Weather forecasters have issued extremely hot weather warnings for seven western European countries this week, with the heatwave potentially straining electricity supplies as air conditioning use soars.

Eumetnet, the public European weather services network within the World Meteorological Organization, has issued severe hot weather warnings for most of Spain, the western half of Germany, most of Belgium and parts of the Netherlands.

Temperatures in Berlin are expected remain at highs of 35-36 degrees Celsius until Monday, before cooling slightly in the middle of next week, according Germany’s national forecaster, while Madrid is melting at highs of 40 degrees on Thursday, according to Spain’s official forecaster, with highs of over 34 degrees into next week.

Western Europe has not seen a prolonged heatwave since 2006, when sizzling temperatures caused cooling problems for some power plants.

River and cooling reservoir temperatures rose so much that environmental legislation prevented the plants from warming the water up any more. A more severe and prolonged heatwave in 2003 saw more power plants in France and Germany shut down as air conditioning use surged.

Magnitude ML 2.7
Region SPAIN
Date time 2010-05-09 at 02:28:57.2 UTC
Location 37.18 N ; 3.73 W
Depth 2 km
Distances 12 km W Granada (pop 238,248 ; local time 04:28 2010-05-09)
1 km SW Santa fé (pop 14,119 ; local time 04:28 2010-05-09)

More seismicity information (Moment tensors, phases pickings, etc.)

The turtle, named Aurora, was captured in the Canary Islands and a signal transmitter was placed on its 53-centimetre-long shell in July 2009.

The turtle later embarked on an Atlantic crossing during which its movements were followed over a satellite.

Aurora has now arrived in the eastern part of the Caribbean, after having travelled more than 6,000 kilometres, according to the Environmental Observatory of Granadilla on Tenerife Island.

Aurora is the first turtle captured in the Canaries whose movements have been recorded during a transatlantic crossing.

However, such crossings are not rare for marine turtles, which travel long distances when they are young and often return to their native areas to breed.

Aurora´s crossing to the Americas could thus indicate that she was born there, the foundation said.

The loggerhead turtle, which is among the world´s best-known sea turtles, can weigh up to 160 kilograms.

Copyright DPA

via Earth Times News.

The country has experienced average temperature increases of 0.5 degrees Celsius per decade since 1975, a rate that is “50 percent superior to the average of nations in the northern hemisphere”, the study by the Spanish branch of the Clivar research network found.

The study predicts average temperatures in Spain will be 6.0 degrees Celsius higher in summer and between 2.0 and 3.0 degrees Celsius higher in winter by the end of the 21st century while rainfall will drop.

Sea levels along Spain´s Atlantic coast have risen 2.0 millimetres per year during the second half of the 20th century and by 1.2 millimetres along the country´s Mediterranean coast, according to the study.

Spain´s secretary of state for climate change, Teresa Ribera, called the study´s predictions “impressive”.

Desertification is threatening one-third of the land mass of Spain, Europe´s most arid country, according to experts.

Climate change has already forced some grape growers in Spain to shade vineyards, develop heat-resistant crops and move to cooler mountainside locations in what is one of Europe´s largest grape-growing nations.

It has also caused glaciers in the Pyrenees to shrink and wetlands and lagoons to be destroyed, according to environmental groups like Greenpeace.

Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved.

via AFP: Spain warming faster than rest of northern hemisphere: study.

Besides the President of the Government, the presentation of the Comprehensive Strategy for Supporting the Electric Car was also attended on behalf of the Government by the Second Vice-President and Minister for Economy and the Treasury, the Minister for Science and Innovation and the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Trade, who was responsible for opening and presiding over this event.

Miguel Sebastián stated that twenty-nine companies, eight associations, two public bodies, six ministries, the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) and the Autonomous Regions of Spain via the Committee of Directors-General for Industry took part in the working group that drafted this Plan.

For that reason, the presentation was also attended by the presidents of Red Eléctrica Española, the Real Automóvil Club de España, and the Asociación Nacional de Automóviles y Camiones in representation of the three working groups that took part in drafting the Strategy.

The president of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) represented the institutions and the chairmen of ACS, Endesa and Indra represented the companies.

The industry of the future

For the President of the Government, the electric car project is highly “emblematic” because it clearly symbolises the path along which the Spanish industry of the future must travel.

He added that three “basic options” from the sustainable growth model have come together in this project: the renovation of central sectors of the Spanish economy; the support of R&D+i; and the fight against climate change, in favour of environmental sustainability and a new era in energy.

The President of the Government went on to say that the electric car represents an opportunity that “we must and will take advantage of” in order to be ready for the future.

Along the same lines, he said that the number of cars in the world could reach 3,000 million by 2050, in other words, four times the current number, due to the demand from countries such as China and India. In his opinion, that represents an “opportunity” from an industrial point of view.

Projects such as these are the projects that “generate trust and encourage innovation and competitiveness in a country that has sufficient capacity to return to growth, to compete at a global level and return to the path of recovery”, claimed Mr Rodríguez Zapatero.

