Green, ethical, energy issues in the news

Martyn1981

The power of economics. As RE costs fall, they push out FF's simply because they are cheaper, even in countries that aren't exactly green, like Australia. I assume that as prices continue to fall, and cheaper storage expands, we will see a cliff edge effect as FF's are simply too expense to compete, regardless of green'ness.

Renewables cut Australia's emissions more than Covid, energy analysis finds

Wind and solar power pushing out fossil fuel generation has cut Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions more than the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a new analysis.

Renewable energy’s share of electricity generation also hit a record 26.5% across the five states forming the national energy market in the 12 months to the end of September.

Analysis by Hugh Saddler, an energy consultant and Australian National University honorary associate professor, shows continued growth in renewable energy generation, with the trend set to continue as more wind and solar power comes online.

Emissions from electricity generation, gas use and transport in the 12 months ending in July 2020 fell by almost 14 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents – a drop of 4.6% on the previous 12 months, the analysis shows.

michaels

WE had an email from our v2g trial company asking if we could make sure we plug in between 16:30 and 18:30 this evening to feed the grid as a shortfall was envisaged due to low wind speeds.  Are we sure that 2x, 3x, 10x wind is going to keep the lights on?

Martyn1981

michaels said:

WE had an email from our v2g trial company asking if we could make sure we plug in between 16:30 and 18:30 this evening to feed the grid as a shortfall was envisaged due to low wind speeds.  Are we sure that 2x, 3x, 10x wind is going to keep the lights on?

Only my personal opinion, but I still can't see how 2x, 3x, 10x wind is going to keep the lights on, a question that some have been asking for a decade.
But an integrated mix of RE and storage will be fine. So don't get down, focus on what is actually planned and happening and the future looks very bright.

Martyn1981

Speaking of RE and storage, we have news of another big batt for Aus:

Victoria plans 300MW Tesla battery to help stabilise grid as renewables increase

One of the largest lithium-ion batteries in the world is planned for Victoria after the renewable energy company Neoen won a contract to build it near the regional city of Geelong.

If constructed as promised, the battery will have a power capacity of 300 megawatts and a storage capacity of 450 megawatt-hours, making it more than twice the size of the battery at Hornsdale, South Australia, which was the biggest in the world when it began operating in 2017.

Like the Hornsdale facility, the Geelong battery will be built using Tesla equipment. The Victorian energy and climate change minister, Lily D’Ambrosio, said it would be installed near Moorabool Terminal Station and would be ready for the 2021-22 summer.

It is expected to store enough energy to run about 500,000 homes for half an hour.

The introduction of another large battery into the grid will further chip away at the extent to which it relies on gas-fired power for “dispatchable” generation that can be called on to support variable renewable energy.

Aemo has estimated the national grid is likely to need between six and 19 gigawatts of dispatchable power by 2040 as the system is increasingly dominated by solar and wind. It found renewable energy may at times provide nearly 90% of electricity by 2035, the amount of gas-fired power would fall as pumped hydro and batteries came online and there was no place for new coal-fired generation.

Martyn1981

RE, not just cheaper, greener and more popular, but lots of jobs too.

Offshore wind could create 4500 new jobs in NE England

North East England’s offshore wind supply chain could create up to 4500 new jobs in the next five years, according to new research.

A supply chain mapping exercise of the region’s cluster of companies involved in the sector also revealed turnover in their offshore wind activities is expected to more than double to £2.2bn in the same time period.

The 228 North East England companies that responded to the survey employ 14,300 people in the region, of which 4300 are involved in offshore wind. 

In the next five years the companies expect to create an additional 4500 jobs in offshore wind with a target of that figure including 1200 women, 1000 graduates, 600 apprentices and 550 ex-forces personnel.

Coastalwatch

Following the Portuguese island of Porto Santos in transitioning away from FF's to renewable energy the Greek island of Astypalea is following suit.

I guess with an abundance of wind and susnshine on small islands then battry storage in the form of EV's fit well. While Porto Santos relies on Renault Clio's for storage no specific model of EV is mentioned for Astypalea.

Once up and running all that will be required to make it truly reliant on renewables is for the airport to be served by electric aircraft to enable the 72000 tourists annually to enjoy it's cleaner air quality!

VW & Greece to build e-mobility pilot island

The VW group and the Greek government have agreed to establish a “pioneering mobility system” on the Mediterranean island of Astypalea. To this end, the island’s current transport system is to be converted to electric vehicles and regenerative energies.

In the long term, Astypalea should thus become a model island for climate-neutral mobility. The corresponding declaration of intent was signed today.

At the centre of the project is a transport system with smart mobility services, such as an electric ride-sharing service that operates all year round and is intended to make “today’s still very limited bus traffic” more attractive. Together with local partners, part of the conventional vehicle rental service will also be converted into a car-sharing service that will offer not only electric cars but also Seat’s e-scooters and e-bikes.

https://www.electrive.com/2020/11/04/vw-greece-to-build-e-mobility-pilot-island/

Coastalwatch

An interesting take on future fuel for heavy craft!

The foul-smelling fuel that could power big ships

An enormous engine, the height of three floors, growls loudly at a test centre in Copenhagen. Nearby a team of engineers supervise it from a control room resembling a ship's bridge.

Usually such an engine would be propelling a large ship across the sea, but this one is being prepared to take part in a ground-breaking project.

Engineers want to see if they can make it run on liquid ammonia.

Ammonia has long been a key component in fertiliser, cleaning products and refrigerators.

But in the search for new cleaner fuels, the foul-smelling substance has emerged as a frontrunner to power ocean-going ships.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-54511743

gefnew

Hi All
A different type of storage for excess wind generation.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-54841528
looks ok for regional boost to the grid.

michaels

gefnew said:

Hi All
A different type of storage for excess wind generation.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-54841528
looks ok for regional boost to the grid.

It would be fascinating to know what the economics of this worked out as. I guess the problem with all storage technology is the more effective it is at shifting supply to meet demand the less prices will spike and the less margin there is in time shifting.  Although obviously we are miles from there now it just means you can't scale any storage Te hnology massively and just expect the returns to be linear.

Solarchaser

gefnew said:

Hi All
A different type of storage for excess wind generation.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-54841528
looks ok for regional boost to the grid.

I cant be the only one thinking.... how?

Compressing air so much it becomes a liquid doesn't even seem feasible. 
A compressor compresses everything in the air, including water,  so you separate this out as the water doesn't compress very well.

On the flip side you have things like argon gas for welding thats compressed to 150bar, but those vessels are very thick.
Yes condensation builds up on vessels with alot of compressed air as its definitely colder, but I can't see it being more than say -10c (total guess)

70% efficiency,  yeah I dunno, I can see alot of heat being generated in a compressor trying to get to the pressure needed.

Anyway just thinking aloud, time to do some searching