LI-CYCLE GOES PUBLIC

One of the biggest issues EV naysayers and fossil fuel shills bring up is the future of each and every EV. “What are we going to do with all of those batteries?” they ask. 

The more informed shills know that they’re asking a disingenuous question, but many other people buy into the argument that batteries cannot be recycled and that we’re walking into an environmental disaster with EVs. So, the thinking goes, let’s just keep rolling coal because that’s somehow better.

Now North America’s largest lithium-ion battery recycling company is going public through a deal with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). The new company, Li-Cycle Holdings, will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange as LICY. Jokes about bugs aside, this is important because it shows us that battery recycling is not only possible, but that it’s happening on an industrial scale - Link

SOLARIS URBINO

On 20 October 2020, during a worldwide launch in a unique online setting, Solaris unveiled its latest state-of-the-art product. 

The zero-emission, low-entry 15-metre vehicle is the first electric bus made by Solaris to be designed both for city and intercity routes. Currently, the Solaris Urbino 15 LE is undergoing tests in a few Norwegian cities and towns. 

Operators interested in the vehicle will be able to familiarise themselves with a wide array of technical solutions and other features and amenities deployed in it. The tests in Norway are to be completed by the end of March.

The bus will be demonstrated to carriers from Oslo and its surrounding areas. Next, the qualities of the vehicle will be explored by the residents of the city of Kristiansand. As for the recharging of batteries, the Urbino 15 LE electric bus will use the infrastructure already existing in the towns and cities in question: pantograph and plug-in charging stations available both in depots and on routes - Link - more like this - link

HONG GUANG MINI

A budget electric vehicle (EV) selling in China for $4,500 (£3,200) is now outselling Tesla's more upmarket cars.

The compact car is proving a big hit for state-owned SAIC Motor, China's top automaker.

The Hong Guang Mini EV is being built as part of a joint venture with US car giant General Motors (GM).

Last month sales of the budget electric car in China were around double those of Tesla, which was questioned this month over safety issues there.

While the $4,500 Hong Guang Mini is the most popular model, there is an upgraded one with air conditioning for just over $5,000. The cars are being marketed as "the people's commuting tool".

The joint venture partnership, SAIC-GM-Wuling, is known as Wuling locally - Link - Wuling - link - more like this (SAIC) - link

LA GAN 3.5 GW DEVELOPMENT

The La Gan Wind Power Development Corporation has signed four Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) covering foundation supply and harbour services for the 3.5 GW La Gan offshore wind farm in Vietnam.

The MoUs were signed with Vietnam-based suppliers: CS Wind Corporation, PTSC Mechanical and Construction, South Petroleum Construction J.S.C., and Vietsovpetro.

Under the MOUs, the La Gan offshore wind farm project and the suppliers will work together to promote offshore wind power in Vietnam.

In addition, the La Gan project will facilitate knowledge transfer and provide advice on foundation design facility layouts, logistics, and infrastructure requirements, which will enable the suppliers to serve the offshore wind market to international standards, the developer said.

According to an economic impact study carried out by BVG Associates, the La Gan project will contribute more than USD 4.4 billion to the Vietnamese economy over the project’s lifetime - Link

(ARS) HYUNDAI LAUNCH THE IONIQ 5

On Tuesday morning in Korea, Hyundai premiered its newest battery electric vehicle. 

The company has resisted the temptation to start off with a bombastic SUV like General Motors' reborn GMC Hummer or a handsome sedan like the Porsche Taycan, although those are both in the pipeline. 

Instead, the Ioniq brand will launch with that most in-demand of automobiles, the midsize crossover. In this case, a keenly styled crossover called the Ioniq 5, which will also be the first BEV to use Hyundai's new E-GMP architecture.

The production Ioniq 5 looks remarkably similar to the concept car that preceded it, the 45. At first glance, it appears to be channeling the boxy good looks of late-1980s hot hatches. But don't be fooled by the proportions; it's roughly the same size as Toyota's best-selling RAV4 crossover. The big 20-inch wheels and short front and rear overhangs conceal a 118-inch (3,000mm) wheelbase that translates to acres of interior room for the occupants.

Beyond plenty of space and a flat floor, the interior has another surprise. The center console can slide, moving back by up to 5.5 inches (140mm). This gives the front occupants the option of leaving out the other side of the car, as well as giving rear passengers access to the console's storage, USB ports, and wireless charging pad - Link

SINOPEC - 1000 H2 STATIONS BY 2025

Sinopec is planning to establish 1,000 hydrogen stations by 2025 in China as the state oil and gas producer accelerates development of its new energy business.

