Architects, refugees team up on tiny houses in Berlin

Yahoo – AFP, Hui Min NEO, August 7, 2017

The Tiny Houses Project's construction site, with cafe (L) currently being built
as well as a small house (R), an experiment in providing housing to people in
need (AFP Photo/Adam BERRY)

Berlin (AFP) - Troubled to see a long queue of asylum seekers shivering for hours on a winter's day outside Berlin's notoriously chaotic registration centre, Van Bo Le-Mentzel decided to take action.

"I fetched my drill and collected some wood that I found randomly in the streets and brought it to the line where people were standing there bored to death and we just started building," the architect told AFP.

The end products were pint-sized playhouses that children could crawl into for shelter as well as break up the monotony of the endless wait.

It also marked the birth of the so-called Tiny House University, a project bringing together architects, designers and refugees to experiment with innovative ways to house a population in need.

"We are trying to create new kinds of housing forms in society in which it's possible to live and survive without having land or money," said Le-Mentzel.

Van Bo-Mentzel, head of the Tiny House University Project, sits inside a small 

house built on the construction site for the project at the Bauhaus Archive Museum 

of Design in Berlin. (AFP Photo/Adam BERRY)

The tiny house trend emerged several years ago, largely in the United States as people chose to downsize their living space out of environmental or financial concerns.

In Berlin, it has been given a twist for contemporary needs.

For a start, Le-Mentzel's team which includes six refugees, is collaborating with the Bauhaus Archiv to build 20 tiny houses occupying 10 square metres (100 square feet) each.

Together, the houses will form a temporary village on exhibition until March 2018.

Some will serve as lodging, while others are destined to be a library, cafe, workshop or community centre.

Each building is fitted on wheels -- which Le-Mentzel said means they can be parked on public streets as a form of trailer.

"In Berlin we have 1.5 million cars registered and they are all standing in the streets overnight, not in use. Each car is about 10 square metres," noted Le-Mentzel.

"So I'm asking what would happen if we just replace these 1.5 million cars with tiny houses or with mobile playgrounds for kids or with open spaces where neighbours can cook together, eat together, find company together, where refugees can create a start-up in the streets -- opening a restaurant, (giving) a haircut."

Ali Fadi, a Kurdish Syrian refugee and construction worker, is hoping his 

work on the Tiny Houses Project will help him get a job in his field (AFP 

Photo/Adam BERRY)

Microcosm of society

Like metropolitan cities worldwide, property prices in Berlin have shot up as the city shed its Cold War divided past to become a tourism and party hotspot, as well as an investment magnet.

Although new builds are mushrooming across the capital, refugees and low-income locals are finding themselves priced out.

Le-Mentzel views his Tiny100 as a prototype for small apartments which can be let out for 100 euros ($117) a month to low earners.

His ultimate goal is to fit out a building not only with regular-sized apartments, but also such compact homes, allowing the "rich and poor, students and entrepreneurs" to live together.

"It will be a house that mirrors society," he said, adding that talks are ongoing with "three or four investors" about making his dream come true.

"But we are at the beginning of the process."

Ali Fadi, a Kurdish refugee from Syria, has not thought that far to having his own tiny apartment.

The 33-year-old is simply revelling at being able to practise his trade.

Fadi is an experienced carpenter, but had found himself shut out of the German job market because he lacked the paper qualifications.

Measuring a piece of wood before sawing it off for the tiny house that would house a cafe, Fadi said he hopes that his work in the project would help overcome the bureaucratic barrier.

"I hope I can get a job doing this," said Fadi.

Material cost for the house is expected to run between 12,000 and 15,000 euros

 (AFP Photo/Adam BERRY)

Party for 13 in 6 sqm

At a warehouse area in southern Berlin, another member of the team, Noam Goldstein, is fitting insulation into one of the 20 tiny houses.

His version of the small home would feature not just the usual trappings of an apartment, but also include solar panels, a compost toilet and a hydroponics garden.

The carpenter expects material cost for the house to run between 12,000 and 15,000 euros.

While some components like windows have to be purchased, Goldstein said much of the wood used is recycled pallet wood.

"When you look at the financial aspect, it provides a very cheap way for people to build their own house," said Goldstein.

Researcher Amelie Salameh, who was among the initial ones to try out the first of the 20 tiny houses overnight, is a convert.

Measuring just six square metres, the first tiny house built by Le-Mentzel himself for the project is a self-contained unit with a living room, kitchen, sleeping area, toilet and shower.

"The way it was designed, there were mirrors, a lot of light, I never felt trapped inside," said Salameh, who lived in the house called Tiny100 for three weeks.

