Science and Technology:
¶ “Climate Impulse Putting The Green Hydrogen Aircraft Pieces Together” • The green hydrogen market has been slow on the uptake, as the industry is relatively new and costs are stubbornly high. The Climate Pulse aims to change that image with a non-stop, nine-day flight around the Equator in an electric aircraft powered by green hydrogen. [CleanTechnica]
Work on Climate Impulse (Courtesy of Climate Impulse)
World:
¶ “Taiwan, Indonesia, And Vietnam Green Energy Companies Invest In Southeast Asia” • V-GREEN, a subsidiary of VinFast, is investing to support EVs. It recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with eTreego, a green energy company in Taiwan, to install 100,000 EV charging portals in Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines by 2030. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “UPD Partners With Everlectric To Launch 42 Electric Vans Featuring South Africa’s First Solar-Powered Refrigeration EV Fleet” • The Clicks Group and UPD partnered with Everlectric and Investec Sustainable Solutions to introduce South Africa’s first fleet of zero-emission, pharma-compliant EVs with solar-powered refrigeration. [CleanTechnica]
Refrigeration EV Fleet (Courtesy of Everlectric and UPD)
¶ “Siemens Gamesa To Expand French Blade Factory” • Siemens Gamesa confirmed it will invest €200 million to expand its Le Havre offshore wind blade manufacturing facility in northern France. The factory will focus on making 115-meter-long blades for 14-MW turbines. Siemens Gamesa says it has more than 16 GW worth of firm orders. [reNews]
¶ “Ofgem Grants Seagreen Phase 1 OFTO License” • Ofgem is to give Seagreen Phase 1 Offshore Electricity Transmission (OFTO) Project Limited an offshore transmission license. The Seagreen offshore project is a proposed UK licensee of a UK consortium of Equitix Investment Management, Kyuden T&D Global, and Kyuden International Corporation. [reNews]
Offshore wind farm (Seagreen image)
¶ “Wind Energy Just Had A Record Year In Germany, But The Federal Election Could Shake Things Up” • In Germany, 2024 was a strong year for aeolian energy, with permit awards for onshore wind turbines accelerating, but the upcoming February 23 election brings uncertainty for the sector, amid skepticism from the two parties leading in the polls. [CNBC]
¶ “‘Grid-Forming’ Battery Goes Online In Australia” • Edify Energy said the 185-MW, 370-MWh Koorangie battery system in northwest Victoria is exporting to the grid with hold point testing now underway as it works towards full generation. The Koorangie battery features Tesla Megapacks with grid-forming inverter technology. [pv magazine International]
Battery storage (Sosteneo Infrastructure Partners)
¶ “BYD Inks World’s Largest Grid-Scale Battery Contracts” • BYD Energy Storage and Saudi Electricity Company have signed the world’s largest grid-scale energy storage project contracts with a capacity of 12.5 GWh. Whe this is combined with the previously delivered 2.6-GWh project, the total contracts amount to a huge amount, 15.1 GWh. [Energy Source & Distribution]
¶ “Victorian Government Fast-Tracks Two Green Energy Projects Via New Program” • The Victorian Government announced that two renewable energy projects, the Brewster Wind Farm and the Baranduda Battery Energy Storage System, were fast-tracked through a system designed to reduce red tape, the Development Facilitation Program. [PS News]
Wind turbine (RE Future image)
¶ “Energycloud And Electric Ireland Tackle Energy Poverty With Surplus Renewable Energy” • Electric Ireland and EnergyCloud Ireland partnered to use surplus renewable electricity to provide free hot water for households in energy poverty. The initiative will see smart technology installed in homes to heat immersion tanks using excess renewable energy. [4C Offshore]
¶ “Ørsted Starts Offshore Build At 920-MW Changhua 2b&4” • Ørsted started the offshore construction of the 920-MW Greater Changhua 2b and 4 offshore wind farms in Taiwan. Ørsted was awarded the offshore wind farms in 2018. It signed a 20-year fixed-price corporate power purchase agreement in 2020 for a corporate customer for all production. [reNews]
Offshore foundations (Ørsted image)
¶ “UN Nuclear Chief To View Soil Removed From Fukushima” • The UN nuclear watchdog chief arrived in Japan for a trip that will include his first visit to storage facilities for vast quantities of soil contaminated in the 2011 Fukushima disaster. It is the fifth official visit to the country by Rafael Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency. [Digital Journal]
US:
¶ “CNBC: GM EV Effort Better Prepared Than Ford For Tariffs” • CNBC ran a story about GM’s confidence in the face of the threat of tariffs on Mexico and Canada, countries where US domestic automakers have a sizable footprint. If the numbers are correct, GM is in a better position to weather tariffs than Ford is, despite a significant presence in Mexico. [CleanTechnica]
Chevrolet Silverado EV (Chevrolet image)
¶ “Scout Motors Reveals Specs For BEV And EREV Models” • Scout Motors CEO Scott Keogh shared some specs for the upcoming Scout Traveler SUV and Scout Terra pickup trucks. One of the main things that sets Scout apart from the others is that it plans to offer both pure electric and extended range versions of its vehicles. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “National Renewable Energy Laboratory Working With GA Drilling To Commercialize Geothermal Technology” • GA Drilling, a geothermal drilling company specializing in deep geothermal drilling technology, partnered with NREL on a high-temperature downhole generator designed for geothermal technology applications. [EnergyTech]
Have an absolutely happy day.
geoharvey 