(AUT) BEHOLD - THE GENESIS GV60

Genesis has confirmed specifications for its new GV60 electric car, which will rival premium EVs such as the Audi Q4 e-tron, the Tesla Model Y and even the Jaguar I-Pace when it goes on sale in the UK in 2022.

Likely to hit Genesis showrooms later next year, the GV60 is based on parent company Hyundai-Kia’s E-GMP electric car platform and is powered by a 77.4kWh battery pack for a maximum range of 280 miles for the ‘RWD’ rear-wheel drive model on the Korean test cycle.

This car features a single motor mounted on the GV60’s rear axle, serving up 225bhp and 350Nm of torque. The GV60 AWD boasts a 215bhp rear motor with a 99bhp motor supporting it on the front axle to deliver four-wheel drive. 

Total combined output for this powertrain stands at 314bhp and 605Nm of torque, with the extra performance cutting the claimed driving range to 248 miles – although a Disconnector Actuator System will disengage the front motor when it senses this is not needed to maximise efficiency.

As per sister brand Kia with its EV6 GT – and the forthcoming Hyundai Ioniq 5 N – Genesis has confirmed it will offer a GV60 variant with even higher performance, a total output of 429bhp and the same 605Nm of torque as the AWD car. Thanks to four-wheel drive traction this GV60 will sprint from 0-62mph in a best time of 4.0 seconds, while claimed range drops to 228 miles on the Korean test cycle. European WLTP figures will be confirmed later - Auto Express - link - Sean Carson - link - more like this - link

(CON) 100% NET ZERO CEMENT

Hanson UK graduate trainee manager Miriam Joyce monitors the fuel switching trials at Ribblesdale, Lancashire

Hanson Cement’s Ribblesdale plant in Lancashire has hosted a demonstration of hydrogen fuel being used to produce cement.

The government-backed decarbonisation project shows that energy-intensive cement production might not have to rely on fossil fuels.

During the demonstration, a culmination of several years of work, the proportion of fuels in the cement kiln’s main burner was gradually increased to a wholly net zero mix. At a 100% net zero mix, the proportion of fuels in the cement kiln was approximately 39% hydrogen, 12% meat and bone meal (MBM) and 49% glycerine – by-products from the rendering and biodiesel industries respectively.

The fuel switching trial used ‘grey’ hydrogen as a proof of concept but this could be substituted for ‘green’ hydrogen in future as and when availability improves.

If implemented across the whole kiln system at Ribblesdale, nearly 180,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide could be saved each year at this plant compared to using the traditional fuel of coal at the site, Hanson said.

The trail was conducted under the auspices of the Mineral Products Association (MPA). Richard Leese, MPA’s industrial policy, energy and climate change director, said: “Our sector is committed to advancing ground-breaking collaborative research and innovation to meet the industry’s climate change objectives. 

This world first trial has demonstrated the potential of using net zero fuel mixes for the manufacture of cement at commercial scale - the construction  index - link - more like this - link

(OFF) CHANGHUA 1 & 2A CONSTRUCTION COMPLETED

Singapore-based Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M) has completed the construction of two offshore substations for Ørsted which will be deployed at the 900 MW Greater Changhua 1 & 2a offshore wind farms in Taiwan.

The detailed engineering, procurement, and construction for the two 600 MW unmanned offshore wind farm substations, which comprise the topside modules and jacket foundations, was completed with a perfect safety record, the company said.

The topside modules, which have a combined weight of more than 8000MT, are expected to sail away in late October 2021 to be integrated with the jacket foundations already installed in the Taiwan Strait.

Keppel O&M completed the construction of the jacket foundations earlier in the second quarter of 2021 and will be undertaking the integration work for the offshore substations. When operational, the Greater Changhua 1 & 2a will be Taiwan’s first far shore and large-scale offshore wind project - offshoreWIND.biz - link - Adnan Durakovic - link - more like this - link

(APN) CLIMATE CHANGE 1 - IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKERS 0

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Death’s come knocking a last time for the splendid ivory-billed woodpecker and 22 more birds, fish and other species: The U.S. government on Wednesday declared them extinct.

It’s a rare move for wildlife officials to give up hope on a plant or animal, but government scientists say they’ve exhausted to find these 23. And they warn climate change, on top of other pressures, could make such disappearances more common as a warming planet adds to the dangers facing imperiled plants and wildlife.

The ivory-billed woodpecker was perhaps the best known species the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared extinct. 

The woodpecker went out stubbornly and with fanfare, making unconfirmed appearances in recent decades that ignited a frenzy of ultimately fruitless searches in the swamps of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida - link - Matthew Brown - link - more like this - link

(TRA) LAUNCH THE LUCID

This year has proven to be a great time to be a startup automaker. This month, the first Rivian electric pickup trucks rolled off the production line and headed to customers’ driveways.

Now, we're hearing that deliveries of Lucid's long-awaited Air electric luxury sedan will begin in late October.

The automaker just announced that production of the cars began on Tuesday at its Arizona factory. Lucid says it plans to increase production capacity to 90,000 units annually over the next two years.