Formally known as China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, the company currently operates 27 pilot stations in China and plans to significantly increase production of hydrogen infrastructure to help hydrogen energy become the most competitive Sinopec emerging business.

Sharing the news on WeChat, Sinopec said it has anchored the goal of building China’s largest hydrogen energy company and accelerated the transformation of hydrogen sources from grey hydrogen to blue hydrogen and green hydrogen - Link

BIOMASS BRITAIN

The rise of renewable power in the UK has occurred at an astonishing pace. Last year renewable power overtook fossil fuels to become the nation’s largest source of electricity for the first time.

Just a decade earlier, three quarters of the UK’s electricity came from coal and fossil gas.

Wind power has played the leading role in the transformation of the nation’s electricity grid. It now supplies nearly a quarter of the electricity. In 2010, it supplied just 3 per cent.

The UK’s second-largest source of renewable electricity is the burning of “biomass” – a term for organic fuels such as wood, other types of plant matter and animal waste. Biomass power accounted for around 12 per cent of the UK’s electricity in 2020 - Link

PORCELANOSA DECARBONISE

 

Spanish multinational utility Iberdrola has partnered with ceramic tiles producer Porcelanosa to decarbonise the industry with green hydrogen and electrification projects.

The aim of the partnership is to drive the decarbonisation of ceramic production in line with EU objectives and the fight against climate change.

Iberdrola and Porcelanosa will conduct joint research into energy solutions for the ceramic firm’s plants.

The research projects will include maximum efficiency, high-temperature heat pumps in driers, as well as the combined use of renewable energy and a green hydrogen supply to reach the temperatures required in atomisers and hybrid ovens - Link

CHINA EMBRACES GREEN HYDROGEN

China has already accelerated the adoption of solar power around the world, and now there is hope that it could do the same for hydrogen. 

Already the world’s largest producer of hydrogen power, much of this production is tied to fossil fuels, raising the question of whether China can ever fully embrace green hydrogen.

While wind and solar power dominate much of the discussion around renewable energy, hydrogen is quietly emerging as a key component of the world’s renewable energy mix. Figures from the International Energy Agency reveal that global low-carbon hydrogen production has increased from just 0.04 million tonnes in 2010 to 0.36 million tonnes in 2019, and is expected to reach 1.45 million tonnes in 2023 based on new hydrogen plants opening around the world - Link

JAGUAR ALL ELECTRIC BY 2030

As it prepares to go all-electric Jaguar, is cancelling its previously announced EV flagship.

All new Jaguar model introductions will be electric by 2025, the automaker announced in a press release Monday, with the aim of achieving 100% electric sales by 2030. But an all-electric replacement for the Jaguar XJ sedan is no longer part of the plan.

"Although the nameplate may be retained, the planned Jaguar XJ replacement will not form part of the lineup, as the brand looks to realize its unique potential," the automaker said.

The XJ nameplate was a fixture in Jaguar's lineup for five decades, until production ended in 2019. A new all-electric version was due this year and had been promoted as a flagship for the brand with an unconventional design.

The electric XJ was due to be a rival to the Tesla Model S, and would have been the debut model for a new generation of EVs from Jaguar and sibling brand Land Rover.

However, it's not entirely surprising that the electric XJ has been cancelled.

Earlier this year reports cited inside sources suggesting the company was putting development weight behind big Jaguar J-Pace and Land Rover Road Rover electric SUVs.

The current new-car market overwhelmingly favors SUVs over sedans like the XJ. Jaguar chose to make its first all-electric production model—the I-Pace—an SUV, after all - Link

LUXEMBOURG FOCUSES ON GREEN HYDROGEN

Hydrogen is often seen as a source of clean energy but most of the world’s supply of this potentially plentiful gas, which can be used to power everything from cars to heating systems, is produced with energy from fossil fuels. 

Now, with backing from the EU, Luxembourg has joined the hunt for fossil-free technologies for hydrogen production. “Hydrogen right now is not clean,” says Nicolas Boscher, a researcher at the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), which works on researching products and services for both the public and private sectors.

Many countries are looking at clean hydrogen technology. Luxembourg, one of 11 EU member states to have implemented or announced hydrogen strategies, is particularly focused on clean production methods of hydrogen.

