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Residential batteries ready to compete with fossil fuels and nuclear in Germany

Sonnen: Residential batteries ready to compete with fossil fuels and nuclear in Germany Energy Storage, 14 Dec 18 ,  Batteries in private households will be now able to perform the “same tasks as a conventional power plant”, across the whole of Germany, the CEO of Sonnen has said, following a ruling that opens up grid services markets to the company’s devices.

Sonnen last week announced that it has obtained pre-qualification to enter Germany’s Primary Control Reserve market by grid operator TenneT for its battery energy storage units installed across the country. Primary Control Reserve is a form of frequency regulation, keeping the grid to within acceptable boundaries of its optimum 50Hz operating frequency……….

If every solar home in Germany – there are around 1.5 million at present – was equipped with a SonnenBatterie, the power capacity would add up to 4.5GW, with an energy capacity of 15GWh. Such systems, connected to the virtual battery, or virtual power plant (VPP), could replace four large thermal power plants, equivalent to the entire capacity currently being used for PCR across the entire European continent.

The possibility for scaling up the model, in other words, “is one large step towards a clean and decentralised energy structure,” Ostermann said………https://www.energy-storage.news/news/sonnen-residential-batteries-ready-to-compete-with-fossil-fuels-and-nuclear

December 15, 2018 Posted by | decentralised, energy storage, Germany | Leave a comment

REPLACING NUCLEAR WITH RENEWABLES WOULD SAVE FRANCE $44.5 BILLION

Futurism, 13 Dec 18  The French government just announced a plan to power 95 percent of the country with solar and wind energy by 2060. And by doing so, the government would spend about $44.5 billion (39 billion euros) less than it would if it maintained its current energy infrastructure.

To get there, the government would need to cancel plans to construct 15 new nuclear power plants, and instead replace its aging nuclear reactors with renewable infrastructure over the next several decades, according to a new report published Monday by the French environmental agency.

The report details how France could increase its dependence on solar and wind energy over time, gradually shutting down nuclear power plants to make room for renewables.

But doing so will still be costly: the report suggests that developing these new power plants as well as the necessary infrastructure to support them will cost the government $1.45 trillion (1.28 trillion euros) over the next 42 years. That’s a huge investment, but it’s still much cheaper than maintaining the status quo and replacing the country’s aging nuclear power plants with more modernized reactors…….. https://futurism.com/the-byte/nuclear-plants-renewable-energy-france

 

December 13, 2018 Posted by | France, renewable | Leave a comment

Germany a leading solar power producer, despite its low hours of sunshine

Germany Works (accessed) 9th Dec 2018, Germany has belied its status as a country with the fewest hours of sunshine in the world to become one of the planet’s largest solar power producers.
In 2017, Germany ranked fourth globally and accounted for about 10 per cent of the global installed capacity, according to the International Energy Agency. In 2017, Germany ranked fourth globally and accounted for about 10 per cent of the global installed capacity, according to the International Energy Agency.
This has been achieved by 1.7 million small-scale solar panel operators rather than by big, centralised power producers. These operators produced 9.6 per cent of Germany’s net energy production in the first nine months of 2018, according to research institute Fraunhofer ISE. Further, solar power has become the cheapest mode of power generation in Germany, according to Fraunhofer ISE, which says that equipment and installation costs fell by 75 per cent between 2006 and 2017.
https://germanyworks.ft.com/energy/german-solar-power-is-a-sunrise-market/

December 11, 2018 Posted by | decentralised, Germany | Leave a comment

Scotland’s wind power output over 100%

WIND output in Scotland has broken through the 100% threshold for the first
time with 109% of total electricity demand being met from renewables, according to new data. Figures from Weather Energy, part of a wider European project, show electricity generated by wind in November was enough to power nearly 6 million homes – a new record for Scotland.