The most expensive Lucid Air Dream Edition will be the first out of the gate and will be followed by other versions of the car. The Touring, Grand Touring, and Air Pure models will come later - link - the brilliant Chris Teague - link - more like this - link

(EUO) TIDAL ENERGY COULD DELIVER 100GW BY 2050

Tidal energy could be a game-changer for a greener, more sustainable economy as the EU moves towards a target of 40-percent renewables in its overall energy mix by 2030.

It could deliver 100 GW of capacity by 2050 – equivalent to 10 percent of Europe's electricity consumption today.

European grants – including Horizon 2020 grants - have been instrumental in moving the needle forward in tidal energy research, and now the technology has reached fruition.

The next step is scaling up the prototype platforms so that tidal energy can become commercially viable and enter the energy grid in a meaningful way.

There's just one hitch in this plan: cost.

Tidal energy is the new kid on the block in terms of the renewable energy market. All types of energy production require significant financial backing, but tidal energy companies are running into problems when they ask for support to scale-up.

Traditional funders, like banks, are either unwilling to invest at all, or else offer sky-high interest rates on their loans, making it commercial nonsense for tidal energy companies to accept. No bank seems to want to be the first one to give tidal energy the green light, only to see the scale-up efforts flop.

"It's really about the promise that this industry will take off and reach some maturity," said Jan Cornellie, project leader of the Clean Energy for EU Islands secretariat.

"At the moment, I think that's also why the banks remain sitting on the fence - to see whether it's really going to happen." - link - Catherine Collins - link - more like this - link

(TXP) STORING H2

Interests in hydrogen are rapidly growing due to its potential to establish global clean energy supply chains.

A typical method of hydrogen storage is physically storing hydrogen such as compression or liquefaction, which requires higher energy to increase storage capacity and expensive distributing infrastructure.

To overcome these limitations, research efforts to store hydrogen chemically in liquid carriers, such as liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) or ammonia, have been conducted.

Hydrogen can be safely stored in LOHCs at room temperature and atmospheric pressure before being extracted at locations for hydrogen consumption.

Various organic compounds have been suggested for LOHCs. However, there were few comparative studies on LOHC performance, leading to a lack of scientific consensus in the hydrogen community for downselecting LOHCs and catalysts - link - National Research Council of Science & Technology - link - more like this - link

(H2V) HOPIUM MACHINA REACHES 1,000 PRE-ORDERS

Premium hydrogen-powered vehicle manufacturer, Hopium Māchina, has revealed it has reached the first 1,000 pre-orders of its new luxury hydrogen sedan, it revealed today (Sept 28).

The hydrogen sedan ‘Hopium Machina Alpha 0’ has been produced in the Linas-Montlhéry test workshop and, following design and architecture phases and implementation of components within the vehicle, the vehicle has been evaluated and perfected.

As well as this, the sedan can achieve speeds of 200km/h (124mph).

With an initial price of €120,000 ($142,000), the vehicle has been situated in the mid-luxury market for cars with a turnover of €120m ($142m) forecasted by 2025 which is when the vehicles will be delivered.

Olivier Lombard, founder and CEO of Hopium, said, “I would like to welcome the future users of Hopium Māchina to our community.

“By being the first to reserve their model, they have demonstrated both their support for our project and their trust in hydrogen technology, the energy source of the future.” - the brilliant H2 View - link - George Heynes - link - more like this - link

(TCR) POLESTAR POTENTIALLY VALUED AT $20 BILLION

Swedish electric vehicle maker Polestar reched an agreement to go public via special purpose acquisition with Gores Guggenheim Inc., The SPAC deal would give Polestar a valuation of $20 billion.

The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday, citing people familiar with the deal, that the SPAC agreement was imminent. TechCrunch has updated the article to reflect information in the official announcement. Once the merger closes, the combined company will be held by a new public company named Polestar Automotive Holding UK Limited. The company is expected to be listed on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “PSNY.”

Polestar falls under Volvo Car Group’s electric performance brand, but both Polestar and Volvo are owned by Chinese car maker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co.

With this announcement, Polestar joins a hoard of other EV and EV-related companies to go SPAC over the last two years, including Arrival, Nikola, EVgo, Proterra, Lucid Motors, Bird and many more - link - Rebecca Bellen - link - more like this - link

(IAN) OXFORD 157

 

Summertown, Tuesday 28/09/2021 - link - More like this - link

(POR) AXPO LOOKING TO PORTUGAL

Axpo Group, Switzerland’s largest producer and distributor of electricity from renewable sources, has its eyes “fixed on the Iberian Peninsula and is already pushing for a green hydrogen project in Portugal”.

This is the gist of a story in Eco online today which claims the state-owned company has “already begun talks with Portuguese partners”.

The plan is to develop a large photovoltaic solar plant, with electrolysers, “in the Sines region”.

In other words, this sounds like the same project that GALP and EDP recently pulled out from (click here).

ECO’s story didn’t phrase the news like this however. It explained that Axpo’s head of renewables Christoph Sutter “recently met with the Secretary of State for Energy João Galamba to talk about Axpo’s new plans for hydrogen in Sines.

