Alpiq offers industrial users a power storage unit based on old car batteries. The storage unit has a capacity of 1.5 megawatts. The batteries are supplied by Mercedes-Benz Energy.

Alpiq, in turn, plans the energy management system, installs it and configures the software, it says in an Communication of the Lausanne-based energy company.

Scalable energy 

The system allows industrial users to reduce peak loads, stabilize the grid and integrate renewable energy. A single storage unit has a capacity of 1.5 megawatts and a gross capacity of 1.4 megawatt hours. It can be scaled up.

Alpiq already uses large stationary battery storage systems. It controls these with artificial intelligence. Since April 2019, for example, the company has been operating a battery storage system with a capacity of 1.2 megawatts for the Maienfeld power station

Joining forces for a "second battery life

As an interconnected storage system, such batteries make a significant contribution to energy efficiency and the reduction of peak loads for industrial companies, as well as to grid stabilization and the integration of renewable energies. With this holistic approach to electromobility, Alpiq and Mercedes-Benz Energy are contributing to the responsible use of the valuable resources built into an electric vehicle.

You can find more information about the battery storage of the Maienfeld power plant here.

Mondi Ascania makes hygiene wipes biodegradable. The new three-ply line uses 100 percent cellulose, including viscose and pulp. These materials are joined together in certified processes....

The degradable hygiene wipes themselves are not woven, the German subsidiary of the British-Austrian packaging manufacturer said in a Communication writes.

Efficient production  

The nonwoven material is fully biodegradable. The new hygiene wipes consist of three layers and can be produced on a single line.

Mondi presents its biodegradable hygienic wipes at the Index 2020. The international trade fair for nonwovens will be held in Geneva from March 31 to April 2. Series production is planned from 2021.

More info about Mondi Ascania you can find here here

The "Plastic-Free Baden Market" project aims to "establish a sustainable and functional reusable alternative to plastic bags in the Baden market in the long term," as stated in a Media release the City Baden is called. Currently, the project is still in the development process, in which various approaches are being examined.

Baden Environmental Award 2019

The project "Plastic-free Baden Market" is one of three winners of the Baden Environmental Award 2019. The aim of the project is to establish a sustainable and functional reusable alternative to plastic bags on the Baden market in the long term. Currently, the project is in the elaboration process, in which various alternatives are being examined. This process also includes raising awareness at various levels and thus also among market visitors. Therefore, we start with the request to bring your own bag for shopping.

In the transition to a more environmentally friendly waste management, the federal government should lead by example, writes the Committee for Environment, Spatial Planning and Energy of the Council of States (UREK-S) in a Communication at its meeting on February 17. At this meeting, the UREK-S adopted several motions with this thrust "with a clear majority", it says further.

Measures against littering 

Specifically, a motion by then National Councilor Peter Schillinger (FDP/LU) was approved by nine votes to two with one abstention. In the Motion 19.4296 Schillinger calls for the federal government, cantons and municipalities to use recycled building materials in public sector projects whenever possible.

The motions of National Councillor Jaques Bourgeois (FDP/FR) and Isabelle Chevalley (GLP/VD) were even unanimously supported by the UREK-S, according to the statement. In the Motion 19.4100 Bourgeois explains that the federal government should be able to take "effective promotional measures against the abandonment or discarding of small waste" and calls for corresponding changes in the law. The Motion 19.4182 of Chevalley advocates a ban on oxo-degradable plastics.

Although they break down faster than conventional plastics, they release microplastics in the process, the statement explains.

One of the most important causes of deforestation is the investment of private individuals in the expansion of cultivated areas - especially in tropical regions. Deforestation not only releases carbon, but also leads to the loss of biodiversity and ecosystems and diminishes their vital functions.

A particularly important role is played by so-called flex crops - agricultural products such as soy, palm oil or sugar cane that serve both human nutrition and animal feed production or industrial purposes. Previous studies have shown that the cultivation of oil crops such as palm oil or soybean alone is responsible for about a quarter of the emissions caused by deforestation worldwide. The boom in flex crops can be traced back to various global socio-economic developments; one of which is rising inequality. So far, the influence of investments by extremely rich private individuals has remained largely unexplored.

