Posted on

Supporting a Solar Energy Project in India

We have now offset another 25,000 ton CO2eq in a Gold Standard certified project! Thank you all GoClimate members for taking part in this!

The climate benefits of this 70 MW Bhadla Solar Power Plant

We decided it was time for another solar energy project, in Rajasthan, the northwestern part of India. The main purpose of this project is to produce clean electricity through photovoltaic (PV) solar panels. This is a large scale solar project. It has an installed capacity of 70 MW, generating 122,108 MWh per year.

Large scale solar PV plant in Rajasthan, India

To give you an idea of how much electricity that is – an average American home uses about 7,200 kWh per year. This project could support 16,960 American homes yearly. But as an average Indian household uses only about 1000 kWh, this equals the annual electricity consumption of 122,108 homes! Add to that that there are almost twice as many people per household in India compared to the US (2,6 compared to 4,9). This amount of electricity supplies a population of 44,096 Americans or 598,329 Indians!

Rows and rows of solar cells out in the desert

In supplying all of this clean energy, the people in this region don’t have to use fossil fuels such as coal or oil to generate electricity anymore. This is still very common in India. Coal is still the most used source of energy. About 9 percent of the energy comes from renewable sources. The share has grown exponentially, from 3,72 percent in 2014-2015. We are so excited to be a part of this positive trend! Thanks to these large investments, we help push down the prices of this clean technology, making it more affordable all over the world.

The benefits for the local community

Improved school attendance

This project has made significant contributions to strengthen the local community on their way to meet the sustainable development goals. In summer, when temperatures rise to 40 degrees Celsius in the area, up to fifty percent of students would not attend school. This is due to the unreliable electricity supply not guaranteeing adequate indoor temperatures. Now, the school attendance is almost 100 percent in summer. Moreover, the company running the project has supported the construction of improved toilets, a classroom, and a digital corner with computers and a projector. The local youth thus have better learning opportunities, and adults have also been supported with literacy sessions.

Supporting women’s developement

A Self-Help Group for women has been founded, where the women learn new skills, primarily related to tailoring and sewing. The women are also given literacy training, which they describe as a big change in their lives.

Self-Help Group for women, where they learn new skills

New clean water facilities

The company in charge of the project has also installed a water ATM in the village, and supplied the local police station with access to clean drinking water. Again, as the temperatures get very high in the summer, this makes a big difference to the locals.

These are only a few examples of the many small initiatives through which the project participant support the local community.

Locals using the newly inaugurated drinking water facilities

The importance of local participation

When a project of this scale comes into a small village, it is fundamental that they develop a good relationship with the local people. There has to be mutual trust and respect for the project to run smoothly, which entails that the project listens to the needs of the locals. That is how they can ensure that they provide what the locals actually want for themselves, and makes sure they feel ownership over their development. Therefore, we are so happy to support projects like this, because it recognizes and actively contributes to multiple aspects of sustainable growth.

Read more about the project in the Gold Standard Registry or in the CDM Registry

Want to contribute to this, and other similar projects? Calculate your carbon footprint and transition to a climate neutral life today!

Posted on

Uberlândia landfills I and II Energy Project

We have now offset another 25,000 ton CO2eq in a Gold Standard certified project! Thank you for taking part in this!

For the first time, we are investing in a project located in Brazil. Parabéns to us! The project is a Landfill to Gas Energy Project located in Uberlândia, in the state of Minas Gerais. Here, greenhouse gas emissions from two adjacent landfills are collected and converted into energy.

Collecting GHG from the landfill to convert it to energy

How does this work? As in most places in the world, the garbage that is generated by the local population is collected by garbage collectors and taken to a solid waste deposal site, also known as a landfill. In this case, this is done by a local company called Limpebrás Resíduos Ltda. The first of the Uberlândia landfills received waste from 1995 to 2010, and the second one started in 2010 with an expected 18 years of lifetime. Uberlândia I has during its operation received approximately 2,100,000 tonnes of domestic waste! This is being treated with significant care for the environment to prevent environmental damage, especially to avoid leachate into the ground.

Carefully managed landfill

But the contamination is not the only concern for landfills. The decomposing of organic waste in the landfill is also causing significant emissions of the greenhouse gas methane, CH4. Methane is a less common but stronger greenhouse gas than CO2, so the climate impact is about 25 times higher! This is why we in some places (like in Sweden) can collect separated organic waste and turn it into energy. However, this infrastructure is not yet available in all parts of the world. So, this project instead aims to collect the methane that is generated at the existing landfills, then combust it in a contained environment in order to produce energy for the local energy grid. The project will last for as long as the landfills release methane, which is until a few years after the landfill is full.

