Green, ethical, energy issues in the news

Martyn1981

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81867569#Comment_81867569

Yep, he's done an excellent job for the FFI. I think recent 'progress' in the US plots them reaching zero leccy emissions around 2148.

Obviously things will move faster, eventually, and the FF industry can't fight forever against cheaper RE, especially in the US where PV (and storage) is excellent. But unlike the UK (and Germany) who are now largely over the ageing-out nuclear hump, the US is just beginning, and will probably need ~300GW of new wind and solar deployment, just to stand still as their ~100 reactors reach end of life.

Trump's 2x 4yr terms will have a huge delaying impact on US progress.

Martyn1981

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81861461#Comment_81861461

This news made me think about your link, I'm sure this kind of expense (FF externality costs) are the literal tip of the iceberg (before it melts).

South Wales council to buy and demolish homes prone to flooding

A row of homes in a village in south Wales is to be bought by a local authority and demolished as they can no longer be protected from flooding caused by the climate crisis.

It will cost Rhondda Cynon Taf county borough council more than £2.5m to buy the 16 riverside properties, pay for legal costs and help to rehouse dozens of residents.

The Labour-led council believes it is the first time a local authority in the UK has bought such a large number of inland homes to protect householders from flooding caused by the climate emergency.

michaels

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81869927#Comment_81869927

Hmm. Is that what taxpayer money should be spent on?

Netexporter

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81870865#Comment_81870865

The choice was buy the houses or increase the flood defences. I assume the latter would cost at least as much and would eventually fail, as nature always wins. The local authority are probably culpable if some other planning decision has added to the amount of storm water.

debitcardmayhem

Miliband civil servants predict years of plunging gas prices

Telegraph - not sure if link works

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/cffa0eedc093c6bb

QrizB

That's a rather inconsistent article, IMHO. It would be more interesting to read the actual DESNZ report.

You'll find it here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fossil-fuel-price-assumptions-2025

Martyn1981

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81870872#Comment_81870872

Yep, and that seems to reflect the fact that adaptation costs sky rocket as we attempt to cope with the ever more extreme edge cases, not the far more manageable change in averages.

This was highlighted by the extreme flooding in Washington State, when they got hit by 3 'atmospheric river' events last December, whilst expectations are for one every 10yrs or so.

It's almost as if moving away from FF's sooner and faster is a good idea. I only wish someone had suggested it 60yrs ago, but can you imagine how much pushback such science would have received? 😉

Timely article in today's news:

Flawed economic models mean climate crisis could crash global economy, experts warn

Flawed economic models mean the accelerating impact of the climate crisis could lead to a global financial crash, experts warn.

Recovery would be far harder than after the 2008 financial crash, they said, as “we can’t bail out the Earth like we did the banks”.

As the world speeds towards 2C of global heating, the risks of extreme weather disasters and climate tipping points are increasing fast. But current economic models used by governments and financial institutions entirely miss such shocks, the researchers said, instead forecasting that steady economic growth will be slowed only by gradually rising average temperatures. This is because the models assume the future will behave like the past, despite the burning of fossil fuels pushing the climate system into uncharted territory.

Martyn1981

Not sure if this idea has been mentioned before on here - airship like wind generation, with a helium filled 'balloon(?) enclosing multiple small WT's.

Still only at test phase, but now 3MW up from ~1MW in earlier version.

No idea if this is viable (economically), especially if helium filled (maybe hydrogen would be better, cheaper and greater lift (cue Hindenburg jokes)). But still fun to follow the idea and progress.

China Floating Turbine Passes Testing & Completes A Grid-Connected Flight

China’s S2000 Stratosphere Airborne Wind Energy System (SAWES) has crossed an important threshold. This is an update on a report CleanTechnica featured 5 months ago.

Last month, the megawatt-class airborne wind platform, operated by Beijing Lanyi Yunchuan Energy Technology Co., completed a grid-connected test flight in Yibin, Sichuan Province, confirming that the technology is no longer confined to conceptual renders or short-duration mechanical trials. It has now generated electricity at altitude and delivered that power into the local grid.

The S2000 is built around a helium-filled aerostat that lifts multiple turbine-generator units to approximately 2,000 meters above ground level. At that altitude, winds are typically stronger and more consistent than those accessible to conventional tower-mounted turbines. Electricity generated onboard is transmitted to the ground through a conductive tether, which also provides structural anchoring and communication links for flight control and system monitoring.

Martyn1981

Short(ish) article about Australian storage deployment. Lots of little facts and figures that surprised me (especially the headline). I also thought the scale of the projects in the pipeline was very impressive, especially as the description seems to suggest it's only the sharper end of the pipeline (financially committed or under construction). And average duration design/target has doubled from 1.3hr to 2.6hr, so reflecting evolving demand and prices(?)

And I suppose, we are still at the very early stages of storage deployment/development. If no longer baby steps, then maybe only infant stage, as yet. The teenage disruption phase should be fun, maybe 2030-2035?

Australia commissions 4.9GWh of grid-scale batteries in 2025, matching entire 2017-2024 output

Australia’s utility-scale BESS market achieved several milestones in 2025, with the Clean Energy Council’s Q4 investment report revealing that 11 energy storage projects, totalling 1.9GW/4.9GWh, were commissioned during the year.

This annual total of 4.9GWh not only sets a new benchmark for the industry but also surpasses the combined output of all storage projects commissioned between 2017 and 2024.

The final quarter of 2025 was particularly significant, with four storage projects becoming operational. These projects alone contributed 1GW/2.3GWh, accounting for nearly half of the year’s total energy output.

As of Q4 2025, there are 75 storage projects either financially committed or under construction, representing 13GW of power output and 34.7GWh of capacity. This pipeline reflects the strong demand for utility-scale storage solutions and investors’ growing confidence in the sector.

Capacity has seen the most dramatic growth, rising from 194MWh in 2017 to 4.9GWh in 2025. The average storage project duration has also increased, rising from 1.3 hours in 2017 to 2.6 hours in 2025.

ed110220

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81889579#Comment_81889579

It seems Aus batteries are showing up much more in the grid charts, rather than just being kept on standby to step in if something unexpected happens like a transmission line suffering a fault or a coal clunker breaking down.

Australia as a whole:

The South West Interconnected System (SWIS), the isolated grid covering the SW corner of Western Australia, Perth etc where most of that state's population lives seems to be the most advanced for battery storage:

South Australia continues to increase its solar and wind share - highest in the world for a GW scale grid (currently 73.8% of consumption for the previous 12 months).

Open Electricity