(IAN) READING 4

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(GCA) UK'S LARGEST BATTERY PLANNED FOR TEESIDE

Photo: TwiXteR/Shutterstock

Sembcorp Industries Ltd. plans to build the U.K.’s biggest battery on the northeast coast of England as the country seeks a more reliable stream of electricity from its growing fleet of wind farms.

The 360-megawatt project will be installed in Teesside, on land already owned by the Singapore-based company, it said Tuesday in a statement. The U.K. has a major cluster of offshore wind farms nearby.

Britain is stepping up large-scale battery installation in an effort to ensure steady supplies regardless of the weather. Record energy prices in recent months have been driven in part by a lack of wind to power the country’s huge fleet of turbines.

The first phase of the Teesside battery is due to be completed by 2023, a Sembcorp spokeswoman said by phone, adding that the investment required would be in the “hundreds of millions” of pounds.

“Flexible energy sources play an increasingly important role in maintaining secure and reliable energy supplies,” Andy Koss, Sembcorp’s chief executive officer for the U.K. and Middle East, said in the statement. With a growing reliance on renewables, the U.K. energy system must be “able to respond quickly to changes.”

The new storage site is expected to top the largest current planned battery — a 100-megawatt facility by Zenobe Energy Ltd. gcaptain.com (Bloomberg) - link - Jessica Shankleman - link - more like this - link

(AUC) TOYOTA UNVEILS 15 EV CONCEPTS

Toyota president Akio Toyoda has unwrapped no less than 15 wildly diverse concepts for upcoming Toyota and Lexus electric cars, as he detailed plans for the two firms to launch a total of 30 battery EVs by 2030.

The machines – shown alongside Toyota's first bespoke EV, the bZ4X - include a range of new SUVs, commercial vehicles, off-roaders and a Lexus LFA-inspired supercar.

Revealing a bold strategy for the two firms to sell some 3.5 million battery-electric cars by 2030, Toyoda explained that "we need to reduce emissions as much as possible, as soon as possible", and the brands will "expand options for carbon-neutral vehicles", which run on 'clean' energy.

Toyota and Lexus's plan to sell 3.5 million electric cars by 2030, including BEVs and FCEVs, is up from its previous target of two million. Toyoda compares this target to Daimler, PSA and other manufacturers with comparable global volumes to Toyota. "A significant volume is what we're talking about here," he said.

The company has increased its investment in battery development by ¥500 billion (£3.3bn) to ¥2 trillion (£13.3bn). Autocar - link - Felix Page - link - more like this - link

(REU) HARLEY DAVIDSON EV DIVISION TO GO PUBLIC

Dec 13 (Reuters) - Harley-Davidson Inc's (HOG.N) electric-motorcycle division will go public through a merger with a blank-check firm in a deal valued at $1.77 billion, the company said on Monday, as the 118-year old brand bets on younger customers to boost volumes.

The company launched LiveWire earlier this year, hoping to claw back lost market share as its core baby boomer customer base grows older and interest in motorcycling as a recreational activity fades.

A broader awareness about climate change is also paving the way for automakers to lean towards greener vehicles. Valuations have gained as money managers are also increasingly factoring in ESG policies in their investments.

Harley is the latest to cash in on an uptick in valuations of electric-vehicle makers. Last month, Amazon-backed EV maker Rivian (RIVN.O) shot past $100 billion in valuation in its market debut, surpassing Ford and General Motors. read more

"If anything this underlines what we've been saying for a long time. Detroit, wake up! The train has left the station! EVs are inevitable," Roth Capital analyst Craig Irwin said.

"Many traditional OEMs (Original equipment manufacturers) with emerging EV businesses can obviously do similar spinoff transactions," Irwin added.

Harley's shares rose 11.3% in premarket trading, while those of AEA-Bridges were up 3.4%. Reuters - link - Aishwarya Nair - link - Mehnaz Yasmin - link - more like this - link

(MOL) WEDDELL SEA POLLUTION - THE OBERVER EFFECT

Talk about the observer effect! Scientists studying microplastic contamination in remote Antarctica found a significant amount actually came from their own ship.

