THE HYDROGEN ECONOMY

The falling cost of making hydrogen from wind and solar power could cut greenhouse gas emissions by 34% in fossil fuel dependent sectors of the economy, such as steel, heavy-duty vehicles, shipping and cement, according to new research by BloombergNEF (BNEF).

The 'Hydrogen Economy Outlook' found that the cuts are possible at a manageable cost, but this will only happen if policies are put in place to help scale up technology, and drive down costs.

Green hydrogen could be produced for $0.8 to $1.6 kilogram in most parts of the world before 2050, the report said.

BNEF said this price is equivalent to gas priced at $6-12/MMBtu, making it competitive with current natural gas prices in Brazil, China, India, Germany and Scandinavia on an energy-equivalent basis - link

MISSING COLLEAGUES

KIM & DON

Kim Jong Un says that North Korea doesn't have any cases of coronavirus and Donald Trump believes him - enough said - Link

EASTER RAMADAN CORONAVIRUS

OH THE HUMANITY

H2SHIPS

This is the first look at the new hydrogen-powered port vessel being built in Amsterdam as part of a pilot project aiming to foster the creation of a hydrogen supply chain for water transport.

Based in the North West Europe area, the H2SHIPS project will also develop and test a hydrogen refuelling system suitable for open sea operation in Belgium.

A further major output will be an action plan for the implementation of a H2SHIPS pilot on the River Seine in Paris in 2022.

The image above from the Port of Amsterdam shows the first artist impressions of the new zero emission hydrogen-powered ship - Link

THE ORB

COVID-19 RESPONSE TRACKER

Governments are taking a wide range of measures in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT) aims to record these unfolding responses in a rigorous, consistent way across countries and across time.

Systematic information on which governments have taken which measures, and when, can help decision-makers and citizens understand the robustness of governmental responses in a consistent way, aiding efforts to fight the pandemic. The OxCGRT collects information on several different common policy responses governments have taken, scores the stringency of such measures, and aggregates these scores into a common Stringency Index - Link

MY COLLEAGUE

Of the twenty eight million people who watched last night, my colleague swears blind that Boris Johnson went on TV to specifically tell him not to come in to work today. 

Funnily enough, he was the only one of our ‘key worker’ team not to turn up.

Well done JE you lazy bastard.

READING UNI - ALL QUIET

CORONAVIRUS READING

SUNDAY 22/03/2020

The Chinese city of Wuhan, where the global pandemic was first detected, went a fourth consecutive day on Sunday without reporting any new or suspected cases of the virus.

ITALIAN DIET AND MORTALITY

How bizarre that Germany has such a low coronavirus mortality rate of 0.3% compared to their European cousins the Italians with a mortality rate of 9%.

Ironic that when looking at the most obvious differences between the two countries; the Italian diet would appear to be the more healthy of the two.

Even more ironic that the ignorant fat fuckers stockpiling in Britain are reaching for pasta, tinned tomatoes and olive oil.

OXFORD SCIENTISTS CREATE CORONAVIRUS VACCINE

A TEAM of scientists at Oxford University have created a potential vaccine for coronavirus and clinical trials could start as soon as next month.

Researchers from the Jenner Institute and Oxford Vaccine Group, led by Professor Sarah Gilbert, Professor Andrew Pollard, Professor Teresa Lambe, Dr Sandy Douglas and Professor Adrian Hill, began work designing a vaccine for Covid-19 on January 10.

An update posted by the institute on Wednesday said: "The current status is that they have identified a vaccine candidate and are working towards the first clinical testing phase." Link - more like this (UOX) - link

OXFORD SCIENTISTS DEVELOP TESTING TECHNOLOGY

Oxford scientists develop rapid testing technology for COVID-19

Scientists from the University of Oxford’s Engineering Science Department and the Oxford Suzhou Centre for Advanced Research (OSCAR) have developed a rapid testing technology for the novel corona virus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).

Developers

The team, led by Prof Zhanfeng Cui and Prof Wei Huang, have been working to improve test capabilities as the virus spreads internationally.

The new test is much faster and does not need a complicated instrument. Previous viral RNA tests took 1.5 to 2 hours to give a result. The research team has developed a new test, based on a technique which is capable of giving results in just half an hour – over three times faster than the current method.