“On the Portuguese side sources connected to the process also confirmed that the meeting took place about a fortnight ago at the company’s offices in Zurich” - link - Natasha Donn - link - more like this - link

(GUA) EV ENQUIRIES INCREASE FROM FUEL PANIC BUYING

A Tesla electric car drives past cars queueing for fuel at a BP filling station in Peterborough. Photograph: Paul Marriott/Rex/Shutterstock

As petrol stations in parts of the UK started running out of fuel on Friday, business at Martin Miller’s electric car dealership in Guildford, Surrey, started soaring.

After what ended up being his company EV Experts busiest day ever, interest does not appear to be dying down. This week the diary is booked up with test drives and the business is low on stock.

“People buy electric cars for environmental reasons, for cost-saving reasons and because the technology’s great,” he said. “But Friday was one of those moments where people said, ‘Do you know what, this is a sign that we need to go electric’.”

While scenes of chaos play out at petrol stations across the country amid shortages, for many electric vehicle (EV) dealers the fuel crisis has led to an unexpected surge in inquiries and sales.

EVA England, a non-profit representing new and prospective EV drivers, reports a rise in electric car inquiries and in interest at EV dealers, particularly in the last week.

“Saturday was bonkers but Friday even surpassed that, it was very strange,” said Miller, who founded his company four years ago. “I’ve now got trade-in cars with no petrol to move them.”

Along with existing factors such as the expansion of London’s ultra-low emission zone, the fuel crisis has proved to be another trigger point, he said. “People were using it as ‘this is the moment where I’m not going to put this off any longer’.” - link - Miranda Bryant - link - more like this - link

(HTD) 10,000 H2 TRUCKS ON FRENCH ROADS BY 2030

The hydrogen-powered electric truck is legitimately expected by many professionals as a sustainable solution to truly reach zero-emission transport without making overly restrictive operational compromises. 

Promises such as filling up in 15 minutes or being guaranteed a 400 to 500 km of autonomy before recharging (about 250 to 310 mi) - without compromising the transport capacities in terms of volume and weight- give hope to a strategic sector of the economy to be able to face the challenges of decarbonisation and depollution looming ahead.

This key industry has also been widely brought out in the latest study carried out by France Hydrogène whose “Ambition + 2030” scenario forecasts 10,000 hydrogen-powered lorries on French roads by 2030.

However, truck manufacturers are not rushing to face these issues promptly. In the passenger car world it took the rise of “pure players” such as Tesla to really shake up an industry that was reluctant to abandon its fossil fuels-powered engine as of yet. 

In the heavy road transport world the initiative is here again taken by new entrants, whether they be major manufacturers but new entrant to the European truck market like Hyundai, or pure players such as Hyzon Motors which is developing hydrogen-powered trucks based on DAF chassis from Groningen in the Netherlands - link - Logan King - link - Bertrand Chauve - link - more like this - link

(BLO) MING YANG CONSIDERING GERMAN FACILITY

Chinese wind turbine manufacturer Ming Yang Smart Energy Group Ltd. is planning to set up a major manufacturing facility in Germany in a bid to capture a chunk of Europe’s fast-growing renewable power market.

The factory will be able to produce turbines with the power capacity of at least a gigawatt each year, and will also supply components and parts to European buyers, Ming Yang Vice President Ye Fan said in an interview. The aim is to start building the plant, probably in south Germany, within three years, he said. 

Ming Yang’s facility will be first major wind equipment manufacturing hub built by a Chinese company in Europe, although some of its domestic rivals already have a presence in the region. Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co. has a majority stake in German turbine facturer Vensys Energy AG and Envision Energy Co. has a research center in Bristol, U.K. 

China’s top wind turbine makers, which account for around 60% of global production, are vying to enter Europe as authorities there strengthen pollution reduction goals. 

The global offshore wind sector is poised to grow more than 10-foldover the next 15 years, with Europe making up a large chunk of expansion in the near term, according to BloombergNEF. Chinese wind turbine manufacturers now account for 63% of offshore wind installations globally and 59% of those onshore, according to BNEF - Bloomberg - link - more like this - link

(H2V) EUSTREAM GAS PIPELINE

A coalition of European energy distributers will work together to develop a new, state-of-the-art blue hydrogen production facility in eastern Slovakia.

Revealed today (Sept 24), the likes of EP Infrastructure, Eustream, NAFTA and RWE will explore the develop of the facility that could support imports of blue hydrogen into western Europe through a pipeline system.

Set to be transmitted to Germany through a repurposed Eustream gas pipeline, the hydrogen will support the development of hydrogen in both Germany and Slovakia and boost the economy in Europe.

The companies are creating a joint working group, which will create a roadmap for project implementation and hold dialogues with relevant stakeholders enabling the project implementation, most notably in Ukraine, Czech Republic and Austria in the coming months.

Ulf Kerstin, CCO of RWE Supply & Trading GmbH, said, “We expect a significant need for low-carbon hydrogen imports to Germany in order to meet domestic demand already in 2030.

