More like this - link
Friday 28 February 2020
BRITISH EXTINCTION - CORONAVIRUS
Given a choice between catching and recovering from Coronavirus or running scared, using gallons of hand sanitiser, avoiding public places and thinking that every sneeze, cough or snivel means I've got the lergy - I'd rather get it now.
As tempted as I was to bulk buy baked beans and Dettol wipes yesterday I somehow managed to stop myself.
Coronavirus has replaced Brexit in the UK media - if the virus doesn't get us then the BBC is going to do its damndest to bore or scare us to death - Link
Thursday 27 February 2020
BBC CORONAVIRUS NEWS
The BBC has confirmed that following talks with government ministers, all news programming including the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, the main television BBC news at 6 o clock and all bulletins on BBC local radio will not have a period any longer than three minutes without mentioning the Coronavirus.
The corporation confirmed that the Coronavirus is everywhere, people are getting it, some people have died after getting it, there's nothing we can do to stop it spreading, the shops are going to run out of food, Britain will starve to death and we're all going to die one day, and now over to the sport with Gavin - Link
Wednesday 26 February 2020
HDC-6 NEPTUNE
The South Korean automaker unveiled the cornerstone of its strategy in Atlanta last month by showing the concept of its planned HDC-6 Neptune hydrogen fuel cell truck.
Styled like a 1930s Art Deco steam locomotive, the truck could be plying U.S. highways by 2024 - Link
Tuesday 25 February 2020
VIRIDOR FOR SALE
Viridor has said it will “update the market as and when it is appropriate” in light of reports which suggest American private equity firm KKR lodged a bid for the waste management company last year.
According to reports in The Telegraph this weekend (11 January), investment bankers from Morgan Stanley and Barclays have been appointed to sell Viridor, and an auction is thought to be taking place this year “for one of the most sought-after investments of 2020”.
Viridor’s strategic review is set to be completed this year
The paper claimed that KKR had attempted to “jumpstart” the official auction process for Viridor with a bid early last year, which was rejected. The report added that Viridor is valued at around £4 billion.
Viridor has a portfolio of 11 Energy from Waste plants which it says is worth around £1.5 billion. It operates the Lakeside facility near Slough with Grundon, with whom it also proposing a new plant in West Sussex (see letsrecycle.com story) - Link
Monday 24 February 2020
SOLARROLLA
Solar Electric VW Bus
When tilted it creates a space underneath the panel that is enclosed with canvas to create a sleeping loft. In the main cabin is space to build the kitchen, table and other necessities for camping and life on the road - Link
Sunday 23 February 2020
MURMANSK WIND
The chill winds lashing the Arctic coasts near Murmansk will soon provide a new sort of warming effect – a wind farm that will be Russia’s largest, supplying as much as 750 gigawatts of electricity a year.
The Russian-Italian joint project – which will place 57 wind turbines on the coast of the Barents Sea about 80 kilometers from Murmansk – could avoid the release of some 600,000 tons of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere.
The Kolskaya wind farm, which will open in 2020, is the work of Italy’s Enel and its subsidiary Enel Green Power.
“With the start of construction of this facility, we are confirming our commitment to Russia’s energy transition towards a low-carbon economy,” Enel Group’s Head of Europe and Euro-Mediterranean Affair said at the wind farm’s ground-breaking ceremony late last month - Link
ROOT VEGETABLE MASH QUEST
In my quest to make the best ever root vegetable mash, tonight's version contains celeriac, swede, parsnips, sweet potatoes and carrots.
These will be complimented by black pepper, lurpak butter and four cheese.
Friday 21 February 2020
GIGASTACK
Whelp, it looks like ditching the EU didn’t rain on the UK’s plans for the sparkling green renewable hydrogen economy of the future.
Earlier this week word slipped out that Phase 2 of the so-named “Gigastack” industrial-scale green H2 project is barreling full steam ahead.
Danish wind giant Ørsted is collaborating in the project along with three other heavy hitters: ITM Power, Phillips 66 Limited, and Element Energy - Link
Thursday 20 February 2020
HOLLYWOOD IN BERKSHIRE
Plans to develop the "largest purpose-built film studio" in the UK have been put forward in Reading.
US company Blackhall Studios and the University of Reading want to build the new £150m studios at Thames Valley Science Park.
Blackhall said the move would "bring major Hollywood film productions to the UK" and create up to 3,000 jobs.
The company has produced movies such as Venom, Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Jumanji: The Next Level.
The company said £500m a year would be invested in the complex, which would produce roughly five to seven movies a year and create 1,500 jobs on-site - Link
Wednesday 19 February 2020
WORLD'S FIRST LOW CARBON H2 PLANT
World’s first low carbon hydrogen plant given green light.
The UK government announced a dual funding package for two hydrogen power projects in the North West of England.
The overall £13M fund will finance the development of the Cheshire hydrogen plant project, and will fund trials for hydrogen fuelling near Liverpool. The Hynet consortium in the North West of England will lead the projects.
