Green, ethical, energy issues in the news

Martyn1981

Approval for a very big flow battery in Switzerland. It's only a 2hr* battery which seems strange, but horses for courses I suppose. And the more types of storage that can be rolled out, the less cost pressure on them all, and their associated materials/components.

*The beauty/role of flow batts was/is expected to be in longer duration roles, where the cheap storage part can be expanded, such as chemical storage tanks, without any need to increase the expensive power side. So they were expected to be economically viable in the medium to long duration roles, so 4-10hrs+.

Construction approval for 1.6GWh flow battery in Switzerland: ‘about time we brought this scale to Europe’

FlexBase Group will start construction on a data centre plus 800MW/1,600MWh flow battery in Switzerland imminently, the firm claimed, explaining to Energy-Storage.news how and why.

The private equity-backed company has received local construction approval for the Laufenburg
Technology Center (TZL), which will house a data centre plus a redox flow battery system, which would most likely be the largest of its kind in the world.

Reducing the capex of flow battery technology by scaling it will be crucial given the past few years has seen consistent and substantial cost reductions for lithium-ion technology, to the extent that its proponents are now claiming it is cost-effective for 8-10 hour durations, and in the future even more.

QrizB

Big balls, anyone?

https://www.zmescience.com/future/sinking-giant-concrete-orbs-to-the-bottom-of-the-ocean-could-store-massive-amounts-of-renewable-energy/

The concept is disarmingly simple. Picture a hollow concrete sphere on the seafloor. When excess power is available — say, from a nearby offshore wind farm — it’s used to pump seawater out of the sphere, creating a vacuum-like condition inside. Then, when energy is needed, a valve opens. Seawater rushes back in, driven by the crushing pressure of the ocean. As it re-enters, it spins a turbine, which generates electricity. The process is reversible and can be repeated hundreds of times per year.

Or for those of a certain vintage:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WwJ6OVSwkM

thevilla

I don't mean to downplay the seriousness of the situation at all but there's a headline on the BBC, "Global oil prices soar after Israel attacks Iran".

What it doesn't add is "wind and sunshine prices remain stable".

QrizB

I hope no-one is surprised to learn that growing crops to make biofuels is worse for the environment overall than just burning oil in the first place.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/06/biofuels-policy-has-been-a-failure-for-the-climate-new-report-claims

As we've discussed on this forum previously, a hectare of solar PV will produce more energy, both gross and net, than a hectare of crops will.

Edit: here's a link to some previous discussion:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/79006594/#Comment_79006594

Martyn1981

QrizB, a fun stat that I've seen in several reports and articles on US corn ethanol production - is that for half of that land, which currently produces less than 10% of road fuel, PV panels would produce the equivalent of the whole US's electricity demand. And that's not today's leccy demand, but a future all electric energy demand, including an all electric transport fleet.

ed110220

QrizB said:

I hope no-one is surprised to learn that growing crops to make biofuels is worse for the environment overall than just burning oil in the first place.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/06/biofuels-policy-has-been-a-failure-for-the-climate-new-report-claims

As we've discussed on this forum previously, a hectare of solar PV will produce more energy, both gross and net, than a hectare of crops will.

Edit: here's a link to some previous discussion:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/79006594/#Comment_79006594

Unfortunately some people don't think further than crops=good, PV=bad [insert "industrialising the countryside" or some other cliche] when in reality they're just different ways of capturing energy from the sun, one much more efficiently than the other.

Martyn1981

Article here giving some info and stats on a number of electric ferries.

Battery Ferries: Helios, China Zorrilla, & BC Ferries Compared

The three ferry designs vary significantly in size, propulsion, and operational strategy. Viking Line’s Helios, at roughly 195 meters long and 30 meters wide, is the largest of the group, designed for up to 2,000 passengers, 650 cars, and substantial freight capacity across 2,000 lane-meters. It will run solely on battery-electric propulsion with an immense battery bank of 85–100 MWh, requiring dedicated shoreside infrastructure capable of supplying more than 30 MW of charging at both the Helsinki and Tallinn terminals. Its operational route is short, at just 80 kilometers, comfortably within the capacity of its extensive battery and will likely only require 13 MWh, with the larger batteries specified for operational contingencies such as a power outage at one port.

The China Zorrilla, built by Tasmanian firm Incat, contrasts notably as a high-speed catamaran with twin hulls designed explicitly for rapid crossings of approximately 93 kilometers between Buenos Aires and Colonia with a cruising speed of 25 knots and potential for 28 knots. Its smaller capacity (around 2,100 passengers but only 225 cars) aligns with its more streamlined operational profile, powered by a 40 MWh battery supplying Wärtsilä-designed waterjets. The Zorrilla focuses on rapid turnaround, charging from 20% to 80% in about 40 minutes with ultra-fast chargers at both ends of its route.

BC Ferries’ new vessels, meanwhile, occupy a transitional space. Smaller than Helios but also single-hulled, each will carry approximately 2,100 passengers and about 360 vehicles. Unlike the pure-electric Helios and China Zorrilla, these ferries will initially operate as diesel-battery hybrids, incrementally transitioning to full electric propulsion as shoreside charging infrastructure expands. Their routes between Vancouver Island and mainland British Columbia are comparatively shorter but currently lack sufficient infrastructure for fully electric operation from day one.

silverwhistle

Dover Calais is only about 70 kilometres so you'd think would be an ideal distance, although the intensity of operations there might render it difficult. Plus getting the infrastructure in place would probably take a decade or two... 

On the subject of oil prices and the impact on petrol/diesel it's lucky that the weather is so good here and today I'm mooching about the house and garden as it means a small free contribution from my solar panels and the granny charger. Even a free 20 miles worth is not to be sneezed at, but I will given today's VH pollen count.. 

 

gefnew

New Nissan Leaf electric car to be built in Sunderland - BBC News

Martyn1981

Not sure why, but I do find re-powering news for wind farms interesting. Maybe it's the change in number and size of the WT's.

In this example they appear to be going from 40 WT's totalling 49.6MW, down to 9 WT's, totalling 46.4MW.

Total guess on my part, but perhaps the newer and larger, and therefore taller WT's, will have a higher capacity factor too.

RES to dismantle turbines at Spanish wind farm

RES is working to dismantle wind turbines at one of Spain's oldest wind farms, as the development begins a transition to newer, more efficient technology. 

Naturgy announced it would upgrade its 49.6MW Somozas wind farm in Galicia earlier this month, and has ordered seven Vestas V150-6.0MW turbines and two V110-2.2MW machines for the work. 

RES will dismantle 40 turbines and an ECO 74 generator at the site.