There is something so dysfunctional at work. Surely any sane government would be proclaiming loudly that, according to its own research, by 2025 gas power will be three times the price of solar or wind. Not here it doesn’t.
COMPANY NEWS
Enerkem and Technip Energies sign MOU to promote waste to biofuels tech
A new partnership aimed at accelerating the deployment of waste to biofuels and circular chemicals technology has been announced.
Enerkem and Technip Energies have signed a memorandum of understanding to enter a collaboration agreement and expedite the development of the former company’s gasification technology.
Enerkem specialises in the development and commercialisation of its gasification technology, transforming non-recyclable waste into biofuels, low carbon fuels and circular chemicals, catering to hard-to-abate sectors such as sustainable aviation and marine fuels.
It has been operating a commercial demonstration scale facility in Alberta, Canada, since 2016 and is currently involved in the development and construction of new commercial-scale waste to methanol facilities in Canada and Europe. (futurenetzero)
photo: CNW Group/Enerkem
Tesla is said to have acquired German wireless electric-car charging company
Tesla has reportedly purchased a business which specialises in the development of wireless charging technology for electric vehicles.
Wiferion is understood to have been working on wireless, inductive charging pads for electric vehicles – the same kind of technology used for wireless smartphone chargers – which it says can be scaled up to be mounted in the ground or the floor of a garage.
Tesla love an enigmatic tease and at its Investor Day presentation in March, the company teased an image of what appeared to be a wireless home charging system for its electric vehicles. (drive)
UK NEWS
Gas power will be three times more expensive than renewables by 2025
Government projections suggest wind and solar are on track to become orders of magnitude cheaper than gas power over the coming decade
The solar industry has hailed new government figures that highlight how solar farms provide the cheapest form of power in Britain as a “wake up call” for opponents of green policies.
Late last week, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) published revised estimates of levelised costs of electricity (LCOE) from the UK’s most common energy sources, outlining the average cost per megawatt-hour generated over the lifetime of solar, wind, and fossil gas power plants.
The report, the first update to official government energy cost predictions in three years, forecasts that wind and solar are set to become several times cheaper than fossil gas over the course of this decade.
It predicts that by 2025, the LCOE of large-scale solar will be £41 per MWh, while the cost of both offshore and onshore wind is expected to hit £44 per MWh.
In contrast, the cost of generating electricity from combined-cycle gas turbines (CCGTs) in 2025 is forecast to reach £114 per MWh – making it nearly three times more expensive than new solar projects. (businessgreen)
Download the report
Bramble Energy unveils new HQ
Founded as a university spin-out in 2016, Bramble Energy develops fuel cell technology based on printed circuit board (PCB) technology. The company has opened its new multi-million-pound headquarters which features a hydrogen innovation and development hub.
The site can support the development of concepts from R&D phase all the way up to production-ready technology, as well as test fuel cells producing single digit Watts up to multi kW sizes required to service the heaviest of mobility industries.
It is also designed to accommodate Bramble Energy’s growing workforce, which has increased tenfold from eight staff in 2020 to more than 80 today.
In May 2023, it was awarded £12 Million in funding from the Advanced Propulsion Centre to provide its fuel cell technology to a hydrogen bus project. (theenergyst)
photo: Bramble Energy
Biomass Strategy: UK Government affirms role of BECCs in meeting net-zero emissions
The Government’s new Biomass Strategy was published this week, outlining the role that bioresources can play in reaching net-zero while improving energy security.
The Strategy confirms that the Government will “develop and implement a cross-sectoral common sustainability framework” to define biomass that is low-carbon and can deliver genuine carbon emissions savings.
It also explores the UK’s domestic feedstock and how this can contribute to energy security. It states that access to sustainable feedstocks at scale and prices will determine how biomass can contribute to the Net-Zero Strategy. Currently, domestic biomass sources account for 66% of the total biomass used in renewable energy generation.
The Strategy reiterates an existing Government ambition to deliver 5Mt of carbon removals annually by 2030, potentially increasing to 23Mt by 2035 and 81Mt by 2050. BECCS is considered to provide the majority of these carbon removals.
In the UK Drax is one of the biggest supporters of BECCS, but has recently paused its £2bn investment scheme in a BECC scheme at its power plant in North Yorkshire, stating that it needs a “firm” offer of support from the Government before proceeding.
The Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA) welcomed the Strategy’s recognition of the role of BECCS, but has called for further action to create workable routes to market for BECCS applications to scale carbon removals. (edie)
Read the report HERE
photo: Drax
Redrow partners with Pod Point
British housebuilders Redrow has joined forces with Pod Point to install charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (Evs) at new build properties across England and Wales.
They have signed a two-year partnership agreement, with Pod Point supplying home charging points for Redrow’s residential developments.
The agreement also extends to some of Redrow’s offices and sales centres that need retrofitting for charge points, supporting the company’s ambition to have an all-electric car fleet by the end of 2025.
