renewable energy

Hungary environmental conditions improving, says minister

Budapest, November 3 (MTI) – Hungary’s environmental conditions have improved with the help of increased public awareness of environmental issues, Farm Minister Sándor Fazekas told a parliamentary committee on Thursday.

Highlighting this year’s achievements, Fazekas said fully 3,000 tonnes of waste were collected by volunteers in four days at the end of April, the government launched a programme to increase awareness of energy savings on heating and it purchased and put to use air pollution measuring devices under a 1.8 billion forints Swiss-Hungarian project.

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Further, the OECD will be starting an evaluation of the effectiveness of Hungary’s environmental policies at the end of 2016, Fazekas reported to the sustainability committee. The ministry has set up an inter-ministry committee to oversee the process, he said.

Fazekas said some 100,000 hectares of protected land would be restored under the Competitiveness Central Hungary operative programme and an environmental operative programme by 2023, spending 34.4 billion forints.

He said the environmental impact study for the Paks 2 nuclear upgrade project has been completed and the environmental authority issued the required licence for the project on September 29.

Benedek Sallai R., a lawmaker for the opposition LMP party, said at the hearing that environmental awareness-raising was more diverse earlier and he also called attention to the noise pollution suffered by residents living near Liszt Ferenc International Airport, as well as diminishing green areas in the country.

Photo: MTI

Sensitivity to environmental challenges down among Hungarians – survey

Budapest, November 2 (MTI) – The Hungarian population’s interest in global environmental sustainability and their sensitivity to environmental challenges has declined over the last six years, a survey by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) released on Wednesday shows.

Fully 42 percent of the survey’s respondents showed only a mild interest in environmental sustainability compared with 16 percent who demonstrated an active interest in environmental issues. The WWF found that respondents who showed less interest in sustainability had low social sensitivity levels while those who had an active interest in the state of the environment also had greater social sensitivity.

A total of 21 percent cited animal protection as their greatest concern while the remaining 21 percent said they had no interest whatsoever in the topic of environmental protection.

Respondents who showed an interest in environmental protection generally considered the protection of nature and drinking-water sources the most important aspects of sustainability. Overall, respondents were less concerned about climate change than in 2010.

Though the survey revealed an overall decline in the population’s interest in environmental sustainability compared with 2010, the WWF said it was encouraging that over the last six years Hungarians had become more environmentally conscious in their everyday lives, picking up “green” habits such as saving water or recycling.

The survey was conducted in September on a representative sample of 500 people between the ages of 18 and 59.

Photo: MTI

President Áder vetoes law on windfarms over conflict with renewable energy goals

wind electricity

Budapest, October 21 (MTI) – President János Áder has returned a law tightening conditions for establishing windfarms to parliament, saying that the law is in conflict with several goals promoting the use of renewable energy.

In his justification, Áder said the law did not promote the implementation of the Paris climate accord, went against the government’s 2010-2020 renewable energy action plan and would introduce “unnecessary” administrative restrictions.

He said the amendments would practically make it impossible to build windfarms and endanger the fulfilment of plans to increase the ratio of wind energy in total energy production.

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He asked parliament to debate the issue and prepare regulations that support efforts to keep the economy on the “path of decarbonisation”, keep open all theoretical possibilities for “cleansing our energy basket” and help the country fulfil its promises concerning the fight against climate change.

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Government office chief János Lázár earlier said the amendment was needed because the efficiency of wind turbines is too dependent on weather changes and the fluctuation in output can only be neutralised by adjusting the output of power stations operating on the grid. He said this was the reason for regulating the capacity of wind farms linked to the grid.

China’s BYD will build its first electric bus plant in Hungary

 

Budapest, October 10 (MTI) – China’s BYD will build its first electric bus plant in Komárom, in northern Hungary, the foreign minister announced at a press conference in Budapest on Monday.

The 6.2 billion forint (EUR 20.4m) project includes Hungarian government support of 925 million forints, Péter Szijjártó said.

The new plant, expected to open early next year, will create 300 new jobs and produce a 200 buses each year in the first few years, the minister said.