Benefits

The benefits of the electric car set out by the President of the Government include better use of energy because, as he explained, the electric car stores energy during periods of low electricity demand and then uses that power during peak times.

Furthermore, this could lead to a reduction in electricity costs because it uses electricity generation infrastructures and capacity during periods of lower demand.

It will also contribute towards reducing our “overwhelming” dependency on oil, as well as improving air quality.

Reductions to noise pollution was also stated by the President of the Government as one of the benefits of the electric car because these vehicles are quieter than internal combustion engines.

Central sector of the economy

The President of the Government highlighted that the automotive sector is clearly central to the Spanish economy. It represents almost 6% in terms of GDP, employs more than 300,000 people and accounts for 17% of Spanish foreign trade.

Furthermore, he added that Spain was the second largest vehicle producer in the European Union last year.

Precisely due to the Government’s awareness of the importance of this sector, support was first provided via the Plan VIVE and subsequently via the Plan 200E, which were allocated between them a total of almost one thousand million euros to boost vehicle sales.

Specific initiatives

The President of the Government explained that his Government has drafted a 2010-2012 action plan for the purpose of defining the foundations on which to implement electric mobility in Spain.

According to this plan, 20,000 pure and hybrid pluggable electric vehicles will be registered in 2011 and a further 50,000 will be registered in 2012.

The Plan announced by the President of the Government contains a total of fifteen measures: four related to stimulating demand; three to industrialisation and R&D+i; four to infrastructures and demand management; and another four of a broad, comprehensive nature.

In total, the measures will account for the mobilisation of 590 million euros over the course of these two years, which are added to the 10-million euro budget allocated to the Movele project in 2009 and 2010.

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Under the agreement signed in Madrid, Acciona will set up a network of recharging points and associated services for the vehicles.

Renault, France´s number two automaker, is to begin selling four types of electric vehicles from 2011.

Nissan, Japan´s third-largest carmaker and which is 44 percent owned by Renault, plans to introduce its first electric model in Europe in late 2010 or early 2011.

The three companies did not provide financial details of the agreement, which the head of Renault Spain, Jean-Pierre Laurent, said were “confidential.”

The announcement came the same day as Spain´s Socialist government said it plans to invest 590 million euros (794 million dollars) over two years in the development of an electric vehicle in the country.

Industry Minister Miguel Sebastian presented a report on the issue at a cabinet meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega.

“The plan envisages a wide range of measures to help the demand, to support investment and the development of the industrial sector and set up the necessary infrastructure to recharge the vehicles,” de la Vega said.

The Spanish government hopes to see 250,000 electric or hybrid vehicles in the country by 2014.

Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved.

via AFP: Renault-Nissan in deal with Spain’s Acciona for electric cars.

Amsterdam native Otto Poldermans is a founding investor in Solar Hydro Solutions, which builds and installs solar equipment to private and commercial customers in Andalusia. Poldermans, whose twilight blue Roadster is powered by a combination of solar and hydroelectric energy, joins a growing community of Tesla owners worldwide who power their cars entirely “off the grid.”

The retired plastic surgeon moved to a remote valley in the foothills of the Spanish Sierra Nevada in 2001. For nearly a decade he has powered his home with photovoltaic panels and turbines on the Rio Chico. His equipment will now also power his Roadster, which he received this weekend.

“I hope that my Tesla catches people’s eye. I want it to teach people that energy all around us and extremely abundant — more than enough to power our homes and our cars,” said Poldermans.

The Roadster accelerates faster than supercars that cost twice as much, yet it produces zero tailpipe emissions and is twice as energy efficient as leading hybrids. It consumes no petroleum and plugs into conventional 220-volt sockets throughout Europe.

Tesla has delivered about 1,000 Roadsters to customers in 23 countries, including the first deliveries this month in Spain and Ireland.

The first delivery in Spain comes as Tesla representatives host test drives throughout the Easter holiday in Marbella. Prospective customers may book test drives in advance for slots March 28 to April 2 at hotels including the Hotel Villa Padierna, Marriott’s Marbella Beach Resort and Hotel Don Carlos.

¡Viva la energía solar!

Tesla will deliver more cars this spring in Spain, which is uniquely positioned to demonstrate the attributes of the Tesla Roadster – the only sports car that can be charged fully or partially with renewable energy.

Solar energy satisfied 3 percent of Spain’s electricity demand in 2009, and the government expects to derive 12 percent of the nation’s primary energy from renewable energy by the end of this year. That means Roadster owners in Spain get to drive world’s hottest sports car – and charge it from one of Europe’s cleanest energy grids.

The Roadster qualifies for a national rebate of at least €10,000 and a provincial rebates of €5,000 or more. Spanish owners get 75 percent off the yearly car tax. Roadsters also get free metered parking and free use of the high-occupancy vehicle and bus lanes – a priceless advantage in the dense traffic of Madrid and Barcelona.

Spain’s €8 million “Project Movele” will also fund installation of charge stations in Seville, Barcelona and Madrid. The government aims to have 1 million electric vehicles in Spain by 2014.