Prof Wei Huang says: ‘The beauty of this new test lies in the design of the viral detection that can specifically recognise SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) RNA and RNA fragments. The test has built-in checks to prevent false positives or negatives and the results have been highly accurate.’ Link - more like this (University of Oxford) - link - more like this (UOX) - link

AVALON REVERSE TAKEOVER OF REDT

Two flow battery companies are about to complete a months-long effort to combine forces. 

It's a rare instance of elective M&A in this challenging sector of the energy storage industry, where acquisitions often happen after a bankruptcy or insolvency.

North America’s Avalon Battery will absorb publicly traded British company RedT Energy through a reverse takeover, pending shareholder approval. Both companies have produced vanadium flow battery products and achieved initial commercial deployments; the move will pool resources in the new brand Invinity Energy Systems.

Both RedT and Avalon declined to comment on the transaction.

The goal, as described in a securities filing, is to create “the world's leading vanadium flow battery company.” Given the state of the competition, that may well be achievable - Link

CORONAVIRUS OXFORD 106

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VW - V2G

BERLIN — Volkswagen's expansion in electric cars will open up new business opportunities in storing and managing energy, encroaching on business currently dominated by utilities and energy firms, chief strategist Michael Jost said on Thursday.

Electric car batteries could be used to stabilize the energy grid by charging the battery in times of excess supply and selling electricity back to the grid at times when supplies of electricity from wind and solar power are low, Jost said.

"By 2025 we will have 350 gigawatt hours worth of energy storage at our disposal through our electric car fleet. Between 2025 and 2030 this will grow to 1 terawatt hours worth of storage," Jost told journalists in Berlin.

"That's more energy than is currently generated by all the hydroelectric power stations in the world. We can guarantee that energy will be used and stored and this will be a new area of business." - Link

CORONAVIRUS OXFORD 105

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METHOTREXATE & CORONAVIRUS

Q: Am I at extra risk because I take medicines that suppress my immune system?

A: We don’t know whether taking immunosuppressant drugs further increases the risk of catching COVID-19. But Michael George, MD, a rheumatologist and assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, says that in relation to viruses in general, limited data suggest some of the drugs used to treat autoimmune and inflammatory types of arthritis – biologics (for example, Remicade, Enbrel and Cimzia), JAK-inhibitors (Xeljanz, Olumiant and Rinvoq), and corticosteroids (prednisone) – may contribute to higher risk or severity of viral infection.

A recent large study of people with cardiovascular disease found that hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) does not increase the risk of infection and methotrexate increases the risk of infection only slightly.

The concern with immune suppression is that the virus could replicate more freely and cause more severe or extensive disease, says Dr. Winthrop. For this reason, it’s important if you are taking these medications to contact your doctor right away if you think you’ve been exposed or are experiencing flu-like symptoms. (See question addressing symptoms.) Be sure to state that you are taking immune-suppressing drugs.

Experts warn patients not to stop or change dosage of medication without calling their doctors - Link

MY VIEW

As someone taking MTX for psoriatic arthritis,  my view is that my illness is due to an over active immune system and the drug is in effect bringing that down to 'normal' levels.

The 25mg per week I take, in my opinion leaves me no more at risk than anyone else without psoriasis and MTX.

SWEDEN

H2 VERSUS BATTERIES

Seasonal storage of hydrogen to balance renewable generation will be cost-competitive in 2050, says DNV GL, a Norway-based consulting firm that advises the energy and shipping industries.

The firm models nonstop production of hydrogen every summer, using electrolysis units powered by market electricity. The hydrogen would be compressed and stored underground in salt caverns or depleted gas fields, and the following winter would be converted nonstop to electricity, using fuel cells. 

Daily balancing would be achieved using batteries and pumped hydro. To the extent the entire grid ran on renewables in the summer, the hydrogen would be “green,” or renewably produced - Link

BUILDING A WIND FARM

I CAN'T GET NO SLEEP

WAITING

RENEWABLES INAPPROPRIATE IN BASILDON

A RENEWABLE energy firm wants to expand the life of a solar farm in Billericay by 14 years – but the plan is set to be resisted by Basildon Council.

Wirsol Energy has revealed plans to extend “operational phase two” of the solar farm on green belt land in Outwood Farm Road.

