Green, ethical, energy issues in the news

Martyn1981

24/7 PV power, and at upto 1GW, that's some serious PV power.

Masdar, EWEC launch world-biggest 24/7 solar PV and battery project in Abu Dhabi

A project combining solar generation and battery storage to provide 1GW of ‘round-the-clock’ dispatchable power was unveiled at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW).

Pairing 5.2GWdc of solar PV generation with 19GWh of battery storage capacity will enable the plant to deliver up to a gigawatt of ‘baseload’ power 24/7, every day, Al Jaber claimed.

QrizB

Another record:

Worlds largest pumped storage power station now operational in China.

3.6GW, 40GWh is quite something.

https://www.ess-news.com/2025/01/09/worlds-largest-pumped-storage-power-plant-fully-operational-in-china/

Martyn1981

That's a biggie in China.

Maybe a good opportunity to compare to the UK, where we may have the potential for 4.5GW of new PHS and about 90GWh.

The Coire Glas scheme is the big one, at a proposed 1.3GW/30GWh. For comparison, Dinorwig (Electric Mountain) built to aid nuclear, is 1.8GW/9.1GWh.

Here's an update on Coire Glas, with the exploratory tunnel completed, to assess ground conditions, cost etc..

Britain's largest natural battery reaches major development milestone

Britain’s largest natural battery project has reached a significant milestone, with developer SSE completing a £100m exploratory works programme which saw it drill and blast a 1.2km tunnel into the hillside in the Scottish Highlands.

SSE’s Coire Glas project in the Scottish Highlands would be the first major pumped storage hydro scheme built in more than 40 years.

UK Government confirmed earlier this year a cap and floor investment framework would be introduced to enable the deployment of long-duration electricity storage projects. Meanwhile, the system operator, NESO, has said pumped storage hydro will be critical for energy flexibility as part of the 2030 Clean Power plan.

michaels

Martyn1981 said:

That's a biggie in China.

Maybe a good opportunity to compare to the UK, where we may have the potential for 4.5GW of new PHS and about 90GWh.

The Coire Glas scheme is the big one, at a proposed 1.3GW/30GWh. For comparison, Dinorwig (Electric Mountain) built to aid nuclear, is 1.8GW/9.1GWh.

Here's an update on Coire Glas, with the exploratory tunnel completed, to assess ground conditions, cost etc..

Britain's largest natural battery reaches major development milestone

Britain’s largest natural battery project has reached a significant milestone, with developer SSE completing a £100m exploratory works programme which saw it drill and blast a 1.2km tunnel into the hillside in the Scottish Highlands.

SSE’s Coire Glas project in the Scottish Highlands would be the first major pumped storage hydro scheme built in more than 40 years.

UK Government confirmed earlier this year a cap and floor investment framework would be introduced to enable the deployment of long-duration electricity storage projects. Meanwhile, the system operator, NESO, has said pumped storage hydro will be critical for energy flexibility as part of the 2030 Clean Power plan.

Where are we on the economics of longer duration but fewer cycle storage?  Dinorwig runs pretty much every day which must mean a much lower per kwh cost compared to if it were only need once a week or even worse a few times in the depths of winter.

Coastalwatch

Europe posts record negative power prices for 2024 as renewables rise

Europe recorded 4,838 periods of day-ahead power prices falling to zero or below in 2024, a record high driven by rising renewable generation, sluggish demand, and constrained grid flexibility, according to a new report from Montel Analytics. The total is nearly double the 2,442 instances that were recorded in 2023.

The energy data specialist said that renewables accounted for 50.4% of Europe’s total power mix, which was an all-time high. Fossil fuels, meanwhile, dropped to less than 25% of the continental total. Nuclear generation rebounded to 24.7%, bolstered by the recovery of France’s nuclear fleet.

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2025/01/21/europe-posts-record-negative-power-prices-for-2024-as-renewables-rise/?utm_source=Global+|+Newsletter&utm_campaign=34a15409ba-dailynl_gl&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6916ce32b6-34a15409ba-159300013

Martyn1981

Here's a review of electricity in the EU for 2024 from EMBER.

Lots of little surprises for me, such as solar generation at 11% overtaking coal, and Hungary going from 4% solar in 2019 to 25% in 2024, who'd have thunk.

European Electricity Review 2025

Martyn1981

Some big numbers and news for China in 2024, from Carbon Brief.

Looks like they could peak in emissions in 2024 or 2025, possibly coal and oil too.

Here's a fun number, the growth in power generation from non-fossil sources was 500TWh, not the total, but the growth. For scale, the UK's total annual leccy demand is about 315TWh. And China may add even more in 2025 than 2024.

[On a side note, car sales in China were 53% PEV (plug-in) in December, pulling the total year figure to 48%. So 2025 should also be the year where the majority of cars sold, in the largest car market in the World, will have a plug.]

Analysis: Record surge of clean energy in 2024 halts China’s CO2 rise

Even larger clean energy additions likely in 2025

After the enormous jump in China’s clean-energy installations in 2023 – particularly solar – even the most optimistic predictions did not expect a further increase in 2024.

Yet solar and wind capacity additions in China increased by 28% and 5% year-on-year in 2024, respectively, with 277GW of solar and 79GW of wind connected to the grid.

This year is likely to set another record, as key largescale solar, wind and nuclear projects race to complete during the 14th five-year plan period ending in 2025. State-owned enterprises, local governments and other actors have set targets that they will be striving to achieve.

Solar-power capacity additions are expected to stay at the record levels seen in 2024, with approximately 265GW added to the grid, according to forecasts from TrendForce New Energy Research Center.

Wind power is poised for a new record of 110-120GW of capacity added in 2025, according to China International Capital Corporation. Of this, 14-17GW is expected to be offshore wind power, up from 7GW in 2024.

Coastalwatch

Thermal storage beats hydrogen, electrification on industrial costs

A new study in Germany shows the advantages of thermal energy storage in the decarbonization of industrial processes. The researchers noted clear cost advantages and high potential for flexibility in the power grid.

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2025/01/29/thermal-storage-beats-hydrogen-electrification-on-industrial-costs/

Exiled_Tyke

I've never really been convinced about hydrogen although I met someone working in the RE industry who thought the best use of hydrogen could be in shipping.   

I suppose what's really great is yet more innovation and successful ideas coming through on decarbonisation. 

Martyn1981

BIG batt gets planning approval. 1.4GW/3.1GWh.

Doncaster Council approves Fidra Energy’s 1.4GW Thorpe Marsh BESS

Edinburgh-headquartered Fidra Energy has received planning consent for its first battery storage site at Thorpe Marsh, Yorkshire.

Doncaster Council approved the 1,400MW/3,100MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) project, which will be the largest in the UK and one of the largest in Europe. The facility is being developed on 55 acres of land that was part of a former coal station site and is adjacent to an existing substation.

Sungrow will supply containers of lithium-ion based battery systems as part of a strategic agreement the two companies signed in November. Sungrow will also provide its liquid-cooled Power-Titan 2.0 BESS units for Fidra Energy’s 500MW/1GWh West Burton C project set to begin construction in 2026.