Thread: Fossil Fuel Alternatives

• South Africa woos China to help solve energy crisis

South Africa is seeking affordable solar panels, wind turbines, battery storage and renewables technology from China, its electricity minister said on Tuesday, as it struggles to put an end to a crippling energy crisis.

South Africa, the world's 12th biggest carbon emitter, is grappling with the worst power outages on record while it has also secured Western donations to move away from heavily-polluting coal for power generation.

It wants to reduce daily rolling blackouts, sometimes up to 10 hours a day, but is also trying to ramp up its renewables capacity, especially solar, through industrial-scale plants and rooftop installations.

"We're looking to China to help us to resolve that problem with regards to the availability of equipment," Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa told reporters on the sidelines of a South Africa-China energy conference.

The country has up to 66 gigawatts (GW) of wind and solar projects in the pipeline, Ramokgopa said, adding that more than 5,500 megawatts (MW) out of this would come online by 2026.

State utility Eskom, which supplies 80% of the country's power, has a total installed capacity of 45 GW.

The bulk of the renewables power capacity would come from solar installations at homes and government buildings that will require a huge supply of solar PV panels, Ramokgopa said.

He said he would be taking a delegation to China in the coming weeks to build a "relationship with the Chinese", but ruled out seeking any financial support for debt-laden Eskom.

"We have gone to all other embassies, you are the only ones who have come back to us saying 'we will assist you without any condition'," Ramokgopa said.

Siyabonga Cwele, South Africa's ambassador to China, said via a video message that China's advanced and affordable technology could help South Africa achieve its energy goals.

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• US installs 9GW solar, wind in four months

Data released by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) suggests that new installed utility solar and wind capacity exceeded 9GW in the first third of 2023.

A review by the SUN DAY Campaign of FERC data suggests that installed utility-scale solar and wind generating capacity grew by 5390MW and 3620MW respectively in the first four months of this year.

FERC had earlier reported in its monthly "Energy Infrastructure Update" report for December 2022 that installed US utility-scale solar generating capacity had reached 80,400MW by the end of last year.
In its most recent report, with data through 30 April 2023, FERC estimated there was 85,790MW of installed solar generating capacity, not including new small-scale distributed PV systems.

The regulator also calculated that the 143,280MW of installed wind generating capacity at the end of 2022 had increased to 146,900MW between then and the period ending 30 April 2023.

Between May 2023 and April 2026, FERC anticipates 77,861MW of net new "high probability" utility-scale solar capacity additions accompanied by 19,935MW of net new "high probability" wind additions.

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• Enlight Energizes the First Wind Turbine at Genesis Wind, Israel's Largest Renewable Energy Project

Enlight Renewable Energy a leading global renewable energy platform, is pleased to announce the successful commissioning of the first wind turbine at Genesis Wind. With a total capacity of 207 MW, Genesis Wind is set to be the largest renewable energy project in Israel, revolutionizing the renewable energy landscape across the country.

The wind farm, located in Northern Israel, features 39 cutting-edge wind turbines from General Electric that will harness the abundant wind resources of the region. The 207 MW project is expected to provide clean energy equivalent to the yearly consumption of 70,000 households, saving 180,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually.

Moreover, Enlight's commissioning of Genesis Wind includes the electrification of the first privately developed HV 161 kV underground cable in Israel, extending 27 kilometers. This pioneering interconnection project will not only deliver electricity from Genesis Wind to population centers across the country, but also will enable Enlight to deliver electricity from additional renewable energy projects it is developing in the area. In a world that has become increasingly interconnection constrained, Enlight continues to focus on an interconnection-led “land and expand” strategy to develop utility scale renewable energy projects worldwide.

"The successful commissioning of the first wind turbine at Genesis Wind marks a significant milestone in Israel's renewable energy journey," said Gilad Yavetz, CEO at Enlight. "The Genesis Wind project further solidifies Enlight’s position as a key player in Israel's renewable energy sector, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to developing additional utility scale projects across the country, facilitated through our land and expand strategy focused on large scale projects around key interconnection infrastructure.”

Enlight anticipates that Genesis Wind will achieve full commercial operation by the end of the third quarter of 2023. In its first full year of operations, Genesis Wind is expected to generate $50m-52m of revenues and $40m-42m of EBITDA under a 20-year inflation linked PPA with the Israel Electric Corporation.

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• Arvato has switched to green power worldwide

Global supply chain and e-commerce service provider Arvato has been sourcing its electricity entirely from renewable sources since the beginning of 2023. The switch to green power has already saved 20,000 tons of CO2 compared to 2018 – the baseline year for the company's climate targets. In addition, Arvato is also increasingly expanding its own power generation using photovoltaic systems. Systems are already in operation at 18 locations worldwide. New systems are currently being installed in Düren and Dorsten, as well as an expansion in Poland. Feasibility studies are also being carried out at numerous other locations.

"By switching globally to green power, we have achieved an important goal in our sustainability strategy and thus also pay into Bertelsmann's overarching climate strategy," says Melanie Engler, Senior Expert Sustainability at Arvato. "At the same time, the switch to green electricity was easier to implement in some countries than in others." In Germany, for example, all sites have been using 100 percent green power since the beginning of 2021. All that was needed was to change the tariff with the energy provider. In countries such as Turkey, China or Poland, however, such a simple change in tariff is often not possible. Here, there is the possibility of acquiring so-called 'Renewable Energy Certificates' (RECs), which document that the purchased electricity comes from renewable energy sources. Each certificate serves as proof that one megawatt hour (MWh) of renewable energy was generated and fed into the grid. The certificates must be sourced as locally as possible, i.e. in the same energy market or in neighboring countries, and they must meet defined qualitative standards – these are key requirements on the part of Arvato and part of Bertelsmann's strategy. The aim is to increase local demand and promote the expansion of renewable energy projects.

"As a result of the 100 percent switch to green power, we only have little leverage for further measures in the area of Scope 2 emissions, i.e. the indirect emissions from purchased energy," explains Melanie Engler. "That's why we're now looking at further measures, focusing among other things on emissions caused by heat generation. In this way, we are setting the course for our second climate goal of halving site emissions by 2030 compared to 2018." In order for Arvato to make its contribution to the heat transition, the aim is to save heat energy and use climate-neutral heat pumps for generation.

Another focus is on growth that is as climate-neutral as possible, which entails new requirements for distribution centers. These have already been summarized in Arvato's own 'Global Sustainable Building Policy', which lists global standards for the nature of both owned and leased sites. Melanie Engler: "Furthermore, we also see additional potential in employee-related emissions. That's why we are working consistently to expand the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles at our sites and improve connections to local public transport. We also promote local job tickets, for example, and have introduced a ride-sharing app in France that could also be rolled out in other countries."

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• Renewable power project construction begins in China's Gobi Desert

China's 1st renewable power project in Gobi Desert starts construction

China's first ultra-high voltage (UHV) power transmission project in the desert began construction in the Tengger Desert in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region on Sunday, which will send power from northwest China to the central province of Hunan.

"The Ningxia-Hunan UHV power transmission project will deliver power generated at the bases in the Gobi Desert in Ningxia, including 9 gigawatts (GW) of photovoltaic power, 4 GW of wind power and 4.64 GW of supplementary coal power," said Xiang Li, Deputy Director of the Development Department at the State Grid Ningxia Electric Power Co.

Passing through provincial-level regions including Gansu, Shaanxi, Chongqing and Hubei, the 800-kilovolt UHV direct current power transmission project stretches 1,634 kilometers.

The project will be operational by 2025, with a total investment of 28.1 billion yuan (about $3.9 billion).

"The power generated by renewable energy will take up more than half of the total transmission capacity," Xiang added.

China has large deserts with abundant resources in solar and wind power. The construction of this project is another step forward for China's west-to-east power transmission program that balances the country's electricity supply and demand in different regions.

"Once put into operation, the Ningxia-Hunan UHV power transmission project will deliver over 36 billion kWh of electricity from Ningxia to Hunan annually, and reduce more than 16 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions," said Tan Junwu, Vice President of State Grid Hunan Electric Power Co.

• Iraq moves towards renewable energy

Iraq is moving towards renewable energy to make it a reliable source of power to meet the growing needs of the country.

Iraq, which suffers from a major drought crisis as a result of global warming and climate change, is seeking to move towards clean energy, especially solar energy, which abounds in the country, particularly during the burning summer when the temperature reaches 50 degrees Celsius.

The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, expressed Baghdad’s interest in investing in renewable energy due to its importance in the energy system and to face climate challenges that threaten the environment in most of the world, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.

Al-Sudani’s statement took place during his meeting with a delegation from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), headed by the director of the regional program for the Middle East and North Africa at IRENA, Zuhair Hamdi.

Al-Sudani explained that the Iraqi government will spare no effort to issue the legislation required to accelerate the transition towards renewable energy, especially with the availability of great capabilities in this field.

Iraq began taking actual steps to establish renewable energy systems based on solar energy. On March 12, the Iraqi Minister of Oil, Hayan Abdul-Ghani, announced that Iraq had signed a contract for a new solar energy project expected to produce 1,000 megawatts as part of the government’s investment goals.

The Iraqi Minister of Electricity, Ziyad Ali Fadel, revealed that Saudi investors are working on the construction of the first clean energy project in Iraq as part of the government’s plan for 2023, indicating that the project will be carried out in Najaf governorate in central Iraq.

Fadel said in a statement in mid-April that the ministry’s plan for next summer aims to reach a production rate of 24,000 megawatts.

A few days ago, the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity announced that Iraq’s electricity production exceeded 24,000 megawatts, a step it described as unprecedented.

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• Transgrid to invest $11 billion to ready Australian state for 100% renewables

Australia's most populous state will be ready for 100% renewable energy within a decade under a A$16.5 billion ($11.20 billion) infrastructure investment plan announced by a major grid operator on Wednesday.

Transgrid, privatised in 2015, will invest in batteries and other energy storage, as well as 2,500 kilometers (1,553.4 miles) of new transmission lines across an area larger than Texas for "secure operation" of the grid at up to 100% instantaneous renewables.

The company owns and operates over 13,000 km of transmission lines across New South Wales (NSW) state and the Australian Capital Territory.

"There will be no transition without transmission," Chief Executive Brett Redman said in a statement.

"With over 80% of coal-fired capacity in NSW expected to retire and 28 gigawatt of new renewable and storage capacity coming online in the next 10 years, we must urgently accelerate the investment in all areas of the energy transition."

Wednesday's plan highlights the scale of investment required to reach the Labor government's pledge to cut carbon emissions by 43% from 2005 levels by 2030 and how a sizable chunk of the spending falls outside building new wind, solar and hydro projects.

In a decade, 80% of today's coal-fired capacity, concentrated in a score of large plants, will close and billions will be needed to knit together a vast network of new energy to replace it. These will include hundreds of wind and solar projects and tens of millions of rooftop solar panels spread across the world's sixth-largest country.

The bulk of the funds, A$14 billion, will be spent on transmission lines to connect new clean energy projects to customers. Roughly A$2.2 billion will be spent on energy storage to secure the grid as coal plants close, including 10GW of batteries.

A final A$300 million will be spent on new staff and technology to operate the upgraded grid.

The project will be funded by a combination of private investment, government support and user charges, a spokesperson for Transgrid said.

While work has started on EnergyConnect, a 900km transmission line to connect grids across three states, most of the announced plan has not started.

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• China’s highest-altitude hydro-PV power station Kela begins operations

The Kela hydro-photovoltaic (PV) complementary power station, said to be the world’s largest and highest-altitude mega project, has commenced producing electricity.

The complementary hydro-PV power station is located in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, in Yajiang County, southwest Sichuan Province, China.

It lies at an altitude ranging between 4,000m and 4,600m, with its highest point being around 1,000m higher than Lhasa, the capital city of Southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region.

Kela power station covers a total of around 1,667ha of the area and has an installed capacity of one million kilowatts to generate an average of two billion kWh annually.

PowerChina Chengdu Engineering is responsible for the surveying, design, procurement, construction, commissioning, grid connection, and power generation for one-third of the project.

The Chinse engineering and construction company commenced the design planning for the Kela project in 2016 and started construction in July last year.

During the construction, the project encountered various challenges, including the low oxygen levels due to its high altitude, where the oxygen levels were up to 50% lower than the plains.

In addition, frequent extreme weather conditions such as strong winds, heavy snowfall, and freezing temperatures, along with tight deadlines, all the construction.

The construction team used its experience gained from constructing numerous high-altitude projects, including the world’s highest-altitude wind farm, to overcome the challenges.

Kela is a complementary hydro-PV power station, which combines solar and hydropower in an effective way to make it more stable.

The project is said to address the instability, fluctuation, and intermittency of PV power generation, which has a certain impact on the safety of the power grid.

Kela project will be connected to the Lianghekou hydroelectric power station, which was designed by PowerChina Chengdu, integrating the electricity generated into the power grid.

The project is estimated to save more than 600,000 tons of standard coal per annum and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 1.6 million tons.

In addition, the project drives the development of agriculture, animal husbandry, tourism, and transportation in the adjacent ethnic minority regions, said Global Times.

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• Want a climate-friendly flight? It's going to take a while and cost you more

When it comes to flying, going green may cost you more. And it’s going to take a while for the strategy to take off. Sustainability was a hot topic this week at the Paris Air Show, the world’s largest event for the aviation industry, which faces increasing pressure to reduce the climate-changing greenhouse gases that aircraft spew.

Even the massive orders at the show got an emissions-reduction spin: Airlines and manufacturers said the new planes will be more fuel-efficient than the ones they replace.

But most of those planes will burn conventional, kerosene-based jet fuel. Startups are working feverishly on electric-powered aircraft, but they won’t catch on as quickly as electric vehicles.

“It’s a lot easier to pack a heavy battery into a vehicle if you don’t have to lift it off the ground,” said Gernot Wagner, a climate economist at Columbia University.

That means sustainable aviation fuel has become the industry’s best hope to achieve its promise of net zero emissions by 2050. Aviation produces 2% to 3% of worldwide carbon emissions, but its share is expected to grow as travel increases and other industries become greener.

Sustainable fuel, however, accounts for just 0.1% of all jet fuel. Made from sources like used cooking oil and plant waste, SAF can be blended with conventional jet fuel but costs much more.

Suppliers are “going to be able to kind of set the price,” Molly Wilkinson, an American Airlines vice president, said at the air show. “And we fear that at that point, that price eventually is going to trickle down to the passenger in some form of a ticket price.”

With such a limited supply, critics say airlines are making overly ambitious promises and exaggerating how quickly they can ramp up the use of SAF. The industry even has skeptics: Nearly one-third of aviation sustainability officers in a GE Aerospace survey doubt the industry will hit its net zero goal by 2050.

Delta Air Lines is being sued in U.S. federal court by critics who say the carrier falsely bills itself as the world’s first carbon-neutral airline, and that Delta’s claim rests on carbon offsets that are largely bogus. The Atlanta-based airline says the charges are “without legal merit.”

Across the Atlantic, a consumer group known by its French acronym, BEUC, filed a complaint this week with the European Union’s executive arm, accusing 17 airlines of greenwashing.

The group says airlines are misleading consumers and violating rules on unfair commercial practices by encouraging customers to pay extra to help finance development of SAF and offset future carbon emissions created by flying.

In one case, the group’s researchers found Air France charging up to 138 euros ($150) for the green option.

“Sustainable aviation fuels, they are indeed the biggest technological potential to decarbonize the aviation sector, but the main problem … is that they are not available,” said Dimitri Vergne, a senior policy officer at BEUC.

“We know that before the end of the next decade — at least — they won’t be available in massive quantities” and won’t be the main source of fuel for planes, Vergne added.

Producers say SAF reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80%, compared with regular jet fuel, over its life cycle.

Airlines have been talking about becoming greener for years. They were rattled by the rise of “flight shaming,” a movement that encourages people to find less-polluting forms of transportation — or reduce travel altogether.

The issue gained urgency this year when European Union negotiators agreed on new rules requiring airlines to use more sustainable fuel starting in 2025 and rising sharply in later years.