Landfill to Gas Energy Plant

Some people call this renewable energy. We are not too happy with that definition, as garbage in itself is not a renewable resource. Project Drawdown calls this “a transitional strategy for a world that wastes too much” – which we agree with. “In a sustainable world, waste would be composted, recycled, or re-used; it would never be thrown away because it would be designed at the outset to have residual value, and systems would be in place to capture it”. GoClimate fully supports this statement, while recognizing that we are not there yet. As the waste is already at the landfill and causing these emissions as we speak, we’re on board to do what we can to stop them and turn it into energy, until the global waste management can catch up in terms of reduction and recycling. Given the climate urgency, this is not an either-or question, we need to do both!

The workers who collect the garbage

 Apart from the reduced emissions from collecting the methane, we are also helping to displace fossil fuels as we provide alternative energy to the network. The project is also creating more qualified job opportunities for the local population, and the monitoring of the project has not found any negative impact for the people who do ad-hoc recycling of the garbage. Finally, the project has also reduced the odor coming from the landfill. When the project was initiated, there were no landfill to gas projects in the country which did not receive additional financing from carbon credits, so we feel confident that this is a project with high additionality.

Read more about the project in the Gold Standard Registry or in the CDM Registry

See our retired credits HERE

Want to contribute to this, and other similar projects? Calculate your carbon footprint and transition to a climate neutral life today!

Posted on

What is a climate project?

How does the financing of climate projects actually work?

The main purpose of a climate project is to avoid the emission of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. There are different ways to do this, and the carbon market is constantly evolving with new projects and better methods for measuring emissions reductions.

One way that is easy to measure and easy to understand is therefore projects that produce renewable energy. By creating the kind of energy that does not cause emissions, we give people the opportunity to stop using fossil fuels. For example, when we build wind power in India and connect more people to the electricity grid, they no longer need to use diesel generators or burn charcoal, which is often the case before the project is implemented.

Some examples of projects that GoClimate have supported which produce renewable energy:

The reason we want to contribute to this in countries like India and Indonesia is that wind power is still too expensive to be built without the income from carbon credits – this is what is meant by additionality. Wind power can produce the same energy in Sweden, but the marginal utility will be higher elsewhere as we avoid combustion of coal and diesel and contribute to raising the standard of living on site.

Another type of climate project is the capture of greenhouse gas emissions that occur in different processes, and converting them into energy instead – so-called biogas projects. The projects often involve installing improved technology so that greenhouse gases from biodegradation of organic matter, for example in landfills or in wastewater, are not released into the atmosphere but are contained and converted into energy. Here we immediately avoid the emissions, and do something useful with the energy instead! This is often a bit more expensive than, for example, building wind power, which rank among the cheapest projects.

Landfill Gas to Energy project in ChileLandfill Gas to Energy Project in Chile

Some examples of biogas projects which GoClimate have supported:

Another type of project aims to improve methods of cooking. A large proportion of the world’s population cook their food over open fire, which leads to deforestation when more and more people need firewood. By offering better equipment, the people responsible for cooking, usually women, do not need to collect as much wood. This saves both trees and time for them, and with the improved equipment it also reduces air pollution and air born particles, which has a positive impact on their health. These projects thus have great potential benefits, but are more difficult to implement because it implies changing behaviors, and then it is more difficult to measure the results. The risk is thus higher, but the benefits can be very significant.

GoClimate has financed several projects of this kind:

Another type of climate project has to do with trees. This can be reforestation of areas that have been deforested, the planting of trees in areas that have not been covered by forest before, or protection of existing forests. Projects of this kind are incredibly important because the trees bind carbon dioxide from the air, and there are many potential benefits such as increased biodiversity, improved microclimate, etc. Nevertheless, we at GoClimate have chosen not to invest in forestry-related climate projects. The main reason is that even though projects of this kind are necessary for above mentioned reasons, the complexity of handling these projects is vast, and we believe we can achieve the most positive impact by financing other types of avoidance projects.

