10 really awesome benefits of Solar Power for your business/Lavancha

We love this headline and story.  In terms of benefits this is just the tip of the iceberg.  And not to forget the avalanche of improvements that come from efficiency investments.

Solar, as you will see, offers tremendous versatility.   It can truly be structured to meet anyone's energy needs.

Grid electricity costs have increased overtime and we still see many Industrial and commercial users paying significantly for power from grid which are above market rates. Also due to interrupted grid power supply businesses have to resort to other power backups like diesel generators which can significantly add to their costs.

Installing Commercial Solar PV instead of using The Grid power can benefit a business immensely. These benefits includes reduced operational costs, tax benefits, gives the business significant competitive advantage and others.Having solar installed enables consumers to fix the power cost for the next 25 years.

Listed below is a comprehensive coverage of all the benefits of installing Solar PV for commercial and industrial establishments.

Financial Advantages

Avoid Rising energy Costs

In today’s age of highly volatile energy prices investing in Solar and other green energies act as a hedge against the rising prices.

It helps business insulate themselves from the variable power rates by producing energy of their own. This brings more stability to the business by taking the variability factor of the power costs out of the equation which can affect the business financials.

Incentives and Rebates

State and Central Governments are offering  incentives and rebates as much as 50% to help consumers invest more in Solar to build a greener India. 

Incentives offered are:

• Accelerated depreciation

Depreciation refers to the decrease in value of assets over time. In case of solar panels depreciation occurs due to inefficiencies and wear and tear of the solar panels over time.

Under Accelerated depreciation the reduction of value of the solar plant occurs quickly in in the initial few years and hence companies can enjoy the benefit of  reduced taxable income and deliver higher cash profits in the 1st 2-3 years.

• 10 year tax holiday – This helps improve the company’s financials by GOI’s incentive to provide reduction or elimination in the payment of taxes by companies.

You can refer more on the incentives and rebates offered by the GOI in the link below :

http://www.eai.in/ref/ae/sol/policies.html

Higher ROI and greater savings

Although the initial investment for setting up the solar rooftop may be high, the savings realized over the long term can offset the costs involved.

It also helps in realizing fixed cost or zero cost towards power consumption over a period of 25 years.

Also it gives the business a significant competitive advantage with rising utility rates. 

Net Metering Option

Companies can avail the Net Metering option by feeding the excess solar generated by the Solar equipment to the grid and the companies are compensated for the same by the DISCOM’s.(Distribution companies).

Lease options

Many of the owners fear to install the Solar PV systems because of the initial cost, they can opt in for the Lease option where the solar provider procures, installs and maintains the solar equipment at its expense and the building owner needs to pay a fixed amount for for the electricity generated and used at a fixed contract apart from the minimal upfront cost.

The lease payments work out to be much cheaper than the DISCOM grid rates and offer significant savings over a longer duration.Companies can lease solar panels for between 15-20 years.

For a more detailed coverage on the different financial incentives offered by the government please refer this whitepaper from the MNRE.

Operating Advantages

Zero maintenance

The Solar PV equipments require very less maintenance and can provide a very long life of 20- 25 free of maintenance. This is made possible by the way the equipment is encased in tempered glass case to  protected from wind, rain and other weather elements. And the cells inside the panel doesn’t get damaged easily for a long time which adds to the life of the solar panel.

Reduce Operating expenses

Investing in a Solar rooftop can significantly reduce your operating expenses and can have a significant effect on the balance sheet. Whether you go for a upfront lump sum payment or lease out solar, the savings generated by using solar can have a huge effect on the company’s financials.

Marketing Advantages

Competitive advantage

With the rising energy prices, investment in Solar and other greener technologies can give business significant competitive advantage against other business that depend on traditional energy sources. Investment in Solar can also significantly affect the financials of the company.

Build Brand equity

With more and more consumers becoming more ecologically conscious it pays for the companies to move towards using greener technologies to attract a loyal community interested in green technologies.

The building owners and developers can gain a lot of media attention by marketing their building as green building thereby increasing the brand value.

