Green, ethical, energy issues in the news

Martyn1981

joefizz said:

Martyn1981 said:

The ageing fleet is not exactly reliable anymore.

One of the earliest posts I made on this forum was about this and about the gap it would create going forward. At some point the politicians will have to make a call on it, rather than just kick the can down the road constantly because as I mentioned before, its all very safe right up until the point its not and we dont want to go there.

Of course nobody wants to be the one to raise electricity prices during periods of no wind and we almost got through the winter without major mishap this year.

Loads has already happened. Quick summary:
There is currently enough nuclear to provide 20% of UK leccy, but it's old and pretty unreliable.
The government planned to roll out 16GW of new nuclear, about double what we have (on a very good/rare day now).
They issued the first contract to HPC for 3.2GW powerstation, at the same time that RE costs were tumbling. The HPC deal is for a strike price of £102/MWh, for 35yrs (subsidy will come in at around £45-£50bn), but wind contracts are being issued at half that strike price now, which may receive very little subsidy, and have commissioning dates well in advance of HPC, and their subsidy period is only 15yrs.
So two years ago the government's National Infrastructure Commission advised that the economics of nuclear were now looking poor. They suggested the government stop at HPC plus one more, and study RE and storage costs, and see how they fall going forward (spoiler, they've kept on falling).
The government has not been able to agree a second nuclear contract as the prices wanted by bidders is too high, even after the government suggested putting £5bn of the monies in themselves.
The government has since announced/suggested increased off-shore wind targets, a reversal of their anti on-shore wind policies, and even a chance that they will take their boots of solar's throat too, by allowing these technologies to bid in future CfD auctions, with the potential for strike prices that actually work out net subsidy zero, or even put monies into the subsidy pot from which all these technologies (including nuclear) are paid.
The government is also showing an increased interest in storage, perhaps large scale longer term storage in hydrogen.

All around the World the nuclear industry is struggling against the falling costs of competition. There is a large expansion in China, but we can expect net reductions in many countries as old reactors are shut down without construction nor plans for replacements.

Martyn1981

If this is true then we could see bio-fuels that are actually carbon negative, rather than 'just' carbon neutral. It revolves around bio-char a potentially enormous and beneficial aid to fighting AGW by putting carbon back into the soil, for storage and to improve soil quality. So potentially lots of good news.

Climate-impact boost for Stiesdal's carbon-negative aviation fuel

A carbon-negative aviation fuel being developed by wind-power pioneer Henrik Stiesdal, produced from agricultural waste and green hydrogen, will reduce greenhouse-gas emissions significantly more than initially thought, Recharge has learned.

The fuel, which is on track to be commercialised by 2025, promises to be the most climate-friendly option to clean up the aviation industry, which is often described as the hardest sector to decarbonise.

Other green aviation fuels being developed — biofuels and synthetic “e-fuels” made from green hydrogen combined with captured CO2 — are merely carbon-neutral, neither adding to nor reducing overall CO2 levels.

SkyClean, however, is based on a pyrolysis process that uses agricultural waste as feedstock and delivers both fuel and biochar.

In simple terms, a pyrolysis oven is used to heat agricultural waste in the absence of oxygen, converting the biomass into three components: biooil, syngas and biochar. The biooil and syngas are then combined with green hydrogen (produced by using renewable energy to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen) to create biomethanol, which is then synthesised into aviation fuel.

About half of the carbon content of the agricultural waste is not converted into biooil and syngas but is delivered as biochar, a carbon-based solid similar to charcoal. Biochar does not decompose or rot when spread on the ground; it is stable in nature for millennia. Since the plants that comprise the feedstock for the SkyClean process took all their carbon content from the atmosphere in the form of CO2, and since about half of the carbon is sequestered as biochar — leaving only half to become converted into fuel — the process is carbon negative.

If the EU’s carbon price — currently around €25 per tonne — rises in the coming years as expected, it could soon be more profitable for airlines to buy jet A-1 based on the SkyClean process, rather than on conventional fossil oil (although international standards only currently allow up to a 50% biofuel/A-1 blend on commercial flights). This fossil fuel was responsible for 915 million tonnes of CO2 emissions globally in 2019, and passenger numbers are expected to increase by 70% by 2050.

silverwhistle

joefizz said:

Of course nobody wants to be the one to raise electricity prices during periods of no wind and we almost got through the winter without major mishap this year.