More wealth leads to increase in flex-crop acreage

A new study conducted by Graziano Ceddia at the University of Bern's Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) was the first to examine how agricultural investment by the super-rich affects the expansion of flex crops in the Global South. The study, which focused on 21 countries in Latin America and Southeast Asia over the period 1991-2014, provides evidence: Growth in the wealth of wealthy individuals correlates strongly with the inflow of foreign direct investment into agriculture in these two world regions - leading to the expansion of flex crops.

At the same time, it showed that global investors were attracted by the expectation of high returns on such capital investments. "Private investors are putting their capital in the agricultural sector in the global South because returns on traditional investments have declined," said study author Graziano Ceddia.
In summary, wealth concentration among wealthy private investors plays a critical role in the expansion of agricultural land in the Global South, directly contributing to deforestation. According to the study, now published in Nature Sustainability, during the period studied, a 1 percent increase in the wealth of the super-rich led to a 2.4 to 10 percent expansion in flex-crop acreage.

Distribution of wealth even more important than distribution of income

"The study results highlight the importance of studying the impact of inequality on the environment, focusing not only on the distribution of income, but also on the distribution of wealth," says Graziano Ceddia. After all, it is only large fortunes that enable large-scale private investment in the agricultural sector. And wealth is distributed much more unequally than income, he adds. "The study makes it obvious that inequality urgently needs to be reduced if environmental risks are to be minimized." In addition, research on the links between wealth distribution, investment and environmental degradation needs to be intensified, he said.

In 2020, biocide manufacturer and insect pest farmer Reckhaus will leave its stand at the world's leading trade fair BioFach in Nuremberg unoccupied. "We're not standing around here, we're taking action," the empty stand screams to visitors.

"We would rather clarify our philosophy than explain product details," says Dr. Hans-Dietrich Reckhaus, initiator of Insect Respect and managing partner of Reckhaus GmbH & Co. KG. He himself is in Frankfurt this week instead of Nuremberg to explain to cooperation partners there why he is not in Nuremberg. With his Insect Respect team, he is organizing the next big meetings for insects, preparing publications and planning the next insect-friendly areas.

In a letter to visitors, which can be read at booth 7-214, Reckhaus describes how insects are indispensable for a good life on earth: 40% of all insect species are endangered, and in some regions their numbers have already declined by 80%.

"It's time to act instead of talk," the appeal goes, and everyone can join in: With insect patches on unused driveways, on the roof of warehouses, in industrial areas. Every square meter counts.

Less consumption as a trade fair message
It cannot be about more and more consumption of products, Reckhaus said. Rather, he said, entrepreneurs must be aware of the ecological and social impact of their products.
Warn products. As a consequence, Reckhaus has applied the warning "Product kills valuable insects" to its products - as the first biocide manufacturer worldwide.

Reckhaus is therefore striving for a new way of dealing with insects. The trigger for the company's change and the globally unique compensation model was the dialog and collaboration over several months with the Swiss concept artists Frank and Patrik Riklin. In 2011, they confronted Dr. Hans-Dietrich Reckhaus with the question: How much value does a fly have for you as an insect killer? Their demand: Save instead of kill.

The resulting counter-strategy led to a transformation process and the development of "Insect Respect". The culmination was the joint art action "Saving Flies in Deppendorf" (2012), which mobilized an entire village and took a housefly on a wellness vacation to Schloss Elmau with the world's first air ticket for an insect. Today, Reckhaus acts at the forefront of the insect lobby, writes books about the ambivalent relationship between humans and insects, plans to retrain his employees as landscape gardeners, and is transforming an entire industry.

Background: Insects

Humanity will not survive without insects

It is high time to respect insects - precisely because they are sometimes fought. The animals perform many valuable functions. Edward Wilson, the renowned American entomologist,
has calculated that humans could survive only a few months without insects. But the number and diversity of insects are declining dramatically: more than 40 % of species are endangered, and 5 %
extinct. In some areas of the German-speaking world, their numbers have declined by up to 80 %. (see e.g. study in PLOS One).

Ten good reasons to respect insects
1. ecosystem: insects give nature more resilience.
2. pollination: insects keep the plant world alive.
3rd cycle: Insects are an important part of the food chain.
4. forage and food: Insects secure the world's food supply.
5. hygiene: insects rid us of "garbage".
6. soils: insects make our earth fertile.
7. clothing: Insects are indispensable for textile production.
8. industry: insects produce chemicals.
Medicine 9: Cure insects.
10. research: insects are extremely valuable scientifically.

http://www.insect-respect.org

The Federal Office of Energy (SFO) has compiled the data on the Swiss electricity supply mix published. This refers to electricity from the socket, not just electricity produced in Switzerland. This is because Switzerland not only exports electricity, it also imports it. The origin of some of this imported electricity cannot be verified. However, in 2018, this share fell from 16.1 percent to 6.3 percent compared to the previous year.