BYD’s Komárom plant will apply modern technologies and produce environmental friendly vehicles, Chinese ambassador to Hungary Duan Jielong said at the press conference.

Photo: MTI

Hungarian government sees no room for wind power in energy mix

Budapest (MTI) – Hungary’s government believes there is no place for wind power in the country’s energy mix, state secretary Nándor Csepreghy said in an interview published in Saturday’s issue of daily Népszabadság.

Commenting on amendments to legislation that lawmakers will discuss on Monday, Cseprehgy said the government wants to boost the share of renewable energy sources in the mix, but local conditions make wind energy a poor choice. In Hungary, the wind blows mostly in the afternoon and the evening, at times when demand for energy is low, he explained. Solar or geothermal energy offer the country a much greater advantage, he added.

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The government has a “clear energy strategy, according to which wind power is not optimal, while solar energy is far more advantageous”, Csepreghy said.

Hungary among first EU states to ratify Paris climate pact

Budapest, October 7 (MTI) – Hungary was among the first European Union member states to complete internal ratification of the Paris climate agreement and was among the first to deposit the deeds at the United Nations headquarters, the National Development Ministry said on Friday.

Along with six other states — Austria, France, Malta, Germany, Portugal and Slovakia — Hungary ratified the agreement on Oct. 5, after the European Parliament and the European Council did so the previous day. The agreement enters force on November 4.

Two conditions applied to enforcing the agreement: at least 55 countries had to ratify it and these countries had to be responsible for at least 55 percent of global emissions. The two largest emitters, the United States and China, also ratified the document recently. With the latest signings in October, altogether 72 countries are now party to the pact and their emissions account for 56.725 percent of the global output.

The Paris climate accord will clearly play a decisive role in the post-2020 fight against climate change, the ministry said.

A conference inviting all the signatory countries will be held in Marrakesh on Nov. 8. Countries will debate more nuanced rules and regulations concerning climate change. Hungary will participate in the conference with full voting rights.

The main pledge of the Paris Agreement, adopted on Dec. 12. 2015, is to keep global temperature rise at below 2 degrees Celsius. One of the key components of the agreement is financing, which encourages all countries to take part with the widest possible involvement of private capital.

Photo: MTI

Wind power utilisation made impossible in Hungary

wind electricity

A new change of law has made the installation of wind turbines basically impossible in Hungary, szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu reports.

A series of new regulations now prohibit the installation of new wind turbines in Hungary. The amendment is worded much less explicitly, since the EU would not support this standpoint; instead, the new law has banned wind turbines in a 12 km radius around populated areas.

A colleague of the Faculty of Science at the Eötvös Loránd University created a map with a geoinformatics software which illustrates the areas where the law applies. Red marks the banned and white the permitted areas. As you can see, the ban is effective in the entire country.

Photo: solarside.hu

Moreover, the law has additional clauses, which state that wind turbines cannot be installed “within 40 km of Hungarian Defence Force radars, and within 15 km of military airports”, as well as any area where they would “decrease military and defence capabilities”.

The installation of wind turbines on plough fields is restricted to those which have been out of cultivation for at least 3 years. Additionally, only 2MW wind turbines, that is, those with outdated technology are allowed and at no more than 100 m height.

Copy editor: bm

New waste collecting ship in service on the Danube

A new, environmentally friendly method of waste collection has been introduced in Budapest in the form of the Tersus waste collecting ship, which is responsible for trash collection from the ships on the Danube and establishments on the banks of the river, origo.hu reports.

The complete project cost 65 million forints (approx. 200 thousand euros), Gábor Spányik of the MAHART PassNave shipping company disclosed. This included the ship, its pontoon, and the infrastructure on the shore.

The MAHART Services has highlighted the issue that the daily waste collection on the roads, from the moored restaurant ships, the international hotelships, and the eventships constitute a serious burden for the lower embankment in Pest.

waste collecting ship danube

The MAHART PassNave purchased the ship from the Netherlands, and then it was turned into a waste collecting watercraft.  The ship is 17.5 metres long and 4.72 metres wide, so it’s easy to manoeuvre.

