For most of the time that I have compiled this, the IEA have been a source of frustration. Until recently they consistently, almost wilfully underestimated the growth of renewables in their forecasts. However, this week’s report, covered below, has the headline I have been waiting for ever since I started talking about “peak oil” back … Read More
offshore wind
DRS/Beijing Auto Show/interconnectors/mCDR/batteries & focus on EU offshore wind
I would recommend listening to Rory Stewart and Alistair Campbell’s recent interview with Dieter Helm, the UK Economist and Government advisor on energy and the natural environment, in their podcast called Leading (HERE).One of the themes of the conversation was that we have to expand the way we look at the energy transition from a … Read More
Heat networks/floating wind/deep sea geothermal/microwave storage & focus on repowering wind farms
Headlines this week that it is raining in Antarctica should re-affirm that what we talk about in this newsletter is relevant, if that was ever needed. UK NEWS Floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea could be worth up to £1.4 billionThe Crown Estate has released new research indicating that the floating offshore wind opportunity … Read More
Batteries/solar/wind/heat pumps/DRS/SMR & focus on EV charging
Focus is on EV charging this week. Whilst compiling it I got to wondering about whether the public charging network and charger availability is keeping up with EV ownership. I am guessing that quite a percentage of readers own an EV. My sense is that there is more competition for charger time than there was … Read More
Offshore wind/carbon capture/CfD’s/biodiesel/flow batteries & focus on heat pumps in the UK
One aspect of doing this that I particularly like is when different stories create links with each other. An example this week is the announcement of the increase in auction prices for the next round of CfD auctions, which links with Octopus Energy’s announcement of a new offshore wind fund. Maybe Octopus’ timing is good … Read More
Anaerobic Digestion/zero bills/VAWT’s/solar in space & focus on Nuclear News
This week we look into the future; a future full of offshore turbines leaning into the wind, solar panels in space, EV’s charging in 10 minutes and fusion reactors suppling our baseload… I’m not sure that all of these future scenarios will actually transpire, but maybe we won’t need them if the more prosaic technologies … Read More
Synchronous condenser/biogas/green hydrogen/ccs & focus on NIA2
There is some kind of irony that the developed world put the CO2 into the atmosphere and Africa takes it out (see below) COMPANY NEWS Siemens Energy to deploy ‘first’ synchronous condenser-BESS hybrid project in IrelandIt pairs a synchronous condenser, including a flywheel, capable of injecting 4000MW of inertia into the grid, and a large … Read More
Solar & rooftop solar/Bio-LNG/4-hr BESS/sustainable aviation fuel & focus on Biochar
COMPANY NEWS Lazard Asset Management takes stake in rooftop solar companyRooftop solar developer and owner Shawton Energy has seen a change in ownership. Iona Capital, the UK low carbon sustainable fund manager, has sold its interest in the company to a fund sponsored by Lazard Asset Management. As a result of the transaction, Lazard’s Sustainable … Read More
Smart tariffs/CofE/biodiversity credits/phytoplankton/flywheel & focus on doom loops and tipping points
The whole spctrum of the energy transition in one week: Renewables – storage – smart grids – hydrogen planes – ethical investing – biodiversity & carbon credits – air pollution plus more. COMPANY NEWS Adaptogen’s battery fund nets £207m, over-subscribed by 18%Adaptogen Capital said this morning it has attracted £207 million of investors’ pledges to … Read More
Regenerative agriculture/Qilin battery/stellarators/LiDAR & focus on Biofilic Design
Lancea LLP has worked with Regenerate Asset Management so are delighted to see the announcement of the launch of the fund. We feel that there is scope for the further development of agriculture as an asset class and the increasing development of regenerative practises should accelerate this. COMPANY NEWS Regenerate launches first European regenerative agriculture … Read More