(RNO) ENGIE TO POWER O-I GLASS IN EUROPE

February 28 (Renewables Now) - French utility Engie SA (EPA:ENGI) will supply a total of 4.3 TWh of renewable electricity to facilities in Europe of US glass bottle maker O-I Glass Inc (NYSE:OI) under a 10-year agreement.

The electricity will come from solar, wind and hydro sources, according to today’s announcement by the companies, which did not elaborate on the sites and markets where the green energy will be supplied.

Engie has designed a tailor-made solution for the energy-intensive company using its large portfolio of carbon-neutral products, noted Olivier Bloeyaert, executive committee member of Engie’s global entity “Global Energy Management and Sales.”

O-I chief sustainability officer Randy Burns said the agreement supports the company’s goal of reducing its global greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030 and its efforts to increase its global renewable electricity usage to between 30% and 35% this year.

This is the latest deal between the companies. Engie supplies natural gas and electricity to O-I in several European countries along with energy efficiency services for its factories in France. It also supplies electricity to O-I in Mexico and Peru. In the US, the utility provides 25% of O-I’s electricity consumption with renewable electricity. Renewables Now - link - Plamena Tisheva - link - more like this (France) - link - more like this (USA) - link - more like this (France) - link - more like this - link - more like this (glass) - link

(PVM) GRAVITRICITY'S SECOND PROJECT FUNDED

Gravitricity's technology is claimed to have a faster response time than lithium-ion storage technology. Image: Gravitricity

British start-up Gravitricity secured funds from the UK Department of Business Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to build its second gravity-based storage project. The feasibility study is expected to be finalized by the end of this year.

Scottish start-up Gravitricity has secured a £912,000 grant from the UK Department of Business Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to build a 4 MWh gravity-based storage facility on an unspecified brownfield site in the United Kingdom.

“The feasibility project will complete in late 2022 and will provide the information required to commence the build of the full-scale commercial prototype multi-weight gravity energy store immediately thereafter, subject to securing planning permission and the necessary funds,” the company said in a statement. “This project will demonstrate multi-weight use and control using a single set of hoisting equipment and will pave the way to custom projects which can be built wherever they are required.”

The company completed last summer a 250 kW demonstration project, which was supported by a £640,000 grant from UK government funder Innovate UK. In this facility, a tower is powered by renewable energy to raise a mass in a 150-1,500 m shaft and discharges the electricity thus “stored” by releasing the mass to rotate the two power generators. The mass used in larger projects can range from 500 to 5,000 tons.

The technology is claimed to have a faster response time than lithium-ion storage technology and to be able to help stabilize electricity networks at 50 Hz by responding to full power demand in less than a second.

In October, Gravitricity also announced it was considering the deployment of its gravity energy storage system in Czechia, where it would be built at the decommissioned Staříč coal mine in the country's Moravian Silesian region. The mine consists of six deep sites that could potentially host the storage solution. pv magazine - link - Emiliano Bellini - link - more like this - link

(TAA) RECYCLED PLASTIC ROADS

BRADFORD Council has become the first local authority in the region to ask contractors to use recycled plastic to repair its roads.

The Council’s Highway Maintenance North Team is using over 2,000 tonnes of a special asphalt which contains around 10 tonnes of recycled plastic to resurface roads around Keighley and Shipley.

The material is manufactured by Scottish company, MacRebur, which processes waste plastics which would have ended up in landfill or incinerators.

Not only does the plastic reduce the volume of bitumen in the mix, it actually makes it more durable.

The material reduces the environmental impact of resurfacing - for every tonne of asphalt laid, 5kg of waste plastic is stopped from going to landfill or incineration and an average of 7.75kg of carbon dioxide is saved.

The asphalt is also made up of 95 per cent steel slag, a by-product of the steel making process, eliminating the need for quarried aggregate.

The material is manufactured to very high standards at temperatures over 150C to ensure plastic particles cannot be released into the environment.

The plastic becomes integrated into the asphalt mix and can be recycled again and again.

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: “We have a duty to reduce waste and tackle climate change which is having a devastating effect on our planet.

“Using this innovative product is a positive step in terms of decarbonising our operations. We will continue to work with suppliers and contractors to ensure that using materials like this becomes standard practice.” Telegraph and Argus - link - T&A muck rack - link -- more like this - link

(PVM) PHILIPPINES ENERGISES ALAMINOS PROJECT

The Alaminos Energy Storage project. Image: Acen

AC Energy Inc (ACEN), the renewable energy arm of Filipino conglomerate Ayala Corporation, has energized a 40MW/60MWh storage facility at the 120MW Alaminos Solar plant, one of the Philippines' largest operational PV projects.

Called Alaminos Energy Storage, the facility consists of two 20MW storage facilities that are planned to store power when electricity demand is low while also providing rapid power charging and ancillary services to the national grid.

“The facility holds 24 battery containers with SAFT 2.5MWh lithium-ion batteries, enough to power about 20,000 homes and avoid 35.87 metric tons of CO2-equivalent emissions per year,” the manufacturer said in a statement.

The Alaminos solar plant is located in Alaminos, Laguna province, in the Calabarzon region of the island of Luzon. The plant began commercial operations in June.

Several large scale storage projects were completed or announced in the Philippines over the past months.

The power arm of the Philippines-based brewing-to-energy conglomerate San Miguel Corporation (SMC) recently said it is ready to start operations of an initial 690MW of battery storage facilities. 

