Plus: Telsa offers cheaper, better solar roof; Vatican calls for divesting fossil fuels; Scotland launches $10B contest for offshore wind
Hi Everyone,
First, Happy Father’s Day to all you Dads.
I am trying out a different format this week – one that attempts to group the stories into three main drivers of the transition to cleaner energy: Technology, Policy and Consumers. I also include a consolidated section for Comments and Questions. What happens in each of these areas could either speed up or slow down the transition. By watching these signposts, we can better understand the trajectory in which we’re heading.
So if you only have time to read a little, start with my comments. Scan the rest of the headlines at your leisure.
Tell me what you think of the new format. Love it? Hate it? I’ll need your feedback to help decide, so please let me know. I didn’t come across any particularly compelling graphics in the last couple weeks, which is why you don’t see any.
As always, the best compliment you can provide is your vote of confidence in recommending others subscribe.
Stay healthy!
Peter
Top Signpost Stories
Observations, Comments & Questions
- All the signposts point towards a moderate transition to lower carbon energy systems. Oil prices are showing an uptick associated with rebounding demand, albeit not yet to pre-COVID levels. Commuters are not returning to public transit nearly as fast and cities are rightly worried about lower revenues. How long this depressed transit use lasts is an open question. Even though there are fewer commuters, most are in cars, leading to more emissions per km/mile.
- I’m curious to hear what you think of the Vatican call to divest of fossil fuels. How relevant is this? Will it see a strong response? Or does it just join a broader movement already underway?
- The build-out of offshore wind in the UK especially impressive. Large turbines are now being set for eastern US, the next likely area of growth.
- After taking pre-orders on solar roofs, Telsa recently began cancelling orders in some regions too far from places it could reasonably manage installations. With the announcement of solar roofs that are now more affordable and more efficient, I expect they will see an impressive uptake in markets that the’re able to manage and create a strong beachhead from which to build out greater market share.
- The 8GW of solar awarded in India to Adani is impressive. However, it looks like it India will miss its target for 100GW of solar by 2022, with a quagmire of local rules to navigate being among some of the challenges slowing things down. Too bad they can’t sort that out, as progress to lower emissions in places like India are key to limiting climate change.
Technology
Scotland launches $10B contest to build wind farms at sea | Financial Post
Scotland, home to a quarter of Europe’s offshore wind resources, is seeking proposals to install turbines off the coast in a process that may draw more than 8 billion pounds ($10.2 billion) of investment.
U.K.’s Biggest Onshore Wind Farm Gets Green Light From SSE | MSN
SSE says the 103-turbine, 443MW onshore wind farm, developed in partnership with Viking Energy Shetland, will be the largest onshore wind farm in the UK for annual electricity output, which is expected to be around 1.9TWh each year.
Tesla deploys new Megapacks at Transalta ‘WindCharger’ project | Electrek
TransAlta’s WindCharger will be the first lithium-ion, utility-scale battery storage project in Alberta. It will utilize Teslas Megapack battery technology, charged with electricity from our Summerview Wind Farm.When completed, its going to have a 10MW power capacity with a total storage capacity of 20MWh, which is quite large for a first project to test battery storage.
Fluence unveils intelligent, modular storage product with 800 MW/2,300 MWh of projects | Utility Dive
Storage company Fluence was selected for 800 MW, 2,300 MWh worth of projects for its newest energy storage technology “stack,” equipped with a modular building block “cube” and machine learning, the company announced Tuesday.
Tesla releases new solar panel, slashes prices | Electrek
Tesla has released a new, more powerful solar panel and slashed the price of its solar installations as it attempts to ramp up its energy division.
India awards world’s largest solar contract to Adani Green Energy | RenewEconomy
Adani Green Energy has been awarded the world’s single largest solar development bid to date, and will develop 8GW of solar projects over the next five years for the Solar Energy Corporation of India.
Lyft pledges to shift its two million drivers to electric vehicles by 2030 | Business Green
Lyft has announced that all drivers on its ride-hailing platform will need to shift over to electric vehicles within the next decade, as it became the latest major company to join the global EV100 initiative.
GM plans electric van for business users in bid to pre-empt Tesla | Reuters
General Motors Co is developing an electric van aimed at business users, joining a growing list of carmakers planning EVs for the same segment which includes customers such as Amazon.com Inc and United Parcel Service Inc, five people familiar with the plans told Reuters.
Daimler, Volvo Trucks Team Up On Hydrogen Fuel Cells For Heavy Trucks | Forbes
Daimler and Volvo Trucks plan to collaborate on development and sales of fuel-cells for heavy-duty trucks, as the costs of new technology and uncertainty related to the coronavirus pandemic are pushing large manufacturers to pool resources.
Japan’s Tepco plans $18B green electricity push by 2030 | Financial Post
The renewable power unit of Japan’s biggest utility plans to spend more than 2 trillion yen ($18 billion) over the next 10 years to boost its green generation by as much as 70%.
Policy
Germany’s Covid recovery targets green hydrogen and EVs in boost to energy transition | RenewEconomy
Germany’s US$145 billion stimulus package contains steps to further the country’s landmark energy transition, including a focus on green hydrogen and electric vehicles.
Fossil Fuel’s Answer to Climate Change Just Got Less Expensive | Bloomberg Quint
Carbon capture, the fossil-fuel industry’s favorite weapon against climate change, has never really caught on because of the cost. That may be about to change. The Internal Revenue Service recently issued crucial guidance to help developers take advantage of tax credits for the systems, and supporters say it could usher in a new era for the controversial technology.
Consumers
Danish fund raises $1.7B for green energy investments | Financial Post
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners raised €1.5 billion ($1.7 billion) for a new fund that it aims to be the biggest in the world dedicated to renewable energy infrastructure investments.
Unilever unveils climate and nature fund worth more than $1 billion | Greenbiz
The consumer goods giant unveiled its new Climate and Nature Fund on Monday as it set out a raft of fresh sustainability goals, which include plans to end deforestation in its supply chain and communicate the carbon footprint of every product it sells.
Vatican urges Catholics to drop investments in fossil fuels, arms | Reuters
The Vatican urged Catholics on Thursday to disinvest from the armaments and fossil fuel industries and to closely monitor companies in sectors such as mining to check if they are damaging the environment.