encouraging small-scale renewable energy

Eskom doesn't seem at all interested in encouraging individual homeowners to generate their own energy, despite a shortfall in electricity supply that has lasted for several years and will continue to hamper economic growth in South Africa. So just in case there is any doubt about the viability of creating a distributed generation system that the power utility doesn't even have to create or manage, Ontario is demonstrating that it is possible. The Canadian province last month passed the Ontario Green Energy and Green Economy Act with a guaranteed feed-in tariff (FIT).

Under that scheme, utilities are obligated to buy electricity from renewable power producers at artificially high prices set by the government. Wind, solar and biomass projects can be hugely expensive, and sometimes downright uneconomical. But FITs let investors get a return, and they create a guaranteed market for renewable electricity, which encourages development. In Ontario’s case, the rates are guaranteed for up to 20 years.

add your voice to the World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum on Africa officially begins today in Cape Town, although there have been some side shows, like the Energy Poverty Action which met yesterday. The WEF is being attended by leaders including Jacob Zuma and Kofi Anan. The forum is using Arup's Drivers of Change voting application to solicit public opinion on the key challenges facing Africa's economy. You can vote on what you think of the challenges facing Africa. Go ahead and make your mark! Voting closes tomorrow, and the results will be included in a session in the forum. [Disclosure: I work for Arup]

energy in urban and regional planning

A new partnership between German and South African researchers aims to support decision-makers by integrating energy planning with climate protection within the context of economic growth.

Climate change modelling is a complex exercise that is being refined continuously based on the steady evolution of the science underpinning it. Each year there are hundreds, if not thousands, of individual research projects that look back in time to see better how climate varies, and to strengthen understanding of the linkages between cause and effect. Some scientists spend years studying more recent, better documented periods, and watching changes as they happen. Still others look ahead using global climate models (GCM) that use the results of all these studies to forecast what might happen in future.

And then there are those who take the results of the GCMs and try to make sense of them for local and regional planning purposes. This area of study is just as challenging, in part because the global models are too coarse to form the basis of detailed local-level forecasting. But this too is being taken forward as governments begin in earnest to plan for climate change; Bruce Hewitson is a key player in this field within Southern Africa, as I have written previously.

Each region needs to understand future conditions so that it can plan for adaptation, and it also needs to establish the most effective local strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A project is currently underway in South Africa to assess the intersection of these two needs, with an economic energy model that initially will be used to analyse the entire energy system of Gauteng Province.The May 2009 newsletter of EnerKey, a partnership involving a number of local and international stakeholders, outlines the purpose of the TIMES model.

We will be able to provide policymakers with information which would lead to a least-cost expansion plan for the energy sector while meeting important political, environmenta, and social objectives. Uncertainties, such as energy prices and population, are addressed through a sensitivity analysis.

Cape Town green map launch

The Cape Town Green Map is launching today, World Environment Day.

Cape Town Green Map is an interactive web-based map, with a printed version due in October 2009, that showcases green hot spots in the Mother City - nature reserves, organic eateries & shops, farmers' markets, box delivery schemes, recycling drop-offs, sustainable living projects, green accommodation, eco products, renewable energy sites and more.

This is just one of a global group of green map celebrations being held today. There are special events planned for New York City, Baltimore, Geneva, Jakarta, Stockholm, Baltimore, Pereira, Colombia, Swansea (UK), Clackmannanshire (Scotland) Neath Port Talbot and other cities. Check the Open Green Map launch.

a definition of sustainable mobility

A while ago I was fishing around for a suitable definition of sustainable mobility: one that would provide clarity on the trade-offs needed to evaluate the merits of one or more transport projects or services. I couldn't find one that met my needs, so I developed my own.

Most of the existing ones used circular definintions that didn't provide a basis for evaluation, or they simply assumed that certain things were inherently "sustainable". For example, one might assume that riding a bicycle is more sustainable than driving a car. A bicycle certainly produces fewer emissions (though not zero emissions, if one includes the manufacturing process), but it may not be suitable for other reasons. Consequently it might not be the most appropriate choice in some planning situations.

One definition of sustainable mobility is that used by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development as part of that organization’s Mobility Project 2030:

...mobility that meets the needs of society to move freely, gain access, communicate, trade and establish relationships without sacrificing other essential human or ecological requirements today or in the future.

I see nothing wrong with this definition, but it is not adequate as an evaluation tool for a transport planning practitioner. It needs to be unpacked in order to identify appropriate transport projects, services and strategies. This can be done by establishing a set of principles that provide a framework for policy goals that will change over time, in response to the changing status quo and political priorities. The strategies derived from these principles would not only be about the modes people are using, nor only about transportation. They would require a multi-sector, inclusive approach to planning.

