energy crisis – आवारा मुसाफिर

Hungarians pedal hard to power up lights on Budapest Christmas tree

November 30, 2022459 Views

A bicycle pedalled by passers-by powers up a Christmas tree-shaped light installation in Budapest, as the local mayor applies sustainable technology to celebrate the festive season while saving on surging energy costs. The tree only lights up fully while someone keeps pedalling really hard, which encourages families with their kids to stop and give it a try. The bicycle also charges a battery that, along with solar panels, powers up the rest of the lights around the Budapest square. "One the one hand, we keep moving in this cold weather. On the other, we can experience how much one needs to pedal to light up a six meter-high Christmas tree decoration," said Gergely Orsi, the mayor of Budapest's 2nd district. "For us, it shows an example that sustainability is the future." ...

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In a land of spas, Hungary’s cave bath falls victim to soaring gas prices

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October 10, 2022988 Views

Staff turned off the lights and started draining the pools at Hungary's famous Miskolctapolca cave baths on Monday, after the centuries-old attraction succumbed to a modern-day crisis - soaring gas prices. Visitors have been coming to the vast cavern since before Roman times to bathe in its naturally heated waters. In recent years, the venue has relied on gas to top up the temperatures in the pools and the caves, particularly during winter. Bathers relax at the Cave Bath in Miskolctapolca, Hungary, October 7, 2022. REUTERS/Krisztina Fenyo But then Russia invaded Hungary's neighbour Ukraine, sending shockwaves across the global economy and energy markets. For Miskolctapolca, and other businesses across Europe and beyond, that has filtered through in the form of crippling bills. ...

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Music stops: Energy costs close Hungary theaters for winter

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October 4, 2022200 Views

A theater in Hungary’s capital will sit through a cold and quiet winter after its managers chose to shut it down rather than pay skyrocketing utility prices that are putting a squeeze on businesses and cultural institutions across Europe. The 111-year-old Erkel Theatre in Budapest, one of three performance spaces of the prestigious Hungarian State Opera, will close its doors in November after exponentially rising energy bills made heating the 1,800-seat building unsustainable. “We had to decide how we can save,” said Szilveszter Okovacs, director of the Hungarian State Opera. “Even though it hurts to decide to close Erkel for a few months, it’s completely rational.” A shadow is cast on the stage of the Trafo House of Contemporary Arts while technicians set up the lighting in Buda...

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Amid energy squeeze, Paris’ Champs-Elysees trims shop lights

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September 21, 2022445 Views

Paris’ Champs-Elysees says it will be switching off the lights on the famed avenue hours earlier each night until further notice to help save energy as the war in Ukraine squeezes the electricity market in Europe. The plan announced Tuesday means that lights on the avenue will go dark at 10 p.m. instead of the current 1 a.m. It will take effect on Oct. 15. Shops on the avenue that remain open past 10 p.m. will “naturally” have an exemption, the committee governing the avenue said. The ruling affects dozens of luxury boutiques but will not affect public street lamps. FILE PHOTO: Spectators gather to attend the Champs Elysee Avenue illumination ceremony for the Christmas season, in Paris, Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) The avenue’s dazzling Christmas illuminations...

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Eiffel Tower to go dark earlier as Paris saves energy

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September 13, 2022589 Views

Lights on the Eiffel Tower will soon be turned off more than an hour earlier at night to save electricity, the Paris mayor announced Tuesday, as Russia’s war in Ukraine deepens an energy crisis in Europe. Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the iconic tower that is normally illuminated until 1 a.m. is only one of the city’s monuments and municipal buildings that will be plunged into darkness earlier in the evening as the French capital — like the rest of France and Europe — faces risks of power shortages, rationing and blackouts when energy demand surges this winter. FILE PHOTO: People walk on a bridge next to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Wednesday Feb. 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Rafael Yaghobzadeh, File) Russia has reduced natural gas supplies to several European countries as they support Ukraine, se...