These projects include a 470MW/470MWh portfolio that UK storage specialist Fluence is developing with San Miguel. The first 20MW/20MWh battery energy storage system of this portfolio was commissioned in late January. pv magazine - link - Emiliano Bellini - link - more like this - link

(TEP) FIAT EXCLUSIVELY EV IN EUROPE POST 2027

Fiat Centoventi

Fiat is among the world’s largest automobile manufacturers. Thanks to the affordable cars it offers, the company is very popular both in our country and in the world, and it reaches good sales figures. In addition, the company is positioned among the best-selling automobile manufacturers.

With the steps taken by the states, the demand for internal combustion engines in the automobile industry began to decrease. One by one, companies promise to sell only electric cars by 2030. Now the move has come from Fiat, and the company has announced that it will not sell internal combustion cars.

Fiat will sell only electric cars in Europe from 2027!

At the Stellantis earnings statement meeting held in the past days, the company’s officials made an ambitious promise for electric cars. According to the statements made, Fiat will only sell electric cars in Europe by 2027. Accordingly, the company will introduce a new passenger electric car in 2022 or 2023.

Although there is no definite information about how the vehicle will be, according to the allegations, the vehicle will be built using the Centoventi concept introduced at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. The compact car, which will be approximately 36.8 meters long, will appear before us as an electric version of Fiat Panda.

In the past years, the company introduced its electric compact car Fiat 500e. The Fiat 500e was particularly popular thanks to its features and small size, and became the best-selling A-segment car in 12 countries. The car was also a huge success, selling 44,000 units worldwide.

It is not yet known how Fiat will appear in cars in the future. There are only 5 years until 2027, and the company needs to hurry up and electrify its cars or launch new electric cars. Egea, which is among the best-selling cars in our country, has also recently gained a hybrid version. TechnoPixel - link - more like this - link

(INS) UKRAINE INTERNATIONAL LEGION

Foreign citizens will be able to fight for Ukraine against the Russian army in a new ‘foreign legion’, Volodymyr Zelensky has announced.

A statement on the President of Ukraine’s website said that citizens of any country could come to “fight side by side with the Ukranians against the Russian war criminals”.

Mr Zelensky first announced the move in an address on Saturday. “Every friend of Ukraine who wants to join Ukraine in defending the country please come over, we will give you weapons,” he said. He said that the Ukranian Government would announce “very shortly how this can be done”.

On Sunday, the presidential website published a statement outlining the creation of an “International Legion for the Territorial Defence of Ukraine”.

“The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is addressing all citizens of the world, friends of Ukraine, peace and democracy,” it said. “Anyone who wants to join the defence of Ukraine, Europe and the world can come and fight side by side with the Ukranians against the Russian war criminals. inews- link - Will Hazell - link - more like this - link

(GUA) FUNDING INVASION

Never ones to let a good crisis go to waste, the fossil fuel industry and their allies have taken to the airwaves over the last few days to try and use the Russian invasion of Ukraine as an excuse for greater oil and gas development.

It’s the classic shock doctrine that we’ve come to expect from big oil, and unless our politicians are wise enough to see through it, it’s a strategy that will continue to undermine our ability to take action on climate change over the decade to come.

The fossil fuel industry’s attempt to exploit this particular crisis is all the more galling because of their central role in causing it. Putin’s ability to wage war in Ukraine and threaten the stability of Europe comes exclusively from his control over Russian oil and gas production. Forty per cent of Russia’s federal budget comes from oil and gas, which make up 60% of the country’s exports. This October, Russia was making more than $500m a day from fossil fuels, money that goes directly into funding Putin’s war machine.

No one in the oil and gas industry denies this. What they’d like us to conveniently forget is how they helped Putin get to this point.

Russia never could have become such an oil and gas superpower without the help of western oil companies like ExxonMobil and BP, which owns a 20% share of Rosneft, Russia’s state owned oil company. 

Back in 2014, when Rosneft’s oil and gas production was largely flat, ExxonMobil partnered with Rosneft to help them modernize operations and expand production in the Arctic. The partnership went so well that Putin awarded former Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson the Order of Friendship, one of the highest honors Russia bestows on foreigners.

Exxon has returned the favor, joining with other US oil giants and their trade association, the American Petroleum Institute, to repeatedly lobby against Russian sanctions, including in 2018 when Congress tried to prevent future Russian meddling in US elections, and today, as Congress attempts to impose stricter sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Guardian - link - Jamie Henn - link - bp react to Rosneft criticism - link - more like this - link

(OFF) US RAISES 4.37 BILLION FROM OFFSHORE LEASES

The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has completed the country’s biggest offshore wind auction after three days and 64 rounds, and the six offered lease sites gathering a total of USD 4.37 billion that will go to the US Treasury.

The largest and most expensive site, which could accommodate a minimum of 1,387 MW of installed capacity, was secured for a price of USD 1.1 billion by Bight Wind Holdings, LLC, a joint venture between RWE Renewables and National Grid.

According to RWE, the lease site has the potential of 3 GW of installed offshore wind capacity. This is in line with what the US Department of Interior (DOI) said earlier on the potential for the sites to have higher installed capacity, mostly due to technological advancements in the industry.

Attentive Energy LLC, a joint venture between EnBW and TotalEnergies, is the winner of the second most expensive lease site, located northeast of the biggest lease area, for a price of USD 795 million.

Shell and EDF Renewables-owned Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Bight, LLC, won the development area south of the biggest site for USD 780 million, and the area adjacent to Shell and EDF’s was secured by Invenergy Wind Offshore LLC for USD 645 million.