Collecting the trash from restaurant and hotel ships from the side of the river seems like the obvious solution, said Balázs Szeneczey, deputy mayor of Budapest at the opening ceremony of the Garam 2 reconstructed pontoon. This method relieves the embankment, and reduces noise and pollutant emission as well.

[button link=”https://dailynewshungary.com/new-regularly-scheduled-water-taxi-on-the-danube/” type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] New, regularly scheduled water taxi on the Danube[/button]

The project could provide an example for other cities as well, since so far this method is employed only in Amsterdam.

Based on the results of the first few months the waste collector ship can transport around 30-40 cubic metres (approx. 16 tons) of trash a day, which will be then recycled. This covers the needs of 7-8 ships of 180 passengers each.

Photos: MTI

Copy editor: bm

Only 2 out of 10 Hungarians actually recycle

80-90% of Hungarians claim that they recycle, but in reality, only 15% of them collect recyclable rubbish separately. It takes 450 years for a plastic bottle to decompose, and recycling is the most effective way of preventing further damage to the environment, origo.hu writes.

In Hungary, an estimated 100 million tons of rubbish is produced every year, 20% of which originates in households. Some of the most common items in household waste are plastic or PET bottles, which take at least 450 years to decompose.

Only 48% of the rubbish is recycled in Europe. The situation is even worse in Hungary, because, while 80-90% of the citizens claim that they recycle, the numbers show that 15% of the people actually do so.

[box type=”download”] Some useful tips:

  • Crush plastic bottles to save space in the bin.
  • Upcycle! Plastic can be repurposed in the household in many ways.
  • Designate a bag or container in your home for storing recyclable items, and take them all to the recycling station in one go.
  • Buy items in bulk to reduce the amount of packaging necessary, and try to eliminate plastic altogether by purchasing items in biodegradable packaging, if possible.
  • Bring your own bags to the shop, including small plastic bags for fruit and vegetables.
  • You can recycle more than just PET bottles: yoghurt, fruit, etc. containers, plastic bags and wrappers, milk and juice cartons, metal, glass, and paper can also be recycled, provided that they are cleaned. The type of rubbish that is accepted is usually indicated on the recycling bin.
  • The numbers or letters in the ‘chasing arrows’ recycling symbol marks the material used. In Hungary, all types of plastic can be recycled with the exception of #3, #6, and #7, which cannot.[/box]

In Budapest, there are 226 designated recycling stations, and most apartment blocks in the capital have their own recycling bins. More and more cities and towns in the countryside have designated bins or local recycling programmes, which allow citizens to collect recyclable rubbish alongside domestic waste at home.

[button link=”https://dailynewshungary.com/a-rubbish-guinness-world-record-attempt-in-budapest/” type=”big” color=”teal” newwindow=”yes”] A ‘rubbish’ Guinness World Record attempt in Budapest[/button]

Despite these efforts, a record amount of 45,000 plastic bottles were collected at this year’s PET Cup, a waste collecting initiative on the River Tisza. Water pollution is a global issue as well. Two of the largest so called garbage patches can be found in the Pacific Ocean. These are islands of rubbish measuring 2500 km altogether, and 100 million tons in weight. At places, the floating garbage islands can be 10-30 metres high.

Copy editor: bm

Hungarian-made electric car charging station inaugurated in Budapest

Budapest, August 21 (MTI) – A Hungarian-made electric car charging station was inaugurated in Budapest, on Sunday during the Budapest leg of the 80edays around the world race in electric cars.

Economy Minister Mihály Varga said at the event that the new station was the first one in what will soon be a network of electric car charging stations around the country.

Earlier this week the economy ministry launched a tender offering 1.25 billion (EUR 4m) forints of non-refundable grants to municipalities governing cities with at least 15,000 inhabitants for establishing charging stations for electric cars.

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The ministry estimates that nearly 1,000 charging stations can be built with the help of the grant, Varga noted.

He also noted that the government granted Budapest 4 billion forints to purchase 20 electric buses. These buses have been on the roads for three months, he added.

Csaba Mészáros, the president of Hungary’s Evopro group, said electric car owners will be able to charge their vehicles within 15-20 minutes at the newly-inaugurated station. The station is the result of two years of hard work by ten Hungarian SMEs and the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, he said.