University of Basel-led experts filtered eight million litres of water from the remote Weddell Sea to determine the levels and origins of microplastic contamination.

The team studied 101 particles in detail, and found that 89 per cent came from their own ship.

The findings suggest that shipping is a key driver of Antarctic plastic pollution, and highlight the need for a more environmentally-friendly marine paint, according to the team.

Most previous investigations into the extent of microplastic pollution in Antarctica had been conducted in relatively less remote areas — those with more people, research stations and shipping traffic.

For the new study, which was conducted by environmental scientist Clara Leistenschneider of the University of Basel and colleagues, the team wanted to see if significantly lower concentrations would be found in the remote Weddell Sea.

The researchers undertook two expeditions to the area onboard the research vessel Polarstern — one in 2018, the next the following year — during which they took 34 samples of surface water and 79 subsurface samples for analysis.

After filtering eight million litres of seawater, the team found concentrations of microplastics that, while small, were only slightly lower than those recorded in other, more frequented, parts of the continent.

'This is the first time a study of this scope has been conducted in Antarctica,' explained Ms Leistenschneider, adding that the study went further than just assessing microplastics concentrations in the Weddell Sea. Mail Online - link - the brilliant Ian Randall - link - University of Basel - link - more like this - link

(HFN) JAPAN LAUNCHES THE HYDROGEN FRONTIER

Japan makes world history with the launch of Hydrogen Frontier.

The liquid hydrogen carrier ship is the world’s first to set sail on the ocean.

The Hydrogen Frontier is part of the nation’s plans to build a carbon-free fuel global supply chain. The launch of the 8,000-ton vessel marks the first stage in a pilot project. The launch is a significant step in Japan’s national energy strategy.

The Hydrogen Frontier was launched from the Kawasaki Heavy Industries yard in Kobe and is the first stage in a hydrogen fuel pilot project between Japan and Australia. Hydrogen will be produced from huge reserves of low-grade coal in Australia, liquified at -235 degrees Celsius, and shipped to Japan via the new vessel, which can carry 1,250m3 of liquid hydrogen in a single tank, the Financial Times reports. Hydrogen Fuel News - link - John Max - (no muck rack) link - more like this - link

(AEV) BEHOLD - AQUON ONE POCKET SUPERYATCH

Superyacht concepts with hydrogen propulsion abound, which could point to a general desire for and a possible future shift in the maritime industry toward a greener, more sustainable luxury travel. 

That, of course, doesn’t bring hydrogen-based propulsion any closer, but at least the demand for it exists. Baby steps and all that.

Fraser Yachts is either in on a secret that it’s not sharing with the rest of the world or overly optimistic, because it recently announced a solar-hydrogen catamaran for 2023 delivery. Considering we’re days away from the New Year, a one-year delivery date for a vessel with hydrogen propulsion is very surprising.

Aquon One is a pocket superyacht and a loft at sea, designed for the most discriminating seafarer with a conscience according to the official brochure. You can find it in the PDF at the bottom of the page. With a design by Christian Grande, Aquon One will be built by luxury yacht-maker Latitude Yachts and delivered in 2023. Fraser is acting as a broker for the sale, listing the cat with an estimated price of €6 million (a little over $7 million, at the exchange rate preferred by the brokerage firm). autoevolution - link - Elena Gorgan - link - more like this - link

(PVM) HYDROGEN OPTIMIZED

A hydrogen supply system in Cologne, Germany. Image: DLR, wikimedia commons, https://bit.ly/3nOn47s

Toronto-based Hydrogen Optimized, a subsidiary of Key DH Technologies, said it has demonstrated the capability of its patent-pending RuggedCell high-current unipolar electrolysis system to ramp from 0 to 50,000 amperes in less than 10 seconds. 