“The Roadster highlights Spain’s 21st century energy technology like no other car,” said Cristiano Carlutti, Vice President of European Sales and Operations for Tesla. “But ultimately, when you come to a stop light next to an idling Porsche or Audi, you will discover the Roadster’s killer app: You will leave other supercars in the dust — without a shred of guilt.”

Biologists diving in the seas off Spain witnessed a European cuttlefish laying its eggs on a passing seahorse, which then swims away, eggs in tow.

The researchers believe they have filmed the European cuttlefish laying eggs in the wild for the first time.

However, during filming, one cuttlefish appears to confuse the seahorse with seaweed, laying its eggs on the passing fish despite the water being clear.

The startling behaviour was captured on film by Manuel Enrique Garcia Blanco, an underwater cameraman and photographer, who works with Ms Fiona Read, a PhD student at the Marine Research Institute in Vigo, Galicia, Spain.

Together, the researchers are investigating the sustainability of fisheries in the northwest Iberian Peninsula, including an old type of fishing for cuttlefish still practised by fishers living in a few villages within Galicia.

As part of the research, Mr Blanco was diving off the island of Toralla in the Ria de Vigo, where cuttlefish arrive in the winter to breed and spawn.

During one dive, he filmed a pair of European cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) mating and laying eggs in the seagrass, which to the best of the researchers´ knowledge is the first time such behaviour has been recorded in the wild.

Over two hours, he recorded the cuttlefish laying 15 eggs at two different sites.

The cuttlefish attached the eggs onto seagrass, which holds the eggs in the current, laying an egg at each site around three minutes apart.

This is similar to what other European cuttlefish do when reproducing in captivity, behaviour observed by the researchers the year before in an aquarium.

However, Mr Blanco also captured another, much more improbable first: a seahorse swimming along with two cuttlefish eggs attached to its tail.

“The cuttlefish had laid the eggs on the seahorse rather than the seagrass,” Ms Read told the BBC.

“From the egg-laying behaviour, it is almost certain the cuttlefish put the eggs on when the seahorse was sitting in the seagrass.”

Rather than let the seahorse be compromised by the eggs, Mr Blanco decided to intervene.

“The eggs were really tight round the seahorse´s tail and it was thought to effect the survival of the seahorse,” explains Ms Read.

“So the seahorse was captured and the eggs were cut from its tail.

“The seahorse is expected to survive but the eggs were damaged during the dissection.”

A video can be seen at the source of this article - BBC – Earth News.

The Spanish presidency of the EU is facing resistance from national governments in its attempt to boost the development of a European electric car industry.

Spain wants industry ministers to adopt a statement on 1 March calling on the European Commission to draw up an action plan for electric vehicles, and to agree on the main principles that should be included in this plan.

The Spanish government had wanted national officials to come up with the text of the statement prior to the 1 March meeting. This has proved impossible, however, because of opposition from countries concerned that Spain is placing too high a priority on electric cars at the expense of other options for ‘greening´ road transport.

The text has been discussed at numerous technical meetings in recent weeks, and by ambassadors on 17 February, in an unsuccessful attempt to reach agreement. It will now be left to ministers to resolve the issue.

“We agree that electric vehicles have an important role to play – but any national or European strategy must look to the long term and not focus on just one solution,” a UK diplomat said. “We must be careful to not exclude other low-carbon vehicles, alternative fuels, and technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells.”

Draft statement

The UK and the Czech Republic have requested several changes to the latest draft of the statement, circulated by the Spanish presidency on 18 February. The draft text says that the Commission action plan should cover “clean and energy-efficient vehicles (in particular fully electric cars and plug-in hybrids)”. The British and the Czechs, however, have requested that either the text in brackets be deleted, or extra wording inserted to make it clear that these should not be the ‘only' technologies covered in the action plan.

Diplomats said that the two countries represent a group of member states that are dissatisfied with Spain´s approach, including Poland, Denmark, Sweden and Estonia. Spain does, however, have support from France and Portugal, which are opposing any amendment to the draft statement.

Christian Estrosi, France´s industry minister, has described electrics cars as an “essential” technology.

Boosting the use of electric cars in Europe is a priority for the Spanish presidency. The issue was one of the main subjects at an informal meeting of industry ministers, chaired by Spain, that took place on 9 February in San Sebastián.

Miguel Sebastián, the Spanish industry minister, said after the 9 February meeting, which also involved the car industry and energy companies, that the electric car “has been born today in Europe”.

The European Automobile Manufacturers´ Association said after the San Sebastián meeting that “electric mobility will clearly play an important role in the future”, but that “at the same time it is important to maintain a broader approach to sustainable mobility”.

Environmental organisations Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, and Transport & Environment said in a joint report, published on 8 February, that electric vehicles “provide very promising opportunities for the future development of a sustainable transport sector”, but that “policies will have to change to make it happen”.

via Spain’s electric car plan drives into opposition  |  Policies  |  Transport  |  Road & rail | European Voice.