PUERTOLLANO H2 FACILITY

Iberdrola and chemical manufacturer Fertiberia have joined forces to turn Spain into an industrial leader of in green hydrogen technology.

The partnership could see the installation of 800MW of green hydrogen production capacity with an €1.8bn investment over seven years.

In the next year the partners will commission their first plant in Puertollano, which is expected to become Europe’s largest green hydrogen complex for industrial use - Link

GERMANY HITS 52.2% FROM RENEWABLES

In Germany, one of the world’s economic and industrial powerhouses, renewable energy production increased appreciably in 2020, both in absolute terms and relative to the country’s overall power generation capacity. 

But as the “Energiewende” (energy transition) progresses, when will consumers see a significant decline in prices? And when will Germany become fully climate-neutral? 

News reports at the end of October indicated that Germany was on track to generate significantly more solar energy than in the previous year. So far in 2020, solar energy has accounted for 43 terawatt-hours (TWh) as net solar electricity production surpassed the total amount for 2019. This is the equivalent of 12.4 percent of Germany’s overall energy mix, and enough to power all private households twice over.

Total renewable power generation as of the end of October 2020 was 195 TWh, a figure that includes all forms of renewable energy, ranging from solar and wind power to hydropower, biomass, etc. When industrial energy consumption is factored in, electricity from all renewables accounted for 52.2 per cent of total net public production, compared to 46 per cent in 2019 - Link

Renewables accounted for record 47% of UK generation in first quarter of 2020 - link

UK'S LARGEST FLEET OF H2 REFUSE VEHICLES

Glasgow is embracing green hydrogen as the UK takes another big step forward towards its net-zero future with the world’s largest number of hydrogen-powered refuse vehicles to take to the city’s streets.

Through the Government’s £23m Hydrogen for Transport Programme, the plans announced on 2nd October include £6.3m funding for a green hydrogen refueling station and 19 refuse trucks. 

These will be amongst the first zero emission hydrogen refuse collection lorries developed in the UK and will give a post-Covid boost through the creation of green jobs while also de-carbonizing transport.

The hydrogen refueling station will be the first of its kind in Glasgow, producing green hydrogen in a safe, reliable and cost-effective way - link

HESSEN

GERMANY: Industrial park operator Infraserv Höchst began construction of a hydrogen train refuelling point at its site in Hessen with a groundbreaking ceremony on October 26.

The facility in Höchst will support the fleet of 27 Alstom Coradia iLint multiple-units ordered by the Fahma rolling stock subsidiary of Rhein-Main transport authority RMV in May 2019.

‘With Alstom’s fuel cell trains, we are opening up a new chapter of emission-free mobility’, said RMV Managing Director Prof Knut Ringat at the ceremony. ‘With the 27 vehicles, we are setting a world record: nowhere else is there such a large fuel cell fleet for local public transport.' - Link - more like this - link

ISLANDS JOIN FOR TIDAL CFD BIDDING

Positive market signals from the UK Government are said to have ignited a partnership between Scottish and English islands to get the infrastructure ready for commercial scale tidal energy roll out.

The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), Orkney, has joined forces with Perpetuus Tidal Energy Centre (PTEC) to develop a large-scale tidal energy site off the Isle of Wight.

This site will be eligible to bid into future UK Contracts for Difference (CfD) allocation rounds enabling tidal energy technologies developed in the UK to deliver predictable low carbon energy - Link - more like this - link

CARBONLITE - NEW READING PLANT

In Reading, Pennsylvania, PET bottle recycler, CarbonLITE Holdings LLC, has begun production at its new plant, claimed to be the largest standalone bottle-to-bottle recycling facility in the world.

The state-of-the-art operation, the company’s third plant, will eventually process 140 million pounds (63,500 tonnes) of post-consumer PET annually, or around 2.5 billion rPET bottles.

The $80 million, 270,000 square-foot Reading plant, about 30 miles from Allentown in Eastern Pennsylvania, is outfitted with advanced robotic systems. It will ultimately generate 90 million pounds (40,800 tonnes) of food-grade rPET pellets each year.

