"태양광도 하고, 농사도 짓고"..발전시설 밑에서 벼 재배 성공

태양광발전도 하고 벼도 재배하고 [전남농업기술원 제공]

태양광 시설 하부 농지를 이용한 벼 재배기술이 성공해 이를 활용한 작물·재배방법 확대와 농가 소득증대가 기대된다.

전남도농업기술원은 국내 최초로 영농형 태양광 발전 시설의 하부 농지에서 벼를 재배해 수확을 앞두고 있다고 6일 밝혔다.

영농형 태양광은 농업과 태양광 발전 시스템이 공존하는 농업 기술로 작물생산 수익 외 발전소득으로 농촌경쟁력 향상을 위한 새로운 방안으로 주목받고 있다.

이 시설은 지난해 6월 공사비 약 2억원 중 75%를 농업인 정책자금 융자 지원을 받아 보성군에 100㎾급 규모로 세워졌다.

영농형 태양광 발전사업은 농업이 태양광발전의 기능보다 우선돼야 하고 농지도 보존해야 한다.

안정적인 농업 생산활동을 위해서는 태양광 시설 하부 농지에 적합한 작물 선정과 재배 방법 개발도 선행돼야 한다.

전남도농업기술원은 관련 재배작목 연구에 나서 보성에 세워진 영농형 태양광시설 하부 농지에 벼를 시험 재배했다.

최근 이곳에서 벼를 일부 수확한 결과 일반 노지 80% 정도의 생산량이 예상됐으며, 콤바인 수확 시연에서도 농기계 운행에 제약을 주지 않는다는 평가도 나왔다.

100㎾급 영농형 태양광 시설에서 발전소득 연간 1천277만원에 논벼 소득을 더하면 평균 1천376만원의 이익을 거둘 수 있을 것으로 전망됐다.

농업기술원은 태양광 시설 하부 경지가 작물의 생산성과 품질에 미치는 영향을 평가하고 재배법을 개발해 영농형 태양광 시설을 보급하는 데 활용하기로 했다.

전남농업기술원 식량작물연구소 안규남 연구사는 "발전소득이 농가 수익의 대부분을 차지하지만, 재배법을 추가 개발하고 연구하면 작물소득도 더 많아질 수 있어 농가 소득 증대에 기여할 것이다"고 말했다.

betty@yna.co.kr

 

Green Jobs: the only way to go

Cities and local action

According to an International Labor Organization (ILO) ILO report, 24 million new jobs will be created globally by 2030, provided sustainable practices are adopted and implemented.

 

According to an International Labor Organization (ILO) ILO report, 24 million new jobs will be created globally by 2030, provided sustainable practices are adopted and implemented.

Doing so will also enable millions of people to overcome poverty and enjoy improved livelihoods, in line with one of the aims of the Paris Agreement which underscores the commitment by nations to a just transition and the creation of decent work and green jobs. While there will be some loss of employment—mostly in the petroleum industry—this would be offset by jobs created in renewable energies and transitioning to a circular economy, the report says.

In the developing world, where the poor are most affected by the impact of climate change, ILO works to advance and mainstream environmentally sound social and economic development through the promotion of green jobs and increase income-generating opportunities. In rural Zambia, the Green Jobs Programme gave poor subsistence farmers a new way of life and helped them increase productivity. Using green technology, women learned how to build houses, building eighteen in five months. Because many live off the grid, and Zambia suffers from an energy crisis, many people never had electricity. The programme trained women in solar panel assembly and installation, which they installed in the newly built homes. These are life-changing skills that benefit the whole community, and reduce the impact on the environment.

In Sri Lanka, already ranked as the fourth most vulnerable country in the world to the impact of climate change, the relentless floods of 2016 and 2017 severely damaged the tea-growing regions, a source of income for many. In 2018, the ILO collaborated with the national and local government to develop a model to alleviate the impact on livelihoods of severe weather through better management of available water resources. The project, which falls under ILO’s flagship programme, Jobs for Peace and Resilience is a model which ILO hopes will be adopted by development partners to replicate in other regions of drought- and flood-affected areas in Sri Lanka and elsewhere.

In rural Egypt, an ILO shared initiative with the local government and university implemented a pilot project in which poor farmers were taught how to make biogas from the manure of their livestock which, in turn, provided an affordable source of energy and fertilizer, and increased income and crop production. The programme also created jobs for recent graduates who conduct training in the villages on how to make the biogas while promoting environmentally sustainable technologies. 

[녹색직업(Green Jobs): 나아가야 할 유일한 길

도시와 지역 활동

국제 노동기구(ILO) 보고서에 따르면 지속 가능한 관행이 채택되고 실행된다면 2030년까지 전 세계적으로 2,400만 개의 새로운 일자리가 창출 될 것입니다.