The United States is pushing incentives instead of mandates. A law signed last year by President Joe Biden will provide tax breaks for developing cleaner jet fuel, but one of the credits will expire in just two years. Wilkinson, the American Airlines executive, said that was too short to entice sustainable fuel producers and that the credit should be extended by 10 years or longer.

The International Air Transport Association, an airline trade group, estimates that SAF could contribute 65% of the emissions reductions needed for the industry to hit its 2050 net-zero goal. But very few flights are powered by SAF because of the limited supply and infrastructure.

Just before the Paris Air Show opened, President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would contribute 200 million euros ($218 million) toward a 1 billion euro ($1.1 billion) plant to make SAF. Many airlines have touted investments in SAF producers such as World Energy, which has a plant in Paramount, California, and Finland’s Neste.

United Airlines plans to triple its use of SAF this year, to 10 million gallons — but it burned 3.6 billion gallons of fuel last year.

Some see sustainable fuel as a bridge to cleaner technologies, including larger electric planes or aircraft powered by hydrogen. But packing enough power to run a large electric plane would require a fantastic leap in battery technology.

Hydrogen must be chilled and stored somewhere — it couldn’t be carried in the wings of today’s planes, as jet fuel is.

“Hydrogen sounds like a good idea. The problem is the more you look into the details, the more you realize it’s an engineering challenge but also an economics challenge,” Richard Aboulafia of AeroDynamic Advisory, an aerospace consultancy, said at the Paris Air Show. “It’s within the realm of possibility, (but) not for the next few decades.”

Biden: 'You're Not Gonna See Anybody Building A New Coal Fired Plant In America'

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• Renewable share of German power use climbs to 52.3% in first half

Renewable energy accounted for 52.3% of Germany's power consumption in the first six months of the year, up 3.1 points from a year earlier, on higher solar production and lower overall electricity usage, data showed on Tuesday.

That was up from a renewable share of 49.2% in the first six months of 2022, according to utility group BDEW and the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research (ZSW).

Germany wants green power from solar, wind, biomass and hydroelectric generation to account for 80% of its energy mix by 2030, as it abandons nuclear power and aims to cut most of its coal generation and use gas plants mostly for grid back-up.

The preliminary figures showed higher photovoltaic production in May and June, due to favourable weather.

They also reflected far lower power consumption in the first half of 2023 when electricity usage fell 6.5% year-on-year to 262.8 terawatt hours (TWh), BDEW noted in a statement.

The data was calculated under a European Union requirement to base the green share on usage rather than production, a method adopted by the Berlin government for its climate targets, BDEW said.

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• 68 more renewable energy projects eyed in W. Visayas

The Department of Energy (DOE) announced on Wednesday that 68 indicative renewable energy (RE) projects with a potential capacity of 14,245 megawatts are being eyed in Western Visayas, while 29 projects are already operating with an installed capacity of 708 megawatts.

Engineer Gaspar Escobar Jr., chief of the Technical Services and Management Division of the Renewable Energy Management Bureau, said that of the 68 projects, 24 are for hydropower, 17 for offshore wind, 14 for solar, 12 for onshore wind, and one for geothermal.

In a press conference ahead of the 2023 Investment Forum on Renewable Energy at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel, Escobar said the DOE continues to study programs and policies for the high integration of renewable energy in the power mix.

Energy Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara said Western Visayas is now 28 percent into transitioning to renewable energy as of 2021.

The National Renewable Energy Program (NREP) 2020-2040 sets a target of at least 35 percent RE share in the power generation mix by 2030 and to increase it to 50 percent by 2040.

Bacolod City Mayor Abelardo Benitez, who also serves as the chairperson of the Western Visayas Regional Development Council, said the transition to renewable energy, aside from helping address the issue of climate change, will have other benefits for the region.

Benitez said renewable energy is currently the cheapest source that will lead the way for industries to come in due to cheaper electricity

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• Sonnedix powers up 160mw Chilean-pv-project

Sonnedix has launched operations at its 160MW solar photovoltaic plant Sonnedix Meseta de los Andes in Chile.

The development is the largest solar PV project in Central Chile and the company’s second largest site worldwide, Sonnedix said.

The construction of Sonnedix Meseta de los Andes started in June 2021, covering around 250 hectares within the Valparaíso Region of Chile, in the municipalities of Calle Larga and Los Andes.
During its construction phase, Sonnedix generated 300 local jobs, in line with its commitment to the social and economic development of the communities within which it operates.

The plant was completed by April 2023, connecting to the national energy system on 17 February 2023.

Chief executive of Sonnedix Axel Thiemann said: "The construction of a project like Sonnedix Meseta de los Andes is testament to our strong ambition to become a key player in the energy transition in Chile, and worldwide.

"Last year we initiated our journey to hybridisation in Chile with the acquisition of the Arco Energy platform, including wind projects into our portfolio, and currently we have almost 1.6GW of total renewable development pipeline in the country.

"This demonstrates our long-term commitment to the Chilean market, where we set foot eight years ago and we are now a main actor in its energy transition journey."

Sonnedix currently has more than 2.3GW of total capacity in the country, of which almost 700MW represent approximately 30 operational projects.

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• China on course to hit wind and solar power target five years ahead of time

China is shoring up its position as the world leader in renewable power and potentially outpacing its own ambitious energy targets, a report has found.

China is set to double its capacity and produce 1,200 gigawatts of energy through wind and solar power by 2025, reaching its 2030 goal five years ahead of time, according to the report by Global Energy Monitor, a San Francisco-based NGO that tracks operating utility-scale wind and solar farms as well as future projects in the country.

It says that as of the first quarter of the year, China’s utility-scale solar capacity has reached 228GW, more than that of the rest of the world combined. The installations are concentrated in the country’s north and north-west provinces, such as Shanxi, Xinjiang and Hebei.

In addition, the group identified solar farms under construction that could add another 379GW in prospective capacity, triple that of the US and nearly double that of Europe.

China has also made huge strides in wind capacity: its combined onshore and offshore capacity now surpasses 310GW, double its 2017 level and roughly equivalent to the next top seven countries combined. With new projects in Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Gansu and along coastal areas, China is on course to add another 371GW before 2025, increasing the global wind fleet by nearly half.

“This new data provides unrivalled granularity about China’s jaw-dropping surge in solar and wind capacity,” said Dorothy Mei, a project manager at Global Energy Monitor. “As we closely monitor the implementation of prospective projects, this detailed information becomes indispensable in navigating the country’s energy landscape.”

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• United Nations renewable energy program makes progress in Cuba

The northern part of the region, particularly in the municipalities of Nuevitas, Minas, Sierra de Cubitas and Esmeralda, which have been affected by weather events such as hurricanes in the last five years, is already being benefited, in a total of 340 remote houses.

According to the official website of Radio Cadena Agramonte, “the equipment has six panels, whose high quality inverter converts the direct current they generate into alternate current for the consumption of two kilowatts”.

This allows the use of various household appliances, such as televisions, fans and refrigerators, which cannot be used in other systems of this kind, he added.

The two-kilowatt power equipment comes from the European Union, are manufactured in China, and are distributed in all four central Cuban provinces (Camagüey, Ciego Avila, Sancti Spíritus and Villa Clara), which were affected in 2017 by Hurricane Irma, specifically in the northern municipalities.

The project, which has been implemented since 2022, prioritizes the most remote and distant communities from the provincial capital to improve the people’s living conditions.

In statements to local media, Juan Carlos Lacaba, senior specialist of the Renewable Energy Sources Business Unit, attached to the Provincial Electric Company, noted that “the UNDP focuses with this donation on vulnerable families, with women with more than one child and that their houses in unfavorable construction conditions, in addition all families that were affected by Hurricane Irma, and people who have no power by any means from the National Power System.”

https://www.plenglish.com/news/2023/...gress-in-cuba/

• ‘It was an accident’: the scientists who have turned humid air into renewable power

In the early 20th century, Serbian inventor Nikola Tesla dreamed of pulling limitless free electricity from the air around us. Ever ambitious, Tesla was thinking on a vast scale, effectively looking at the Earth and upper atmosphere as two ends of an enormous battery. Needless to say, his dreams were never realised, but the promise of air-derived electricity – hygroelectricity – is now capturing researchers’ imaginations again. The difference: they’re not thinking big, but very, very small.

In May, a team at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst published a paper declaring they had successfully generated a small but continuous electric current from humidity in the air. It’s a claim that will probably raise a few eyebrows, and when the team made the discovery that inspired this new research in 2018, it did.

“To be frank, it was an accident,” says the study’s lead author, Prof Jun Yao. “We were actually interested in making a simple sensor for humidity in the air. But for whatever reason, the student who was working on that forgot to plug in the power.”

The UMass Amherst team were surprised to find that the device, which comprised an array of microscopic tubes, or nanowires, was producing an electrical signal regardless.

Each nanowire was less than one-thousandth the diameter of a human hair, wide enough that an airborne water molecule could enter, but so narrow it would bump around inside the tube. Each bump, the team realised, lent the material a small charge, and as the frequency of bumps increased, one end of the tube became differently charged from the other.

“So it’s really like a battery,” says Yao. “You have a positive pull and a negative pull, and when you connect them the charge is going to flow.”

For their recent study, Yao’s team have moved on from nanowires, and instead are punching materials with millions of tiny holes, or nanopores. The device they have come up with is the size of a thumbnail, one-fifth the width of a human hair, and capable of generating roughly one microwatt – enough to light a single pixel on a large LED screen.

So what would it take to power the rest of the screen, or indeed a whole house? “The beauty is that the air is everywhere,” says Yao. “Even though a thin sheet of the device gives out a very tiny amount of electricity or power, in principle, we can stack multiple layers in vertical space to increase the power.”

That’s exactly what another team, Prof Svitlana Lyubchyk and her twin sons, Profs Andriy and Sergiy Lyubchyk, are trying to do. Svitlana Lyubchyk and Andriy are part of the Lisbon-based Catcher project, whose aim is “changing atmospheric humidity into renewable power”, and along with Sergiy they have founded CascataChuva, a startup intended to commercialise the research. They first began working on the idea in 2015, some time before Yao’s team at the UMass Amherst. “We were considered the freaks,” says Andriy. “The guys who were saying something completely impossible.”

In fact, trying to prove the worth of an early proof-of-concept at conferences had them literally red in the face. He says: “The signal was not stable and it was low. We were able to generate 300 milliwatts, but you had to put all your effort into your lungs in order to breathe enough humidity into the samples.”

They’ve come a long way since then, with Catcher and related projects receiving nearly €5.5m (£4.7m) in funding from the European Innovation Council. The result is a thin grey disc measuring 4cm (1.5in) across. According to the Lyubchyks, one of these devices can generate a relatively modest 1.5 volts and 10 milliamps. However, 20,000 of them stacked into a washing machine-sized cube, they say, could generate 10 kilowatt hours of power a day – roughly the consumption of an average UK household. Even more impressive: they plan to have a prototype ready for demonstration in 2024.

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• ‘Revolutionary’ solar power cell innovations break key energy threshold

Solar power cells have raced past the key milestone of 30% energy efficiency, after innovations by multiple research groups around the world. The feat makes this a “revolutionary” year, according to one expert, and could accelerate the rollout of solar power.

Today’s solar panels use silicon-based cells but are rapidly approaching their maximum conversion of sunlight to electricity of 29%. At the same time, the installation rate of solar power needs to increase tenfold in order to tackle the climate crisis, according to scientists.

The breakthrough is adding a layer of perovskite, another semiconductor, on top of the silicon layer. This captures blue light from the visible spectrum, while the silicon captures red light, boosting the total light captured overall. With more energy absorbed per cell, the cost of solar electricity is even cheaper, and deployment can proceed faster to help keep global heating under control.

The perovskite-silicon “tandem” cells have been under research for about a decade, but recent technical improvements have now pushed them past the 30% milestone. Experts said that if the scaling-up of production of the tandem cells proceeds smoothly, they could be commercially available within five years, about the same time silicon-only cells reach their maximum efficiency.

Two groups published the details of their efficiency breakthroughs in the journal Science on Thursday, and at least two others are known to have pushed well beyond 30%.

“This year is a revolutionary year,” said Prof Stefaan De Wolf, at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia. “It’s very exciting that things are moving rapidly with multiple groups.”

The current efficiency record for silicon-only solar cells is 24.5% in commercial cells and 27% in the laboratory. The latter may well be as close the cells can practically get to the theoretical maximum of 29%.

But one group, led by Prof Steve Albrecht at the Helmholtz Center Berlin for Materials and Energy in Germany, has now published information about how they achieved efficiencies of up to 32.5% for silicon-perovskite cells. The other group, led by Dr Xin Yu Chin at the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland, demonstrated an efficiency of 31.25% and said tandem cells had the “potential for both high efficiency and low manufacturing costs”.

“What these two groups have shown are really milestones,” said De Wolf. His own group achieved 33.7% efficiency with a tandem cell in June, but has yet to publish the results in a journal. All the efficiency measurements were independently verified.

“Overcoming the 30% threshold provides confidence that high performance, low-cost PVs can be brought to the market,” said De Wolf. Global solar power capacity reached 1.2 terawatts (TW) in 2022. “Yet to avert the catastrophic scenarios associated with global warming, the total capacity needs to increase to about 75TW by 2050,” he said.

The solar industry is also part of the race to high efficiency. Chinese company LONGi, the world’s biggest producer of solar cells, announced in June they had reached 33.5% in their research. “Reducing the cost of electricity remains the perpetual theme driving the development of the photovoltaic industry,” said Li Zhenguo, the president of LONGi.

“The industry is running very, very fast,” De Wolf said. “And I’m sure that multiple companies are working on this in China.” Europe and the US need to increase its research and development funding to keep up and contribute to an accelerating roll out of solar power, he said.

Snip

There are other technologies, such as multi-junction cells, which can have efficiencies as high as 47%, but these are very expensive to produce and would only be suitable for niche uses such as on space satellites or when sunlight is highly concentrated on to the cells.

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• UAE announces plans to invest $54B in energy and triple renewable sources

The United Arab Emirates plans to triple its supply of renewable energy and invest up to $54 billion over the next seven years to meet its growing energy demands.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE’s vice president and ruler of Dubai, announced the plans on Monday following a Cabinet meeting. They also include investments in low-emission hydrogen fuel and developing infrastructure for electric vehicles.

He said the updated national energy strategy “aims to triple the contribution of renewable energy over the next seven years and invest 150 billion to 200 billion dirhams ($40 billion to $54 billion) during the same period to meet the country’s growing demand for energy.”

The major oil-producing nation has pledged to be carbon-neutral by 2050, without fully explaining how, and is hosting the COP28 climate summit later this year.

The latest announcement included the formation of an Investment Ministry to be led by Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi. He currently serves as the deputy chairman of Masdar, a clean energy firm that has committed tens of billions of dollars to worldwide projects.

Sultan al-Jaber, the chairman of Masdar and CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co – a state-owned firm producing millions of barrels of crude oil daily – was appointed as president of the upcoming climate summit, which will be held in Dubai.

His appointment drew criticism from environmentalists, who fear the UAE will resist efforts to reduce fossil fuel sales. Organizers of the summit say they are hoping for big results but that oil producers must have a seat at the table.

The UAE’s oil wealth powered its transformation into a major hub for business and tourism, known for the futuristic cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The country requires vast amounts of energy to power the desalination plants that irrigate its desert golf courses, air conditioners that cool its sprawling malls, and heavy industries such as aluminum smelters.

The UAE has a nuclear power plant, as well as a large solar park in Dubai that met 15% of the city’s needs last year, leaving it mostly reliant on natural gas imported from Qata

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• TDK now using 100% renewable energy electricity in all Japan manufacturing sites, expanding efforts globally

TDK Corporation (TSE: 6762) has announced that 100% of the electricity used in all manufacturing sites in Japan are now from renewable energy sources as of July 1, 2023, resulting from initiatives to purchase electricity from Tohoku Electric Power Co., Ltd. and other domestic power companies sourced from renewable energy.