In another milestone, wind production outstripped total electricity demand on 20 out of 30 days. Gina Hanrahan, head of policy at environmental group WWF Scotland, welcomed the contribution made by wind: “Wind power breaking through the magic 100% threshold is truly momentous. For months output has flirted around the 97% mark, so it’s fantastic to reach this milestone. “It’s also worth noting that 20 out of 30 days wind production outstripped demand.
https://www.thenational.scot/news/17286749.scottish-wind-power-output-breaks-100-output-milestone/

December 11, 2018 Posted by | renewable, UK | Leave a comment

Hungary plans for 100% renewable energy, phasing out coal

Open Access Government 28th Nov 2018 , Following yet another hike in the European Union’s emissions trading
system (ETS) in its fight against climate change, Hungary has announced
that it aims to phase out its use of coal and be fully reliant on renewable
energy sources by 2030.
https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/hungary-plans-to-ditch-coal-by-2030-and-become-fully-reliant-on-renewable-energy/55057/

December 1, 2018 Posted by | EUROPE, renewable | Leave a comment

Solar and wind fuels emit no carbon, but “low carbon” nuclear fuel- it’s a lie! theme for November 18

Solar and wind energy both flow directly to the generating system.

Not only are these fuels carbon-free, but, unlike nuclear, they leave no wastes

Only one step in that uranium-nuclear chain is low emission – though all nuclear lobbyists claim that this step is “no emission” – the reactor’s operation.  BUT – Carbon-14 is produced in coolant at boiling water reactors (BWRs) and pressurized water reactors (PWRs). It is typically released to the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide at BWRs, and methane at PWRs.

November 24, 2018 Posted by | Christina's themes, renewable | Leave a comment

UK could be running solely on zero carbon renewable in summer months 2050.

Business Green 2nd Nov 2018 The UK power market will be able to withstand huge volumes of new renewable
generation coming on line according to new research, which suggests the
country could be running solely on zero carbon power during the summer
months by 2050.
The paper, released today by Aurora Energy Research,
explores what happens to the UK power market as it transitions to a high
level of renewable power. Aurora modelled a 2050 scenario where power
demand has risen by two-thirds from today, thanks to the rise of EVs, and
the grid now boasts 130GW of nuclear, wind and solar generation capacity.
Low power demand and a seasonal spike in renewables generation could
effectively lead to zero-carbon summers for the UK electricity grid under
this scenario, according to Aurora. But such large volumes of renewable
power would also “fundamentally alter” the workings of the power market,
with price crashes in the summer months as green power generation soars.
https://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/3065602/aurora-er-uk-could-enjoy-zero-carbon-summer-power-by-2050

November 5, 2018 Posted by | renewable, UK | Leave a comment

Closures of coal and nuclear plants will not trouble the grid, says USA’s Largest power grid operator

Largest power grid operator dismisses the threat of coal and nuclear plant closures, Washington Examiner, by Josh Siegel, November 01, 2018 

The operator of the largest power market in America released a report Thursday finding that its electricity supply would hold up against a range of threats, providing evidence against the Trump administration case for preserving coal and nuclear plants.

“The PJM system is reliable today and will remain reliable into the future,” the grid operator, PJM Interconnection, said in an eight-page summary of a much-anticipated report slated for full release in December.

Andrew Ott, president and CEO of PJM, amplified that assertion later Thursday during a press conference in Washington D.C.

“The grid is more reliable today than it’s ever been,” Ott said.

PJM covers a large territory representing 65 million people in 13 states from Illinois to Virginia.

The report weighs against the Trump administration’s interest in using emergency power to keep coal and nuclear plants alive.

“We think government intervention is unnecessary,” Ott said. “Nothing in our report would say there is a specific need for a specific fuel source. We are fuel neutral.”

The White House has reportedly considered asserting a national security justification for providing coal and nuclear plants with subsidies to keep them from retiring. The effort has stalled, but critics, who say action would upset competitive power markets that reward the lowest cost resource – and also raise electricity rates – fear the administration could try to revive the idea through different mechanisms.

