Plus: US, UK and Alberta governments investing in carbon capture; Metal hydrogen battery; 11GW renewables coming to UK
Hi Everyone,
I’m trying to keep up with monitoring signpost stories but with it being summer vacation season and other commitments to family, you won’t see much in the way of comments in this issue. As usual, check out the feature stories and scan the headlines for what interests you.
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I welcome comments, questions and feedback. And stories you think worthy of profiling.
Thanks and hope you are enjoying summer.
Peter
FEATURE STORIES
Octopus launches ‘one-stop shop’ EV package including the vehicle, charger and flexible tariff | Current±
Octopus Electric Vehicles has launched a new package that provides drivers in the UK and the US with a car, charger and energy tariff. Intelligent Octopus uses KrakenFlex – the Octopus Group’s smart energy management platform – to charge EVs when it is best for the energy system. It includes a low-cost window of six hours, between 23:30-05:30 when the price sits at just 7.5p/kWh.
[Comment] This is another great example of the lines blurring between what were previously siloed sectors. Who would have thought that a utility would be in the auto business. I think it is genius what Octopus is doing here – making it as easy as possible for the customer. This is a trend that I expect to continue and extend into simply offering subscription services rather than the traditional ownership model.
Zero cost up-front home solar and battery offered to meet “staggering” demand | One Step Off The Grid
Major Australian electricity gen-tailer EnergyAustralia says residential customers are lining up to apply for its new home solar and storage plan, which offers to install and manage a rooftop PV and battery system for no up-front cost. The Solar Home Bundle is being offered as part of a seven-year plan, where the customer pays a fixed usage rate for electricity – consumed from both the system and the grid – in return for solar panels, inverter and 10.1kWh battery installed at no upfront cost.
[Comment] Similar to the Octopus story – this follows the same theme: “make it easy for the customer”. Again – watch for more of the same model being deployed elsewhere as we electrify more parts of the economy.
A coming copper shortage could derail the energy transition, report finds | CNBC
An all-electric future depends heavily on copper, and looming supply shortfalls could hamper nations’ goals of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, according to a new report from S&P Global.
[Comment] I’ll admit I’ve recently been focusing on the very real challenge of demand outstripping the supply of raw materials for batteries given all the growth in EV sales and batteries for grid storage of renewables. Yet this article shows the other brake that will act on our desire to electrify everything: copper shortages. Having helped permit a new mine, I know how long the regulatory process can be, never mind building the thing. Recycling will become an even more important mitigation, albeit a partial one.
Finance & Sentiment
Blackstone Announces $400 Million Investment in Xpansiv, the Leading Global Carbon and Environmental Commodities Exchange Platform | Blackstone
Blackstone announced today that funds managed by Blackstone Energy Partners (“Blackstone”) have committed $400 million to lead a strategic investment in Xpansiv Limited (“Xpansiv”), the premier market-infrastructure platform for global carbon and environmental commodities. Xpansiv connects buyers and sellers of environmental commodities and provides market data for voluntary carbon offsets, renewable energy credits (RECs), and low-carbon fuels, each of which are critical elements of global decarbonization.
Dozens of faith organisations to divest from fossil fuels, criticising producers over ‘empty rhetoric’ on climate | edie
A joint commitment to remove investments in fossil fuel companies has been backed by 35 faith groups from around the world, who state that they cannot support businesses willing to expand extraction beyond what climate scientists have stated must be the limit.
Presbyterians agree to divest from fossil fuel companies | AP News
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has opted to pull investments from five energy corporations, joining other faith-based groups in targeting fossil-fuel companies over what they say are failures to address climate change.
Brookfield raises $15 bln for climate-focused fund | Reuters
Canada’s Brookfield Asset Management, said on Wednesday it had raised $15 billion for its first impact fund focused on the global transition to a net-zero carbon economy.
City of Vancouver votes to join class action lawsuit against fossil fuel companies | National Observer
Vancouver city council has voted to set aside at least $1 per resident in next year’s budget for a legal fund to help sue large fossil fuel companies that have accelerated the climate crisis worldwide, but specifically in Vancouver, where hundreds of people died during 2021’s heat dome.
Technology
Hydrogen
Shell to build Europe’s ‘largest’ renewable hydrogen plant to help power Dutch refinery | CNBC
[Excerpt] According to Shell, the 200 megawatt electrolyzer will be located in the Port of Rotterdam, Europe’s largest seaport, generating as much as 60,000 kilograms of renewable hydrogen every day.