TDK is taking action to achieve at least 50% renewable energy as a share of total worldwide electricity consumption of TDK Group worldwide by fiscal 2025, marking the halfway point to its overall goal of 100% renewable energy in 2050, which coincides with the company’s 2050 net-zero environmental charter. With this initiative in Japan, 44 of all of our manufacturing sites worldwide (81 sites) are operating with 100% renewable energy as of July 2023, resulting in a current renewable energy introduction rate of around 40%.

TDK Group is also pursuing the following initiatives at its worldwide manufacturing sites:

Installation of photovoltaics (to convert light into electricity) at specific Amperex Technology Limited (ATL) sites (a consolidated subsidiary of TDK manufacturing rechargeable batteries), and the use of renewable energy electricity since January 2022 at one of its sites.

Converting electricity from geothermal sources since July 2022 for all electricity used at TDK Philippines Corporation (a consolidated subsidiary of TDK manufacturing passive components)

Installation of photovoltaic systems at TDK Electronics (a consolidated subsidiary of TDK manufacturing passive components) sites around the world – including Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Malaysia, Spain, and more.

The entire TDK Group will continue to introduce renewable energy at its manufacturing sites worldwide and will contribute to the realization of a sustainable society by aiming to convert 100% of energy use to renewable energy by 2050.

https://www.tdk.com/en/news_center/p...230705_01.html

• UN maritime shipping agency sets net-zero goal for 2050

Countries belonging to the United Nations’s shipping agency reached an agreement Friday to reach net zero emissions from shipping by midcentury.

In the announcement, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said the deal will set a target of net zero by 2050 from shipping among its 175 countries, “taking into account different international circumstances.” Maritime shipping comprises about 3 percent of global carbon emissions.

The agreement is “not the end goal, [but] it is in many ways a starting point for the work that needs to intensify even more over the years and decades ahead of us,” IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim said in a statement. “However, with the Revised Strategy that you have now agreed on, we have a clear direction, a common vision, and ambitious targets to guide us to deliver what the world expects from us.”

The agreement was met with umbrage by marine conservation groups, who called it too little, too late and castigated the UN body for not setting hard emissions reduction targets for the end of this decade and the next. The Clean Shipping Coalition credited Pacific island nations, which are particularly vulnerable to climate change, for the goals in the final agreement, but called the target far less than what is necessary to keep warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, the threshold identified in the Paris Climate Agreement.

“There is no excuse for this wish and a prayer agreement. They knew what the science required, and that a 50 percent cut in emissions by 2030 was both possible and affordable. Instead the level of ambition agreed is far short of what is needed to be sure of keeping global heating below 1.5ºC and the language seemingly contrived to be vague and non-committal,” said John Maggs, president of the coalition, in a statement.

“The most vulnerable put up an admirable fight for high ambition and significantly improved the agreement but we are still a long way from the IMO treating the climate crisis with the urgency that it deserves and that the public demands,” he added.

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• World Bank approves $1.5 billion for green energy in India

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has recently approved 1.5 billion dollars in financing to accelerate India’s development of low-carbon energy.

In a statement, the World Bank has said that the financing will help India promote low-carbon energy by scaling up renewable energy, developing green hydrogen, and stimulating climate finance for low-carbon energy investments.

“India is one of the fastest-growing large economies in the world. While the country’s energy consumption per capita is only one-third of the global average, India’s energy demand is expected to grow rapidly as the economy expands. This calls for a phasing down of fossil-based energy sources in line with India’s goal of achieving net-zero by 2070,” said the World Bank statement.

The industrial sector is the main driver for future growth of energy demand and emissions, and green hydrogen can play a critical role in initially decarbonising the hard-to-abate industrial sectors, such as fertiliser and refinery industries, and later heavy industries, including iron and steel.

“India has achieved impressive progress in renewable energy installed capacity and a decline in costs. Scaling up the production of renewable energy will accelerate the transition to low-carbon electricity and support the emergence and expansion of the green hydrogen sector,” said the statement.

The financing programme is the first in two operations and aims to support India in developing green hydrogen. The low-carbon energy is produced by electrolysis of water powered by renewable energy. The
operation will help stimulate private financing and other support by addressing viability funding gaps, reducing off-taker risks, boosting grid integration of renewables, and stimulating demand for renewable energy.

“The programme will support the successful implementation of the National Green Hydrogen Mission that aims to stimulate $100 billion in private sector investment by 2030,” said Auguste Tano Kouame

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• Croatia adopts regulations to facilitate renewables growth

The Government of Croatia has adopted the long-awaited decree on incentives for electricity generation from renewable sources and high-efficiency cogeneration, simplifying administrative procedures and paving the way for renewables growth. However, rules and prices for grid connection are yet to be determined.

The decree sets out the terms for obtaining and using renewable energy incentives, both market premiums and feed-in tariffs, according to an announcement from the government. For example, it prescribes that the energy market operator must organize public bidding at least once in three years to award market premiums and/or incentives with a guaranteed purchase price, within the available quotas.

Also, the investor in a power plant who enters into a contract with the energy market operator on a market premium or power purchase at a guaranteed price must obtain the status of a privileged electricity producer for the facility within four years.

The decree regulates the methodologies for calculating the maximum price of electricity, maximum guaranteed purchase prices, depending on the type, capacity and technology of facilities, as well as the methodology for calculating benchmark market prices of electricity.

The government also adopted the decree on the criteria for public bidding for energy permits, and the terms and conditions for issuing an energy permit.

Bills on amendments to the laws on renewable energy sources and the electricity market were also adopted at the government session.

The renewable energy association at the Croatian Chamber of Economy (HGK) welcomed the adoption of the decrees, describing them as crucial for further investment in renewable energy in Croatia.

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• Egypt Grants Land to Norway’s Scatec for $5 Billion Wind Power Plant

Egypt’s Ministry of Electricity and Renwable Energy signed a USD 5 billion (EGP 154.5 billion) agreement with Norwegian renewable energy company Scatec to develop a five-gigawatt wind power plant, according to a social media press release published by the Egyptian Cabinet on 5 July.

The project, which I will be realised in Egypt’s West Sohag, aims to contribute to Egypt’s goal of increasing its renewable energy capacity by becoming one of the biggest wind stations in the world.

“It will contribute to the achievement of the goals of the Egyptian government with regard to doubling renewable energy contribution to its energy mix,” stated CEO of Scatec Terje Pilskog.

The Cabinet highlighted that Norway’s investment will play a crucial role in helping Egypt achieve its goal of having renewable energy account for 42 percent of its overall energy usage by 2030.

“The collaboration between the Egyptian government and private sector entities, such as Scatec, leverages international expertise in renewable energy, making significant strides towards sustainable economic growth,” reads the cabinet’s statement.

The wind power station project in West Sohag is expected to create around 8,000 job opportunities during the construction phase, providing a significant boost to employment in the region. An additional 300 permanent job opportunities will be available once the station is operational.

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• California, truck manufacturers strike deal on zero-emission plan

California and some of the nation’s biggest truck manufacturers have reached an agreement aimed at smoothening the industry’s transition to 100 percent zero-emission sales by 2036.

The plan announced Thursday incorporates measures that help the trucking industry meet California’s emissions requirements while enabling the state to simultaneously reach its climate goals, according to those involved.

In striking this compromise, the state averts a potential legal battle with major truck manufacturers, who have long been challenging California’s unmatched emissions requirements as technologically and economically unfeasible.

“Today, truck manufacturers join our urgent efforts to slash air pollution, showing the rest of the country that we can both cut dangerous pollution and build the economy of the future,” Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said in a statement.

The Clean Truck Partnership, a joint initiative of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association, includes the industry’s biggest players: Cummins Inc.; Daimler Truck North America; Ford Motor Company; General Motors Company; Hino Motors Limited Inc.; Izuzu Technical Center of America Inc.; Navistar Inc.; Stellantis N.V.; and Volvo Group North America.

Among the terms of the agreement is a commitment on CARB’s part to align with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2027 regulations for nitrogen oxide emissions — regulations that are less stringent than those promoted by California.

The EPA’s rule, cemented in December, aims to cut nitrogen oxide emissions by 50 percent by 2045 — a weaker rendition of a previous version that would have cut this type of pollution by about 60 percent in the same period.

In 2020, California’s regulatory body adopted first-of-their-kind rules that sought to expedite the transition of diesel trucks and vans to zero-emission models and reduce nitrogen oxide emissions.

Through these measures, 40 percent of tractor trailers, 55 percent of small trucks and 75 percent of heavy trucks and vans sold in California by 2035 would need to be zero-emission. But already by 2024, 5 percent of trailers, 5 percent of small trucks and 9 percent of heavy trucks would need to meet such standards.

The Golden State, which typically leads other states on pollution regulation, had applied to the EPA for a special waiver to enforce these rules because the Clean Air Act prohibits states from implementing their own emissions standards.

Members of the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association have vehemently opposed California’s request, stressing that while they “support a program that can be a successful bridge to a zero-emission commercial vehicle future,” that plan “is not technologically feasible.”

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• Scatec’s Northern Cape projects averred to showcase strides in renewable energy storage

The initiation of Scatec’s three Kenhardt projects, in the Northern Cape, exemplifies the renewable power producer’s strides in innovation in integrating storage technologies into renewable energy projects, sub-Saharan Africa executive VP Jan Fourie extolls.

These projects, built under the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme, involve a total capital expenditure approaching $1-billion, representing one of the most extensive photovoltaic endeavours globally, he outlines.

He highlights that owing to their unique design, incorporating a total solar capacity of 540 MW and a battery storage capacity of 225 MW/1 140 MWh, they are pioneers, and upon completion, will rank among the world’s largest solar and battery hybrid installations.

“More than just large-scale, these projects are transformative in that the utility-scale energy storage solutions will allow renewable solar energy to become fully dispatchable – and to flexibly meet the demands of the grid in real-time,” Fourie acclaims.

He avers that the Kenhardt projects provide a glimpse into the future of energy storage.

With these expected to provide 150 MW of dispatchable power under a 20-year power purchase agreement, these plants will considerably alleviate the power shortages currently experienced in the region, highlighting the critical role of energy storage on South Africa’s road towards energy security, and the battle against the ongoing loadshedding crisis, he notes.

He informs that Scatec will retain a 51% stake in the project, while the remaining 49% will be held by local partner H1 Holdings.

The company’s role as the engineering, procurement and construction provider mandates it to provide operation and maintenance and asset management services for the power plants.

https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/ar...age-2023-07-14

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• BayWa starts operations at Bracks solar farm

The renewable energy arm of BayWa has achieved commercial operations at its Bracks Farm Solar Park in the UK.

The project, which is located approximately 2km to the east of Wicken in Cambridgeshire, produces enough clean energy to supply 8000 homes with green, renewable energy per year.

The completion of the site brings the total solar capacity installed by BayWa r.e. in the UK to just over 350MWp.
Construction on Bracks started in September 2022, and the project was sold to the UK’s Railways Pension Scheme, managed by Railpen, at the end of last year.

BayWa r.e. will provide long-term O&M, as well as commercial asset management services for the solar project.

In partnership with Grune Energien Solar, BayWa r.e. has also recently received planning consent for the development of the Clump Farm and Hill Farm solar projects in Leicestershire.

With installed solar capacity of 49.9MWp and 18MWp respectively, these projects will be able to supply up to 22,000 Leicestershire homes with green energy per year in what is a major contribution to both Hinkley and Bosworth Borough Council’s and Blaby District Council’s environmental objectives.

https://renews.biz/86991/baywa-start...ks-solar-farm/

• City of Dublin announces they are completely powered by renewable energy

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Based on their city's sustainability initiative, the City of Dublin has announced Wednesday their partnership with local business, IGA Energy.

This partnership has equipped city buildings, streetlights and EV charging stations with renewable energy, according to their statement.

The city also says they consider the partnership to be "an exciting step toward carbon neutrality," especially considering their goal of being "the most sustainable global city of choice."

“Dublin aspires to be a leader and example of sustainable city operations,” said Deputy City Manager, Robert Ranc. “We are proud to be working with not only a renewable energy provider, but a Dublin-based business to further this vision.”

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• Suzlon to supply turbines for 100MW wind farm in Tamil Nadu, India

Indian wind turbine maker Suzlon has secured an order from Everrenew Energy, a subsidiary of NTC Group, for the supply of wind turbines totalling 100.8MW to be installed at Velliyanani Phase II in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Located in the Karur district at Vengaimandalam in Trichy, the wind farm will include 48 Suzlon S120 – 2.1 MW turbines each with a rated capacity of 2.1MW and with hybrid lattice tubular towers.

Suzlon will supply the turbines and supervise the execution and commissioning of the project.

Commissioning will take place in March 2024.

Suzlon Group CEO JP Chalasani stated: “We are delighted to announce our first order with Everrenew Energy Private Limited. Suzlon takes pride in valued customers like Everrenew Energy, one of India’s fast-growing renewable energy project management companies. They have put their trust in our leading technology and comprehensive capabilities throughout the wind energy value chain.

“The power generated from this project will target the commercial and industrial consumer segment, creating deeper penetration of renewable energy in India. Suzlon is committed to driving Indian industries toward their net-zero targets and powering the domestic economy with green energy.”

The wind farm will generate enough energy to power 65,000 Indian households while reducing CO₂ emissions by 258,000 tonnes annually.

India's wind power capacity soars 165% in Q2 2023

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• St Baker to build 1.2 GWh battery plant in Philippines

The founder and deputy chair of Australian-based investment firm St Baker Energy Innovation Fund plans to establish a lithium-ion phosphate battery manufacturing plant in the Philippines with annual production capacity of 1.2 GWh by the end of the decade.

Queensland-based energy entrepreneur Trevor St Baker has announced he will invest $10 million (USD 6.81 million) to establish a battery manufacturing plant in the Philippines as he looks to further capitalise on the “once-in-a-century” global renewable energy transition.

The factory, to be built in the Philippines’ free-trade zone at New Clark City about 130 kilometres north of eth national capital Manila, is expected to commence commercial operations early next year.

St Baker said the plant, dubbed the StB Giga Factory, would produce lithium-ion phosphate batteries for residential and commercial-scale energy storage applications. He also noted the batteries will be suitable for use in electric vehicles (EV) and EV charging stations.

“StB Giga Factory is positioned to capture the once-in-century transition towards a renewable energy electricity system, in which lithium-ion batteries are expected to play a pivotal role,” he said.

“Our battery products will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve fuel independence, improve electricity reliability, decrease the grid reliance for EV charging at peak system demand times, and with major electricity cost savings for households and businesses, and transport users generally.”

The plant, which will target domestic demand in the Philippines and export to Australia, the United States, India and countries in the Asia-Pacific region, is forecast to have an initial output of 150 MWh per year, rising to full first-stage production capacity of 1.2 GWh by 2030.

St Baker said he does expect the production capacity will continue to scale up as the global demand for battery energy storage systems grows.

The factory will be built in property develop Filinvest Innovation’s 120-hectare industrial park at New Clark City with St Baker Energy Innovation Fund having already signed a five-year lease for a 5,000 square metre factory unit.

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• Germany installs 15gw onshore wind in h1

In the first half of 2023, 331 onshore wind turbines with a cumulative capacity of 1565MW were installed in Germany.

Deutsche WindGuard on behalf of BWE and VDMA Power Systems has gathered the data.

Gross additions in the first half of 2023 are already 65% of the additions for 2022 as a whole.
Despite the existing challenges, the upper range of the association forecast of 2.7GW to 3.2GW is expected to be achieved.

The associations are positive about the measures taken by the federal government to date and the current dynamics in terms of expansion and approvals but stated they are “still far from sufficient” to meet the expansion path of 10GW per year from 2025.

Bärbel Heidebroek, President of the German Wind Energy Association BWE, said: "The current expansion is mainly based on the permits of previous years. Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia lead the expansion ranking at a subdued level and benefit from the weakness of other federal states in terms of expansion.

“In southern Germany in particular, expansion continues to falter, but there is also considerable room for improvement in the leading countries.

“The sharp increase in permits is based on North Rhine-Westphalia, Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony and, to a lesser extent, Brandenburg.

“These are too few countries! Significantly more speed is now needed in all countries.

“In order to achieve the targeted annual expansion of 10GW, at least 12GW must be newly approved.”

