The third quarter in the UK saw record renewable generation once again, according to figures by EnAppSys: wind, solar, hydro and biomass together contributed 26.2 Terrawatt hours in the quarter. The increase was driven by 16TWh of wind power and also wholesale prices fell y/y by 12%. The Energy Transition continues to roll.
COMPANY NEWS
Octopus sells £90 m of Polish wind
Octopus’ asset holding investment trust ORIT has signed conditional terms, enabling it to reap substantial profits on two Polish wind farms.
Net proceeds of the sale of its Krzecin and Kuslin projects are likely amount to a zloty equivalent of between GBP 88 million and GBP 92, the trust announced today. That’s a premium of between 14 and 19 per cent on the farms’ GBP 77 million book value as of June 30.
ORIT bought the pair in October 2021, during their construction. Its operating sister company completed both and began generation last year. With a combined capacity of 59 MW, the farms generate make enough green electricity for well over 100,000 homes, avoiding CO2-e emissions equivalent of 150,000 tonnes every year.
The farms’ buyer ORLEN is a Warsaw-listed petrochemicals firm seeking to diversify into wind. (theenergyst)
UK NEWS
BP-led CCS project secures ‘landmark’ North Sea storage lease agreement
BP’s plans to establish a major carbon storage reservoir below the North Sea capable of holding around 20 to 30 million tonnes of CO2 captured from heavy industry each year has taken a critical step forward, with the oil and gas giant having today secured a “landmark” lease agreement with the Crown Estate.
The deal was hailed as a “significant milestone” for carbon capture and storage (CCS) in the UK by the Crown Estate, which said the BP-led project could become one of the largest of its kind worldwide and play a key role in decarbonising heavy industry in the UK.
Dubbed Endurance, the project aims to use the North Sea reservoir to store CO2 captured from carbon intensive industrial firms in Teesside and Humberside – together known as the East Coast Cluster – in geological formations deep below the seabed. (businessgreen)
Has Aberdeen’s world first Dolphyn hydrogen project sunk?
A world first floating green hydrogen project off the coast of Aberdeen appears to be dead in the water.
The scheme, called Dolphyn, was expected to help put the Granite City on the map as a global leader in energy transition.
It was hailed as a “transformative” development for Europe’s oil and gas capital when plans for it were unveiled three years ago.
But multinational green energy consultancy Environmental Resources Management (ERM) has withdrawn its bid for more UK Government cash for the single unit demonstrator scheme.
And the firm now plans to seek funding for a later, larger scale project at a site that will “allow expansion at a single location”.
It is currently unclear whether the UK North Sea could still host the development. (press&journal)
photo: ERM
UK Car market surges but private EV registrations not so strong
The UK’s new car market showed robust growth in September, surging by 21%, marking the 14th consecutive month of expansion.
This growth is driven by the increasing demand for electric vehicles (EVs), according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
In September, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) recorded their 41st consecutive month of growth, demonstrating a consistent trend towards electric mobility.
Nearly 45,300 new BEVs hit the roads, marking an 18.9% increase.
However, despite this positive trend, the BEV market share slightly decreased from 16.9% to 16.6% compared to the same period last year, according to the report.
Fleet purchases played a pivotal role in boosting BEV sales, surging by 50.6%.
Private consumer uptake of BEVs declined by -14.3%.
Less than one in ten private car buyers opted for EVs during the month. (futurenetzero)
EV OF THE WEEK
First sub £20,000 EV car is coming
Dacia is the budget manufacturer that is owned by Renault and builds cars in Romania. They have a deserved reputation for delivering no frills cars that deliver a lot more than the sticker price might suggest. For a couple of years they have been selling their smallest model as an EV called the Dacia Spring. It is a small 5 seater with a choice of two battery options and a range of about 140 miles.
Unlike almost any other EV they are not tuned for performance. The smaller battery hits 0-60mph in about 19 seconds. Top Gear describes the Spring as a latter day 2CV, which does not seem to put off customers. In Europe it is the third best seller by volume after the Tesla Model Y & Model 3. It is coming to the UK early next year. If the continental experience is anything to go by people will buy it as a second car but end up using it as their main car.
photo: Dacia
EUROPEAN STORIES
Ireland Makes Rare Decision to Deny LNG Port for Climate Reasons
Amid Europe’s angst over energy security, Ireland has made one of the boldest moves of any nation on the continent in the name of climate action: It rejected a new fossil fuel import facility.
The country’s planning authority last month refused a proposal for a liquefied natural gas import terminal on the Shannon estuary and a related gas-fired power plant, after taking into consideration policies outlined in Ireland’s energy and climate action plan. The strategy calls for the country to reduce greenhouse gas emissions annually by 7% on average between 2021 and 2030. (bloomberg)
VSB plans 450-MW wind-solar hybrid project in Finland
The Finnish unit of German renewables developer VSB Group is planning a hybrid project involving 350 MW of wind energy and 100 MW of solar capacity in Finland’s North Ostrobothnia region.
The first hybrid project developed entirely by VSB Uusiutuva Energia Suomi Oy will be in Haapavesi, where the company is planning the 350-MW Puutionsaari wind park. The solar site will be built next to the 49-turbine wind power facility on a former peat production site acquired by VSB.
VSB has already filed paperwork seeking a permit for the project and expects to obtain clearance by the end of 2023. This would be the first industrial scale solar project in Haapavesi. (renewablesnow)
photo: VSB
FOCUS ON: FLEXIBILITY
‘Peer-to-peer energy trading slashes business bills by up to 90%’
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) at Mildenhall Industrial Park in West Suffolk have reported reductions in their energy bills, ranging from 20% to as much as 90%, thanks to a peer-to-peer energy trading initiative.