Those of us who have time of day tariffs noticed increase costs last week and appreciate that prices go up in certain circumstances.

I've just made a pot of tea before the 16.00 starting peak! It's not suitable for everybody, see Solarchaser's posts on batteries on another thread, but it does show that aggregated demand management does have an impact and not everybody is against the idea when they also receive balancing benefits.

Martyn1981

This sounds really positive, restored sea meadows, carbon storage, increased marine life, it just gets better as the article goes on. Yet another example how combating AGW is 'also' such a plus in so many ways. Cool.

UK's lost sea meadows to be resurrected in climate fight

First seagrass restoration in Britain will capture carbon rapidly and offer habitat for lost marine life
“We think this whole bay was once carpeted with seagrass,” says Evie Furness, waving across the sparkling, sunlit waters of Dale Bay in Pembrokeshire, Wales.

The underwater meadow is long gone though, a victim of past pollution and shipping. So from a boat half a mile from shore, Furness is feeding a long rope into the water, which carries a little hessian bag of seagrass seeds every metre. “We’ve passed the 800,000 seed mark now,” she says.

The Seagrass Ocean Rescue project will ultimately place 20km of rope and a million seeds on the shallow seafloor, where they will sprout through the bags and restore the habitat.

Seagrass meadows were once common around the UK coast, but more than 90% have been lost as a result of algae-boosting pollution, anchor damage and port and marina building. The meadows, however, store carbon 35 times faster than tropical rainforests and harbour up to 40 times more marine life than seabeds without grass, facts that are driving the effort to bring them back.

Seagrass covers just 0.2% of the ocean but provides an estimated 10% of its carbon storage. It is in trouble around the world, and Unsworth hopes the first project of its kind in the UK may help boost take-up of this nature-based solution to the climate crisis.

UK waters are cleaner now following EU water directives in recent decades, Unsworth says: “We want thousands of hectares of seagrass restored and the opportunity exists in this country now. The Stour, Orwell and Humber estuaries, for example. These places are ripe for it.” Next in the team’s sights are locations in North Wales, if funding can be obtained.

Seagrass can store about half a tonne of carbon per hectare per year, and more when it is mature,” he says. “It could be part of nature-based solutions [to climate change], and a significant part of it.”

Alec Taylor, WWF’s head of marine policy says: “Seagrass restoration ticks so many boxes: climate, fisheries, water quality, biodiversity. But we will only get the benefits if we act now and at scale.”

Martyn1981

Lots of UK news, from small to big (very big):
Deployment of a large flow battery as part of a storage trial:

RedT signs vanadium financing agreement with Bushveld as it gets go ahead for 2MW flow battery

redT has been given a provision notice from Pivot Power to manufacture the 2MW/5MWh of vanadium redox flow batteries as part of the Pivot-led Energy Superhub Oxford project. Additionally it has unveiled a partnership with vanadium producer Bushveld minerals to support the project. 

The flow batteries are to be hybridised alongside lithium-ion, which is to be provided by Wärtsilä. Pivot Power announced it had signed a contract with Wärtsilä for two 50MW lithium-ion batteries last month, one of which forms part of the Energy Superhub Oxford project and the other is to be located at a separate site in Kent.

The project is designed to showcase rapid electric vehicle (EV) charging, hybrid battery energy storage systems, low carbon heating and smart energy management. Set to last 3 years, the £41 million multi-partner project is part funded by the government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.

It will create the world’s largest example of a lithium-ion/flow hybrid and the UK’s largest example of flow batteries, redT said.

On to VPP's, and their potential to balance out peaks and troughs in demand and supply:

VPPs can reduce electricity demand during peak times by 25%, finds Northern Powergrid trial

Battery systems could allow 25% more renewable electricity to be used during peak times, Northern Powergrid has found in its Distributed Storage and Solar Study.

Launched in 2017, the trial saw 40 community homes managed by Energise Barnsley and Berneslai Homes receive batteries that were connected using energy technology firm Moixa’s software to form a virtual power plant (VPP) in Oxspring, Barnsley.

The software connected and managed the smart batteries, along with electric vehicle charging and the 27 sets of solar panels within the network.