“To potentially off-take low-carbon hydrogen produced in Slovakia and import it to Germany via repurposed pipeline infrastructure would address this demand and at the same time support establishing the infrastructure required for future imports of green hydrogen from Eastern Europe, including Ukraine.” - link - George Heynes - link - more like this - link

(EEN) US REVIEWS WETLAND RESTORATION

The Biden administration is looking at using wetlands to capture carbon and help meet climate goals. A yellow-headed blackbird, pictured, perches in a wetland near Menoken, N.D. Charlie Riedel/AP Photo

Americans have been draining wetlands for farming and development since Colonial times but climate change may reverse that tide — from destruction to restoration.

Federal scientists are studying whether heat-trapping carbon dioxide can be sucked out of the atmosphere and sequestered in restored salt marshes, sea grass beds and mangrove swamps. And those wetlands can in turn protect communities along the coast from rising seas and fierce, frequent climate-driven storms.

“The concept that’s forming is that what we need to do is massive-scale ecosystem restoration as soon as possible to begin absorbing as much carbon dioxide as we can and diminish the amount of overshoot that we have in atmospheric greenhouse gases this century,” said Kevin Kroeger, a research chemist at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center.

Across the Lower 48 states, wetlands hold at least 3.2 billion metric tons of CO2 equivalent, by one estimate — roughly half the country’s net total greenhouse gas emissions in 2019.

That may sound good, but there are many questions that need answers.

Scientists know which types of wetlands sequester the most CO2, but there’s no comprehensive map of degraded wetlands or prospectus on what their restoration would mean for efforts to sequester greenhouse gases.

Kroeger and his team of nine researchers are looking for those answers. At the Biden administration’s behest, the scientists recently estimated the potential for national-scale carbon management in tidal wetlands.

The researchers found that conserving existing wetlands, restoring 35 percent of marshes that have been impounded or drained, and allowing coastal wetlands to naturally migrate toward land as sea levels rise could create a substantial sink for CO2 and human-caused methane by 2050 - link - Hannah Northey - link - more like this - link

(MOT) MICROPLASTICS IN BABIES

Joel Saget/Getty

Whenever a plastic bag or bottle degrades, it breaks into ever smaller pieces that work their way into nooks in the environment. When you wash synthetic fabrics, tiny plastic fibers break loose and flow out to sea. 

When you drive, plastic bits fly off your tires and brakes. That’s why literally everywhere scientists look, they’re finding microplastics—specks of synthetic material that measure less than 5 millimeters long. They’re on the most remote mountaintops and in the deepest oceans. 

They’re blowing vast distances in the wind to sully once pristine regions like the Arctic. In 11 protected areas in the western US, the equivalent of 120 million ground-up plastic bottles are falling out of the sky each year.

And now, microplastics are coming out of babies. In a pilot study published today, scientists describe sifting through infants’ dirty diapers and finding an average of 36,000 nanograms of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) per gram of feces, 10 times the amount they found in adult feces. They even found it in newborns’ first feces. 

PET is an extremely common polymer that’s known as polyester when it’s used in clothing, and it is also used to make plastic bottles. The finding comes a year after another team of researchers calculated that preparing hot formula in plastic bottles severely erodes the material, which could dose babies with several million microplastic particles a day, and perhaps nearly a billion a year - link - Matt Simon - link - more like this - link

(H2V) HYDROGEN ICE

Hydrogen-fuelled internal combustion engines, or ICEs for short, will add “significant momentum” to the deployment of zero-emission commercial vehicles and heavy-duty trucks and could be the earliest adopters of such technology, Cummins told H2 View.

Mobility is a sector benefitting considerably from hydrogen, with the clean energy carrier sporting longer distances and zero emissions; it is often seen as a perfect complement to battery electric vehicles.

Perhaps the most exciting technology bubbling in the mobility sector is hydrogen-fuelled internal combustion engines, with interest around the subject skyrocketing in recent months.

And for US industrial firm Cummins, this has been no exception. In July, Cummins revealed it had begun testing of a new internal combustion engine that can use green hydrogen fuel.

Amy Davis, Vice-President and President of New Power at Cummins, confirmed to H2 View Cummins has successfully established initial proof-of-concept and is now accelerating the programme ahead -  link - George Heynes - link - more like this - link

(NWI) TURKEY TO RATIFY PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Tuesday that Turkey was ready to finally ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Erdogan's announcement at a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly followed a year of violent weather events in Turkey -- including wildfires and flash floods -- that have claimed some 100 lives.

Turkey in April 2016 signed the landmark agreement on limiting the dangerous emissions that contribute to global warming, which scientists blame for increasingly extreme and more frequent weather events.

But it has yet to formally ratify the accord by a vote in parliament.

Erdogan told the UN General Assembly that Turkey now intends to complete the ratification process in time for the November UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow - link - Text by: NEWS WIRES - more like this - link

(TRA) WIRELESS CHARGING ROADWAYS

The Genesis GV60 will support wireless charging (Image credit: Genesis)

Even the most extended range electric cars can be a real pain to charge. The amount of time it takes to replenish battery power is still far greater than the time it takes to refill a fuel tank, though several new EVs are getting closer.

