It is disappointing that Shell have “adjusted” their energy transition goals, even if it really is just tinkering. The oil majors could help drive the transition in a major way, and are doing so to some extent, but announcements like this give the impression that their priorities are to maximise the revenues from their legacy businesses. Imagine how much easier it would be if they quit the negative lobbying and committed fully.

COMPANY NEWS

Libertine announce Strategic Partnership Agreement with BASEBATT
Libertine Holdings PLC, a developer of linear generator technology, has entered into a Strategic Partnership Agreement with BASEBATT Ltd, a developer of battery storage solutions, to create factory-configurable, fuel-flexible containerised hybrid renewable power systems.
The purpose of the Strategic Partnership Agreement is to secure partner commitments to form one or more demonstration programmes in response to a trio of new enquiries from a leading US containerised power generator company, a waste-to-energy technology company and a global data centre energy services company.
Under the terms of the Strategic Partnership Agreement, Libertine and BASEBATT intend to collaborate on business development, technical development and pilot programme formation activities to create prototype demonstration units for intensive energy users such as data centres, warehousing and logistics, and manufacturing operations in the UK and globally. (batteriesnews)

UK NEWS

Great Western Railway’s battery-electric train breaks UK record
GWR began exploring more sustainable options to stay innovative and help the UK Government and railway industry’s target of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. In February 2022, the UK railways signed a deal with Vivarail to trail a new FastCharge technology that could one day enable battery-powered electric trains across its network.
GWR purchased the intellectual property pertaining to FastCharge, implementing charging rails and line-side battery banks ahead of electric train trials. This month, Great Western Railway achieved its longest battery-electric journey on a single charge, claiming a UK record.
Earlier this month, GWR’s first electric train travelled 86 miles without recharging, a UK record.
Looking ahead, the electric train will undergo compatibility testing in the UK and research into its preparedness and servicing requirements required for fully integrated rail travel on GWR’s network.
This spring, the railways says it will trial the battery-electric train in a real-world environment, using its acquired FastCharge technology to replenish for a mere 3.5 minutes before continuing its route on the Greenford line. Meanwhile, GWR says it continues to carry out simulations ahead of larger-scale rollouts, reducing its CO2 emissions by over 1,700 tons annually. (elektrek)

photo: GWR

Octopus boss backs zonal electricity pricing
Octopus Energy’s Chief Executive Officer Greg Jackson has endorsed the government’s proposal for zonal locational pricing in the electricity sector.
Mr Jackson highlights the anticipated advantages, including cost savings for consumers and the potential attraction of new industries to certain regions of the UK.
Greg Jackson, CEO and Founder of Octopus Energy, said: “Our ridiculously distorted energy market forces us to send electricity to France when we need it most and pay a premium to buy it back from Norway, all while paying Scottish wind farms to switch off.
“With locational pricing, customers will save hundreds of pounds a year on bills and parts of the UK will see the lowest electricity prices in Europe, attracting new industry and reducing the need for new pylons.
“It’s right that the government is progressing zonal pricing and the energy sector must now work together to get this up and running swiftly so we can attract new industries – from data centres to manufacturing – and customers can benefit from cheaper electricity fast.” (energylivenews)

SSE backs plans to turn Aberthaw coal plant into green energy hub
SSE Energy Solutions has today announced an agreement with Cardiff City Region (CCR) Energy to explore innovative green and clean tech solutions that could enable a new energy hub at the old Aberthaw coal power plant in South Wales.
The pair have inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which could see SSE invest in new power network, heating and cooling, electric vehicle charging, and generation and storage technologies at the site.
The CCR City Deal vehicle purchased the Vale of Glamorgan plant from previous owners RWE in 2022 for a reported £8m after the 1,560MW coal powered plant ceased generating in 2019. It was RWE’s last coal-fired station in the UK and the closure marked a major milestone in the UK’s cola power phase out.
The £1.2bn City Deal subsequently created CCR Energy and allocated upwards of £30m to demolish and clear the 500-acre site for redevelopment into an hub for green energy production in the region.
According to CCR’s proposed Master Plan the site will seek to support a number of green energy projects and accompanying battery storage systems, a zero-carbon manufacturing cluster including green hydrogen facilities, a green energy innovation centre, and an ecology park. (businessgreen)

photo: SSE & CCR Energy

UK revamps heat pump grants scheme
The government has announced changes to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, removing insulation requirements for heat pump grants, aiming to ease installation and reduce costs for households.
Under the updated scheme, homeowners will no longer be obligated to install cavity wall or loft insulation to qualify for grants, which can amount to £7,500 towards heat pump installation costs.
This move is expected to substantially reduce the financial burden associated with transitioning from traditional gas boilers to more sustainable heating options, particularly for semi-detached properties where costs could decrease by approximately £2,500. (energylivenews)

