Renewable energy in Slovakia: problems and prospects

Lenka Dojčanová*                                                        Русский/Russian

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia -  1 October, 2012 - Membership in the European Union has meant that Slovakia and other Central European states must align their national energy policies with EU directives and regulations. Many of these are captured by the Europe 2020 programme, according to which the EU is to increase the share of renewables in final energy consumption to 20 percent by 2020.

Solar power restores electricity to remote Croatian village

AJDEROVAC, Croatia – 4 June, 2012 – “The milk that we produce, we cannot sell,” says Mileva Desnica, whose family lives on a small farm in the village of Ajderovac in Croatia's mountainous Gračac municipality.

“We don’t have a milk cooling tank and the electricity that would support it. We don’t have a refrigerator, so we can only store food in the cold room for a day or two at most. This is a big problem for us.”

That was before UNDP installed a five kilowatt solar energy station at the family farm, with the possibility of extending the energy supply to the whole community of seven families - cut off from the energy grid during war in the 1990s.

Farmers regain access to traditional pastures, help protect land

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan – 16 January, 2012 – "Sandyk is a distant pasture which was used by my ancestors throughout the centuries," says Kanat Isabekov, a farmer from the mountainous Suusamyr valley in Kyrgyzstan.

"But last year, I had to stop using the pasture because of a car accident on the difficult road to the pasture. Now I let my cattle graze in a pasture nearby, which is used by all the residents of our village."

UNDP Bratislava Regional Centre goes carbon neutral

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia – 20 December 2011– With the purchase of 650 tons of carbon credits paid for from savings from rooftop solar panels, the UNDP Regional Centre in Bratislava has met its goal of becoming carbon neutral. 

Breath of fresh air for Lugansk

LUGANSK, Ukraine – 20 October, 2011 – The municipality of Lugansk took an environmental hotspot - a landfill with over three million tons of waste - and turned it into an opportunity. They cleaned it up, established a system to capture the methane emitted from the landfill, and  are now burning the methane gas as a way to reduce overall green house gas emissions. In the future, it could also be used to generate electricity for local use.

Uzbekistan: In carbon heavy region, World Environment Day puts clean energy in spotlight

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan – 6 June, 2011 – A week of activities organized around World Environment Day is helping to draw attention to the environment in carbon heavy Uzbekistan.The State Committee for Nature Protection of Uzbekistan, together with UNDP and United Nations agencies organized an exhibition, a symposium, fun for kids and an eco-tour. Read: Helen Clark's statement on World Environment Day Read: United Nations Secretary-General's message on World Environment Day

Tajikistan: Local communities benefit from small hydro and clean energy

DUSHANBE, Tajikistan – 16 May, 2011 – Hydro electricity in rural communities is helping to improve access to social services, and providing families with a reliable source of heating during cold winters. See: photos of the community in Bozorboi Burunov Jamoat and their mini hydro power plant

Winds of change for Kazakhstan’s carbon heavy market?

ASTANA, Kazakhstan - 9 May, 2011 – Kazakhstan is starting to pay attention to energy efficiency and environmental protection: the country is party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and ratified the Kyoto Protocol in 2009. This came with a commitment to reduce the impact of climate change, including decreasing green house gas emissions (GHGs) by up to 15 percent by 2020, and 25 percent by 2050 (using 1992 as a baseline).

Region ready to move ahead on climate change, new opportunities from Cancún

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia – 24 January, 2011 – The Cancún agreements represent the most comprehensive package ever agreed by governments to help developing nations deal with climate change. UNDP Environment Specialist Daniela Stoycheva answers a few questions about Cancún and climate change in the region of Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Watch: Video interview with Daniela Stoycheva See: Photos from Cancún Ask: Do you have questions for our climate change expert?

Kyrgyzstan: Rising food prices and limited access to energy make for a tough winter

Fast facts from November data

Food price inflation has taken off, hitting 24% (year-on-year) in November. This is pulling up consumer price inflation (which rose to 17.5%—Chart 1), while depressing real wages (down 1% in October—Chart 2) and household incomes. These November inflation rates are the highest reported in the Europe and Central Asia. Despite the tariff rollbacks after the April events, inflationary pressures in the energy/water/communal services sectors also remain significant: household electricity, heat, gas, and communal service tariffs during January-November 2010 were 14% above year earlier levels.

Turkmenistan: Energy efficiency takes hold for future of country’s energy sector

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan – 9 August 2010 – Representatives of Turkmenistan’s energy sector are exploring how to best introduce energy efficient practices and alternative sources of energy. View: nature photos in Turkmenistan

Kazakhstan: Energy efficient municipalities making a difference

ASTANA, Kazakhstan – 2 August 2010 – Energy saving practices introduced in residential buildings in some of Kazakhstan’s most polluted cities, including Almaty and Karaganda, have resulted in a 45 percent reduction in energy consumption for heating water in the buildings, as well as savings of up to 20 percent for heating costs. View: photos of energy efficient apartment buildings in Kazakhstan

Russian Federation: Public support grows for climate change response

MOSCOW, Russian Federation – 24 June 2010 – The issue has been brought up so many times – maybe it’s time to take action, says an award winning artist and young climate change advocate from Russia. Watch: video on what climate change means to Russian children. View: artwork on climate change by young, award winning Russian artists

Bosnia and Herzegovina Takes on Climate Change

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 26 May 2010-Bosnia and Herzegovina— one of the most biologically diverse countries in Europe— has now officially joined the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This month Bosnia and Herzegovina submitted a national report to UNFCC, making it a full participant in ongoing global discussions of climate change adaptation and mitigation. Read: Bosnia and Herzegovina UNFCC report

Развитие возобновляемой энергетики в Казахстане: проблемы и перспективы

Геннадий Дорошин                                                        English/Aнглийский    

Renewable Energy in Kazakhstan: Problems and Prospects

Gennady Doroshin                                                             Русский/Russian

July 2008 - Kazakhstan has one of the highest ratios of GHG emitted to GDP produced in the world. Coal–which dominates Kazakhstan’s energy balance–is at the heart of the problem: coal-fired plants generate some 45 percent of Kazakhstan’s total GHG emissions. By 2012 Kazakhstan’s GHG emissions from the energy sector are projected to reach their 1990 level (100 million tons of CO2 equivalent).