Michigan will become the latest government entity to try and remedy the issue. Governor Gretchen Whitmer opened the Motor Bella auto show in Pontiac, MI, yesterday, announcing that the state would begin testing wireless charging roadways.

The state joins Indiana and several international organizations, including governments, with similar plans.

Whitmer said that a one-mile stretch of road would be chosen for the Inductive Vehicle Charging Pilot, but it's not clear where it will end up.

Earlier this year, the Indiana Department of Transportation announced that it would begin testing wireless charging highway pavement.

Its tests will take place in phases, beginning with testing and validation of different types of pavements.

Phase three is when actual testing starts, though the location and timeframe are not yet defined.

The Michigan plan would move the state ahead of Indiana by going directly to the road test phase. Other tests are underway, or will soon be underway, in Israel and Norway - link - Chris Teague - link - more like this - link - see the Genesis GV60 - link

(INS) US & EU PLEDGE TO REDUCE METHANE EMISSIONS

Flames from a methane flaring pit near a well in the Bakken Oil Field. Credit: Orjan F. Ellingvag/Corbis via Getty Images

The United States and the European Union pledged on Friday (17/09/2021) to reduce methane emissions by at least 30 percent below 2020 levels by 2030, ushering in the start of what they hope will be a “global methane pledge” to quickly address warming, as the next round of international climate negotiations nears.

“This will not only rapidly reduce the rate of global warming, but it will also produce a very valuable side benefit, like improving public health and agricultural output,” President Joe Biden said Friday morning at the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, which he convened ahead of the Conference of the Parties (COP26), the United Nations-led climate negotiations scheduled for November in Glasgow.

The announcement follows a landmark report by the United Nations in May that underscored the need to rapidly rein in emissions of methane, the second leading driver of climate change - link - Phil McKenna - link - more like this - link

(TLO) SNCF CORDIA ILINT TESTS UNDERWAY

France has undertaken its first tests of the hydrogen-powered trains which are set to replace diesel trains along several regional lines. Here's what you need to know about this "zero emission train".

Hydrogen trains are one step closer to becoming a part of France’s public transport network after French company Alstom tested its Coradia iLint – the world’s first passenger train powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, at a testing centre in the northern town of Valenciennes.

French rail operator SNCF has already ordered several hydrogen-powered trains for use on the slower, regional networks.

How France compares to Europe

“Alstom has been working since 2013 on the launch of a regional train equipped with hydrogen fuel cells,” the company states, and the French train maker has already began supplying other European countries.

The train on display in Valenciennes was designed and assembled in Salzgitter in Germany, and it’s in Germany where passengers first got the opportunity to test out the new technology.

The first two hydrogen-powered trains entered commercial service in Germany as part of a trial between 2018 and 2020, and two German states have since ordered 41 trains which will begin regular service from 2022.

Successful trials have also taken place in Austria, the Netherlands and Sweden, while Italy ordered 14 hydrogen trains at the end of last year - link - Martin Greenacre - link - more like this - link - more like this (Sweden) - link

(OFF) WINDFLOAT ATLANTIC SUCCESS

The 25 MW Windfloat Atlantic floating wind farm offshore Portugal produced 75 GWh of electricity in its first year of operation (EDP Renewables).

Located 20 kilometers off the coast of Viana do Castelo, the project is the world’s first semi-submersible floating wind farm which became operational in July 2020.

The wind farm was developed by the Windplus consortium formed by OW, a 50:50 joint-venture between EDPR and ENGIE, Repsol, and Principle Power.

“The project has performed well above expectations,” José Pinheiro, the project director, said.

”It has registered high levels of availability and a production that has exceeded expectations for many months. We wanted to share these positive results of a project that has marked a before and after in the offshore wind energy industry because of the technology used and because it has become the first floating and semi-submersible wind farm in the world.”

Pinheiro also stressed that there are great opportunities for expansion of this technology, both in Portugal and abroad, which EDPR, through Ocean Winds, is already exploring in different markets.

The WindFloat Atlantic project features three MHI Vestas 8.4 MW turbines mounted on Principle Power’s semi-submersible floating foundations.

The three floating turbines were towed from the Port of Ferrol in Spain to the installation site - link - Adnan Durakovic - link - more like this - link

(GPE) GREENPEACE AND THE FISHERMEN

More like this - link

(ENG) ROYAL MAIL TOYS WITH MICRO ELECTRIC VEHICLES

In an effort to reduce its carbon emissions, Royal Mail is experimenting with two types of ‘micro’ electric vehicles (EVs) in a trial that will take place in several towns and cities over the next six months.

The vehicles are approximately the size of a quad bike or golf buggy and have been specially designed for routine deliveries of letters and small parcels. Despite their size, the vehicles can easily accommodate an average daily round’s worth of letters and smaller packages.

The EVs are charged using a standard three-pin plug.

They will be trialled in residential areas as a potential low-carbon alternative to larger vans. The EVs will be seen operating in Edinburgh, Crewe, Liverpool, London and Swindon.

“It’s really exciting to see these micro EVs making their way into our daily deliveries,” said Simon Thompson, CEO of Royal Mail. “We’re committed to keep on reducing our environmental impact and we intend to leave no stone unturned in trialling new technologies and new ways of delivering to help us do that.”