OW Ocean Winds East LLC, an existing joint venture between EDP Renewables and Engie, won the lease area in Central Bight for USD 765 million, while the smallest auctioned site, situated offshore Long Beach in New York, was secured by Mid-Atlantic Offshore Wind LLC, owned by Danish Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), for USD 285 million. offshoreWIND.biz - link - Adrijana Buljan - link - more like this (USA) - link - more like this - link

(AMI) RUSSIAN FORCES TARGETING UKRAINIAN CIVILIANS

Russian military commits indiscriminate attacks during the invasion of Ukraine

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been marked by indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas and strikes on protected objects such as hospitals, Amnesty International said today, after documenting three incidents that it believes to have killed at least six civilians and injured at least 12 more. Indiscriminate attacks violate international humanitarian law (the laws of war) and can constitute war crimes.

“The Russian military has shown a blatant disregard for civilian lives by using ballistic missiles and other explosive weapons with wide area effects in densely populated areas. Some of these attacks may be war crimes. The Russian government, which falsely claims to use only precision-guided weapons, should take responsibility for these acts,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General. Amnesty International - link - help the people of Ukraine - link - Russians committing war crimes - link - like this - link

(CNB) TOYOTA & YAMAHA DEVELOPING H2 FUELLED V8 ICE

A Yamaha Motor Co., V8 hydrogen engine displayed in Japan, on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021. Toru Hanai | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Toyota has commissioned Yamaha Motor to develop a hydrogen-fueled engine, with the president of the latter stating that his company was committed to the internal combustion engine.

In an announcement toward the end of last week, Yamaha said the 5.0-liter V8 engine would be developed for automobiles and based on the one used by the Lexus RC F coupe, with alterations made to its cylinder heads and injectors, among other things.

According to Yamaha, the unit is able to deliver as much as 450 horsepower at 6,800 revolutions per minute. The company said it had been working on a hydrogen engine for automobiles for roughly five years.

Yamaha Motor President Yoshihiro Hidaka said that while his company was aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by the year 2050 it also had “a strong passion for and level of commitment to the internal combustion engine.”

“Hydrogen engines house the potential to be carbon-neutral while keeping our passion for the internal combustion engine alive at the same time,” Hidaka went on to say.

Last week’s statement builds on one from Nov. 2021 when Yamaha Motor, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Toyota, Subaru and Mazda released details of what they described as a “challenge to expand fuel options for using internal combustion engines.” It was at this announcement that the V8 engine developed for Toyota was shown to the public.

The notion of powering an internal combustion engine with hydrogen is not a new one. Toyota has already developed a GR Yaris which has a 1.6-liter ICE and uses hydrogen as its fuel.


According to the company, the GR Yaris uses the same powertrain as a hydrogen-powered Corolla Sport. The firm has labeled both of these vehicles as “experimental.”

Firms such as BMW have also produced vehicles such as the BMW Hydrogen 7. According to the German automaker, the Hydrogen 7 used an internal combustion engine and was able to run on gasoline or liquid hydrogen. Production of the vehicle began in 2006 and a limited run was made.

Using hydrogen to power an internal combustion engine is different to hydrogen fuel cell technology, where gas from a tank mixes with oxygen, producing electricity. As the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center notes, fuel cell vehicles emit “only water vapor and warm air.”

By contrast, hydrogen ICEs do produce emissions. “Hydrogen engines release near zero, trace amounts of CO2 … but can produce nitrogen oxides, or NOx,” Cummins, the engine maker, says. CNBC - link - Anmar Frangoul - link - more like this - link

(HDN) HULL PLANS FOR ONSHORE TURBINE

A turbine at the onshore wind farm at Lissett.

Plans for Hull's first ever council-owned onshore wind turbines have taken a step forward.

Hull City Council is looking at where land and property it owns around the city could be used for a series of green energy projects.

They include installing solar canopies in car parks, re-starting a previous programme of fitting rooftop solar panels to properties and developing solar farms.

The Hull University Hospitals Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has paved the way locally on solar farm development having recently installed almost 11,000 ground-mounted panels on land near Castle Hill hospital in Cottingham.

They have been designed to help generate a third of the total energy requirements of the hospital, meeting all of its daytime demand during the summer months. However, the city council's most ambitious scheme within its £16m green energy programme is to develop its own wind turbines.

While Hull has become famous in recent years for manufacturing offshore wind turbine blades, the council's acquisition of the former McBride aerosol factory in Sutton Fields three years ago was seen as an early move to secure a potential onshore wind farm site. It lies next to a depot in Stockholm Road shared by the council's main highways section and the council-owned building, repair and maintenance firm KWL.

Now three specialist firms have been appointed by the council to assess the feasibility of sites it owns for potential green energy projects.

Wardell Armstrong LLP will be in charge of examining council land for the installation of wind turbines.

Ian Gillard, the company's associate director for energy and climate change, said: "Wind energy is a mature renewable energy source that has been successfully deployed in many countries.

"The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates wind power could grow to meet more than 20 percent of global electricity demand in 2050.

"This shows the importance of investing in and scaling up wind power capacity."

EvoEnergy Ltd. will assess the feasibility of solar canopies while the Locogen Group will look at options for rooftop solar panels and solar farms.

A former landfill site in Bransholme has already been identified as one potential location for a large solar farm. Hull Daily Mail - link - Angus Young - link - more like this - link

(ELE) 100,000 EV MOTORCYLES BY 2026

Harley-Davidson has set out future sales goals for its LiveWire sub-brand that manufacturers and sells its all-electric motorcycles, aiming for a towering 100,000 units by 2026.