"Even with the pandemic and this spring's constraints on recycling and industrial supply chains, we pushed forward so that we can help our customers expeditiously fulfill their growing commitments to recycled-plastic use," said CarbonLITE CEO Leon Farahnik. "We are proud to continue to help advance closed-loop, bottle-to-bottle recycling and a circular economy in a significant way." - link

HALIADE-X

GE Renewable Energy has begun the operation of its Haliade-X turbine prototype optimised with a 13MW power output.

In the coming months the prototype will undergo a series of tests to perform different types of measurements and obtain its type certificate in the coming months.

The Haliade-X 13MW is an up-rated version of the prototype that has been successfully operating in Rotterdam since November 2019.

The turbine recently secured its provisional type certificates and set a new world record by generating 288 megawatt-hours in one single day.

This uprated 13 MW Haliade-X version will continue to feature 107-metre long blades and a 220-metre rotor and will be able to generate 4% more annual energy production (AEP) than the previous 12MW version of the prototype.

GE Renewable Energy chief technology officer Vincent Schellings said: “With three years in the making, the Haliade-X platform has proven to be a successful story - Link

ORGANIC REDOX FLOW BATTERY

As a storage solution for renewable energy, scientists see great potential in what are known as redox flow batteries, which hold energy in large tanks rather than compact electrode materials. 

A new design from Sweden’s Linköping University is a decidedly green version of this technology, swapping out scarce metals and synthetic polymers for all-natural materials.

The reason redox flow batteries are such a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries when it comes to the intermittent nature of renewable energy is because they can store vast amounts of energy at relatively low cost. While lithium-ion batteries store energy in their electrodes and the capacity is therefore limited by the size of the device, redox flow batteries can store energy in liquid electrolytes housed in huge external tanks for months at a time - Link

CAMPUS DEPOSIT RETURN SCHEMES

Portuguese University Kicks Off Campus Recycling with TOMRA Deposit Return System.

TOMRA and the Nova School of Business & Economics (SBE) in Cascais, outside Lisbon, have partnered to launch a deposit return scheme for greater on-campus recycling and sustainability.

The initiative seeks to raise awareness of container deposit schemes and reverse vending both on campus and across Portugal, which has adopted a law to introduce a national deposit return system in 2022. Many European Union member states are also exploring deposit return systems to meet by 2029 the 90% collection target for single-use plastic beverage containers.

The deposit return system encourages all on campus to "get in the loop" by recycling their drink containers. It aims to reduce litter and landfill, reuse materials in a closed loop, and reduce reliance on raw materials to produce new containers. It also contributes to Nova SBE's sustainability initiatives as an environmentally-conscious campus, and brings an opportunity to teach students the value of waste and importance of a circular economy.

Students, faculty and staff simply pay a €0.15 deposit when they purchase an eligible drink container at participating campus stores and restaurants, including the campus store Pingo Doce, one of the largest supermarket chains in Portugal. They get their deposit refunded back to them when they return their empty container for recycling to the two TOMRA reverse vending machines located in the campus food court. Eligible containers include glass and plastic bottles, as well as cans - LINK

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BLUEMULL SOUND

A FOURTH 100-kilowatt turbine has now been installed at the tidal energy array in Bluemull Sound.

The new direct-drive turbine, called Eunice, is already supplying electricity into the local grid, developer Nova Innovation has said.

It also coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Edinburgh-based tidal energy company.

The new turbine is the first of three that will be installed in the array as part of the EU-funded EnFAIT project, which is led by Nova and includes a number of industry and academic partners.

The project aims to demonstrate the economic viability of tidal power – and Nova claims that the next generation of direct-drive turbine, which have no gearbox, cuts the cost of tidal energy by a third, making it cost competitive with fossil fuels - Link

SSE OFFLOADS MEL1 & MEL2

 

Utility firm SSE plc has entered into an agreement to sell its 50% share in waste to energy ventures Multifuel Energy Limited (MEL1) and Multifuel Energy 2 Limited (MEL2) to European Diversified Infrastructure Fund III, an infrastructure fund managed by First Sentier Investors, for a total cash consideration of £995 million.

The company said that the transaction is expected to complete by late 2020 subject to antitrust approval by the European Commission.

