Arid temperatures, power cuts may hit Malta

Remember how Donald Trump ridiculed ‘climate change’ and walked out of the Paris Agreement signed in 2015? Unbelievably, this report now reads like an indictment of humanity's stewardship of the planet.  Many recall reading how in the past scientists believed that limiting global warming to two degrees Celsius above mid-19th century levels would be enough to safeguard our future.

This target was enshrined in the 2015 Paris Agreement, adopted by nearly 200 nations who vowed to collectively cap warming at "well below" two degrees Celsius -- and 1.5 degrees if possible. Stark reality shows that when analysing current trends, the target seems to be heading for three degrees Celsius at best. How can we define climate change? Simply put, this will fundamentally reshape life on Earth in the coming decades, even if humans can tame planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, according to a landmark draft report from the UN's climate science advisors obtained by AFP. 

Many studies show how renewables can be a partial solution to reach carbon neutrality. Renewables could supply four-fifths of the world’s electricity by 2050, massively cutting carbon emissions and helping to mitigate climate change. However, solar and wind power have to be fully integrated, with sustainable bioenergy and hydrogen fuel cells (apart from the innovative use of ammonia as a fuel/fertilizer) providing another key part of the mix.  All this means speeding up innovation in business and technology. In simple terms, it means the world needs to start taking collective action to promote renewable energy before it is too late. 

How is Malta faring in this quest? This summer, fearing an overload of demand for energy production, the government secured the renting of two diesel-powered temporary generators costing €37 million from Bonnici Bros.  So far, the island does not have a natural gas network with mainland Europe; consequently, LNG is supplied to the power plant at the controversial Electrogas plant via an FSU, although the use of natural gas in future niche applications may start to develop if the Malta-Italy gas/hydrogen pipeline (Melita - see picture) is successfully implemented.  As a general comment, one may say that clean energy has far more to recommend it than just being "green". In the EU, there is an ambitious plan to reach zero emissions by 2050.  

Everyone, now acknowledges that the Green sector creates jobs, makes electric grids more resilient, expands energy access in developing countries, and helps lower energy bills.  Regrettably, at Castille - the spirit was willing, but the body was weak. In 2019, Malta was at the bottom of the table in terms of the share of electricity coming from renewable energy.  Eurostat reveals we are still much of a laggard compared to others since we now generate 13.2% when compared to the average 42% of the EU.  

The target plan for the EU is to become the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050 - an admirable objective behind the European Green Deal.  Obviously, most will agree that the use of renewable energy has potential benefits, including a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, the diversification of energy supplies and a reduced dependency on volatile fossil fuel markets. The trophy goes to Austria, which, as early as 2019, had more than 79% of electricity consumed generated from renewable sources.  

But, the new hobby horse is hydrogen fuel technology.  Some criticize that the EU Green strategy is not as revolutionary and recently it has lost appeal from voters in MEP elections. Currently, EU lawmakers give priority to reduce the use of fossil fuels. However, it acknowledges that other forms of low-carbon hydrogen produced by electrolysis using electricity generated by renewables will play a pivotal role in the short and medium-term. The EU strategy also emphasises the need for significant support for research and innovation at an international level, both for technology development and cross-border trading, particularly for an ambitious plan to start using hydrogen fuel cells.

Without any doubt, apart from nuclear power, the use of green hydrogen is the best option today for the decarbonisation of the energy system and lowering of carbon emissions, yet risks associated with this nascent technology must never be underestimated. One cannot label this as a panacea as there exist challenges to translate this revolutionary concept into a commercial reality with proper regulation for the global market of hydrogen trading.  Back to Malta’s present electricity production, one can appreciate the effective use of the first electricity inter-connector operated by Enemalta plc in coordination with the transmission system operator in Italy, Terna.  

A second inter-connector application has been successfully negotiated at EU level by the erstwhile Dr Miriam Dalli. This is claimed to potentially reduce our cost of electricity and emissions when compared with other competing sources of power generation. One hopes for another 25% cut in ARMs tariffs next year. All the same, efforts to support the deployment of renewable energy, especially photovoltaics, solar water heaters, wave energy and heat pump water heaters (which are particularly suited to Malta’s geographic location) and incentivizing the use of electric cars are afoot.

It is a pity that only 8% of the total motor fleet are electric, partly due to high cost and lack of sufficient charging points. One must also acknowledge the technical, geographical and spatial barriers limiting renewable energy potential in Malta as it does not have a natural gas network with Europe (note how LNG is purchased by Electrogas from an Azeri firm and supplied via an FSU), although uses of natural gas/ hydrogen in future niche applications may start to develop if the Malta-Italy gas pipeline dream becomes a reality by 2026.