The company plans to increase that growth rate even further to 190,000 total electric motorcycle sales by 2030, according to an investor prospectus released by Harley-Davidson.

Hitting those figures could result in reaching staggering electric motorcycle revenues of $1.77 billion by 2026 and $3 billion by 2030, according to the Milwaukee Business Journal.

The prospectus states “[w]hile the electric motorcycle market is in the early stages of its development, we expect global electric vehicle penetration to expand from 6% of units in 2021 to 25% by 2030, implying electric motorcycle market growth from $2.5 billion in sales to approximately $20 billion to $28 billion over the same period.”

H-D’s sales targets might sound lofty, especially considering that Harley sold somewhere between 1,300 to 1,600 electric motorcycles between 2019 and the first nine months of 2021.

That motorcycle, the Harley-Davidson LiveWire, was largely praised by the industry for its quality, though not for its nearly $30,000 price. Even much of the old guard from conventional gas-powered motorcycle media begrudgingly praised the Harley-Davidson LiveWire as a thrilling and well-made motorcycle, echoing Electrek’s own even more positive review of the bike.

Late 2021 marked the moment when Harley-Davidson decided to spin off its electric motorcycle operations into a sub-brand known as LiveWire. The Harley-Davidson LiveWire electric motorcycle then morphed into the LiveWire One, shedding around $8,000 from its MSRP in the process and bringing its price tag much closer in line with flagship electric motorcycles from competitors such as Zero Motorcycles and Energica. electrek - link - Micah Toll - link - more like this (USA) - link - more like this - link

(SLA) POLESTAR 0 CRADLE TO GRAVE EMISSIONS

Polestar's goal of creating a completely climate-neutral car by 2030 has found its first partners, as the automaker looks beyond the Polestar 3 and Precept-based Polestar 5 for something with even more green ambition. 

The Polestar 0 will be the automaker's first model with zero carbon emissions through production, delivery to the customer, and end-of-life.

Polestar announced its self-imposed challenge back in April 2021. At the time, the automaker criticized the traditional carbon offset model – which typically involves planting trees intended to counter emissions made during vehicle production – as being misguided. That process is a "cop-out," CEO Thomas Ingenlath said at the time, compared to actively reducing or outright eliminating carbon emissions in the first place.

The company is obviously off to a good start since its EV-only line-up has no emissions when driven. Still, that's not to say they're entirely green when they roll off the production line. Polestar has been more transparent than many in its industry at highlighting just what it's getting right and what has room for improvement, but the reality is that building a car – currently – has a huge footprint in metals, plastics, electronics, and other areas where environmental credentials can be lacking.

The complexities of auto manufacturing have shifted into the spotlight over the past couple of years, as new car shoppers have found themselves facing product shortages or excruciating "market adjustment" premiums when they've been looking for a new ride. 

Still, beyond "How It's Made" style mental images of robotic arms and lots of welder sparks, few actually understand exactly what goes into the overall process of making a car from the raw materials. more to this article at Slash Gear - link - Chris Davies - link - more like this (China) - link - more like this - link

(IAN) OXFORD 166

Hythe Bridge Street - link - more like this - link

(PVM) PV POWERED FLYING

Europe’s first solar-powered electric aircraft charging point.

The pilot project is aimed at powering small electric aircraft located in the southeast of England and was developed with 33 modules from Q-Cells.

In many remote regions of the world, it's small light aircraft that take care of the people who live there. However, refueling the aircraft is often a problem because the necessary infrastructure is lacking. On top of that, the high costs for fuel must be considered.

With this in mind, UK non-profit organization Nuncats has set itself the goal of creating a more practical, cheaper, and more climate-friendly alternative – to power, with solar, electric small aircraft.

Nuncats has now put a demonstration facility into operation at an airfield in Old Buckenham, around 150km northeast of London, which is intended to show what a photovoltaic charging station for electric aircraft could look like.

The 14kW station is equipped with 33 Q Peak Duo L-G8 solar modules from Korea-based manufacturer Hanwha Q-Cells. The modules are mounted on a frame developed by UK solar installer Renenergy which is similar to the construction for solar carports. According to Nuncats, this is the first facility of this type in Europe.

The modules provide solar power to a specially adapted Zenith 750 aircraft – the “electric Sky Jeep.” This prototype has a 30kWh battery, which is enough for a 30-minute flight. According to Nuncats, this is the minimum for use in rural areas. The facility at Old Buckenham Airfield currently uses a single-phase, 5kW charger. However, the charging infrastructure can be adapted in such a way that it best suits each application. pv magazine - link - Ralph Diermann - link - more like this - link

(WIN) POLENERGIA SIGNS DEAL WITH SIEMENS GAMESA

Equinor already owns a 50% stake in the 385MW Arkona wind farm in the Baltic Sea

Siemens Gamesa has signed a preferred supplier agreement to provide its 14MW turbines for two of Equinor and Polenergia’s Polish offshore wind projects.

It is in line to supply its SG 14-236 DD turbine for the 50:50 joint venture partners’ 720MW Bałtyk II and 720MW Bałtyk III in the Baltic Sea. It will also service the turbines.

The preferred supplier agreements are the first such deals publicly announced for the Polish offshore wind market.

The orders are subject to final investment decisions and permitting decisions, which are expected in 2024, the developers added. They expect first power to be delivered in 2027.

