Green, ethical, energy issues in the news

Coastalwatch

Another potential shackle on Renewable energy in the US removed!

Victory for solar as Kansas Supreme Court blocks fixed fee for distributed power

Solar choice won a victory in Kansas as the Kansas Supreme Court blocked a fixed fee for customers who generate solar or wind power. The fee had been proposed by Westar Energy and Kansas Gas and Electric, approved by state regulators, and affirmed by a lower court. Vote Solar and the Sierra Club then brought the case to the state supreme court, with representation from Earthjustice.

The court’s opinion relied on the “plain text” of a 1980 Kansas law which states that customers using renewable energy may not be subjected to “higher rates or charges” or “any other prejudice or disadvantage.” That law, said the court, “clearly prohibits the Utilities from price discrimination against distributed generation customers, something the Utilities admit they are trying to do.”

“Kansans, like all Americans, have a right to the free solar energy delivered to their roofs every day without fear of illegal utility charges,” said David Bender, the Earthjustice attorney who argued the case, in a press statement. “We are happy the court agreed with us.”

Kansas, although it is one of the sunniest states in the nation, recently had just 8 watts of small-scale solar per capita, versus the national average of 69 watts per capita. According to SEIA, Kansas ranks 47th by state with 47 MW of solar installed. Solar provides just 0.14% of the state’s electricity.

https://pv-magazine-usa.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2790e780a1533f4bc05c8679a&id=3bae7ecfb1&e=6b9f4fdcee

Martyn1981

Also PV news, but perhaps better to group it all together now.

So, community owned solar farm. I have to admit I like these ideas, as they open up additional ways that homeowners and the demand side in general, can own/invest in solar (or other RE).

5MW solar farm brought into full community ownership in £5.5m transaction

Ferry Farm Community Solar has completed a £5.5 million transaction to bring a solar array into full community ownership.
The 5MW solar array has been operating since 2016, with the transaction funded by a loan from Leapfrog Bridge Finance.
A further opportunity for the community to invest in the enterprise is set to come later in the year, Ferry Farm said.
The transaction has been a long time coming, taking six months to get through the financial process and “several months of negotiations prior to that”, Community for Renewables’ (CfR) Tom Cosgrove explained.

Martyn1981

Percentage of new generation capacity that is RE keeps growing, but note this is capacity not generation.

New renewable energy capacity hit record levels in 2019

Almost three-quarters of new electricity generation capacity built in 2019 uses renewable energy, representing an all-time record. New data from the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) shows solar, wind and other green technologies now provide more than one-third of the world’s power, marking another record.
Fossil fuel power plants are in decline in Europe and the US, with more decommissioned than built in 2019. But the number of coal and gas plants grew in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. In the Middle East, which owns half the world’s oil reserves, just 26% of new electricity generation capacity built in 2019 was renewable.
The world has invested about $3tn in renewables over the past decade, according to Irena, but annual investments must double by 2030 to tackle the climate emergency.

michaels

Martyn1981 said:

Also PV news, but perhaps better to group it all together now.

So, community owned solar farm. I have to admit I like these ideas, as they open up additional ways that homeowners and the demand side in general, can own/invest in solar (or other RE).

5MW solar farm brought into full community ownership in £5.5m transaction

Ferry Farm Community Solar has completed a £5.5 million transaction to bring a solar array into full community ownership.
The 5MW solar array has been operating since 2016, with the transaction funded by a loan from Leapfrog Bridge Finance.
A further opportunity for the community to invest in the enterprise is set to come later in the year, Ferry Farm said.
The transaction has been a long time coming, taking six months to get through the financial process and “several months of negotiations prior to that”, Community for Renewables’ (CfR) Tom Cosgrove explained.

I don't know the details but worry that like the early fits this may be a way for those with lots of capital to benefit from a tax brake to make extra income.

Martyn1981

michaels said:

Martyn1981 said:

Also PV news, but perhaps better to group it all together now.

So, community owned solar farm. I have to admit I like these ideas, as they open up additional ways that homeowners and the demand side in general, can own/invest in solar (or other RE).

5MW solar farm brought into full community ownership in £5.5m transaction

Ferry Farm Community Solar has completed a £5.5 million transaction to bring a solar array into full community ownership.
The 5MW solar array has been operating since 2016, with the transaction funded by a loan from Leapfrog Bridge Finance.
A further opportunity for the community to invest in the enterprise is set to come later in the year, Ferry Farm said.
The transaction has been a long time coming, taking six months to get through the financial process and “several months of negotiations prior to that”, Community for Renewables’ (CfR) Tom Cosgrove explained.

