Green, ethical, energy issues in the news

Coastalwatch

OK, so it's not steam driven anymore, as when first built but having been converted to diesel in the past before being decommisioned and converted to offices one could be forgiven for assuming it's sailing days belonged there.

138-year-old ship converted to electric drive in Berlin

The ‘Kaiser Friedrich’ was built in 1886 and is therefore steeped in history. The twin-screw steamer travelled the waters of Berlin for almost 80 years before being decommissioned in 1967 and converted into offices and living quarters. In 1986, the German Museum of Technology acquired the 100-tonne ship and restored it to its original form. For several years, the ‘Kaiser Friedrich’ delighted guests with historical city tours until the propulsion system, which consumed over 150 litres of diesel per hour, made the operation ecologically and economically unprofitable.

The ‘Kaiser Friedrich’ has now received a new license on life and is opening a new chapter for city tours through Berlin. A modern, emission-free electric drive from Torqeedo makes this possible. Volker Marhold and Julius Dahmen from the excursion boat company Berliner Welle had previously acquired the “Kaiser Friedrich”.

https://www.electrive.com/2024/05/14/138-year-old-ship-converted-to-electric-drive-in-berlin/

gefnew

Do any of you think about this in your planning.
Cybersecurity: the increasing importance of an efficient strategy - Sunny. SMA Corporate Blog (sma-sunny.com)

Martyn1981

Wave energy - that source of huge energy, who's huge energy keeps breaking wave energy devices.

Here's a fun vid, which I mention as the devices have been tested, and survived storms off the coast of Portugal. But that still leaves economic viability - and the company makes very brave estimates of the LCOE as the tech production scales up.They project costs that appear to be competitive with PV and wind (in the UK), but projections are much easier to achieve.

I wish them the best of luck, at least it appears to have a chance(?)

How This Buoy Just Unlocked Unlimited Wave Energy

This video explores the revolutionary wave energy technology from CorPower, a leading Swedish energy startup. We delve into how CorPower's innovative, bio-inspired engineering techniques capture up to three times more energy from ocean waves compared to traditional methods. Discover how their ground-breaking technology could potentially lower costs below those of wind and solar energy, setting a new standard in renewable energy efficiency. Learn more about the future of sustainable power with CorPower's wave energy devices.

Martyn1981

Thought I'd mention this article, just to stay informed on flow batts. Unlike 'normal' batts that economically tend to target the 1-4hr duration market, flow batts are designed for lower cycles, and longer duration roles, perhaps 4-12hr storage.

This order is tiny, but will be good to see if this tech has an economic role. Looking for info on the company, I seem to find references to a 70%-75% round trip efficiency (no degradation over 20,000 cycles). Flow batts, in general seem to have round trip efficiencies in the region of 50%-80% depending on tech.

ESS Inc gets 1MW/8MWh iron flow battery order from Nigerian IPP Sapele

Iron flow battery company ESS Inc will provide Nigeria-based independent power producer (IPP) Sapele Power 1MW/8MWh of its systems, it announced while also revealing its first quarter financials.

NYSE-listed ESS Inc said its battery energy storage system (BESS) will enable load smoothing, peak demand shifting and enable Sapele’s power station turbine’s to ramp up and down more efficiently.

The deal is the largest BESS export to Africa financed (in part) by the Export-Import Bank of the United States of America, the official export credit agency of the US federal government, and ESS Inc’s first on the continent.

The news comes shortly after ESS Inc commissioned a project at Amsterdam Schipol airport using its 75kW/400kWh capacity Energy Warehouse product (quantity unknown), and was released concurrently with its first quarter 2024 results.

Recent results do show the companies including ESS Inc moving towards profitability, however. Increasing the size of firm orders will help on that journey, and in June last year it secured its largest project to-date, a 50MW/500MWh deal with German IPP LEAG. That project is moving into the detailed engineering phase with a target commercial operation date (COD) in 2026, ESS Inc said.