‘Get on with it’, Lords committee to government on long-term storage
The science and technology committee’s enquiry into mass adoption of high volume, long duration electricity storage beyond the two hour mark, accuses ministers of dithering, and sending confusing signals to investors, system operators, developers and distributors.
Storage as an enabler of carbon-free power needs urgent support in order to scale up in time to meet Net Zero, says the committee.  But currently its backers confronts a policy void in Whitehall.
Storage technologies for power reserves lasting potentially months include chemical-, terrain, marine- and gravity-based methods. In general terms the committee favours hydrogen as the most widely applicable, due to its low cost of production and ubiquity. (theenergyst)

EV OF THE WEEK

Rivian spring a surprise at the R2 launch
Rivian haven’t appeared in this section for a while, so an update is in order: From what one can tell the company has ramped up sales of the R1T and R1S big SUV and pickup. They sold roughly 50,000 units in 2023, which was up with predictions, plus are selling vans to Amazon, and, from now, others. They are nowhere near profitable and are eating into their $18bn cash pile. Just like all other startup EV makers (except one maybe) they are learning that it isn’t an easy game.
So, it is time to announce the baby brother to the R1S, called R2, a spacious, mid-size SUV which really does look like a shrunk R1S, which isn’t a bad thing. The distinctive lights, Tonka toy looks, plenty of space plus a big battery to give it 300 mile range and a heat pump to help with winter efficiency. Target pricing is from $45,000, which is bang in line with the Tesla model Y, its most obvious competitor. The R2 is due to go on sale in 2026.
I am sure that there were nods of approval around the hall, but then two more new arrivals were announced: A smaller still R3 and its sporty brother R3X. One could describe them as 4×4 hatchbacks and the inspiration for their looks are clearly the famous rally cars of the 1980’s like the Audi Quattro and Lancea Delta Integrale (sorry younger readers). The R£ and R3X are due to go on slae in 2027.
It made for an exciting presentation, but reportedly did distract somewhat from the R2, which is likely to be the car that will make or break Rivian.
All the signs are that 2024 is going to be a tough year for the EV industry and already quite a few brands are struggling. Hopefully Rivian will make it through, as they undoubtedly fill a distinct niche.

photo: Rivian (from the left: R2, R3, R3X)

EUROPEAN STORIES

Volvo seeks 30% quicker EV charging without battery upgrades
Volvo wants to speed EV charging times by relying on software rather than upgrades to batteries and other hardware.
The automaker on Monday announced a partnership with U.K.-based Breathe Battery Technologies to access that company’s “algorithm-enabled charging software” with its battery management systems—with the goal of optimizing charging performance.
Testing has indicated that this software could reduce the time to charge an EV battery pack from 10% to 80% by 15% to 30%, depending on the pack, while maintaining pack energy density and range, according to Volvo. (greencarreports)

photo: Volvo

FOCUS ON: ELECTRIC HGV’S

BP Pulse acquisition to support electric HGVs with mega-watt chargers
BP Pulse has acquired one of the largest truck stops in Europe and plans to transform the site by installing mega-watt chargers for electric heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).  
Ashford International Truckstop in Kent will form part of BP’s strategic drive to create a Europe-wide network of electric truck charging infrastructure.
The site has the capacity to host approximately 20 mega-watt chargers (MCS), 10 x 400kW and 125 x 100 kW chargers. The site’s capacity, however, is subject to power connection availability and the pace of electrification in the UK and European road freight sector, it says.
The first mega-watt chargers are expected to be in place from 2026.
BP aims to create a network of mobility hubs along key logistics corridors across UK and Europe providing freight operators with a range of energy options, including traditional fuels to support its fleet customers at every stage of their decarbonisation journey.
In January 2023, BP launched Europe’s first truck charging corridor along a 600km stretch of the Rhine-Alpine corridor across Germany.
Once the EV chargers are installed on the acquired site, BP Pulse is set to establish a link between the UK and its German charging corridor to further encourage HGV operators to shift to electric. (fleetnews)

Electric HGV charging infrastructure here before the summer
A government-funded project to roll out electric HGV infrastructure across the country is expecting sign-off from landowners and network operators this month, with charging depots expected to be installed shortly.
Gridserve’s Electric Freightway programme will support and monitor a fleet of up to 140 eHGVS as well as install 200 chargers at MSAs, truck stops and commercial depots.
The project, backed with more than £62m from the department for transport and Innovate UK, aims to find out whether electric trucks are more or less expensive to run than diesel variants; what causes variations in efficiency and battery range; their environmental impact and if public charging is an economical and practical option for haulage operators.
Once the infrastructure is built, Electric Freightway, which has 33 consortium members, will run until July 2025 and then there will be a further five years of data gathering and evaluation. (motortransport)

 photo: Gridserve

NATURE BASED SOLUTIONS:

