Plus: $16 trillion alliance pushes decarbonization; NY to spend $1B on energy efficiency; BP pivots
Hi Everyone,
It’s summertime, so my hobby reading is down and so this update is a tad lighter. If you only have time to read a little, start with my comments. Scan the rest of the headlines at your leisure.
Keep spreading the word…share this around with colleagues, friends and family and encourage them to subscribe.
Have a great couple weeks and watch for the next update on August 30th.
Thanks,
Peter
Observations, Comments & Questions
- First, a plug for #TellYourStory – a way for those in Alberta to get their environmental story out. It’s an initiative of the Alberta Emerald Foundation, an organization celebrating environmental successes in this province for nearly 30 years.
- We have a few great examples of technology integration enabling the energy transition: a meter integrated charger gives flexibility and visibility to electric vehicle owners, 28 electric buses are being harnessed to provide grid services, a company aiming to disrupt power markets leveraging data and software and a pilot project to pair offshore wind to produce green hydrogen – see the first four stories under technology.
- Have you already dismissed Small Modular Nuclear? I encourage you to watch the 20 minute video below and then let me know if you’re willing to consider it. Why do I bring this up? Alberta joined 3 other provinces in plans to advance this zero-emission technology.
Technology
New Yorkers test Siemens’ new EV smart charging tech | Electrek
Siemens eMobility solutions announced this week that it will field test new EV charging technology, a Meter Integrated Charger (MIC), in New York. The MICs measure the quantity of electricity needed to charge EVs so that drivers, utilities, and others can track and manage consumption.
Bus garage in London now hosting ‘world’s largest’ V2G trial | InsideEVs
A new three-year Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) trial project with electric buses, called Bus2Grid, was launched in a North London bus garage. With 28 electric buses (BYD-ADL), it appears to be the world’s largest V2G project of its kind.
Challenger brand Rebel Energy announced with digitalisation at its core | Current News
Ex-BP stalwart Dan Bates is launching a new challenger utility company, on the basis of digitalisation. Today, Rebel Energy – as the new company has been named – has announced it is partnering with Blue Prism to leverage its automation platform to reimagine complicated industry processes.
New offshore wind-powered hydrogen project approved in Germany | RenewEconomy
The German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy has backed the Westkuste100 pilot project which will build a 30MW electrolyser to produce green hydrogen from electricity generated by an offshore wind farm.
More Big Batteries Coming to the West, as EDF Renewables Nabs Deal With NV Energy | Greentech Media
In a separate decision, regulators said a New Mexico utility can replace the power it gets from the San Juan coal plant with solar and storage. EDF Renewables plans to build a 200-megawatt solar plant with a 180-megawatt/720-megawatt-hour battery for Nevada utility NV Energy, the developer announced Wednesday, adding to the growing list of large solar-and-storage projects under construction within the state and the broader region.
Big batteries are getting huge: California plan for 1500MW/6000MWh battery | RenewEconomy
Texas-based energy company Vistra Corp has reportedly been granted permission to expand an already under construction battery storage system alongside a gas-fired power plant to provide up to 1,500MW, or 6,000MWh of energy storage.
[UK] Battery electric vehicle sales jump over 250% in July | Current News
Sales of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are continuing to soar in a year where registrations have increased 174.6% so far.
China’s Aiko Solar Will Spend $2.87B to Build Plants in Zhejiang | BNN Bloomberg
Shanghai Aiko Solar Energy Co. will invest 20 billion yuan ($2.87 billion) to build photovoltaic cell manufacturing plants in Zhejiang province, according to an agreement between the company and the local government.
After Scrapping Atlantic Coast Pipeline, Duke Looks to Plug Hole With Renewables, Grid Investments | Greentech Media
Duke Energy on Monday reported a $1.6 billion charge related to abandoning the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The utility also laid out how its renewable energy and grid modernization plans will fill in the capital-investments hole left by the canceled multibillion-dollar natural-gas project.
Oil-Sands Emissions Intensity Inching Down Amid ESG Headwinds | BNN Bloomberg
Canada’s oil sands emitted about two per cent less carbon dioxide per barrel of oil produced in 2018, a sign of progress toward addressing environmental concerns, according to a new study.
Oil giants’ production cuts come to 1 million bpd as they post massive writedowns | Reuters
The world’s five largest oil companies collectively cut the value of their assets by nearly $50 billion in the second quarter, and slashed production rates as the coronavirus pandemic caused a drastic fall in fuel prices and demand.
Policy
New York is spending $1 billion to help residents conserve energy — and lower their bills | Grist
The statewide plan will invest $1 billion through 2025. Half of that total will be used to “improve energy efficiency in affordable multifamily buildings,” and more than $300 million has been reserved to “reduce energy burdens by increasing access to energy efficiency for LMI [low and moderate income] homeowners and renters,” according to the governor’s statement.
‘New Mexico is leading the nation’: Renewables set to replace coal-fired San Juan Generating Station | The NM Political Report
With a unanimous vote Wednesday morning, the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (PRC) ended one piece of a year-long debate on the future of coal in the Four Corners region. The utility PNM, which is slated to exit the San Juan Generating Station in 2022, will now need to rely on 100 percent renewable energy and battery storage to replace the power generated at the coal-fired plant.
Alberta to join other provinces in exploring small nuclear technology | JWN Energy
The Alberta government says it plans to join three other provinces in exploring small-scale nuclear technology. New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and Ontario signed a memorandum of understanding in December regarding development of small modular reactors. Alberta says small modular reactors, or SMRs, could supply non-emitting, low-cost energy for remote areas in the province as well as industries that need steam such as the oilsands.
Consumers
Global alliance managing $16T pushes plan to decarbonize investments | FastInform
Seventy global investors controlling more than $16 trillion pitched a novel framework Wednesday that they say should enable asset owners and managers to heed intensifying calls to cut carbon emissions.
[Op-Ed] 2030 Is the New 2050: The Oil Industry Begins to Unwind | Greentech Media – Tom Steyer & Bill McKibben
BP’s plan to reduce oil production is seismic because of what it says about the decade past and the decade to come, the authors write. Last week, one of the world’s seven fossil fuel supermajors — Britsh Petroleum, whose legacy dates back to the early days of the oil age — announced, in essence, that the time had come to wind down its core business.
Microsoft: the transition has to be an inclusive and just one | GreenBiz
There were plenty of juicy news tidbits in Microsoft’s recent progress report about its goal to become carbon negative over the next decade. But its new goal to link at least 500 megawatts of forthcoming solar energy contracts to environmental justice considerations is bold for many reasons.
BP Walks Away From the Oil Supermajor Model It Helped Create | Bloomberg Green
Just six months after taking the helm, Looney has put meat on the bones of his plans to make BP compliant with the Paris accord on climate change, saying he’ll cut dividends in half, shrink oil and gas output by 40% over the next decade and spend as much as $5 billion a year building one of the world’s largest renewable-power businesses.