West Suffolk Council and Manchester-based deeptech company UrbanChain have partnered to establish a local green energy market.
Peer-to-peer energy trading enables individuals and businesses to directly buy and sell electricity.
West Suffolk Council has proactively invested in renewable energy infrastructure, with 272kW of solar PV installations on ten commercial buildings within Mildenhall Industrial Estate and ownership of a nearby 12MW solar farm.
By participating in UrbanChain’s peer-to-peer energy exchange, the council’s renewable generators have seen returns at least 35% higher than prevailing market rates. (futurenetzero)
photo: UrbanChain
UK Power Networks has opened its largest ever flexible electricity offering.
The tender round is seeking up to 850MW of flex – both demand turn-up and demand reduction – across 452 different zones in its London, East and Southeast England service area.
Alex Howard, head of flexibility markets at UK Power Networks’ distribution system operator, said: “We’ve been offering flexibility opportunities for several years now but this latest tender round is our biggest. It demonstrates how we are opening our networks through the use of technology and data. We need flexible assets on our network to cut costs for our customers and maximise the generation of renewable energy options which are so crucial for helping us achieve Net Zero.”
Michael Evans, lead flexibility analyst at Octopus Energy Group, said “We’re excited to continue working with UK Power Networks, who as the first GB DSO to launch a demand turn-up service has been able to rapidly unlock domestic energy flexibility opportunities where our customers benefit from green electricity that would otherwise be wasted.”
The opportunities range from just a few hours of flexible provision per year and as little as 10kW per zone. Potential providers can view flexibility zones on the Piclo Flex website and on the UK Power Networks DSO website. (newpower)
‘Flexibility is not optional’: Call for new ‘Smart Building Rating’
The Centre for Net Zero and the Energy Systems Catapult have called on the government to consult on the introduction of a ‘Smart Building Rating’ to operate alongside a reformed Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) regime and provide clearer information on the climate credentials of different buildings.
Backed by author of the government’s Net Zero Review, Chris Skidmore, and a coalition of industry groups and NGOs – including the UK Green Building Council, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, E3G, Nesta, and the Energy Savings Trust – the proposed demand flexibility measure would provide data on a building’s ability to curb emissions and costs by participating in flexible demand response markets.
To prepare a building for “smart” electrification, it should be equipped with a range of low-carbon technologies capable of delivering flexible power demand, such as electric vehicle (EV) chargers, heat pumps, smart thermal energy stores, batteries, or solar arrays. The deployment of many such technologies is not recognised in the EPC regime, which assesses buildings based on their energy efficiency. (businessgreen)
GLOBAL STUFF
Global carbon emissions from electric power may peak this year
Carbon emissions from the global electricity sector may peak this year, after plateauing in the first half of 2023, because of a surge in wind and solar power, according to a climate thinktank.
A new report on global electricity generation found that the growth of renewables was so rapid that it was close to the incredibly fast rate required if the world is to hit the tripling of capacity by the end of the decade that experts believe is necessary to stay on the 1.5C pathway.
It also noted that there had been only a slight increase in emissions in the first six months of the year, compared with the same period a year before.
The findings suggest the world may be close to reaching the peak of the global power sector’s carbon emissions, and they could soon even begin to fall in line with global climate targets.
The report, by the climate thinktank Ember, compared electricity data from January to June 2023 to the same period last year, across 78 countries representing 92% of the world’s electricity demand. (guardian)
BP’s Archaea Energy Brings Online First Renewable Natural Gas Plant
BP’s Archaea Energy announced the official startup of its original Archaea Modular Design renewable natural gas (RNG) plant in Medora, Indiana. Located next to a landfill owned by Rumpke Waste and Recycling, this is the first plant to come online since bp’s acquisition of Archaea in December 2022.
Landfill gas, a natural byproduct of the decomposition of waste in landfills, is a form of greenhouse gas. Using the AMD design, the Medora plant captures the gas from Rumpke’s landfill and converts it to electricity, heat or renewable natural gas, which leads to cleaner air, less odor and more sustainable energy when compared with traditional fossil fuel energy.
The Medora plant can process 3,200 cubic feet of landfill gas per minute (scfm) into RNG – enough gas to heat around 13,026 homes annually, according to the EPA’s Landfill Gas Energy Benefits Calculator.
Traditionally, RNG plants have been custom built, but the Archaea Modular Design allows plants to be built on skids with interchangeable components. Using a standardized modular design leads to faster builds than previous industry standards. (renewableenergymagazine)
Photo: BP
TECHIE CORNER
Introducing Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW)
Startup companies across the USA are bringing crushed volcanic rock to farmers’ fields and spreading it to improve their soils. The rock powder, usually basalt, is often scavenged from local mines or quarries, where it exists as a waste by-product. ERW companies collect the rock powder, sometimes milling it further to reduce the grain size. Then they truck it to farms, where it is used in place of ag lime. Studies show that volcanic rock dust can raise the pH of overworked soils, improving productivity. And because enhanced rock weathering is considered a form of permanent carbon dioxide removal, the startups can sell “carbon credits” to large corporations like Microsoft that want to reduce their carbon footprint and show they are acting on climate change.
The method is based on decades of scientific research that exploits what some call “earth’s thermostat.” Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere naturally reacts with water to form a weak acid. This acid then bonds with minerals in volcanic stone and permanently removes the CO2 from the air. Geochemists discovered that this natural carbon cycle could be accelerated by crushing the rock, which exposes more of its reactive surface. A study published last month by the American Geophysical Union stated that ERW had the potential to sequester more than 200 gigatons of CO2 in a 75-year period. That would put a small but meaningful dent in the world’s CO2 emissions, which currently stand at around 37 gigatons per year. (grist)