New fuel cell manufacturing plant opens in Burnaby | BIV
Metro Vancouver’s reputation as hydrogen fuel cell technology hub was further cemented Wednesday with the grand opening of a new multi-million dollar manufacturing and R&D facility in Burnaby.
KBR and Terrestrial Energy Collaborate on Green Hydrogen and Ammonia Production | DEC
Terrestrial Energy announced today that it has signed an agreement with KBR to investigate the application of zero-emission thermal energy for hydrogen and ammonia production.
Acme to build 1.5 GW green hydrogen project in India | pv magazine
Indian developer Acme will set up a green hydrogen and ammonia project in Tamil Nadu with 1.5 GW of electrolysis capacity and 1.1 million tons of ammonia synthesis, powered by a 5 GW solar plant.
Azerbaijan Partners with Masdar on 2GW Offshore Wind, Green Hydrogen Projects | Offshore Wind
Abu Dhabi-based Masdar has signed an agreement with the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan to cooperate on offshore wind-to-hydrogen projects with a total of 2 GW in capacity. The agreement also includes steps to create offshore wind-to-hydrogen projects for production and export purposes.
GreenZo to develop 50 MW green hydrogen capacity in Nepal | pv magazine
The Delhi-based renewable project consultant has signed an agreement with Nepal-based hydro and solar power producer API Power to install a cumulative 50 MW of green hydrogen capacity in Nepal by 2025.
US oil refiner set to more than double the number of hydrogen filling stations in Europe by 2026 | Recharge
US oil refiner and retailer Phillips 66 says it will build about 250 new hydrogen refuelling stations in Germany, Denmark and Austria by 2026 — and supply them with green H2 — after closing on a 50-50 joint venture with Switzerland’s H2 Energy Europe (H2EE).
Carbon Capture
Alberta to ‘kickstart’ industrial, oilpatch carbon capture projects with $40-million fund | Financial Post
Nearly a dozen carbon capture projects from Alberta’s oilpatch and industrial sectors will receive an injection of cash from the provincial government aimed at accelerating the deployment of more than $20 billion in capital spending on emissions reduction.
Carbon capture projects, regional CO2 pipeline design to get $2.6B in DOE funding proposal | Utility Dive
The Department of Energy plans to offer $2.54 billion to help finance six carbon capture and storage, or CCS, demonstration projects at coal- and gas-fired power plants as well as at industrial facilities, according to a notice of intent issued Wednesday.
UK Govt backing £54m for carbon removal tech | Gas World
Announced today, 8th July, the UK Government will take forward new government-backed projects across the UK with £54m in funding. The UK-wide scheme will see a total of 15 greenhouse gas removal projects benefitting from the grant, which aims to reduce the nation’s emission and create new green jobs.
Carbon removal trade group launches with ‘Hippocratic oath’ for the industry | Grist
[Excerpt] On Tuesday, 42 startups announced the launch of the Carbon Business Council, a nonprofit that aims to “create a seat at the policy table for early-stage companies focused on restoring the climate,” according to the group’s press release.
Equinor, Fluxys Developing Massive CO2 Transport Project | RigZone
Equinor and Fluxys have agreed to develop a major infrastructure project for transporting captured CO2 from emitters to safe storage sites in the North Sea, connecting Belgium to Norway.
Small Modular Reactors
Oilsands exploring nuclear power as ‘net zero changes everything’ | Financial Post
Industry alliance has formed committee to formally explore nuclear as alternative to natural gas in oilsands production. [Excerpt] “Absolutely, we are looking at SMRs as a low or no-emission source of the high temperature heat we need,” said Martha Hall Findlay, chief climate officer for Suncor Energy Inc. “But it has to be economically viable. It has to make sense.”
Steel
BP partners with Thyssenkrupp Steel to decarbonise industry | Upstream
BP is working to decarbonise steel production through a partnership with Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Steel that will aim to involve the supply of low-carbon hydrogen and renewable power.
The Grid
Ontario seeks new electricity generation as demand rises, nuclear plant to be retired | Global News
Ontario’s electricity system is searching for more power producers as demand rises and a major nuclear plant nears retirement, a process likely to secure more natural gas generation while the government seeks to end reliance on it.
Project to build 1.4 GW high-voltage cable linking Germany with the UK moves forward | pv magazine
The European Investment Bank has agreed to provide €400 million ($406.5 million) in funds for the €2.8 billion project. Construction on the infrastructure should begin by the end of this year.