Northern Powergrid found that the system reduced demand for electricity during peak times, when power is most expensive and dirtiest, by 25%. This helped manage grid constraint, reducing the need for costly improvements to the wider network.

More on budget hopes (and dreams) to improve conditions for PV and other technology deployment:

Business rates, VAT and zero-interest loans: The STA calls on government to ‘unleash’ solar

Solar has further been hit by VAT changes last year, meaning that high-end systems, those operating with batteries and systems acquired through collective purchase schemes can now be taxed at 20%. The solar industry expects that following the UK’s exit from the EU, this change will be reversed, having been enacted following the European Court of Justice ruling that the UK’s application of a discounted rate was illegal in 2015.

In the interim, the STA is calling for battery storage to be added to the Energy Saving Materials list, enabling the nascent technology access to a reduced rate of VAT, at 5%.

By offering zero-interest loans to domestic customers, government could further accelerate the rollout of solar, the STA said. Such a scheme could ensure that 60% of households who want solar could afford it nationwide.

And on to the biggie, how much RE might we need for ambitious 2050 zero carbon targets?

UK 'needs renewables ramp up to hit net zero'

The UK could need as much as 90GW of wind energy and 80GW of solar power to meet its 2050 net zero carbon emissions target, according to a new report by the Energy Systems Catapult.

The report – 'Innovating to Net Zero' – models various pathways to reach the 2050 goal but said under any scenario electricity generation will need to double to about 600 terrawatt-hours to meet demand from heating and transport.

Generation would need to treble if hydrogen uses electrolysis, with projections of up to 300TWh a year needing to come from hydrogen to supply industry, heat and transport, the report said.

“Now for the first time, we’ve modelled hundreds of potential pathways to get to net zero by 2050, ramping up or down different technologies and behaviour changes – to understand the different combinations, interactions and trade-offs of competing decarbonisation options to reach the most cost-optimised approaches.

“Broadly each potential pathway uses a combination of two different approaches: a top-down technology focused approach or a bottom-up behaviour focused approach.

“However, what stands out is – no matter which pathway the UK takes – innovation, investment and incentives across low carbon technology, land use and lifestyle is essential to achieve net zero.

“And there are massive economic opportunities for the UK to lead the world in these areas.”

Martyn1981

Europe - Big wind results and small hydrogen testing with big plans.

European wind output hits February high

Wind power in Europe amounted to an average output of over 85GW in February, equivalent to over two hundred 400MW coal units of power generation, according to data from market analyst outfit EnAppSys.

Wind speeds were consistently high across Europe last month, resulting in a 68% increase in levels of electricity generated by turbines, compared with February 2019 levels, the company said.

In addition, wind output as a proportion of total generation in Europe reached a record 27% in February, significantly higher than the previous high of 18% in February 2019.

The average wind generation last month increased by 61% compared to February 2019, while maximum output increased by 40%, which meant that though February 2020 was windier than last year, a higher wind capacity also contributed to the increase in wind output.

EnAppSys also found that in February 2020, hydro generation rose by 26%, compared with February 2019, supported by the extreme weather and high levels of rainfall, boosting the levels of renewable generation so far in 2020 in Europe.

“The consequence of this activity was that although overall requirements for electricity generation rose, generation from gas-fired power stations remained relatively steady year-to-year, whilst coal/lignite generation dropped 26% year-on-year,” according to EnAppSys.

Biofuels refinery to host green hydrogen production

A consortium, which includes Engie, has launched a project to build and operate a high-temperature electrolyser for hydrogen production.

Engie and its partners, Neste, Paul Wurth, Sunfire and French research agency CEA, launched the “Multi-megawatt high-temperature electrolyser to generate green hydrogen for the production of high-quality biofuels” (MULTIPLHY) project at Neste’s renewable products refinery in Rotterdam.

“Demonstrating green hydrogen production at our Rotterdam refinery enables us to drive the development of new sustainable technologies aiming at decreasing the carbon footprint of our customers.”

By the end of 2024, the electrolyser is expected to have produced up to 960 tonnes of green hydrogen while avoiding approximately 8000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.

The project supports the Carbon Direct Avoidance (CDA) approach by substituting grey hydrogen currently generated via steam-methane reforming (SMR) with certified green hydrogen.

Martyn1981

Are we doing enough yet? Not even close according to the UN.