The latest partnership follows legislation that came into force in June 2022, under which all new residential developments in England must have at least one 7kW charge point for every residence with a parking space. (futurenetzero)
photo: Pod Point
EV OF THE WEEK
Boajun Cloud EV launched
We are heading into esoteric territory with this one, but it does give an insight into the way that the Chinese EV industry is developing at a very different speed to that in the west.
Baojun is a jv between SAIC, Wuling and General Motors called SGMW. They are probably most well known for their absurdly cheap micro-car, which has featured previously in Titbits. Now they announce the launch of the “Baojun Cloud” a mid-size SUV designed as a “family urban commuter” which majors on spacious comfort for up to five people in a compact package. The seats are sofa-like and hand sewn using a breathable fabric.
A proper niche vehicle, but aware of the needs of its target market. Evidence that SGMW know what they are doing: the Cloud has taken 10,000 advance orders according to CarNewsChina. (insideev)
photo: SGMW
EUROPEAN STORIES
Norwegian mine providing clean energy minerals to be electrified
Norge Mining is collaborating with ABB on a front-end engineering and design study on electrification of a new Norwegian mine set to start operations in 2028. The deposit contains large resources of phosphate, titanium, vanadium and subsequently phosphorus – four key EU-designated critical raw minerals that are essential for the clean energy transition and global food security. The mine will supply minerals used in electric vehicles and solar panels, and in fertilizer demand, for at least 50 years.
Norge Mining recently announced the new mine site in southern Norway, known as the Bjerkreim-Sokndal layered intrusion site. ABB and Norge Mining will explore electrification of the mining and downstream operations, including control system options. The ABB study will address electrification, automation and digitalisation to ensure maximum sustainability, cost-efficiency and productivity at the mine. (newpower)
GLOBAL STUFF
China is propelling its electric truck market by embracing battery swapping
Indeed, based on data from EV-volumes.com, in 2022, China sold 36,000 electric trucks, 91% of the global total. And no country except China has ever sold more than 1,000 new electric trucks in a single year.
Besides various fiscal and non-fiscal incentives offered to electric trucks, support for battery swapping is playing a key role. The Chinese national government and several local governments have encouraged battery–swapping technology since 2020 and the share of swap-capable vehicles in China’s electric truck sales has been increasing.
In 2022, 49.5% of the electric trucks sold in China were swap-capable. These swap-capable electric trucks are mainly usedfor short-haul applications at ports, mining sites, and in urban logistics. They are typically equipped with a 141 kWh or 282 kWh battery and have a typical one-way trip length of less than 100 km.
How do the battery-swapping stations work? They typically store seven batteries. Depleted batteries swapped from vehicles are charged using DC fast chargers and these need about 40 minutes to get fully recharged.
By the time all seven batteries are swapped and the eighth vehicle comes to the station, the first swapped battery has completed recharging and can be used to swap the depleted battery of the eighth vehicle. (thedriven)
Archer Aviation secures $215M investment
Archer Aviation landed a $215-million equity investment from industry leaders Stellantis, Boeing and United Airlines, as well as other financial institutions, including ARK Invest, increasing the company’s total funding to more than $1.1 billion to date.
This investment round includes an acceleration of $70 million from Stellantis under the strategic funding agreement entered into in January 2023, with $55 million remaining available under that facility.
The funds from this round are intended to be used for working capital and general corporate purposes, including Archer’s continued development of its aircraft and related technology, as well as the build out of its manufacturing and test facilities.
The company has also received FAA approval (FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate) to begin flying its Midnight eVTOL aircraft, and reached an agreement with Boeing and Wisk to enter into an autonomous flight collaboration and settle litigation between the companies. (greencarcongress)
photo: Archer Aviation
Grid-scale battery boom as US quarterly installs go up 32%
According to the ACP report, 1,510MW of large-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) deployments were made in Q2 2023. Figures published earlier this year by research group Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables – in association with ACP – showed 554MW grid-scale installs in Q1, while in Q4 2022, the number was 848MW.
Although solar PV led the way for Q2 with 2,740MW of large-scale additions, BESS placed second, ahead of the wind industry which deployed 968MW in the three-month period. ACP said the 1,510MW of new battery storage output corresponded to 5,098MWh of energy storage capacity, implying a continued growth in storage durations. (energy-storagenews)
TECHIE CORNER
Battery made from agricultural waste
Recently recognized as one of the top five startups in the field of secondary batteries in the US,1 Sorbiforce has successfully manufactured the world’s first sustainable battery.
The innovative metal-free 2 kWh battery has been constructed from 100% renewable materials using agricultural waste and can be easily recycled. As a result of its pioneering efforts, SorbiForce’s environmentally compatible batteries could usher in a wave of clean technology in the near future.
Having found its feet as a start-up in Ukraine in 2017, SorbiForce has since evolved and now includes an expert team of dedicated scientists, researchers, and engineers focused on balancing supply and demand in a global economy attempting to decarbonize the world through electrification.
Earlier this year, SorbiForce joined forces with the University of Arizona’s Center for Innovation to gain further insights into entering the US market. (azocleantech)
photo: Sorbiforce
