European Technology: Old meets green: New technologies to retrofit buildings in Europe

Old goes green

A great deal of EU-funded projects are focusing on the building renovation industry to accelerate the adoption of energy-efficient materials and technologies.

Stakeholders across Europe know very well how renovating old constructions while keeping up with the EU’s ambitious energy efficiency and CO2 emissions targets is no walk in the park. According to EC estimates, buildings are currently responsible for 40 % of the EU’s energy consumption and 36 % of its CO2 emissions.

And whilst zero-energy constructions are now within reach – and will actually be the only type of new buildings allowed after 2020 – razing old buildings to the ground is simply not realistic from a financial, logistical and even cultural heritage point of view.

Retrofitting and renovation will therefore be key to reaching EU targets, and the Commission decided in 2009 to begin with government-owned buildings. Each year until 2020, EU countries are required to renovate at least 3% of the total floor area of buildings owned and occupied by their central government, as well as to provide a list of financial measures every three years. In the meantime European institutions are already preparing more stringent targets for 2030 and 2050.

This change has two major consequences for the building and construction industry: on one hand, this is a welcome market boost for those businesses who will be quick and innovative enough to adapt. But on the other hand, new technologies and tools to find the best solution depending on each specific scenario are desperately needed.

Since 2008 the EU has been investing heavily into the future of the building retrofitting and renovation industry, through the Public Private Partnership on Energy-efficient Buildings (EeB) and its successor under Horizon 2020.

Read more: European Commission : CORDIS : Building retrofitting and renovation

Switzerland: EU halts Switzerland research and education ( euro 1.8bn) grant talks following anti-immigrant vote

The EU has suspended talks with Switzerland over its participation in EU research and education programmes because of the Swiss vote last week to curb immigration. 

Switzerland's access to millions of euros of EU funding is now at risk.

A European Commission spokesman said the Horizon 2020 research programme and Erasmus+ student exchanges were linked to freedom of movement.

Switzerland has blocked free access to its employment market for Croatians.

Switzerland is not in the EU but more than half of its exports go to the 28-nation bloc and it has adopted large sections of EU policy.

Horizon 2020 will provide nearly 80bn euros ($110bn) over seven years for research projects in the EU.

In the current programme Swiss participants have received more than 1.8bn euros in research grants. The first new grants are to be decided later this year.

Erasmus+ has a budget of 14.7bn euros and enables more than four million young Europeans to study and get work experience abroad.

Read more:  BBC News - EU halts Switzerland research and education talks

Sweden, US unveil $25 mln clean water technology grant

The US Agency for International Development and the Swedish government announced a $25 million grant program Monday to increase access to clean water for farming.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-09-sweden-unveil-mln-technology-grant.html#jCp

The US Agency for International Development and the Swedish government announced a $25 million grant program Monday to increase access to clean water for farming.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-09-sweden-unveil-mln-technology-grant.html#jCp

he Securing Water for Food program is intended to fund innovators and help their businesses take root in countries where the technology is desperately needed.
"Almost three billion people on the planet right now live in areas impacted by water scarcity," USAID Global Water Coordinator Chris Holmes told AFP.
"We want to take technology that has already proven it works and use the grant money to overcome hurdles to get it into countries that no one has bothered or been able to get into, like Sub-Saharan Africa."
Grants were expected to range from $250,000 to a million dollars for winning proposals.
"It is not just putting up cash; it is making a commitment that we will work closely with them to overcome obstacles in a developing country to try to build out a new technology," Holmes said.
Grants will be awarded in categories such as improving water reuse and countering intrusion of salt water into rivers, streams, deltas or underground aquifers.
"In a finite biosphere, solutions to pressing water challenges require new thinking and innovative financing," Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson said in a statement.
"Through a catalytic use of aid, Securing Water for Food will be able to capture and support the implementation of innovative ideas and new technologies for better water efficiency and sustainable development."
Water scarcity affects more than 40 percent of the world's population, and approximately 70 percent of fresh water is used for agriculture, according to USAID.


Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-09-sweden-unveil-mln-technology-gran

he Securing Water for Food program is intended to fund innovators and help their businesses take root in countries where the technology is desperately needed.
"Almost three billion people on the planet right now live in areas impacted by water scarcity," USAID Global Water Coordinator Chris Holmes told AFP.
"We want to take technology that has already proven it works and use the grant money to overcome hurdles to get it into countries that no one has bothered or been able to get into, like Sub-Saharan Africa."
Grants were expected to range from $250,000 to a million dollars for winning proposals.
"It is not just putting up cash; it is making a commitment that we will work closely with them to overcome obstacles in a developing country to try to build out a new technology," Holmes said.
Grants will be awarded in categories such as improving water reuse and countering intrusion of salt water into rivers, streams, deltas or underground aquifers.
"In a finite biosphere, solutions to pressing water challenges require new thinking and innovative financing," Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson said in a statement.
"Through a catalytic use of aid, Securing Water for Food will be able to capture and support the implementation of innovative ideas and new technologies for better water efficiency and sustainable development."
Water scarcity affects more than 40 percent of the world's population, and approximately 70 percent of fresh water is used for agriculture, according to USAID.


Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-09-sweden-unveil-mln-technology-grant.html#jCp

The US Agency for International Development and the Swedish government announced a $25 million grant program Monday to increase access to clean water for farming.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-09-sweden-unveil-mln-technology-grant.html#jCp

Sweden and the US have unveiled a $25 million clean water technology grant to help solve the ever greater problem of  clean water on our planet. This as more than 40% of the world's population does not have clean drinking water.