She even had two friends sleep over for a night, and once also hosted a visit of 13 people.

"We had a few beers, it was fun," she said, adding that "you just have to think about where you're putting your stuff, and to tidy up constantly, because the place gets full quickly."

German offshore wind park to be built without subsidies

An offshore wind park in the North Sea is to be built without feed-in subsidies for the first time, in a sign that renewable energy is becoming more competitive. Both the environment and consumers are likely to benefit.

Deutsche Welle, 14 April 2017

Offshore Windpark Windenergie (Jorgen True/AFP/Getty Images)

German authorities have approved four offshore wind park projects in the North Sea, including one that is to be built completely without the state subsidy that has been usual up to now under a scheme aimed at encouraging renewable energy.

The projects approved on Thursday have a total capacity of 1,490 megawatts, according to the Bundesnetzagentur, which supervises companies' access to Germany's power grid.

According to energy supplier EnBW, the wind park "He Dreiht," with a capacity of 900 megawatts - comparable with the output of a nuclear power station - will be built without any subsidy at all. The three other parks, producing some 600 megawatts, will on average receive a subsidy of 0.44 cents (.47 US cents) per kilowatt hour fed into the grid - much lower than current subsidies for solar plants and wind turbines on land.

It also massively undercuts the subsidy currently paid for offshore wind parks, which can reach 18.4 cents per kilowatt hour, although this is paid for only eight years, while the new projects will be subsidized for 20 years.

The newly approved projects are to start feeding into the grid after 2021.

Germany wants at least 35 percent renewable energy by 2025

Surprising result

Almost a quarter of the price of electricity in Germany paid by consumers goes into subsidies for renewable energy as the country attempts to reach its goal of generating 80 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2050. 

The president of the Bundesnetzagentur, Jochen Homann, said he was surprised at the outcome of the first round of tenders for wind parks, and that consumers stood to benefit in the long run.

"The average weighted award price of 0.44 cents per kilowatt hour is far below expectations. This shows the auction has unlocked medium and long-term cost reduction potential, which will lead to a reduction in funding to an extent that had not been expected," Homann said.

"Offshore wind energy is categorically proving its competitiveness. This is good news for all electricity consumers who contribute to funding renewable energy through the renewable energy surcharge," he added. But he warned that the prices could go up in the next round, which is due next year and will also include tenders for the Baltic Sea.

Wind energy industry representatives say that the price of building offshore wind parks has gone down considerably as more are constructed, and that higher electricity prices are expected on the stock market, meaning that the parks will make enough profit even without subsidies.

Illustration: Tennet website

Related Articles:

Dutch grid operator moves forward with North Sea wind plan

Gas heating, cooking to be phased out: Dutch government plans

"Recalibration of Free Choice"– Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth, 4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical) 8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)

“… 4 - Energy (again)

The natural resources of the planet are finite and will not support the continuation of what you've been doing. We've been saying this for a decade. Watch for increased science and increased funding for alternate ways of creating electricity (finally). Watch for the very companies who have the most to lose being the ones who fund it. It is the beginning of a full realization that a change of thinking is at hand. You can take things from Gaia that are energy, instead of physical resources. We speak yet; again about geothermal, about tidal, about wind. Again, we plead with you not to over-engineer this. For one of the things that Human Beings do in a technological age is to over-engineer simple things. Look at nuclear - the most over-engineered and expensive steam engine in existence!

Your current ideas of capturing energy from tidal and wave motion don't have to be technical marvels. Think paddle wheel on a pier with waves, which will create energy in both directions [waves coming and going] tied to a generator that can power dozens of neighborhoods, not full cities. Think simple and decentralize the idea of utilities. The same goes for wind and geothermal. Think of utilities for groups of homes in a cluster. You won't have a grid failure if there is no grid. This is the way of the future, and you'll be more inclined to have it sooner than later if you do this, and it won't cost as much…

Water

We've told you that one of the greatest natural resources of the planet, which is going to shift and change and be mysterious to you, is fresh water. It's going to be the next gold, dear ones. So, we have also given you some hints and examples and again we plead: Even before the potentials of running out of it, learn how to desalinate water in real time without heat. It's there, it's doable, and some already have it in the lab. This will create inexpensive fresh water for the planet. 