Ott testified to Congress last month that the grid operator’s analysis shows that coal and nuclear closures in the region he covers scheduled for 2021 and 2022 can happen without causing a problem to the grid.

PJM has previously said its grid is “more reliable than ever” and that any federal intervention “would be damaging to the markets and therefore costly to consumers” by raising electricity prices.

……….. FERC, a panel of independent energy regulators, last year rejected a previous version of the Trump administration’s plan to provide special payments to uneconomic coal and nuclear plants that could store 90 days of fuel on-site. But it directed regional transmission operators such as PJM to submit information on resilience challenges in their markets, in anticipation of potential future action FERC could take on its own.

FERC is considering the comments before determining how or whether to act. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/energy/largest-power-grid-operator-dismisses-the-threat-of-coal-and-nuclear-plant-closures

November 3, 2018 Posted by | ENERGY, USA | Leave a comment

€45 billion renewables investment opportunity in France, with its new energy policy

French turn on nuclear opens €45 billion renewables investment opportunity  The French government is expected to show a draft plan on how to achieve nuclear generation reduction plans. After minister Hulot left the government in August, amidst disagreements with Macron’s handling of the nuclear lobby, the parliament has voted for a bill to reduce nuclear generation capacity. If the plans are realized in compliance with the climate targets, solar and wind deployment could grow significantly., PV Magazine,

OCTOBER 31, 2018 MARIAN WILLUHN UK-based analyst firm Aurora Energy Research projects a €45 billion investment opportunity for the French renewable energy market. The French government will present its plan (Programmations Plurianuelles de l’Energie) to lower its dependency on nuclear energy from 75% to 50% by 2025, while at the same time meeting Paris Agreement compliant emission reductions targets……..
Last week, the European Commission approved a new incentive scheme for self-consumption from distributed renewable resources for France. The plan comprises €200 million from the French State budget, for the support of the deployment of 490 MW of additional generation capacity. …….https://www.pv-magazine.com/2018/10/31/french-turn-on-nuclear-opens-e45-billion-renewables-investment-opportunity/?fbclid=IwAR2XkLLTvB2lhTnf__7j4skqGwszrTecissm4PhXOMMWBPiv1esVtNuFj5Q

November 3, 2018 Posted by | France, renewable | Leave a comment

“Clean Energy D.C. Act” – would lead Washington DC to 100% renewable energy by 2032

Green Matters 24th Oct 2018, Lawmakers in Washington D.C. are proposing one of the nation’s most
aggressive plans to cut carbon emissions. The “Clean Energy D.C. Act”
would roll out the strongest renewable electricity standard in the United
States, making the nation’s capital a world leader on climate change and
put them on an accelerated timeline to 100 percent renewable energy by
2032.

“This bill provides the bold action needed to match the urgency of
the climate crisis. It builds on the Clean Energy D.C. plan and the
District’s 12-year legacy of clean energy and green building policy
achievement, again blazing a path for other cities to follow,” said Cliff
Majersik, Executive Director of the Institute for Market Transformation in
a statement.  https://www.greenmatters.com/renewables/2018/10/24/19LG2w/dc-climate-bill-2030

October 29, 2018 Posted by | renewable | 1 Comment

Egypt’s renewable energy project – going for the green economy

Image processed by CodeCarvings Piczard ### FREE Community Edition ### on 2017-10-20 17:00:50Z | http://piczard.com | http://codecarvings.com

Middle East Monitor 27th Oct 2018 , Egypt is “entering the world of solar energy” after it inaugurated the
largest solar power plant in the world early this year, RT reported on Friday. Reporting the remarks of Egyptian official Hassan Abaza, RT said that the superpower plant was built in the city of Aswan, southern Egypt.
It began supplying the national grid last December. Abaza reiterated that this is the largest solar power plant in the world, noting that his country is heading towards more investment in this kind of power as part of its plans for sustainable development.
He also said that solar power energy is better than oil because it is renewable, stressing that the “green
economy” is a mechanism to achieve sustainable development.   https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20181027-egypt-builds-largest-solar-power-plant-in-the-world/