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• 'Breakthrough' geothermal tech produces 3.5 megawatts of carbon-free power

Fervo Energy says it has achieved a breakthrough in geothermal technology. It carried out a 30-day well test at its site in northern Nevada and says it was able to achieve a "flowrate of 63 liters per second at high temperature that enables 3.5 megawatts of electric production." The company says the test resulted in flow and power output records for an enhanced geothermal system (EGS) and that it was completed without incident.

A megawatt can power around 750 homes at once. Fervo is expected to connect its Project Red site to the grid this year. It will be used to power Google data centers and some of the company's other Nevada infrastructure. Google and Fervo signed an agreement in 2021 to develop a "next-generation geothermal power project."

This is the first time an energy company has shown that an EGS can work on a commercial scale, according to Bloomberg. It's been a long road to reach this point, as scientists have been trying to make EGS a reality since the 1970s.

For a natural geothermal system to produce electricity, it needs a combination of heat, fluid and rock permeability, as Bloomberg notes. In many areas, the rock has the required levels of heat, but not enough permeability for fluid to flow through it.

An EGS creates this permeability artificially by drilling deep underground and injecting fluid to create fractures in the rock. That approach can vastly increase the number of potential sites for a geothermal power plant.

Fervo says it's the first company to "successfully drill a horizontal well pair for commercial geothermal production, achieving lateral lengths of 3,250 feet, reaching a temperature of 191°C, and proving controlled flow through rigorous tracer testing."

One of the major advantages of geothermal power plants is that they're entirely carbon free — Google aims to run all of its offices and data centers on carbon-free energy by 2030. These plants can also operate at any time (unlike solar and wind), making geothermal energy a compelling source of renewable power. However, cost reductions and regulatory red tape are barriers to making EGS more broadly available, according to Fervo CEO Tim Latimer.

The company is hoping to replicate its success at a site in Utah. If Fervo sees similar results there and it successfully implements design upgrades to maximize output, the site is expected to generate enough electricity to power 300,000 homes simultaneously, Latimer said. That's around a quarter of all homes in Utah.

“Achieving our goal of operating on 24/7 carbon-free energy will require new sources of firm, clean power to complement variable renewables like wind and solar,” Michael Terrell, Google's senior director for energy and climate, said in a statement. “We partnered with Fervo in 2021 because we see significant potential for their geothermal technology to unlock a critical source of 24/7 carbon-free energy at scale, and we are thrilled to see Fervo reach this important technical milestone.”

https://www.engadget.com/breakthroug...210032356.html

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• British tycoon plans to launch an electric airline that will serve plant-based food

British entrepreneur Dale Vince on Monday announced plans to launch an electric airline that will be powered using renewable energy — and those behind the project hope it will mark the start of a new era in air travel.

The formation of Ecojet represents the latest attempt to reduce the environmental footprint of aviation. Flights in the U.K. will begin in 2024. Trips to mainland Europe will follow, and long-haul journeys are also in the works.

Ecojet will use 19- and 70-seat turboprop aircraft. While the goal is for the airplanes to use hydrogen-electric powertrains eventually, initial flights won’t.

“Short-term, to secure routes and a license from the Civil Aviation Authority, Ecojet will initially fly using conventionally fuelled planes,” a statement issued Monday said.

It went on to state that the aircraft would be “retrofitted with the hydrogen-electric power trains as soon they become approved for service by the CAA.”

The first retrofits are slated for 2025, a year after flights begin. Onboard meals will be plant-based, and single-use plastic will be scrapped.

Repurposing planes instead of building new ones “will save 90,000 tonnes of carbon per year,” the statement said. “The only byproduct will be water, which can be captured and released into the lower atmosphere to avoid the harmful effects of contrails,” it added.

Vince, who is the founder of British energy firm Ecotricity, was bullish about Ecojet’s prospects. “The question of how to create sustainable air travel has plagued the green movement for decades,” he said.

He went on to describe Ecojet as “by far the most significant step towards a solution to date.”

‘We should be honest’

There are reasons not to get too hopeful too soon, however.

According to the International Energy Agency, aviation was responsible for 2% of the planet’s energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in 2022.

The Paris-based organization notes that although it “accounts for a relatively small share of global emissions,” it is “one of the most challenging sectors to decarbonise.”

Elsewhere, the World Wildlife Fund describes aviation as “one of the fastest-growing sources of the greenhouse gas emissions driving global climate change.” It adds that air travel is the most carbon-intensive activity a person can engage in.

As concerns about sustainability and the environment mount, discussions about aviation have increasingly focused on how new innovations and ideas could reduce the sector’s impact on the environment.

In September 2020, a hydrogen fuel-cell plane capable of carrying passengers took to the skies over England for its maiden flight. The same month also saw Airbus release details of three hydrogen-powered concept planes.

But while there is excitement about the potential of hydrogen-powered flight and other innovations within the sector, some industry veterans have struck a cautious tone when it comes to talking about radical shifts taking place in the immediate term.

“I think ... we should be honest again,” Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary told CNBC in 2021. “Certainly, for the next decade ... I don’t think you’re going to see any — there’s no technology out there that’s going to replace … carbon, jet aviation.”

“I don’t see the arrival of … hydrogen fuels, I don’t see the arrival of sustainable fuels, I don’t see the arrival of electric propulsion systems, certainly not before 2030,” O’Leary added.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/18/uk-r...ne-ecojet.html

• Tokyo Steel to operate in daytime by tapping excess renewable power

Japanese steelmaker Tokyo Steel Manufacturing will transition to round-the-clock operations at all electric-furnace facilities by the end of the decade, with plans to harness solar power and other renewables, Nikkei has learned.

Tokyo Steel normally operates mills at night on weekdays and idles them during daytime hours. This is because electric arc furnaces consume an outsized amount of energy, and electricity rates are cheaper at night.

But in southern Japan's Kyushu region, where solar farms have proliferated, Tokyo Steel has decided to go forward with daytime operations for a portion of electric furnaces at a discounted rate, at the request of the local utility.

The electric-furnace steel industry purchases more power than is produced in one year by a nuclear reactor, according to one estimate. Companies that use arc furnaces could lower daytime power bills by 10% or more if they comply with requests from utilities to consume excess power, according to Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

As Japan's industry leader, Tokyo Steel operates electric furnaces at all four plants in Fukuoka prefecture in Kyushu, as well as in Okayama, Aichi and Tochigi prefectures. This move to make effective use of renewable energy could encourage peers to follow suit.

Tokyo Steel has begun running simulations to determine how much excess electricity the Okayama furnace would be able to absorb if it ran during the day, as well as staffing needs. It estimates that the facility could use about 7% of the surplus solar and wind power expected to be generated in Chugoku Electric Power's service area in 2030.

When electricity supply and demand are out of balance, large-scale blackouts can ensue. With the installation of more solar panels increasing energy supply during the daytime, solar and wind energy suppliers sometimes need to curtail output to avoid outages. These output reductions have become an increasingly common occurrence throughout Japan.

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• Perovskite Solar Cell Market: Harnessing Advanced Photovoltaic Technology for Renewable Energy Revolution

The Perovskite Solar Cell Market is expected to increase from USD 0.10 billion in 2022 to USD 7.7 billion by 2030, rising at a CAGR of 70.4% between 2023 and 2030.

Perovskite, the newest solar material with a crystal structure optimised for solar absorption, has emerged as the result of the industry's recent rapid technological advancements. In low illumination conditions, overcast days, and indoor settings, perovskite cells outperform silicon cells and achieve better conversion efficiencies. The potential to produce low-cost solar power thanks to perovskite's affordability and wide availability is one of its main advantages.

For market participants, the ongoing funding and investment in perovskite solar cell research and development presents enormous growth prospects. Companies are helping the market grow and flourish by working to improve the perovskite solar cell technology's effectiveness, stability, and scalability. The perovskite solar cell industry is in a strong position to reach its full potential and completely alter the landscape of renewable energy sources with continued technological advancements and financial backing.


Key Growth Factors in Perovskite Solar Cell Market

• High Efficiency and Cost-Effectiveness: Perovskite solar cells have demonstrated exceptional light-to-electricity conversion efficiency, rivaling traditional silicon-based solar cells. Their potential to achieve higher efficiencies at a lower cost makes them an attractive option for renewable energy generation.
• Continuous Research and Development: The perovskite solar cell market has witnessed substantial investments in research and development, leading to frequent advancements in materials, manufacturing processes, and device architectures. These ongoing improvements have contributed to increasing the overall efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells.
• Lightweight and Flexible Design: Perovskite solar cells can be fabricated as thin, lightweight, and flexible modules. This unique characteristic enables their integration into a wide range of applications, including building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), wearable devices, and portable chargers, opening up new markets and opportunities for growth.
• Potential for Tandem Solar Cells: Perovskite solar cells can be combined with other solar cell technologies, such as silicon or CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium Selenide) cells, to form tandem solar cells. This approach allows for capturing a broader spectrum of sunlight and increasing overall energy conversion efficiency, enhancing the commercial viability of perovskite solar technology.
• Environmental Friendliness: Perovskite solar cells utilize abundant and low-cost materials in their manufacturing process, reducing the environmental impact compared to traditional solar cell technologies that rely on rare earth elements. Their potential to be a more eco-friendly alternative contributes to their growing popularity in the sustainable energy market.

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• One year old, US climate law is already turbocharging clean energy technology

On a recent day under the July sun, three men heaved solar panels onto the roof of a roomy, two-story house near the banks of the Kentucky River, a few miles upstream from the state capitol where lawmakers have promoted coal for more than a century.

The U.S. climate law that passed one year ago offers a 30% discount off this installation via a tax credit, and that’s helping push clean energy even into places where coal still provides cheap electricity. For Heather Baggett’s family in Frankfort, it was a good deal.

“For us, it’s not politically motivated,” said Baggett. “It really came down to financially, it made sense.”

On August 16, after the hottest June ever recorded and a scorching July, America’s long-sought response to climate change, the Inflation Reduction Act, turns one year old. In less than a year it has prompted investment in a massive buildout of battery and EV manufacturing across the states. Nearly 80 major clean energy manufacturing facilities have been announced, an investment equal to the previous seven years combined, according to the American Clean Power Association.

“It seems like every week there’s a new factory facility somewhere” being announced, said Jesse Jenkins, a professor at Princeton and leader of the REPEAT Project which has been deeply involved in analysis of the law.

“We’ve been talking about bringing manufacturing jobs back to America for my entire life. We’re finally doing it, right? That’s pretty exciting,” he said.

The IRA is America’s most significant response to climate change, after decades of lobbying by oil, gas and coal interests stalled action, while carbon emissions climbed, creating a hotter, more dangerous world. It is designed to spur clean energy buildout on a scale that will bend the arc of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. It also aims to build domestic supply chains to reverse China’s and other nations’ early domination of this vital sector.

One target of the law is cleaner transportation, the largest source of climate pollution for the U.S. Siemens, one of the biggest tech companies in the world, produces charging stations for EVs. Executives say this alignment of U.S. policy on climate is driving higher demand for batteries.

“When the federal government makes an investment, we get to the tipping point faster,” said Barbara Humpton, CEO of Siemens USA, adding that the company has invested $260 million in battery or battery storage projects in recent years.

Much more in the link above

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• Infinis finishes UK solar farm

Low carbon power generator Infinis and recycling firm FCC Environment have completed work on their new UK solar park in Winterton, Lincolnshire.

Developed on a former landfill site, Winterton Solar Park generates circa 4,300MWh of renewable energy each year - enough to power more than 1300 homes.

The Winterton solar energy park occupies approximately 18 acres.

It has been constructed in accordance with a methodology approved by the Environment Agency, which protects the existing landfill structure.

Chris Ellis, director of operations at FCC Environment, said: "We are thrilled to see the completion of the converted Winterton landfill site into a solar park.

"It is important to support these projects that make a significant contribution in supporting the UK to achieve its Net Zero targets."

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• Major automakers partner on new EV charging network to rival Tesla

Seven of the world's largest automakers are forming a new company to build a vast network of electric vehicle (EV) chargers across America, they announced Wednesday.

Why it matters: Their goal is to help potential EV buyers get over their "range anxiety" by tapping billions of dollars in federal subsidies to accelerate the rollout of fast-charging infrastructure.

• The unusual effort by industry giants is also seen as a bid to quell Tesla's growing influence over the EV ecosystem after it said it would open its own Supercharger network to other brands.

Driving the news: The group includes General Motors, Stellantis, Hyundai, Kia, Honda, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

• The joint venture aims to become "the leading network of reliable high-powered charging stations in North America," according to a statement from the companies.
• It will compete not only with Tesla, but also with other charging networks like Electrify America, EVgo and ChargePoint — many of which have separate partnerships with the carmakers backing their new competitor.

Details: The participants plan to collectively invest at least $1 billion in the new company, the Wall Street Journal reported, although they would not provide further details.

• They intend to take advantage of $7.5 billion in federal funding, which will cover up to 80% of the cost of charger installations.
• Their plan is to roll out 30,000 DC fast-chargers in metropolitan areas and along U.S. highways starting in 2024.
• The stations will provide an "elevated" customer experience, including canopies to protect against the weather and amenities such as rest rooms, food service and retail shops.
• "The better experience people have, the faster EV adoption will grow,” GM CEO Mary Barra said in a statement.
• The stations would be powered by renewable electricity, the companies added, without providing details.

Of note: The new stations will support both Tesla's North American Charging Standard (NACS) and the competing Combined Charging System (CCS).

Conspicuously absent from the coalition are three giants: Volkswagen, Ford and Toyota.

• Ford was the first to adopt Tesla's charging standard, and VW owns a majority stake in Electrify America.

The big picture: As EV sales increase, the demand for fast and reliable public charging is also growing.

• As of July 2023, there are 32,000 publicly available DC fast-chargers in the U.S., according to the Department of Energy, and 2.3 million EVs — a ratio of 72 vehicles per charger.
• By 2030, the U.S. will need 182,000 DC fast-chargers to support the expected 30 million to 42 million plug-in vehicles on the road, per the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

The back story: The seven companies said they have been working closely together for years on a shared vision for an electrified future.

• For example, BMW, Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz are partners in IONITY, a fast-charging network in Europe.
• Stellantis and Mercedes-Benz have a battery cell partnership in Europe, and GM and Honda are jointly developing EVs.

What they're saying: "The fight against climate change is the greatest challenge of our time," Mercedes-Benz Group CEO Ola Källenius said in a statement.

• "What we need now is speed — across political, social and corporate boundaries. To accelerate the shift to electric vehicles, we're in favor of anything that makes life easier for our customers. Charging is an inseparable part of the EV-experience, and this network will be another step to make it as convenient as possible."

https://www.axios.com/2023/07/26/ele...arging-network

^it is remarkable how the renewable energy sector has moved and continues to do so.

• UK Renewables Generation Breaks New Record

In statistics released by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) renewables generated a record annual amount of electricity in 2022.

Production from renewable technologies beat the previous record high of 2020 and renewables share of electricity generation increased to 41.5% from 39.6% last year, largely due to wind and solar generation reaching new record highs.

Wind generation hit a record high share of 24.7% of generation.
Generation from fossil fuels fell slightly (down to a share of 40.8%) but generation from gas remained the principal form of UK generation at 38.4%.

The Digest of UK Energy Statistics states that the increase is due to high output from wind and solar generators, substantial increases in wind generation capacity and more favourable weather conditions than 2021.

RenewableUK’s Chief Executive Dan McGrail said: “It’s great to see renewables setting new records across the board, generating record amounts of clean power last year, making us less dependant on expensive gas imports at the very time when fossil fuel costs rocketed up, causing an energy crisis which we’re still grappling with.

“Government and industry must pull out all the stops to increase our energy security by ensuring that vital new clean energy projects can be built faster, onshore and offshore.

“This is not the time to waver or row back on policies which accelerate the energy transition.

“On the contrary, we need more of a focus from Government on ensuring we continue to unlock investment in renewables, and that the UK’s secures the maximum amount of new jobs and manufacturing investment which could flow from the billions of pounds of private investment which our sector brings.”