“As our fantastic posties make most deliveries on foot, this already means we have the lowest reported CO2 [emissions] per parcel of major UK delivery companies. From drones to EVs, fuel-efficient tyres to bio-CNG trucks, we’ll keep on innovating to reduce our environmental impact even further.” - link - more like this - link

(TIM) CITROEN'S 28 MPH AMI TO GO ON SALE IN UK

Citroen's new back-to-basics green electric city car costing around £6,000 is to be sold in the UK following 'unprecedented' demand for it to cross the Channel.

Bosses gave the green light to the quirky two-seater Citroen Ami runaround coming here in spring 2022 after receiving more than 12,000 expressions of interest from potential British customers.

The French carmaker says the dinky car exemplifies the 'spirit' of the legendary cheap and cheerful 2CV.

So proud is the French car firm about exporting its new car to post-Brexit Britain that they have adorned one of the 47-mile-range models in a bright Union Flag - though it won't be sold with this paint-scheme option.

Powered by a 5.5kWh battery, the pure electric vehicle with zero-emissions has a top speed of 28mph and a range of up to 46 miles. It recharges in just three hours.

The Citroen Ami vehicle will be adapted for the UK market but be sold only in left-hand drive.

However, the vehicle is so small and the steering wheel so central in that cabin that this will make little to no difference to Britons' customers who are happy and willing to take the plunge.

However Citroen pointed out: 'One significant benefit of Amis left-hand drive configuration when being driven in the UK, is that it will allow the driver the benefit of exiting the vehicle at the kerbside when parking at the roadside in city centres.'

In a statement released this morning, the French maker announced: 'Due to unprecedented customer demand, Citroen is pleased to announce that Citroen Ami will launch in the UK during spring 2022.' - link - Ray Massey - link - picture - link - more like this - link

(OSE) BP, ADNOC, MASDAR PARTNER UP FOR UK & UAE

Courtesy of BP

British oil and gas company BP, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), and UAE-based renewable energy developer Masdar have teamed up to develop hydrogen hubs in the UK and UAE.

The parties have signed three agreements in regards to clean and low carbon energy. One of those will see them collaborate to develop two gigawatts of low-carbon hydrogen across hubs in UK and UAE. Also, the companies intend to expand as the project progresses.

Access to clean hydrogen can reduce emissions, ‎enable new, low-carbon products, and unlock future fuels. Therefore, this is a significant contribution to the UK Government’s target to develop five gigawatts of hydrogen production by 2030. 

It could also lead to the first international investment in the low carbon hydrogen facility in Teesside. H2Teesside aims to produce a gigawatt of blue hydrogen starting in 2027. The project will capture and store up to two million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) a year through the Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP) - link - Sanja Pekic - link - more like this - link

(H2V) MSC CRUISING PLEDGE NET ZERO BY 2050

The Cruise Division of MSC Group has reaffirmed its pledge to achieve net zero emissions from its cruise operations by 2050 with hydrogen to play a key role.

With the Cruise Division of MSC Group previously revealing its intention to participate in the development of a hydrogen-powered cruise ship, the group reaffirmed its commitment to developing hydrogen shipping solutions.

MSC Group is teaming with Snam and Fincantieri to design and construct the hydrogen cruise liner which would additionally become a world first, the group said.

To achieve this, the groups will arrange ship spaces to accommodate the necessary hydrogen technologies and fuel cells, identify technical parameters of onboard systems, calculate the potential greenhouse gas emissions savings, and provide a technical and economic analysis of hydrogen supply and shore-based infrastructure.

In doing this, the shipping industry could gain a new pathway for hydrogen technologies with the clean energy carrier boasting many benefits that have captured the interest of the maritime sector.

Speaking on its commitment to net zero by 2050, Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of the Cruise Division of MSC Group, said, “As a family business with over three hundred years of maritime heritage, we have always felt a deep responsibility towards our marine environment and our planet.

“Today we are taking our commitment one step further by embracing a net zero emissions future within the next three decades - link - George Heynes - link - more like this link

(IAN) OXFORD 156

St Giles, Oxford - link - more like this - link

(REC) OCEANEX LOOKS AT HUNTER & ILLAWARRA FOR WIND POTENTIAL

Three of the common types of floating wind turbine platform. Josh Bauer/NREL

Australia is “ripe” for innovation in floating offshore wind farms, and could use its deep ports, offshore know-how and excellent wind conditions to become a “first mover” country for the new technology, according to a new study.

Oceanex commissioned the report from consultants MBB Group to look into the supply needs for its plans to build at least two multi-gigawatt offshore wind projects using floating foundations, and tapping into demand from green hydrogen and the retirement of coal generators.

Oceanex is initially targeting projects off the coast of the Hunter and Illawarra coal regions, with two different 2GW projects, and the possibility of two others either closer to Sydney or further south near Eden.

There is growing interest in offshore wind, with at least 12 different projects identified by different developers across Australia, and the market operator also outlining the potential of up to 40GW of capacity in four different offshore zones.