The African tree-planting project making a difference
In a world of monoculture cash crops, an innovative African project is persuading farmers to plant biodiverse forest gardens that feed the family, protect the soil and expand tree cover.
Could Trees for the Future (TREES) be a rare example of a mass reforestation campaign that actually works? The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) certainly thinks so and last month awarded it the status of World Restoration Flagship.
Since it was founded in 2015, the programme has planted tens of millions of trees each year in nine countries ranging from Senegal and Mali to Tanzania and Kenya. In less than 10 years, it has reportedly restored a combined area of more than 41,000 hectares, which is about seven times the size of Manhattan.
This includes part of the African Union’s Great Green Wall initiative, a planned 8,000km-wide barrier of vegetation to hold back the deserts that are encroaching across the Sahel region. Organisers say this will be the largest natural structure on the planet, though it is still very much a work in progress.
Trees for the Future have ambitious plans to use reforestation to combat poverty. By 2030, they aim to create 230,000 jobs and plant a billion trees. (guardian)

GLOBAL STUFF

First US utility-scale offshore wind farm starts operations
The 12-turbine, 130-megawatt South Fork Wind project, located 35 miles off Long Island, is a joint venture between Denmark’s Orsted, and New England-based electric utility Eversource.
New York aims to reach 70% renewable energy by 2030 and to install nine gigawatts of offshore wind by 2035, and state Governor Kathy Hochul lauded the project as bringing it closer to those goals.
But the startup comes up at a time the offshore wind business has been plagued by rising costs tied to inflation, interest rates and supply chain constraints, forcing companies to write down assets and exit projects.
Eversource is one of a number of energy companies to recently announce it was exiting the offshore wind business. It plans to sell its stake in South Fork to Global Infrastructure Partners. (reuters)

Vancouver leverages wastewater to heat homes
The residents of False Creek, a recently redeveloped neighbourhood of Vancouver, get their energy from a rather unusual renewable source – their sewage wastewater. Increasingly, municipalities around the globe are harnessing this underground form of excess heat as they decarbonise their energy networks.
Residents in the 6,210 apartments in the False Creek neighbourhood get their heat from renewable energy sources, with sewage heat being the largest contributor.
Heat in water is relatively easy to harness once it’s in the sewage system because it’s contained. By comparison, heat in the air quickly escapes out of windows, doors, and roofs. In addition, there’s plenty of hot wastewater to work with. In 2020, experts at the London South Bank University estimated that energy from the UK’s daily 16 billion litres of sewage wastewater could, in theory, provide more than 20TWh of heat energy annually – enough to provide space heating and hot water to 1.6 million homes.
Tucked under a Vancouver bridge, an energy centre sits on top of the existing sewage pumping station so heat can be captured before sewage reaches the treatment plant. Heat pumps cool down warm sewage that’s around 20C  in temperature and concentrate that heat to produce scalding hot water which can be as high as 80C. (bbc)

photo: City of Vancouver

TECHIE CORNER

Renewable energy’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth
Iceland, home to glaciers and volcanoes, will in 2026 be the site of the world’s first tunnel to a magma chamber, New Scientist reported.
Scientists will “drill two boreholes to a reservoir of liquid rock,” according to the outlet. “One will give us our first direct measurements of magma — the other could supercharge geothermal power.”
“It’s the first journey to the center of the Earth,” Björn Þór Guðmundsson of the Geothermal Research Cluster said.
Magma reservoirs are usually difficult to find, but an Iceland power company in 2009 stumbled upon one beneath one of the world’s most active volcanoes: Krafla in northeast Iceland. It was only 2,104 meters from the surface.
It doesn’t seem like the greatest idea to drill into a magma chamber, but similar accidental discoveries had happened before in Kenya and Hawai’i. Nine months after the borehole began producing electricity, the wellhead was “obliterated” by magma, rising to a world-record 450 degrees Celsius.
Drilling will begin in two years — they have to develop sensors and drilling equipment that can handle the heat, pressure, and acidity — and take two months. It could help establish an understanding of how continents are built and aid volcanic eruption forecasting.
In the future, wells could be drilled to the brittle-ductile zones around magma chambers to produce electricity that costs less than 4.3 cents per kilowatt-hour, which is the price of what Iceland’s geothermal plants produce now. Ocean rift zones, including the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, would be prime locations. (thecooldown)

photo: Marc Szeglat/Unsplash