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• Serbia will build renewable power plants totaling 3,000 MW within several years

The Government of Serbia has approved the Incentives Plan for the Use of Renewable Energy Sources for the Period 2023-2025, which was also published on the ministry’s website. After the current auction for 450 MW, which we expect to be finished in September, the next auctions, according to the plan, should be held in the first quarter of 2023, where the quotas are 300 MW for wind power plants and 100 MW for solar power plants, and in the first quarter of 2025, where the quotas will be 300 MW for wind power plants and 150 MW for solar power plants.

This is Serbia’s most ambitious plan so far. I will remind you that 1,092 MW of capacity was planned in the National Action Plan for the Use of Renewable Energy Sources for the period 2013-2020, while now we envisaged awarding incentives for 1,300 MW within three years. In addition, the government plans to build another 2,000 MW for the needs of Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) through strategic partnership, so it translates to more than 3,000 MW of new green capacities within only several years, which clearly shows how much significance the ministry gives to green energy in the future.

In the government’s next auctions, future investors will have to be prepared, in addition to a favorable price, to also offer a part of the capacity to the guaranteed supplier for the needs of households and small buyers or to offer a part of the capacity directly, to the end buyer, which was introduced with the aim to ensure the country’s energy security.

It is important to first understand the context from before the law was changed by introducing solutions that potentially caused certain dilemmas and concerns among some, but certainly not all investors. Namely, Serbia’s electric power system was already for two years facing an extremely large number of connection requests. From 2021 until this year, the number of requested connection capacity grew from a large 3.8 GW to and extreme 20 GW, while Serbia has around 8 GW of production capacities in total.

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• Albania Announces Onshore Wind Auction Winners

The government of Albania has announced the results of the country’s first utility-scale bidder-selected site auction for onshore wind.

Three bidders have been awarded capacity, totalling 222.48 MW, under the country’s third renewable energy auction and the first for onshore wind.

The successful bidders are Total Eren with a bid of €44.88/MWh for a capacity of 75MW; Guris with a bid of €74/MWh for 74.88MW; and Verbund with a bid of €74.95/MWh for 72.6MW.

With Total Eren’s bid, the result marks another record price for the country and the Western Balkans region, according to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (ERBD).

Albania launched the auction in 2021, with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy running the tender.

EBRD has helped the Albanian authorities introduce competitive procurement processes for renewable energy projects.

EBRD director for sustainable business and infrastructure, Gianpiero Nacci said: "Albania has made remarkable progress towards meeting its renewable energy targets and implementing auctions.

"We are very pleased to have supported the first wind auction in the country with bidder-selected sites and look forward to launching the 300MW solar auction.

"This success is a game changer for Albania, a testament to what can be achieved with the right policy framework and a government committed to delivering on their renewable energy targets."

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• This state’s first offshore wind farm just reached a new milestone — but not everyone is happy about it

The Department of the Interior just announced the approval of New Jersey’s first offshore wind farm. Ocean Wind 1, located about 13 nautical miles southeast of Atlantic City, will have an estimated capacity of 1,100 megawatts and will be capable of powering more than 380,000 homes with clean energy. The project will include up to 98 turbines and three offshore substations.

Ocean Wind 1 is being developed by Danish renewable energy company Ørsted and is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.

That’s all great news for the future of renewable energy in New Jersey and the United States. However, one New Jersey county is attempting to fight against the construction of the wind farm, claiming that it will adversely affect marine life and also that the wind turbines will be “visible from every beach in Cape May County.” (Apparently, seeing wind turbines is a bad thing.)

Claims that wind farms will harm marine life have persistently cropped up along with every offshore wind project in the United States. They are not based in reality, however — rather, they are the result of a (so far) successful right-wing misinformation campaign financially backed by the fossil fuel industry, which sees renewable energy as a threat to its profits.

Fossil fuels are, of course, much more harmful to marine life than offshore wind farms could ever be, having resulted in things like oil spills along with a litany of other adverse environmental consequences.

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• Public To Get First Glimpse Of Irish Site

EDF Renewables Ireland has announced a public exhibition of its proposed Seskin Wind Farm in Ireland.

The event will be held at the Lord Bagenal Inn in Ballyknockan, County Carlow, on Monday 15 August from 3pm to 8pm.

The project, north-west of the village of Old Leighlin, will comprise seven turbines with tip heights of up to 180m. Collectively the machines will have a generating capacity of around 50MW, enough to power the equivalent of approximately 36,000 homes.

If the development receives planning permission and is constructed, a Community Benefit Fund will be established to support local initiatives and activities.

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• EUROPEAN COMMISSION Commission approves €246 million Dutch scheme to support renewable hydrogen production

The European Commission has approved, under EU state aid rules, a €246 million Dutch scheme to support the production of renewable hydrogen. The measure aims to contribute to the development of renewable hydrogen in line with the objectives of the EU Hydrogen Strategy and the European Green Deal. The scheme will also contribute to the objectives of the REPowerEU Plan to end dependence on Russian fossil fuels and fast forward the green transition.

The scheme will support the construction of at least 60 MW of electrolysis capacity. The aid will be awarded through a competitive bidding process planned to be concluded in 2023. The tender will be open to all companies established in the European Economic Area and operating, or wishing to build and operate, a hydrogen production unit in the Netherlands. The aid will take the form of a direct grant for a 7-to-15-year period.

The scheme will contribute to the Netherlands's efforts to achieve 500 MW of electrolyser capacity in 2025 and 3-4 GW by 2030. It will also support the EU's ambitions to install at least 6 GW of renewable hydrogen-based electrolysers and the production of up to 1 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen by 2024, and at least 40 GW with a production of up to 10 million tonnes of domestic renewable hydrogen in the EU by 2030.

The Commission assessed the measure under EU state aid rules, in particular Article 107(3)(c) the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which enables member states to support the development of certain economic activities under certain conditions, and the 2022 Guidelines on state aid for climate, environmental protection and energy (‘CEEAG'). On this basis, the Commission approved the Dutch scheme under EU State aid rules.

Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said: “This €246 million Dutch scheme is another example of how we work towards securing Europe's decarbonised future. It will help ramping up the production of renewable hydrogen and facilitate the greening of sectors that are otherwise difficult to decarbonise. The aid will support the most cost-effective projects. And this while minimising possible distortions of competition."

https://www.eureporter.co/environmen...en-production/
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When complete, the 277 turbines, which include British steel manufactured in Wales and processed in Corby and Hartlepool, will be capable of powering the equivalent of up to 6 million homes annually.

• Energy Security boost with multi-million backing for renewables

Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps announces £22m uplift for flagship scheme

A multi-million-pound boost for cleaner, more secure energy will make Britain the ‘first choice’ for investors, Grant Shapps said today.

The Energy Security Secretary today announced a £22 million increase in Government backing for renewables through the flagship “Contracts for Difference” scheme – taking the total budget to £227 million for this auction.

The scheme – launched in 2014 – is the Government’s main system for supporting low-carbon electricity generation and has already led to an increase in the proportion of the UK’s energy coming from renewables.

In 2022, renewables fuelled around 42 per cent of the UK’s electricity generation – up from 7 per cent in 2010 - compared to around 21 per cent in the US and 23 per cent in Japan.

In the first quarter of 2023, renewables generated a record 48 per cent of our electricity, all making strong progress towards our targets to deliver a decarbonised power sector by 2035 and net zero by 2050.

The increased funding combined with the introduction of annual auctions this year, will boost investments in Britain’s world-leading renewable industry, while strengthening the UK’s energy security, fostering growth in the country’s green industries and reducing exposure to volatile global gas prices.

Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps said:

Putin’s barbaric action against Ukraine made clear our need to do whatever it takes to bolster our energy security.

Today’s funding through our flagship Contracts for Difference scheme – the lifeblood of our renewables industry for nearly a decade – will help grow our economy by making Britain the first choice for investors in renewable energy projects and secure skilled jobs for future generations.

This will be the case for established technologies like solar, and new innovations like floating offshore wind and, alongside our backing for oil and gas, carbon capture and our revival in nuclear, will ensure we can help power more of Britain from Britain for decades to come.

Today’s new funding for the current round (AR5) will mean:

• An increased budget for established technologies such as solar and offshore wind – from £170 million to £190 million;
• An increase in the budget for emerging technologies such as floating offshore wind – up from £35 million to £37 million; and
• Maintaining £10 million ring-fenced budget for tidal stream projects

Much more: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/e...for-renewables

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• Six Giant Wind Turbines Installed in Swiss Town to Boost Renewable Energy

Six massive wind turbines were recently erected in the town of Sainte-Croix, Switzerland, near the French border. The turbines, assembled by Germany’s Enercon, stand at an impressive height of 139 meters or 456 feet from the base to the tip of their blades.

Operated by Swiss utility Romande Energie, these turbines are expected to generate enough clean energy to meet the needs of 6,100 households. In fact, their capacity is sufficient to power the entire energy consumption of Sainte-Croix, including its industrial sector.

This development is a significant stride towards increasing the country’s supply of renewable energy. Switzerland has faced challenges in the past due to local opposition, with only 41 wind turbines operational in the country last year.

According to Suisse Eole, an association that promotes wind energy, the expansion of wind power is crucial for Switzerland’s energy security. The association highlighted the weakened energy situation caused by the Ukraine war’s impact on gas supplies to Europe and reduced hydropower production due to lower water levels caused by climate change.

Wind energy has faced resistance from groups that argue it negatively affects the countryside and reduces property values. Nonetheless, the installation of these wind turbines in Sainte-Croix demonstrates a commitment to embracing clean energy alternatives and reducing dependence on non-renewable sources.

In summary, the erection of these six wind turbines is a positive step forward for Switzerland in increasing the production of renewable energy. It signifies the country’s dedication to achieving energy security, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and embracing sustainable development.

https://www.energyportal.eu/news/swi...-power/110137/

• US scientists repeat fusion ignition breakthrough for 2nd time

U.S. scientists have achieved net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the second time since December, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory said on Sunday.

Scientists at the California-based lab repeated the fusion ignition breakthrough in an experiment in the National Ignition Facility (NIF) on July 30 that produced a higher energy yield than in December, a Lawrence Livermore spokesperson said.

Final results are still being analyzed, the spokesperson added.

Lawrence Livermore achieved a net energy gain in a fusion experiment using lasers on Dec. 5, 2022. The scientists focused a laser on a target of fuel to fuse two light atoms into a denser one, releasing the energy.

That experiment briefly achieved what's known as fusion ignition by generating 3.15 megajoules of energy output after the laser delivered 2.05 megajoules to the target, the Energy Department said.

In other words, it produced more energy from fusion than the laser energy used to drive it, the department said.

The Energy Department called it "a major scientific breakthrough decades in the making that will pave the way for advancements in national defense and the future of clean power."

Scientists have known for about a century that fusion powers the sun and have pursued developing fusion on Earth for decades. Such a breakthrough could one day help curb climate change if companies can scale up the technology to a commercial level in the coming decades.

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• Supercapacitor cement could supercharge renewable energy storage

Incorporating nanoparticles of carbon black into wet cement can transform it into a supercapacitor electrode once the cement has cured, US researchers have shown. The team says that the material could be used to store renewable energy and find more exotic applications such as roads that can wirelessly charge electric vehicles.

Production of cement and concrete is today responsible for approximately 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions. Several ideas to reduce this by using alternative cement formulations, for example, have yet to achieve widespread success. Meanwhile, rising investment in intermittent renewable energy sources has led to rising demand for storage technologies. ‘Batteries are based on rare materials that are not available to everyone, so it’s not scalable,’ says Franz-Josef Ulm of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Ulm and colleagues devised a bipartite solution by adding new functionality to concrete, allowing it to be used as a ‘structural capacitor’.

The researchers simply add nanoparticles of carbon black to cement paste. Being hydrophobic, these initially stay isolated in the water-rich environment. As the cement cures, however, the hydrophilic calcium silicates form calcium silicate hydrates and calcium hydroxide, removing free water from the system. The carbon nanoparticles then self-organise into an extremely long conductive network permeating the cement. By soaking the cement in potassium hydroxide, the researchers allow ions to diffuse in and out of the pores. Connecting the electrode to a positive charge causes the conductive network to attract negative ions and repel positive ions and the reverse when it is connected to a negative charge. Separating two of these saturated cement slabs by a dielectric membrane therefore allows a potential difference to build up and energy to be stored.

The researchers used small charged cement supercapacitors to power a 3V LED, and now hope to move to large-scale, real-world applications. The charge/discharge rate is limited by the porosity of the cement, but this shouldn’t be a problem in building foundations that can store solar energy, for example. ‘You have the whole day to charge the supercapacitors and then overnight…you use it to run whatever type of energy load you need for the home,’ Ulm says.

The researchers showed that they could also increase the porosity of the cured cement by adding extra water during its production. This allows for faster charge/discharge cycling, which could open up applications such as roads that charge passing electric vehicles by electromagnetic induction, although it does compromise the strength of the concrete. ‘For each application there will be different requirements we need to fulfil,’ says co-author Admir Masic. ‘The essential point our paper is making is the accessibility of our material anywhere in the world for everyone. I honestly expect this material to permeate our society in an unprecedented manner simply because it is two inexpensive materials that we know how to process.’

Deborah Chung at the University of Buffalo in New York is skeptical, however. ‘In the abstract they claim high strength, but in the paper there is no measurement of the strength,’ she says. The researchers rely on hardness measurements from nano-identation, and Ulm says he has ‘built a career showing the link between hardness and strength’ but Chung remains unconvinced and says that this ‘is not an adequately recognised mechanical property indicator in the concrete field’. ‘The high porosity is bound to cause fragility… I’m positive that the material that they are calling a structural electrode is actually a fragile material,’ she concludes.

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• Floating Power Plants Market to Hit US$ 3.8 Billion By 2033

According to the latest market study by Fact.MR, the global floating power plants market is predicted to increase from a valuation of US$ 1.6 billion in 2023 to US$ 3.8 billion by the end of 2033.

Floating power plants (FPPs) are innovative energy installations designed to generate electricity using various renewable energy sources while floating on water bodies. They offer greater flexibility and scalability compared to traditional fixed power plants.

Unlike traditional power plants that are fixed to the ground, FPPs are constructed on floating platforms, enabling them to harness renewable energy from solar, wind, tidal, and wave sources on oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, or reservoirs. They can be deployed relatively quickly in various locations, including remote or hard-to-reach areas, allowing for a more decentralized energy generation system. This adaptability makes them an attractive option for regions with rapidly changing energy needs or where land resources are limited.

Use of floating power plants, which can be employed as an emergency power supply, is vital in remote places where power generation is constrained by a lack of available land mass. Floating power plants have become an appropriate substitute for both permanent and temporary power. Due to the growing desire for low-cost flexibility over the past few years, these plants have become extremely popular in many regions of the world.

A dispersed power source with great efficiency and stability is a floating power plant. This peak power source delivers quick startup and can respond to significant load fluctuations. Floating power plants can be towed and are appropriate for seasonal and intermittent operation, stabilizing the grid for different types of renewable energy.

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• PM Chris Hipkins reveals Government’s plan to accelerate NZ’s switch to clean energy with wind and solar schemes

The Government is lauding its achievement of speeding up nine solar panel projects through Covid-inspired legislation with 1.9 million solar panels so far referred for consent since 2020.

The solar panel projects have been fast-tracked through the Covid-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Act and if approved, could generate more the double the output of Clyde Dam, New Zealand’s third-largest hydroelectric dam.

“Fast-tracking renewable energy generation helps to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and cut our carbon emissions,” Environment Minister David Parker said.

“These projects can proceed faster, provided they meet the normal environmental tests as determined by expert consenting panels.”

In June, fast-track referrals were agreed for Harmony Energy Solar Ltd’s projects near Marton, Opunake and Carterton, and Energy Farms Ltd’s projects near Rangitikei and Taranaki. They would involve large-scale solar investment in five North Island regions, adding power from about 829,000 solar panels to the national grid.

In April, the Government referred the Rangiriri Solar Farm Project and Waerenga Solar Farm Project for fast-track approval. These two projects could displace about 220 million kilograms or more of New Zealand’s CO2 emissions from fossil fuel electricity generation each year.