Increase Investment opportunities

If the building owner wants to sell the property to investor, this gives a great opportunity as a building having solar equipment installed attracts high value because of high focus on the creation of green sustainable buildings.

Like what you read? For more information on how Solar can be beneficial for your business or for a free consultation with our experts, please contact us and we would be happy to help

The Transformation of the Australian Electricity Market - are Renewables Making a Difference?

We will post some of this article and a link to the body of it.  It is complicated but very on target in looking at the growth of renewables, versus the total power generated, in a country like Australia that has fantastic amounts of wind and sun.  There is no better place to leap frog into a complete clean energy plan.

As always we work to bring you a global perspective on key elements in the green economy.



It is widely thought that the Australian electricity market is already in rapid transformation (AEMO Submission to NEM Review 2017; Electricity Network Transformation Roadmap, CSIRO and Energy Networks Australia 2017; Charging Forward paper, Clean Energy Council 2017), with some concerns that this may be a crisis situation (Powering through, Grattan Institute 2017).

 This change is being driven by many factors including government energy policies such as the federal Renewable Energy Target (RET) and state-based renewable energy schemes. Funding of renewable energy projects through grants and projects by bodies such as the Australian Renewable Energy Agency ( ARENA), changes in consumer behaviour in support of low-emissions and distributed electricity generation, and the rapidly decreasing cost of some renewable energy technologies are also key drivers of change in the electricity market (Electricity Network Transformation Roadmap, CSIRO and Energy Networks Australia 2017; Powering through, Grattan Institute 2017; Charging Forward paper, Clean Energy Council 2017).

 It is critical to maintain the security and stability of electricity supply and price during the transition to a substantially increased reliance on renewable (intermittent) electricity sources, taking into account the rise of distributed energy sources and eventually, battery storage technologies (AEMO Submission to NEM Review 2017; Charging Forward paper, Clean Energy Council 2017; Powering through, Grattan Institute 2017; Electricity Network Transformation Roadmap, CSIRO and Energy Networks Australia 2017). 

Meanwhile, the Independent Review into the Future Security of the National Electricity Market has already delivered its preliminary report and is due in the next few months to deliver its final report, including recommendations for NEM reform and broader government energy policy settings, to the Council of Australian Government (COAG) Energy Council.

Major changes in energy generation and use are occurring worldwide as part of a low-carbon transition of national economies to mitigate global anthropogenic climate change (Renewables Global Status Report, REN21 2017). In 2015, the electricity sector generated around 35% of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions (Australia's emission projections 2016, Department of Environment and Energy). Clearly, the electricity sector has a key role to play in any reduction of Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Given the obviously intense activity and debate around the Australian electricity sector, it is useful to review both the latest (and historical) trends on where we are nationally in terms of electricity generation by energy source or fuel type.

 This article analyses recent changes in Australian electricity generation by fuel type using data from the Australian Energy Statistics (Office of the Chief Economist 2016), as used in the report Australian Energy Update 2016 and supplemented with data from the latest update to Australia's electricity generation statistics (Department of the Environment and Energy 2017).

Figure 1 shows yearly average Australian electricity generation by renewables (solar photovoltaic, wind, hydroelectric, biomass and geothermal) over a 20-year period from 1996-97 to the end of 2016. Australian total electricity generation increased by about 30% from 1997 to 2011, went into slight decline for a few years up till 2014 and has since begun to increase again. It is currently at a historic high yearly average of about 258 TWh. 

The total renewables electricity generation over the last 20 years was fairly ‘flat’ at about 8-10% of the national total up until 2009-10. This generation was dominated by hydroelectric power. However, since 2010 the yearly average percentage of electricity generation by renewable has substantially increased to a historic high of about 16.3% or 42 TWh (yearly average to end December 2016). This increase is due to the rise of contributions from renewables other than hydroelectric power. 

There are noticeable short-term declines in both the actual and percentages of renewables electricity generation around 2008-09 and 2014-15, which may be responses to economic conditions or government policy settings.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/transformation-australian-electricity-market-making-steven-spencer

EON boss - Fossil power sector set for more M&A in shrinking market/Power Engineering Int

The markets typically tells us about shits, sometimes dramatic, in the economy.  Here's one as we migrate away from fossil fuel.