“This breakthrough shows that RuggedCell technology can be used to stabilize electrical grids and optimize energy recovery from intermittent renewable power sources such as solar and wind,” the company wrote on Wednesday, referring to its alkaline water electrolyzers. 

“To this point, the consensus among Green Hydrogen experts worldwide has been that only PEM water electrolysers could rapidly absorb and shed electricity and thereby be used to stabilize variable electric power sources. We have now proven that RuggedCell alkaline technology, which is uniquely scalable to individual system deployments in the hundreds of megawatts, equals or betters PEM technology’s capability to handle variable power levels,” commented Hydrogen Optimized CEO Andrew Stuart. 

According to the company, the technology is a significant development away from low-current, low-power bipolar alkaline technology in the market. “These systems are inherently limited in their range of power variability and take several minutes or more to ramp up and down. Furthermore, like PEM technology, individual bipolar alkaline modules are limited to smaller scale output.” pv magazine- link - Sergio Matalucci - link - more like this - link

(OFF) SIEMENS MIGHTY SG 14-222 DD DELIVERS

Siemens Gamesa’s SG 14-222 DD prototype offshore wind turbine installed at the test centre in Østerild, Denmark, has produced its first electricity and delivered it to the grid.

The SG 14-222 DD turbine model has a 14 MW capacity, reaching up to 15 MW using the company’s Power Boost function. The model features a 222-metre diameter rotor, 108-metre blades, and a 39,000 m2 swept area.

The model will be commercially available in 2024.

The 14 MW capacity allows one SG 14-222 DD machine to provide enough energy to power approximately 18,000 average European households every year. Approximately 30 SG 14-222 DD offshore wind turbines could furthermore cover the annual electricity consumption of Bilbao, Spain, the company said.

The 222-metre diameter rotor uses the new Siemens Gamesa B108 blades. Each 108-metre IntegralBlade® is cast in one piece using patented Siemens Gamesa blade technologies.

Additionally, the turbine’s 39,000 m2 swept area is equivalent to approximately 5.5 standard football pitches. It allows the SG 14-222 DD to provide an increase of more than 25 per cent in Annual Energy Production compared to the SG 11.0-200 DD offshore wind turbine, Siemens Gamesa said.

Furthermore, the new offshore giant features a low nacelle weight at 500 metric tons. This light weight is said to enable Siemens Gamesa to safely utilize an optimized tower and foundation substructure compared to a heavier nacelle. Benefits thus arise in the form of lower costs per turbine by minimizing sourced materials and reducing transportation needs, the company said.

As reported earlier, Siemens Gamesa is further upgrading this flagship model. offshoreWIND.biz - link - Adnan Durakovic - link - more like this - link

(WIN) 18 MW TURBINES ON THE HORIZON

The 25MW drivetrain is designed to test turbines in the 16-18MW range

Danish engineering firm R&D Test Systems has launched a highly accelerated lifetime testing (HALT) test bench for turbine nacelles. It is capable of testing offshore prototypes of up to 18MW.

The test bench, located at the Lindø Offshore Renewables Centre (Lorc) in Denmark, was designed to meet the growing demand for testing larger turbines that are required to operate in extreme offshore conditions.

The new HALT XL test bench, said to be the largest and most powerful on the market, is mounted on a 30m-long concrete base.

Featuring a 25MW drive motor with a 15-metre diameter, it can deliver a tilt moment of 85 million Nm, allowing for the simulation of the harshest of wind conditions. Lorc chief executive officer Torben Lorentzen explained that this is “equivalent to the pulling power of 67 family cars dangling from the end of a turbine blade 100 metres long”.

The 25MW drivetrain is designed to test turbines in the 16-18MW range. By applying larger torque and wind loads than the turbine would experience in real life, it allows for an accelerated testing time of less than a year, for 25 years of operation, a spokesperson told Windpower Monthly.

The test bench is capable of performing functional testing on a 25MW turbine, but only by running it at rated power and without any wind loads, she added. The test bench can accommodate one turbine at a time.