“If approved, the nine solar projects will add 1147 megawatts of power to the national grid at peak output – almost three times the output of the 432 Mw Clyde Dam,” Parker said.

Fast-tracking, intended to be a temporary measure through the pandemic, would soon become permanent through the Natural and Built Environment Bill, which was expected to become legislation this term and would provide a fast-track pathway for infrastructure and regionally significant housing projects.

Energy Minister Megan Woods said backing development for renewable electricity generation and transmission would help New Zealand meet its domestic and international carbon emission targets.

“Solar energy helps keep household power bills lower and, like all renewable electricity development, builds resilience into our energy network.”

The Government’s aim was to make half of New Zealand’s total energy provided through renewable energy means by 2035, and for 100 per cent of energy generation to be renewable by 2050.

The three wind farm projects would generate about as much electricity as the Clyde Dam, Woods said.

The proposed wind farms, located in Manawatu, near Auckland and in Southland, would generate about 419 megawatts of electricity at peak output.

Originally Posted by david44

I wonder how many world leaders and polticians it would be necessary to roast before the others realized this a top priority.

It’s like pulling teeth, but some governments are coming around.

For example........

This morning’s story wouldn’t have happened 4 years ago.

Biden welcoming Australian leader to White House for state dinner in October 25

Albanese said in a statement his visit would be "an important opportunity to discuss our ambitious climate and clean energy transition, and shared goal of a strong, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific.”

The turbines, which would be about 20 miles from shore in water up to 2,500 feet deep, are a key part of the state’s plan to generate enough offshore wind energy to power more than 20 million homes.

• California’s planning a renewable energy project at a scale never before attempted in the world

The offshore wind proposal, driven by the Biden and Newsom administration efforts to dramatically increase renewable energy, would erect dozens of turbines three times the size of that smokestack with blades as long as a football field in an area of the Pacific Ocean nearly 10 times the size of Manhattan.

“This is a generational project,” said Jeff Hunerlach, secretary-treasurer of a council of construction unions for Humboldt and neighboring Del Norte County. “I could work 20 years on this project and my kid could work 20 years on this project.”

California's emissions goals depend on one of its poorer areas - POLITICO
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• The Clean Energy Future Is Arriving Faster Than You Think

The United States is pivoting away from fossil fuels and toward wind, solar and other renewable energy, even in areas dominated by the oil and gas industries.

Delivery vans in Pittsburgh. Buses in Milwaukee. Cranes loading freight at the Port of Los Angeles. Every municipal building in Houston. All are powered by electricity derived from the sun, wind or other sources of clean energy.

Across the country, a profound shift is taking place that is nearly invisible to most Americans. The nation that burned coal, oil and gas for more than a century to become the richest economy on the planet, as well as historically the most polluting, is rapidly shifting away from fossil fuels.

A similar energy transition is already well underway in Europe and elsewhere. But the United States is catching up, and globally, change is happening at a pace that is surprising even the experts who track it closely.

Wind and solar power are breaking records, and renewables are now expected to overtake coal by 2025 as the world’s largest source of electricity. Automakers have made electric vehicles central to their business strategies and are openly talking about an expiration date on the internal combustion engine. Heating, cooling, cooking and some manufacturing are going electric.

As the planet registers the highest temperatures on record, rising in some places to levels incompatible with human life, governments around the world are pouring trillions of dollars into clean energy to cut the carbon pollution that is broiling the planet.

The cost of generating electricity from the sun and wind is falling fast and in many areas is now cheaper than gas, oil or coal. Private investment is flooding into companies that are jockeying for advantage in emerging green industries.

“We look at energy data on a daily basis, and it’s astonishing what’s happening,” said Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency. “Clean energy is moving faster than many people think, and it’s become turbocharged lately.”

More than $1.7 trillion worldwide is expected to be invested in technologies such as wind, solar power, electric vehicles and batteries globally this year, according to the I.E.A., compared with just over $1 trillion in fossil fuels. That is by far the most ever spent on clean energy in a year.

Those investments are driving explosive growth. China, which already leads the world in the sheer amount of electricity produced by wind and solar power, is expected to double its capacity by 2025, five years ahead of schedule. In Britain, roughly one-third of electricity is generated by wind, solar and hydropower. And in the United States, 23 percent of electricity is expected to come from renewable sources this year, up 10 percentage points from a decade ago.

Much, much more in the article: The Clean Energy Future Is Arriving Faster Than You Think - The New York Times

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• US solar secures $779m financing deal

Swift Current Energy has announced it has closed project financing for its 800MWdc (593MWac) Double Black Diamond Solar project in the US, securing $779m.

Once operational, the site is expected to be second largest single phase solar development in the country, and the largest solar project in MISO, producing enough energy each year to power the equivalent of more than 100,000 homes.

Located 30 miles west of Springfield, Illinois, Double Black Diamond Solar is currently under construction and scheduled to be energized in 2024.
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), Societe Generale, and Truist served as the coordinating lead arrangers, with MUFG and Societe Generale acting as Joint Bookrunners for the landmark project financing, which includes $695m in construction and tax equity bridge loans and an $84 million letter of credit facility, making it one of the largest project financings ever for a US solar project.

ING acted as the Green Loan Structuring Agent and Wilmington Trust acted as the Collateral Agent and Depositary Agent. Swift Current is the project developer and will be the long-term owner and operator.

“Double Black Diamond Solar is a transformative project, not only for our team, but also the American workers it is employing, the massive amount of emissions-free energy it will produce, and the stable revenue it will provide for the communities in Sangamon and Morgan counties,” said Swift Current chief executive and co-founder Eric Lammers.

Just a moment...

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• New Zealand is partnering with BlackRock in aim to reach 100% renewable electricity

New Zealand’s government said Tuesday it will partner with U.S. investment giant BlackRock in its aim to become one of the first nations in the world to have its electricity grid run entirely from renewable energy.

The government said it was helping BlackRock launch a $1.2 billion fund to ramp up investments in wind and solar generation, as well as battery storage and green hydrogen. Some of the investment is expected to come from government-owned companies.

New Zealand’s electricity grid already runs off about 82% renewable energy after it damned rivers decades ago to produce hydroelectric power. The government said it aims to reach 100% renewable generation by the end of this decade.

The announcement comes two months out from an election, with the government hoping to burnish its green credentials. Critics point out the nation’s overall greenhouse gas emissions have barely budged since the government symbolically declared a climate emergency in 2020.

New Zealand is partnering with BlackRock in aim to reach 100% renewable electricity | AP News

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• Solar Park Built on Landfill Solves Space Dilemma for Renewable Energy

On a vast expanse of land near South Ockendon, just east of London, a solar park with 108,000 solar panels has been installed. The site is larger than 28 football fields and has been empty for 25 years because it sits on top of a landfill that contains 5 million tons of trash. This landfill poses a threat of releasing poisonous methane if its seal is damaged. However, by next month, the solar park is expected to be one of the largest in the UK, generating 58.8 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 17,000 homes.

The project solves the dilemma of finding available land for renewable energy in densely populated areas. As demand for cleaner and cheaper electricity increases in big cities, the scarcity of land becomes an issue. Landfill sites, which are present in most communities around the world, offer an alternative solution. However, building solar panels on landfills comes with technical challenges that increase the project costs. The panels had to be fixed in batches to concrete bases to prevent them from piercing through the landfill’s sealing. Adjustable legs were also installed to accommodate the movement of the ground as the trash decomposes.

The project costs approximately £850,000 ($1.1 million) per megawatt of power produced, around 5% more than a solar farm on ordinary land. Similar projects have been undertaken in other parts of the world, with costs sometimes reaching 15% higher depending on various factors. Inflation and fluctuations in material prices posed several challenges, but the project was able to proceed thanks to a contract to sell all the energy for the first 10 years to BT Group Plc.

The decreasing cost of materials, combined with the viability of building on wasteland and the oversupply of solar components from China, present opportunities for future solar projects. BloombergNEF expects over two gigawatts of solar capacity to be installed in the UK this year. While large-scale solar farms are usually built on disused land, finding suitable land near cities, as well as grid connection, remain major constraints for renewable projects. However, solar farms on landfills offer a win-win solution by repurposing these sites for renewable energy.

Solar Park Built on Landfill Solves Space Dilemma for Renewable Energy

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• Biwatt unveils new residential sodium-ion batteries

Biwatt Power, a Chinese manufacturer, has developed new residential sodium-ion batteries with an efficiency rate of 97% and a projected lifespan of more than 3,000 cycles.

China’s Biwatt Power has unveiled new integrated solar energy storage solutions for residential applications.

“Its smart home energy management platform integrates a cloud-based battery management system (BMS), providing multiple safety protections and fault warnings for homeowners,” the manufacturer said in a statement. “The unique sodium-ion (SIB) active balancing technology effectively extends the battery’s cycle life, allowing users to use the product for a longer duration.”

The I.Power Nest solution measure 600 mm x 810 mm x 155 mm and weighs 60 kg. The devices have an efficiency of 97% and an expected lifetime of more than 3,000 cycles. Their cell capacity is 75 Ah and the rated battery voltage is 48 V. The maximum DC power is 6 kW and the maximum input voltage is 500 V.

The batteries also have an MPPT voltage range of 120 V to 450 V and a maximum MPPT input current of 13 A. In addition, they feature IP21 enclosures and a cooling system based on forced air.

“An intelligent app enables users to effortlessly control home electricity usage and switch between various operating modes, making electricity usage more convenient and worry-free,” said Biwatt Power.

The company is based in Shenzhen, in China’s Guangdong province. It manufactures batteries and integrated technologies for solar energy storage and EV charging.

https://www.pv-magazine-australia.co...ion-batteries/

1^st of 2 posts related to this week’s update

• Wealthy oil nation lays groundwork for ‘eye-popping’ climate fund

The United Arab Emirates is considering creating a multibillion-dollar fund to spur clean energy investments across the world that it plans to unveil at this year’s U.N. climate talks in Dubai, according to people familiar with the plan.

The fund could amount to tens of billions of dollars, with a sizable slice of the money coming from the UAE’s sovereign wealth reserves, according to seven people with knowledge of the discussions. A G-7 government official said envoys from the oil-rich Mideast nation had privately mentioned the idea of a fund of at least $25 billion.

“It’s an eye-popping figure,” one of the people familiar with the concept said.

Creation of the fund would be one of the largest ever state-sponsored financial efforts to help countries fight climate change. And it comes as the UAE and Sultan al-Jaber, the CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. who is leading the climate talks, have drawn criticism from environmental advocates and some U.S. and European lawmakers for hosting the international gathering despite being one of the world’s largest contributors of greenhouse gases.

The summit, known as COP28, starts on Nov. 30.

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• Switzerland's solar dam: Why are mountains and snow the perfect mix for solar energy?

The dam's almost 5,000 solar panels enough energy each year to supply around 700 houses.

A snaking wall of solar panels has been attached to Switzerland's longest dam. The solar dam is helping the landlocked nation maximise its green energy production in the winter months.

The Lake Muttsee dam, in the central Swiss canton of Glarus, is over 7,800 feet (2,400 metres) above sea level and is surrounded by snow-capped peaks - something that the team behind the AlpinSolar project says is a key benefit.

Schranz says Switzerland's mountains are less affected by fog in colder months, meaning the panels see more sun than they would at lower altitudes.

"The reflection from the snow also helps," Schranz says, adding that "solar panels like the cold and have a higher yield in cooler temperatures."

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• Mack's medium-duty plant certified for using renewable energy

Mack Trucks’ Roanoke Valley Operations (RVO) in Virginia, where all of the company’s medium-duty vehicles are assembled, is now certified and participating in Appalachian Power Company’s 100% Renewable Wind-Water-Sunlight (WWS) Service.

This means that RVO purchases 100% of its renewable energy with zero CO2 emissions from Appalachian Power, meeting the needs of Mack’s and RVO’s commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship.

“This certification is very important to Mack Trucks and RVO specifically because it allows us to act on our public commitment to sustainability,” said Antonio Servidoni, vice president at RVO. “Mack not only offers electric vehicles, such as the Mack MD Electric that will be assembled here at RVO later this year, but also it is committed to working toward a sustainable future in our facilities.”

Appalachian Power’s WWS program allows customers the ability to consume renewable power around the clock with 100% of the energy generated by the company’s renewable power generators. The combination of wind, hydroelectric power and solar means that a customer’s load is being met with renewable resources anytime – day or night. Appalachian Power has 338 megawatts (MW) of renewable resources available to its Virginia customers through the WWS program, which is enough to power 75,000 homes.

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• Ecuadorians vote to halt oil drilling in biodiverse Amazonian national park

Ecuadorians have voted in a historic referendum to halt the development of all new oilwells in the Yasuní national park in the Amazon, one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet.

Voters opted to safeguard the unique biosphere by a margin of nearly 20% with more than 90% of the ballot counted – with more than 58% in favour and 41% against, according to Ecuador’s National Electoral Comission. Voting took place in the first round of presidential elections on Sunday.

The move will keep about 726m barrels of oil underground in the Yasuní national park, which is also home to the Tagaeri and Taromenane people, two of the world’s last “uncontacted” Indigenous communities living in voluntary isolation.

At a time when the climate crisis is intensifying around the world and the Amazon rainforest is fast approaching an irreversible tipping point, Ecuador has become one of the first countries in the world to set limits on resource extraction through a democratic vote.

In a second referendum, citizens in Quito also voted to block gold mining in the Chocó Andino, a sensitive highland biosphere near the capital city, by an even larger margin of about 68% to 31%.

• Tata Power Renewable inks 9MWp solar deal with Tata Motors' Pantnagar plant

New Delhi: Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL), a subsidiary of Tata Power, signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) for 9MWp on-campus solar plant with Tata Motors’ Pantnagar plant in Uttarakhand, the company said in a statement.

This solar plant will be the largest on-campus solar facility in the state, it added.

The solar installation includes an effective approach towards Tata Motors sustainable future goals, with an estimated carbon emission reduction of 25 tonnes of CO2/kWp in Uttarakhand. The project will be commissioned within 6 months from the PPA execution date. The solar installation will utilize ground-mounted units for installation.

In an earlier partnership, TPREL and Tata Motors successfully established a 7 MWp solar project at the Pantnagar manufacturing facility. As a result, Tata Motors Pantnagar plant’s combined solar capacity now stands impressively at 16 MWp. The solar plants will generate annually 224 lakhs units, which will meet nearly 60% of their annualized requirement.

“Tata Power Renewables with this partnership with Tata Motors is supporting India's green energy future. The 9MWp solar power installation resonates our commitment to fostering the widespread adoption of eco-friendly clean energy solutions across industries," said Ashish Khanna, CEO, Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited.

Tata Power along with its subsidiaries is developing round the clock renewable power solutions to support the RE100 agenda of large enterprises and to support the clean energy transition of the country. The company is working closely with its C&I consumers to meet their clean energy needs by developing large scale hybrid solutions, battery storage and pumped hydro projects.

“We are pivoting our business and operations making sustainability a key priority to fulfill our aspiration of net zero emissions. Increasing sourcing and use of renewable energy with a mix of onsite and offsite interventions at all our plants is an important element of our strategy to decarbonise operations. The addition of this solar power installation by Tata Power will make our Pantnagar plant greener and more efficient," said Vishal Badshah, Vice President, Commercial Vehicle Operations, Tata Motors Limited.

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• Nordex has been awarded a contract for the delivery and commissioning of 49 turbines for a 280MW wind project in Canada.

The order is for the company’s N155/5.X turbines which will be installed at the Forty Mile wind farm in Alberta.

The wind farm has been developed by Renewable Energy Systems (RES) Canada and once completed in the first quarter of 2025, the asset will be Acciona Energía’s largest wind farm in North America.

All turbines will be cold climate versions and will be delivered with a rated capacity of 5.7MW and operated on 108-metre steel towers.

“We are delighted to provide the technology to help support Canada’s ambitious climate change targets.

“With the cold climate version, our turbines ensure smooth operation even in the challenging weather conditions found in this region where temperatures can go below minus 30 degrees,” said Patxi Landa, CSO of Nordex.

