Opinion:
¶ “Green Hydrogen Project Warns Natural Gas Stakeholders: Get Out!” • The US utility Puget Sound Energy just pulled a double whammy by closing a deal on a new green hydrogen project that provides for energy storage and fuel production, while pushing natural gas out of the power generation market, too. It could be a trendsetting development. [CleanTechnica]
Gas-and-electric utility (Courtesy of Mitsubishi Power)
Please click on the image to enlarge it.
¶ “Small Modular Nuclear Reactors Are Mostly Bad Policy” • SMRs have many of the same problems of their big counterparts. The people asserting that SMRs are the primary or only answer to energy generation either don’t know what they are talking about, are actively dissembling, or are intentionally delaying climate action. [CleanTechnica]
Science and Technology:
¶ “Ford And BMW Bank On Solid-State Batteries” • Lithium-ion batteries have introduced millions of drivers all over the world to the joys of zero emission mobility. But a more streamlined and simpler architecture could trim down weight and size, improve performance, and reduce costs all in one blow. Ford and BMW are pursuing that dream. [CleanTechnica]
Lithium-ion and solid state batteries (BMW image)
¶ “Storing Large Scale Renewables With Basalt Stones” • A Danish consortium is seeking to store electricity from large scale renewable energy plants in the form of thermal energy in big tanks of crushed, pea-sized pieces of basalt. The first 10-MWh demonstrator is planned to be developed in Denmark. It will be powered by a wind facility. [PV Magazine]
¶ “Solar Power + Bees = Extra Benefit For Massachusetts” • The solar power company Navisun has just added a couple of solar projects to a special new “pollinator-friendly” solar initiative it has launched in Massachusetts. Furthermore, the projects qualified as pollinator-friendly facilities in the Massachusetts SMART Program. [CleanTechnica]
Cosmos to attract bees and butterflies (Courtesy of Navisun)
World:
¶ “Indian State Issues 1.3-GW Solar Power Tender” • The Indian state of Maharashtra has issued a tender for the installation of 1.3 GW of solar power projects. The entire capacity will be used for supplying electricity to agricultural consumers, according to media reports. Project developers would be required to set up projects of 25 GW or 50 GW. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Sweden’s April Plugin Vehicle Share Above 43% – Volkswagen ID.4 Overall Best Selling Vehicle” • Sweden saw plugin electric vehicle market share reach 43.1% in April 2021, up almost 2× year on year, with full electric vehicles alone at a record 22.2% share. The Swedish auto market volume as a whole was down 31% from pre-COVID norms. [CleanTechnica]
Volkswagen ID.4 (Image courtesy of Volkswagen)
¶ “Amp Power Australia To Establish Renewable Energy Hub” • Amp Power Australia is building a portfolio of integrated PV, wind, and battery energy storage assets. It is to invest over A$2 billion ($1.54 billion) in the Renewable Energy Hub of South Australia. Construction of three solar projects totaling 1.3 GW is set to begin next year. [Power Technology]
¶ “Dogger Bank Unveils Unmanned HVDC Platform” • The UK’s 3.6-GW Dogger Bank wind farm is to have the first unmanned offshore high voltage direct current offshore substation, with a 1200-MW capacity. It will be the first offshore wind farm in the UK to use HVDC technology to transmit its electricity back to shore, minimizing losses. [reNEWS]
Unmanned substation (Aibel image)
¶ “Electricity Supplier Inks UK Wind Offtake” • UK electricity supplier So Energy has signed power purchase agreements for output from two UK wind farms owned by Ventient Energy. The PPAs are for energy from the A’Chruach wind farm in Argyll and the Sisters wind farm in Northumberland with a combined total capacity of over 50 MW. [reNEWS]
US:
¶ “Half Of States Now Have At Least 1,000 Non-Residential Electric Vehicle Charging Units” • As of March 2021,25 states have at least 1,000 non-residential EV charging units (public and private). California has the greatest number of non-residential EV chargers by far, with nearly 37,000 units. New York, Florida, and Texas had well over 4,000 each. [CleanTechnica]
Please click on the image to enlarge it. (US DOE image)
¶ “Interior Department Approves $550 Million Solar Energy Project In California Desert” • The Bureau of Land Management has given final approval to a new solar energy project on public lands in California. The Crimson Solar Project, at an investment of roughly $550 million, will have 350 MW of solar and 350 MW of batteries. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “NextEra Brings Online 130 MW Of Arizona PV Plus Storage” • An affiliate of NextEra Energy Resources has brought online a project with 100 MW solar plus 30 MW of storage project at Tucson International Airport. The Wilmot Energy Center project covers 457 hectares and will supply electricity to Tucson Electric Power under a long-term agreement. [reNEWS]
Wilmot Energy Center (Tucson Electric image)
¶ “New York Advisory Panel Recommendations To Include Gas-Fired Plant Moratorium” • New York state’s Power Generation Advisory Panel will recommend to the state’s Climate Action Council a moratorium on construction of plants powered by fossil fuels, the panel’s chair said. The moratorium would include new and repowered gas facilities. [S&P Global]
¶ “Virginia Thumbs Up For Dominion 500-MW PV Spree” • Dominion Energy has received approval from the Virginia State Corporation Commission for nine solar farms totaling almost 500 MW. Six of the nine new solar projects relate to power purchase agreements that were selected following a competitive solicitation process. [reNEWS]
Have a reasonably lazy day. (You deserve it.)
geoharvey 