UK News
REA says UK now boasts more than 3GW of operating energy storage capacity
A report from the Renewable Energy Association (REA) has revealed that the UK has a total of 3.23GW of energy storage capacity, including pumped hydro installations, operating as of August this year.
About 453MW of additional storage projects, mainly battery-based, are planned or are in development, apart from the 200MW of enhanced frequency response contracted by the National Grid in September.
REA also noted that storage projects in ‘multiple gigawatts’ have been proposed but need better policy framework to move forward.
The number of standalone grid-connected projects is 35, ranging from lithium-ion batteries to pumped hydro, and there are also about 1,500 residential storage deployments. (ctbr)
BEIS needs to improve the quality of its solar deployment data
Every month the newly launched Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Services is publishing data to the National Statistics for the deployment of solar in the UK. Also, every month it is massively revising upwards the number for the previous month.
As an example look at the figures for March. The first estimate of installations was 196 megawatts (9519 megawatts less 9323 megawatts). By August the estimate has risen fivefold for the deployment in the month to 1018 megawatts. This is happening to various degrees every month.
The underlying reason for this mess is that BEIS does not have access to decent data. But this doesn’t excuse the failure to acknowledge the problem. It is making a mockery of the National Statistics kitemark. (thanks to carboncommentary)
GIB backs Scottish EfW plant
The UK Green Investment Bank (GIB) has committed £28m of debt finance to a new £142m energy-from-waste plant at Millerhill near Edinburgh in Scotland.
GIB joins a lending club that includes Investec, Siemens Bank and Credit Agricole.
The 14.1MW combined heat and power facility is expected to treat up to 155,000 tonnes of waste every year once complete.
The waste, sourced mainly from local residences, will be pre-screened in a mechanical treatment facility to remove recyclable material before entering the energy recovery process. (renews)
Sunamp to transport waste heat by barge in project with UK city council
Sunamp is preparing a landmark project with the UK’s Bristol City Council that will see the company take excess heat from waste treatment facilities by barge to be used in the city’s district heating scheme.
If successful, the scheme will see Sunamp extract heat from waste processes in Avonmouth and ‘containerise’ it in up to 16 shipping container-sized units, each carting 2MWh of heat storage in its phase change technology.
The company would then transport up to 32 containers carrying 64MW of stored heat by barge to the city’s district heat scheme, which is currently under construction avoiding the need to use gas. (energystoragenews)
EV of the week
US Military launch Chey Colorado on steroids that runs on hydrogen
Almost a year after it was first announced, General Motors and the U.S. Army will soon begin testing their jointly-developed hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle.
Called the Chevrolet Colorado ZH2, it is based on a stretched version of the Chevy Colorado mid-size pickup truck chassis, with radically-different bodywork and numerous other modifications.
Unveiled at a meeting of the Association of the United States Army in Washington, D.C., the Colorado ZH2 is to begin field testing next year. (greencarreports)
European goodies
Norway unveils plan to develop industrial CCS portfolio
Europe’s embattled carbon capture and storage (CCS) sector has received a much-needed shot in the arm with the news the Norwegian government is to significantly expand its portfolio of carbon capture demonstration projects.
The government announced today it is to provide NOK1.3bn ($163m) to support three large-scale industrial carbon capture and storage demonstration projects, while also approving a three-year extension of the Technology Center Mongstad (TCM) CCS test facility, which is jointly owned by Gassnova, Statoil, Sasol and Shell. (businessgreen)
Global Stuff
First deal to curb aviation emissions agreed in landmark UN accord
A meeting of 2,000 delegates at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a UN agency, in Montreal has settled upon a global emissions-reduction scheme that will apply to passenger and cargo flights that generate more than 10,000 tonnes of annual greenhouse gases.
The deal, aimed at reducing the growing climate impact of plane travel, follows years of disagreement between nations on how to slow emissions from the sector. Instead of facing a cap or charge on emissions, airlines will be involved in an offsetting scheme whereby forest areas and carbon-reducing activities will be funded, costing about 2% of the industry’s annual revenues. Global aviation emissions in 2020 will be used as a benchmark, with around 80% of emissions above 2020 levels offset until 2035.
The deal was praised by the air travel industry but green groups were quick to point out that there was no real incentive to cut emissions. (guardian)
Methane Emissions From Fossil Fuels Much Higher Than Previously Thought
Methane emissions from global fossil fuel production are up to 60 percent higher than previously estimated, according to a new study in the journal Nature by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and several universities. Combined, methane emissions from oil and gas production and natural geological leakage are up to 110 percent greater than previously estimated. The upward revision shows that the fossil fuel industry is responsible for 25 percent of total global methane emissions, or up to 165 million tons of the 623 million tons emitted from all sources. The study comes at a time when companies are working to reduce methane leaks from extraction facilities and pipelines, with some success. The scientists found leak rates have declined from 8 percent to 2 percent over the past 30 years. Increased natural gas production, however, has negated these improvements. (yale360)
Hawaiian Electric to install flywheel storage pilot project
Hawaiian Electric has teamed with Californian storage company Amber Kinetics on a 4-hour duration flywheel energy storage pilot project in Oahu.
The flywheel, once operational, will be capable of charging and discharging electricity for multiple duty cycles daily. It will also provide renewable firming and peak shifting, flexible capacity and ancillary grid services such as voltage smoothing and frequency response for reliable utility operation. According to Amber Kinetics, the system is capable of supporting unlimited cycling with zero capacity loss during a service life of more than 20 years. (energy-storagenews)
Philips develops ‘world’s most efficient’ LED bulb for Dubai rollout
Philips Lighting has partnered with the Dubai Municipality to launch the “world’s most sustainable LED lamp”, which has been developed for residential and professional use across the city by 2017.
Announced at the Water, Energy, Technology and Environment Exhibition (WETEX) in Dubai on Wednesday (5 October), the “Dubai Lamp initiative” will see two million of the world’s first commercially available 200 lumen-per-watt LED lamps installed across the city over the next 12 months. (edie)
Techie Corner
Wind-powered Water Seer pulls 11 gallons of clean drinking water from thin air
A new device that relies on simple condensation to collect clean water from the atmosphere promises to provide up to 11 gallons of safe drinking water without an external power source, greenhouse gas emissions, or adverse environmental impacts. What’s more, the innovative Water Seer collection device could potentially run forever, gifting generations of people with access to ‘liquid gold’ in areas of the world where a harsh climate or lack of infrastructure make access to clean drinking water a major problem. Water Seer is powered by a simple wind turbine, and the device could easily be the first step toward a sustainable, enduring solution to water shortages around the world.
The Water Seer device is planted six or more feet into the ground, and soil is then packed around its metal neck. The top of the Water Seer holds a vertical wind turbine, which spins internal fan blades to draw air into the subterranean chamber. Because the underground chamber portion of the Water Seer is cooled by the surrounding earth, water condenses in the reservoir to creates sort of an artificial well, from which people can draw clean, safe drinking water around the clock. (inhabitat)
Have a good weekend.
James