A couple of things happen--investment flows elsewhere;  you get a consolidation within the remaining players.  We are and will see that on power production.

Grids that start to divide their business into sectors, given the growth of renewables, is another sign of transformation and major shift in assets and business lines.  We love it.  Clean energy is filling some big shoes.  New technology, including battery storage, is coming on line at a rapid rate to support its growth.  Buyers are showing a preference for renewables.

We are crossing a threshold of committing to building a more balanced eco/financial system.  Momentum is clearly on our side.  Investors are happy.  Buyers are happy.  Users are happy.  Our planet is happy.

05/26/2017

By Diarmaid Williams 
International Digital Editor

         

E.ON’s Johannes Teyssen was the headlining speaker at this year’s Financial Times Energy Transitions Conference in London and in a wide-ranging interview, he spoke about the likely consolidation of conventional power utilities, whether others should follow his company’s example, the pros and cons of the German energy transition, and why Germany now needs an Energiewende 2.0.

The German utility's chief executive said his company’s decision to split, with its Uniper business being used to carry its traditional conventional fleet, and E.ON itself designated for new energy, was inevitable, given the forces shaping the power sector.

“If you look back at previous FT conference you’ll see  there’s been a fundamental change. A few years back there wouldn’t have been this consensus that we are going through this transition. It also took us a while to accept that it’s not just German politics, that this transition is fundamentally driven by technology and customer desire.”

Teyssen said it’s not important how quick the transition is, just to know that it will continue. The company recognised that the old world of conventional power will be needed for ‘some decades’ but the emerging customer centric, greener and decentralized business required specific attention.

“We at that time decided you cannot be in both worlds, because they co-exist but they need different strategies, have different capital needs, different costs of capital, different technologies and different cycles. We decided not to wait until too late and split the company.”

E.ON VERSUS RWE

Asked if rival RWE has been more successful in ‘expunging’ its failing conventional power division in its split model, which created Innogy, Teyssen dismissed the validity of the question. However he did agree that in the dramatic restructuring of the businesses taking place, utilities were forced to show vulnerabilities they traditionally managed to keep well-hidden.

“I would not like to spend much time speculating about which way is better. In the end that’s financial structure. The question is - is the goal right? Which menu you take is somewhat secondary.”

“It does expose both sides (when business is split). With one side, you are clearly exposed to the commodity markets. The other is clearly exposed to the customers. You cannot cross subsidise anymore and you cannot hide anything but both management teams have taken quite radical measures right away which likely would not have happened if it was hidden inside and embedded.”

“Management often want to hide their weaknesses and hope and wait for transition or recovery. For example, there is an argument to be made that in the next decade power prices in Europe will be much higher for a while. Strategically its unimportant but practically, in how you run your assets, it's highly important, because you can make a significant margin and Uniper’s focus on the other side is taking smart steps in line with that. For us (E.ON) the total level of commodity prices doesn’t matter because we try to optimise the customers margin and if the prices go up or down it’s something that not fundamentally for us. We are on the side of the customers and trying to optimise their lead.”

Teyssen believes all utilities are manoeuvring towards a similar goal in meeting the new demands evolving in the sector, and said it wasn’t for him to suggest others follow his company’s lead.

“If we are right I hope the others wait. If we are wrong, it’s up to others to decide."

“If you watch Engie and where (Iberdrola under) Ignacio Galan really puts his capital the direction of others is quite similar. The question of whether they split or divest or retire and sell the assets, tis a function of your portfolio management. However, the manoeuvre towards the direction is somewhat different.”

IMPORTANCE OF TAKING CARE OF HEAT AND E-MOBILITY

One of the points Teyssen made more than once during FT Editor Andrew Ward’s interview was the importance of simultaneously developing the heat and electromobility sectors alongside the power space. The E.ON chief is concerned that an over emphasis on dedicating all resources to power could ultimately backfire.

“The system is not well prepared because we didn’t build the necessary transmission lines, we don’t have the storage facilities and we don’t truly have an energy transition in Germany, we have a power transition.”

