Plus: Grid edge software changing our interface with energy
Hi everyone,
Your reading assignment this week: the Corporate Knights Op-Ed by Alberta Innovates and Suncor – see the first post below….and my reflections. The rest of the headlines are stories I read that I thought were worth sharing.
Next, a question…what is it that you like or find valuable about these Energy Shift updates. I am asking myself if I should keep this going or not…and if I keep going, whether and how to adjust the approach. Tell me what you think please!
Have a great couple weeks.
Thanks,
Peter
Canada’s oil sands are best positioned to lead the energy transformation | Corporate Knights
Comment: Learn about how Alberta and the oil sands are uniquely positioned to lead the transition to a lower carbon future – read this piece by Laura Kilcrease (CEO, Alberta Innovates) and Mark Little (CEO, Suncor)
Suncor and Alberta Innovates are to be commended for their leadership in this arena. Laura and Mark help us re-capture our imagination of how Alberta can leverage its resource wealth bounty in a way that the future requires of us, reminds us of the innovation infrastructure that unlocked the value of the oil sands and sets a bold path forward.
I thought I’d expand a bit on one concept Laura Kilcrease and Mark Little mention: that the reduced use of oil and gas triggered by the pandemic lockdown gives us a “glimpse into the not-too-distant future”. They’re not the only ones thinking this. Earlier this year, I included a post from Michael Liebreich at BloombergNEF where he spoke about COVID-19 giving us a ‘postcard from the future’. Reduced pollution caused skies in India to clear providing a view of the Himalayas not seen in decades. The proportion of electricity provided to European grids by renewables spiked as coal-fired power plants were shut down temporarily due to lower electricity use. As we all saw, prices at the pumps were jaw-droppingly low. The money lost by oil and gas companies ran into the billions as the priced fetched in the market didn’t cover the cost to produce. Announcements of shut in production followed quickly. In a province like Alberta, the economic impacts are more amplified.
Two thing are now clearer: 1) lower demand for oil and gas risks disruption to the sector and 2) there are obvious climate and health benefits of a lower carbon future. Alberta has both risks and opportunities that lie ahead.
So what is that bold path that Laura and Mark suggest?
- Think big: Focus investments on disruptive technologies that can unlock value in global growth markets where Canada has a competitive advantage.
- Empower a local public agency to get results: Fully fund an independent public agency to work with industry and academics to bring production of low-carbon options such as hydrogen, renewable jet fuel and carbon fibre to commercial scale.
- Establish meaningful partnership with indigenous communities: This is the right thing to do, and the only way that large-scale projects will happen.
I also encourage you to learn more about Alberta Innovates’ Bitumen Beyond Combustion carbon fibre grand challenge initiative.
Credit: Alberta Innovates
Residential energy is becoming companies’ business | GreenBiz
Comment: This article profiles 5 companies working to pair innovations in technologies, particularly leveraging software to provide greater visibility to residential energy use, provides flexibility for time-shifting load to save customers money, while also lifting returns to utilities. For companies wanting to capture the full value chain, these would be the kinds of companies to keep an eye on, or maybe even consider as acquisition targets.
Renewable Energy Overtakes Coal, Still Lags Far Behind Oil And Natural Gas | Forbes
Credit: Robert Rapier
Excerpt: What this graphic shows that the previous graphics don’t show is that it was natural gas that took the biggest share of coal’s market. Further, it shows that fossil fuels still dominate our energy consumption. Nuclear power consumption has remained flat for years, and like coal, has been surpassed by renewables.
Comment: It is easy to be overly focused on all the hype around renewables, but just look at the growth and relative amount of energy supplied by natural gas.
Other headlines of interest…
Energy Storage
- Hawaiian Electric Reveals Full List of Winners From Its Big Energy Storage Procurement | Greentech Media
- New lithium production project announced for Saskatchewan | JWN Energy
- From Powerwall to power-panels: Span CEO claims ‘breakthrough’ for home batteries | Energy Storage News
- How a new mega battery will help Hawaii say goodbye to its last coal generator | RenewEconomy
- Sector-coupling demonstrator project in UK will integrate low carbon energy, heat and transport | Energy Storage News
- UK’s first car battery ‘gigafactory’ to be built by two startups | The Guardian
- Australian university’s behind-the-meter Tesla system ‘on track to meet or exceed’ expected payback | Energy Storage News
Hydrogen
- World’s First Integrated Hydrogen Power-to-Power Demonstration Launched | Power Mag
- Germany’s Covid recovery targets green hydrogen and EVs in boost to energy transition | RenewEconomy
Solar (& Battery)
- Record low solar PPAs in the Southwest mean ‘carbon capture is not going to save coal plants’ | pv magazine USA
- UK’s Largest Solar Project Approved, Will Snub Government Subsidies | Greentech Media
Wind (& Battery)
- Subsidy-Free Wind Farm Gets Green Light in the North Sea | BNN Bloomberg
- Oil Major Total Shifts to Clean Energy With U.K. Wind Farm Stake | BNN Bloomberg
- Germany seeks fivefold increase in offshore wind power by 2040 | AP News
- EDF Renewables, Enbridge and wpd begin construction of $2.2 billion offshore wind farm | JWN Energy
Transport
- Experts dispel 5 common AV myths | Smart Cities Dive
- Suncor invests $15 million in sustainable jet fuel | JWN Energy
- Canada’s Suncor CEO sees electric vehicles disrupting oil demand as much as coronavirus | Reuters
- Nio might have figured out battery swap for electric cars as it completes 500,000 swaps | Electrek
- France puts EVs at centre of $13.2bn plan to restart auto industry | The Driven
Transition
- Nature based solutions: Shell Energy debuts new ‘carbon neutral’ tariffs | Business Green
- More than 200 companies call for a green recovery in the UK | Electrek
- Southern Company Commits to Net-Zero Carbon by 2050, but Seeks New Gas Plants for Now | Greentech Media
- UK’s gas networks call for £900m investment into zero-carbon infrastructure | edie
- Europe Pledges Green Recovery in Historic Stimulus Program – BNN Bloomberg
Carbon Capture
- Chevron faces $100m bill for excess emissions after WA government refuses CCS waiver | RenewEconomy
- Record low solar PPAs in the Southwest mean ‘carbon capture is not going to save coal plants’ | pv magazine USA
- Swiss carbon capture startup raises $76M in funding round | BNN Bloomberg
Circular Economy
- Ikea launches circular economy strategic partnership with Ellen MacArthur Foundation | edie
Finance
- The 400 Billion Barrel Opportunity for Friendly Oil and Canada’s Evolving Role | BMO
- Germany’s Green Power Finance Is Becoming Unaffordable | BNN Bloomberg
- Chevron’s Investors Defy Board in Demanding Climate Disclosures | Bloomberg
- Norway blacklisting Alberta oil sands companies is sign of things to come, not ‘hypocrisy’ or ‘climate political points’ | EnergiMedia
Toyota’s 42-mile RAV4 plug-in hybrid starts at US$38,100 | Electrek77
Want to see some excellent more pictures? Check out: NetCarShow.com