Offshore wind is being promoted because of the scale of the projects can replace some of the coal capacity expected to retire over the next 10 to 15 years, and because it can tap into the existing infrastructure.

Costs have traditionally been high, but they are falling rapidly, thanks to the sheer scale of the projects and the size of the turbines that can be located offshore. A recent auction in German resulted in winning tenders from offshore wind projects that required no subsidy - link - Giles Parkinson - link - more like this - link

(OFF) KOWL 200,000 MWH P/A STARTS OPERATING

The installation of the wind turbines at Kincardine, the world’s largest floating wind farm, has marked the start of the long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) between Statkraft and Kincardine Offshore Windfarm Ltd (KOWL).

The 50 MW Kincardine floating wind farm will provide over 200,000 MWh per year to the Scottish grid, enough to power over 50,000 homes, Statkraft said.

Statkraft will purchase all electrical output from the floating wind project with a guaranteed minimum price per MWh until 2029. 

This long-term route-to-market partnership with Statkraft, which is for 100 per cent of the electricity generated by the project, has been set up with pre-agreed terms for the full duration, reducing the financial risk to its investors - link - Adnan Durakovic - link - more like this - link

(RED) VESTAS SECURES ORDERS FOR 301MW IN CHINA

Vestas has secured multiple turbine orders in China totalling 301MW as the first quarter of the year draws to a close.

The Danish wind turbine maker announced a 202MW order for an undisclosed project that includes supply of 56 V136-3.45MW turbines delivered in 3.6MW power optimised mode, as well as a two-year active output management service agreement.

Deliveries are expected to begin in the third quarter of 2020, with commissioning planned for the same quarter.

Vestas also secured a 99MW order for two projects in Jiangsu Province.


Both projects will feature a mixed site configuration consisting of V155-3.3MW and V110-2.2MW turbines.

The order, also to an undisclosed customer, includes supply of 16 V155-3.3MW and 21 V110-2.2MW turbines, as well as a 20-year Active Output Management 4000 service agreement.

This is the second order of V155-3.3MW turbines – Vestas’ latest 4 MW platform variant designed for low wind condition – since its introduction in China in June 2019.

The order also features a 20-year service agreement, a first for Vestas in China - link - more like this - link

(GLO) COLORADO HYPERLOOP TEST TRACK PLANNED

Images courtesy of Swisspod

Hyperloop technology firm Swisspod has partnered with American Railroads’ Transportation Technology Centre (TTCI) to build a test track in Pueblo, Colorado. The track will be used to validate Hyperloop patents on full-scale cargo-transport infrastructure.

Swisspod is based in Monthey, in the canton of Valais, and Miami. It was founded by Denis Tudor and Cyril Dénéréaz, who were winners of the SpaceX Hyperloop Competition.

The track will be built at the PuebloPlex, a 23,000-acre US Army Depot that hosts manufacturing, warehousing and logistics operations.

Tudor, Swisspod’s chief executive, said: “We selected TTCI for its remarkable track record of leadership and success in the testing, development and deployment of emerging transportation technologies.

“This new partnership will be vital to our market positioning, not only as pioneers of a highly efficient propulsion system but also as one of the most affordable Hyperloop infrastructure propositions in the world.”

Kari Gonzales, TTCI’s acting chief executive, added: “Our partnership with Swisspod is the first of many opportunities to extend our legacy as leaders in transportation research.

“Our team’s experience in performance testing and our capability to reduce the product development cycle is unmatched in North America.” - link - Joe Quirke - link - more like this - link

(DUR) NETHERLANDS TARGET ZERO CO2 EMISSIONS BY 2050

Renewable energy in the Netherlands has been a hot topic for years. With the impacts of climate change becoming ever more real, the Dutch — and the rest of the world — need to seize every opportunity to create a more sustainable and resilient future.

Renewable energy share in the Netherlands

As great as the Dutch are in many other things, renewable energy uptake is not (yet) their forte. Currently, the Dutch energy supply is still dominated by natural gas and coal. In 2018, natural gas made up 42% of the country’s primary energy supply in the Netherlands. Oil and coal accounted for 37% and 11% respectively. It is also one of the largest gas producers in Europe.

Despite the Netherlands’ rich history of windmills and a stellar ability to fight off the seas, the country falls behind the majority of other EU countries when it comes to adopting renewables. In 2019, the share of energy from renewable sources in the Netherlands was only 8.8% according to Eurostat. This was the third-lowest share in Europe after Luxembourg and Malta.

On its path to becoming a low-carbon economy, the Netherlands intends to make 16% of all its energy sustainable by 2023. By 2050, the country’s CO2 emissions should reach zero. We have yet to see whether these ambitious low-carbon-economy goals will be met. However, for now, the Dutch government is placing a large emphasis on energy efficiency and energy savings - link - Jana Vondrackova - link - picture - link - more like this - link

(TNN) EXPO 2020 DUBAI

A biotope, or a miniature world, has been created in which the climate is controlled naturally, to nurture plants. Pawan Singh / The National

Solar-powered rain showers, a mountain covered with herbs, flooring made from fungi and curtains produced from corn – these are some of the marvels that await visitors at the Dutch pavilion for Expo 2020 Dubai.