I suggest the principles listed below. If you try to apply these, it will become obvious very quickly that there are no absolutes in sustainable mobility; it is about maximising sustainability performance across the set of principles, and in any given situation the trade-offs will be different.

1. Preserve the natural environment
The environment should not be degraded by transport-related activity.
2. Maintain human health and safety
Transport systems can have a direct impact on health and safety.
3. Meet the travel needs of the population
People need reliability and choice of modes in an integrated system that provides for those of all abilities and financial means.
4. Support a good economy
Transport needs to support an economy that improves the well-being of all people, with due regard to social equity.
5. Minimize transport costs for access and mobility
Reducing the cost of mobility and access will improve the ability of transport-disadvantaged people to make use of available social, cultural and economic opportunities.
6. Minimize infrastructure costs
Transport systems need to be planned in a manner that their infrastructure and services can be funded in the long term, and that best use is made of investments.
7. Maintain energy security
Transport can play a significant role in helping to decouple support of a good economy from increasing demand for fossil fuels.
8. Ensure long-term viability of the transport system
Transport infrastructure and services need to be continuously maintained; and as an integrated system, all components must work together for optimum effectiveness.

That's the short version, which doesn't fully explain the thinking behind it, so I have also prepared a complete definition of sustainable mobility. [116KB PDF] One thing that is missing from this definition is a set of indicators that could be used to carry out a rigorous evaluation based on clear measurements. That was beyond the scope of what I needed, but I think this is a useful start. I would be very interested in hearing any opinions on this. I am sure it could be improved, or perhaps someone has found another useful one. Please let me know.

a quiet revolution in urban transport

Maybe I am feeling overly optimistic on this Monday morning, but I see the glimmer of a turning point in minibus taxi operator perceptions of how the South African bus rapid transit system (recently rebranded as integrated rapid transit, or IRT) can benefit their industry.

Despite years of negotiations over their integration with the enhanced bus system, taxi associations have been fighting tooth and nail against what they see as a potential erosion of their market share by the buses. It seems to be a particularly South African phenomenon that each mode of public transport is seen as distinct, planned and operated in virtual isolation, with owners and regulators failing to grasp the potential for operators to cross over to different vehicle types and sizes. While minibus taxis began with jitney-style services, today the characteristics of taxi, bus and rail services in this country are not dissimilar. It is still true that buses and trains operate on schedules, while taxis do not, but the reality is that generally the three modes are operating in competition rather than as complementary services. The only significant differences between them are in vehicle type and who operates each mode - and who receives a government subsidy.

Planners do recognise the importance of integration, and there are facilities around the country where several modes come together, but institutional and operational arrangements mitigate against a seamless experience for passengers. Integrated rapid transit is a manifestation of current attempts to improve operational integration, and one can hope that its success will gradually erode resistance to a unified system that would see greater passenger volumes across the public transport system. The intention is to issue contracts to taxi operators, bringing them even closer to bus-style operations.

A key to IRT success is an effective feeder and distributor system that increases the reach of mainline services into residential communities, using vehicles appropriate to the service required for each route. I was therefore intrigued by an article by Roy Cokayne in Business Report this morning. According to the article, South African group Khaki Motor Holdings is planning to assemble and distribute a range of three-wheeler tuk-tuk type vehicles imported from China, with configurations suitable for passenger or goods carriage.

Tuk-tuk in Taiwan by Teelek

This is a vehicle type that is not generally used in South Africa, and some commentators may laud this vehicle for its improved fuel efficiency over conventional cars, since the biggest challenge with cars is that most of their energy goes into moving the heavy vehicle, rather than the people inside it. Smaller (and lighter) vehicles change the ratio of vehicle weight to the weight of the "live load" and thus are more efficient, potentially reducing emissions by person-km traveled.

However, the real potential for this mode of transport lies in its role within the broader transport system. Khaki marketing director Albert Dikgale says the company is in talks with taxi industry associations, which he says have reacted "very positively". "The pilot project will involve our vehicles serving as a sweeper and taking people to taxi ranks or stations. They (the taxi industry) will run it."

If this pilot succeeds, it will, for the first time in South Africa, result in one group of operators spanning more than one vehicle type. Not only would it introduce greater flexibility in the public transport sector, but it would change perceptions in the industry about the possibilities for synergy among transport modes. And that would be truly revolutionary.