MEL1 and MEL2 are 50-50 joint ventures between SSE and Wheelabrator Technologies Inc., consisting of the operational Ferrybridge Multifuel 1 and Ferrybridge Multifuel 2 facilities (MEL1), as well as the Skelton Grange Multifuel development project (MEL2), all in West Yorkshire - link

WASTE TO HYDROGEN

 

As more U.S. states pursue aggressive greenhouse gas and waste reduction goals these problems should be looked at as interconnected systems. 

Using promising next-generation technologies that haven’t yet been scaled up and utilized to their full potential can help address climate change, waste issues and air quality.

The growth of unrecyclable plastics, and an increase in the use of face masks and other personal protective gear amid the COVID-19 crisis, calls for new, sustainable disposal strategies. Sustainable disposal of medical waste – as doctors’ and dentists’ offices reopen, and elective medical procedures come back – should also be a priority.

Converting solid waste into hydrogen is a key technology that can greatly reduce emissions, scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory concluded in a recent report. If carbon capture and storage is added, according to that report, advanced waste-to-hydrogen technology can produce negative emissions.

Carbon negative strategies like these are critical for governments to reach their emissions reduction goals and for the world to transition to net zero-carbon and limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - link

LUCID MOTORS

Lucid Motors is releasing a “more attainable” version of its recently revealed luxury electric sedan, the Lucid Air.

At an unveiling event in September, Lucid said the base model would start at “around $80,000” — without revealing the actual price. Now the company says it has settled on a base model price of $77,400 — or $69,900 after applying the US federal tax credit of $7,500.

This version of the Lucid Air will have less horsepower than higher trim levels: 480 hp versus over 1,000 hp for the top-spec Dream Edition version. It will also have less range: 406 miles (EPA projected) as compared to 517 miles for the Dream Edition. And it is available for reservation with a refundable fee of $300. (In September, Lucid said reservations for the base model were initially $1,000.) - Link

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OXFORD - WASTE PLASTIC TO HYDROGEN

Chemists have used microwaves to convert plastic bags, milk bottles and other supermarket packaging into a clean source of hydrogen.

Plastic waste can already be converted to hydrogen using other methods, and commercial facilities are being developed to transform the plastic. However, a new approach holds the promise of being quicker and less energy-intensive.

Peter Edwards at the University of Oxford says he and his colleagues wanted to “confront the grim reality” of plastic waste, with the UK alone producing 1.5 million tonnes each year. As the density of hydrogen in plastic bags is about 14 per cent by weight, plastic offers a possible new source for countries eyeing cleanly produced hydrogen to tackle climate change.

Most existing approaches involve first using very high temperatures of more than 750°C to decompose plastic into syngas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, and then using a second step to separate out the hydrogen - Link

Select Recycling - link - more like this (UOX) - link

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TOTAL SE INVEST IN H2 STARTUP HYZON MOTORS

The huge multinational oil-and-gas company Total SE is investing in the hydrogen fuel cell truck and bus startup Hyzon Motors, the companies announced this morning.

Why it matters: It's the latest sign of increasing interest in hydrogen-powered heavy vehicles amid moves by startups and legacy automakers alike. 

It also shows how European-headquartered oil giants are boosting their alternative energy portfolios, even though hydrocarbons remain their dominant business lines.

Total's VC arm is leading the funding round that also has participation from Ascent Hydrogen Fund, Hydrogen Capital Partners and Audacy Ventures Ltd.

Yes, but: The size of the investments in Hyzon were not disclosed, but Bloomberg reports that they're relatively small. The funding round "totaled more than $15 million and valued Hyzon at around $200 million," it reports.

What's next: Hyzon says it plans to deliver around 5,000 fuel cell trucks and buses over the next three years from its facilities in North America, Europe and Asia. The company, a spinoff out of Singapore-based Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies, says it currently has roughly 400 trucks and buses on the roads - Link

HORNSEA TWO

Foundation installation is underway at Ørsted’s Hornsea Two offshore wind farm 89km off the Yorkshire coast in the North Sea.

Foundation installation is being completed using DEME Group’s offshore installation vessel, Innovation. Besides Innovation, Pacific Orca will also be out to work on site next year to support construction.