There is a change of attitude that is starting to occur. Slowly you're starting to see it and the only thing getting in the way of it are those companies with the big money who currently have the old system. That's starting to change as well. For the big money always wants to invest in what it knows is coming next, but it wants to create what is coming next within the framework of what it has "on the shelf." What is on the shelf is oil, coal, dams, and non-renewable resource usage. It hasn't changed much in the last 100 years, has it? Now you will see a change of free choice. You're going to see decisions made in the boardrooms that would have curled the toes of those two generations ago. Now "the worst thing they could do" might become "the best thing they could do." That, dear ones, is a change of free choice concept. When the thinkers of tomorrow see options that were never options before, that is a shift. That was number four.”

BayernLB under pressure over Dakota pipeline investment

Bavaria's state bank is set to invest about $120 million in the Dakota Access Pipeline, which threatens a Native American reservation and drinking water. Other banks have already sold their stake.

Deutsche Welle, 6 February 2017

There aren't many members of the Sioux tribe living in Bavaria but, thanks to the tentacles of international finance, the protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) being built near the US's Standing Rock Indian Reservation have reached the state capital, Munich.

Last week, protesters from an alliance of NGOs arrived on the doorsteps of the BayernLB bank to deliver more than 700,000 signatures collected via worldwide petitions against the investments of 17 financial institutions into DAPL. These included more than 220,000 signatures specifically aimed at BayernLB's contribution that had been collected in a few days. By Monday 6, the online petition had reached close to 300,000 signatures.

Despite an invitation from the environmental campaigners Urgewald, Bavaria's state bank declined to send any representatives outside the building to receive the petition. "But we were allowed to go in with a delegation of three people, and we gave the petition to the press spokesman," said Regine Richter, banking specialist at Urgewald.

The bank itself is unwilling to give interviews on the subject and in response to DW's request would only send the public statement it issued in December, which made many conciliatory noises. "BayernLB is following the running discussions about the route of the pipeline very carefully and, as part of the consortium financing the pipeline, supports an amicable result of the discussions between the parties," it read.

Wait and see

BayernLB said it was waiting on a report from the US law firm Foley Hoag that was commissioned in December to look into how the local indigenous people had been consulted for the project. That report is due out later this month, but it may come too late. In January, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order decreeing that the environmental review for the project be fast-tracked.

"Nobody is really sure that means, but we are concerned that DAPL could get the green light any day now," Nick Pelosi, corporate engagement director for the campaign group First Peoples Worldwide, told DW. "It's such an urgent matter at this point that we really don't have time."

Not only that: The study is being conducted behind closed doors and may be no more than a desktop assessment. "From what we understand, it is a study on tribal consultation, which is the crux of this issue - that the tribe was not consulted properly about this pipeline," Pelosi said. "But nobody's reached out to the tribe, so it's essentially a study on consultation without any consultation."

The 17 banks insist that the loans for DAPL - amounting to $2.5 billion (2.3 billion euros) - are now legally committed. "But some have shown concern and that they are willing to exert the limited influence that they have," Pelosi said.

"I definitely think they're feeling the pressure," he said. "But what the tribe is asking is not necessarily for the banks to pull out, but to use their influence as project lenders to pressure the company into rerouting to avoid their treaty territory."

The banks say that influence appears to be very limited indeed: They argue that they can't impose new conditions on the loans and that it isn't their role to determine the route. "Which is true - it's the US government's responsibility - but we're asking them to support the reroute, not dictate it," Pelosi said.

Dozens of protesters have been arrested
at the Standing Rock reservation

Passive bank

Compared with other banks, BayernLB has been particularly recalcitrant. "BayernLB was one of the few that outright rejected our request for dialogue," said Pelosi.

"BayernLB is being much too passive," Richter said. "Banks like the Dutch ING and the Norwegian DNB are at least expressing public criticism of the pipeline consortium's behavior or are selling stakes in the companies involved."

Meanwhile in Germany, BayernLB's involvement in the project (a $120 million contribution to DAPL) has raised some political hackles - firstly because it is partly owned by the state, and secondly because it received a colossal taxpayer-funded 10 billion-euro ($9.3 billion) bailout during Europe's financial crisis in 2008.

"BayernLB should not be allowed to support the dirty business of climate denier Donald Trump," said Anton Hofreiter, the Greens' parliamentary leader and a native of Bavaria. "This project destroys the environment, is a risk for the drinking water from the Missouri River and, at the same time, desecrates the Native Americans' cultural heritage."

Hofreiter, along with other German politicians, is sure that BayernLB's commitment to the project could be reversed by Bavaria's state government. "I'm sure it's possible," Frank Schwabe, Bundestag member for the Social Democrats, told DW. "The bank has oversight committees, and there is political influence on that, so it would be good if the politicians in Bavaria would take a clear position on it. We're discussing the issue of company and bank responsibility more and more, and I think that a state bank in particular needs to stick to that."

