Green, ethical, energy issues in the news

Martyn1981

This sounds like positive news. I hope real progress is made.

National Grid to speed up power project connections

National Grid ESO is introducing further targeted reforms to speed up connections to the electricity grid.

The ESO has written to parties seeking to connect to the transmission system to ask for updates on progress and project milestones, so that non-viable projects can be identified enabling those that are ready and able to connect to the grid much more quickly.

This follows the decision by the Code Panel, the body in charge of changes to the Codes that govern the energy industry, to recommend to Ofgem changes in how connection contracts are managed which will enable the ESO to more effectively manage the queue.

In addition, the ESO is today setting out its support for changes to enable developers to build their own connections into the grid. 

The move has been greeted by renewable bodies groups as a way of breaking the log jam holding back renewable energy projects.

RenewableUK Director of Future Electricity Systems Barnaby Wharton said: “This announcement is a significant step forward, as it will unlock new clean energy capacity faster by letting projects which are ready to connect to the grid move ahead of projects that simply aren’t making progress.

Martyn1981

Same story as above, but different article, and some points that jumped out such as the emphasis on developers to get on with it, or move out of the way.

Also, this part caught my eye:

The pace of the UK’s renewables rollout is expected to build to help meet an anticipated 50% rise in demand for electricity across the country by 2035.

Just spitballing and guesstimating, so don't take these ponderings too seriously, but +50% by 2035 is interesting, don't think I've seen any breakdowns before, but I was assuming something along the lines of a +150% increase by 2050. I'd guess that most of that increase will be heatpumps. Moving all UK vehicles to BEV's may increase demand by 20%(net), but of course it will take a long time to displace the FF fleet, even after sales reach 100% BEV.

Also hoping that, that +50% can be covered by new RE, since we're adding about 5%pa now, and looks like we may be accelerating a bit, thanks to annual CfD auctions from this year onwards, so +6% or +7%pa after most FF's have been displaced, would hopefully match the annual rise in leccy demand.

I may be wrong. but at least it looks to be within the ballpark, so manageable.

British energy developers to be told: speed up projects or leave queue for grid

Britain’s electricity system operator will tell energy developers to get on with their projects or get out of the queue for a grid connection as it struggles to manage the growing backlog of delayed green energy projects.

The ultimatum is expected to help speed up the 10- to 15-year wait for a grid connection, which is holding back billions in green investment and threatens to derail the UK’s progress towards its climate targets.

The reforms come following growing criticism within the UK’s renewable energy industry over National Grid’s handling of its grid connection queue. MPs revealed last month that businesses in Great Britain were facing waits of up to 15 years to secure a connection to solar power installations, which could pull the plug on the government’s ambition to install 70GW of solar by 2035.

The energy regulator Ofgem’s chief executive, Jonathan Brearley, last month described the delays as unacceptable and criticised a “legacy of stalled, unviable and often highly speculative ‘zombie’ projects blocking ready-to-go solar, wind and other renewable schemes stuck behind them”.

There are about 220 projects waiting to be hooked up to the national transmission system before 2026 but only half of these projects have planning permission and some have pushed back their expected start date by up to 14 years, according to the system operator.

Coastalwatch

My, that will be some battery once complete!

World’s largest pumped hydro storage project secures key contracts

The Queensland government has awarded two key contracts for what it says will be the largest pumped hydro energy project in the world, with the proposed 5 GW/120 GWh Pioneer-Burdekin pumped hydro energy storage system to form a cornerstone of the Australian state’s energy transition.

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2023/06/09/worlds-largest-pumped-hydro-storage-project-secures-key-contracts/

Martyn1981

Wind energy, but for transportation.

Cargo ship powered by sails, is an interesting idea. Lots of surprises in the article, the first that got me, was that they won't be using shipping containers. I thought that sounded really odd, but hadn't appreciated (not dawned on me at all) just how much weight they are responsible for. They also hope to eliminate delays due to poor wind, via advanced planning.

Good luck to them, but no idea if this plan has (sea)legs.

[Rendering in the second article.]