Both are heavy-lift jack up vessels which have legs that can securely fix the ship to the seabed, raise the vessel from the water whilst onboard cranes lift and manoeuvre the heavy foundation components. The expectation is that the Innovation will complete 40-50 foundations, before handing over to the Pacific Orca, which is chartered by DEME - Link

WIND WILL ATTRACT $57 BILLION TO U.S. BY 2030

U.S. offshore wind power is set to take off within the next decade.

America’s shores possess world-class wind resources that represent a once-in-a-generation economic opportunity. 

AWEA’s U.S. Offshore Wind Power Economic Impact Assessment finds offshore wind will attract $57 billion investment into the U.S. economy and deliver up to 83,000 well-paying U.S. jobs by 2030.

This economic output will play an essential role in post-pandemic recovery while also offering an abundance of opportunities for the next generation of the ocean industry’s workforce around the country - link

RENEWABLE ENERGY WASTE TO RENEWABLE ENERGY

Waste-to-energy plants take the process of waste incineration and use it to generate energy.

Waste-to-energy plants have the potential to create a cyclical life cycle by converting industrial waste into energy. 

While most often used to process municipal solid waste, waste-to-energy facilities can also transform renewable energy waste into electricity.

While waste-to-energy plants may present a potential solution to renewable energy waste, there is controversy over whether this process can be considered truly sustainable - link - more like this - link

ONE YEAR AGO

CURITIBA - FOOD FOR WASTE - link

NIKOLA TRASH TRUCK

The start/stop nature of trash collection makes electric powertrains a good choice for refuse trucks, and Phoenix-based Republic Services is tapping into zero (local) emission vehicles in a big way. 

The second largest non-hazardous solid waste collection provider in the US has just ordered 2,500 battery-electric waste trucks from Nikola.

The trash-collecting trucks will be based on Nikola's Tre battery-electric powertrain, and are each expected to have 720 kWh of energy storage on board for up to 150 miles between charges. Nikola equates this to around 1,200 trash cans emptied - Link - Republic Services - link

FORD MUSTANG MACH-E GT

If you’re thinking about dipping your toes in the electric car market, Ford’s new Mustang Mach-E GT might just convince you to take the plunge. 

Hitting 62 mph in a blistering 3.7 seconds, and with a top speed of 124 mph, it brings the fight straight to the similarly nippy Tesla Model Y. According to Ford, that makes it the fastest accelerating electric SUV in its class. 

A max range of 310 miles on a single charge aims to quell your range anxiety, and if you’re still not convinced, you get five years free access to the FordPass charging Network - that’s a grand total of more than 155,000 stations across Europe. 

Slip into the driver’s seat and you'll be greeted with a gargantuan 15.5in touchscreen, powered by Ford’s latest SYNC system, which is clever enough to learn your routine and make suggestions accordingly. If you fancy (responsibly) blazing across Europe in style then you can order one now when it’s introduced later in 2021 - Link

FROM SINES TO ROTTERDAM

Netherlands and Portugal have signed a new agreement to facilitate the transportation of green hydrogen between the two countries.

The plan is to work together to transport green hydrogen from a new project in Sines, Portugal to the port of Rotterdam, Netherlands.

The memorandum of understanding signed between the Minister of Environment and Climate Action of the Portuguese Republic and the Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy of the Netherlands also supports the development of a hydrogen project as an Important Project of Common European Interest under the EU state aid rules.

It also allows the two countries to collaborate to remove regulatory barriers regarding hydrogen export.

The collaboration will also see the countries support training in the area of hydrogen transport and research and development - link

HIDROGENO

Spain is stepping up its efforts to enter the race to build a hydrogen industry, putting it on par with France and Germany in seeking a greener fuel for heavy industry.

The government in Madrid has a roadmap to build 4 gigawatts of green hydrogen capacity by 2030 and is expected to announce Cabinet approval of the program on Tuesday, according to Sara Aagesen, the secretary of state of energy. The program would require an investment of 8.9 billion euros ($10.5 billion) within the next decade.

“Things are getting very competitive,” Aagesen said in an interview on Monday. “Spain has the capacity to become a relevant player in the renewable hydrogen sector by taking advantage of our high potential of generating renewable power at very competitive prices.” Link

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NDB

California company NDB says its nano-diamond batteries will absolutely upend the energy equation, acting like tiny nuclear generators. 