Energy Storage
Metal-hydrogen battery going into high-volume production with 5GWh of customer orders | Energy Storage News
Startup Enervenue has already got 5GWh of customer orders for its metal-hydrogen battery for stationary storage, with a 25GWh opportunity pipeline in North America alone. The company only emerged from stealth mode in August 2020. Having since raised US$125 million, including a US$100 million Series A funding round in Q3 last year and more recently securing a key materials supply deal, its cells – or ‘vessels’ as the company describes them – are being made on a semi-automated production line in Fremont, California.
Project with world’s largest lithium-vanadium hybrid BESS officially launched in Oxford, UK | Energy Storage News
[Excerpt] The core component of the project is a combined BESS made up of a 50 MW/50MWh Lithium-ion system, supplied by Wärtsilä, and a 2MW/5MWh vanadium flow battery from Invinity Energy Systems. Optimiser Habitat Energy is taking the assets into market with its AI-enabled trading platform.
Australian coal power plant to host massive 1.45 GW/2.9 GWh battery | pv magazine
Queensland government-owned energy generator Stanwell has revealed plans to a build a massive 1.45 GW/2.9 GWh battery storage system alongside the coal-fired Stanwell Power Station in central Queensland as the state government looks to ramp up energy storage capacity to support the transition to renewables.
Battery cost base has gone up 25% year-on-year, says Wärtsilä | Energy Storage News
Battery energy storage systems (BESS) cost base has increased 25% in the past year, the head of storage for global energy technology group Wärtsilä told Energy-Storage.news.
Tesla turns to California to build “world’s largest virtual power plant” | One Step Off The Grid
California could challenge South Australia’s claim to the world’s biggest largest distributed battery network, or virtual power plant, with the launch of a Tesla-backed VPP pilot in the state to help drive uptake and support electric grid reliability.
Tesla reveals huge number of Powerwall home batteries installed in Australia | One Step Off The Grid
Tesla has revealed it has installed upwards of 33,000 of its Powerwall home battery energy storage systems in Australia, to date, accounting for a nearly 12 per cent share of Tesla’s total global installations and marking a six-fold increase on local installation numbers since 2019.
EIA: US battery storage tripled to 4.6GW in 2021 and broadened out of ancillary services | Energy Storage News
Battery storage capacity in the US more than tripled to 4,631GW in 2021 and increasingly broadened out of ancillary services, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Solar and Wind
‘Most successful ever’: Latest CfD auction secures 11GW of renewables capacity in UK | edie
The latest round of the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme has been lauded by the Government as the most successful ever, with more than 11GW of renewables capacity securing contract, including a big milestone for floating offshore wind.
Air Liquide to build two hydrogen units with carbon capture in Shanghai Chemical Industry Park | Air Liquide
Shanghai Chemical Industry Park Industrial Gases Co., Ltd (SCIPIG), a subsidiary of Air Liquide, will invest more than 200 million euros to build two hydrogen production units and related infrastructure in Shanghai Chemical Industry Park (SCIP).
Renewables provide 49% of power used in Germany in first half of 2022 | Reuters
Renewable energy accounted for 49% of German power consumption in the first half of 2022, up 6% percentage points from a year earlier thanks to favourable weather conditions, industry groups said on Tuesday.
German wind giant buys into three big Australian offshore wind projects | RenewEconomy
German wind giant wpd Group has bought into three big offshore wind projects in Australia under a joint venture deal with UK-based Australis Energy.
Australian developer begins work on 1.2 GW wind-solar hub | pv magazine
Squadron Energy has started building a 1.2 GW hybrid wind, solar and battery energy storage project in the Australian state of Queensland.
Indian Railways tenders 2.6 GW of renewable power projects | pv magazine
REMC Limited unit of Indian Railways has invited bids to install 1 GW of renewable power projects, with or without storage, for round-the-clock power supply to different zonal railways. It has also tendered to install a cumulative 1.548 GW of land-based solar plants near the traction sub-stations across various zonal railways. The projects are to be developed on a build-own-operate basis.
Octopus announces $10 billion renewable investment funds, acquires Australia’s largest solar project | pv magazine
Octopus Investments Australia, a subsidiary of the major global Octopus Group, today launched two renewable energy investment vehicles totalling $10 billion. The Octopus funds’ first joint acquisition is Australia’s largest operational solar farm, the 333 MW Darlington Point Solar Farm in New South Wales.
Big Oil’s Influx of Cash Opens Door to Major Clean-Energy Deals | BNN Bloomberg
Europe’s oil and gas giants, flush with cash from soaring prices, are considering whether to turbo charge their transition to clean energy with multibillion-dollar acquisitions of major renewable energy producers.