By the end of 2022, Canada was ranked eighth in the world for installed wind capacity and the Canadian Renewable Energy Association also forecasts the addition of more than 5GW of wind between 2023 and 2025.

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• Bacteria that ‘eat’ methane could slow global heating, study finds

Bacteria that consume the greenhouse gas methane could slow the rate of global heating, according to a study out this week.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas emitted from energy (natural gas and petroleum systems), industry, agriculture, land use and waste management activities.

Now a group of researchers from California University Long Beach are proposing a method of removing methane by using a group of bacteria known as methanotrophs to naturally convert methane to carbon dioxide and biomass. All the bacteria in this group “‘eat’ methane, removing it from air and converting part of it to cells as a source of sustainable protein,” according to the lead researcher, Mary E Lidstrom.

Lidstrom’s team have found a strain of bacteria within this group called methylotuvimicrobium buryatense 5GB1C that can remove methane efficiently even when it is present in lower amounts. If it became widespread, the technology has the potential to help slow global heating, the researchers said.

Typically, this group of bacteria thrive in environments with high levels of methane (between 5,000 and 10,000 parts per million (ppm)). The normal concentrations in our atmosphere have much lower levels of only about 1.9 ppm of methane. But certain areas such as landfills, rice fields and oilwells emit higher concentrations of about 500 ppm.

“Bacteria that rapidly eat methane at the higher concentrations found around cattle herds, etc could make a huge contribution to cutting methane emissions, especially from tropical agriculture,” said Euan Nisbet, professor of Earth sciences at Royal Holloway, University of London, commenting on the findings of the study.

The strain’s high methane consumption rate is probably due to a low energy requirement and greater attraction for methane – more than five times more than that of other bacteria, according to the study.

“The bacteria oxidise the methane to CO2 (a much less powerful greenhouse gas) and so you can even use the exhaust to pump into greenhouses and grow tomatoes,” said Nisbet.

“The biggest barrier to implementation now is technical: we need to increase the methane treatment unit 20-fold. If we can achieve that, then the biggest barriers become investment capital and public acceptance. We believe we could have field pilots tested within three to four years, and scale up would then depend on investment capital and commercialisation,” said Lidstrom.

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• Minesto completes testing on ocean current renewable technology

The system will harness the power of tidal steams and ocean currents in the North Atlantic.

Swedish renewables company Minesto has completed testing on its sea-bed connection system, which will enable renewable energy to be generated using ocean currents and tidal streams.

The company is developing a 1.2MW power plant, called the Dragon 12, using its Launch and Recovery System (LARS) technology.

The new connection system enables the LARS frame to be lowered to the sea floor and operated and controlled using remote technology and cameras.

The Dragon 12 will be installed in the Faroe Islands, located in the North Atlantic. The entire system can be operated from a boat above the water.

“Our unique connection system shows the core of our innovative technology- fast, efficient, and easy to handle,” said Minesto CEO Martin Edlund, in a statement published on 22 August.

Ocean currents can be used to rotate turbines which in turn generate electricity. According to Minesto, the use of tidal streams and ocean currents is a more predictable way of generating renewable energy than wind and solar. Given their regularity, water flow direction and rate can easily be predicted.

The Faroe Islands have an ambitious target in place to source all of their energy from renewable sources by the year 2030. The islands principally use hydro, wind, tidal and wave power in addition to a small amount of solar.

Minesto published its half-year report earlier this month with total operating income amounting to Skr25m ($2.2m) and mainly included capitalised development work of Skr22.5m.

“With the second quarter, we further accelerate our focus on driving large-scale, project-based sales of tidal energy arrays, where reference installations of our smaller power plant Dragon 4 are the key to long-term business,” said Edlund in a statement published on 17 August.

Tesla.

Infographic: Renewable Power Generation Costs Continue to Fall Despite Inflation

Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2022

The fossil fuel price crisis of 2022 was a telling reminder of the powerful economic benefits that renewable power can provide in terms of energy security. In 2022, the renewable power deployed globally since 2000 saved an estimated USD 521 billion in fuel costs in the electricity sector.

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• Jaguar to create renewable energy storage system using I-PACE batteries

Jaguar Land Rover is partnering with Wykes Engineering Ltd to create one of the UK’s largest renewable energy storage systems from recycled I-PACE batteries.

The groundbreaking renewable energy storage system will harness the power of recycled batteries from Jaguar’s electric vehicle, the I-PACE.

Reusing electric vehicle batteries for energy storage will not only help establish a circular economy for Jaguar, aiding the company’s Reimagine Strategy to achieve net zero emissions by 2039, but will also help realise the full potential of solar and wind power.

Rueben Chorley, Jaguar’s Sustainable Industrial Operations Director, commented: “We’re delighted to be working with Wykes Engineering on this pioneering project that will help unlock the true potential of renewable energy.

“Developing second-life battery projects like this is crucial to helping JLR adopt a new circular economy business model and drive us toward achieving carbon net zero by 2039.”

How does the renewable energy storage system work?

The renewable energy storage system will be developed by Wykes Engineering and will use 30 second-life I-PACE batteries.

Each system can store up to 2.5MWh of energy at full capacity, with Jaguar aiming to supply enough recycled batteries to store 7.5MWh of energy by the end of 2023 – enough to power 750 homes for a day.

Each of the renewable energy storage systems is connected to an advanced inverter that optimises energy management and efficiency.

The technology can directly supply power to the National Grid during peak times and can draw power out of the grid throughout off-peak hours to store for future use.

This type of renewable energy storage system will be instrumental in decarbonising the grid by capturing solar and wind energy during sunny or windy conditions to be used at other times of the year when energy demands are higher, such as winter.

David Wykes, the Managing Director of Wykes Engineering, said: “One of the major benefits of the system we’ve developed is that the containers are connected to the grid in such a way that they can absorb solar energy that could otherwise be lost when the grid reaches capacity.

“This excess energy can now be stored in the second-life I-PACE batteries and discharged later. This allows us to ‘overplant’ the solar park and maximise the amount of power we generate for the area of land we are using.”

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• First US Gulf Offshore Wind Auction to Fuel Green Hydrogen Push

The U.S. Gulf Coast region, the nation's primary offshore source of oil and gas, has cheap electricity and lacks state mandates for renewable energy procurement, making it an unlikely place to expand one of the most expensive forms of clean energy.

That is why players in the nascent U.S. offshore wind industry are looking beyond the grid when the Biden administration holds the first-ever offshore wind auction in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, eyeing the sale instead as a way to fuel a new green hydrogen supply chain for the region's vast industrial corridor.

Hydrogen is a low-emissions fuel made by electrolyzing water that can help decarbonize heavy-emitting industries and transportation. It is considered "green" if produced with renewable energy and "gray" if the process is fueled with carbon-emitting natural gas.

The Gulf Coast auction would be a break from previous federal offshore wind lease sales, held mainly in the Northeast, where developers have spent billions of dollars on acreage for projects meant to link into lucrative power markets and access state-level subsidies for carbon-free electricity.

"When we get to the Gulf, (offshore wind) will start becoming much more disconnected from the grid," said Cheryl Stahl, principal project manager at risk assessment firm DNV. "The Gulf gets to be sort of a breeding ground for innovative solutions."

The Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will auction three areas off Louisiana and Texas to offshore wind developers on Aug. 29, the first such sale in the regionalready teeming with oil and gas pipeline and port infrastructure.

The sale is part of the administration's goal to slash power sector emissions and combat climate change.

A BOEM spokesperson, John Filostrat, said the Gulf "is uniquely positioned to transition to a renewable energy future, including the development and implementation of the production and use of green hydrogen."

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• Orange Romania commits to long-term virtual procurement of renewable energy

Companies within the Orange Romania Group have signed the first vPPA (virtual Power Purchase Agreement) contract with Engie Romania, which involves the long-term virtual procurement of renewable energy.

Orange said that the 6-year agreement will allow its Romanian branch to cover 30 GWh of its annual electricity needs with green energy from solar technology.

By signing the vPPA contract, Orange and Engie Romania have joined forces in a joint project supporting Orange companies in Romania to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040, a goal set in the strategic plan of the Orange Group - Lead the Future. Through this initiative, Romania joins other countries within Europe, where Orange secured a substantial 80% volume of green energy in 2023 (Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Poland, Romania, Moldova).

"We align with the objectives of the Orange Group and continue to integrate sustainability into our actions to reduce our impact on the environment," stated Liudmila Climoc, CEO of Orange Romania.

Representatives of Engie Romania, in turn, noted that the company supports its clients by offering predictable solutions for purchasing electricity from renewable sources, which are also beneficial for environmental protection.

“vPPA contracts, such as the one signed between Engie Romania and Orange, exemplify our group's strategy to offer customers green electricity and provide predictability over energy costs. It's a great example of how, in a market with high price fluctuations like the energy market, companies can ensure, through this type of contract, that they conduct economically and environmentally sustainable activities," stated Nicolas Richard, CEO of Engie Romania.

Part 1 of 2

• EU lawmakers approve a deal to raise renewable energy target to 42.5% of total consumption by 2030

European Union lawmakers endorsed a deal Tuesday to raise the share of renewables in the bloc’s energy mix, another step to accelerate its green transition away from fossil fuels.

The bill, adopted by a large majority — 470 lawmakers voted in favor, 120 against and 40 abstained — foresees an updated renewable energy target of 42.5% of total consumption by 2030, with the aim of reaching 45%. The current goal is 32%.

“Today’s vote in the European Parliament clears the way for a massive boost towards the energy transition, in a way that is affordable for citizens and reinforces the EU as an industrial bastion,” said Green MEP Ville Niinistö. “The EU is saying goodbye to fossil fuels in our energy mix. The energy crisis has shown that we must be fully independent of oil and gas, especially from Russia.”

A review by global energy think tank Ember showed that wind and solar generated a record 22% of the EU’s electricity last year and for the first time overtook gas, which accounted for 20%. Coal power accounted for 16%.

The Parliament said the legislation will also accelerate the deployment of solar panels and windmills since national governments will have to grant permits for new renewable installations within 12 months if they are located in “go-to areas” guaranteeing nature protection at the same time. Outside such areas, the process should not exceed 24 months.

The EU's legislative body also expects that the deployment of renewables in the transport sector should help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 14.5% by 2030 through "using a greater share of advanced biofuels and a more ambitious quota for renewable fuels of non-biological origin, such as hydrogen.”

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• Global climate ambition gets fresh boost, as world lags on Paris Agreement goals

A one-two punch of diplomatic news shows new global ambition — and just how far off-pace the world remains on meeting Paris Agreement goals.

Catch up fast: The weekend Group of 20 heads of state meeting in India produced a joint pledge to triple renewables capacity by 2030, endorsing a plank of COP28 president-designate Sultan al-Jaber.

• The broad declaration also vows to boost finance for developing nations, including more muscular efforts by multilateral development banks.

Of note: The meeting also formally brought the African Union into the G20, potentially amplifying the group's voice on climate and energy matters.

Yes, but: The document doesn't set goals for curbing use of fossil fuels overall beyond (briefly) reiterating support for phasing down coal-fired generation. That brings us to the second piece of news.

• A day before the G20 declaration, a United Nations report tallied the huge gap between the current emissions path and Paris temperature-limiting goals.

What they found: It highlights some progress since the Paris Agreement was reached in 2015, but not remotely enough.

• It's packed with lines like this: "Urgent action and support are needed to ramp up implementation of domestic mitigation measures by realizing opportunities across all sectors and systems."

Sobering stat: Via Andrew's coverage Friday, "[e]missions reductions on the order of 43% globally, compared to 2019 levels, by 2030 are needed in order to have a chance at limiting warming to 1.5°C (2.7°F) above preindustrial levels," the report finds.

State of play: The report is part of the first "global stocktake" under Paris, meant to inform nations' pledges and plans through the largely non-binding pact.

What they're saying: The climate group E3G said the G20 outcome had several strong points but fell short.

• "[I]ncreasing renewables needs to go hand in hand with phasing out fossil fuels, which is completely missing. We need stronger, bolder action from leaders on both. All eyes now on COP28 — can the leaders deliver?," E3G's Madhura Joshi said in a statement.

The bottom line: The G20 outcome and U.N. report set the table for difficult negotiations at the late-year COP28 summit.

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• Orkney islands to trial electric ferries to cut carbon emissions

The Orkney islands are to test two electric ferries for commuting between its outlying islands as part of efforts to cut carbon emissions from shipping.

The battery-powered hydrofoil ferries, whose hulls are raised above the water, are part of a three-year, £15.5m demonstration project funded by the UK government, due to start in March 2024.

The smaller of the two ferries will carry up to 12 passengers between Kirkwall, Orkney’s main town, and the islands of Shapinsay, Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre on a year-round daily service.

The larger vessel will take up to 50 passengers and light cargo between Kirkwall and the outer islands of Westray, Eday, Sanday and Stronsay in a circuit up to five times a day. It is expected to start service in 2025.

Councillors and MSPs in Orkney and Shetland, the archipelago north of Orkney, have been pressing the UK and Scottish governments for help in replacing their ageing and highly polluting inter-island ferries.

Unlike the state-owned ferry service CalMac, which serves the Hebrides, their inter-island ferries are council-owned and operated. Scottish ministers have rejected their pleas for support to replace them.

James Stockan, Orkney’s council leader, said the islands were already leaders in zero-carbon technologies. Orkney is home to a major marine energy research centre, known as Emec, and has one of the UK’s highest number of electric vehicle chargers in relation to population.

“This work is about looking at how we can, in the future, decarbonise our fleet,” he said. “Whilst this is tremendous news, this latest development must not be confused with our drive to secure funding for replacement ferries.”

Orkney’s vessels, which are being supplied by Artemis Technologies in Belfast, are part of a package of measures aimed at removing or heavily reducing carbon emissions and pollution from shipping.

Part 2 of 2

• Coalition of world leaders calls for tripling renewable energy

Leaders from the EU, Africa and the Caribbean have issued a united demand for the world to set targets that would transform the global energy system before a child born today is halfway through primary school.

In an article published Saturday on POLITICO’s website, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, President of Kenya William Ruto and Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley called for the world to set “a common horizon,” namely global goals to triple renewable energy capacity and double annual savings of energy use by 2030.

They issued their statement in the wake of a dire U.N. report on the state of global climate efforts released Friday. Sultan Al-Jaber, the United Arab Emirates official leading the COP28 U.N. climate talks that start in November, was also a signatory on the article.

“COP28 will offer the world a critical chance to course-correct on climate change,” they said in the article.

The leaders have previously made these demands individually, but they said they would collectively pressure other leaders. That campaign would start immediately on Saturday at the G20 summit in India, where von der Leyen will lobby the heads of the world’s largest economies to join their coalition.

"We need major economies to play a major role in setting global targets for renewables growth and energy efficiency. If the G20 can make progress on this issue it will be an important stepping stone towards COP28," an EU official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, told POLITICO.

The scaling up of clean power, coupled with the overall drop in usage, would erode the dominance of fossil fuels in the global energy mix.

That presents a huge challenge for traditional energy exporters, many of whom will be represented at the G20. That includes the UAE and other oil-rich Middle Eastern nations.

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• China's renewable energy overtakes coal in H1 2023: NEA

China’s renewable energy capacity has overtaken its coal power generation for the first time, hitting 1.32 billion kilowatts (kW) in the first half (H1) of 2023, as per the National Energy Administration (NEA). The milestone was discussed by Zhang Jianhua, the head of the administration, at the 2023 International Forum on Energy Transition recently held in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province.

The share of non-fossil energy consumption in the country amplified from 9.7 per cent in 2012 to a significant 17.5 per cent in 2022, local media reports quoted Zhang as saying.

China has been focusing on clean energy generation for the past several years including the production of hydropower, wind and photovoltaic power, and biomass power generation, in addition to having nuclear power facilities under construction.

https://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/s...ewsdetails.htm

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• Bangladesh's Summit Group to invest $3 bln in clean energy push

Bangladesh's Summit Group plans to invest $3 billion in solar, wind and hydroelectricity generation projects in south Asia as a part of its clean energy push and efforts to diversify its fossil fuel-based business, its chairman said on Friday.

