Ostlund, director at CooperOstlund – the UK’s leading gas engine specification and maintenance expert –
discusses the Paris Agreement on climate change.
he Paris
Agreement on
climate change
came into force on
4 November. It is
ambitious and
brave, straddling the globe with a
bold vision, but with the minor
annoying fine print of ‘just don’t
sweat the small stuff.’
The Agreement is certainly
ambitious and commits the UK
(and 194 other signatories) to limit
the increase of global average
temperatures to ‘well below’ 2C
and to target efforts to keep
temperature increases to 1.5C.
T
So how are we going to do it?
The UK will need to create its
own voluntary plan to reduce
emissions (the key words being
‘create’, ‘voluntary’ and ‘plan’).
Whilst we don’t as yet have that
plan, what’s clear is that there will
be no silver bullet to achieve our
targets (and let’s be unambiguous
- these are big targets). The
likelihood is that it will be a series
of incremental improvements
across a wide range of activities
and sectors – in other words, the
small stuff.
Let’s take our part in those
incremental improvements within
New AD map celebrates
over 500 UK plants
The UK anaerobic digestion industry now has over 500
operational plants, and following the launch of ADBA's
interactive map they’re easier to see and find than ever.
he industry
association’s
database
features 540
sites which are
producing
biogas from food waste,
agricultural materials, industrial
effluents and sewage.
ADBA’s map enables
suppliers, developers and waste
producers to find plants near
them or to view a particular type
of plant across the UK. ADBA
member companies are able to
access enhanced features
including sites in planning and
construction.
T
the combined heat and power
(CHP) marketplace. Natural gas
should be a prime example of how
you achieve the Paris nirvana of
providing an income and security
of supply, all while benefitting the
environment. It does do this to an
extent, but only when managed
properly (again we’re back to the
small stuff).
When people create AD
facilities, the engine that sits at the
heart of it is typically one of the
most expensive acquisitions, but
also the most crucial to its success
(measured by environmental
impact and the bottom line result).
Often people consider it job done
when the plant goes live but fail to
recognise that the details matter.
The small things in this case are
calibration, maintenance, servicing
– not headline grabbers that
politicians will grandstand, but the
things that make the difference
between success and failure.
By way of example, we often
see poorly calibrated and badly
installed CHP engines that have
been running at less than 50%
efficiency for years at a time. One
client was operating an engine for
more than six years, which should
have completed 48,000 running
hours, but had only completed
10,000, as it was offline with issues
so often. Poor advice from the
outset, a lack of attention to detail,
combined with a rushed
installation to save labour costs,
had seen the engine generate less
than a fifth of its potential
(fortunately in this instance a twohour service was able to transform
the project, which is now running
at maximum efficiency, 24 hours a
day).
The big problem is that too
many people aren’t using their
CHP units to maximum potential,
which when considered
cumulatively is a real issue.
If we are ever to achieve our
ambitious Paris targets we need to
educate people and make them
appreciate the details. As more
technologies come on strea m with
greater sophistication and impact,
this will be even more
pronounced. Of course, there are
other macro issues in play, from
nuclear power to Donald Trump’s
prospective environmental
policies, but let’s not sweat the big
stuff!
"The growth of the AD
industry to 540 operational
sites is hugely welcome”
Responding to the launch,
Charlotte Morton, Chief
Executive of the Anaerobic
Digestion and Bioresources
Association (ADBA), said:
“ADBA's market reports and
data already provide the most
comprehensive information
about AD in the UK, and our
interactive map makes it even
easier to find and use than ever
before.
"The growth of the AD
industry to 540 operational sites
is hugely welcome, providing the
equivalent of over 700MW
capacity for green electricity
www.farmingmonthly.co.uk
generation and offering a
sustainable option for food
waste, farming and water
treatment.
“The benefits that AD is
already delivering show why the
industry should be supported to
continue to grow: we
desperately need the
government to set out its plans
for the RHI, expand support for
renewable electricity and take
action to ensure that food waste
is collected and recycled.”
The map is available via the
ADBA website,
http://adbioresources.org/aboutad/ad-map
December 2016 | Farming Monthly | 29