100% Wind Energy To Propel A Cargo Ship That Looks Like A Racing Yacht

Leading players in the global shipping industry have been trying all sorts of new technologies to cut their carbon footprints, and meanwhile an old one has been staring them in the face all along. That would be wind power, of course. Propelling one of today’s massive, full-sized cargo vessel on sail power alone is a non-starter, but the French shipping startup VELA has come up with a 100% wind-driven business model that could attract niche customers that want to transport the all finer things in life, without all the carbon baggage.

According to VELA’s analysis, relying exclusively on wind energy for propulsion results in impressive cut of 99% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for the trimaran, compared to conventional container ships. If you’re wondering where the other 1% went, that’s a good question. Almost all sailboats of any particular size need an auxiliary power source for life support systems, navigation and other equipment, and emergency response, as well as maneuvering around harbors.

VELA UNVEILS ITS UNIQUE SAILING CARGO TRIMARAN: AN INNOVATIVE SHIP FOR 100% WIND POWERED TRANSPORTATION

PARIS, June 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- VELA, committed to the decarbonization of the maritime freight industry, has proudly unveiled the design of its first-of-its-kind trimaran cargo ship that will allow the company to transport goods across the Atlantic Ocean using 100% wind power. The visionary team of François Gabart (renowned solo navigator and world-class ocean racer), Michael Fernandez-Ferri, Pierre-Arnaud Vallon, Thibault Charles and Pascal Galacteros unveiled the design, which had been in development since September 2022 and for which production is set to start early 2024. Departing from the conventional single-hulled approach, and inspired by the modern technologies used for ocean racing, VELA's sailing cargo vessel will have three hulls and is anticipated to be launched in 2025.

Martyn1981

Nice to see a longer term battery being deployed. It does seem like early days, but will help to allow companies and countries evaluate.

This 100hr battery is an iron-air battery. These don't like fast charge or discharge, but are much cheaper than Li-ion, so look good for mid to long term roles.

One of the comments is interesting, pointing out that if charged ahead of a shortfall, a 100hr battery could provide a power boost during morning and evening peaks for 12 days.

Form Energy To Supply 15 MW/1500 MWh Battery To Georgia Power

Form Energy announced this week that it is moving forward with its agreement with Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, to deploy a 15 megawatt / 1500 megawatt-hour iron-air battery system in Georgia, as part of the utility’s plan to integrate cost effective clean energy into its system while maintaining grid reliability and resiliency. The battery system is expected to come online as early as 2026 and is subject to regulatory approvals.

Form Energy says its iron-air battery is capable of delivering electricity for 100 hours at system costs competitive with conventional power plants and at less than 1/10th the cost of lithium-ion battery storage. Made from iron, one of the safest, cheapest, and most abundant minerals on Earth, this utility-scale battery can be used continuously over a multi-day period and will enable a reliable and secure grid year-round.

michaels

Martyn1981 said:

Nice to see a longer term battery being deployed. It does seem like early days, but will help to allow companies and countries evaluate.

This 100hr battery is an iron-air battery. These don't like fast charge or discharge, but are much cheaper than Li-ion, so look good for mid to long term roles.

One of the comments is interesting, pointing out that if charged ahead of a shortfall, a 100hr battery could provide a power boost during morning and evening peaks for 12 days.

Form Energy To Supply 15 MW/1500 MWh Battery To Georgia Power

Form Energy announced this week that it is moving forward with its agreement with Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, to deploy a 15 megawatt / 1500 megawatt-hour iron-air battery system in Georgia, as part of the utility’s plan to integrate cost effective clean energy into its system while maintaining grid reliability and resiliency. The battery system is expected to come online as early as 2026 and is subject to regulatory approvals.

Form Energy says its iron-air battery is capable of delivering electricity for 100 hours at system costs competitive with conventional power plants and at less than 1/10th the cost of lithium-ion battery storage. Made from iron, one of the safest, cheapest, and most abundant minerals on Earth, this utility-scale battery can be used continuously over a multi-day period and will enable a reliable and secure grid year-round.