 

 

국제노동기구(ILO) 보고서에 따르면 지속 가능한 관행이 채택되고 실행된다면 2030년까지 전 세계적으로 2,400만 개의 새로운 일자리가 창출 될 것입니다.

 

이를 통해 수백만 명의 사람들이 빈곤을 극복하고 개선 된 생계를 누릴 수 있으며, 이는 국가들이 공정한 전환과 양질의 일자리 및 녹색 일자리 창출에 대한 헌신을 강조하는 파리 협정의 목표 중 하나에 부합합니다. 대부분 석유 산업에서 일부 고용 손실이 있을 것이지만 이는 재생 에너지로 창출 된 일자리와 순환 경제로의 전환으로 상쇄 될 것이라고 보고서는 말합니다.

 

기후변화의 영향으로 빈곤층(가난한 사람들)이 가장 많이 영향을 받는 개발도상국에서 국제노동기구(ILO)는 녹색 일자리를 촉진하고 소득창출 기회를 증가시켜 환경적으로 건전한 사회 및 경제 발전을 발전시키고 주류(主流)로 만들기 위해 노력합니다

 

잠비아 시골에서 녹색 일자리 프로그램은 가난한 자급 농부들에게 새로운 삶의 방식을 제공하고 생산성을 높이는 데 도움이 되었습니다. 여성들은 녹색 기술을 사용하여 5개월 만에 18채 집을 짓는 방법을 배웠습니다.많은 사람들이 전력망에서 떨어져 살고 잠비아는 에너지 위기로 고통 받고 있기 때문에 많은 사람들은 전기를 공급받지 못했습니다 이 프로그램은 새로 지어진 집에 설치된 태양열 패널 조립 및 설치 분야의 여성을 훈련 시켰습니다. 이것은 전체 커뮤니티((community, 공동체)에 도움이 되고 환경에 대한 영향을 줄이는 삶을 변화시키는 기술입니다.

 

이미 기후 변화의 영향에 대해 세계에서 네 번째로 취약한 국가로 선정 된 스리랑카에서는 2016년과 2017년의 끊임없는 홍수로 많은 소득원인 차 재배 지역이 심각하게 손상 되었습니다. 2018년에 국재노동기구(ILO)는 국가 및 지방정부와 협력하여 가용 수자원(水資源) 관리를 개선하여 악천후의 생계에 미치는 영향을 완화하는 모델을 개발했습니다. 국제노동기구(ILO)의 대표적 프로그램인 ‘평화와 복원(회복)을 위한 직업(Jobs for Peace and Resilience)’에 해당하는 이 프로젝트는 ILO가 개발 파트너가 스리랑카 및 기타 지역의 가뭄 및 홍수 피해 지역에서 복제하기 위해 채택되기를 희망하는 모델입니다.

 

이집트 시골에서 국제노동기구(ILO) 공동 이니셔티브(initiative, 주장이 되는 위치에서 이끌거나 지도할 수 있는 권리)는 지방 정부 및 대학과 함께 가난한 농부들에게 가축의 분뇨로 바이오 가스를 만드는 방법을 배웠고 결과적으로 저렴한 에너지와 비료를 제공하는 파일럿 프로젝트를 구현했습니다. 소득과 작물 생산. 이 프로그램은 또한 환경적으로 지속 가능한 기술을 홍보하면서 바이오 가스를 만드는 방법에 대해 마을에서 교육을 수행하는 최근 졸업생을 위한 일자리를 창출했습니다.]

 

https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/green-jobs.shtml

UNITED NATIONS UN Climate Change Summit 2019

High-Level Climate Change RoundTable

The wind farm “Los Granujales” in the South of Spain (Vejer de la Frontera, Cádiz). Replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources like wind is one of the measures needed to slow down climate change. Vidar Nordli-Mathisen/Unsplash

Convened by the Secretary-General on the sidelines of the UN General-Assembly, the High-Level Climate Change event brings together global leaders who will showcase the most far-reaching climate actions they are taking.

As climate impacts worsen around the world, UN Secretary-General António Guterres is convening a roundtable of global climate leaders from government, business and finance, and civil society to showcase high-impact actions and ambition to confront the climate crisis.

The virtual roundtable will demonstrate leading examples of the Secretary-General’s six climate-positive actions to recover better together: invest in jobs and green business, no bailouts to polluting industries, ending subsidies for fossil fuels, considering climate risks in all decisions and policy-making, working together and ensuring that no one is left behind.

The event will showcase the vast social and economic benefits of a sustainable recovery and of action to limit global warming to 1.5°C by achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, and to ensure that people and planet are protected from climate change impacts.