Hynet is made up of companies including gas group Cadent, clean energy developer Progressive Energy and Peel Environmental
When complete, the low carbon hydrogen plant at Essar Oil UK's Stanlow refinery in Cheshire will produce 3TWh of low carbon hydrogen, double the amount of biomethane produced in the UK. The plant will also capture and store 95% of the carbon used in the process - Link
Tuesday 18 February 2020
QUANTUM DOTS
A flexible solar “skin” that could be used to generate power on homes, cars and phones is a step closer to development after the technology was used to break a world record for electricity conversion, researchers say.
Engineers at the University of Queensland have been working with nanoparticles known as quantum dots that pass electrons and generate an electrical current when exposed to solar energy.
The dots can be printed on flexible sheets that have the potential to be used as a transparent skin to power devices including mobile phones and electric vehicles, and applied to windows and other surfaces - Link
Monday 17 February 2020
Sunday 16 February 2020
CLEAN WASTE COLLECTION
Baetsen Group (NL) and Cure Afvalbeheer (NL) is collecting garbage with a hydrogen-powered collection vehicle in the Eindhoven region.
The trucks were officially inaugurated in the presence of the aldermen for sustainability of the Eindhoven Metropolitan Area.
This demonstration is the first in a series of 10 demonstrations in European cities. Baetsen-Groep and Cure waste management invested in these innovative and zero-emission vehicles. The vehicles were built by E-trucks Europe (BE), with the support of Hydrogenics.
The trucks are Europe’s first garbage trucks on hydrogen with licence plate (toghether with a truck in Groningen). The presentation of the trucks is a new milestone in the Life ‘N Grab Hy! project - Link
JAPAN'S FIRST WIND FARM
Japan’s first commercial-scale ocean wind farm in financial close: Mott MacDonald
The $904m (JPY100 billion) Akita offshore wind farm project in Japan has successfully reached financial close.
Developed by Akita Offshore Wind Corporation, the project is the first commercial-scale Japanese offshore wind farm to secure non-recourse debt financing from a syndicate of Japanese lenders.
Mott MacDonald is the lender’s technical advisor on the project.
The approximately 140MW project is being constructed in Akita Prefecture in two phases, with sequential installation between the Akita port and Noshiro port wind farms - Link
Saturday 15 February 2020
Thursday 13 February 2020
PLASTIC WASTE TO HYDROGEN
A technology company aiming to produce hydrogen from unrecyclable plastic waste has won a £1.25m ($1.64m) grant for its first commercial plant, to be built in northwest England.
Waste2tricity will use the funds to construct the facility’s thermal conversion chamber, a key component of the Distributed Modular Generation (DMG) system developed by its partner, AIM-listed waste-to-energy group PowerHouse Energy (PHE) — which is, incidentially, in the process of acquiring Waste2Tricity - Link
Tuesday 11 February 2020
NIKOLA CORP TRUCK
Nikola Corp. – the battery- and hydrogen-powered truck company that has positioned itself as a rival to Tesla – on Monday announced plans to make an electric pickup.
The Nikola Badger will have a battery-only range of 300 miles or a range of 600 miles on a battery plus a hydrogen fuel tank. Production will begin in the third quarter of 2021, Nikola spokesperson Colleen Robar noted in an email. No price has been announced.
The Badger joins a growing list of electric pickups promised by an array of established and start-up automakers - Link
Sunday 9 February 2020
SINOT AQUA
The world's second richest man, Bill Gates, has (not) reportedly purchased the most coveted super yacht that is completely powered by liquid hydrogen. Gates regularly shares his wealth supporting environment friendly initiative as well as to organisations working to better world health.
The billionaire is (not) now investing heavily in a completely green superyacht in the hopes that many other magnates follow his lead.
The new yacht was launched at the Monaco Yacht Show and is being built by a Dutch company Sinot.
Created in collaboration with Lateral Naval Architects, the yacht will measure 112 metres long and be powered by liquid hydrogen providing electrical energy to the fuel cells.
"For development of Aqua we took inspiration from the lifestyle of a discerning, forward-looking owner, the fluid versatility of water and cutting-edge technology, to combine this in a 112-meter superyacht with truly innovative features," designer Sander Sinot said - Link
Saturday 8 February 2020
GILSTON HILL DOUBT
Plans for a wind farm in the Scottish borders have been rejected for a third time over "environmental harm" fears.
Proposals to put up turbines north west of Gilston Farm, near Heriot, first surfaced almost a decade ago.
It was initially refused by a Scottish government reporter - but revised plans later gained approval in February 2019.
However, the Court of Session quashed that decision and it was ordered to be re-determined. A reporter has now concluded the scheme should be refused.
A planning application for the Gilston Hill wind farm was originally submitted to Scottish Borders Council in late 2011 - Link
CUMMINS H20 ELECTRIC
Cummins has unveiled a heavy-duty hydrogen and electric truck.
The zero-emission demonstration vehicle, which was unveiled at the 2019 North America Commercial Vehicle Show, is suitable for regional haul, urban delivery operations, port drayage and terminal container handling.
The firm says the truck is designed for a 90kW fuel cell and is scalable in 30kW or 45kW increments up to a maximum of 180kW.
