In most lithium-ion batteries, the cathode contains cobalt. But cobalt is a scarce metal, found mostly in politically unstable countries, its extraction is hazardous for miners and generates toxic waste. And as demand for batteries globally keeps rising, so too will the cost of cobalt. Anne Trafton at MIT describes the development of an alternative cathode made of organic materials. Its structure is similar to graphite. It can conduct electricity … [Read more...]
Roadmap to reduce EU car fleet emissions 86% by 2040
T&E has just published its car decarbonisation roadmap. It shows that the EU’s car CO2 standards, including the phase-out of combustion car sales in 2035, is the single most important emission reduction measure. But if the EU is to hit its newly proposed 2040 climate target - a 90% CO₂ reduction across the European economy by 2040 - it will need to deal with a significant amount of ICE (internal combustion engine) cars already on the road. … [Read more...]
What’s holding up EV adoption? European carmakers are focussing on more profitable SUVs, not affordable cars
European car manufacturers are focussing on more profitable SUV and premium EVs, and this is slowing down the adoption of EVs overall, according to an analysis by T&E. It also means consumers are paying far more than they should be for mass-market compact EVs. To make the point, T&E reveals that the average price of a battery electric car sold in Europe has increased by 39% (+€18,000) since 2015 while in China it has fallen by 53%. If car … [Read more...]
Batteries are still getting exponentially cheaper, more efficient: ready to displace half of global fossil fuel demand by 2045?
A new report by RMI says batteries are on the path to replace 175 EJ of fossil fuel demand in the power sector, 86 EJ of fossil fuels from road transport and can put at risk another 23 EJ from shipping and aviation. That equates to a phaseout of half of global fossil fuel demand in the next two decades. Daan Walter, Sam Butler-Sloss and Kingsmill Bond at RMI summarise the findings in six graphs with explanations. Battery sales are growing … [Read more...]
France is subsidising made-in-EU EVs with low carbon footprints. Europe must follow
Last year, France announced new green eligibility rules for awarding subsidies to EVs. Starting this year, an incentive of €5,000-€7,000 will only be awarded to electric cars with a production carbon footprint below 14.75 tonnes of CO2. It’s a first in environmental policymaking which the EU should be delivering across the region, says Lucien Mathieu at T&E. And not just for environmental reasons. It will promote EVs made in Europe where … [Read more...]
Four net-zero opportunities for 2024: wind, solar, lab-grown meat, positive tipping points
Will de Freitas at The Conversation draws attention to four reasons to celebrate 2023 and their implications for our drive to tackle climate change. Most will be familiar with the continued progress made with wind and solar, though they deserve repeating given its immense significance. Wind turbines now stand more than a quarter of a kilometre high, and will get taller. At that size, one turn of the blade will power an average home in the … [Read more...]
The E-bike revolution is already underway (in developing countries): 280m micro-vehicles on the road and rising
While we’re all still waiting for the tipping point for EVs, it might have already happened for e-bikes – just not in rich countries. Car-owning nations will always struggle to switch to micro-mobility. But in China and other developing nations, owning a moped or bicycle is very common, so the switch is much easier, explain Muhammad Rizwan Azhar and Waqas Uzair at Edith Cowan University. It’s why, globally by 2022, there were over 280m electric … [Read more...]
China is still playing the long game with its ‘new three’: solar cells, lithium batteries, EVs
China’s “new three” – or xin san yang – are solar cells, lithium-ion batteries, and EVs. The term harks back to the concept of its “old three” that were once the pillars of its exports: clothing, home appliances and furniture. China’s success is seen in the numbers: it accounts globally for 80%+ of solar cell exports, 50%+ of lithium-ion batteries and 20%+ of EVs. You Xiaoying, writing for China Dialogue, interviews experts and quotes reports … [Read more...]
Clean energy is driving job growth, but skills shortages are a major barrier
The second edition of the IEA’s annual World Energy Employment report measures energy sector employment by region, fuel, technology, and value chain. Globally, energy employment rose to 67m people in 2022. Over half of employment growth since before the pandemic was in just five sectors: solar, wind, EVs, batteries, heat pumps, and critical minerals mining. In fact, clean energy jobs overtook fossil fuels in 2021. But skilled labour shortages are … [Read more...]
Making Fuel Cells cheap enough for mainstream use: can Cobalt nanoparticles replace Platinum as catalysts?
Fuel cells could be a game-changer in decarbonisation. They efficiently convert chemical energy into electricity with only water and heat as byproducts. One of the most promising types is the PEMFC (polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell) because of its applications in transportation, as well as stationary power sources. But it can’t go mainstream until the costs come down, specifically the platinum catalysts. Platinum is scarce and expensive. … [Read more...]
EU legislators must avoid crippling clean tech with a blanket ban on PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances)
A blanket ban on all types of PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances), or ‘forever chemicals’, is currently being considered by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). PFAS are used in cleaning products, non-stick pans, personal care products and more, so a ban on these will save lives and deliver sustainable practices. But, as Daniel Fraile at Hydrogen Europe explains, the PFAS subgroups of fluoropolymers and perfluoropolyethers are used in … [Read more...]
Make EV batteries bidirectional, get GWs of storage for the Grid
How to cope with the hourly, daily and seasonal variation in demand as regions electrify more, depend more on variable renewables like wind and solar, and cut baseload fossil generation? Storage shifts load nicely. But why build grid-scale batteries when millions of little batteries in our EVs are sitting idle in our driveways for most of the time? As Mark Specht at the Union of Concerned Scientists explains, it’s why in California a bill is … [Read more...]
IRENA’s Innovation Week 2023: Renewable solutions to decarbonise end-use sectors
At the end of September IRENA held a four-day event “Innovation Week 2023: Renewable solutions to decarbonise end-use sectors” in Bonn, Germany. A wide range of speakers discussed tangible solutions to decarbonise energy intensive sectors such as transportation, buildings and industry, informed by first-hand project experiences and supported by insights from IRENA’s in-depth analyses. Topics included direct and indirect electrification, green … [Read more...]
Formula 1’s energy efficiency innovations for road transport are being wasted
Formula 1 racing is infamously emissions intensive. But the pressure to win is a pressure to innovate and raise energy efficiency, supported by an extravagant budget. Maximilian Auffhammer at the Energy Institute at Haas looks at what has been achieved over decades, and what has – and has sadly not – been translated onto our roads. The earliest cars had 4.5L engines that produced 400 horsepower, refuelled during the race. Today’s cars have 1.6L … [Read more...]
Concrete supercapacitor: works like a battery, much cheaper, easy to make
Capacitors work like batteries. They store and discharge electricity. David Chandler at MIT explains how researchers there have designed a supercapacitor from concrete and carbon black, two cheap and common materials. The beauty of the idea is that they can be incorporated into building foundations, thus installing a battery virtually for free. A concrete capacitor cube 3.5m wide can store 10kwh, enough for a household. Similarly, concrete … [Read more...]
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