Green, ethical, energy issues in the news

Martyn1981

I think it must have been 'large scale storage day' on Cleantechnica yesterday:

Yale: Grid-Scale Battery Storage Is On The Rise

The advent of “big battery” technology addresses the challenges of the intermittency of wind and solar, the YaleEnvironment360 of the Yale School of the Environment notes in a new report.

Augwind To Build 120 MWh Of Compressed Air Energy Storage For Solar In Israel

In Israel’s second renewable energy tender, this time for solar-plus-storage projects, Israel Electric Corporation awarded 609 megawatts of solar and 2.4 gigawatt-hours of energy storage, and at least 120 megawatt-hours of that storage will be from the compressed air energy storage systems built by Augwind.

Researchers Claim Redox Flow Battery Breakthrough Will Cost $25 Per kWh Or Less

Despite their advantages, until now redox flow batteries have not had a significant cost advantage over batteries and had a shorter service life. But researchers at Warwick University in the UK, in cooperation with colleagues at Imperial College London, say they have found a way to dramatically reduce the cost of redox flow batteries to £20 per kWh or less using inexpensive materials like manganese and sulfur which are found in abundance nature. They claim the cost of materials for their new battery is about 1/30th that of the materials needed for a lithium ion battery, which may use expensive elements like cobalt. Their research was published recently in the journal Applied Materials & Interfaces.

Martyn1981

It might be too soon to pop the champagne corks, after all, the US has a habit of disappointing. But this could be incredibly important going forward, especially when we take into account Biden's other actions such as the cancelling of the Keystone Pipeline, and the licences to extract oil and natural gas on public lands and waters, and all in his first few days. Looks like Biden is going to war!

Biden Orders End To Fossil Fuel Subsidies, Promotes Equity For Underserved Communities

President Biden this week did something CleanTechnica has been advocating for over the course of many years — ending government subsidies for fossil fuels. If humanity is to find a rational and reasonable answer to the challenge of a warming planet, we must stop making the burning of oil, natural gas, and coal the basis of our economy. Giving fossil fuel companies government incentives to extract more oil, gas, and coal is inconsistent with that goal.

The United States provides a number of tax subsidies to the fossil fuel industry as a means of encouraging domestic energy production. These include both direct subsidies to corporations, as well as other tax benefits to the fossil fuel industry. Conservative estimates put U.S. direct subsidies to the fossil fuel industry at roughly $20 billion per year; with 20 percent currently allocated to coal and 80 percent to natural gas and crude oil. European Union subsidies are estimated to total 55 billion euros annually.

Historically, subsidies granted to the fossil fuel industry were designed to lower the cost of fossil fuel production and incentivize new domestic energy sources. Today, U.S. taxpayer dollars continue to fund many fossil fuel subsidies that are outdated, but remain embedded within the tax code. At a time when renewable energy technology is increasingly cost-competitive with fossil power generation, and a coordinated strategy must be developed to mitigate climate change, the broader utility of fossil fuel subsidies is being questioned.

Coastalwatch

A very impressive start from Biden with respect to all aspects of tackling climate change and, over time, reducing FF use going forward. What a refreshing change from the previous four year nightmare.

It would appear the vast majority of Republicans have yet to wake up from it. 

Martyn1981

Good figures for UK RE in 2020. Bioenergy concerns are raised, but I wonder if they can/will be used more for demand following when more FF gas has been pushed off the grid, and the come with storage, so to speak.
Covid will have impacted last years numbers, with reduced leccy consumption, but as a rough rule, RE seems to be taking an extra 3 to 4% of demand each year.

Renewables surge past fossil fuels in UK energy mix

Renewables overtook fossil fuels as the main source of electricity in the UK in 2020, new analysis by climate and energy think tank Ember has revealed.

A record 42% of the UK’s electricity was generated by renewables in 2020, compared to 41% by fossil fuels.

Wind power was the main renewables generation source and for the first time, a quarter (24%) of the UK’s electricity was generated by wind turbines in 2020, doubling its share since 2015 and up from 20% in 2019.

Coastalwatch

Martyn1981 said:

It might be too soon to pop the champagne corks, after all, the US has a habit of disappointing. But this could be incredibly important going forward, especially when we take into account Biden's other actions such as the cancelling of the Keystone Pipeline, and the licences to extract oil and natural gas on public lands and waters, and all in his first few days. Looks like Biden is going to war!

Biden Orders End To Fossil Fuel Subsidies, Promotes Equity For Underserved Communities

President Biden this week did something CleanTechnica has been advocating for over the course of many years — ending government subsidies for fossil fuels. If humanity is to find a rational and reasonable answer to the challenge of a warming planet, we must stop making the burning of oil, natural gas, and coal the basis of our economy. Giving fossil fuel companies government incentives to extract more oil, gas, and coal is inconsistent with that goal.

This news must be reverberating around the boardrooms of the FF industry today. No doubt they'll be lobbying their friendly Senators to oppose it with every weapon at their disposal. However, I do just wonder if they'll now begin investing in renewables seriously rather than simply embarking on greenwashing exercises!

Martyn1981

Lots of wind news is starting to blur together for me now, so I tend not to post as much ...... which is a good thing, the news isn't 'new' any more, just more of the same (good news).
But this one got me reaching for the calculator. I think, working backwards, that they had a target of ~1,400GWh pa at a cf (capacity factor) of 40%. But last year it generated 1,600GWh, which I calculate as being a 45.7%cf. Not bad at all, and ~0.5% of UK leccy demand from this one single wind farm.