As visitors travel through the pavilion, the sounds of a busy street in the Netherlands will ring out overhead.

On Tuesday, the country was among the first to open up its pavilion, which is in Expo's Sustainability district.

Michiel Raaphorst, founder and director at V8 Architects, said artists and designers worked together on this project to create solutions.

“This building is our message. It is proof we can harvest, grow food and make it rain in the desert,” he said.

“It shows how inspiration and solutions can come from outside your discipline. Imagine, the floor we are on is made from mushroom. And these ideas have come from artists and innovators who have integrated their solutions into the building - link - Ramola Talwar Badam - link - more like this link

(REC) PAREP ENERGISATION EXPECTED SOON

Port Augusta Renewable Energy Park. Source: Iberdrola.

The final turbine has been installed at what will be Australia’s biggest wind and solar hybrid facility, with “energisation” expected soon as the connection approval is finalised and first production due in the next three months.

The 317MW Port Augusta Renewable Energy Park (PAREP) combines 50 wind turbines and more than 250,000 solar modules, with 210MW of wind capacity and 107MW of solar capacity.

The $500 million facility is being built by Spanish giant Iberdrola, in conjunction with the project developer DP Energy, and when fully commissioned will significantly increase the amount of renewable in the South Australia grid, which has already averaged a world-leading 62 per cent in the last 12 months.

It is the first major investment for Iberdrola in Australia, although the company has also bought out the Australian developer Infigen, giving it access to more than 800MW of operating wind, solar and battery storage facilities in Australia and a large pipeline of more than 1,000MW of new projects - link - Giles Parkinson - link - more like this - link - more like this (Australia) - link

(NAT) SUNLIGHT & SALT WATER

An illustration depicting how a large-scale version of the system could be used to cool an entire room - Wenbin Wang/KAUST

There are many parts of the world which lack infrastructure but get a lot of sunlight ... which makes buildings uncomfortably hot. A new system could help, as it uses a combination of sunlight and salt water – but no electricity – to produce a cooling effect.

Currently being developed at Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), the experimental setup takes advantage of a natural "phase-change" phenomenon in which energy is absorbed as salt crystals dissolve within water. This means that if salt is added to warm water, that water rapidly cools as the salt dissolves.

After some experimentation with different types of salt, it was found that one known as ammonium nitrate worked best. Mainly because it's highly water-soluble, its cooling power is four times greater than that of the next-best salt, ammonium chloride. As an added bonus, ammonium nitrate is already widely utilized in fertilizer, and is quite inexpensive.

Besides its use in cooling systems for buildings, the system could also be utilized to refrigerate food. In lab tests, water with added ammonium nitrate was placed in a metal cup, which was in turn put inside a sealed polystyrene foam box.

As the salt dissolved and the water cooled, the temperature of the cup dropped from room temperature (about 25 ºC/77 ºF) to 3.6 ºC (38 ºF) within approximately 20 minutes. It proceeded to stay below 15 ºC (59 ºF) for over 15 hours - link - Ben Coxworth - link -more like this (Saudi Arabia) - link - more like this - link

(TCR) BEHOLD - THE ELI ZERO

Eli Electric Vehicles, an early stage compact EV manufacturer, announced the start of production on its flagship Eli Zero, a micro “neighborhood electric vehicle” that is built for city commuting. 

The company plans to roll out small batches of the two-seater EV to distributors across 13 European countries over the next few months with a starting price of $11,999.

Micro-electric vehicles are on the rise with other compact quadricycles coming to market recently, including the Renault Twizy, the Citroën Ami, the tilting Triggo EV and the Squad Mobility solar-assisted car. 

In terms of pricing, the Eli is at the higher end of the spectrum along with the Twizy at a starting price of around $16,000. For comparison, the Ami costs around $6,000 and the Squad car costs $6,790.

While Eli is based in Los Angeles, its manufacturing partner is in China, and ongoing geopolitical tensions are part of the reason the company is pursuing a European strategy initially. The varied laws per state on what maketh a street legal vehicle also make it difficult to go to market in the U.S. first, according to Marcus Li, CEO and founder of Eli. 

In Europe, the Zeros are street legal and there is already a culture around smaller, compact cars that don’t go too fast - link - Rebecca Bellan - link - more like this - link

(GCC) IRIZAR 1000 KM RANGE LNG COACH

Irizar has manufactured a liquid natural gas (LNG) i4 model coach with a range of more than 1000 kilometers (621 miles) for intercity or short distance routes. 

This option is an addition to the range of technologies and sustainable fuels that Irizar is currently offering, including electric buses, diesel coaches, biofuel, natural gas, HVO, hybrid, biofuel and B100.

The first vehicle equipped with this technology is the class II i4 model Irizar. It is a versatile coach that is suited for cities, commuter lines, school or company transport and occasional use.

The L version of the Irizar i4 is 12.2 meters long, has a double central door with built in PRM manufactured by Masats and was been built on a Scania 320 EB 4X2 E6D LNG biofuel chassis with a 9-liter, 320 hp engine - link - more like this - link