Assessment of the capacity for flood monitoring and early warning in Enlargement and Eastern/ Southern Neighbourhood countries of the European Union

Flooding is a natural disaster that can damage large areas in the vicinity of rivers, and in the case of flash floods, also in the vicinity of smaller streams. The Global Risks Report 2017 lists extreme weather events, of which flooding is the main risk in most countries, as the risk with the second highest potential impact and the highest likelihood of occurrence. It furthermore seems likely that climate change will aggravate flood impacts in many regions. This report presents an assessment of the capacity for flood monitoring and early flood warning in 17 of the 22 countries which belong to the Eastern and Southern neighbourhood policy of the European Union and the enlargement candidate countries. Many of these receive external funding to improve their systems, but this is often on an ad hoc basis and through individual projects.JRC.E.1-Disaster Risk Managemen

Potential and Geochemical Characteristics of Geothermal Resources in Eastern Macedonia

Geothermal explorations in the Republic of Macedonia were intensified in the 70's, during the first effects from the energetic crisis. As a result of those explorations, there were established over 50 springs with mineral and thermo-mineral water, with maximum potential of over 1400 l/s and evidenced reserves as deposit for exploitation of around 1000 l/s, with temperature higher than the mean season swings for this part of the Earth in the range 20-79 °C, accumulated quantities of geothermal power.Geologically and hydro- geologically spoken, these geothermal resources are mainly located in eastern and southeastern Macedonia, in the Bregalnica-Strumica region composed by 23 municipalities. This region, in its geological past has undergone many big tectonic changes and its composition is formed by almost every type of stones, including the youngest and oldest formations, forming hydro geothermal systems, that currently are the only ones worthwhile to be explored and exploited

Energy Scenarios for South Eastern Europe: A close look into the Western Balkans

"The Energy Scenarios for South East Europe" thematic seminar took place on the 15th of December 2015 in Vienna, Austria. The workshop was organized by Institute of Energy and Transport of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC-IET), hosted by the Energy Community Secretariat (ECS) and sponsored by the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG-NEAR) in the framework of the Travel Accommodation and Conference facility for Western Balkans and Turkey, a programme of dissemination activities organised by the Commission in the EU or the beneficiary country in connection with the enlargement process and the pre-accession strategy. The aim of the workshop was to bring together representatives from think tanks, scientific institutes, the academia and the private sector with government officials, the national statistical agencies and the local TSO representatives from the Western Balkan region to exchange views on potential energy technology deployment scenarios that could facilitate a low carbon development pathway for the enlargement countries, but also exchange on the methodologies utilized and identify challenges as well as potential pitfalls in this process. The workshop included three sessions of specific thematic focus. The first session provided the "regional picture" with forecasts on the development of the energy and power systems in the western Balkans. The second session discussed case studies on low carbon development trajectories for specific countries in the region; and the third session explored the role of particular technologies in this context. This report comprises of long abstracts from the workshop presentations and closes with a chapter on conclusions and recommendations that resulted from the discussion sessions

Energy Efficiency Analysis of Water and Wastewater Utilities Based on the IBNET Database

A víz- és szennyvíz-szolgáltató vállalatok működési költségeinek jelentős hányadát teszi ki a villamosenergia-költség. Elemzésünk az IBNET (International Benchmarking Network for Water and Sanitation Utilities) adatbázisa alapján vizsgálja a közép-kelet-európai és a FÁK országokban működő víziközművek energiahatékonyságát. Többváltozós statisztikai elemzés segítségével tárjuk fel a különböző működési jellemzők energiahatékonyságot befolyásoló hatását. A Világbank által kezdeményezett IBNET programról bővebb információ a www.ib-net.org oldalon található, angol nyelven

World Small Hydropower Development Report 2019

The World Small Hydropower Development Report (WSHPDR) 2019 is the result of an enormous collaborative effort between the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the International Center on Small Hydro Power (ICSHP) and over 230 local and regional small hydropower (SHP) experts, organizations, engineers, academics and government officials across the globe. Prior to the World Small Hydropower Development Report (WSHPDR) 2013, it was clear that a comprehensive reference publication for decision makers, stakeholders and potential investors was needed to promote SHP as a renewable and rural energy source for sustainable development more effectively and to overcome the existing barriers to development. The 2019 edition aims to not only provide an update but also to greatly expand on the 2013 and 2016 edition by providing improvements on data accuracy with enhanced analysis and a more comprehensive overview of the policy landscapes compiled from a larger number of countries. Energy remains one of the most critical economic, environmental and development issues facing the world today. It is estimated that 1.06 billion people (13 per cent) worldwide, a predominantly rural population, still do not have access to electricity. Access to reliable and affordable electricity has an immediate and transformative impact on quality of life, access to basic services (e.g., health, education) and livelihoods. Small hydropower is a key building block towards the broader development goals associated with environmental sustainability, delivery of public services and poverty eradication. Despite the appeal and benefits of small hydropower (SHP) solutions, much of the world’s SHP potential remains untapped (66 per cent). The global installed SHP capacity for plants up to 10 MW is estimated at 78 GW according to the World Small Hydropower Development Report (WSHPDR) 2019, an increase of approximately 10 per cent compared to data from the WSHPDR 2013. SHP represents only approximately 1.5 per cent of the world’s total electricity installed capacity, 4.5 per cent of the total renewable energy capacity and 7.5 per cent (< 10 MW) of the total hydropower capacity. Nonetheless, it plays a major role in improving many lives. This impact is shown in the WSHPDR 2019 case studies. The case study section is a new addition to the WSHPDR. It is comprised of 18 case studies of successful SHP implementation in a range of communities. The case studies add a more detailed, practical perspective on the transformative potential of SHP and the best practices. Case studies give specific examples of communities that are using SHP for productive purposes to meet their needs and improve quality of life. The purpose of this new section is to provide easy access to the learnings drawn from such experience, thus forming a knowledge base that can benefit communities, decision-makers and developers elsewhere