According to R&D Test Systems, exposing prototype turbines to pre-defined HALT tests will allow manufacturers to make accurate assessments of their reliability, significantly shortening time to market. Windpower Monthly - link - Nadia Weekes - link - more like this - link

(SIM) CLEANER GREENER COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT

The A380 was one of the first commercial aircraft to use more electric systems. Photo: Getty Images

Commercial aircraft have historically relied on hydraulic and pneumatic systems to provide many essential functions. But using bleed air to drive these systems comes at a cost of efficiency. 

Replacing such systems with electric alternatives can drive down fuel burn, while also boosting the reliability of the part. 

Simple Flying caught up with the leading supplier of More Electric systems, Collins Aerospace, to find out more.

Historically, many functions of an aircraft rely on bleed air to provide the power they need. Things like environmental control systems, wing deicing systems and flight control surfaces usually rely on hydraulics or pneumatics that are powered by bleed air. It makes sense – it’s hot, it’s already compressed, and it’s readily available.

However, systems that divert high-speed air from the engines rob conventional airplanes of some thrust and increase the engine’s fuel consumption. Collins Aerospace is leading the way in replacing many of these systems with electric alternatives, a project known as ‘More Electric.’ 

Simple Flying spoke with Todd Spierling, Senior Technical Fellow at Collins, to find out more about the benefits of switching to more electric systems. He said,

“Today, compressed air is the single largest secondary load on an aircraft. 90%+ of fuel is used to actually move the airplane, but around 6% of fuel is used to provide these services. And the creation of compressed air is one of the biggest draws of that. Compressed air is a convenient source, but it’s not terribly efficient. By going from pneumatics to electricity, we’re able to increase the efficiency of that portion of the aircraft’s fuel usage.

“About 6% of the fuel that you use or 6% of the carbon that you emit is due to these secondary systems. If we can implement more electric and cut that usage in half, if we could get 2 – 3% fuel burn savings by this implementation, that’s millions of gallons of jet fuel saved and tens of millions of tonnes of carbon emissions reduced every year.” Simple Flying - link - Joanna Bailey - link - more like this - link

(PVM) INDIA INCREASES SOLAR CAPACITY BY 7.4 GW IN 2021

Image: BELECTRIC Photovoltaic India

India installed 7.4 GW of new solar capacity in the first nine months of 2021, putting this year on track to become one of the best 12-month periods on record for new PV installations.

India is recording robust growth in solar installations this year, even though developers face a range of market challenges, according to Mercom India Research’s newly released Q3 2021 India Solar Market Update.

Higher raw material costs, severe volatility in the availability and prices of modules, power curtailment in several states, and high freight charges have all added to the difficulties that developers now face. However, India’s solar additions surpassed 7.4 GW in the first nine months of 2021, up 328% year on year, said Mercom India Research.

India added 2,835 MW of solar in the third quarter of the calendar year, up 14% from the 2,488 MW installed in the second quarter. Third-quarter installations soared by 547% year on year.

“Despite supply challenges, the Indian solar market is headed towards one of best years on record, and a complete turnaround from 2021, which was one of the worst years for solar due to Covid-19,” said Raj Prabhu, CEO of Mercom Capital Group. “We expect a strong 2022 despite the high price of components and uncertainties surrounding the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) related transmission issue in Rajasthan. An increase in GST, curtailment, and payment issues are adding to the challenges facing developers and constraining growth.” PV Magazine India - link - Uma Gupta - link - more like this - link

(MAR) AMMONIA FUELLED CAR CARRIER GETS AIP

Ammonia: It's toxic, it's corrosive but it doesn't emit CO2 when burned and K-Line has plans to fuel this car carrier with it.

ClassNK has issued an Approval in Principle (AiP) to Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (K-Line) and shipbuilder Shin Kurushima Dockyard Co. Ltd. for their jointly-developed design for an ammonia-fuelled car carrier.