Taking place a year and a day after the 2019 Climate Action Summit, which mobilized climate leaders to step up the pace of progress, the Roundtable is part of a major global effort to raise ambition to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. The Roundtable will be a significant step towards the 5-year anniversary of the adoption of the landmark UN treaty on December 12 this year, which will be a vital moment to mobilize greater action and ambition on the pathway to COP26 in November 2021.

Climate impacts are increasing

COVID-19 has not stopped the climate crisis. Carbon emissions are quickly returning to pre-COVID levels, and greenhouse gas concentrations have reached new record highs, according to the latest United in Science report, released on 9 September. The damage inflicted by climate change continues to mount, from worsening wildfires, floods and storms, to rising food insecurity and economic loss.

As the world confronts the pandemic and embarks on recovery, critical decisions being taken now will determine whether the world will return to the high-emissions economy or embark on a new path toward lower emissions and greater sustainability.

The vast scale of COVID-19 fighting and recovery spending can either help drive climate action forward and help keep the goals of the Paris Agreement within reach, or set us back years, which the science dictates we cannot afford if we are to reach the 1.5°C goal.

At the same time, the vast benefits of taking climate action are becoming increasingly clear: more jobs, better health, more equal and resilient societies, and stronger economies. For example, opportunities in renewable energy, building efficiency and other low-carbon industries can create 24 million decent jobs by 2030.

The 90-minute event will feature a roundtable discussion with around 20 global climate leaders from governments, the private sector and civil society, moderated by international journalist and television presenter Femi Oke.

Webcast: The event will be livestreamed on webtv.un.org with translation.

Climate action and ambition will be a key issue in a range of other key events and convenings during the UN General Assembly. More information is here.

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https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/high-level-climate-change-roundtable

High-Level Climate Change RoundTable | United Nations

Throughout COVID-19 recovery, 'plummeting’ clean energy costs can help climate action

A camel stand in a windmill park on the outskirt of Nouakchott, Mauritania.

As COVID-19 hits the fossil fuel industry, a new UN report published on Wednesday shows that renewable energy is more cost-effective than ever – providing an opportunity to prioritize clean energy in national economic recovery packages and bring the world closer to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement.

The new report, Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2020, is a collaboration between the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Frankfurt School-UNEP Collaborating Centre, and energy financing company, BloombergNEF.

Against the backdrop of governments injecting huge amounts of money into their economies to offset the impact of coronavirus lockdowns, UNEP chief Inger Andersen; Nils Stieglitz, President of the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management; and Jon Moore, Chief Executive BloombergNEF, maintain in the foreword that “putting these dollars into renewables will buy more generation capacity than ever before”, and help countries deliver on stronger climate action.

Tell-all numbers 

The report illustrates that apart from large hydro-power generation, in 2019, renewable energy grew by a record 184 gigawatts (GW). \

Although this was a 12 per cent jump over the previous year, the 2019-dollar investment was only one per cent higher. 

Meanwhile, technology improvements, economies of scale and fierce competition, have prompted the cost of wind and solar electricity to continue to drop over the last decade, resulting in and 83 per cent price drop for electricity from new solar photovoltaic plants, in the second half of 2019.

Although this represents good progress, the report notes that “there is room to do much more”. 

Looking ahead

Nations and corporations have made clean energy commitments over the next decade, for 826GW of new non-hydro renewable power by 2030, at a likely cost of around $1 trillion.

However, these commitments fall far short of what is needed to limit the rise in global temperatures, to well under 2 degrees Celsius under the Paris Agreement, and also falls short of last decade’s achievements, which saw around 1,200GW of new capacity, at a cost of $2.7 trillion.

“This lack of ambition can be rectified in economic recovery packages”, assured Ms. Andersen, Mr. Stieglitz and Mr. Moore, adding that by “simply repeating the investment of the last decade, over the next, would buy far more clean energy than it did before”. 

The COVID factor

The slump that the coronavirus has created in the fossil fuels sector, combined with the resilience of clean energy, have made it clear that renewable energy is a smart investment, says the report.

"The chorus of voices calling on Governments to use their COVID -19 recovery packages to create sustainable economies is growing”, maintained Ms. Andersen. 

And the report’s findings highlight that renewable energy is one of the smartest, most cost-effective investments going.

“If governments take advantage of the ever-falling price tag of renewables to put clean energy at the heart of COVID -19 economic recovery, instead of subsidizing the recovery of fossil-fuel industries, they can take a big step towards clean energy and a healthy natural world – which ultimately is the best insurance policy against global pandemics”, concluded the UNEP chief.

UNEP 2020 Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/06/1066082

Throughout COVID-19 recovery, 'plummeting’ clean energy costs can help climate action

Moving towards 100% renewable power in Hawaii (with a little help from sheep)

ILO Photo/Kevin Cassidy The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative solar facility in the US state of Hawaii.

