Plus: Recycling lithium batteries; Shell invests in transit revolution; UK ICE ban moves to 2035
Hi Everyone,
An unexpected event made for a short week for my usual Energy Shift reading, so please excuse the brevity.
The key story this week (see first post below): Total spent another half a billion dollars ($US) investing in solar in India. I though that it was noteworthy Total also managed to beat profit estimates in the fourth quarter, something other oil and gas companies found difficult given lower prices.
I will be skipping a week again (attending a conference), so watch for the next Energy Shift on Feb 23rd.
Thanks and have a great couple weeks. Please feel free to send me any comments. I do like hearing from you. As always, keep forwarding on to colleagues, friends and family.
Peter
Oil giant Total flexes renewable muscle with stake in Adani solar portfolio | Renew Economy
Excerpt: “Total is fully engaged in the energy transition and to supporting India, a key country in the fight against climate change, in diversifying its energy mix through partnerships in natural gas and now in solar energy,” said Patrick Pouyanné, the company’s CEO and chairman. “This interest in over 2GW of solar projects represents another big step of our investment in India’s energy sector,” he said.
Lithium recycling goes commercial to meet ‘unprecedented phase of the market’ | Energy Storage News
Excerpt: The Canadian company has previously penned a technical feature article for Energy-Storage.news and PV Tech Power on the science and technology underpinning its two-step process for recycling, claiming that 80% to 100% of battery recycling is possible through mechanical size reduction (shredding packs and cells) and then recovering materials through a hydrometallurgical process. Li-Cycle announced its first commercial shipment of recycled lithium battery materials to a customer at the beginning of this year.
Shell calls for transit ‘revolution,’ invests in mobile ticketing platform | Smart Cities Dive
Excerpt: The Shell spokesperson said the decision to invest in Masabi was driven by wanting to go where their customers are. “To thrive in the energy transition we have to deliver the products and services our customers need — not only today but in the future,”
On climate, remember: Canadians don’t see policy, they see results | iPolitics
Comment: Federal politicians take note: one of the better articulations of a vision that addresses Canada’s climate-energy nexus. A great piece by Merran Smith and Dan Woynillowicz from Clean Energy Canada. If you don’t get Dan’s weekly newsletter, I recommend it. Sign up here.
Canada’s retiring coal-fired power plants will be replaced by renewable and low-carbon energy sources | CER
Excerpt: Coal-fired power generation declines considerably in the latest Canada Energy Regulator’s outlook Canada’s Energy Future 2019 (EF2019). Over the projection period, the share of coal-fired power generation declines from 16% in 2005 to less than 1% in 2040.
Credit: Canada Energy Regulator (CER)
EIA expects renewables to overtake nuclear, coal and gas in US grid | RenewEconomy
Excerpt: Worth taking into account, however, when looking at the EIA’s forecasts, is the fact that renewable energy development, capacity increases, and cost declines, have far outpaced EIA predictions in the past and, by all accounts, will only continue to do so given the relatively conservative estimates made in the AEO2020.
More than half Australia’s local governments have zero emissions targets | One Step Off The Grid
Excerpt: “To put these commitments into perspective, it means local governments covering 21 per cent of Australia’s population already have agreed to eliminate all the emissions from their regions by 2050, which is aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement.
“…all of Australia’s state and territory governments have now also made a net zero by 2050 commitment, leaving just the federal Coalition government without any long-term emissions reduction plan.”
The UK moves ICE car sales ban forward to 2035 from 2040 | Electrek
Excerpt: The new ban now includes hybrid and plug-in vehicles. The British government’s decision was in response to experts who said 2040 is too late for the ban if the UK wants to achieve its target of becoming net zero by 2050.
Other headlines of interest…
Energy Storage
- Renault batteries find ‘megawatt-scale’ 2nd life use in Belgium | Energy Storage News
Solar (& Battery)
- Vulcan solar farm — Canada’s largest — receives key $500-million investment | Calgary Herald
- Reverse Solar Panel Generates Power at Night. Here’s How. | Digital Trends
- These solar power entrepreneurs are lighting up Africa | World Economic Forum
Wind (& Battery)
- What happens to all the old wind turbines? | BBC
Transport
- Toyota-Panasonic to launch big venture for making EV batteries, starting April | Electrek
Transition
- Equinor Boosts Climate Targets as Oil Output Hits Record | BNN
- New York City doubles down with a bold new green energy plan | Electrek
Hydrogen
- Hydrogen Is A Bad Car Fuel, But It’s The Perfect Boat Fuel | Jalopnik