Opinion:
¶ “Did Shell Change Its Mind About Russia?” • Did Shell Oil Company change its mind about Russia? Well, it’s complicated – at least, according to Shell. Shell was one of three oil companies cutting ties with Russia. But it bought 100,000 metric tons of Russia’s Urals crude from a commodity trader at $28.50 a barrel below the price of Brent crude. [CleanTechnica]
Shell station (Myke Waddy, public domain)
World:
¶ “Shell Defends ‘Difficult’ Decision To Buy Russian Crude Oil” • Shell defended a decision to buy Russian crude oil despite the invasion and bombardment of Ukraine, saying in a statement that the decision to purchase the fuel at a discounted price was “difficult.” It confirmed that it had bought a cargo of Russian crude oil but said it had “no alternative.” [BBC]
¶ “Stocks Sink While Oil Soars After US And Allies Consider Banning Russian Oil” • Stocks are tumbling Monday as oil prices are soaring to the highest level in 13 years, raising fears about a further spike in inflation that could damage the global economy. Brent crude also rose to the highest level since 2008, up 8% to $127.66 a barrel. [CNN]
Shell Perdido offshore platform (BSEE, public domain)
¶ “Scatec Partners With ACME Group To Develop A Large-Scale Green Ammonia Facility In Oman” • Scatec ASA signed an agreement with ACME Group from India to create a 50/50 joint venture for a green ammonia facility in Oman. The first phase is expected to produce 100,000 tonnes of green ammonia per year, powered by 500 MW of solar. [GlobeNewswire]
¶ “Ireland Hits New Wind Power Record” • Wind provided 53% of Ireland’s electricity in February 2022, its highest-ever share. Wind energy was also the number one source of electricity for the month and on 5 February set a new All-Ireland record for the amount of wind energy on the system at 4.6 GW, according to a Wind Energy Ireland report. [reNews]
Tythegston Wind Turbines (Steve Barnes, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
¶ “Australian Start-Up Allows EV Drivers To Charge Their Vehicles With Renewable Energy” • More Australians will be buying an electric vehicle in the years ahead. With incentives, sales of EVs is expected to grow 200% in 2022 from 2021. IonBlue makes it possible to ensure the electricity to power these EVs is sourced from renewable energy. [Tech Guide]
¶ “UK Renewable Energy Projects Should Be Accelerated To Mitigate Impact Of Ukraine Conflict” • Energy experts called for the UK to press on with its push to roll out renewables, with the need to bolster energy security highlighted by the impact of Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine. EU and UK gas prices have now risen close to the record highs. [New Civil Engineer]
Wind turbines (Sam Forson, Pexels)
¶ “Aston Martin Signs MOU With Britishvolt” • Luxury carmaker Aston Martin has signed an MOU with Britishvolt as it aims to launch its first battery electric vehicle in 2025. Aston Martin is developing alternatives to the internal combustion engine. By 2026, all new Aston Martin product lines will have an electrified powertrain option. [Energy Digital]
¶ “Daintree Rainforest Residents A Step Closer To Getting Power From Solar-To-Hydrogen Microgrid” • The Australian federal government will sign off on a multi-million-dollar deal to bring solar-powered microgrids to townships living among the World Heritage-listed Daintree rainforest in Far North Queensland. The area had been powered mostly by diesel. [ABC]
Daintree microgrid (Volt Advisory Group image)
¶ “World Fears ‘Catastrophic’ Nuclear Disaster As Putin ‘Attacks Neutron Source Facility’ In Ukraine” • There are reports that the Russian military fired missiles at the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology, which houses a nuclear research reactor. Emine Dzheppar, deputy minister for foreign affairs, said destruction of the facility would lead to a “catastrophe.” [Irish Mirror]
¶ “UK To Launch Three ‘Green Inertia’ Schemes” • Three green inertia services, which mimic the effect of a power station but without fossil fuels, will go live by summer in the UK. They are part of a £336 million National Grid ESO investment program to measure and generate green inertia, which is needed to maintain frequency on the grid, keeping it stable. [reNews]
Grid control room (National Grid image)
¶ “IAEA Says It’s Concerned Now That The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant Is Under Russian Command” • The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is under Russian command and the International Atomic Energy Agency is concerned. Former US Under Secretary of Defense Michèle Flournoy said Russia, when it shelled the plant, was “extremely irresponsible.” [Business Insider]
US:
¶ “NREL Issues Competitiveness Improvement Project Request For Proposals” • The US DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory issued an RFP for the Competitiveness Improvement Project. This is an opportunity for manufacturers of small and medium-sized wind turbines to propose solutions for developing markets for new products. [CleanTechnica]
Wind turbines (Thomas Reaubourg, Unsplash)
¶ “Elon Musk Backs More Oil Production And Expanded EU Nuclear Power To Combat Russia ” • Tesla CEO Elon Musk is calling for the expansion of nuclear power in Europe and greater oil production in the US as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine spikes prices and lays bare the EU’s energy vulnerabilities. Restarting nuclear plants is not easy, however. [Yahoo News]
¶ “Murphy Calls For Replacing Russian Oil With Renewable Energy In Case Of Potential Ban” • Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy (D) told Fox News Channel’s Shannon Bream that if the US decides to ban Russian energy imports, he would like to see the gap in energy production filled with renewable energy on top of domestic fossil fuel production. [TheHill]
Have a joyously exultant day.
geoharvey 
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