The US island state of Hawaii has committed to generating 100 per cent of its power using renewable energy by 2045, demonstrating to other US states and island communities across the world, that sustainable energy can be a reality. UN News travelled to Hawaii with the International Labour Organization (ILO) to talk to a power company executive and a sheep farmer to find out how they are contributing to that goal.

Neatly arranged rows of deep marine blue-coloured photovoltaic panels are lined up on the undulating hills of one of Hawaii’s volcanic islands, creating a sea of solar-energy generation. It’s midday, and the strong tropical sun is beating down on this power plant, which will provide electricity to over 70,000 people.

This is Kauai, one of seven inhabited islands in the northwest of the Hawaiian archipelago, where energy generation is not just an aspiration but also a necessity. The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC), a non-profit organization runs this plant, and its 77,000 solar panels generate at least 10 per cent of the islands power, 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year.

 

Energy costs in Hawaii, one of the world’s remotest island

David Bissell is the Chief Executive Officer of Kauai Island Utility Cooperative in Hawaii., by  ILO  Photo/Kevin Cassidy

communities, have typically always been high, as fossil fuels have to be imported to fire the power plants.

Speaking to UN News before the oil price declined to historical lows in April 2020, David Bissell, the Chief Executive Officer of KIUC said that the cost of solar power is “significantly lower than a cost of oil-generated power” adding that “it’s getting cheaper as the technology improves.” And, importantly for businesses and domestic consumers, solar power has stabilized prices which “before could have fluctuated by 50 per cent depending on the volatility of the price of oil.”

One of the key challenges for every solar power facility is how to store electricity which is plentiful during sunny days but which, for obvious reasons, cannot be generated at night.

“Right now, during the sunniest time of the day, we are probably meeting 100 per cent of Kauai’s daytime energy needs,” said Mr. Bissell, “and now we are able to store any excess in batteries.”

KIUC unveiled the “world’s first utility-scale solar plus battery storage generation facility” in March 2017. The battery allows the cooperative to store power during the day and dispatch it over a four-hour period during the evening peak demand.

Ambitious 100 per cent target for renewable energy

Solar power generation on Kauai is one part of an ambitious programme to move Hawaii to 100 per cent sustainable energy by 2045.  The Sustainable Hawaii initiative was launched in 2016 in support of the globally-agreed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) a set of 17 targets to reduce poverty, protect the  planet and ensure peace and prosperity for all, by 2030. SDG 7 which focuses on affordable and clean energy commits to increasing “substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.”

The Governor of Hawaii, David Ige, told UN News that other US state governors “were generally very surprised. They thought that our commitment to 100 per cent clean renewable energy for electricity was so beyond possible that it was a foolish undertaking.”

Although it is getting cheaper to build solar electricity generating facilities, it is still an expensive undertaking for developing countries. Nevertheless, Governor Ige says he’s “proud that Hawaii has really inspired other states and communities.” 

One significant pressure facing Hawaii is a lack of space as the population of 1.4 million residents compete for land with farmers, tourism and industry.

Putting sheep to work

However, a unique partnership between a local sheep farmer and the Kauai Island Utility

Grazing sheep help to keep grass from growing into the solar panels at Kauai Island Utility Cooperative. , by ILO Photo/John Isaac

Cooperative is demonstrating how businesses competing for land resources can have a mutually beneficial relationship.

Daryl Kaneshiro’s 350 sheep are deployed to the facility to graze on the luscious, quickly growing, tropical grass, which otherwise might envelope the solar panels and impede their productivity and power output. 

“I won a competitive bid against landscaping companies which wanted to clear the grass with machines,” he said. This is just more efficient and it’s good for the environment and sustainable.”

Green investment strategy

Small islands, such as Kauai, face unique environmental challenges and external supply shocks due to their remoteness and limited natural resource base, so “developing solar power as part of a green investment strategy that links different sectors of their economy creates a multiplier effect in sustainably managing natural resources, creating jobs and advancing a just transition to a low carbon economy” said the ILO’s green economy expert, Moustapha Kamal Gueye.  

As the sheep settle down satiated with grass in the shade of the solar facility, the panels automatically tilt another few inches to catch the afternoon sun, generating electricity which will be stored in the batteries for evening use, bringing Hawaii one step closer to 100 per cent power sustainability.

Affordable and Clean Energy, and the UN

• Promoting energy which is clean and affordable even to the world’s poorest people is the focus of SDG 7 one of 17 goals of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,
• SDG 7 commits to increasing “substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix”,
• 13 per cent of the global population still lacks access to modern electricity,
• 3 billion people rely on wood, coal, charcoal or animal waste for cooking and heating,
• Energy is the dominant contributor to climate change, accounting for around 60 per cent of total global greenhouse gas emissions.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/05/1063332

Moving towards 100% renewable power in Hawaii (with a little help from sheep)