This is a brief summary of some different types of climate projects, but there are more on the market, and more are being developed at the time of writing. Of course, since the projects are so different, the prices of the projects vary, and there is thus no fixed price for a ton of carbon dioxide. In addition, all projects have administrative costs – if no one designs, administers and supervises the project, there will be no projects and we also could not guarantee the quality of them. But that’s why we exist – to do part of the job for you who want to save the climate by offsetting emissions. Part of the cost also goes to the certification, to ensure the quality of the project. In this way we avoid projects that don’t make positive impacts, and protect ourselves from corruption and inefficiency.Does this sound like something you want to be a part of and contribute to? Sign up here to start your climate friendly life!

Posted on

Dora II Geothermal Energy Plant

We have now offset another 25,000 ton CO2eq in a Gold Standard certified project! Thank you for taking part in this!

This time, we are financing a new technology that we haven’t been involved with before – geothermal energy production! We are really excited to see that there are projects of this type available on the voluntary carbon credit market now, and we’ll tell you all about why this is so important.

Dora II

This project is called Dora II, and it is a geothermal energy production plant in the Aydin province in Turkey. The plant has an installed capacity of 9.5 MWe with an annual electricity production of 70,000 MWh. Geothermal plants use the heat that is stored in the ground to produce electricity. The very short tech summary is that this project utilizes something called a Binary cycle system, where fluid obtained from a well that is dug into the ground transmits its temperature to another fluid (pentane, that has a lower evaporation degree), which powers a turbine that produces electricity.

Geothermal energy is a great way to complement other renewable energies, like wind and solar, because it offers a constant supply that is not dependent on the weather. It is therefore considered a baseload, or readily dispatchable power. It can take place at all hours and under almost any weather conditions, it is reliable, efficient, and the heat source itself is free.

Geothermal energy production in Turkey

However, only 6 to 7 percent of the world’s potential geothermal power has been tapped, according to Project Drawdown. There is still a lot to discover, but it is believed that some 7 to 13 percent of the current global energy consumption could be satisfied with geothermal energy. This makes it one of the top 20 solutions to climate change as listed by Project Drawdown. However, this will only be possible if we together assume the costs of early investment and developments. That is why we at GoClimate are so excited to be supporting this project!

Turkey is a country with a huge and growing energy demand, which to a large extent is satisfied with fossil fuels that are imported from other countries. 86,5 percent of the energy supply in Turkey came from fossil fuels in 2018, and the majority of it (almost all the oil and natural gas) is imported. By growing the share of domestically produced renewable energy, Turkey can move towards satisfying its energy demands in a more sustainable way and help lead the development of green technology. This will help push down the prices of renewable energy technology, as we have seen with wind and solar before, and make geothermal energy more accessible to low income countries with high potential for geothermal (the possibility to access geothermal energy depends a lot on the composition of the earth’s crust).

Geothermal energy is location sensitive

More information about this project in the Gold Standard registry (including verification and monitoring reports) HERE

Posted on

Belen Wind Power Plant

We have now offset another 50,000 ton CO2eq in a Gold Standard certified project! Thank you for taking part in this!

Renewable energy has to make up a larger share of the market globally, which is why we are now financing the Belen Wind Project in Turkey. The major purpose of the project activity is providing electricity from renewable sources to the rapidly growing Turkish electricity market.

The project is expected to generate about 135,000 MWh of electricity per year and prevent approximately 74,444 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually compared to the baseline scenario. Even though wind is increasing in Turkey, there is a heavy reliance on fossil fuels such as oil and coal, and the share of natural gas has grown to reach the same proportion as the other sources. We want to finance this kind of projects to show that there is support for sustainable energy, and spread awareness of the feasibility of better alternatives.

This project consists of an installation of 16 wind turbines, each having a capacity of 3000 kW, in Belen, on the Southeast Mediterranean coast of Turkey. The wind farm provides a total capacity of 48MW and is connected to the national grid. The project employs state of the art technology and installed high capacity 3MW turbines instead of 1.5MW turbines that used to be installed in the earlier days of wind energy developments in Turkey. These new turbines enable better use of the wind potential with a reduced project footprint area, minimising the impact on the natural environment.

It is worth mentioning that if not prepared and designed properly, wind energy can have negative environmental impacts. This is why it is important to do a so-called Environmental Impact Assessment. As we purchase credits from projects certified by Gold Standard, there has been a rigorous control of the risks as all projects have to comply with the “Safeguarding Principles and Requirements” . This covers human rights, gender issues, corruption, water and land use, and other potential impacts. Another important part of the project preparation is the stakeholder consultation, which is also documented in Project Design Document. 

