Central Highland Program : Energy saving solutions in rural Afghanistan

The project involves implementation of a Central Highlands Development Program for household energy efficiency, greenhouse construction and institutional engagement. The program supports rural communities in improving their agricultural practices, household’s energy performance during the winter season and development of the relations between agriculture and environment.

Initial situation
Afghanistan experiences cold and snowy winters with extreme temperature variations between night and day, reaching-20°C in winter. In the central highlands of Afghanistan, the population is largely rural; as a result, most of the population is dependent upon the primary sector. Livelihoods depend mainly on natural resource availability and management.

Solution
The overall objective of the project has been to increase living standards and quality of life of rural populations in mountainous areas through balanced rural development and preservation of natural resources. To provide a solution, the consortium developed a program to improve energy resilience of households and their living conditions in winter while limiting the depletion of natural capital.

Innovation
The program was widely adopted by households across all ethnicities and income groups because of its affordability, effectiveness and actual fuel saving potential, thereby pioneering passive solar technology in Afghanistan. In other words, the organization adopted a market based approach that is benefitting local SMEs and craftsmen.
• Implementation of a household energy efficiency program
• Preservation of natural resources
• Improving households resilience to low temperatures in winter
• Recorded 20 household savings in winter fuel consumption
• Can be replicated anywhere

ORLANDO, FLA. – A new concept in tourism is coming to Orlando in 2019. Healthy Vacation Club will be transforming the tourism landscape by meeting the needs of the sustainability, organic, and non-toxic focused travel markets. The travel industry in the US has been slow to adapt to the quickly growing demand for organic products, leaving those who strive to remove toxins from their lives with few vacation options.

The brainchild of this innovative travel concept is Emelie Kamp, a wellness entrepreneur and founder of Worth it Living, a wellness brand whose mission is to empowering individuals to live with wellness and purpose. Emelie Kamp brings together her experience in the wellness and residential development industries to starting the Healthy Vacation Club in the US. “In 2012, we began a journey to showcase a lifestyle of wellness, resulting in our first wellness center. Now I’m excited to announce Healthy Vacation Club. Organic, non-toxic, sustainable vacationing; a wellness experience,” says Kamp.

Following a successful breakthrough in 2012 in the European wellness market, Kamp is expanding her vision of encouraging others into a healthier, more holistic lifestyle. Creating a vacation destination that aligns with this vision has been a natural evolution for Kamp. “Coming from a family that vacations often as well as taking multiple trips to wellness industry trade shows over the years, I was struck by a realization. While I could choose the foods I did and didn’t eat, I had no control over the rooms I stayed in nor the chemicals used in them.”

What propelled Kamp to take the leap was a personal struggle. “Shortly before learning I had an autoimmune disease, Hashimoto’s, my body started becoming sensitive to chemicals and molds. I quickly realized how much need there is in the travel and vacation industry and knew I could do something about it.” Having experienced the underwhelming, and at times harmful, vacation destinations, Kamp is driven to introduce a solution. “A vacation is supposed to make you healthier, not sicker!” is her motto.

Healthy Vacation Club is an alternative to other vacation properties and the bleach, toxic cleaners, chlorinated and fluoridated water, mold, EMFs, VOCs, and other toxins that often come with them. Soon, travelers will enjoy many refreshing wellness-friendly perks, including:

Non-toxic fitness center
Infrared saunas
Non-toxic and fragrance-free cleaning products
Chloramine-free pool
Non-toxic beds with organic sheets
Carpet-free floors
Kitchen with wooden cutting boards and stainless-steel pots and pans
Filtered air and water
Lower EMF’s
Zero VOC paints
A game-changer in more ways than one, Healthy Vacation Club is not only providing a healthy vacation alternative, it is also providing a business opportunity. Potential investors are invited to explore possible partnerships with the new company.

source: https://www.traveldailynews.com

The Trump administration is not likely to stop the growth of the renewables market in the U.S. The tax incentives rolled out during the Obama administration have served their purpose and the lion is now out of its cage. Renewables are here to stay.

Renewables have been growing in developed and developing markets over the last decade. Why? Falling costs thanks to advancements in technology, first with wind power and evolving with solar in recent years. In fact, more efficient technology has made renewables competitive to the point that the phasing out of incentives has begun. Over the past decade, investors have gained confidence in how these sources of energy can be predicted. And the more costs continue to decline for renewables, the more they will take market share away from the traditional energy markets.

Proof of the sector’s staying power, and solar in particular, rests with the very ratings Fitch assigns to these projects and how stable they have performed over time. Whereas the somewhat uneven rating performance of wind projects belies a market very much in its infancy and trying to find its footing, Fitch-rated solar projects have been upgraded over the last year and are emblematic of a renewable energy source that has ironed out the proverbial kinks in recent years.

Triton Knoll, the giant 860MW offshore wind farm planned for the Lincolnshire coast, has reached financial close today, according to developers Innogy.

A combination of equity and bank arrangements have come together to secure the financing for the £2bn project, while a turbine supply contract with MHI Vestas has also been agreed, Innogy said.

Construction is set to start in September and finish in 2021. Once up and running Triton Knoll is expected to supply enough green electricity to power the equivalent of 800,000 UK households.

The project is also poised to create around 100 new jobs in the Grimsby area and unlock £16m of investment in new infrastructure and equipment, Innogy added.

“This is a great moment for Triton Knoll and the UK offshore wind industry as we formally secure the means to deliver around £2bn of new UK energy infrastructure,” said Julian Garnsey, project director for Triton Knoll. “Triton Knoll expects to deliver at least 50 per cent of our investment with UK firms over the project’s lifecycle and at the height of construction we expect to see over 3,000 people working on the project.”

It follows news earlier this month that two Japanese utilities have taken a minority stake in the project. Electric Power Development, which operates as J-Power, has taken a 25 per cent stake in the scheme, and Kansai Electric Power Co a 16 per cent stake.

It marked the first entrance into the international offshore wind market from Japanese electric utilities.

Hans Bünting, COO of renewables of Innogy SE, said the reaching of financial close means Innogy and its partners have created the financial base for bringing the project to fruition. “I am very much looking forward to onshore construction starting shortly and seeing the investment come to fruition, with significant benefits to the local economy and businesses,” he added.

In related news, the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult has today been given the green light by the Scottish government to run its 7MW Levenmouth demonstration turbine until 2029.

The turbine, which has been running off the coast of Fife for four years, offers UK companies and academics the chance to test new technologies and access real world data that can help reduce industry costs.

“This consent extension is really welcome news for the UK’s offshore wind industry,” said Andrew Jamieson, Chief Executive of ORE Catapult. “Accessing real-world operational sites to test and demonstrate new products and services can be a real barrier to small companies looking to break into the offshore wind market. The Levenmouth Turbine offers an easily accessible alternative to demonstrating technologies offshore in harsh and difficult to access sites.”

source: https://www.businessgreen.com/