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Economy ministry state secretary István Lepsényi said the government is working to increase Hungary’s contribution to the spread of electromobility.

Photo: MTI

Hungarian government offers EUR 4m grant money for charging stations – UPDATE

Budapest, August 15 (MTI) – The economy ministry will launch a tender on Monday offering 1.25 billion (EUR 4m) forints of non-refundable grants for establishing charging stations for electric vehicles, Economy Minister Mihály Varga said at a press conference.

Municipalities governing cities with at least 15,000 inhabitants can apply for the grant money from September 15 until December 31.

The ministry estimates that nearly 1,000 charging stations can be established with the help of the grant.

The initiative is part of the government’s Jedlik Ányos Plan, a blueprint for the regulatory and support framework required for popularising electromobility. In February the government already issued a decree requiring charging stations to be installed in car parks to boost their number.

UPDATE

Ministry: Charging station network will allow electric car owners to drive cross country

Budapest, August 16 (MTI) – The network of electric car charging stations that will be built with the help of a tender recently launched by the economy ministry will allow electric car owners to easily drive cross country, a ministry official said.

The economy ministry on Monday launched a tender offering 1.25 billion (EUR 4m) forints of non-refundable grants to municipalities governing cities with at least 15,000 inhabitants for establishing charging stations for electric cars.

State secretary István Lepsényi told public news channel M1 on Tuesday that there are over 1,000 plug-in vehicles on Hungary’s roads. According to the ministry’s calculations, that number will grow to 50,000 by 2020, he added.

The ministry estimates that nearly 1,000 charging stations can be established with the help of the grant.

[button link=”https://dailynewshungary.com/?s=jedlik” type=”big” color=”green” newwindow=”yes”] More news about ELECTRIC CARS[/button]

The initiative is part of the government’s Jedlik Ányos Plan, a blueprint for the regulatory and support framework required for popularising electromobility. In February the government already issued a decree requiring charging stations to be installed in car parks to boost their number.

Dialogue for Hungary protests ‘noisy’ Red Bull event

Budapest, July 18 (MTI) – The Red Bull Air Race, which was held over the River Danube in central Budapest this weekend, produces major noise and air pollution, impinging on the right of local citizens to a healthy environment, the opposition Dialogue for Hungary (PM) party said on Monday.

Márta V Naszályi said that the Red Bull company sought out “cheap venues all over the world” to promote its energy drink. In Budapest “they are charged 10 percent of the [usual] fee and have access to a world heritage site” for the race each year, she said.

Budapest should come up with a “viable public-area management strategy” instead of permitting public events on an ad-hoc basis, she said, adding that a sensible strategy would ensure that supplementary services are defined and revenues used to “compensate locals” and improve the environment.

 

Photo: MTI

Number of electric vehicles in Hungary climbs over 900

Budapest, July 18 (MTI) – The number of electric vehicles on Hungarian roads has reached 932, business daily Világgazdaság said on Monday.

The number is up from 361 at the end of January, the paper said citing government data.

Peter Erdelyi, who heads the Hungarian Association of Vehicle Importers, told the paper that most of the vehicles can be found in Budapest and in the surrounding Pest County. The goal is to raise the number over 10,000 by 2020, but this will require big investments in infrastructure, such as charging stations, he added.

Electric vehicles in Hungary can be identified by green number plates.

Photo: MTI

Audi to make Hungary electric motor centre

Budapest, June 27 (MTI) – German carmaker Audi plans to make Hungary its electric motor centre, Economy Minister Mihály Varga said in a statement on Monday, after talks with Audi Hungaria managing director Peter Koessler.

The government is negotiating the details, Varga said, adding that the plan is in harmony with the government’s Jedlik e-mobility project.

Varga noted that Audi had set up a 11.6 billion forint (EUR 36.6m) logistics base at its plant in Győr (NW Hungary) last year and planned to launch production of a new model from 2019.

It is building a 32 billion forint engine plant at present, supported with a 6 billion forint government grant.