The vehicle’s 100kWh lithium-ion battery capacity gives it a range of up to 250 miles – this can be further extended with additional hydrogen tanks, by increasing the tank storage pressure or installing additional fuel cells - Link
DISASTER STRIKES LGBT COMMUNITY
My heart goes out today to the members of the UK's LGBT community who through no fault of their own have had Phillip Scofield thrust upon them as their soon to be self elected spokesperson.
Yawn, move on, nothing outrageous or of any importance whatsoever to see here (unless you're Phil and are working on your career prospects).
Thursday 6 February 2020
CANADIAN SOLAR BP AGREEMENT
Canadian Solar has signed a multi-year module supply agreement with Lightsource BP totalling 1200MW.
The high efficiency polycrystalline bifacial BiHiKu (CS3W-PB-AG) and HiKu (CS3W-P) modules are for projects in the US and Australia.
Lightsource BP chief operating officer Kareen Boutonnat said: “We are pleased to be working with Canadian Solar to deliver our global pipeline.
“They are a bankable and industry proven partner for our projects - Link
What are bifacial solar modules?
Bifacial solar modules offer many advantages over traditional solar panels. Power can be produced from both sides of a bifacial module, increasing total energy generation - Link
Wednesday 5 February 2020
SHELL BUYS HUDSON ENERGY
Oil major Shell acquired another customer-facing electricity and gas provider in the U.K., potentially bolstering its green credentials and renewables procurement expertise in the country.
The deal for Hudson Energy, which trades as Green Star Energy, will add 200,000 new customers for Shell Energy. Hudson’s supply is drawn entirely from renewable generation, while Shell Energy depends heavily on offsets for its renewable offerings.
In 2017 Shell acquired energy and broadband supplier First Utility and its 825,000 customers, amid an ongoing push into the clean power business. The following year it rebranded the service to Shell Energy and began sourcing 100 percent of its electricity from renewables via existing power-purchase agreements (PPAs) and offset certificates - Link
Tuesday 4 February 2020
FOSSIL ACTION OXFORD
When most people think of Oxford, what comes to mind are images of bright minds debating quantum physics or the existence of God. But even the brainiest sometimes need a lesson in common sense.
That’s exactly what the bursar at St. John’s College—the most richly endowed college at Oxford—delivered when he responded to students occupying his 15th-century quadrangle and refusing to leave until the college divested its oil-company shares. The students want the college to sell the more than $10 million of its endowment now invested in Shell and BP, and they want it now.
The Times of London reports that bursar Andrew Parker made them a counteroffer. “I am not able to arrange any divestment at short notice,” he wrote. “But I can arrange for the gas central heating in college to be switched off with immediate effect. Please let me know if you support this proposal.”
The idea that the students themselves make a fossil-fuel sacrifice did not go over well. One protest organizer complained that Mr. Parker was being flippant, noting that “it’s January and it would be borderline dangerous to shut off the central heating.” Another suggested Mr. Parker was being provocative.
Again the bursar responded with wisdom: “You are right that I am being provocative but I am provoking some clear thinking, I hope. It is all too easy to request others to do things that carry no personal cost to yourself. The question is whether you and others are prepared to make personal sacrifices to achieve the goals of environmental improvement (which I support as a goal).” Link
(AUC) AMAZON GOES ELECTRIC
Internet shopping giant Amazon has given a further boost to EV start-up Rivian by placing an order with the company for 100,000 electric delivery vehicles.
The fledging manufacturer is aiming to produce a range of go-anywhere 4x4 EVs built on its own bespoke platform, showcasing the R1 SUV and R1T pick-up at last year’s Los Angeles motor show.
Rivian has attracted high profile investments from firms including Ford, with which it is working on future vehicle development, and Amazon.
Opinion: will Amazon's electric van order disrupt the car industry?
The internet retailer invested $440 million (£350 million) to lead a $700 million (£544 million) investment round in Rivian earlier this year, and has now furthered those links with the massive order, which it says is the largest ever made in an electric delivery vehicle.
Amazon says that the first Rivan-built vans will go into service in 2021, with the plan to have 10,000 on the road by 2022 and all 100,000 in operation by 2030 - Link
Monday 3 February 2020
(AUC) UPS GOES ELECTRIC
Global logistics firm UPS has ordered 10,000 electric delivery vans from London-based start-up Arrival.
The vans, based on Arrival’s Generation 2.0 EV architecture, will be rolled out across the UK, Europe and North America before 2024 as UPS transitions to a zero-emissions fleet.
The American company also has the option of ordering another 10,000 vans in the future, having made an investment in Arrival of an undisclosed amount through its venture capital arm.
The transaction, said to be worth “hundreds of millions of euros”, comes just two weeks after Arrival announced an £85 million investment from Hyundai and Kia, which will go towards developing a new line of bespoke commercial EVs for the Korean manufacturers.
UPS and Arrival have been working together since 2016, with the former providing “valuable insight to how electric delivery vans are used on the road and how they can be optimised for drivers,” according to Arrival CEO Denis Sverdlov - Link - more like this (ev delivery) - link
Sunday 2 February 2020
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)