Transportation
Umicore to build $1.5-billion electric vehicle battery materials factory in Ontario | Electric Autonomy
Belgium-based Umicore N.V. is building a $1.5-billion cathode active material (CAM) and precursor cathode active material (pCAM) plant near Kingsto, Ontario, just outside of Kingston after signing a memorandum of understanding with the Government of Canada.
Winnipeg to purchase 100 electric buses, overhaul transit system | Electric Autonomy
The prairie city is set to receive over $500 million in funding from three levels of government in an attempt to jumpstart a local EV transit system
UK businesses planning to invest £13.6bn in electric vehicles this year, survey finds | edie
The number of electric vehicles (EVs) operated by UK businesses is set to increase by 35% within 12 months, with many firms planning significant investment, a survey has found.
UK-based startup Tevva launches hydrogen-electric truck with 310-mile range | CNBC
U.K.-based startup Tevva on Thursday launched a hydrogen-electric heavy goods vehicle, becoming the latest company to make a play in a sector attracting interest from multinationals like Daimler Truck and Volvo.
West Coast EV charging network EVCS raises $68.8M to expand fast charger footprint | Electrek
EVCS – a West Coast-based EV charging network – has raised $68.8 million in funding to help expand its presence to over thirty-five new cities in California, Oregon, and Washington. In addition to increasing fast charger density in its current footprint, EVCS looks to double its network size by 2023.
VW breaks ground on new battery factory, will invest €20b into “PowerCo” spinoff | Electrek
VW has announced another big battery investment, this time committing €20 billion to battery production through 2030 with a new battery production spinoff named “PowerCo.” The announcement was made at the groundbreaking ceremony for its new battery factory in Salzgitter, Germany, the first of six plants in Europe as unveiled at VW’s “Power Day” event last March.
Panasonic Picks Kansas for $4 Billion Battery-Production Site | BNN Bloomberg
Panasonic Holdings Corp. has decided on Kansas as the location to build a battery production site expected to cost $4 billion, as the Japanese manufacturer seeks to ramp up production capacity to meet growing demand from Tesla Inc. and other electric-vehicle makers.
Canoo stock doubles as Walmart orders up to 10,000 EVs in deal that includes warranted shares in company [update] | Electrek
EV startup Canoo continues to feverishly lay the railroad down right in front of itself as it chugs along its route toward scaled production. A recent feeling of dread has been encapsulated by the company’s low stock, but new life has been injected into Canoo in the form of an order of at least 4,500 delivery EVs from Walmart, with the possibility of up to 10,000 in total.
Policy
Manchin Plays Spoiler Again by Halting Biden’s Economic Agenda | BNN Bloomberg
Democrat Joe Manchin is once again playing spoiler for President Joe Biden’s economic agenda, bringing it to a screeching halt even after spending much of the year whittling down its grandest ambitions.
Spain and Portugal reject EU plan to limit natural gas use | AP
The European Union’s plan to reduce the bloc’s natural gas use by 15% to prepare for a potential cutoff by Russia this winter received sharp skepticism Thursday from the governments of Spain and Portugal, which are usually big supporters of the bloc.
France to pay $10 billion to take full control of EDF | Reuters
France’s government is offering to pay 9.7 billion euros ($9.85 billion) to take full control of EDF, in a buyout deal that gives it a free hand to run Europe’s biggest nuclear power operator as it grapples with a continent-wide energy crisis.
EU invests €1.8bn in energy transition technologies | Argus Media
The EU announced €1.8bn ($1.8bn) of funding for 17 large-scale renewable energy and decarbonisation projects — including hydrogen, renewable power generation and advanced biofuels projects.
UK Government opens green hydrogen fund applications, appoints its first ‘Hydrogen Champion’ | edie
The UK Government has opened its first major funding rounds for green hydrogen production, as it eyes at least 5GW of installed capacity by 2030. It has also appointed its first ‘Hydrogen Champion’ – Johnson Matthey’s sector chief Jane Toogood. [Excerpt] The Fund, first confirmed earlier this year, will provide up to £240m of grant funding from Government coffers to projects developing and building low-carbon hydrogen production projects.
Egypt allocates 5,200 sqkm of land for renewable energy projects | Daily News Egypt
The New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) revealed that 5,200 square kilometer (sqkm) were allocated to establish renewable energy projects, either by public or private sector companies.
Egypt Investing $40Bn To Green Hydrogen Projects | Rig Zone
Egypt’s pipeline for green hydrogen projects stands at 11.62 gigawatts (GW), equivalent to over 1.57 million tons of green hydrogen, ranking the country in the top three green hydrogen pipelines globally, after Australia and on par with Mauritania.