Since it does not emit CO2 when burned, ammonia is high on the list of future fuels favoured for shipping decarbonization. However, major issues include that it is both toxic and corrosive. 

While international standards for using ammonia as a ship fuel have yet to be developed, in August ClassNK published its “Guidelines for Ships Using Alternative Fuels.” These address how to minimize the risks presented by ammonia to ships, , crew, and environment by stipulating requirements for installation, controls, and safety devices.

ClassNK, along with K-Line and Shin Kurushima Dockyard, assessed and investigated the car carrier design’s safety measures against the potential leakage risks of ammonia. The knowledge gained from this investigation was incorporated into the design, which was then reviewed in line with the “Guidelines for Ships Using Alternatve Fuels” and granted the AiP. MarineLog - link - Nick Blenkey - link - more like this - link

(SIM) AIR NEW ZEALAND - NET ZERO BY 2050

Air New Zealand aims to have an electric aircraft in the air by the end of the decade. Photo: Getty Images

Air New Zealand invests heavily in sustainability and is targeting net zero emissions by 2050.

The airline has a comprehensive sustainability framework. One of the pillars of that framework is genuine climate action – and that’s where electric aircraft come in.

“We’re out there working with a number of partners on this, but pretty heavily with Airbus,” Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran told a CAPA conference on Tuesday. “We signed an MOU with them just recently and are sharing a lot of data and a lot of information between us.”

“There are another 12 odd partners we continue to stay close to and are having reasonably in-depth conversations with them. The way these things usually develop, that list will come down, and we’ll pick a couple, go even deeper, and then get on and purchase an (electric) aircraft sometime in the next few years.”

Greg Foran says that once that first electric aircraft is operating, the airline will learn and expand from there.

“We’re excited about that opportunity,” he adds. The Air New Zealand CEO said he expects to have at least one electric aircraft operating on one route within the next few years. When pressed on a more definite timeline, Greg Foran nominated the late 2020s.

Air New Zealand sees that first electric aircraft operating a short-haul regional domestic route now serviced by Q300 aircraft. Greg Foran says that the late 2020 start date slots in nicely with Q300 fleet renewal plans. Simple Flying - link - Andrew Curran - link - more like this - link

(OFF) SIEMENS & STROHM TO DEVELOP H2 TRANSFER SOLUTIONS

Siemens Gamesa has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Strohm, a manufacturer of fully bonded, Thermoplastic Composite Pipes (TCPs), to jointly develop transfer solutions for the hydrogen produced at offshore wind turbines.

In this concept power cables are replaced by a pipe infrastructure, storing and transferring hydrogen. Siemens Gamesa has a technical advisory role.

According to Strohm, TCP is particularly suited for carrying hydrogen offshore and subsea. Produced at its plant in The Netherlands, the corrosion-resistant technology is said to not fatigue or suffer from issues associated with using steel pipe for hydrogen, such as embrittlement.

Manufactured in long spoolable lengths and flexible in nature, the pipe can be pulled directly into the wind turbine generator, quickly and cost-effectively building an offshore wind farm infrastructure, Strohm said.

TCP is said to not require any maintenance and is suitable for over 30 years in operation, lowering the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) to a minimum and enabling the decentralized concept solution.

Martin van Onna, chief commercial officer at Strohm, said: ”This is a truly exciting collaboration, working with Siemens Gamesa to understand how TCP can be the missing link in an offshore wind farm, generating green hydrogen. The key attributes of TCP – flexibility, no corrosion or maintenance requirements – allow for the most cost-effective infrastructure on a given wind farm. Our proven track record with TCP offshore is a pre-requisite to be considered a solution in future green hydrogen.”

Siemens Gamesa has already taken significant steps in shaping the industry and developing the basis for a decentralized offshore solution, that fully integrates an electrolyzer into an offshore wind turbine, with clear benefits and value-add potential such as capex reduction, increase of system efficiency, and increase of wind farm uptime, Strohm said. offshoreWIND.biz - link - the brilliant Adnan Durakovic - link - more like this - link