Gas has a key role to play in decarbonising the energy sector. Until a comprehensive clean energy network can accommodate variable renewables using storage, baseload power will be needed. Natural gas is a lower carbon option than coal, so there is a strong case for it to be the first-choice bridging fuel towards a net-zero energy economy. However, exactly how much gas, what type of gas and how existing infrastructure can store energy in the form … [Read more...]
Onsite solar and storage powers off-grid telecom towers
There are more than 3m telecom towers globally, and powering them is a $100bn market. It's a particularly important growth sector in developing countries. They are already using mobiles to leapfrog the laying of costly landlines, but because they lack grids that stretch to remote communities they need to power towers that are off the grid. Dr Thomas Hillig says as solar and storage costs continue to drop they are replacing diesel gensets as the … [Read more...]
Clean air transport: batteries or biojet or both – but let’s get on with it
In his last article for Energy Post, Mike Scott looked at how airlines are under increasing pressure to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions rather than offsetting them as they do now. How can it be done? There is no one-size-fits-all solution for the varied size of aircraft and flight distances but that should be no excuse. Battery innovation offers solutions for some cases whilst biojet (aviation biofuel) can fill many of the remaining gaps. … [Read more...]
Utilities are starting to invest in big batteries instead of building new power plants
There has been a dramatic drop in battery costs in recent years. Jeremiah Johnson and Joseph F. DeCarolis, of North Carolina State University, say if this continues grid-scale batteries could supplant the usual solutions to peak electricity demand: gas power plants and transmission lines. Inevitably, this will depend on the future price of gas, and the changing policy environment. But one thing is for sure: utilities don’t want to invest in peak … [Read more...]
IEA: Battery storage races to keep up with solar and wind’s demand-matching challenges
Yesterday’s article from the IEA posed the question: will solar’s inherent intermittency slow its rise as a major power supply. For variable renewables like solar and wind to grow to over 50% of global capacity additions by 2040, storage technology must keep up with this pace. For this to happen, “flexibility” – the ability of the power system to quickly adapt to changes in power supply and demand – needs to grow by some 80% in the next decade … [Read more...]
Electric buses: China leads through policy ambition but Europe could overtake
News comes of another renewables record for China. Shenzhen based manufacturer BYD has launched the world’s largest pure electric double decker bus fleet, to be delivered to the city of Xi’an. To illustrate China’s drive to dominate this market, they have already won the international tender to deliver 37 of a total of 68 new electric double decker buses to London, where the red double decker is an icon. That’s more than the remaining 31 that … [Read more...]
Battery manufacture must take a global leap forward to ensure a sustainable and just transition
The global battery market is surging. By 2040 the global energy storage market is projected to attract $620 billion of investment. Over the past decade, the rechargeable lithium-ion battery market doubled on average every three years. To cope with this growth, we need the development of a sustainable and low-carbon value chain for batteries in order to contribute to the implementation of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, says Martin Brudermüller, … [Read more...]
Hy-Society – flexible hydrogen’s winning formula
Open the papers and you'll see that hydrogen-based transport, mobility and infrastructure are securing serious investment. In the past, the high cost of fuelling infrastructure - and "stupid" concept of using electricity to make hydrogen to make electricity - have stalled the advancement of this ultra-versatile clean fuel and energy storage solution. However, thanks to the availability of surplus power from RES and hydrogen's remarkable … [Read more...]
How EASE is mapping out the path towards large-scale deployment of energy storage technologies in Europe
The Clean Energy for All Europeans Package marked a turning point for energy storage in Europe, says Marine Delhommeau, policy officer for the European Association for Storage of Energy (EASE). Energy storage is now seen as one of the key flexibility instruments required in the future energy system. Despite this, the industry faces challenges in deploying at scale. A new roadmap aims to solve the problem. … [Read more...]
Tesla big battery defies sceptics, sends industry bananas over performance
It’s less than a year since the Tesla big battery was installed at Hornsdale in Australia and the world’s largest lithium-ion battery has exceeded all expectations, says Giles Parkinson of Reneweconomy.com. Quicker, cheaper and with greater reliability, versatility, accuracy and efficiency than predicted, the storage system also looks set to provide a fast return on investment – results that have led to a rash of new battery projects in the … [Read more...]
Li-ion’s end of life is not the dead end you think
Considerably more batteries are being recycled than most studies show, reveals a new report. Not in the EU or US, however, but in Asia – China in particular. What is more, the market for lithium-ion recycling is likely to grow rapidly. This wil change the face of the entire battery industry and even the energy industry. Jason Deign of Energy Storage Report has the story. Article courtesy of Energy Storage Report. … [Read more...]
Tesla Gigafactory 1 – will it succeed or fail?
The success or failure of the Tesla Gigafactory, which opened in July in Nevada could have far-reaching consequences for the transition to renewables and electric cars. Stephen J. Veneruso attended the opening and took a good hard look at the people involved in this huge project. He concludes that they don’t regard it as an ordinary job. Article courtesy of Cleantechnica.com. … [Read more...]
The Age of the Lithium Barons has arrived
We've gone electric, and there's no going back at this point, writes James Stafford of Oilprice.com. Lithium is our new fuel, which will power pretty much everything on which our economy is built. But like fossil fuels, the reserves we're currently tapping into are finite. Those who start tapping into them now will be extremely well positioned in the future. … [Read more...]
Warren Buffett and Elon Musk to spark lithium boom
The growth in electric cars, the solar panel revolution, and Tesla's battery gigafactory are igniting a battle for the cheapest battery. This will transform lithium into a boom-time mineral and the hottest commodity on the energy investor's radar, writes James Stafford of Oilprice.com. … [Read more...]
A primer on rare earth minerals: not just about price anymore
There has been a lot of discussion about “rare earth” or “critical” minerals in recent years. The Gold Report interviews Simon Moores, managing director of London-based Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, and the firm's analyst, Andrew Miller. They explain how minerals like lithium, cobalt and graphite, all of which go into batteries, are evolving from commodities to specialist, niche, products. They also note that sustainability and “supply chain … [Read more...]
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