For this project in particular, it is described in the Project Design Document that ”…some trees will be cut in order to enlarge the road to the site and to clear the surroundings of the turbines. However; it was assured that new plantation will be done in return by local Forestry Management”. Other issues addressed in the preparation phase was the concern for bird migration in the area, and potential impact from waste and water usage during the construction phase. Having this information available is mandatory, and is how we know we can trust the project. It allows for accountability, so that we can hold the project developer responsible for the impacts and mitigation measures. 

More information about this project in the Gold Standard registry (including verification and monitoring reports) HERE

See our retired credits HERE, HERE and HERE

Posted on

Sidrap Wind Energy Project

We have now offset another 25,000 ton CO2eq in a Gold Standard certified project! Thank you for making this happen!

This time, your contributions are funding the first ever wind farm in Indonesia. With 30 wind turbines reaching a total capacity of 75 MW, it is also the largest wind farm in all of South East Asia. Through this project, we are supporting Indonesia and its island Sulawesi to see beyond fossil fuels and stimulate both the development of the electricity grids and the national politics in a climate-positive direction.

Indonesia is a country that depends heavily on fossil fuels for its energy production. That in itself is not unique, but given its large population of 264 million, it is remarkable that there has been no wind power at all – until now. The potential for renewable energies in Indonesia is massive, estimated to 14 times their current demand. However, the country has very cheap coal, which sells domestically for less than the global market price, so the economic incentive for renewable energy is weak. In cases like these, the possibility to finance the development with sales of CO2-credits can be one solution to implement green energy projects.

This project has several benefits – Indonesians will now be able to see the positive impact of the wind power for themselves and we are proving the feasibility of this energy source in a local context. The project will also stimulate capacity development, as locals are recruited for the construction and operation of the facility. This breaking of new ground will facilitate for future wind energy projects. Moreover, it puts pressure on the development of the grids to become more flexible and interconnected, so that the electricity can be distributed in an efficient way.

The capital of Indonesia had a major power blackout earlier this year, highlighting the need for grid flexibility and a robust energy system. The politicians in Indonesia have also made a point to set the national target for renewable energy to 23% for 2025, which is twice as much renewables as in 2018 and therefore a significant contribution to the common goal of the Paris Agreement. Impressive! We hope that this is the first of many wind power plants in Indonesia, and are happy to see that there is already another one being built on the same island.

More information about this project in the Gold Standard registry (including verification and monitoring reports) HERE

See our retired credits HERE and HERE

Posted on

Svilosa Biomass Project

We have now offset another 12,000 ton CO2eq in a Gold Standard certified project! Thank you for taking part in this!

Our most recent offsetting is a biomass project connected to the Svilosa pulp mill in Bulgaria, where the operations have been improved in order to use their waste for biofuels. Through this project, the biomass residues from the pulp production (mainly bark) are combusted in a specially designed biomass boiler to generate thermal energy in the form of water steam. This heat is then used directly in the production of the pulp, and thus the mill avoids buying energy from a nearby coal power plant, which they did before. The capacity of the biomass boiler is 19.732 MW (thermal).

This is an interesting project to finance because it is very clear exactly how much coal power we are avoiding, and it gives us maximum assurance that the amount CO2 avoided is accurate. The paper industry is very energy-intensive, so we can achieve significant impact by helping them transition to a more climate-smart production. Moreover, given the current state of consumption, many people concerned with the environment want to reduce the use of plastic. Paper is seen as a better alternative, which is why we think it is a particularly suitable industry to finance the transition of. Finally, this development is today classified as the best available technology, which means that we are helping this pulp become as modern and efficient as possible.

The pulp plant use FSC-labeled wood in its production, which indicates that they take a broader environmental responsibility, and they have also continued to invest in energy-efficient production after this effort. Another exciting aspect is that paper production is one of the industries where there is potential for developing so-called CCS technology, Carbon Capture and Storage, so that the plants can avoid even more emissions from the production.

When the project started, it was seen as an investment that would not have happened without this support from climate credits. This is what we denominate additionality when climate projects are being developed. Much has happened both in Bulgaria and globally since then with different national commitments and the development of international climate policy. We see this project as part of this transition process and something that we want to encourage. This factory is the only one of its kind in the region and it is valuable that they maintain a high standard as that sends the right signals both to neighbouring countries and to the EU. A sustainable industry also creates jobs and contributes positively to the country’s economy.