According to a report by KPMG, the consultancy, hydrogen produced through renewable energy sources, such as solar or wind-power, accounts for less than 2 per cent of the total supply. This so-called “green” hydrogen is more expensive to produce than hydrogen made using fossil fuels, though the cost will fall as solar and wind energy become cheaper - Link

HOME 2

SIMEC ATLANTIS AR500

A tidal turbine built and tested in Scotland has been installed in waters off a Japanese island chain, representing the latest example of how the East Asian country is investigating the potential of marine-based forms of energy production.

In a statement Monday, London-listed firm Simec Atlantis Energy said its pilot turbine had generated 10 megawatt hours in its first 10 days of operation.

The AR500 turbine was put together at a facility in Scotland before being shipped to Japan, where it was installed in waters off Naru Island, which is part of the larger Goto Island chain - Link - more like this - link

VESTAS UNVEILS 15 MW - THE NEW MUTT'S NUTS IN TURBINES

Vestas Unveils World’s Most Powerful Offshore Wind Turbine

Vestas has announced the V236-15 MW offshore wind turbine, the most powerful in the world.

The Danish wind turbine company, announced this week that it has developed a new offshore wind turbine designed specifically for use in typhoon-prone areas. As the name implies, the company’s V236-15.0 MW will produce 15 megawatts of electricity — the highest output of any offshore wind turbine in the world. 

The next closest is the GE Haliade X-13 that will be installed in the UK’s Dogger Bank offshore wind project in the North Sea - Link

AIRBUS SE

 A turboprop design is gaining momentum within Airbus SE as the solution to its challenge of developing a hydrogen jet by 2035, according to people familiar with the matter.

The propeller plane would carry around 100 passengers for about 1,000 nautical miles -- roughly the distance between Rome and Dublin. 

It’s seen as the option most capable of meeting Airbus’ aggressive goal of introducing a zero-emission plane by the middle of the next decade, said the people, who asked not to be named because a formal decision is still several years away.

Airbus unveiled three design concepts including the turboprop last September, when it said it would focus on hydrogen technology to tackle the problem of growing carbon-dioxide emissions. While no final decision has been made on which design to take forward, the company is beginning to evaluate the potential of each proposal, the people said - Link

HALIADE-X - 14 MW

Haliade-X,  (was) the most powerful offshore wind turbine in the world. 

The Haliade-X is also the most efficient ocean-based wind platform, with a leading capacity factor of 60-64%. GE’s investment in the Haliade-X will help make offshore wind a more cost-effective and competitive source of clean energy - Link

VESTAS LOOKS TO OFFSHORE

COPENHAGEN: The world's largest wind turbine maker Vestas said it would focus on integrating its newly acquired offshore wind business this year after posting fourth quarter sales slightly above expectations on Wednesday.

Traditionally a maker of onshore turbines, the Danish company aims to expand offshore wind equipment production after taking full ownership of a joint venture with Mistubishi Heavy Industries.

"We met our revised guidance on all parameters, leading the industry on revenue, order intake and profitability despite COVID-19 affecting all parts of our value chain," Chief Executive Henrik Andersen said in a statement.

For 2021, Vestas expects full-year revenue in the range of 16 billion to 17 billion euros and an operating profit margin before special items between 6 per cent to 8 per cent.

"Our focus in 2021 will be to fully integrate offshore and address executional challenges," Andersen said - Link

SHELL CONFIRMS OIL IS A THING OF THE PAST

Shell says oil is on its way out.

In a Thursday statement, the fossil fuel giant said its “oil production peaked in 2019,” and that we can now expect it to decline gradually by 1 or 2% per year. Shell also said its total carbon emissions peaked in 2018 at 1.7 gigatonnes.

The statement doesn’t come as a total surprise. The oil market has been in decline for years, and since the covid-19 pandemic began last year, fuel prices went from bad to catastrophically bad. Last Fall, the International Energy Agency predicted a “treacherous” path ahead for the industry. And in September, fellow energy giant BP said the world may have already reached peak oil.

Shell’s own CFO hinted at the announcement in May when she told investors the company has experienced “major demand destruction that we don’t even know will come back,” and soon after, Shell wrote down $22 billion on its balance sheets. But still, this is the first time it’s made an outright announcement of this kind - Link

MERCEDES INEOS F1 H2

British multinational chemicals company INEOS believes that Formula 1 is an ideal platform to help drive forward the development of hydrogen fuel technologies, and plans to spearhead the initiative with Mercedes.

INEOS took a major stake in the F1 team this year alongside Daimler and Toto Wolff, and has big plans for the future.

“Mercedes already has incredible technologies that can be used on heavy trucks,” INEOS co-founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe told Motorsport.com earlier this month.