Equinor and Polenergia had secured contracts for difference for the two projects in Poland’s first allocation round, in which just over 5.9GW of projects was selected. Poland aims to have 5.9GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 and up to 11GW by 2040

The developers stated that they have not yet determined the full number of turbines to be used. But the projects’ 1.44GW combined capacity and the turbine’s 14-15MW power rating indicates about 96-102 units.

The projects are located in the Baltic Sea, approximately 27-40km from the port of Łeba in northern Poland, where Equinor has acquired a plot for its future operations and maintenance (O&M) base port.

Pawel Przybylski, managing director of Siemens Gamesa Poland, said: “We have a wealth of Polish suppliers already in our supply chain and are encouraged by the opportunities which look to arise as the industry grows domestically.” Windpower Monthly - link - Craig Richard - link - more like this (Poland) - link - more like this - link

(SIM) AIRBUS A380 TO TEST H2 ENGINE

Airbus has confirmed previous rumors that it will be testing hydrogen propulsion using the world’s biggest passenger jet, the A380. The European aerospace firm confirmed its intention at a press conference today.

The A380 will be fitted with a hydrogen engine developed by CFM International, a collaboration between Safran and General Electric. The engine is adapted from a current-generation CFM engine that is converted to run on hydrogen. According to the partners, Safran and GE have millions of hours of hydrogen experience between them, making them ideal partners for the project.

Airbus has set its sights on developing hydrogen propulsion aircraft by 2035 under its ZEROe project. While others peg their hopes for CO2 emission reduction on SAF and electric, Airbus has wholeheartedly thrown its hat into the ring for hydrogen.

MSN 001 to have the honor

 

Airbus' very first A380 to roll off the production line, MSN 001, is the airframe to have the honor of testing this groundbreaking technology. Since it was commissioned in April 2005, the 'original' A380 has remained with Airbus as a flying testbed, and continues to operate regular test flights for Airbus from Toulouse.

Now, while many A380 operators are consigning their aircraft to the annals of history, this particular bird will have an important role to play in the development of future aviation technology. Mathias Andriamisaina, Airbus ZEROe Demonstrator Leader, commented on the choice of aircraft, saying,

“The A380 MSN1 is an excellent flight laboratory platform for new hydrogen technologies. It's a safe and reliable platform that is highly versatile to test a wide range of zero-emission technologies. In addition, the platform can comfortably accommodate the large flight test instrumentation that will be needed to analyse the performance of the hydrogen in the hydrogen-propulsion system.”

The superjumbo has a huge capacity inside the aircraft, more than suitable for the four hydrogen

tanks Airbus intends to store in its cabin. These four tanks will be built and delivered by Airbus' two Zero-Emission Development Centres, one in Bremen, Germany, and the other in Nantes, France, as well as from Madrid. They will be installed near the rear of the aircraft in a lengthways position.

As well as the hydrogen tanks, the modified CFM combustion engine and the liquid hydrogen distribution system, Airbus will be making a few more modifications to the A380. While the manufacturer hasn't shared specific details of these yet, they have said they will be adding cockpit modifications, as well as a throttle for the test engine and screens showing the key performance indicators for the tests.

When will it fly?

Although the announcement from Airbus today is exciting, it's going to be some time before we see MSN 001 taking off with its hydrogen engine in situ. The airplane requires some structural modifications to accommodate both the test engine and the tanks, and plenty of on-the-ground testing will need to take place before it can fly. Simple Flying - link - the brilliant Joanna Bailey - link - more like this - link

(CNB) INDIA - 30 GW OF OFFSHORE WIND BY 2030

This image shows onshore wind turbines in Gujarat, India. Shiv Mer | Istock | Getty Images

German energy giant RWE and India’s Tata Power on Monday announced a collaboration that will focus on developing offshore wind projects in India.

The firms said a memorandum of understanding relating to the plans had been signed by RWE Renewables GmbH and Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited.

“India has excellent wind resources, which can help to meet the country’s increasing energy demands,” Sven Utermöhlen, RWE Renewables’ CEO for offshore wind, said in a statement.

“If clear regulations and an effective tender scheme are in place, we expect India’s offshore wind industry will gain a real momentum,” he said.

According to India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, the country is home to roughly 7,600 kilometers of coastline. While India has a well-developed onshore wind sector, there are no operational offshore wind farms in its waters. Authorities there have said they want 30 gigawatts of offshore wind installations by the year 2030.

“The Indian Government is in the process of conducting detailed technical studies and devising the regulatory framework to establish the first auctions for offshore wind of the coast of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat,” RWE and Tata Power said.

The firms added they would undertake technical and commercial site assessments in order to “facilitate the establishment of an offshore wind market.”

They will also look to evaluate India’s supply chain for offshore wind and crucial infrastructure including ports and grid connections.

India’s MNRE says it wants the installed capacity of “non-fossil fuels” to hit 500 GW by 2030. Despite this lofty target, the country remains reliant on fossil fuels. As of Dec. 31, fossil fuels’ share of India’s total installed generation capacity stood at 59.8%, according to the Ministry of Power. CNBC - link - Anmar Frangoul - link - more like this (India) - link - more like this - link

(INS) CORN ETHANOL - WORSE FOR CLIMATE THAN GASOLINE?

Kelly Nieuwenhuis, farmer, with his grain auger loading corn into his semi-tractor trailer used to haul grain to ethanol plants in Primghar, Iowa on Sept. 23, 2019. Credit: Kathryn Gamble for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Ethanol made from corn grown across millions of acres of American farmland has become the country’s premier renewable fuel, touted as a low-carbon alternative to traditional gasoline and a key component of the country’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

But a new study, published this week, finds that corn-based ethanol may actually be worse for the climate than fossil-based gasoline, and has other environmental downsides.