Production mix is not the same as supply mix
In Switzerland, 55.4% of electricity is produced from hydropower, 36.1% from nuclear power, 2.8% from fossil fuels and just under 6% from renewable energies (= Swiss production mix 2018). However, not only electricity from Swiss production is delivered to Swiss sockets: There is a lively trade with foreign countries, where electricity is exported and imported. Therefore, the Swiss production mix does not match the average composition of the electricity supplied (= Swiss supply mix).

In order to create transparency about the supply mix of each electricity supplier and thus enable consumers to make an informed decision in favor of a particular electricity product, Swiss electricity supply companies have been required by law since 2005 to disclose the origin and composition of the electricity supplied. The declaration is always made retrospectively, based on the data of the previous calendar year. Since 2006, these figures have had to be disclosed to all customers with their electricity bills. Since 2013, the data has also been published on the internet platform www.stromkennzeichnung.ch published.

In the reporting period, the share of renewables in the supply mix was 74 percent, compared with 68 percent in the previous year. Hydropower from large hydroelectric plants accounted for the lion's share here at 66 percent (previous year: 60.5 percent). 76 percent of this was produced in Switzerland, compared with 80 percent in 2017. However, the new renewable energy sources of solar, wind, biomass and small hydropower also made gains, increasing their share of the supply mix from 7.2 percent to 7.85 percent. 91 percent of this came from Swiss production.

However, nuclear power accounts for the second-largest share of the supply mix. Here, after 15.1 percent in 2017, a total of 17.3 percent was registered for 2018. 99.8 percent of this nuclear power came from Switzerland. Fossil energy sources reached a share of 1.7 percent in 2018, while electricity from waste accounted for 0.95 percent.

A group of researchers in agricultural sciences, ecology and economics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH) and other universities has been studying the economics of biodiversity in grasslands, ETH informs in a Communication.

"Biodiversity is often considered not profitable, but we show: yet, it can be profitable," Nina Buchmann, professor of grassland science at ETH, is quoted as saying there.

Biodiversity is also a kind of risk insurance

Specifically, the researchers published in the scientific journal Nature Communications published Research by the interdisciplinary group of scientists shows that the yield of hay from a meadow with 16 plant species is higher than hay from a meadow with only one plant species. This can also increase income in the dairy industry, the release explains. "This increase in revenue is comparable to the difference in yields between extensively and intensively used meadows," study first author and ETH doctoral student Sergei Schaub is quoted as saying there.

In the release, the researchers also highlight another benefit of biodiversity. "Biodiversity is also a kind of risk insurance," Buchmann says. Because plant species react differently to environmental phenomena such as drought or flooding, the individual species can partially compensate for corresponding crop losses. "Yields become more stable over time," Buchmann explains.

Climate change poses enormous supply risks. A new simulation model from EPFL makes this clear. New, sustainable energy systems are mostly designed for today's climate conditions. Climate-related risks are hardly considered in their development. Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) have taken this as an opportunity to develop a stochastically robust simulation method. It shows that the future energy supply is in danger.

"We have observed that current energy systems are designed to be very vulnerable to extreme weather events such as storms and heat waves," Dasun Perera of EPFL's Laboratory of Solar Energy and Building Physics (LESO-PB) in a Communication cited. In addition, climate fluctuations would lead to significant fluctuations in the feed-in of electricity from renewable sources into the grids as well as in energy demand.

So far, he said, no one has attempted to holistically connect the two issues of climate change and energy production. "If we do nothing, our current energy systems will no longer be able to meet demand," said Jean-Louis Scartezzini, head of LESO-PB at EPFL.

The researchers applied their method to 30 Swedish cities. In the process, they calculated 13 climate change scenarios. They found that under extreme conditions, the hourly demand for heating and cooling in the country's entire current housing stock is between 50 and 400 percent above the 20-year historical average. The results apply to much of central Europe.

They have now been published in the magazine "Nature Energy" published.