“It says a lot about the prospects of hydrogen as a substitute for gasoline," he added. "A partnership between Mercedes and INEOS could have a major impact.

“We are the largest, if not the largest, hydrogen producer in Europe," he explained. "In addition we are leaders in the technology that makes the electrolysis process where hydrogen is extracted from water as efficient as possible."

Formula 1 has already committed itself to using a 100 per cent sustainable fuel developed by the FIA as part of its plan to become carbon neutral from 2021 and net zero by 2030 - Link

READNG BOROUGH COUNCIL CUT BACKS

Isn't it about time councils were taken to task over their increasingly restrictive domestic waste collections?

Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 - section 46, 4(a);

the council (4) In making requirements as respects receptacles under subsection (1) above, the authority may, by the notice under that subsection, make provision with respect to—

(a) the size, construction and maintenance of the receptacles;

In Reading, the council has taken its latest steps in reducing the bin sizes whilst Wokingham Borough Council is still living in 1970 utilising bag collections.

When Reading reduces the general waste bin again from 140 litres to 120 litres or smaller next year or the year after and Wokingham reduces the number of single use plastic bags it allows it's Council tax payers who will be there to stop them?

APPLE HYUNDAI TALKS BREAK DOWN

Negotiations have broken down between Hyundai and Apple over their joint development of autonomous vehicle technology. 

Over the past few months, the Korean brand has been trying to manage an internal breach regarding its collaboration with the Californian tech giant, but Hyundai has since quashed the rumours.

In a statement to its investors, Hyundai Motor Company said: “We are receiving requests for cooperation in joint development of autonomous electric vehicles from various companies, but they are at [an] early stage and nothing has been decided. We are not having talks with Apple on developing autonomous vehicles."

The announcement was followed by a six percent decrease in Hyundai’s stock, wiping around £2.1 billion off the company’s market value. The downturn follows the recent £5.8 billion uplift to the brand’s finances, after news broke of the pair’s potential collaboration in January - Link

LEEDS BRADFORD AIIRPORT H2 HUB

A hydrogen vehicle hub is set to be developed at Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) under a new partnership with ITM Power.

Proposals have been revealed for a new sustainable energy hub that would use hydrogen and rapid EV charging facilities to power the airport's fleet of vehicles, as well as allowing LBA to fuel the next generation of hydrogen and EV powered ground handling vehicles.

ITM Power has 20 years' experience in producing hydrogen from PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) electrolysis and the open its new electrolyser factory in Sheffield in January 2021.

The company operates hydrogen refueling stations across the UK, including eight stations where green hydrogen is produced on site - Link

ABERDEEN - WORLD FIRST

In a significant acceleration towards the UK’s green energy ambitions, the double decker hydrogen bus hits the streets of Aberdeen in a world-first this week – featuring a bespoke system from Nottingham-based Luxfer Gas Cylinders.

The zero emission double decker was manufactured by Wrightbus, who enlisted the expertise of Luxfer to design, manufacture and supply the hydrogen fuel system that powers the bus.

The system for the 15-strong fleet features Luxfer’s G-Stor™ H2 hydrogen cylinders. Around 150,000 of these types of cylinders are already in service worldwide, equipping over 10,000 CNG buses and an increasing number of hydrogen buses plus approximately 4,500 refuse vehicles - Link

AMAZON STARTS USING RIVIAN VANS

US online retail giant Amazon has commenced using electric delivery vans made by Rivian, signalling the beginning of a massive shift to clean up the delivery of the company’s 2.5 billion packages a year.

The Rivian vans are the first of a massive 100,000 unit order from Amazon in 2019, which was timed with the retail giant’s Climate Pledge in which it invited companies to commit to net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, a decade ahead of the Paris accord.

To put that number in context, at the end of 2019 Amazon had just 30,000 vans in its North American operations according to Bloomberg.

In 2019 Amazon also led a $US700 million ($A920 million) investment round in Rivian, which is also developing an all-electric SUV and ute (pickup), the latter of which the company’s CEO RJ Scaringe shared as he drove it in the snowy mountains outside Los Angeles on Sunday. Link - more like this (Amazon) - link

HYZON MOTORS MERGER

Hyzon Motors Inc., a fuel cell truck startup, has agreed to go public via a merger with Decarbonization Plus Acquisition Corp., according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The special purpose acquisition company has held discussions about raising new equity to support the transaction that values the combined entity at more than $2 billion, some of the people said, requesting anonymity because the talks are private. A deal could be announced within the next week.