Rampion beats its offshore wind power target by 15%

The Rampion Offshore Wind Farm has beaten its power generation target in 2020 by 15%, generating over 1600GWh during the year.

Rampion's general manager Richard Crowhurst said: "We have had an incredible year, generating enough energy to power the equivalent of over 400,000 homes and reducing carbon emissions by well over 600,000 tonnes.

Martyn1981

Coastalwatch said:

Martyn1981 said:

It might be too soon to pop the champagne corks, after all, the US has a habit of disappointing. But this could be incredibly important going forward, especially when we take into account Biden's other actions such as the cancelling of the Keystone Pipeline, and the licences to extract oil and natural gas on public lands and waters, and all in his first few days. Looks like Biden is going to war!

Biden Orders End To Fossil Fuel Subsidies, Promotes Equity For Underserved Communities

President Biden this week did something CleanTechnica has been advocating for over the course of many years — ending government subsidies for fossil fuels. If humanity is to find a rational and reasonable answer to the challenge of a warming planet, we must stop making the burning of oil, natural gas, and coal the basis of our economy. Giving fossil fuel companies government incentives to extract more oil, gas, and coal is inconsistent with that goal.

This news must be reverberating around the boardrooms of the FF industry today. No doubt they'll be lobbying their friendly Senators to oppose it with every weapon at their disposal. However, I do just wonder if they'll now begin investing in renewables seriously rather than simply embarking on greenwashing exercises!

It gets worse, their credit ratings are about to get hit too. I almost feel sorry for them, almost!

Rating agency S&P warns 13 oil and gas companies they risk downgrades as renewables pick up steam

Rating agency S&P has warned 13 oil and gas companies, including the some of the world’s biggest, that it may downgrade them within weeks because of increasing competition from renewable energy.

The rating agency said it had increased its risk rating for the entire oil and gas sector from “intermediate” to “moderately high” because due to the move away from fossil fuels, poor profitability and volatile prices.

A lower credit rating can make it harder or more expensive for companies to borrow money. In particular, many fund managers will not invest in companies with a junk rating.

michaels

Martyn1981 said:

Coastalwatch said:

Martyn1981 said:

It might be too soon to pop the champagne corks, after all, the US has a habit of disappointing. But this could be incredibly important going forward, especially when we take into account Biden's other actions such as the cancelling of the Keystone Pipeline, and the licences to extract oil and natural gas on public lands and waters, and all in his first few days. Looks like Biden is going to war!

Biden Orders End To Fossil Fuel Subsidies, Promotes Equity For Underserved Communities

President Biden this week did something CleanTechnica has been advocating for over the course of many years — ending government subsidies for fossil fuels. If humanity is to find a rational and reasonable answer to the challenge of a warming planet, we must stop making the burning of oil, natural gas, and coal the basis of our economy. Giving fossil fuel companies government incentives to extract more oil, gas, and coal is inconsistent with that goal.

This news must be reverberating around the boardrooms of the FF industry today. No doubt they'll be lobbying their friendly Senators to oppose it with every weapon at their disposal. However, I do just wonder if they'll now begin investing in renewables seriously rather than simply embarking on greenwashing exercises!

It gets worse, their credit ratings are about to get hit too. I almost feel sorry for them, almost!

Rating agency S&P warns 13 oil and gas companies they risk downgrades as renewables pick up steam

Rating agency S&P has warned 13 oil and gas companies, including the some of the world’s biggest, that it may downgrade them within weeks because of increasing competition from renewable energy.

The rating agency said it had increased its risk rating for the entire oil and gas sector from “intermediate” to “moderately high” because due to the move away from fossil fuels, poor profitability and volatile prices.

A lower credit rating can make it harder or more expensive for companies to borrow money. In particular, many fund managers will not invest in companies with a junk rating.

Black rock (9trillion of funds under management) weighing in on the topic:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55849898

Job loss warning

When the boss of the world's biggest investor speaks, those company bosses listen. He wants them to explain how they are going to get to net zero over the coming decades.

But he also admitted that starving polluting companies of cash too quickly would mean dramatic job losses.

"If we all ran away from the hydrocarbons and everything, and if you ran away with most of those companies in the FTSE [100], the job loss in the United Kingdom would be extraordinary. Is that the outcome that they want?" he told the BBC.

Coastalwatch

michaels said:

"If we all ran away from the hydrocarbons and everything, and if you ran away with most of those companies in the FTSE [100], the job loss in the United Kingdom would be extraordinary. Is that the outcome that they want?" he told the BBC.

Nobody wants to see people put out of work, I was there twice in the good ol' seventies! At the end of the day if it's a choice between the health of the planet and the health economics I know which I'd choose.

The Fossil Fuel industry could have started planning for this day fifty years ago with a steady migration away but chose not too. Nobody is suggesting an immediate pulling of the plug, just no further investment is searching for fresh supplies when they are no longer required.

ASavvyBuyer

https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/US_recommits_to_clean_energy_in_2021

The January 2021 inauguration of US President Joe Biden marked the start of a period that could bring a substantial shift in US building-related markets. Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) controls are likely to face requirements from policy and market demand that will change dynamics in several segments.