Related Articles:

ABN Amro warns its client ETE about Dakota pipeline solution

ING, ABN Amro under renewed pressure over Dakota pipeline

Rabobank rules out funding Wadden Sea gas drilling

Fire shuts down Belgium's Tihange nuclear reactor

A nuclear reactor at the Tihange power station in Belgium has been shut down following a fire inside the plant. Germany has protested the power station near the border.

Deutsche Welle, 19 December 2015

Tihange's reactor 1 was taken offline at 10:35 p.m. (2135 UTC) Friday following a fire in a non-nuclear section of the plant, operator Electrabel told Belgium's private Belga news agency.

Electrabel said the incident did not impact workers, the public or the environment.

The power plant - about 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the German border city of Aachen - is controversial in neighboring Germany.

Earlier this week regional government authorities in Germany protested Belgium's decision to restart the plant's reactor 2 following a two-year shutdown after discovery of micro-cracks in the reactor's cement casing in 2012.

Belgium's decision to delay decommissioning its nuclear reactors is
controversial in neighboring Germany

German neighbors unhappy with nearby reactors

North Rhine-Westphalia's state government has protested restarting the 40-year-old reactors, claiming it is a safety hazard and located to millions of people as four of Germany's 10 largest cities - Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund and Essen - are located within the Rhineland state.

Seven nuclear power plants produce about half of Belgium's electricity supply. Two other 40-year-old reactors meant to be decommissioned this year - Doel 1 and 2 - are being kept online for another decade to help meet domestic demand.

Belgium said it's committed to phase out nuclear power entirely by 2025. Germany is also phasing out its nuclear plants, with the remaining slated to close by 2022.

jar/sms (dpa, AFP)

New rooftops in France to go green

Yahoo – AFP, 19 March 2015

Rooftops on new buildings built in commercial zones in France, a view of Paris
seen here, must either be partially covered in plants or solar panels, under a law
approved on Thursday (AFP Photo/Stephane de Sakutin)

Paris (AFP) - Rooftops on new buildings built in commercial zones in France must either be partially covered in plants or solar panels, under a law approved on Thursday.

Green roofs have an isolating effect, helping reduce the amount of energy needed to heat a building in winter and cool it in summer.

They also retain rainwater, thus helping reduce problems with runoff, while favouring biodiversity and giving birds a place to nest in the urban jungle, ecologists say.

The law approved by parliament was more limited in scope than initial calls by French environmental activists to make green roofs that cover the entire surface mandatory on all new buildings.

The Socialist government convinced activists to limit the scope of the law to commercial buildings.

The law was also made less onerous for businesses by requiring only part of the roof to be covered with plants, and giving them the choice of installing solar panels to generate electricity instead.

Green roofs are popular in Germany and Australia, and Canada's city of Toronto adopted a by-law in 2009 mandating them in industrial and residential buildings.

Green power takes on fossil fuels

Renewable energies are becoming globally more competitive. And an increasing number of studies are showing they have an economical edge, especially if environmental and health costs are taken into account.

Deutsche Welle, 30 Jan 2015

In Germany there is much discussion around renewable energies and cost. Fans of conventional energy sources hope to slow the rapid expansion of wind and solar power since, they say, the cost of renewable energies is too high.

The forum Green Budget Germany (FÖS) has now put forward a comprehensive study that compared all power technologies in Germany, including all known costs. Germany's energy cooperative Greenpeace Energy had commissioned the study.

Things considered were overall expenses, as well as "other effects from using conventional energies including costly consequences - for example, environmental and climate damage," said study leader Swantje Küchler from FÖS.

In the case of nuclear power, the damages after a possible nuclear accident were also taken into account. So far, the risks for large accidents worldwide have been carried by the general public, as power plant operators usually don't have the appropriate liability insurance.

Most bang for your buck

In the overall assessment, wind and solar power gave the most bang for your buck, according to calculations by FÖS. In 2014 electricity from wind and large solar power plants cost Germany between five and 10 euro cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). In contrast, the cost of electricity from natural gas, coal or lignite power plants was distinctly higher - between 11 to 17 cents per kWh.

Particularly expensive in comparison was nuclear power. Even though no new nuclear power plants will be built in Germany, with the last reactors expected to shut down in 2022, scientists contemplated the cost of nuclear energy from fictitious new power plants. That, plus the potential harms to the environment and human health arising from accidents, raised the total cost of nuclear power to between 19 to 50 cents per kWh.

A need for transparency

Energy scientists from other institutions felt vindicated by the study.

