Feed aggregator

The European Defence Agency (EDA) last week successfully installed energy management equipment at camp Koulikoro, the location for the European Union’s Training Mission (EUTM) in Mali. The equipment is part of EDA’s Smart Camp Technical Demonstrator project which analyses the benefits of integrating new technologies into traditional power grids for deployed camps.

The elements installed include fixed solar photovoltaic panels on a test building (16KWp), flexible soldier portable solar photovoltaic panels as well as monitoring and metering equipment for water and electricity. The test building is occupied by the Belgium contingent who will provide valuable feedback regarding end-user experience with energy demand management. 

Objective of Demonstrator

The demonstrator will be installed initially for a test phase of twelve weeks. The objectives are to:

1. Test efficiency of various types of photovoltaic panels in specific climatic conditions;
2. Test the integration of renewables with battery storage in a deployment scenario;
3. Test demand management technology and its impact, if any, on inhabitants;
4. Raise awareness of energy efficiency and renewable energy as a military capability;
5. Encourage energy efficient behaviour among troops;
6. Collect reliable data for analysis and sharing with other Member States and further work;
7. Collect data to develop benchmarks for planning support tools for CSDP operations.

Further Opportunities for Energy & Environment Management

Following the test phase, further work can be envisaged including an upscaling of the equipment installed to provide more renewable power to the camp, water management technologies, waste management technologies including waste to energy conversion and further efficiency measures. A full report will be presented at the next Energy & Environment working group meeting on 12 and 13 November in Brussels.

 

More information:

• More information on the Agency's energy and environment programme is available here. 

Austrian Oberaigner 6x6 Light Utility Vehicle

(Own report) - At Berlin's insistence, the EU foreign ministers decided, Monday, to temporarily suspend EU sanctions on Belarus, at least for the next four months. Because of the Ukrainian conflict, Minsk is confronting grave economic and foreign policy difficulties. Because of Russia's economic crisis, Belarusian imports have been drastically reduced and Minsk is forced to seek alternate markets. President Alyaksandr Lukashenka is also worried that Russia's overwhelming power could threaten Belarus' independence and therefore, is actively intensifying his own foreign policy initiatives. To acquire alternate markets and maintain its independence, Minsk cannot avoid reinforcing its relations to the West. Berlin's political establishment is closely monitoring these developments. There is an opportunity for "successfully implementing structural changes" in Belarus, as experts declared just before Sunday's presidential elections. In the hope of weakening Minsk's ties to Moscow and strengthening its bonds to the western hegemonic sphere, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier made a plea for suspending the sanctions. Berlin's political PR is ill at ease with this year's Nobel Literature Prize laureate, Svetlana Alexievich's warning to maintain sanctions - in conformity with EU policy until now.

"Comment Staline a-t-il utilisé un certain nombre d'hommes politiques français ?" : conférence passionnante de Stéphane Courtois, à regarder impérativement.

Au cours d’une Assemblée Générale Extraordinaire tenue le Samedi 10 Octobre 2015 dans les nouveaux locaux flambants neufs de l’Ecole Nationale Supérieure Maritime ( ENSM )du HAVRE , l’Association des Capitaines et Officiers de la Marine Marchande et des Anciens Elèves de l’Ecole Nationale Supérieure Maritime ( ACOMMФAENSM ) et l’Association des élèves et anciens élèves des écoles de la Marine Marchande (HYDRO-SUP’MARINE) ont décidé de fusionner pour donner naissance à une unique association maritime au nom de ACOMM-AENSM-HSM (Association des Capitaines et Officiers de la Marine Marchande,

• Lire la suite de Marine marchande : L’ACOMM AENSN et Hydro Sup’Marine fusionnent

A l’occasion de la reprise au Maroc de la saison d’exportation des agrumes (oranges, clémentines…) et primeurs (tomates, courgettes, poivrons…), le Groupe CMA CGM et sa filiale OPDR lancent 5 services maritimes qui permettent de relier le Maroc aux principales zones de consommation (la Russie, l’Europe du Nord, l’Amérique du Nord, le Moyen-Orient, et l’Afrique).

• Lire la suite de CMA CGM renforce sa desserte du Maroc