Green, ethical, energy issues in the news

Martyn1981 · 17 June 2016 at 6:40PM

EDF’s top managers tell MPs that Hinkley Point should be postponed

Starting to look like a dead duck.

If it can't compete with the costs of renewables today, what hope has it by 2028 or so when (if) it starts.

Some of the other nuclear plans may be cheaper, so have a better shot. But they too are in for a tough time, since nuclear only really makes sense if replacing coal, as nuclear is (probably?) cleaner than coal, so long as it doesn't go bang. But with coal going by 2025, and most of the way there already, then that's another door firmly slammed in the face of nuclear.

I guess it all comes down to storage now. If a lot of progress is made by the end of this decade, then nuclear may never rise from the ashes

(too soon?)

Mart.

silverwhistle · 20 June 2016 at 10:15AM

Any PVer here will know about demand management, and it has been used for decades by industry, but to meet future needs with renewables we'll need even more different ways of coping, so I thought this was interesting:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/06/19/national-grid-recruits-nhs-hospitals-to-help-keep-the-lights-on/

Martyn1981 · 21 June 2016 at 7:20AM

China to generate a quarter of electricity from wind power by 2030

China is on track to generate more than a quarter of its electricity from wind power by 2030, and the figure could rise to nearly a third with power sector reforms, a new study has found.

Within 14 years, more new generating capacity – mostly clean energy – will come online in China than currently exists in the whole of the US, further cementing the country’s image as a burgeoning green giant.

Mart.

Martyn1981 · 28 June 2016 at 3:45PM

Siemens freezes new UK wind power investment following Brexit vote

Mart.

Martyn1981 · 28 June 2016 at 3:46PM

US, Canada and Mexico pledge 50% of power from clean energy by 2025

The leaders of the US, Canada and Mexico, meeting on Wednesday at the so-called “Three Amigos” summit, will pledge to have their countries produce 50% of their power by 2025 from hydropower, wind, solar and nuclear plants, carbon capture and storage, as well as from energy efficiency measures.

Mart.

Martyn1981 · 30 June 2016 at 12:20PM

Interesting news.

UK sets ambitious new 2030s carbon target

Amber Rudd allays fears that target would be casualty of EU referendum and adopts fifth carbon budget to reduce emissions 57% by 2030 on 1990 levels

The legally binding “fifth carbon budget” laid in parliament today is tougher than the carbon emissions target the UK is signed up to as part of the European Union, which requires a 40% cut by 2030 on 1990 levels.

The commitment should ease anxieties in the green energy sector that last week’s leave vote would water down the UK’s leadership on climate change, or that the decision to approve the budget would be left to the next prime minister.

Great target but it will mean that support for PV and on-shore wind will need to restart.

House build standards will need to be raised (restarted).

Nuclear is probably guaranteed.

Storage of all types and sizes will be needed.

Quite a lot to do in 14 years, so should be interesting ...... unless they plan to do nothing, just set a target.

Mart.

Martyn1981 · 6 July 2016 at 11:11AM

UK to miss 2020 renewable energy targets concludes National Grid

Niall Stuart, chief executive of Scottish Renewables, said: "This is just the latest piece of research which shows the UK is set to miss its 2020 renewable energy targets.

"We have simply failed to grow renewables' share of the energy used in heat and transport to the levels required, and we will not meet our climate change targets without massive changes in these two areas.

"The irony is that there are a huge number of renewable power projects which could provide cheap and clean electricity before 2020 and make up the shortfall from heat and transport. However, onshore wind and solar – the two cheapest forms of clean electricity generation – are unable to bid for long-term contracts for power, and other technologies cannot access support until 2021 at the earliest.”

Mart.

Martyn1981 · 6 July 2016 at 3:16PM

This is so big, I really don't know how to explain it ..... it ..... it just is:-

Off-shore wind contract at €72.70/MWh

Officials said the “lower than anticipated price” of €72.70/MWh was the result of “fierce competition between companies in the public tender”.

A total of 38 bids were received and prices were due to come in at around €124/MWh. The previous record bid across Europe was around €100 for Vattenfall’s 400MW Horns Rev 3, which was described as a “one off” at the time.

That's 2020 supply at ~£62/MWh.

If repeatable, that's serious game changing prices.

For 2016 approx UK CFD comparisons (per MWh) are:-
On-shore wind £80
PV farms £80
Nuclear (Hinkley C) £99
Off-shore wind £120

Mart.

zeupater · 6 July 2016 at 5:28PM

Martyn1981 wrote: »

This is so big, I really don't know how to explain it ..... it ..... it just is:-

Off-shore wind contract at €72.70/MWh

That's 2020 supply at ~£62/MWh.

If repeatable, that's serious game changing prices.

For 2016 approx UK CFD comparisons (per MWh) are:-
On-shore wind £80
PV farms £80
Nuclear (Hinkley C) £99
Off-shore wind £120

Mart.

Hi

That's another serious knife in EDF's position on the Hinckley-C nuclear plant, alongside the shift in currency exchange rates and the recent press on cost and safty issues there's a very serious question as to whether it'll be fatal for large scale nuclear and a boost for SMRs ( https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/508616/SMR_Competition_Phase_1_Guidance.pdf )

HTH
Z

Martyn1981 · 7 July 2016 at 8:18AM

zeupater wrote: »

Hi

That's another serious knife in EDF's position on the Hinckley-C nuclear plant, alongside the shift in currency exchange rates and the recent press on cost and safty issues there's a very serious question as to whether it'll be fatal for large scale nuclear and a boost for SMRs ( https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/508616/SMR_Competition_Phase_1_Guidance.pdf )

HTH
Z

Yep, scary wind prices if you happen to be the competition.

With a cf of 50% this may be bad news for on-shore wind too, though I think there are differences in the generation patterns. Presumably PV is safe having a summer bias.

Also, what does it mean for storage? With prices that low overcapacity could simply be a better alternative, plus industries will always crop up to make use of cheap/free leccy, such as H2 production. [I believe it's fair to put economical overcapacity in the same category as storage when considering intermittent generation.]

Fingers crossed these prices are repeatable, possibly down to the deployment now of specialist construction techniques and ships, the possible move to floating bases, and the move towards vast turbines 8MW (perhaps bigger).

If the first half of this decade belongs to PV development, perhaps the second half will be owned by off-shore wind.

BTW, have you seen these graphics on the (theoretical) levels of off-shore wind or PV needed to meet the world's energy (not leccy) requirements.

Mart.

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