Plus: Chinese EV frenzy; Next-gen graphene battery; Shell selling EV subscriptions
Hi everyone,
Again – too much to share to wait two weeks to get this out. If you only have time to read a little, start with my comments and the Feature Story. Scan the rest of the headlines at your leisure.
Enjoy!
Peter
Some Quick Comments
Start by reading the Feature Story below.
Next, you will find some rather interesting energy storage stories, including some new technology in this area: how about a BLT ‘sandwich’ of solid state lithium by Harvard researchers, for example. See the Energy Storage section.
Another company is offering electric vehicles by monthly subscription, this time by Shell-owned sonnen in Australia. Pretty pricey still. Check out last week’s issue for a more affordable offering in the UK. The interesting point about this is the confluence of a younger generation less attracted to vehicle ownership and the high entry price of EVs. So you can see why a monthly payment for something you can try on for a while could be attractive to some.
I thought “wow” on the granting of €2 billion in subsidies for carbon capture by the Dutch government to Shell and Exxon. It will be interesting to see how other governments do likewise. The government of Canada is expected to announce a consultation period for establishing a tax credit for carbon capture and storage, perhaps analogous to the US 45Q incentive prompting lots of CCUS project planning there.
Kudos to Suncor and ATCO on partnering for the potential development of blue hydrogen production in Alberta. While most of the hydrogen is expected to be used in Suncor’s refinery, 20% could be used for helping to establish a hydrogen economy here. ATCO is already piloting the mixing of small quantities of hydrogen in natural gas going to homes in Fort Saskatchewan. Enbridge is doing likewise with customers in Quebec.
Feature Story
JP Morgan Energy Paper – A reality check on the energy transition | JP Morgan
I encourage you to read the seven page Executive Summary of this 44 page annual energy paper. Vaclav Smil provides technical oversight to the author, which ought to get your attention. Smil cuts through the fog of energy transition numbers in a way like no other. Wes Jicking, Chief Executive at COSIA emailed me the link to this paper and kindly offered these edited excerpts providing some highlights. Thanks Wes!
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- Overarching message: the behavioural, political and structural changes required for deep decarbonization are still grossly underestimated. The companies (i.e., fossil fuel companies) we all rely on for dispatchable, thermal power and energy will need to survive and prosper until we get there.
- Biden has announced a 50% GHG emission reduction by 2030 vs 2005 baseline. This implies a decarbonization pace 4x faster than in the last 15 years.
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- Over the last 25 years, the developed world shifted much of its carbon-intensive manufacturing of steel, cement, ammonia and plastics to the developing world. As a result, developing world adoption of wind solar, storage and nuclear power may end up being the primary determinant of future global emissions outcomes….
- Europe and Japan have reduced primary energy use by 4%-6% over the last decade, but developing world increases were 6x higher than their reductions: China/India energy use is soaring, and Africa’s energy use is rising from per capita levels seen in Europe in the 19th Century.
- Over the last 25 years, the developed world shifted much of its carbon-intensive manufacturing of steel, cement, ammonia and plastics to the developing world. As a result, developing world adoption of wind solar, storage and nuclear power may end up being the primary determinant of future global emissions outcomes….
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- China uses 10x more coal than natural gas…in 2020, China built over 3x as much new coal capacity as all other countries combined…equal to one large coal plant a week.
- China initiated 73GW of new coal plant proposals in 2020, over 5x the rest of the world combined.
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- In 2021 renewables are for the first time expected to garner more capital spending than upstream oil and gas. This process is influenced by diverging costs of capital: 3%-5% for solar and wind, 10%-15% for natural gas, and up to 20% for oil projects.
Consumers & Finance
Unilever’s net-zero transition plan backed by more than 99% of shareholders | edie
More than 99% of Unilever’s shareholders have voted in favour of its plans to become a net-zero business by 2039, the FMCG giant has said.
Smart charging key to encouraging EV uptake, Shell’s NewMotion survey finds | Current±
[Excerpt] Across the five countries 73% of respondents would be willing to delay a charging session to help prevent an energy demand peak and 67% would be interested in the financial benefits of using an EV battery to help support renewables.
JPMorgan vows to help oil and gas clients reduce their carbon intensity | S&P Global
Global investment bank JPMorgan Chase, which is one of the largest financiers to the fossil fuel industry, has pledged to help its oil and gas clients cut their carbon intensity by 35% by 2030, it said May 13. It published 2030 carbon intensity targets for its clients in three of its portfolios — oil and gas, electric power and auto manufacturing, as it plans to help them transition to a low-carbon world.
Technology
Hydrogen
Oilsands producer Suncor and utility Atco to pursue ‘world-class’ hydrogen project | CBC
Oilsands producer Suncor Energy Inc. is partnering with utility Atco Ltd. on a “multibillion-dollar” project to produce more than 300,000 tonnes per year of hydrogen.
ATCO secures $28.7 million, aims to build Australia’s first commercial hydrogen plant | ATCO
ATCO’s proposed Clean Energy Innovation Park (CEIP) is getting an AUS$28.7 million injection in funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to help kickstart the production of hydrogen on a large scale, providing clean fuel for the country’s natural gas networks.
Developers of Utah green hydrogen storage hub invited to apply for US Department of Energy loans | Energy Storage News
A massive “green hydrogen hub” adjacent to a coal power plant in Utah could get over half a billion dollars in US government loans to support its development.
Carbon Capture
Dutch government grants €2 billion in subsidies to huge carbon storage project | Euractiv
The Dutch government has granted a consortium that includes oil majors Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil around €2 billion in subsidies for what is set to become one of the largest carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects in the world, the Port of Rotterdam said on Sunday (9 May).