More information about this project in the Gold Standard registry (including verification and monitoring reports) HERE

Posted on

Santa Marta Landfill Gas Recovery

Landfill Gas to Energy project in Chile

Gold Standard

We have now offset another 50,000 ton CO2eq in a Gold Standard certified project!

The project Santa Marta Landfill Gas Capture for Electricity Generation Project is a landfill gas to energy project. The projects involves the collection and utilization of landfill gas for generation of electricity.

Located in one of the most important landfills in the Santiago region of Chile, the project reduces greenhouse gas emissions by capturing, flaring and generating electricity from the methane gas (LFG) produced at the landfill. Methane is a powerful green house gas that is 28-36 more potent than CO2 over a 100 year lifespan.

The Santa Marta landfill spans over 700 acres and receives approximately 1.3 million metric tons of waste every year. The resulting LFG produces 28 MW of renewable energy into the regional grid.

This Gold Standard-certified project includes a plan to continuously support local communities through a nursery and day care in Lonquén, as well as investments in school infrastructure. This simultaneously creates new job opportunities for women staffing these facilities, and allows women working on the Santa Marta Landfill Gas Recovery Project to use the nursery while they are at work.

More information about this project in the Gold Standard registry (including verification and monitoring reports):
https://registry.goldstandard.org/projects/details/689

Our retired credits:
https://registry.goldstandard.org/credit-blocks/details/47973

More pictures:







Posted on

Methane Digesters in Guizhou Province

Gold Standard

We have now offset another 30,000 ton CO2eq in a Gold Standard certified project!

The project has distributed and installed 18,870 biogas digesters for local households in China. In the digesters, pig manure is treated anaerobically in order to recover biogas. This biogas is then used as thermal energy to replace the coal for cooking and water heating.

The project leads to the reduction of coal consumption and consequently the reduction of carbon dioxide emission. Meanwhile, the recovery and utilization of biogas from biogas digester will reduce Methane emission that would otherwise have been emitted to the atmosphere. Methane is a powerful green house gas that is 28-36 more potent than CO2 over a 100 year lifespan.

The project covers 27 townships at Hezhang County, Guizhou Province of China. 

More information about this project in the Gold Standard registry (including verification and monitoring reports): https://registry.goldstandard.org/projects/details/449

Invoice: Invoice EMS-1441

Retired credits:
https://registry.goldstandard.org/credit-blocks/details/42264
https://registry.goldstandard.org/credit-blocks/details/42265
https://registry.goldstandard.org/credit-blocks/details/42266

 













 

Posted on

Supporting Efficient Cookstoves in Rwanda

Gold Standard

We have now offset another 20,000 ton CO2eq in a Gold Standard certified project!

By distributing cookstove technology to communities in Rwanda, this project benefits the environment by significantly reducing CO2 intense fuel consumption. Health conditions inside homes are improved due to the presence of less indoor smoke, and families can spend less time collecting wood fuel and more time with their families.

Biomass, principally firewood and charcoal, holds huge importance in Rwanda, accounting for a significant proportion of energy consumption. Biomass is often the predominant source of energy for cooking and water boiling, especially in rural areas. Cooking is generally carried out on thermally inefficient traditional devices and produces large amounts of smoke and indoor air pollution.

The replacement fuel-efficient stove will lead to a significant reduction in the annual usage of biomass for users. The improved stove has been designed to balance efficiency, safety, cost, stability and strength with a focus on using locally available materials.

By reducing the consumption of non-renewable wood and providing cookstoves with fuel savings, this project reduces the amount of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. A decrease of deforestation has a positive impact on biodiversity. Households save money by having less fuel requirements for cooking the same amount of food and health is improved through the reduction of indoor air pollutants from cleaner cookstoves. The project also generates employment and income for people via the distribution and maintenance of the stoves, as well as training and employing community education staff.

More information about this project in the Gold Standard registry (including verification and monitoring reports): https://registry.goldstandard.org/projects/details/155

Invoice: invoice Go Climate Neutral

Retired credits:
https://registry.goldstandard.org/credit-blocks/details/39225
https://registry.goldstandard.org/credit-blocks/details/39226
https://registry.goldstandard.org/credit-blocks/details/39227