World Cup Taps into Hydro Power
by Mairi Beautyman, Berlin, Germany on 02. 6.06
In Europe, football frenzy is kicking into high gear. (Now that the Super Bowl’s over, we actually mean soccer—depending on what country you hail from.) During the four action-packed weeks of World Cup festivities (to learn about the climate neutral Finals click here) in Germany, stadiums, media centers, and hospitality areas alone will require power amounting to some 13 million kilowatt hours—that’s equal to the average annual consumption of 4000 homes. But thanks to Green Goal, the 2006 FIFA World Cup environment initiative, and minds at German power giant Energie Baden-Württemberg (EnBW), FIFA, and the Ecological Institute, much of this energy will come from eco-friendly hydroelectric power produced in Switzerland. In total, 13 million kilowatt hours will be fed into the German national grid between January and June 2006. Since Hydroelectric power does not produce carbon dioxide emissions, it is climate neutral.
"Fundamentally, Green Goal is a pioneering initiative in the intelligent and efficient application of the scarce resource we know as energy, and can function as a shining example for the conscious handling of an increasingly scarce commodity for billions of football fans around the globe," says EnBW marketing and sales director Detlef Schmidt.
In addition to lowering energy consumption, Green Goal includes increasing local public transport to and from FIFA World Cup games (reducing traffic) and cuts in unavoidable waste and water consumption. :: FIFA
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You need to know that Hydro Power is not climate neutral as you may think.
Several studies have demonstrated that methane is release in atmosphere at least for the first 25 years of a hydro power complex build with a dam. This methane is issued by the decomposition of the vegetation under water.
So, what is the worst ? Methane or carbon dioxide ?
Oh, by the way. I'm living in one of those part of the world who think that our hydro power production and our large forest should give us an advantage for the Kyoto Protocol. I'm talking about the province of Quebec.
Simon, the methane problem doesn't seem unsurmountable; couldn't they just clear the vegetation before building the dam? That would be a better use of all that wood and biomass anyway.
btw, I'm in Quebec too, in Outaouais.