October 29, 2018 Posted by | Egypt, renewable | 1 Comment

UK govt incentives for nuclear, coal gas – work against renewable energy development

Dave Toke’s Blog 20th Oct 2018 UK Renewable trade associations are fighting for the survival of the renewable industry against an onslaught led by the Treasury. If the Treasury gets its way almost all future development for renewable energy in the UK will be stopped.
Continued incentives and tax breaks for nuclear power, shale gas and conventional power stations will, however, remain in place.
The Treasury is pushing for:
a) An end to the policy of issuing CfDs as part of the scheduled review of electricity market reform which takes place next year.
b) The ending of all incentives to solar pv, including for solar power exported to the electricity distribution system.
c) The ending of the carbon price floor which makes fossil fuel more expensive and non-fossil sources relatively cheaper.
http://realfeed-intariffs.blogspot.com/2018/10/renewables-lobbies-fight-to-stave-off.html

October 22, 2018 Posted by | ENERGY, UK | Leave a comment

Washington DC pushes 100% renewable energy bill

 https://reneweconomy.com.au/washington-dc-pushes-100-renewable-energy-bill-48151/

Joshua S Hill 16 October 2018  A bill currently working its way through the Washington D.C. City Council will require all local utilities to source 100% of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2032.

Like the Australian Capital Territory in Canberra, which has its own 100 per cent renewable energy target that will be met by 2020 – it is a strong and not-so-subtle reprimand to the occupant of the capital district’s most famous house.

The CleanEnergy DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2018 was introduced to the Council of the District of Columbia (Washington D.C.) in July and has been working its way through procedures before the first of two public hearings was held last week.

In addition to increasing the District’s Renewable Portfolio Standard to 100% – which would mandate utilities operating in the District source all their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2032 – the omnibus bill also seeks to establish a solar energy standard and require utilities to procure at least 5 per cent of their power from solar by 2032.

In a move obviously intended to increase solar development in the area, the bill includes an interesting wrinkle which proposes to increase the mandated share of solar, up until a limit of 1.68GW.

“The fight to reduce the impacts of climate change is the most important environmental issue of our time,” said council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) in July, who drafted the bill.

“The District has been a leader in this fight, but we need to do much more if we wish to achieve the greenhouse gas reduction goals in the Sustainable DC Plan and in our commitment to the Paris Accords on Climate Change.

By changing the way we approach energy consumption and building emissions, we will have a clear path forward in the fight against the devastating effects of climate change.”

The first of two hearings comes at an opportune time for the successful passing if the omnibus bill, coming as it did only a day after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a Special Report on global warming, which outlined “rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society” are needed in order to limit global warming to 1.5°C.

“If passed, this will be the strongest clean energy and climate protection law in the nation,” said Mark Rodeffer, chair Sierra Club DC Chapter. “To meet DC’s pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 50 percent by 2032 and 80 percent by 2050 and to protect our communities from the catastrophic effects of climate change, this kind of resolute action is needed.”

In addition to the aforementioned provisions in the omnibus bill, it also includes new building emissions standards, funding for local sustainability initiatives, and the promise of new rules on transportation emissions.

“This bill provides the bold action needed to match the urgency of the climate crisis,” added Cliff Majersik, Executive Director of the Institute for Market Transformation. “It builds on the Clean Energy DC plan and the District’s 12-year legacy of clean energy and green building policy achievement, again blazing a path for other cities to follow.

It will stimulate investments to cut energy costs, reduce the flow of money from the District for energy imports, and create jobs for DC residents advancing renewables and energy efficiency.