Lonza's nitrous oxide emissions of around 600,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalents (CO2-eq) per year account for around 1 percent of Switzerland's annual greenhouse gas emissions. The company identified these in spring 2018 during a control measurement at the production site in Visp (VS) and subsequently reported them to the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN). The FOEN was then able to prove the source of the nitrous oxide in an independent expert opinion. Lonza is included in the Swiss Emissions Trading System (ETS) and must now also surrender the necessary emission rights or, to a limited extent, foreign certificates to the federal government for these emissions.

The climate-damaging nitrous oxide is produced during the production of the vitamin niacin. The Lonza production plant has been in operation since 1971. Nitrous oxide emissions are not regulated in the Ordinance on Air Pollution Control. For this reason, Lonza has not investigated them in the context of vitamin production. Lonza has made a commitment to the FOEN to install a catalytic converter by the end of 2021 at the latest that will reduce these emissions by at least 98 percent. The company has initiated the necessary steps to achieve this.

Impact on Switzerland's climate targets

Internationally, Switzerland has committed under the Kyoto Protocol to reduce its emissions by an average of 15.8 percent between 2013-2020 compared to 1990 levels. Due to international rules, the 1990 baseline cannot be adjusted retroactively. The additional approximately 600,000 metric tons of CO2-eq per year must therefore be accounted for during the entire commitment period and will have a negative impact on the achievement of Switzerland's climate targets.
In order to nevertheless achieve the Kyoto Protocol target, the Climate Cent Foundation will acquire foreign certificates amounting to 5 million tons of CO2 and transfer them to the Swiss Confederation. For this purpose, the Foundation will use part of the Foundation's assets remaining after the fulfilment of its contractual obligations. The national reduction target in the CO2 Act is 20 percent in 2020 compared to 1990. This target, which must be achieved exclusively through domestic measures, is now tightened by 600,000 tons of CO2-eq.

How is the national greenhouse gas inventory compiled?
The greenhouse gas inventory is a comprehensive set of emission statistics according to the requirements of the United Nations Climate Convention. Greenhouse gas emissions from the use of fossil fuels (e.g. coal, oil, natural gas) are calculated from energy consumption according to the total energy statistics of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy. Greenhouse gas emissions from large industrial plants, as is the case with Lonza's nitrous oxide emissions, are collected by the companies concerned themselves and reported to the FOEN as part of their annual reporting. The greenhouse gas inventory for 2018 will be published in April 2020.

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As part of a pilot project to analyze salmon using artificial intelligence (AI), ABB and Microsoft worked with NRS to develop a solution to produce high-quality food safely and in a more environmentally friendly way. The pilot project has shown that NRS can increase the efficiency and safety of its employees, as they now do not have to work in the open sea as often. The new technology also has an impact on the carbon footprint, as fewer activities are now required and better fish husbandry is made possible. As a result, the technology contributes to cleaner seas and greater efficiency.

"Norway Royal Salmon's focus has always been on intensive research as well as development, cooperation and innovation," said Arve Olav Lervag, COO Farming, NRS. "To continuously improve sustainability and increase the safety of our employees, we have partnered with ABB and Microsoft to develop innovative solutions that help us achieve more in every way."

ABB and Microsoft have implemented remote visual object recognition technology. This enables biomass estimation and fish population counting. This technology monitors salmon growth and reduces the workload of NRS employees. At the same time, the company gains a competitive advantage by capturing important data from salmon farming.

Underwater cameras are used to capture footage of the salmon fish in their fish ponds floating in the open ocean several kilometers from shore. As the video footage is combined with artificial intelligence, the salmon can be measured and counted automatically.

Aquaculture to be revolutionized

"ABB is fully committed to a sustainable future. Here, we are using artificial intelligence to revolutionize aquaculture and deliver on that promise," said Guido Jouret, Chief Digital Officer at ABB. "ABB Ability monitors fish health and development, minimizes environmental impact and reduces operational costs. In this way, we help NRS become more competitive."

The solution is based on Microsoft Azure cloud and ABB Ability, which allows ABB to provide its extensive expertise that spans devices, edge and cloud. In this way, we give our customers better access to knowledge and allow them to better implement more projects.

"ABB, Microsoft and NRS have collaborated extremely innovatively on this project," said Christian Bucher, Global AI Specialist, Microsoft. "All project participants have consistently made a strong case for sustainable world food. It is only thanks to the innovations and solutions that the technical teams develop together with the customer that we can achieve maximum benefits. There were only a few months between the idea generation to the installation of the solution on site."

www.abb.com