“We thought and hoped it would be a climate solution and reduce and replace our reliance on gasoline,” said Tyler Lark, a researcher with the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and lead author of the study. “It turns out to be no better for the climate than the gasoline it aims to replace and comes with all kinds of other impacts.”

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, looks specifically at the effect of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which was first passed by Congress in 2005 and updated in 2007 (RFS2). The standard requires that blenders add billions of gallons of renewable fuel to the country’s transportation fuel supply every year, creating the world’s biggest biofuels program.

At the time, lawmakers and proponents hailed the standard as a major victory for the climate and part of an overall effort to reduce dependence on foreign oil.

But in the 15 years since, its promises have yet to be fulfilled, critics say, and a mounting pile of studies shows corn ethanol has not dampened demand for fossil fuels, as expected, but has instead forced the conversion of grasslands and forests into croplands, both domestically and internationally, releasing carbon in the process.

In the new study, Lark and his colleagues found that after the RFS took effect, farmers expanded corn production on nearly 7 million acres each year, causing the conversion of lands to cropland “such that the carbon intensity of corn ethanol produced under the RFS is no less than gasoline and likely at least 24% higher.” The policy, the study said, also resulted in increased fertilizer use, water pollution and habitat loss.

In a previous study, from 2019, Lark and his colleagues found that cropland expansion in the United States, mostly for corn and soybeans, has led to increased greenhouse gas emissions, but did not connect that expansion to the RFS. Inside Climate Change - link - Georgina Gustin - link - more like this (USA) - link - more like this - link

(F24) 7,900 TE OF TOXIC WASTE HEADS BACK TO ITALY

Containers filled with Italian waste are loaded onto a ship in the Tunisian port city of Sousse, on February 19 2022. © Anis Mili, AFP

Tunisia was victorious this weekend in a protracted David versus Goliath rubbish battle against Italy. On Saturday, a consignment of 7,900 tonnes of toxic waste illegally sent by Italy to Tunisia was sent back where it came from after an almost two-year legal wrangle spearheaded by small local environmental NGOs.

With its extensive white sandy beaches, sparkling turquoise sea, unbroken sunshine and lavish resorts, the pretty Tunisian seaside city of Sousse is best known as a holiday destination. But it has recently become famous for a much smellier reason: Since 2020, more than 200 big shipping containers filled with 7,900 tonnes of Italian toxic waste have been stuck in limbo in a port warehouse.

Between the end of May and the beginning of July 2020, 282 containers were exported by Italian company Sviluppo Risorse Ambientali (SRA) from the port of Salerno, in Italy’s Campania region, to this Tunisian port city. The Tunisian company importing them, Soreplast, declared to customs that they contained scrap plastic left over from manufacturing processes, which Soreplast said it would then recycle. But they were revealed to instead contain household and hospital waste, which is legally prohibited from being imported in Tunisia.

The Italian company SRA was established in 2008 through the sale of a branch of another company, Fond.Eco. Both companies ended up at the centre of a judicial investigation in 2016 conducted by Salerno's Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate. Tommaso Palmieri, who runs both companies, was accused of leading an organisation that recycled bulk waste. SRA is also one of the companies included in an Italian parliamentary report on the link between the waste industry and organised crime.

€5 million contract

The containers were the first shipment of a €5 million contract to dispose of 120,000 tonnes of Italian waste in Tunisian landfills. Soreplast was being paid €48 per tonne of waste.

213 of the containers were stored at the port in Sousse, the remaining 69 were sent to a warehouse outside the city. The containers and their contents rotted away in these warehouses for over a year until they were officially seized by the Tunisian government last July. They ­– and their pungent odours – were to remain in place, however, for another seven months.

On December 28, 2021, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Luigi di Maio went to the capital Tunis for talks with President Kais Saied, in particular to address this thorny issue. At the end of this meeting, the Tunisian presidency published a Facebook statement, stressing "the need to accelerate the repatriation of the waste as soon as possible".

An agreement was finally signed on February 11 to return the rubbish to Italy. The Tunisian ministry of environment said in a statement posted after the meeting on its Facebook page that "the signing of this agreement is part of the continuity of the consultation process between the two countries, which began in 2020". The statement continued: "Among other things, this agreement provides for the immediate return of 213 containers in the first instance, out of a total of 282 containers, after 69 of them were involved in a fire."

The ministry added that consultations are continuing with regard to finalising the return of the remaining waste after containers were damaged by a fire, which broke out in the importers' warehouse in the governorate of Sousse. They did not elaborate on the state of the containers post-fire or when any subsequent transfer might take place. France 24 - link - Sophie Gorman - link - more like this (Italy) - link - more like this (Africa) - link - more like this - link

(TMS) GEELY FLOATING LOTUS

The Lotus Evija was unveiled in 2019 is a limited production electric sports car - ALAMY

Lotus, one of the great survivors of what is left of the British motoring industry, is planning a multibillion-pound flotation as the Norfolk-based sportscar manufacturer moves to open a production plant in China and targets ambitious annual sales of 100,000 a year by the end of the decade.

Geely, the Chinese automotive giant which now controls Lotus, has started an international roadshow for investors and wealthy customers which could lead to an IPO, probably in Shanghai, as early as next year. 