This would effectively extend consent for the solar farm from 26 to 40 years.

But Basildon Council planners are recommending refusal of the application because they believe it’s inappropriate use of the green belt - Link

CHINA ENERGY - EDF PROJECT

BEIJING, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The China Energy Investment Corporation (China Energy) said it has inked a deal with the French energy giant EDF Group to jointly develop an offshore wind power project in eastern China's Jiangsu Province.

The joint-venture project, with a total investment of 7.9 billion yuan (about 1.13 billion U.S. dollars), was the first of its kind in offshore wind power with both domestic and foreign investment, China Energy said.

With a total installed capacity of 502 megawatts, the project is expected to generate 1.39 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year, the equivalent of 441,900 tonnes of standard coal, and satisfy the annual electricity needs of nearly 2 million residents, according to the company.

The project, based in the city of Dongtai in Jiangsu Province, is scheduled to fully come into service in early 2021 and will be jointly funded, built and operated by China Energy and EDF Group - Link

THE BEGINNING OF THE END

TRACTEBEL 400 MW WIND TO HYDROGEN

Tractebel Engineering and Tractebel Overdick, both part of energy major Engie, have unveiled a power-to-gas offshore platform that would convert wind energy to green hydrogen

Tractebel Overdick and Tractebel Engineering anticipate the platform could form the basis of an industrial-scale facility for producing green hydrogen.

The companies said the 400-MW wind-to-hydrogen platform is ready to be implemented. Doing so would increase production of green hydrogen that could be used in a number of potential applications, including transport. Using electricity from offshore wind to produce electricity to would also help alleviate congestion in the electricity grid. The hydrogen produced could also be used to store energy and compensate for seasonal fluctuations in output from renewables - Link

IS PRINCE PHILIP STILL ALIVE?

HOLIDAY IN ITALY

FIAT CENTOVENTI

When the electric Fiat Centoventi was revealed as a concept car at 2019’s Geneva Motor Show, it was easy to dismiss as auto-show razzle-dazzle. 

The cute Panda-inspired model had barn-style doors, a pegboard dashboard, and interchangeable seats and a roof. But now there are signs that the all-electric Fiat Centoventi is going into production – with the promise of the industry’s first add-as-you-go battery system - Link

SOUTH STOKE

SIEMENS GAMESA

Siemens Gamesa’s prototype SG 11.0-193 DD Flex wind turbine has produced 11MW of power, the turbine maker said.

The prototype turbine was installed at the Østerild Test Center in Denmark at the beginning of February.

Unveiled in November 2019, the SG 11.0-193 DD Flex turbine features a 193m diameter rotor using the 94m long Siemens Gamesa B94 Integral Blades. Constant digital observations are processed by the control system, increasing capacity to up to 11MW, Siemens Gamesa said.

The SG 11.0-193 DD Flex turbines will have their commercial offshore debut at Vattenfall’s Hollandse Kust Zuid 1-4 offshore wind farms in the Netherlands - Link

COVID-19 DEATH AT ROYAL BERKS - NO PANIC

GEESINKNORBA

SHELL UNVEILS NORT H2

Shell unveils world's largest offshore wind plan to power green hydrogen.

Oil giant links with Gasunie for NortH2 initiative off Netherlands that aims to have 10GW of turbines in place by 2040

Shell and Gasunie unveiled plans for what’s claimed to be Europe’s biggest green hydrogen project in the Netherlands, powered by up to 10GW of offshore wind in the North Sea.

The oil giant and gas infrastructure group will advance the NortH2 project in conjunction with Groningen Seaports, with a large hydrogen electrolyser slated to be sited in Eemshaven.

The partners want to have the first hydrogen flowing from the project by 2027, powered by an initial 3-4GW of offshore turbines. The offshore wind fleet could grow as large as 10GW by 2040, said a statement announcing the project, with a production of 800,000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually - Link

IRRATIONAL NONSENSE

The curiously revered world of irrational nonsense has seeped into almost every aspect of modern society and is both complex and multifarious - link

TOKYO H2

TOKYO - One of the world's largest facilities for producing clean-burning hydrogen marked its opening on Saturday, in a demonstration of northeastern Japan's revival from the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Located in the town of Namie, just north of the ruined Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the solar-powered hydrogen station can produce enough gas to fill 560 fuel cell vehicles a day.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the opening ceremony for the government-backed project, which involves Toshiba, Tohoku Electric Power and natural gas distributor Iwatani - Link - more like this - link

CHINA AVOIDS - OXFORD 104

China catches a virus and the cafes in Oxford suffer. In all my days I have never seen Oxford so desolate.