Climate emergency: global action is ‘way off track’ says UN head

The world is “way off track” in dealing with the climate emergency and time is fast running out, the UN secretary general has said.

António Guterres sounded the alarm at the launch of the UN’s assessment of the global climate in 2019. The report concludes it was a record-breaking year for heat, and there was rising hunger, displacement and loss of life owing to extreme temperatures and floods around the world.

Scientists said the threat was greater than that from the coronavirus, and world leaders must not be diverted away from climate action.

The climate assessment is led by the UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO), with input from the UN’s agencies for environment, food, health, disasters, migration and refugees, as well as scientific centres.

Prof Dave Reay, of the University of Edinburgh, said: “This annual litany of climate change impacts and inadequate global responses makes for a gut-wrenching read. Writ large is the ‘threat multiplier’ effect that is climate change on the biggest challenges faced by humanity and the world’s ecosystems in the 21st century.”

Martyn1981

Article on the economic problems facing coal as RE gets cheaper than new coal plants, undermining any argument to invest today in what will quickly become uneconomical assets, and also cheaper (through the 2020's) than existing coal generation. [Note this article is largely from an Australian mining/exporting angle.]

Wind and solar plants will soon be cheaper than coal in all big markets around world, analysis finds

Building new wind and solar plants will soon be cheaper in every major market across the globe than running existing coal-fired power stations, according to a new report that raises fresh doubt about the medium-term viability of Australia’s $26bn thermal coal export industry.

While some countries are moving faster than others, the analysis by the Carbon Tracker Initiative, a climate finance thinktank, found renewable power was a cheaper option than building new coal plants in all large markets including Australia, and was expected to cost less than electricity from existing coal plants by 2030 at the latest.

Solar photovoltaics and wind energy were already cheaper than electricity from about 60% of coal stations, including about 70% of China’s coal fleet and half of Australia’s plants, it said.

Edit - This is something I've been pondering:

Christiana Figueres, a former head UN climate chief who oversaw negotiations on the Paris agreement and is in Australian on a book tour, said demand for coal had been diminishing, having been overtaken by cheaper gas-fired power in the US and outpriced by solar in India. She said the price of solar and onshore and offshore wind were falling consistently.

“No one should not assume that the demand for thermal coal from Australia is actually elastic. It’s not,” Figueres said.

Let's say RE costs $101 and FF's $100, then we can expect some/lots FF expenditure, despite environmental and AGW concerns. But what if RE costs $99, will some demand slide from FF's, or will it start to crash, (big bad economics) especially any new investment?

Martyn1981

Did what it said on the tin:-

Siemens Gamesa giant delivers full power

Siemens Gamesa's 11MW offshore wind turbine prototype has delivered 11MW of power at the Osterild test centre in Denmark.

Installation of the 11.0-193 DD Flex unit was completed last month.

The total tip height of the prototype is over 230 metres, while the rotor diameter is 193 metres providing a swept area of 29,300 square metres.

The first commercially produced 11MW machines are due to be installed at Vattenfall’s 1.52GW Hollandse Kust Zuid 1-4 offshore wind farm off the Netherlands.

Installation work at Hollandse Kust Zuid 1-4 is due to start in mid-2022, with the complex fully operational by summer 2023.

Martyn1981

Might be something or nothing?

The floating off-shore wind pilot just posted a massive capacity factor of 66% for February (typically the ever larger off-shore wind giants are around 50%, with the older installs around 40%). But the articles I've found don't seem to explain if it's weather related (Feb was a stormy month) nor why output in the second half of 2019 was double that of the first half - downtime during testing perhaps, or just 'better' weather? Total for 2019 seems to be around 34%cf. So it seems to be comparing a good month, against annual average cf's for normal off-shore wind (I think).

But potentially excellent news, since the higher the cf, the less storage that will be needed in the long term as a good mix of RE will make overall supply less and less intermittent.

FloatGen floating wind pilot hits new heights in French Atlantic

The pioneering FloatGen floating wind pilot in the French Atlantic Ocean has outreached production levels seen to date at the project, hitting a new record in February with over 920MWh of output for the month.

The 2MW unit, based around a Vestas turbine and ‘damping pool’ foundation from Ideol, also saw its highest-ever monthly capacity factor, 66.3%, a percentage significantly better than the average bottom-fixed offshore machine, which averages around 50%.