“I disagree with one of the earlier speakers who wanted to finalise the power transition to 100 per cent first and then look after the other sectors. I think you have to have it hand in hand and much earlier. If you don’t electrify heat and mobility much earlier, and just concentrate on the power site, you will waste much power on the way that its getting too expensive.”

Teyssen told the audience of power professionals that there was a growing consciousness that Energiewende, or the energy transition in Germany, needs an upgrade, in that respect. He said while solar power would never have proliferated how it did globally without the German ‘jumpstart’, for German customers it was extremely wasteful and expensive in parts. He advocates a more rounded system and one fairer to all strata of society.

“The way the system is being remodelled is fundamentally right and has proven to be a success, but it’s now time for an energy transition 2.0- it purely focuses on the power system and it now needs to integrate other sectors. That won’t happen by itself. It needs policy.”

“All of the trucks are being parked on the power system and thus the fossil fuels from mobility and heat go on and excess power is regularly exported for free or even with money on top.”

“We need a redefinition of where we allocate the costs and how green policy enables green power to build e-mobility transformation and heat transformation.”

“The second thing is it needs to be fairly allocated through policy between different groups of people. The lowest 10 per cent earners in Germany pay five times the relative amount for the power transition than the richest 10 per cent.”

"The richest 10 per cent own also the houses where they can put the solar on top. The poorest live in flats where they cannot even participate even if they wished to, or had the capital. There is a need to reallocate some of those costs otherwise you create a social instability that is also unfair. Those things need to be reformed after the upcoming general election in Germany.”

“When you look at the subject on the party platforms its sufficiently vague because reallocating costs always means someone has to pay more.”

The elephant in the room for Germany is coal-fired power, as Ward pointed out that 40 per cent of the company’s energy mix still came from coal, despite renewable energy’s explosion. With nuclear off the menu and storage underdeveloped, was that likely to continue?

Teyssen chose to ignore the detail on coal, instead pointing out how strongly storage technology is, in fact, developing.

“I think we will see tremendous growth of batteries – we, as a company, are already seeing significant market share in solar and battery – we need as much distributed generation as possible rather than centralisation because it’s counterintuitive to just focus on big power plants and solar farms. We should as much as possible have [small-scale generators] that are integrated into the system,” he said.

E.ON formally launched its solar-plus-battery offer last month, a consumer-facing offer to both E.ON customers and non-customers, proposing a rooftop solar installation that’s paired with a domestic battery and management system.


MORE CONVENTIONAL POWER MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS ON THE WAY

In recent weeks there has been speculation that power giants Engie and Innogy may merge in what is being referred to as a potential airbus for energy in line with new French president Emmanuel Macron’s vision for Franco-German cooperation.

Teyssen said Europe's conventional electricity market will most likely see more mergers and acquisitions (M&A) of this nature as companies hunt a bigger share of a shrinking market, but didn’t see much evidence for similar outcomes in the space in which E.ON now resides.

“I would argue that in the conventional energy world I still see that scale and consolidation matters a lot. I am definitely sure that we will see more consolidation steps on the conventional side.”

“In the new energy or customer centric world, some changes might happen but I don’t think they will be driven by size and scale – I think they are driven by capability needs and customer proximity and access. I am not so certain for example if you have a renewable fleet of 5 or 10 gGW that it makes such a tremendous difference. Also, I doubt if you own 10 or 20 DSOs that it makes much difference.

In his closing remarks E.ON’s chief executive hit out at the British Conservative Party’s plans for an energy price cap, saying it was “amazing” that it was even being considered in the UK.

He expressed disbelief that “the country that has built the liberalised energy world” was now debating whether to end it and move to state intervention.

“Sometimes if I close my eyes and hear some of the words I wonder if I’m in France or in England. Has anybody regulated the bread prices lately? Change of power supplier is just a click away. It’s probably easier than to change your bread supplier where you might have to walk another block down the street.”

Make a Positive Impact on our Planet/Sierra Club

IF you are in the US and have an old car, please help.with a donation.  When you think about the business side of green, bringing social and economic equity, a global platform of opportunity for all, is our core mission.  Anything we can contribute is meaningful.  And very much appreciated.