Second U.K. Natural Gas Station Planned With Carbon Capture | BNN Bloomberg
SSE Plc and Equinor ASA will jointly develop a new clean gas-fired power station with carbon capture technology in Scotland, capable of storing 1.5 million metric tons of carbon each year.
Energy Storage
Harvard scientists unveil solid-state lithium battery that can be charged and discharged at least 10,000 times | PV Magazine
US scientists have created a new design for lithium-metal, solid-state batteries that should avoid the formation of dendrites that grow into the electrolyte. Their multilayered battery could potentially recharge electric vehicles within 10 to 20 minutes. “Think of it like a BLT sandwich”.
Two Canadian companies partner to build next-gen graphene EV batteries | MobileSyrup
Canadian auto parts manufacturer Martinrea is joining forces with graphene producer NanoXplore to create a joint venture called VoltaXplore that aims to use graphene to make electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
Large-scale vanadium redox flow battery takes shape in Australia | PV Magazine
Engineering groundwork for the AUD 20.3 million ($15.9 million) Yadlamalka vanadium flow battery near Hawker, South Australia, is now moving toward completion. At 2 MW/8MWh, Yadlamalka Energy’s storage solution is Invinity’s largest solar-powered vanadium flow battery to be built to date.
South Australia backs plan for bigger big battery at Aurora project | RenewEconomy
Plans to double the storage capacity of the big battery component of 1414 Degrees’ Aurora Energy Project have won state government backing, with the Crown Sponsorship extended to support the construction of a bigger big battery.
Redflow targets megawatt-scale battery market with unveiling of Pod Z | RenewEconomy
Brisbane-based zinc-bromine flow battery maker Redflow has lifted the veil on its grid-scale storage offering, dubbed Energy Pod Z, which it says forms the foundation for the company to start delivering large, megawatt-hour energy storage systems.
California community energy group signs PPA for 50MW / 200MWh solar-plus-storage project | Energy Storage News
A long-term power purchase agreement has been signed for the output of a 50MW solar farm with 200MWh of battery storage, by Desert Community Energy, one of several Community Choice Aggregator (CCA) energy suppliers in California.
Solar and Wind
First commercial-scale offshore wind farm in the US gets federal approval | The Verge
The first commercial-scale offshore wind project in the US just got the green light from the Biden administration. The approval has the potential to dramatically grow the nation’s wind energy sector after years of regulatory limbo for proposed offshore projects.
Silicon Valley Getting a Rare New U.S. Solar-Manufacturing Plant | BNN Bloomberg
Standard Industries Inc., one of the world’s largest roofing companies, is deepening its bet on solar by building a rare U.S. panel factory in Silicon Valley.
Massachusetts launches 1.6GW offshore wind tender | Wind Power Monthly
The new tender has a bid deadline of September 2021 and could nearly double the state’s offshore wind pipeline.
Lightsource BP secures approval for 600 MW solar energy hub in Australia | PV Magazine
Lightsource BP said on Thursday that it has secured approval from the New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment for its 400 MWdc (350 MWac) Wellington North Solar Farm, which will be built next to the 200 MWdc (174 MWac) Wellington Solar Farm, which is currently under construction.
Renewable Energy Capacity Jumped 45% Worldwide In 2020; IEA Sees ‘New Normal’ | NPR
Despite the pandemic, the world’s renewable energy capacity jumped 45% to 280 gigawatts in 2020, part of “an unprecedented boom” in wind and solar energy, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency. It’s the largest annual increase since 1999.
Global renewable energy industry grew at fastest rate since 1999 last year | Guardian
Transportation
China Tech Giants Bet $19 Billion on Global Electric Car Frenzy | BNN Bloomberg
China is shaping up to be the first real test of Big Tech’s ambitions in the world of carmaking, with giants from Huawei Technologies Co. to Baidu Inc. plowing almost $19 billion into electric and self-driving vehicle ventures widely seen as the future of transport.
Battery giant Sonnen launches electric vehicle subscription service in Australia | The Driven
Global battery giant Sonnen has jumped into Australia’s nascent – and important – electric vehicle subscription market, offering its home battery storage customers the choice of six different EVs, including the Tesla Model 3, for up to $447 a week.
Circular Economy
Plastic IQ Targets Plastic Packaging Waste Reduction | Packaging Digest
Brands adopting the no-cost Plastic IQ digital planning tool from The Recycling Partnership and SystemIQ include Colgate-Palmolive, Kellogg’s, Mondelēz, Nestlé USA, Unilever, and Walmart.
A Scottish university finds new life for old wind turbine blades | Electrek
A team at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow has figured out how to recycle glass-reinforced polymer composites (GRP) that are used in wind turbine blades. The university has partnered with Norwegian offshore wind developer Aker Offshore Wind and green investment company Aker Horizons to implement its new technology.
Policy
Dutch government grants €2 billion in subsidies to huge carbon storage project | Euractiv
The Dutch government has granted a consortium that includes oil majors Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil around €2 billion in subsidies for what is set to become one of the largest carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects in the world, the Port of Rotterdam said on Sunday (9 May).
India offers $2.46B incentive to boost domestic production of batteries | Tech Crunch
India’s cabinet on Wednesday approved Department of Heavy Industry’s proposal to provide incentives to boost domestic production of batteries with advanced energy storage, the latest in a series of efforts by New Delhi to make the world’s second-largest internet market less reliant on other nations for various electronics goods and shrink its trade deficit.
US Lawmakers Back $8 Billion for Electric U.S. Postal Vehicles | BNN Bloomberg
House lawmakers advanced language authorizing $8 billion for the U.S. Postal Service to buy more electric vehicles as the agency modernizes its aging fleet.