Floating the business in New York or London is understood not to have been ruled out. The Times - link - Robert Lea - link - more like this (China) - link - more like this - link

(UPS) SHELL FIRST TO SUPPLY SAF IN SINGAPORE

Shell has upgraded its facility in Singapore to blend SAF domestically

European supermajor Shell has become the first supplier of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to Singapore and has upgraded its facility in the country to blend SAF domestically.

SAF is approved to be used in aircrafts if it is blended with conventional jet fuel at a percentage of up to 50%.

The move comes after Shell outlined plans for a biofuels facility at the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Singapore, subject to a final investment decision, that would produce 550,000 tonnes of biofuels per year.

“Today’s announcement is an example of how we are building the capabilities now to accelerate the use of SAF in Asia,” said Jan Toschka, global president of Shell Aviation.

“Alongside investing in our capabilities to produce SAF, we are also focused on developing the regional infrastructure needed to get the fuel to our customers at their key locations.”

SAF is made from waste and sustainable products, according to Shell, and was blended in Europe, but subsequent batches will be blended at Shell’s facility.

Shell has previously announced it plans to produce around 2 million tonnes of SAF a year by 2025. Upstream - link - Naomi Klinge - link - more like this - link - more like this (Singapore) - link

(H2V) UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE H2 AI LINK

The automotive, hydrogen production and fuel distribution industries are set to benefit from a new artificial intelligence (AI) software learning tool, set to gather user and supplier information related to hydrogen usage to guide significant investments.

First Hydrogen and the University of Cambridge today (Feb 16) said they have inked a five-year period to develop the software that will also act as an additional source of revenue for First Hydrogen and help the company develop its own technologies and infrastructure.

Working on the University of Cambridge side of thing, Professor Seamus Higson of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, will lead the team.

On the collaboration, Professor Higson said, “I am delighted to have reached an agreement to work with First Hydrogen in a field where we see huge growth and a conversion of the automotive industry to full scale adoption of hydrogen as a primary fuel source.

“This collaboration between my university and First Hydrogen also contributes to the United Kingdom leading the way to decarbonisation and reaching our ambitious net zero targets.”

Nicholas Wrigley, Chairman of First Hydrogen UK, added, “We are very pleased to announce this industrial and commercial partnership with Professor Higson and such a prestigious and world-renowned university as the University of Cambridge.

“The engineering teams within the University are leading the way to decarbonising our futures and their world class researchers will help First Hydrogen become a leading player in the hydrogen automotive and technology businesses.” H2VIEW - link - Molly Burgess - link - University of Cambridge AI - link - more like this - link

(MON) 6 MILLION TONNES OF WASTE INTO THE OCEAN

The waters off the southern coast of Obi Island have turned red due to pollution from the nickel mines and smelters. Image: Rabul Sawal/ Mongabay Indonesia.

Yoksan Jurumudi came home with a long face after spending the whole day looking for fish in the waters off the Obi Islands in Indonesia’s North Maluku province. 

The fisherman dumped out his catch, but it was only enough to feed his own family. There was nothing left over that could be sold, let alone shared with his extended family.

The days when the fishermen of Obi Island would land a bounty of skipjack tuna have long passed, they say. It now takes them at least three days of fishing, venturing increasingly farther out to sea on their small wooden ketinting canoes, to bring back just 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of tuna.

“It’s certainly harder now to look for fish in the Kawasi Sea,” Yoksan, referring to the main fishing area in the region, told Mongabay Indonesia in an interview last September.

Like many other local fishers, Yoksan blames the disappearance of the fish in the waters around the Obi Islands on the expansion of the nickel industry. First came the mines, in 2007, followed since then by smelters that refine the metal into battery-grade quality. During that time, locals say, there’s also been an undeniable degradation of the environment in and around the Obi Islands.

“I’m now over 50 years old, so I know very well the situation with the marine fish,” fisherman Umar Dahada told Mongabay Indonesia. “When it’s the rainy season, the sea turns red. I can’t fish there.”

The 42 islands that make up the Obi archipelago are part of eastern Indonesia’s famed “spice islands.” For centuries they produced mainly cloves, nutmeg and pepper. They’re also home to a rich diversity of marine life, sitting inside the Pacific Coral Triangle.

But in addition to spices and biodiversity, the Obi Islands are also rich in minerals, including gold and coal, but principally nickel. The metal is in high demand for use in electric vehicle batteries, and prices recently hit an 11-year high on supply concerns.

Indonesia is the world’s top nickel producer, with the government pushing for increased mining and refining. That includes in the Obi Islands, where national and provincial authorities, in a show of support for the industry, approved in 2019 a request by mining company PT Trimegah Bangun Persada to dump 6 million tonnes of waste into the ocean each year.  Mongabay - link - Rabul Sawal - link - more like this (sea dumping) - link - more like this - link

(VES) MARGIRIS BACK IN UK WATERS

The current position of MARGIRIS is at North East Atlantic Ocean (coordinates 58.68221 N / 4.5553 W) reported 0 min ago by AIS. 

The vessel is sailing at a speed of 12.2 knots. 16.00 - Sunday 20/02/2022

vesselfinder - link - more like this - link

(PVM) THE LARGEST RENEWABLE H2 PROJECT ON EARTH

Image: TÜV Rheinland

HyDeal Spain will be the first industrial implementation of the HyDeal Ambition platform announced in 2021, supplying renewable hydrogen for the production of green steel, green ammonia, and green fertilizers.