This month, the Sierra Club celebrates 125 years of protecting our planet. Through the generosity and support of people like you, we have worked together on more solutions to positively impact the climate crisis and improving the health of our environment and our communities. If you have a vehicle that you no longer need--whether it's a car, truck, boat, or motorcycle--please donate it to support conserving wildlife, wild places, clean water, and fragile ecosystems, and building a clean energy future.

Donate now by calling 855-337-4377 or visit sierraclubfoundation.careasy.org. Our partners at CARS will handle the rest--including picking up your vehicle from any location, no matter its condition.

Climate Change and the Water Cycle: Four Big Questions Answered

Go directly to Climate Reality Project to down load.

Dramatic changes to our planet like glaciers calving into the sea and record-setting temperatures make front page headlines around the world. But while other disruptions caused by the climate crisis – such as the transformation of our planet’s water cycle – are a little less immediately striking, they can be even more profound and far-reaching. 

The consequences can also seem confusing and contradictory. How is it even possible that climate change increases our risk of both heavy rains and extreme droughts? 

In our e-book, Climate Change and the Water Cycle: Four Big Questions Answered, we answer this question and much more.

From NRDC, our highlighted group on the radio show this week:Clean Energy Expansion and Clean Power Plan Work as a Great Team to Keep up Climate Progress/Part 2

Similar to the unanimous vote for Steph Curry as the MVP, this type of consensus among industry analysts doesn’t happen very often. RHG, NREL, MJB&A, and BNEF each used different modeling platforms in their analyses. The models themselves are programmed differently and all have independent features and inputs; yet, they all reach similar conclusions on the growth of renewable energy over the next six years. It’s hard to argue with this kind of consensus.

Yet another independent source finding similar and consistent levels of renewable capacity growth through the early part of the 2020’s decade is the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). NERC is the nation’s overseer of electric grid reliability (NERC) and reaffirmed last month in its latest assessment that the transition to clean energy is accelerating and would not disrupt safe and reliable electricity services.

However, without additional policy drivers, the healthy development rate for renewable energy could slow as the federal tax policies phase down by 2022.

This brings us to the second key takeaway. By the early 2020’s, we’ll need smart policies to keep up the progress. The Clean Power Plan’s flexible and achievable limits, which are expected to reduce pollution by roughly one-third from 2005 levels in 2030, are set to do just that. Since 2005, the U.S. power sector – the largest source of carbon pollution in America – has reduced its carbon emissions by 20 percent as a result of federal and state support for renewable energy and energy efficiency, rapidly falling costs for solar and wind technologies, improved air pollution standards, and low natural gas prices. Because of that progress and continued momentum as a result of expected renewables growth, the limits are even more achievable than was originally expected. MJB&A demonstrates the power sector is well-positioned to meet, and even exceed, the Clean Power Plan’s goals.

Finally, there are numerous benefits of investing in clean energy and efficiency: job growth, lower energy prices, cleaner air, and climate protection are just a few.

Clean energy and energy efficiency are smart investments for states and utilities. Forward-thinking states have recently taken steps to ambitiously strengthen their Renewable Portfolio Standards. Power companies are forging ahead with strong commitments to renewable energy investments. Four of the country’s largest utilities, including Duke Energy, NextEra Energy, Southern Company and MidAmerican Energy Company, have recently announced additions to their renewable energy portfolios. Duke Energy company spokesman Randy Wheeless was recently quoted in an SNL news article (subscription required) saying on the topic of renewable energy, “We’re finding that it’s competitive. It makes good business sense.”

It makes good sense for you and me too. Investing in clean energy and efficiency benefits our households and businesses. In 2013 alone, state renewables policies saved customers up to $1.2 billion as a result of lower electricity prices, supported nearly 200,000 renewable energy-related jobs, and provided over $5 billion in health benefits from improved air quality. We urge states to strengthen their clean energy policies in parallel with Clean Power Plan activities to maximize benefits for their citizens.