Representatives for Hyzon and Decarbonization Plus declined to comment. Shares of the SPAC pared a gain of as much as 26% in early trading Friday, trading up 18% to $16.25 as of 10:22 a.m. in New York.

Decarbonization Plus, a vehicle sponsored by an affiliate of private equity firm Riverstone Holdings and led by Erik Anderson, raised about $226 million in an October initial public offering. It said at the time it wanted to find a target “whose principal effort is developing and advancing a platform that decarbonizes the most carbon-intensive sectors.” link

Picture link

LIL LIL

LENNY KRAVITZ - LOW

 

STEVE GARDNER - OXFORD

Do you know Steve Gardner?

The one that worked at Music Market in Smelly Alley in Reading in 1983. Steve lived in Oxford with his partner Lynn who worked at Frank Coopers Jams.

If you are this Steve Gardner or you know how/where to contact him, please leave a comment below - thanks.

H2 - BIGGER IS BETTER

Hydrogen fuel cells are controversial—several automakers, including Daimler, Honda, GM and Volkswagen, have abandoned the technology, while Toyota continues to pursue it. 

Hydrogen opponents cite its inefficiency relative to batteries, and question the wisdom of building a complex and costly new infrastructure. 

On the other hand, many believe that hydrogen may have a role to play in industrial processes, and for powering heavy-duty vehicles, including ocean-going ships and aircraft.

Many articles in the mainstream media, however, ignore the controversy—for example, a recent article in the New York Times depicts hydrogen fuel cells as a proven technology that only needs to be scaled up to be a viable alternative to internal combustion. ABC News also recently ran a rapturous rhapsody hyping hydrogen as the fuel of the future - Link

UK SEABED LICENCE SALE

The Queen and the Treasury are in line for a multibillion-pound bonanza from renewable energy, after a major auction of seabed plots for windfarms off the coasts of England and Wales attracted runaway bids.

The crown estate, which manages the monarch’s property portfolio, holds exclusive rights to lease the seabed around the British Isles. With its first auction of windfarm licences in a decade understood to have reached record highs, the Queen’s income is expected to leap by at least £100m a year, while the takings will generate over £300m a year for the Treasury.

Two windfarm sites within the Irish Sea have reportedly attracted the most frenzied bidding, with energy firms offering to pay as much as £200m for each – a total revenue of £400m a year. Awards for another three areas have yet to be decided. The licences are for 10 years, meaning the auction will raise at least £4bn over a decade - Link

WALTZINBLACK

GBP 6.5 BILLION EAST ANGLIA HUB

ScottishPower Renewables has selected Siemens Gamesa as the preferred bidder to supply and install 14+MW wind turbines for its GBP 6.5 billion East Anglia Hub programme offshore the UK.

More than 200 next-generation 14+MW turbines are planned for East Anglia ONE North, TWO, and THREE projects in the southern North Sea – collectively known as the East Anglia Hub, Iberdrola, the parent company of ScottishPower Renewables, said.

The two companies have agreed to work together ahead of the next Contracts for Difference auction – scheduled for later this year – to optimise the projects, with the ambition of then signing turbine supply and installation agreements - Link

POWERPASTE

Fraunhofer researchers have presented a magnesium-based "Powerpaste" that stores hydrogen energy at 10 times the density of a lithium battery, offering hydrogen fuel cell vehicles the ability to travel further than gasoline-powered ones, and refuel in minutes.

Typically, of course, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles carry their H2 fuel in gaseous form, stored in tanks at pressures around 700 bar (10,150 psi). 

These tanks are fairly large and heavy, which counteracts one of hydrogen's key advantages over today's lithium batteries – its higher energy density. The high pressures involved also make hydrogen an impractical option for powered two-wheelers like motorcycles and scooters.

But a team based at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM in Dresden have come up with an interesting new way to store and carry hydrogen energy, in the form of a magnesium hydride-based "Powerpaste" that stores the hydrogen in a chemical form, at atmospheric pressure, ready for release when needed - Link

VESTAS CIRCULAR ECONOMY

A turbine production plant owned by energy giant Vestas will now be powered using an environmentally-friendly source of gas, according to a new deal announced on Monday. 

A biogas facility off the south coast of England will soon provide electricity to a factory operated by the Danish company, in what will be the latest example of how the idea of a “circular economy” is being embraced by big business.

In a statement Monday, Earth Capital said its portfolio company, Black Dog Biogas, would send power to the Vestas factory, which manufactures blades for offshore wind turbines. Both sites are located on the Isle of Wight - Link