Yesterday, mid morning I walked from Merton College to Pike Terrace and passed a total of eleven people.

Oxford is officially out of season and now, out of consideration as far as tourists are concerned. Oxford may not have the Coronavirus but it's certainly suffering from it - more like his - link

OXFORD 103

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RENEWABLE POWERED HYDROGEN - DUMQ

Belgian engineer DEME is planning up to 500 MW of hydrogen production capacity at the port of Dumq, which is rich in solar and wind power resources. The engineer plans to ship hydrogen from the port to Europe.

Belgian engineer DEME Concessions NV is planning to start solar and wind-powered hydrogen production in the Arabian Sea port of Duqm, in Oman’s Al Wusta governorate.

The Belgian company is partnering with unnamed Omani partners to build an hydrogen plant expected to feature electrolyzer capacity of 250-500 MW. “Following this first phase, upscaling of the installation is foreseen,” the company added.

DEME said the site had been chosen because of strong solar and wind power potential and accessible onshore and offshore sites to host renewables generation assets. The engineer said the port location would enable the export of hydrogen to Europe, more specifically Antwerp, whose operator Port of Antwerp also has a stake in the Port of Duqm Company SAOC which runs the Omani facility - Link

OXFORD 102

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OXFORD 101

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PITS - PLASTIC TO HYDROGEN WASTE FACILITY

Yet another dumb pie in the sky plastic to hydrogen project has been announced, supposedly the first of eleven - fnuh, snort, chortle.

Believe it when you see it because you're more likely to grow a third set of teeth than witness this land of make believe opening.

Peel Environmental and Waste2Tricity have got the planning green light for the UK’s first waste plastic to hydrogen facility.

The new plant using ground-breaking technology in the UK for the first time will be built at the 54-hectare Protos site near Ellesmere Port. It is the first of up to 11 waste plastic to hydrogen facilities, representing an investment of more than £130m, planned to be built in the UK.

The £7m development will see over 100 jobs created in the North West during fabrication and construction. Following planning consent, a start on site is expected in Autumn 2020 with the facility due to be operational in 2021

Once built the technology promises to treat up to 35 tonnes of unrecyclable plastics a day to create hydrogen for clean fuel for buses, HGVs and cars.

Myles Kitcher, Managing Director at Peel Environmental, said: “The technology has been proven at Thornton Science Park and will now be commercialised at Protos, before being rolled out across the UK - Link

ENERGY TRANSITION INDEX

Accelerating the transition to a more sustainable, secure and affordable energy system. Optimizing the net social and economic value delivered by materials.

Today’s global energy and materials industries are characterized by significant shifts, which are creating new opportunities. New trends and technologies are changing the way energy is produced, delivered and consumed. In parallel, and under the current production-consumption model, world demand for raw materials could double by 2060 - Link

OXFORD 100

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SPRING

TOTAL 1,075 MEGAWATT BUY IN

French oil company Total SA is among the final bidders for a stake in an offshore wind farm that may cost more than £5.7 billion to develop and operate, according to people familiar with the matter.

The move is significant because it highlights growing interest from major oil companies in renewables assets.

It also would be the first facility of its kind in the U.K. built without full state support, making it more risky than what’s been built to date.

The British utility SSE Plc is developing the wind farm in Scotland’s section of the North Sea. It’s seeking partners to help shoulder the costs and risks.

For Total, buying into the 1,075-megawatt Seagreen project forms a foundation for its ambition to develop offshore wind farms in Europe, putting it in competition with Royal Dutch Shell Plc to break into the growing market for offshore wind assets.

The multi-billion-dollar projects at sea have become the specialty of European energy companies looking to capitalize on the global energy transition.

They’re attractive to oil companies because their scale and the skills needed to build them make them similar to offshore oil projects.

With the purchase, Total could gain expertise that would help it achieve its aim to bid in forthcoming government offshore-wind auctions - Link