This newsletter peddles many and various stories, but none as big as the Inflation Reduction Act. It is not a stretch to imagine that the next generation will point to Joe Biden’s initiative as the moment that the energy transition got its wings. COMPANY NEWS Ørsted Posts All-Time High Offshore Wind EarningsEarnings from the company’s … Read More
solar
UK-Morocco cable/EV fires/solar & battery/hot rocks/Shanghai Auto Show & focus on UK energy transition
The top two stories suggest that there is a reasonable secondary market in renewable assets. More mature projects being sold into long term funds. That is encouraging. COMPANY NEWS NextEnergy Solar Fund to sell some PV farms to invest in storageNextEnergy Solar Fund has announced plans to sell a 236MW portfolio of subsidy-free UK solar … Read More
Battery recycling/CCS/folding solar/algae & focus on Geothermal Energy Storage
Two stories today about drilling holes in the ground: This is just my view, but I suggest that the Government would be better advised to support Enhanced Geothermal that CCS. If CCS was really the answer it would have been built years ago. I shall watch with interest to see how enthusiastically the Harbour/BP venture … Read More
Green Day/solar/aquifer thermal storage/hydrogen/clothing & focus on SMR nuclear
Looking forward to “Green Day” where the Government responds to Chris Skidmore’s Net Zero Review and, less directly to the USA’s Inflation Reduction Act. It must be said that the IRA has raised the bar for Government involvement in Net Zero spending, first in the US, then the EU and now, hopefully, the UK. It … Read More
CfD/budget/biodiversity/IMF & focus on hemp
The budget wasn’t all bad (see below), but it is quite depressing that the two industries that got the big bucks were CCS and nuclear. It suggests that the Treasury really don’t understand the priorities of the energy transition, and got swayed by the best funded lobby groups. A missed opportunity. COMPANY NEWS Dunelm launches … Read More
Elms/German coal & solar/BESS/GESS/electric truck charging & focus on the voluntary carbon market
This week Tesla announced price cuts of about 20% on most of its vehicles in the US and European markets. As usual with anything to do with this company views on the ramifications of this move are highly polarised. The Tesla bears proclaim that this is a sign of fundmental weakness at the company and … Read More
DRS/UK Net Zero Review/vanadium flow batteries & focus on long term energy storage
Re-reading this week’s ‘bits, it occurs to me that if the Government were to implement enough of the recommendations of Chris Skidmore’s review, we would be a lot less likely to suffer disasters such as British Volt. COMPANY NEWS Lightsource bp closes first tax equity deal with Wells Fargo for 481 megawatt solar portfolioLightsource bp … Read More
hydrogen hubs/CES/solar prices/electrolysis & focus on BNEF review of 2022
Encouraging to start the year with record levels of wind generation in the UK. Good news, but might it be seen as a metaphor for some turbulence to come? There are plenty of challenges ahead as highlighted in the Focus section below. COMPANY NEWS Insurance giant Chubb launches global climate businessProperty insurance giant Chubb has … Read More
Busses/UK solar/heat pumps/chemicals/LNG/wave power & focus on COP27
I suppose that any revolution has its casualties, but it is still sad to see electric van pioneer Arrival join BritishVolt in the intensive care ward. COMPANY NEWS Equinor and Hitachi Energy formalise collaborationEnergy company Equinor and technology company Hitachi Energy have signed a strategic collaboration agreement. It includes developing standardised base designs for transmission … Read More
battery optimisation/solar/solid state batteries & focus on Sweden
Enjoy a few minutes of politics free reading COMPANY NEWS Lloyds is UK’s first bank to shun fossil fuelsLloyds Banking Group has become the first full-service British bank to walk away from directly financing coal, oil and gas projects.New North Sea greenfield oil and gas developments permitted after 2021 now fall outside the banking group’s … Read More