Let’s fast forward to game 1 of the NBA Finals last night. Steph and Klay played an important role, but they also needed big contributions from their bench players to get the job done. The renewable energy tax credits and the CPP are game-changers, but we’ll need a deep bench of federal and state clean energy policies, like energy efficiency and renewable energy standards, to win on climate and protect against the worst impacts of global warming.

We are making important progress towards a clean energy future that will protect us and future generations from the dangerous environmental and public health hazards of climate change. But we must keep up the momentum with smart policies, like the Clean Power Plan, to ensure that we stay on this path and achieve our long term climate goals.

Renewable energy growth gives us a great head start on meeting the Clean Power Plan limits. The Clean Power Plan will keep us on track, and the U.S. can and must build on this progress to further accelerate its transition towards a clean energy future.

From NRDC, our highlighted group on the radio show this week:Clean Energy Expansion and Clean Power Plan Work as a Great Team to Keep up Climate Progress

This was  good conversation we had around this nexus of the clean energy expansion and Clean Power Plan work.  We will finish this up tomorrow.

This post was co-authored with my colleague, Starla Yeh.

In climate action, as in sports, momentum can be tangible. Just this week, the Golden State Warriors needed a major shift in momentum to win the Western Conference Finals after falling behind 3 games to 1. In game 6, sharpshooter Klay Thompson led the way for the Warriors, powering them to victory. That laid the groundwork for unanimous MVP Steph Curry to take over in the next game, propelling Golden State to help them win the series and keeping their team’s path to the championship on track.

Just like Klay laid the groundwork for Steph, clean energy expansion is laying the groundwork for the Clean Power Plan (CPP).

Due in large part to the recent extension of federal tax credits for wind and solar energy, clean energy is unanimously expected to continue its rapid growth over the next several years. And in 2022, the Clean Power Plan is ready to take over, keeping our climate progress on track.

As NRDC reports in its latest issue brief, various industry and government sources conducting independent power sector forecast analyses reach the same conclusion: clean energy is expected to continue its rapid growth over the next six years thanks in large part to the extension of tax credits for wind and solar projects approved by Congress and signed into law last December. This clear trend is also driving down carbon pollution from the power sector, and makes reaching the Clean Power Plan limits even easier than we had originally projected. However, the issue brief also stresses that these trends are neither guaranteed nor permanent, and we’ll need the Clean Power Plan to keep the power sector on the right course in the long term.

Let’s walk through each of these key takeaways and talk teamwork in clean energy and climate progress.

First, the studies agree: renewable energy will continue on a strong growth trajectory for the next six years, nearly doubling today’s levels by 2021. It is especially remarkable that the four studies we surveyed reached similar conclusions about how much renewable generation is expected to grow because each relied on different model representations of the electricity sector and a range of input assumptions. Independent projections from Rhodium Group (RHG), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), M.J. Bradley & Associates (MJB&A) and Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) suggest that renewable capacity could nearly double between 2015 and 2021. As shown in the figure below, utility-scale capacity is expected to reach around 160 GW in 2021, compared with 88 GW at the end of 2015. And rooftop solar represents another source of strong expected growth, climbing from around 11 GW at the end of 2015 to around 40 GW in 2021.

For our upcoming June 28 Masters of Sustainability Webinar

Please get registered SAP to meet Steve Posner, VP of Global Cycle and we look at waste water recycling.  

Here's some info on them:

Globalcycle, Inc. (“Globalcycle”) is the only fully permitted industrial/ commercial wastewater treatment and recycling plant in Massachusetts. Globalcycle operates pursuant to a Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Individual Reclaimed Water Discharge Permit. This permit allows Globalcycle to accept various nonhazardous industrial wastewaters from off-site sources. Globalcycle uses solids filtration systems and activated carbon to recycle wastewaters into a reusable water source for industrial applications

Globalcycle, Inc. (“Globalcycle”) is permitted to accept various non-RCRA/TSCA regulated industrial wastewaters from off-site, in bulk or in containers and is currently permitted to recycle 96,000 gallons per day.