October 16, 2018 Posted by | renewable, USA | Leave a comment

Cheap flexibility from storage, demand-side response and distributed renewable energy generation poses a “huge threat” to the nuclear industry

‘Cheap as chips’ flexibility poses ‘huge threat’ to nuclear,  https://utilityweek.co.uk/cheap-chips-flexibility-poses-huge-threat-nuclear/ 12/10/2018  Cheap flexibility from storage, demand-side response and distributed generation poses a “huge threat” to the nuclear industry, according to former energy secretary Ed Davey.

 Tom Grimwood  Speaking at a conference held by Aurora Energy Research in London yesterday (11 October), Davey said the falling costs of such technologies raise “serious questions” about the government’s pursuit of new nuclear plants.“There’s no doubt storage and flexibility pose a huge threat to nuclear industry,” he told the audience.  “Nukes are expensive; take a hell of a long time to build. In ten years, where are we going to be with storage and flexibility?

“I think it’s going to be cheap as chips and have variations we don’t even know about today, because so much is evolving. The energy revolution is going apace.”

“That has to ask serious questions of the nuclear strategy which the government is pursuing”.

Davey hailed the government and Ofgem’s smart systems and flexibility plan as the “best thing” he’d seen in terms of policy since leaving office in 2015.

However, he added: “I don’t see much movement. And I’m not saying it’s because it’s easy… But we really need to be moving forward on that to give people better markets and contracts that are more investible… I think we could do a lot better.”

He continued: “If you had better policy you might be able to answer this question of do we keep a big centralised system, investing in lots of big centralised assets, or do we have more of a hybrid system.

“And we’ve gone to a hybrid system a little bit without thinking it all through but for good reasons. Solar took off much quicker than people thought, for example, and the capacity brought on peakers which weren’t really in the picture.

“We’ve now got that hybrid system and my worry is no one’s really thinking that through strategically.”

Davey also raised concerns over the influence of large generators on policy and regulatory decisions: “My worry is that the lobbying power of the big centralised generators… is a bit bigger than those of us who think a lot of the future is in the decentralised sector.

“If I have political message to people, it’s to really think that through because I think we’ve seen in some of the network code debates and elsewhere a politics which is very much in favour of centralised generators.”

Speaking to Utility Week in early 2017, the chief executive of UK Power Reserve, Tim Emrich, accused the Connection and Use of System panel of being unduly influenced by incumbents after the industry body recommended drastic cuts to the triad avoidance payments available to small-scale distributed generators.

The changes were approved by Ofgem later in the year. https://utilityweek.co.uk/cheap-chips-flexibility-poses-huge-threat-nuclear/

October 13, 2018 Posted by | 2 WORLD, decentralised, energy storage | Leave a comment

Energy efficiency – an old-fashioned but effective air-conditioning technique – paint

Times 28th Sept 2018 , In lists of history’s most significant inventions air conditioning is regularly cited: a technology that lets us live and work in someof the most inhospitable places on the planet.

But what if we had missed a rather simpler solution: paint. Researchers have designed a paint that reflects 96 per cent of the sun’s heat, meaning it leaves a building’s walls 6C cooler than the surrounding air. They said that the paint, which they described in the journal Science, could greatly reduce the need for air conditioning.

In hot countries cooling buildings accounts for a significant proportion of
electricity consumption – 17 per cent in the US alone.

This means that it is a significant contributor to global warming. Although in several Mediterranean countries there is a tradition of painting buildings white,
conventional white paint reflects about 80 per cent of visible light, and
is bad at reflecting that in the ultraviolet and near-infrared parts of the spectrum.

The new paint was made after physicists at Columbia University in
New York noticed an unusual effect in a polymer. When this polymer turned
from liquid to a thin solid film, they found that under certain conditions
it went from colourless to white. It had formed a spongey consistency, from
which the whiteness was derived – in the same way that colourless water
turns white when it forms snow.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0c12b87c-c29b-11e8-b39e-4a881a3e11ca

September 29, 2018 Posted by | 2 WORLD, ENERGY | Leave a comment

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