I don't know the details but worry that like the early fits this may be a way for those with lots of capital to benefit from a tax brake to make extra income.

You worry about people investing in RE schemes, oh boy, in that case this is going to terrify you - you don't need to have lots of capital, many start at £1-£5. I'm invested in 29 schemes via Abundance.

Coastalwatch

michaels said:

Martyn1981 said:

So, community owned solar farm. I have to admit I like these ideas, as they open up additional ways that homeowners and the demand side in general, can own/invest in solar (or other RE).

5MW solar farm brought into full community ownership in £5.5m transaction

I don't know the details but worry that like the early fits this may be a way for those with lots of capital to benefit from a tax brake to make extra income.

Indeed michaels, these projects are really questionable!

Community solar provides £100,000 for local COVID-19 support.

https://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/news/community_solar_provides_100000_for_local_covid_19_support

Martyn1981

Coastalwatch said:

michaels said:

Martyn1981 said:

So, community owned solar farm. I have to admit I like these ideas, as they open up additional ways that homeowners and the demand side in general, can own/invest in solar (or other RE).

5MW solar farm brought into full community ownership in £5.5m transaction

I don't know the details but worry that like the early fits this may be a way for those with lots of capital to benefit from a tax brake to make extra income.

Indeed michaels, these projects are really questionable!

Community solar provides £100,000 for local COVID-19 support.

https://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/news/community_solar_provides_100000_for_local_covid_19_support

Hmmmmm! That's exactly what I'd expect a multi-millionaire looking for a tax brake(sic) to post. 

Martyn1981

If at first you do succeed, then try, try again. But go 6x bigger.

Neoen Commits To Building 600 MWh Battery In Victoria

Neoen is the French energy company that operates the Tesla Hornsdale grid-scale battery in South Australia. To say that installation has been a huge commercial success is a gross understatement. Now Neoen says it will construct another grid-scale battery in Geeling, a city on the west side of Port Phillip Bay west of Melbourne.
The new installation will be rated at 600 MW, according to PV Magazine. Since no duration has been supplied, consider the new facility to be 600 MW/600MWh unless information to the contrary emerges later. The projected cost of the storage project is AUD 300 million or US $185.5 million.

Martyn1981

Couple of articles on research or expansion of RE in the UK and Ireland. I wonder if the off-shore wind inquiry (other technologies to follow) is entirely natural at this point, or if the government is considering how to shift new nuclear generation plans to new RE instead.

UK launches offshore wind inquiry

The UK’s Environmental Audit Committee is launching an inquiry looking at technological innovations which could contribute to tackling climate change.
The first session will look at offshore wind power. The UK has the largest offshore wind market in the world and the government’s sector deal announced in March 2019 aims to raise the productivity and competitiveness of its companies.
This session will consider the opportunities to maximise continued uptake and effectiveness of wind technology, and the challenges faced by the industry in delivering greater capacity.

Irish, Welsh marine energy opens demo call

A University College Cork-led initiative has launched a tender looking to boost cross-border wave and tidal energy projects between Wales and Ireland.
The Selkie project, which is calling for two pilot demonstrations, is funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Ireland Wales Cooperation programme.
It also includes Swansea University, Marine Energy Wales, Menter Mon, DP Energy Ireland and Gavin and Doherty Geosolutions.
Selkie aims to develop a streamlined commercialisation pathway for the marine energy industry by establishing a cross-border network of developers and supply chain companies in Ireland and Wales.

Martyn1981

Martyn1981 said:

No idea how promising this is, nor if it might be an energy source, but thought it worth posting:

Scientists find bug that feasts on toxic plastic

A bacterium that feeds on toxic plastic has been discovered by scientists. The bug not only breaks the plastic down but uses it as food to power the process.
The bacterium, which was found at a waste site where plastic had been dumped, is the first that is known to attack polyurethane. Millions of tonnes of the plastic is produced every year to use in items such as sports shoes, nappies, kitchen sponges and as foam insulation, but it is mostly sent to landfill because it it too tough to recycle.

And again a plastic eating bacteria has been found, this time in compost. Two in two weeks, were we not looking before, or just getting luckier?

Scientists create mutant enzyme that recycles plastic bottles in hours

A mutant bacterial enzyme that breaks down plastic bottles for recycling in hours has been created by scientists.
The enzyme, originally discovered in a compost heap of leaves, reduced the bottles to chemical building blocks that were then used to make high-quality new bottles. Existing recycling technologies usually produce plastic only good enough for clothing and carpets.

The team used the optimised enzyme to break down a tonne of waste plastic bottles, which were 90% degraded within 10 hours. The scientists then used the material to create new food-grade plastic bottles.