The Eiffel Tower “turned off the lights” in advance, and the cave became a cold storage…
In the context of soaring energy prices, governments and companies in Europe have made moves one after another.
In Italy, a fruit and vegetable group converted a cave in an abandoned quarry a few years ago into an underground cold storage, using the cave cold storage to store apples. This approach can save 32% of electricity consumption compared to ordinary refrigerators.
In France, the Paris government began to implement a plan to shorten the night lighting of scenic spots from the 23rd local time, including the Paris city government, the district governments, and 14 museums to turn off the night lighting at 22:00 on the 23rd. The Eiffel Tower turned off its night lights at 23:45. Previously, the nighttime lighting of the above landscapes was turned off at 1:00 a.m.
In the United Kingdom, in order to strengthen energy security, the Department of Commerce, Energy and Industrial Strategy of the United Kingdom issued an announcement on the 22nd that the British government officially lifted the ban on shale gas production on the same day and confirmed its support for a new round of oil and gas licensing.
In Germany, on the 21st local time, the German government reached an agreement with Uniper Energy Group, which will spend huge sums of money to buy shares of the group and nationalize it.
German Deputy Chancellor and Minister of Economy and Climate Protection Robert Habeck said on the 22nd that due to higher energy costs than in the past, Germany’s economic losses will be close to 60 billion euros this year and next year’s losses may be close to 100 billion euros.
current energy crisis
Agricultural production in many European countries is hit
In European countries such as Italy and France, the energy crisis is hitting agricultural production. In order to save energy, an Italian fruit and vegetable group has adopted a unique method, which is to use cave cold storage to keep apples refrigerated.
Energy cost savings Italian cave cold room used to store apples
In a small town in the northern Italian province of Trentino, workers drive forklifts to store crates of apples in a local cave cold storage.
In the context of soaring energy prices, cold storage with high energy consumption means huge cost pressures. An Italian fruit and vegetable group converted the caves of this abandoned quarry into an underground cold storage a few years ago, and now it highlights the advantages of energy saving.
Morro Erlic, Agricultural Planting Manager of Fruit and Vegetable Group: In terms of energy use, according to a test last year, storing apples in this cave refrigerator can save 32% of electricity consumption compared to ordinary refrigerators, which is very important.
This cave cold storage is located about 300 meters underground and has 34 cold storage areas inside. Compared with the common cold room on the ground, the temperature inside the cave itself is lower, and the cold storage area in the cave mainly relies on natural rocks for heat preservation, which greatly saves energy consumption. Before the cave cold storage is put into use, after cooling the 5-7 meters thick rock formation with cold air, the cold storage area can maintain a constant temperature of 1 degree Celsius.
The apple harvest season in Trentino has begun. About 30,000 tons of apples are currently stored in the cave’s cold storage, which is expected to increase to 40,000 tons in the near future as picking works.
Soaring energy prices prompt French sprout chicory farmers to consider shutting down production
High energy prices have led to soaring planting costs for some fruits and vegetables. Lefebvre, a sprout and chicory grower in the northern French town of Bouven, is struggling with skyrocketing energy bills.
Emmanuel Lefèvre, a sprout and chicory grower: If prices continue to rise, our energy costs will increase tenfold, and our production will not be able to afford such a high energy bill.
In autumn, farmers harvest chicory roots from the fields and store them in cold storage. When needed, they thaw the chicory roots and move them indoors in a temperature-controlled environment for year-round production.
However, in the face of skyrocketing electricity prices, whether to continue or stop production, Lefevre was caught in a dilemma.
Emmanuel Lefevre, a sprout bulb grower: The temperature has to be constant, it is impossible to stop the cooling in order to store the roots. In terms of energy consumption, we have no other solution.
Lefevre said it wasn’t just rising electricity prices that overwhelmed them. Other production needs have also been affected by soaring energy prices, such as the price of packaging materials, which has risen by 60% in the past two years.
There are also many sprout chicory farmers facing a similar dilemma as Lefevre. The French Chicory Production Association said that in France, especially in northern France, chicory production provides a large number of jobs; and if some growers decide to stop production, it will shock employment in the industry.
Eiffel Tower,
“Turn off the lights” early! what happened?
The French government in Paris will implement a plan to shorten the nighttime lighting of attractions from the 23rd local time to deal with the energy crisis. At that time, the relevant attractions of the Paris government, including the Paris city government, the district governments, and 14 museums will turn off night lighting at 22:00 on the 23rd. The Eiffel Tower will turn off its night lights at 23:45. Previously, the nighttime lighting of the above landscapes was turned off at 1:00 a.m.
According to the French Champs-Elysées Committee, the committee asked shops on the Champs-Elysées to turn off the nighttime window and advertising screen lighting between 22:00 and 7:00 the next day to save energy. The measure will be fully implemented around October 15.
Urge the public to use electricity rationally
French TV to broadcast ‘power map’
State media France TV said on the 23rd that it will broadcast a “power map” in real time on some of its channels, showing the country’s electricity consumption and areas that may lose power due to excessive power consumption.
