Opinion:
¶ “COP29 Climate Deal: Historic Breakthrough Or Let-Down?” • Relieved COP delegates from rich countries applauded after a last-minute pledge in which rich countries will ‘take the lead’ in climate finance to poor countries of at least $300 billion each year by 2035. Some low-and middle income countries, such as China, will be expected to contribute. [Nature]
Distant wind turbines (Marcin Jozwiak, Unsplash)
Science and Technology:
¶ “Wärtsilä Joins New Consortium To Explore Hydrogen-Argon Power Cycle For Net-Zero Power Generation” • In the Argon Power Cycle, the air is replaced by argon and oxygen. The new research focuses on scaling up an Argon Power Cycle to medium speed engines with full argon recovery. Argon enables higher thermodynamic efficiency. [Wärtsilä]
World:
¶ “EV Sales Are Not Just Rising, They Are Stealing Market Share From Gasmobiles ” • Automotive data firm AutoMotive released its Global Electric Vehicle Tracker. According to their analysis, sales of internal combustion engine vehicles drifted down from a 78% market share two years ago to their current level of 63%, with EVs taking up the slack. [CleanTechnica]
Battery costs going down and energy density going up
¶ “Black Mass To Rescue EV Battery Supply Chain” • When the topic of recycling comes up, the big question is whether or not second-use materials perform as well as new. Independent tests confirm that lithium-ion battery cells made with RecycLiCo’s high performance materials matched the performance of cells made with virgin materials. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “TotalEnergies Halts Adani Investments” • French energy giant TotalEnergies has halted investments into the Adani Group after the Indian business was hit with allegations of corruption. The US filed criminal charges against chairman Gautam Adani and seven other people over allegations they agreed to pay around $265 million in bribes. [reNews]
Renewable generating capacity (Adani image)
¶ “Trio Sign 1.2 GW Of Egyptian Solar PPAs” • Masdar, Infinity Power, and Hassan Allam Utilities announced an agreement with the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company. The effort is to include two power purchase agreements for development of PV projects with a total capacity of 1.2 GW of generating capacity and 720 MWh of battery storage. [reNews]
¶ “CleanMax Secures Wind-Solar PPA With Pipavav Cargo Port” • CleanMax, a renewable energy provider for the commercial and industrial sector, secured a power purchase agreement with APM Terminals Pipavav for a hybrid wind-solar power project in Gujarat. The port will reduce its scope 1 and 2 emissions 65% by 2030, from 2022 levels. [pv magazine India]
CleanMax project (CleanMax image)
¶ “Singapore Told Not To Be A Guinea Pig For Small Modular Reactors” • Singapore, with Asia’s smallest land area, should not be a test bed for small modular reactors in its push to diversify its energy mix away from oil, given the high cost and safety risks of nuclear power, said energy analysts at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. [MSN]
Australia:
¶ “CSIRO Spin-Off Raises Record Amount To Fund Solar Heat And Power Tech, Get Industry Off Gas” • A new concentrated solar thermal company spun out of Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, promises zero emissions, 24/7 heat, and power that is competitive with gas. FPR Energy launched after raising $15 million in venture capital. [RenewEconomy]
Concentrated solar thermal (CSIRO image)
¶ “Solar Farm Celebrates First Generation Milestone” • Fotowatio Renewable Ventures Australia announced the generation of the first energy from Walla Walla Solar Farm in New South Wales’ Riverina region. The new solar farm has a peak power capacity of 353 MW and is set to be one of the largest solar projects in the state. [Energy Source & Distribution]
¶ “Call To Listen To ‘Farmers Not Facebook’ On New Energy” • Perceptions of farmers being opposed to renewable energy are false, but they do want more from developers, according to an Australian farming group. The latest polling found 70% support clean energy projects on farmland in their local areas and 17% were opposed. [Yahoo]
Wind farm in Victoria (John Englart, CC-BY-SA 2.0)
US:
¶ “Tesla Supercharger Upgrades” • Tesla’s Supercharger team (what’s left of it) has announced improvements to the charging experience. Among the improvements are software upgrades, locations, and the length of the charging cables. The cables have become important since the Supercharger network was opened up to other car companies. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Record Year Projected For US Solar In 2024” • The American Clean Power Association has released a report that predicts a record-breaking year for the US solar industry, with over 32 GW of new systems in 2024. The Solar Market Monitor, a market analysis of the US utility-scale solar industry, was produced by S&P Global Commodity Insights. [reNews]
Urban solar system (Eco Energy World image)
¶ “US Grid Operators Kept The Lights On This Summer With More Solar, Storage, And Wind” • The demand for electricity is often at its peak during summer afternoons, when the AC runs. The bulk power system met this demand with hydropower and fossil fuels. What a shift this past summer was, with renewables taking up the extra load. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Consumers Energy To Add 100 MW Of Battery Storage To Make Renewable Energy-Heavy Electric System Stable” • Some 100 MW more battery energy storage is to be put on the grid as Consumers Energy brings its total to 400 MW. The utility will buy the electricity from a new facility being built by Voyager Energy Storage. [WCMU Public Radio]
Have a warmly received day.
geoharvey 