Typical industrial and commercial wastewater sources include:

• Installation of groundwater monitoring wells (commonly referred to as investigation derived wastewaters or IDW) or well purge water

• Water used to clean equipment, trucks and buildings

• Decontamination wastewaters

• Cooling tower wastewaters/semi-solids

• Groundwater from underground storage tank installations

• Storm, surface and excavation wastewaters

• Frac tank clean-outs

• Storm water catch basin cleaning semi-solids

• Wastewaters that only contain a sheen of oil

• Aqueous based wastewaters

• Groundwater from UST petroleum leaks (e.g. "D018" benzene exempt)

• Marina boat wash waters

The recycling operation consisting of numerous storage tanks and treatment equipment (e.g. for solids and organics removal and pH adjustment), which  is situated within a secondary containment system, inside our facility.

The pre-qualification process is as follows:

  • Completion of the Globalcycle waste profile form
  • Provide the following analytical: Total VOC (by method 8260), Total SVOC (by method 8270), total suspended solids, total dissolved solids and any other suspected RCRA or TSCA contaminants (using generator knowledge)

Water recycling provides enormous environmental benefits, such as:

• Recycling wastewater can decrease the discharge of effluents that may damage and pollute the ecosystems and marine life in bodies of water.

• Recycling significantly reduces the generator's liabilities under EPA CERCLA (Superfund).

Tesla workers saw higher-than-average injury rates/USA Today

This, for us, was totally unexpected.  New facility, new technology--we anticipated a good experience for employees.  Why this?

Perhaps, like any new company and product, Tesla is going through a bit of a painful learning curve?  Of course they have a very inexperienced staff.  It may be their supervisors and managers lack years on an assembly line as well.

We know auto manufacturing can be very dangerous.  Lots of accidents happen.  Would you see the same out of their new facility making batteries or solar-embedded roof shingles?  Are they growing too fast?  For Tesla there is urgency in getting things fixes. Insurance co's, as you well know, hate claims.

You worry, too, if a higher accident rate could portend quality problems coming off the line as well....



Tesla saw a worker injury rate that is 31% higher than the industry average at its only electric-car manufacturing plant in 2015, and the rate only slightly dipped last year, a new study finds.

Also, more serious injuries, those that resulted in days off work, restricted duty or a transfer, was almost double the industry average in 2015, according to the report from a non-profit called Worksafe that says it is devoted to "safety, health and justice" for workers.

Worksafe says its analysis is based on Occupational Health and Safety Administration injury reports that were requested for review by workers, as required by law. Tesla officials, reached for comment, didn't dispute the analysis but said they believe the rate has dropped significantly in the first three months of this year
"We see people getting injured at the plant in the plant on a regular basis -- people who do the same sorts of jobs that we do," the report quotes worker Jonathan Galescu, who obtained the injury logs, as saying.

Tesla, an auto industry upstart that has been making luxury electric cars for less than decade, has been the subject of a drive to unionize many of the more than 10,000 workers at the plant. It also comes as the plant is dramatically boosting production and employment to start production of its first mass-market car, the Model 3.

The report says Tesla has had an overall rate of 8.8 injuries per 100 workers in 2015, with 6.7 being the average for the auto industry. The rate of more serious injuries was 7.9, compared to 3.9 for the industry that year.

In 2016, Tesla's overall injury rate improved slightly to 8.1, but the company says it was dramatically better in the first quarter of the year -- 4.6 -- a figure that isn't included in the report.

"We may have had some challenges in the past as we were learning how to become a car company, but what matters is the future and with the changes we’ve made. We now have the lowest injury rate in the industry by far," the Tesla statement said. "Our goal is to have as close to zero injuries as humanly possible and to become the safest factory in the auto industry."

Sustainable Coffee Challenge Announces First Four Collective Action Networks

Given the world's love of coffee, what better crop to start with to insure sustainability:

The Sustainable Coffee Challenge has recently announced the first four Collective Action Networks that will catalyze the effort to make coffee the first sustainable agricultural product in the world. The coalition, assembled by Conservation International, has more than 65 partners including corporations, governments, NGOs, and research organizations such as Fairtrade America, USAID, and Starbucks.

Food Tank had the opportunity to speak with Bambi Semroc, who leads the Sustainable Coffee Challenge, which is spurring the global effort to address the growing threats to the coffee industry.