Recently, IRENA ranked the project as the largest giga-scale renewable hydrogen project globally. Anchor sponsors include international steel manufacturing corporation ArcelorMittal, Spanish gas transmission system operator Enagás, Spain’s chemical group Fertiberia and Madrid-based hydrogen company DH2 Energy.

Production is planned to start in 2025; the total installed capacity is expected to reach 9.5 GW of solar power and 7.4 GW of electrolyzers by 2030. ArcelorMittal and Grupo Fertiberia plan to purchase 6.6 million tons of renewable hydrogen over 20 years to produce steel, ammonia, and fertilizers.

“HyDeal España is the first concrete implementation of the €1.5/kg green hydrogen system announced in February 2021,” commented Thierry Lepercq, chairman of the joint venture and spokesperson for HyDeal Ambition, adding that green hydrogen can now compete with coal, oil and natural gas in both costs and volumes. Spanish authorities have repeatedly said that the European Union should try to avoid importing green hydrogen in the future, giving priority to local production. pv magazine - link - Sergio Matalucci - link - more like this (Spain) - link - more like this - link

(AEV) NIKOLA TRE ALPHA ACHIEVES 350 MILE RANGE

Nikola Tre FCEV Will Reach the Market With More than 500 Miles of Range.

The two Nikola Tre FCEV alpha prototypes made their first journey driving 350 miles (563 kilometers) on a tank of hydrogen, as autoevolution readers have known since January 28. What they were still waiting to learn was how far the production vehicles would be able to run. According to Jason Roycht, the answer is more than 500 miles (805 km).

The global head of Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles at Nikola said that after being asked by a Twitter follower about the advantages of an FCEV truck. In fact, it seems Honza Sochor was asking about the Two: he mentions an FCEV truck “compared to the Tre,” probably unaware that the Tre has a fuel cell version.

According to Roycht, “FCEVs can offer longer range at lower weights than BEVs.” They also have a “quicker ‘re-charge’” advantage. The executive mentioned that the Tre FCEV – and the Two FCEV, when it is available – will be able to add around 75 miles/minute. In other words, it would take close to seven minutes to fill the hydrogen tanks and keep traveling.

In another discussion, the Nikola executive mentions that the truck can get 10 kilograms of hydrogen per minute and that these trucks can run around 7.5 miles/kg. That allows us to calculate how much hydrogen the truck will use to run more than 500 miles: about 70 kg of gas.

As usual, the big question is: where will these trucks get the hydrogen to keep traveling? Roycht has an answer for that as well. According to the executive, the company plans “to launch several public and private fueling stations across southern California.”

The initial locations “will be tied to our partners logistic needs.” Roycht said he cannot get into more details at this point but that Nikola is open “to add trucks to the mix.” In other words, Nikola can provide public or private hydrogen stations depending on their clients’ needs. We’ll share more details about that as soon as we have them. autoevolution - link - Gustavo Henrique Ruffo - link - more like this (USA) - link - more like this - link

(IEN) BOLIVIAN WHITE GOLD

The Salar de Uyuni is a hallucinatory landscape. Spanning a Jamaica-sized chunk of southeast Bolivia, the world’s biggest salt flat is a blindingly white expanse encircled by towering mountains and smouldering volcanoes.

Its pancake-flat surface, an ancient lake bed, is covered by a mosaic of pentagons and hexagons – formed by evaporation after the rainy season – and dotted with rocky islands populated by giant cacti and rabbit-like vizcachas. At an altitude of 3,663m, the Salar leaves you literally and figuratively breathless.

On its fringes lie remote villages that depend on salt harvesting, llama herding and quinoa farming, as well as small-scale tourism, which took off in the 1980s. To the south is the Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa, home to red and green mineral-stained lakes, surreal rock formations, and colonies of flamingos.

I’ve been travelling to this region since 2004, drawn back repeatedly by the otherworldly scenery. But though it can feel timeless, change is coming. The Salar is part of the “Lithium Triangle”, an area estimated to contain around half of the world’s reserves of a metal that powers the digital age.

Nicknamed “white gold”, lithium is a key component of the lightweight, rechargeable batteries used in mobile phones, laptops and electric vehicles and to store renewable energy. As a result, it is vital for the global transition to a low-carbon economy.

On a recent visit, I got an insight into the challenges and opportunities lithium provides for the Salar. During a three-day tour, we stopped at a neat grid of pools the size and shape of tennis courts. They were half-filled with a pale turquoise liquid pumped up from the mineral-rich brine beneath the salt crust. “Look at the lithium,’ said my guide, Álvaro. “It is so light that it floats.”

The pools are part of Bolivia’s fledgling lithium industry – a charged political issue in a country whose natural resources, silver, rubber, tin, have long been exploited. While the Salar’s lithium reserves are worth billions of dollars, many fear extracting them will result in water shortages, pollution, soil contamination and infrastructure development, threatening the region’s fragile ecosystems and communities.

Álvaro and I headed on across the salt flat. The sun beamed like a spotlight and the scene was dazzlingly white. Nearby, a group of saleros – salt gatherers, wearing wide-brimmed hats and balaclavas to shield them from the glare – wielded pickaxes and piled up salt in pyramids. Traders once used llama caravans to transport their harvested salt across the Salar, Álvaro said. In the future, perhaps it’ll be electric cars.

With the price of lithium surging, Bolivia’s valuable reserves are unlikely to stay below the surface. Yet developing them while protecting the Salar’s mind-bending landscapes and the livelihoods and traditions of local people could prove an insurmountable task. The message for travellers is clear: visit as soon as you can. inews - link - Shafik Meghji - link - more like this - link