Carbon Offsets Daily

Kudos to the for attempting to make the games a The  objective of the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is to meet twenty per cent of the energy needs through renewable resources. The reports today that sustainable energy firm, Blue-ng, has proposed to power the London Games.

Per the proposal submitted by Blue-ng:

...a new combined heat and power plant (CHP) would be built adjacent to the Olympic Park in east London and would run on sustainably sourced biofuels. If given planning permission, the first implementation of Blue-ng's technology would be at the nearby Beckton pressure-reduction station.

Concerns have been raised about the use of biofuels in Blue-ng's plan, but the firm promises to use only sustainable biofuels like rapeseed which are grown locally in the UK or EU.

Furthermore, Greenpeace had this to say about Blue-ng's plan to use biofuels:

"Greenpeace, in common with many other environmental organizations, is concerned about the unsustainable use of biofuels, especially for road transport," ...... "However, we believe they have a role to play in the UK's electricity generation industry, where they offer the potential for substantial carbon savings. If biofuels are to be used, they should be used ideally in plants which capture heat and produce electricity, rather than as a transport fuel, which is what Blue-NG is proposing to do."

A formal decision on Blue-ng's plan will be taken on June 4th. We at Carbon Offsets Daily will be following this story and will keep you updated.

According to a in the Guardian, controversy and criticism surround the UN’s (CDM). The CDM is a system established under the that gives industrialized nations the opportunity to earn CDM credits or certified emission reductions (CERs), by undertaking investments in emission reduction technologies in the developing world. The CDM is supposed to ensure that the projects meet the “additionality” criterion. That is to say, the emission reduction projects wouldn’t have been possible without the sales of carbon credits.

The article reports the findings of two Stanford University academics, David Victor and Michael Wara who claim that a large number of projects under the CDM are not “additional”. It also cites a study by the U.S. watchdog group, , which states that as many as 75 per cent of the registered CDM projects had been completed by the time they were approved. It seems that the crux of the problem is that a good part of the CDM money is being invested in projects that, as Victor puts it, “would be built anyway”.

Only a few days left for the on-line virtual tradeshow that began May 15th and concludes May 31st, 2008. They are giving away $5,000 to one of ten sustainable energy projects, each of which has sent in a video summary of their project.

PROJECT SUMMARIES: videos are available in the video section of the (you have to login) and text summaries are here:

1. Shelby Tyne- Greenway Farms - S. Africa – Biogas
Shelby installed a biogas collection system on his farm which now produces electricity and cooking gas. Against many obstacles he has persevered and is now showing other African farmers how to do the same.

2. Dan Robichaud - Canada - Solar Heater
Dan shows that anyone with a bit of initiative can create their own low-cost energy solution.  Taking personal initiative and publicly sharing his results he proves that individual action can have a larger system effect.

3. DAXU - China – Biomass
Burning crop waste instead of coal with a home stove design that increases cooking time while reducing smoke. Changing one stove from coal to biomass prevents over 8 tons/year of CO2.

4. Practical Action - Peru - Micro Hydro
Over 5 million people live in remote villages in the Andes with little to no access to electricity. Microhydro schemes keep people in villages allowing teachers and doctors to bring in computers and refrigeration - Local earnings have increased 60%.

5. AIDS - Philippines - Hydro pumps
Over 15,000 people now have access to clean and safe water and irrigation for crops. Clean water means that vegetables can be grown in dry season and people can keep livestock and fish ponds.

6. SKG - India - Biomass & Biogas
Using cow dung, village women produce electricity and then use the slurry to make fertilizer, providing a source of income and free time that has increased the education of their children.

7. BioTech - India – Biomass
As parts of S. India have grown in middle class, waste disposal has become a major problem. Biotech uses unwanted food waste to produce gas for cooking and electricity. Each plant replaces 1400 tons/yr of diesel which results in 3700 tons/ year of CO2 reduction.

8. Center for Rural Technology - Nepal - Micro Hydro
Processing grain requires women and children to carry heavy loads long distances to mills. Improved hydro mills cut the price of making flour in half and each improved mill replacing diesel offsets 2.4 tons/yr of CO2

9. Deng Ltd - Ghana - Solar PV Panels
Solar power now replaces kerosene lamps greatly reducing indoor toxic fumes which cause the majority of respiratory problems. 600 schools equipped with solar PV can now stay open at night for adult education.

10. SEEDS -Sri Lanka - Micro financing for Solar
Innovative microfinance schemes have financed over 52,000 solar home systems in rural areas of Sri Lanka, where average families had to spend 19% of their income on energy. SEEDS sets affordable monthly payments which are paid back over 1 to 4 years.