Read moreL US, Sweden unveil $25 mln clean water technology grant

The Netherlands: Facts And Figures About Dutch Higher Education

The Erasmus University in Rotterdam

A student born in what is called the "European Space" which includes the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles pays a standard fee per annum, valid at every Dutch Institution of higher learning, of 1.835 euro plus a 500 euro educational material fee (books etc.) p/a  The level of the annual fee is set by the government on a yearly basis.

Financial Student Aid in the Netherlands is a mix of Government grants and loans which amount to a total of euro 960.87 p/a if the student lives outside the parental home, or euro 765.80 if the student lives at home. University students who can show proof of enrollment in a certified institution of higher learning are also eligible for a free public transport and railway pass valid for the academic year they are enrolled in.

Students have to show proof of academic progress on a yearly basis in order to qualify for the continuation of grants, loans, etc.

Insurance: Every Dutch citizen who reaches the age of 18 years (including students) has to be enrolled in the national health insurance program with a basic minimum fee of 87 euro per month. Students of parents who earn less than the minimum established yearly income can apply for additional grants in support of their children's education.

There are also various opportunities for Dutch Nationals to study abroad. For additional information: http://www.fulbright.nl/, http://www.wilweg.nl/, http://www.wilweg.nl/financiering/beursopener

Almere-Digest

Ford’s first electric vehicle arrives in Europe

Ford Focus Electric

Ford has begun production of its first fully electric car in Europe. The new Focus Electric is now being manufactured from the firm's plant in Saarlouis, Germany, where it is being integrated into the existing production line, alongside the Focus combustion model and Ford Kuga.

he electric version of Ford's top selling car has been on sale in the US since April last year, where it is known as one of America's most energy-efficient cars. Economy is rated as strong as 110 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) for city driving and 99 MPGe on the highway, according to the US' Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

With manufacture now commencing in Germany, the firm is gearing up for the European launch, with the first customer delivers expected to start this July. Production levels will be set to match consumer demand, with orders fulfilled on a case-by-case basis. Prices have yet to be confirmed but are expected to be in the region of euro 28.000 after a (UK) grant worth euro euro 5,900 is deducted.

The model is fitted with an advanced electric motor and lithium-ion battery powertrain that produces 145PS and a top speed of 84 mph. Driving is around 100 miles per charge. It can then be recharged in about three to four hours with the 240-volt charge station.

Read more: Ford’s first electric vehicle arrives in Europe | TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk

Education: - Spain: Education Aid for Autonomous Regions

The Spanish Council of Ministers has approved a number of agreements whereby the distribution of loans for 2012 are formalised that were previously approved by the Education Sector Conference, together with their application for 2013.

The Vice-President , Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, explained that a total of 152 million euros will be allocated to the autonomous regions for various education programmes with the aim of "improving the quality of education, combating school dropouts and guaranteeing equal opportunities for underprivileged students or those in greatest economic need".

She specified that more than 40 million euros will be earmarked for applying the Plan to reduce the school dropout rate, which provides, among other things, for preventive measures to increase the percentage of students that successfully complete their Compulsory Secondary Education.

Furthermore, 60 million euros will be distributed to develop the PROA Plan (Reinforcement, Orientation and Support Plan) which more than 3,500 education centres around Spain have signed up to.

The Vice-President also highlighted the distribution to autonomous regions of 32 million euros for the purchase of text books and other teaching materials for compulsory levels of education, as well as the distribution of more than 11 million euros for the Programme to improve foreign language learning.
 
Read more: EDUCATION AID FOR AUTONOMOUS REGIONS | Spain | Leader - News, Sport, Spanish Property, Advertising, Classifieds - Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol, Costa Calida, Costa de Almeria, Spain

Class Of 2012: European Universities Fail Youth In Career Preparation - by Greg Keller

Estelle Borrell knew she wanted to work in law since she was a teenager, when she interned at a court in Versailles, France. "The lawyers in their black robes, they were like gods to me," said the 24-year-old Parisian.

Borrell studied law at Vienna University, where she dreamed of putting her passion into practice at an international organization. She got a shock when she began working at a Vienna law firm.
"I knew how to resolve cases on paper, but when I got into the law firm it was really ridiculous," Borrell said. "My boss asked me to call a judge and I was absolutely not able to do it. I didn't even have the vocabulary I needed to do a really simple call."

Borrell, who is now back in France seeking work while continuing legal studies in Paris, had found out firsthand what educators, industry and governments across the continent are slowly coming to acknowledge as globalization intensifies competition and a devastating economic crisis swells youth unemployment: Europe's universities, many founded during the Middle Ages, are failing to prepare students for the demands of the 21st century world.

Data from the EU Commission show the disparity that exists between the EU and the United States in terms of spending on university education, one factor that has been identified as a cause of European universities' under-performance.

Total public and private spending on higher education in the European Union accounts for 1.3 percent of GDP, compared to 3.3 percent in the United States, according to EU figures cited in a 2008 report by the Brussels-based Bruegel think tank. On a per student basis, that translates to annual spending of euros 8,700 in the EU versus euros 36,500 in the US, Bruegel says.

Read more: Class Of 2012: European Universities Fail Youth In Career Preparation