Food Tank (FT): Why did you choose coffee to become the world’s first sustainably sourced commodity?

Bambi Semroc (BS): We chose coffee to become the first sustainable agricultural product for a couple of reasons. First, the coffee sector has been working to advance sustainability for nearly 20 years and has one of the longest histories of doing so. The most recent State of Sustainability Report that looks at sustainability for a number of agricultural commodities, noted that 40 percent of coffee production is being produced according to a thirdparty verified sustainability standard. This was the highest of any commodity the study reviewed.  So, given the long history of working on sustainability, the tremendous advances made to date, the desire among the sector to work together on sustainability, and the ability to see the product from tree to cup, we chose coffee to lead. Conservation International also has a long history of working on sustainability in the coffee sector, both in the field with farmers and with corporations on sustainability programs and sourcing commitments.

FT: Could you explain the major challenges and potential threats facing the coffee sector?

BS: Although we have been working on sustainability in coffee for over two decades, the sector continues to face significant challenges. These include: an aging farmer population and a younger generation less interested in becoming coffee farmers, aging coffee trees that are less productive and often have been  hit by pests and diseases, volatile markets that create uncertainty among farmers about their continued ability to make a viable future out of coffee, and climate change threatens to make half of the suitable area for coffee to become less suitable and push coffee into higher altitudes that are usually the last remaining intact forests. All of these affect coffee communities, the migrant laborers that maintain and harvest the coffee, and the broader ecosystems that provide the freshwater, forest products, and other benefits to coffee and the producer communities.

FT: Who are the key actors involved in the Sustainable Coffee Challenge coalition, and how will they work together to tackle these challenges?

BS: The Sustainable Coffee Challenge is a partnership of over 67 stakeholders from across the coffee sector. It represents retailers, roasters, traders, governments, certification organizations, NGOs, research organizations and others all aligned with the vision of making coffee the first sustainable agricultural product.  A list of partners is available here.

These stakeholders have been working together for the past 17 months via working groups to understand better our current interventions and how they work together to address the challenges facing the sector. This resulted in the launch of a Commitments Hub where partners can publicly state their sustainability commitments and report on their progress, the Sustainability Catalogue 2016 in which we identify more than 80 stakeholders taking action to address sustainability issues, and a Sustainability Framework to help make sense of these disparate programs.  We did this to better understand what is being done, how these interventions work together, and to identify opportunities for further alignment and collaboration across the sector. While we continue to update the Hub, and develop a Sustainability Framework 2.0 and identify common indicators for reporting on progress, we are beginning the pivot to collective action among the partners.

On April 17, we issued a press release announcing the launch of our first four Collective Action Networks that the Challenge will form to address key sustainability issues facing the sector: coffee farm renovation and rehabilitation, improved labor practices and labor supply, scaling up sustainable sourcing commitments, and coffee and forest mapping and monitoring. These are intended to be complementary to emerging or existing collaborative efforts to address other key issues like gender, climate change, etc.  The idea is for the action networks to undertake a 100-day process to set forth an agreed action plan with clear milestones and targets.

FT: Could you give some examples of targets or milestones the Collective Action Networks might establish?

BS: Targets and milestones will vary according to the needs of the action network. One example of a target in discussion is 1 billion trees for the renovation of coffee farms as a call to action to expand upon the existing renovation efforts. Others might focus on key milestones regarding sharing and cataloging approaches, developing guidance or how-to documents, issuing a call to action and getting additional commitments, for example. This is what we are working on via the 100-day process for these four initial networks.

FT: How can individuals engage with the Sustainable Coffee Challenge?

BS: The success of the Challenge hinges on the engagement and active participation of motivated people to tackle head on some of the biggest threats facing the sector. We think of it as a social movement of like-minded individuals and organizations working together toward our ambitious vision. Individuals engaging can take many forms: they may be coffee farmers, government representatives, NGO workers, corporate representatives and researchers all wanting to engage directly and influence the sustainability agenda for coffee. Consumers can also support the work of the Challenge by asking questions about sustainability in coffee and choosing coffees from companies, farmers, and regions that have made clear commitments to sustainability and are making clear progress towards those goals.