Audi Hungaria turns out about 2 million engines a year. It employs some 12,000 people and counts almost 100 Hungarian companies among its business partners.

Photo: MTI

A ‘rubbish’ Guinness World Record attempt in Budapest

(MTI) – The Hungarian environmental organisation IKSZ has created the world’s largest mosaic made of drink cartons, using more than 3,500 milk and juice containers, on June 23 in Budapest.

IKSZ pointed out that the rate of the recycling of drink containers in Hungary is less than half of the EU average. The organisation wants to use this unique and spectacular event to call attention to the fact that milk and juice cartons can and should be collected and recycled.

A competition among primary school students was hosted to find the drawing that would become the basis of the artwork. Out of 220 submissions, a drawing entitled My Favourite Tree by the 9-year-old Bence Kiss was chosen as the winner.

guinness-record-attempt

The 55 square metre “rubbish artwork” aims to set a new Guinness World Record. The attempt could potentially create a new category among the records, since the artwork is the first of its kind in the world.

After being presented, the artwork is dissembled and the drink containers will be taken away to be recycled.

guinness-world-record

Photos: MTI, facebook.com/italoskarton

Copy editor: bm

The renovation of park next to the Danube has begun in Budapest

District Ferencváros offical site writes that the constructions to develop the Nehru Bank, that is the area south to the Whale has started, therefore, hopefully in a couple of weeks’ time we may all go there to bathe in the sun.

According to the site, there is a huge opportunity in developing the sunny promenade near Trams 4 and 6, and the Whale. After the works are finished, the new park might bring more life to the area, boosting is visits. Recently, the Council of Ferencváros has uploaded photos to its site of the planned graphic design for the area, made by S-Tér, illustrating the renewal of the (now) outdated park between the Whale and Boráros tér.

Photo: S-tér

Here comes the Podmaniczky Park, Nyugati railway station might be closed for years

Hvg.hu writes that a one and a half kilometre big green area would be constructed until 2022 along the Nyugati railway station, while the station, which also needs renovation, would be closed for two years for this reason. The proposal was put forward to the government on Wednesday.

The 25 hectare park would lie on a 1,2 kilometre area, from Teréz Boulevard through Dózsa György Road to Hungária Boulevard, with walks and parks.

One part of the green zone walk would lie on ground-level, while the other part would lie on the covered rails. For this aim, the Nyugati railway station would be closed and renovated for two years. All of this would start in 2018 after the preparations in 2017, and the park would be finished by 2022.

“Dwelling houses, business houses and shopping centres wouldn’t be built in the area, however, they would build playgrounds, sporting areas, fountains, and smaller entertainment and cultural venues” said András Lukács, the director of Levegő Munkacsoport that has been involved in the making of the preliminary estimations. It would basically be a green area; they would even plant trees on the covered rails, just like they did on the terrace of Westend shopping centre. The park doesn’t have a horticultural plan yet.

The civil organisation published a summary about the refundment that the landscaping would give to city dwellers, not to mention that it would improve their health and the way they feel. They think that a park like this would cost 60 billion forints and estimate that the value of neighbouring real estates would grow by 3-10%.

The walk would be connected with the City Park and Hungária Boulevard, and there would also be a parking lot at Mexikói Road.

Photo: www.hvg.hu

Copy editor: bm

Here’s the success of a Hungarian lighting company in Sudan

The Bereg Led Ltd. from Csaroda received the opportunity to install street lights in Sudan on a 20 km long road, writes hvg.hu.

The project is worth €2.2 million (approximately 683 million HUF); the company is going to install solar street lights in Sudan, according to the report of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (KKM).

The street lamps are manufactured using a unique, copyrighted technology. The company was trusted to install lamps in Al-Fashir, North Darfur, on a 20 km long path. The project is expected to be finished by early summer.

According to the Ministry, the deal was made with the help of the Sudan-Hungary Trade House Ltd., which was opened a year ago in Khartoum, and the Hungarian embassy in Cairo. The Ministry also sees a good chance for the Bereg Led Ltd. to get more work From Sudan after the project is done.

Photo: Bereg Led Facebook page

Copy editor: bm