When it comes to storage, we always have the discussion of capital cost vs lifetime cycles when working out cost per kwh.  This is where I think technologies like hydrogen may have the edge despite the inefficiency as they can convert 'spill' energy into energy usable at a later date, not just as for electricity but also for industry.

Martyn1981

michaels said:

Martyn1981 said:

Nice to see a longer term battery being deployed. It does seem like early days, but will help to allow companies and countries evaluate.

This 100hr battery is an iron-air battery. These don't like fast charge or discharge, but are much cheaper than Li-ion, so look good for mid to long term roles.

One of the comments is interesting, pointing out that if charged ahead of a shortfall, a 100hr battery could provide a power boost during morning and evening peaks for 12 days.

Form Energy To Supply 15 MW/1500 MWh Battery To Georgia Power

Form Energy announced this week that it is moving forward with its agreement with Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, to deploy a 15 megawatt / 1500 megawatt-hour iron-air battery system in Georgia, as part of the utility’s plan to integrate cost effective clean energy into its system while maintaining grid reliability and resiliency. The battery system is expected to come online as early as 2026 and is subject to regulatory approvals.

Form Energy says its iron-air battery is capable of delivering electricity for 100 hours at system costs competitive with conventional power plants and at less than 1/10th the cost of lithium-ion battery storage. Made from iron, one of the safest, cheapest, and most abundant minerals on Earth, this utility-scale battery can be used continuously over a multi-day period and will enable a reliable and secure grid year-round.

When it comes to storage, we always have the discussion of capital cost vs lifetime cycles when working out cost per kwh.  This is where I think technologies like hydrogen may have the edge despite the inefficiency as they can convert 'spill' energy into energy usable at a later date, not just as for electricity but also for industry.

Article here that actually takes a look at a combination of mid term storage, with flow batts and H2 interacting. Whilst not iron-air batts, I think the idea, role and costs, make for a reasonable comparison.

Not the most interesting article, but the concept may interest you, as combining solutions may be a way forward, taking the best of all worlds, perhaps.

Green Hydrogen Kickstarts “Green Powerhouse” Plan For Eastern Germany

Martyn1981

Large increases in BESS (battery energy storage systems) expected this decade, with 2030 deployment predicted to be about 10x larger than 2022.

Global BESS deployments to exceed 400GWh annually by 2030, says Rystad Energy

Rystad expects annual BESS deployments to grow by an average CAGR of 33% between 2022 and 2030, across all market segments including residential, commercial and grid-scale. From 43GWh of deployments last year, the firm is anticipating some 421GWh of new capacity to come online in 2030. In MW terms, 2030 will see 110GW deployed, indicating Rystad thinks average durations will reach close to four hours.

Martyn1981

After 40yrs, a fantastic 'little' milestone for wind energy in the title. But in a true reversal of 'burying the lede', the standout news, for me, is in the opening paragraph, with the next milestone expected this decade. 

Global installed wind power capacity just reached 1 TW

After a 40-year effort, global installed wind power capacity reached 1 terawatt (TW) this month – but 2 TW will likely be achieved in less than seven years.

Martyn1981

An analysis of the lost onshore wind potential in the UK, following the policy changes the Gov brought in, in 2015, suggests we could have had 7GW more capacity by now.

Bear in mind this study appears to be for the Labour Party, so take it with a pinch of salt, but the number looks reasonable, so a horrific lost opportunity.

For context, 7GW of onshore wind, would probably have lifted UK RE generation by about 10%, taking it from ~45%, to ~50%. Perhaps dropping FF generation from~40% to 35%.

[Edit - Very rough guess, but I'd suggest the policy changes for demand side PV, from the same time, may have cost us 0.5m to 1m installs, roughly equal to 1% of UK leccy consumption. M.]

UK has 'lost 7GW of onshore wind'

The UK government's ban on onshore wind has resulted in 7GW of lost onshore wind capacity since 2015, according to the Labour Party.

Under the Conservative government, the UK is failing to reap the economic benefits of its clean energy sources, Labour said.

It said the "Conservative Party’s senseless ban on onshore wind is holding us back, with Britain missing out on thousands of jobs".

The opposition party added the government is forfeiting the opportunity to export skills and products essential in the path towards net zero.