They will blow any energy density comparison out of the water, lasting anywhere from a decade to 28,000 years without ever needing a charge. They will offer higher power density than lithium-ion. 

They will be nigh-on indestructible and totally safe in an electric car crash. And in some applications, like electric cars, they stand to be considerably cheaper than current lithium-ion packs despite their huge advantages - link - more like this - link

ROYAL BERKS HOSPITAL

 

TAKING THE PISS

Like all creative people, authors know when they've created a great piece of work, an average offering or a literary jobby. 

Annoyingly, writers seem to have no problem allowing their publishers to take below average offerings and earliest experimental ramblings, sticking a new 'current' cover on it, charging similar money to the latest and best work and then inserting some prevaricating old bollocks on the back about how good it should be.

It's taking the piss, it's cynical and it totally disrespects the reader - you should be ashamed of yourselves writers and publishers alike - link

BREMERVOERDE

World's first hydrogen filling station for passenger trains is being built in Lower Saxony's Bremervoerde, Germany. 

An eighteen-month test phase for the first two trains was successfully completed at the end of February, and the mobility project is now entering its next phase with the facility construction starting last month.

After completion expected in mid-2021, the hydrogen filling station will replace the existing mobile filling solution. With a capacity of around 1,600 kg of hydrogen per day, it is nominally one of the largest hydrogen filling stations in the world. 

From the beginning of 2022, 14 hydrogen-powered regional trains supplied by Alstom will be refuelled there daily and around the clock if necessary. Multiple-unit trains will be able to run emission-free all day long on the EVB network with just one tank filling. Expansion areas at the filling station will allow hydrogen to be produced on site later using electrolysis and regenerative electricity.

The gases and engineering company Linde will build and operate the hydrogen filling station near Bremervoerde station on behalf of the Lower Saxony Regional Transport Company (LNVG). Other project partners are the rail vehicle manufacturer Alstom, the state of Lower Saxony and the Elbe-Weser Railways and Transport Company (EVB) - link

LINDE & RVK UNVEIL H2 FILLING STATION

Linde and regional transport company Regionalverkehr Köln (RVK) unveiled a hydrogen filling station for fuel cell buses near Cologne, Germany. The new facility will have a capacity of up to 20 refills per day.

“Local public transport is playing a pioneering role here [in Gemany]. Just like the first hydrogen filling station for trains that Linde is installing in Northern Germany, this modern bus filling station represents an important milestone in this transition,” said Jens Waldeck, President Region Europe West, Linde.

“I consider all my fellow campaigners as pioneers who recognized the value of this alternative drivetrain for effective climate protection early on and who had the courage to jointly design and develop this project," expressed Eugen Puderbach, Managing Director, RVK.

The project is being co-funded by the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure as part of the BIC H2 (Buses, Infrastructure, Cologne Region) initiative.

Linde has installed 190 hydrogen fueling stations and 80 hydrogen electrolysis plants worldwide - link

CORONAVIRUS INFECTED WITH TRUMP

Robert R. Redfield, MD, Director of the Centers for Disease Control confirmed to the world's media last night the news that virologists have called a potential 'game changer'.

Coronavirus has been tested positive for being infected with Donald Trump which it is thought may lead to more amorphous mutations - Link

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UNSW PROVE GREEN H2 VIABILITY

Engineers from UNSW Sydney have crunched the numbers on green hydrogen production costs to reveal that Australia is in prime position to take advantage of the green hydrogen revolution, with its great solar resource and potential for export.

The researchers identified the key factors required to reduce the cost of green hydrogen to become competitive with other methods of producing hydrogen using fossil fuels.

In a paper published today in Cell Reports Physical Science, the authors show how different factors affect the cost of producing green hydrogen by electrolysis using a dedicated solar system and using no additional power from the grid.

Without using electricity from the grid, which is predominantly supplied by fossil fuel electricity, this method produces hydrogen with nearly zero emissions. Being free of the grid also means such a system could be deployed in remote locations with good, year-long exposure to sunlight - Link