Many parts of the world are experiencing severe water stress with limited fresh water supplies. In some parts of the world water use exceeds renewable water capacity – renewable water is defined as surface and underground water supplies that are replenished by rainwater. These regions often use non-renewable ground water supplies, which are also further […]
The European Union as a whole has a target of a 20% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2020, compared to a business-as-usual scenario. This is likely to require energy efficiency measures to reach, as it is unlikely that the EU will meet its target of 20% renewable energy in energy consumption by 2020. An EU […]
A new academic year is getting underway and with that a fresh group of eager minds are ready to absorb knowledge and expand their potential. For many of us it may seem like a distant memory, but there are so many learning opportunities that can be fulfilled even if you aren’t at the beginning or […]
Investments in water utility projects totals some $46.7 billion 73%; treatment plants total $15.4 billion, 24%; and water transfer systems total $2.0 billion, 3%. Combined water and sewage projects account for 51% of investments; water only projects accounted for 31%; and sewage only projects for 15%. This is in stark contrast to the situation from […]
Water is the most important of all natural resources for both land conservation and the welfare of mankind. The basic need to support life is 4 litres of water daily and an average city dweller requires about 400 litres per day for his needs and services; washing, cleaning, cooking and bathing. The total volume of […]
The existence of a single market arose from the growth in seaborne coal trade brought on by the combination of firstly, growth in the demand for coking coal in the 1960s and secondly, sharply rising oil prices during the 1970s. Before 1960, international coal trade had been primarily land based, and been between neighbouring countries. […]
There is some evidence that deregulation does not work as effectively in small markets, because there is not enough volume to justify a large enough number of participants at the various levels. This was foreseen by some of the small countries when the EU Directives were first proposed and Ireland, Malta, Greece, Cyprus and Portugal […]
In Brazil, in 1993, the National Electric Power Transmission System (Sintrel) was created to ensure free access to the national electric interconnected grid to independent producers and self producers on an at cost basis. Sintrel was made up largely of transmission systems owned by the companies controlled by Eletrobas, which was also the entity in […]
Canadian utilities are engaged in the North American transition towards competitive markets and are integrated with the American regional systems. The electricity supply industry in Canada is organised on a regional basis. The various utilities, responsible for electricity generation, transmission and distribution in each area, frequently trade power with each other via some of the […]
From the late 1970s to about 2002 the nuclear power industry did not grow but suffered some decline and stagnation and some orders from the 1970s were cancelled. New reactors were few and the number coming on line from mid 1980s little more than matched retirements, though output increased 60% due to improved load factors. […]