"The results are basically consistent with our studies, which show that conventional energies are significantly more expensive than renewables," said Claudia Kemfert of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW).

Swantje Küchler introduces
the FÖS studie in Berlin.

Consequently, experts are calling for honesty and transparency in the debate, in which all costs should be taken into account.

"The problem is the high costs of coal and nuclear power are hidden from customers, who pay for them indirectly. We wanted to fix this grievance," said Marcel Keiffenheim of Greenpeace Energy.

Also, the study provided good evidence to "promote the development of renewable energies as soon as possible for economic reasons."

Tackling global climate change with renewables

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in Abu Dhabi arrived at similar results in its most recent study Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2014. They found the generation of electricity from fossil fuels took a toll on human health and climate and added up to 11 cents per kWh.

IRENA is headquartered in
oil-rich Abu Dhabi.

Since the cost of renewables in recent years has plunged worldwide, there is now "a historic opportunity to build a clean and sustainable energy supply and, therefore, prevent catastrophic climate change in an affordable way," according to Adnan Z. Amin, Director-General of IRENA.

At the same time, the march to renewables created "new jobs and reduced the import bills for fuels."

Above all, wind energy in many places in the world is economically competitive, often being cheaper than fossil fuels. According to an IRENA study, some windy places can already produce a kWh of power for four cents.

But the average production cost for wind power varies across regions. In China and Asia, it would cost around five or six; in North America, around six; and in Africa, around seven cents per kWh.

IRENA also saw much potential in the falling prices of solar power - particularly cheap in sunny countries. In the Middle East, operators of solar parks, or photovoltaic power stations, said they already generated electricity for five cents per kWh.

Renewables should also be helpful for the approximately 1.3 billion people who have up to now lived without electricity. According to IRENA's report, renewables in this case were the cheapest energy source, especially in comparison to diesel.

With a new online platform, the international agency hopes to strengthen the push for renewable energies, for which worldwide data are now available.

Related Articles:

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At least one major oil company will turn its back on fossil fuels, says scientist

Kell: 'Climate change is bad for business'

Heirs to Rockefeller oil fortune divest from fossil fuels over climate change

Warren Buffett Ready to Increase Renewable Energy Investment to $30 Billion

One of the wealthiest men in the U.S., Warren Buffett said Monday
that he would double his renewable energy investments. Video
screenshot: Georgetown University/YouTube

"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)

“…  4 - Energy (again)

The natural resources of the planet are finite and will not support the continuation of what you've been doing. We've been saying this for a decade. Watch for increased science and increased funding for alternate ways of creating electricity (finally). Watch for the very companies who have the most to lose being the ones who fund it. It is the beginning of a full realization that a change of thinking is at hand. You can take things from Gaia that are energy, instead of physical resources. We speak yet again about geothermal, about tidal, about wind. Again, we plead with you not to over-engineer this. For one of the things that Human Beings do in a technological age is to over-engineer simple things. Look at nuclear - the most over-engineered and expensive steam engine in existence!

Your current ideas of capturing energy from tidal and wave motion don't have to be technical marvels. Think paddle wheel on a pier with waves, which will create energy in both directions [waves coming and going] tied to a generator that can power dozens of neighborhoods, not full cities. Think simple and decentralize the idea of utilities. The same goes for wind and geothermal. Think of utilities for groups of homes in a cluster. You won't have a grid failure if there is no grid. This is the way of the future, and you'll be more inclined to have it sooner than later if you do this, and it won't cost as much.

Water

We've told you that one of the greatest natural resources of the planet, which is going to shift and change and be mysterious to you, is fresh water. It's going to be the next gold, dear ones. So, we have also given you some hints and examples and again we plead: Even before the potentials of running out of it, learn how to desalinate water in real time without heat. It's there, it's doable, and some already have it in the lab. This will create inexpensive fresh water for the planet. 

There is a change of attitude that is starting to occur. Slowly you're starting to see it and the only thing getting in the way of it are those companies with the big money who currently have the old system. That's starting to change as well. For the big money always wants to invest in what it knows is coming next, but it wants to create what is coming next within the framework of what it has "on the shelf." What is on the shelf is oil, coal, dams, and non-renewable resource usage. It hasn't changed much in the last 100 years, has it? Now you will see a change of free choice. You're going to see decisions made in the boardrooms that would have curled the toes of those two generations ago. Now "the worst thing they could do" might become "the best thing they could do." That, dear ones, is a change of free choice concept. When the thinkers of tomorrow see options that were never options before, that is a shift. That was number four. ….”