The IEA has published “CO2 Emissions in 2022”, giving estimates of CO2 emissions from all energy sources and industrial processes globally. Emissions from energy combustion increased by 423 Mt, while emissions from industrial processes decreased by 102 Mt. Emissions from various sources (sector, fuel, region, heating, etc.) are broken down, with reasons for why the change happened. The report is part of the IEA’s first global stocktake of the … [Read more...]
Wind and Solar generated record 20% of EU electricity in 2022. More than gas, nuclear, hydro, coal
Now 2022 is over, the figures are in for all the main electricity generation types. For the first time ever, wind and solar delivered more electricity in 2022 than gas, nuclear, hydro or coal. In total, that’s a record one-fifth of the EU’s electricity last year. We can thank the “triple crisis” of Russian gas cuts, the 500-year record drought’s effect on hydro, and the unexpected French nuclear shutdowns for the renewed drive for wind and solar. … [Read more...]
Can new cheap, frequent “laser” monitoring of critical components extend Nuclear plant lifetimes by decades?
For nuclear to thrive, rather than retreat and be displaced by alternatives, plants reaching the end of their lifetimes need to be replaced with new ones. Or, perhaps more interestingly, can the existing plants have their lifetimes greatly extended, safely and cheaply? David Chandler at MIT describes new research led by MIT to detect and measure defects in critical components to ensure that damage from heat and radiation has not led, and will not … [Read more...]
Utah: 140MW Geothermal bid can beat the cost and performance of the proposed Nuclear SMR
The U.S. state of Utah is processing an agreement for a new Small Modular Reactor (SMR) to provide baseline and dispatchable power. The SMR bid quotes a price of $89/MWh. But cost overruns will tie the state’s consumers to whatever high prices entail, says Dennis Wamsted at IEEFA. Now a geothermal bid from NV Energy has been presented that offers the same capacity at around $70/MWh. Wamsted explains why the 140MW geothermal project would meet … [Read more...]
Laser-driven Nuclear fusion achieves “ignition”: lab gets more energy out than in
Though nuclear fusion serving the grid is surely still decades away, it has got one important step closer, explains John Pasley at the University of York. For the first time, in the U.S. the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory achieved “ignition” for laser driven fusion. That means more energy was taken out, by a factor of 1.5, than put in. However, the two million Joules of laser light fired at the fuel pellets needed 300 million Joules to … [Read more...]
How Europe is countering Russia’s weaponisation of energy – CEDE 2022 event summary
Simon Göss provides a written summary of our two panel discussions held in Brussels on Thursday December 8th 2022. Panel 1 was titled “The Availability and Affordability of Gas and Energy in CEE and EU”, Panel 2 “The War in Ukraine: Security of Critical Energy Infrastructure”. The issues covered include EU policy interventions for countering the Russian weaponisation of energy, cooperation with Ukraine, how far is Europe prepared, spill-over … [Read more...]
EU Energy Outlook to 2060: how will power prices and revenues develop for wind, solar, gas, hydrogen + more
Alex Schmitt and Huangluolun Zhou at Energy Brainpool present a summary of their “EU Energy Outlook 2060”. Its scenarios map out how the European (EU 27, UK, Switzerland and Norway) energy system will change dramatically in the coming decades. Current geopolitical tensions are added to climate mitigation and an outdated power plant fleet as the main drivers of change at the EU and national levels. The in-depth modelling is trying to answer the … [Read more...]
Small Modular Reactor cost overruns: the same old problems haunt new nuclear in Utah
Much hope is being placed on Small Modular Reactors (SMR) making new nuclear plants competitive. But David Schlissel at IEEFA summarises their research into the publications, updates and statements coming from the stakeholders involved with the SMR by UAMPS (Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems) and NuScale Power Corporation that shows that costs are going out of control, a persistent problem in the nuclear industry. The original target power … [Read more...]
Geopolitics and energy security require the U.S. and its allies to lead on Nuclear
Combine the current energy crisis with the geopolitical ambitions of Russia and China, and you have your reason for why the U.S. and its allies should prioritise nuclear, argues Robert Ichord at the Atlantic Council. All three nations have well-developed world-leading nuclear sectors. But it’s Russia that has been the largest exporter of nuclear reactors to the world market. Meanwhile, China has the most plants under construction at twenty. The … [Read more...]
Reactor shutdowns in Nuclear-dependent France expose the need for a diversified mix of Renewables
Events are showing that a nation’s heavy reliance on a single source of energy is unwise. It’s not just gas. The heatwave is causing problems for France’s nuclear fleet, where the use of water for cooling has had to be restricted. All compounded by routine and unexpected maintenance shutdowns. As nuclear typically delivers well over 60% of its power, and also made it Europe’s biggest power exporter (until now), France is feeling the consequences. … [Read more...]
As spot market electricity prices break all records, what is the prediction for winter?
Spot market prices for electricity have been breaking all records, as European leaders and their ministers intensify their discussions on how to deal with the crisis. Simon Göss at cr.hub, writing for Energy Brainpool, starts by explaining how the markets work, noting that price rises are indeed being driven by fossil prices and not CO2 certificates. Göss looks at how prices have climbed in Germany, France, the Baltics and Spain, and how the … [Read more...]
Can China’s 14th 5-year-plan for Renewable Energy deliver an early emissions peak before 2030?
At the beginning of June China released its 14th five-year plan (FYP) for renewable energy for the five years 2021-2025. Hu Min at Innovative Green Development Program, writing for Carbon Brief, reviews the plan’s targets and actions, and its implications. Unchanged from the 13th FYP, 25% of China’s energy will come from non-fossil sources by 2030. But the 14th FYP says at least half of the increase in electricity demand will be covered by … [Read more...]
Energy security concerns are building momentum for Nuclear
The IEA’s latest report on nuclear power recommends a doubling of capacity by 2050. It emphasises that, though many advanced economies are planning a decline, 32 nations have nuclear today and reactors are now under construction in 19 countries. It’s evidence of a momentum behind nuclear power that should be further stimulated by recent spikes in oil, gas and electricity prices, says the IEA. Russia and China remain nuclear advocates, which … [Read more...]
Deep Geothermal: accessing 500°C for steam turbines. Can it make coal, gas, nuclear redundant?
The concept of “deep geothermal” is very simple. Dig deep enough, like 20km, to access a permanent reservoir of 500°C of heat. There, you generate the steam to power your turbines. The digging of a stable hole and getting the steam to the turbine is the big engineering challenge. But if you find a way that allows you to do it anywhere in the world (i.e. not limiting yourself to existing geological formations), nobody will ever need other … [Read more...]
Russia-Ukraine: modelling the consequences for the European electricity market to 2050
Alex Schmitt, Christoph Kellermann, Calvin Triems and Huangluolun Zhou at Energy Brainpool have used their modelling tools to update their predictions of how the European electricity market will develop over the next 30 years, given a target of 99% emission-free generation in 2050. Projections are made on generation (mix and volumes) and price. The big change from their last predictions is the Russia-Ukraine war and Europe’s determination to ramp … [Read more...]
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