Martyn1981

Work on another interconnector has started. It's a 1.4GW bi-directional link to Germany. Looks like the current plans take us to ~15GW by 2030.

NeuConnect construction begins in Germany

Construction has started on the German portion of an interconnector linked to the UK with the milestone marked by a ground-breaking ceremony in Wilhelmshaven.

German Ministers Robert Habeck and Olaf Lies, plus UK Minister Greg Hands attended the ceremony for the NeuConnect, the first UK-German interconnector.  

The link is expected to be completed by 2028.

Led by global investors Meridiam, Allianz Capital Partners (on behalf of the Allianz companies), Kansai Electric Power and TEPCO, NeuConnect is a privately financed £2.4bn (€2.8bn) project.

New converter stations will be built in Wilhelmshaven in northern Germany and on the Isle of Grain in England, connected by 725 km of land and subsea cables.

The new link will allow up to 1.4GW of electricity to flow in either direction, helping to boost energy security and resilience in the UK and Germany.

Coastalwatch

Martyn1981 said:

Work on another interconnector has started. It's a 1.4GW bi-directional link to Germany. Looks like the current plans take us to ~15GW by 2030.

Or, 3 x our current (must have) Nuclear Base load!

Edit.(must have) added.

Coastalwatch

Now there's a target for those parties touting to hold the reins at parliament for the next four years.

I wonder if any of them will be brave enough to take up the challenge by putting it in their manifesto!

Renewables must triple by 2030 to hit net-zero by 2050, says BloombergNEF

A new report from BloombergNEF says achieving net-zero by 2050 hinges on renewables capacity tripling between now and the end of the decade.

Its latest New Energy Outlook presents a pathway to net-zero by 2050 called the “Net-Zero Scenario” (NZS). It says the window to reach the target is “rapidly closing,” but adds there is still time “if decisive action is taken now.”

The report lists nine technology pillars for a net-zero world, which would work to address different elements of the carbonization challenge. BloombergNEF says four of the nine pillars – renewables, energy storage, power grids and electric vehicles – are already “mature, commercially scalable technologies with proven business models.” These are described as technologies which require a significant acceleration to get on track for net zero, but there is little to no technology risk, economic premiums are small or non-existent, and financing models are already at scale.

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2024/05/22/renewables-must-triple-by-2030-to-hit-net-zero-by-2050-says-bloombergnef/?utm_source=Global+|+Newsletter&utm_campaign=7eccf5692e-dailynl_gl&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6916ce32b6-7eccf5692e-159300013

Martyn1981

Coastalwatch said:

Martyn1981 said:

Work on another interconnector has started. It's a 1.4GW bi-directional link to Germany. Looks like the current plans take us to ~15GW by 2030.

Or, 3 x our current (must have) Nuclear Base load!

Edit.(must have) added.

Yep, and speaking of interconnectors and interconectivity, National Grid plans to double its normal levels of spend/invest, with £30bn in the UK over the next 5yrs.

National Grid unveils $60bn investment plan

National Grid has announced a plan to invest around £60bn in networks in the next five years, with over £30bn of this amount in the UK.

The cash will “unlock economic growth and enable the increasingly digital, electrified and decarbonised economies of the future” and support 55,000 more UK jobs by the end of the decade.

More info here:

National Grid taps shareholders to help fund £60bn low-carbon energy switch

The plan includes £23bn spent in energy transmission in the UK to help expand offshore wind projects, as well as £8bn on “asset replacement, reinforcement and new connections”. It will spend a further £28bn ($35bn) in the US.

Netexporter

I think NG might be a good punt for my SSIPS. (when I finally get round to rounding up my bits and pieces of other pensions)

Cardew

Netexporter said:

I think NG might be a good punt for my SSIPS. (when I finally get round to rounding up my bits and pieces of other pensions)

NG shares dropped today by a record 10.86%. Their plans?? or the probability of a Labour government in 6 weeks??