French TV has signed an agreement with the country’s main electricity operator to broadcast a real-time “electricity map” on its channels. Areas with power shortages will be marked in red, reminding the public to reduce electricity consumption or use off-peak electricity.
“People may have to use the washing machine at 22:00 instead of 19:00,” Delphine Ernott, chief executive of French TV, told AFP.
Nearly 80% of France’s electricity comes from nuclear energy. Due to stress corrosion problems in nuclear reactors, half of the units have been shut down for inspection. In addition, the supply of natural gas from Russia has been cut, and this summer’s high temperature and drought have reduced hydropower production. The French government is worried that there will be a power shortage this winter.
On the issue of power generation, French President Emmanuel Macron has previously focused on continuing to strengthen the development of nuclear power. But he emphasized on the 22nd that France should take renewable energy seriously, saying that it will simplify the procedure and speed up the start of renewable energy projects.
UK lifts ban on fracking technology
Support for a new round of oil and gas licensing
Xinhua News Agency, London, September 22. The British Ministry of Commerce, Energy and Industrial Strategy issued an announcement on the 22nd that in order to strengthen the UK’s energy security, the British government officially lifted the ban on shale gas production on the same day and confirmed its support for a new round of oil and gas licensing. . This means that the ban on hydraulic fracturing technology in the UK since November 2019 has been lifted.
The announcement said the British government is taking concrete measures to increase domestic energy supply, reduce dependence on imported energy, and explore “all possible solutions” to improve domestic energy security. This will require “all means” to increase UK oil and gas production, including the issuance of new oil and gas licences and shale gas extraction.
According to the announcement, a new round of oil and gas licensing is expected to be launched by the North Sea Transition Authority in early October this year, and more than 100 new licenses are expected to be issued, allowing developers to search for commercially viable oil and Natural gas resources, but regulatory approvals are still required for drilling, infrastructure construction and other activities. The announcement also said that, with local support, the UK government will consider approving applications for hydraulic fracturing permits in the future.
The international exploitation of shale gas and shale oil mainly uses hydraulic fracturing technology. The UK enacted a ban on hydraulic fracturing technology in November 2019. An analysis at the time concluded that current technology could not accurately predict the seismic risks associated with hydraulic fracturing operations.
The latest decision by the British government has caused a lot of controversy. Dr Ajay Gambier, senior research fellow at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment in the UK, said lifting the ban on fracking technology in a climate crisis “looks particularly outdated in terms of carbon budgets (i.e. to meet the Paris Agreement) ”), we have very little left, so there is no more room for new sources of fossil fuels.”
Gambier said the decision was inconsistent with the climate goals of the current government and other governments, and did not take into account the limitations of fracking operations in the UK, the potential seismic risk and impact on the local environment.
German government signs agreement
Nationalize the country’s energy giant
On the 21st local time, the German government reached an agreement with Uniper Energy Group, which will spend huge sums of money to buy shares of the group and nationalize it. The deal also further expands the Uniper rescue package announced by the federal government in July.
According to the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs, the German government will buy 78% of its Uniper shares from Finnish energy group Fortum at a price of 1.70 euros per share, for a total purchase price of 480 million euros. As a result, the federal government will hold a 99% stake in Uniper. In addition, the federal government also plans to increase the capital of Uniper by 8 billion euros, including a shareholder loan of 4 billion euros and a guarantee line of 4 billion euros.
Uniper Energy Group supplies natural gas to more than 100 municipal utilities and large companies, and it supplies around half of Germany’s natural gas consumption. After the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Uniper had to buy gas at expensive prices on the spot market in order to be able to fulfill supply contracts. The group’s latest report said the group’s daily losses have exceeded 100 million euros.
It is reported that the group will hold an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders in the fourth quarter to make a voting decision, and the final transaction is expected to be completed before the end of this year.
Energy is too expensive
Germany to lose nearly 60 billion euros this year
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, September 23. German Deputy Chancellor and Minister of Economy and Climate Protection Robert Habeck said on the 22nd that due to higher energy costs than in the past, Germany’s economic loss this year will be close to 60 billion euros, and the loss next year may be close to 100 billion euros.
Germany’s economic loss next year is equivalent to 2 percent of gross domestic product, largely due to the purchase of natural gas from sources other than Russia, Habeck told a conference organized by the Confederation of German Industry, according to DPA..
Habeck said, “Germany is short of money in all walks of life … This is the macroeconomic situation in Germany”. The crisis is due to the loss of “energy that was previously considered safe” in Germany. The increase in energy prices has hurt investment in German business circles. ability.
Since the escalation of the Ukraine crisis, the European Union, together with the United States, has imposed multiple rounds of sanctions on Russia, but the backlash from the sanctions has plunged Europe into an energy crisis. European countries such as Germany, which are highly dependent on Russian energy, have to look around for alternative energy sources.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will visit the UAE this weekend to sign the LNG contract.
(Comprehensive Xinhua News Agency, CCTV Finance, CCTV News) Editor: Zheng Chuqiao
This article is excerpted from Tencent News