Summit Power International, the Singapore-based holding company for all power generation assets of Bangladesh's Summit Group in which Japanese utility JERA holds a 22% stake, will build 1,000 megawatts of solar and wind energy projects with battery storage in India, group Chairman Aziz Khan told Reuters.

"We have signed memorandums of understanding with large Indian companies. This will be the cheapest form of electricity for Bangladesh, cheaper than even natural gas-based power," Khan said in an interview at his office.

Summit, which operates over a dozen fossil fuel-based power generation units and owns one of the country's two floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) to handle imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG), also plans to build 700 megawatts of hydro power plants in Bhutan and Nepal, Khan said.

Khan said current global LNG prices were still high, adding they were continuing to destroy demand in key sectors in Bangladesh, impacting economic growth and leading to frequent power outages.

LNG had been central to Bangladesh's economic growth in the last decade, as millions gained access to the electricity grid for the first time. The super-chilled fuel, along with rapidly dwindling local gas reserves, generated about two-thirds of its electricity over the second half of the last decade.

However, high global LNG prices after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, difficulty paying for fuel imports amid declining forex reserves and value of its currency and unexpected spikes in demand due to erratic weather resulted in the south Asian nation facing its worst power crisis in a decade this year.

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• Microsoft funding new approach for carbon removal

Microsoft agreed to fund a carbon capture technology that uses the natural properties of limestone to take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, the startup firm Heirloom Carbon announced Thursday.

The tech giant will purchase about $200 million worth of carbon credits — equivalent to 315,000 tons of carbon — over 10 years from Heirloom to fund its carbon capture operations in Louisiana and elsewhere in the U.S.

Heirloom’s direct air capture process uses processed limestone to draw carbon dioxide out of the air, where it is then removed from the stone and stored underground or in concrete.

“Microsoft’s agreement with Heirloom is another important step in helping build the market for high-quality carbon removal and supports our path to become carbon negative by 2030,” Microsoft Senior Director of Energy and Carbon Brian Marrs said in a statement.

“As an investor in and customer of Heirloom, we believe that Heirloom’s technical approach and plan are designed for rapid iteration to help drive down the cost of large-scale Direct Air Capture at the urgent pace needed to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement,” he continued.

In addition to a pledge to go carbon-negative by 2030, the company has also committed to paying back all carbon the company has ever produced by 2050.

Heirloom’s Louisiana facility was selected to receive up to $600 million from the Department of Energy last month, funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed under the Biden administration.

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• Peak fossil fuel demand will happen this decade

There’s a taboo in the traditional energy sector against suggesting that demand for the three fossil fuels — oil, gas and coal — could go into permanent decline. Despite recurring talk of peak oil and peak coal over the years, both fuels are hitting all-time highs, making it easier to push back against any assertions that they could soon be on the wane.

But according to new projections from the International Energy Agency, this age of seemingly relentless growth is set to come to an end this decade, bringing with it significant implications for the global energy sector and the fight against climate change.

Every year, the IEA’s World Energy Outlook maps out potential pathways the global energy system could take in the coming decades to help inform decision-making. This year’s report, to be released next month, shows the world is on the cusp of a historic turning point. Based only on today’s policy settings by governments worldwide — even without any new climate policies — demand for each of the three fossil fuels is set to hit a peak in the coming years. This is the first time that a peak in demand is visible for each fuel this decade — earlier than many people anticipated.

These remarkable shifts will bring forward the peak in global greenhouse gas emissions. They are primarily driven by the spectacular growth of clean energy technologies such as solar panels and electric vehicles, the structural shifts in China’s economy and the ramifications of the global energy crisis.

Global demand for coal has remained stubbornly high for the past decade. But it is now set to peak in the next few years, with big investments drying up outside China as solar and wind dominate the expansion of electricity systems. Even in China, the world’s largest coal consumer, the impressive growth of renewables and nuclear power, alongside a slower economy, point to a decrease in coal use soon. https://www.iea.org/topics/world-energy-outlook

Part 1 of 2

• Rockefeller Foundation announcing $1B commitment to climate-change programs

The Rockefeller Foundation announced Friday that it would invest more than $1 billion over the next five years in strategies that combat climate change.

“The Foundation has made many big bets in its history, and we believe climate change’s threats and the climate transition’s opportunities—especially for the most vulnerable—justify what will be the biggest and most impactful bet in our history,” Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, president of the foundation, said in a statement.

Among the investments, the organization said they plan to donate $5 million in Battery Energy Storage Systems around the world, $1 million to kick off mini grid development in Zambia and develop metro-grids in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

They will give $20 million to Invest in Our Future for climate-smart infrastructure in the U.S. They will donate $35 million in climate-finance investments, including grants to accelerate decarbonization and other nature-based solutions.

The foundation said they will invest in overlooked communities around the world. Trillions of dollars are being invested in energy transitions in wealthier nations and localities, Shah wrote in her New Climate Strategy released Thursday.

“We need a global financial system transformation that both unlocks that level of finance and channels it toward those who need it most,” her strategy said.

Shah’s strategy will use Rockefeller resources to transform the four systems “essential to the well-being of people and the planet: energy, agriculture, health and finance.”

The Rockefeller Foundation’s philanthropic history began with an endowment of $100 million from John D. Rockefeller in 1913, the statement said.

“This new strategy aligns with the Rockefeller Foundation’s vision of encouraging scaled investment and seeking creative and science-based solutions to intractable problems,” Shah wrote.

Ahead of New York Climate Week, the foundation announced that its Manhattan-based headquarters and each of its locations in the U.S. and worldwide are taking steps to reach net zero emissions.

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• Vattenfall has announced plans to develop a 630MW offshore wind farm in the German North Sea.

Vattenfall has obtained the right to develop the N-6.6 offshore wind power project off the German North Sea coast after having exercised its right of entry.

Vattenfall plans to build the Nordlicht 2 offshore wind farm with an installed capacity of 630MW in the area.
In September 2022, Vattenfall exercised its right of entry for the N-7.2 wind farm area and the Nordlicht 1 wind farm being built on this site will have an installed capacity of 980MW.

In the course of the changeover to tendering procedures for offshore wind energy, the areas N-7.2 (2022) and N-6.6 (2023) were auctioned off by the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA).

The wind farms will have a total installed capacity of 1610MW.

Subject to the company's final investment decisions, Nordlicht 1 can be connected to the grid from 2027 and Nordlicht 2 from 2028.

Christian Barthélémy, Head of Germany at Vattenfall, said: "With investments in the Nordlicht 1 and 2 wind farms, we are making an important contribution to achieving the German expansion target for offshore wind of 30GW.

“Despite the recently much more difficult framework conditions under which the entire industry is suffering, we are hereby flying the flag for offshore wind energy in Germany.

“In view of the recent sharp rise in costs for the construction and operation of offshore wind farms, we expect possible synergies at two neighbouring wind farms, which could have a cost-dampening effect."

Nordlicht 2 was originally developed under the name Atlantis 1.

Vattenfall acquired the project in 2017, but when a new offshore wind tendering system was put into place, the area was auctioned out again.

Vattenfall holds the right of entry.

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• Wood Mackenzie has said that with the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) driving the economic competitiveness of renewables, annual capacity additions will nearly triple in 10 years to 110GW.

Speaking at the RE+ conference in Las Vegas, Chris Seiple, vice chairman, power and renewables for Wood Mackenzie said: "The IRA has made renewables very competitive with other technologies and wholesale power prices.

"As a result, we are seeing a land rush for development sites and a resurgence in US manufacturing to support the renewables industry.
"There are still challenges that remain, but overall, low-cost renewables present a major opportunity for investment, and we project annual capacity additions in 10 years to nearly triple what they are now."

According to Wood Mackenzie, the total costs for IRA tax credits through 2050 is estimated to be US$1.9trillion.

This will provide the economic base for growth, but not assure an entirely smooth transition, added Seiple.

Seiple said: "The complexity of turning the IRA into detailed rules has made the initial investment difficult and slowed down development, but the long-term projection is strong.

"Ultimately, economics won’t be the main challenge for future growth, but rather issues like interconnection queues, transmission capacity and labor shortages could cause bottlenecks."

Some advanced grid technologies, such as direct line ratings (DLR), have the potential to provide near-term transmission solutions and expand grid capacity, according to Wood Mackenzie.

Some studies suggest DLRs can outperform static ratings 90-95% of the time and achieve increases in capacity more than 30%, it added.

Seiple added: "There are solutions available now that can help alleviate current issues, but they are not getting traction fast enough.

"Apart from these problems, we also face increasing extreme weather events, which have added strain on grids across the globe. As we work through these challenges, we project that the IRA will significantly reduce carbon emissions and result in a 60% carbon-free power sector by 2032, which is progress, but not enough to put us on track to limit the extent of climate change sufficiently."

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• ADB Approves Support to Expand Renewable Energy in Maldives

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a financing package of $50.5 million to expand renewable energy development in Maldives.

The package consists of $41.5 million from the Asian Development Fund (ADF), an $8.5 million concessional loan from ordinary capital resources, and a $500,000 grant from the Climate Change Fund. The ADF provides grants to ADB’s most vulnerable developing member countries.

“ADB has been assisting the Government of Maldives in its efforts toward energy transition and achieving its vision for the energy sector, anchored on three pillars: renewable energy, technology innovation, and energy efficiency,” said ADB Senior Energy Specialist Jaimes Kolantharaj. “This project directly supports energy transition by facilitating the shift away from diesel-based generation and supports the three pillars to help the country move toward a climate- and disaster-resilient clean energy source while ensuring its energy security.”

ADB will support the installation of grid-scale energy storage, energy management systems, and distribution grid upgrades in 20 outer islands. This will help attract private sector investments to establish rooftop, land, and floating solar photovoltaic facilities in these areas. ADB will also provide transaction advisory support to develop public–private partnerships for solar independent power producer (IPP) projects.

In addition, the project will introduce financial instruments to mitigate delayed payment risk and a performance-based incentive scheme for solar IPPs that will incentivize timely project delivery, reduce tariffs, and provide political risk insurance for private sector investments.

The project will install emerging technologies such as ocean-based floating solar panels, ocean energy devices, small wind turbines, and flow batteries, which have the potential for replication. Further, the project will support cross-sectoral interventions that will promote gender inclusivity by supporting renewable energy-based livelihood activities for women and disadvantaged households.

The project will strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology, Fenaka Corporation Limited, and the regulator on financial management and sustainability of investments, design and implementation of emerging renewable energy systems and technologies, and project management. A women’s leadership program in these institutions and an internship program for women graduates will also be established.

The financing package will be supplemented with a $48 million cofinancing from the Asia-Pacific Climate Finance Fund, Clean Technology Fund, Japan Fund for the Joint Crediting Mechanism, and investments from the private sector. The government will provide a counterpart of $1.97 million.

part 2 of 2

• Germany On Track to Pass 50% Mark for Renewable Power This Year

Germany is on track to generate over 50% of its power from renewable energy in 2023, but needs to ramp up the speed of its transition towards the end of the decade in order to meet its climate goals.

According to Economy Minister Robert Habeck, renewables will need to account for 80% of power generation by 2030 in order to meet Germany’s target of net-zero emissions by 2045. However, he warned that the country is not currently on track to meet this goal.

“We won’t get there at the current pace,” Habeck said at a conference in Berlin on Monday.

Habeck spoke of a boom in the solar power industry, with this year’s target of achieving 9-gigawatt capacity expected to be reached. The expansion of onshore wind energy was also progressing well, he said, with 2022’s full-year volumes already reached by the end of July 2023.

However, Habeck said that offshore wind energy expansion was being hampered by a lack of components needed to build the facilities.

The German government has set ambitious targets for the expansion of renewable energy, but it faces a number of challenges in meeting these goals. These include the need to upgrade the country’s electricity grid, to secure public support for renewable energy projects, and to address supply chain disruptions.

Despite the challenges, Habeck said that Germany is committed to accelerating its transition to renewable energy.

“We need to make sure that we are on track to meet our climate goals,” he said. “Renewable energy is the key to a sustainable future.”

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• Alectra, Toronto Hydro purchase battery-electric bucket trucks

The utilities are introducing the fully electric bucket trucks to their fleets in field and training yard pilots to assess their potential for regular and more widespread deployment

Two Ontario-based utilities are taking steps to transition their fleets to electric with the introduction of fully electric bucket trucks.

Alectra Utilities and Toronto Hydro announced plans this week to each incorporate an electric bucket truck into their operations. The move is part of both companies’ plans to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and 2040, respectively.

The all-electric double bucket trucks are built on an International eMV chassis. Connecticut-based Terex Utilities manufactures them. Terex is a global manufacturer of bucket trucks and digger derricks for the electric utility industry.

Terex unveiled its electric bucket truck to the market in June 2022. At that point it had already received orders from nine utility providers, including SaskPower.

Alectra nine-month pilot launch

The trucks will serve a common purpose for both Alectra and Toronto Hydro: to support power line technicians in their daily overhead line maintenance operations.

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• Audi A8 EV Coming Next Year With Over 400 Miles of Range: Report

Audi’s flagship sedan will reportedly move to an all-electric powertrain, ushering in new levels of self-driving abilities and range for the brand when it's unveiled next year. Autocar reported Friday that the Audi A8 sedan would bow next year and feature a battery of up to 120 kWh, which could offer ranges of more than 400 miles and be the most powerful model in the automaker’s stable with up to 700 horsepower or more.

The outlet reported that the final design would closely resemble the Audi Grandsphere concept from 2021 but feature a more conventional design inside and out. The electric sedan will reportedly break from the traditional three-box design from its predecessors but still seat up to four or five adults within its swoopy shape and have a low ride height. Autocar didn’t cite any sources in its report. An Audi spokesman told The Drive the report was "speculation" and did not comment.

Moving the A8 to an all-electric powertrain is mainly in keeping with what the company has said already. In 2021, Audi’s CEO said it would offer 20 EVs by 2025, and the replacement sedan for the A3 will likely be an EV, but won’t be called the A3. This year's new E-Tron will reportedly underpin the A8, co-developed with sister-company Porsche, called PPE. It should offer an 800-volt architecture that would enable fast charging at speeds up to 270 kW.

Like the Grandsphere concept, the A8 likely will lead the way in self-driving technology for Audi, which has been among the forerunners for German luxury brands, and was one of the first luxury automakers to offer Level 3 self-driving capability in selected markets. The last-gen Audi A8 was equipped with L3 technology when it launched, although it never arrived in the U.S. Only Mercedes-Benz has certified L3 self-driving cars in the U.S., in selected states. Nonetheless, the Audi A8 has been a technological tour de force before, and that’s not likely to change with the next-gen model. It’s unclear if the upcoming A8 EV will have an accompanying internal combustion-powered counterpart, but if it does, it’s not likely to be called the A8.

• WATT raises $13 million to power renewable energy in Nigeria

WATT Renewable Corporation, an independently owned provider of hybrid solar solutions, has secured $13 million in funding from Empower New Energy.

The company said this significant investment will catalyze its efforts in advancing renewable energy solutions in Nigeria. The funding also marks the largest investment to date for Empower New Energy.

WATT specializes in hybrid solar energy solutions and is dedicated to reducing carbon footprint through innovative technologies.

As an indication that the renewable energy market in Nigeria has continued to gain traction, another competitor in the renewable market Auxano Solar, an indigenous solar solution provider company, recently launched a 100 megawatts (MW) automated Solar PV manufacturing plant after securing $2 million investment.

Increase in energy portfolio
WATT said the funding will enable it to enhance its renewable energy portfolio, adding an impressive 8MW of installed generating capacity and 14.3MWh of storage capacity through end-to-end services and operation of towers in Nigeria.

This is set to make a substantial impact on the availability and reliability of clean energy in the region.

The funding is estimated to support the reduction of approximately 3,000,000 litres of diesel consumption per year, which translates to about 7,039 metric tons of CO2 emissions avoided annually.

This represents a significant step towards a cleaner and greener environment, aligning with global efforts to combat climate change.