The UK needs to install 100GW of new solar and wind and 30GW of energy storage to meet its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, according to a new report by Aurora Energy Research. The Oxford, UK-based research firm is calling on the British government, the country’s gas and electricity regulator Ofgem, and the system operator – National Grid – to work together to put a price on carbon, to clearly define the challenges that lie ahead, and to allow the market to decide on the technologies that will balance and boost the system. “Balancing a net zero power system will require low carbon forms of flexibility which are not yet commercially viable to be delivered at a large scale,” said research director Richard Howard. “Government will need to intervene to bring these options to fruition – through carbon pricing and technology-agnostic flexibility markets to drive competition and innovation.” According to the document, the UK needs to swell its wind and solar capacity four-fold to 140GW in 2050 from 33GW today in order to meet the climate goal set by outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May in June. 30GW of new nuclear and 3GW of carbon capture storage will also be required. As renewables engulf the electricity market, backup capacity that can quickly ramp up and down to accommodate hefty swings in residual demand will be critical.

PV Tech 15th Oct 2019 read more »

Exports of solar PV and battery storage to GB distribution networks have seen a “exponential” increase in recent years, according to new data from ElectraLink and the Renewable Energy Association (REA). The data, taken from ElectraLink’s Energy Market Data Hub, recorded both conventional solar, as well as solar that was known to have different behavioural patterns most likely because it is co-located with storage or other forms of generation.

Solar Power Portal 15th Oct 2019 read more »

10 Countries Moving Toward a Green Hydrogen Economy. It’s early days for renewable hydrogen, but the potential is enormous, and several nations have an eye on the driver’s seat. Investors and policymakers are starting to take note. Although green hydrogen is still very much in its infancy, here are 10 countries that are taking steps to be at the forefront of developing what could be a major source of energy in the future: Australia; Canada; China; France; Germany; Japan; Norway; South Korea; UK; US.

Green tech Media 14th Oct 2019 read more »

New green heat technologies, such as heat pumps, combined heat and power systems, district heating, hydrogen and biogas, coupled with smart controls and financial innovation, could revolutionise home heating and put the UK on track to meet its net zero emission targets. That is the conclusion from a new report from think tank Policy Connect, which argues a major revamp of green heating policy is urgently required over the next few years in order to ensure the UK meets its long term emissions targets. Twenty-seven million UK homes are primarily heated by fossil fuels, representing 13 per cent of the UK’s carbon footprint, researchers for the think tank said. But despite widespread public support for action on climate change, the majority of the public are unaware about what solutions exist and where to turn for informed, independent advice, they found. Polling by the think tank found the vast majority MPs and the public do not see home heating as a priority for climate policy, compared with action in other sectors such as fracking and transport. Costs also remain a major barrier for the deployment of green heat systems and as such more innovation is required to make emerging technologies competitive, it found. Twenty-seven million UK homes are primarily heated by fossil fuels, representing 13 per cent of the UK’s carbon footprint, researchers for the think tank said. Action needs to be urgently stepped up, it said, highlighting research by the Energy Technologies Institute that revealed that homes need to switch to low carbon heating at a rate of 20,000 a week between 2025 and 2050 to meet the UK’s previous target to cut emissions by 80 per cent by 2050.

Business Green 15th Oct 2019 read more »

The world’s rising reliance on fossil fuels may come to an end decades earlier than the most polluting companies predict, offering early signs of hope in the global battle to tackle the climate crisis. The climate green shoots have emerged amid a renewable energy revolution that promises an end to the rising demand for oil and coal in the 2020s, before the fossil fuels face a terminal decline. The looming fossil fuel peak is expected to emerge decades ahead of forecasts from oil and mining companies, which are betting that demand for polluting energy will rise until the 2040s. But energy experts are adjusting their forecasts as clean energy technologies, including wind and solar power, emerge faster than predicted and at costs that pose a direct threat to coal-fired electricity and combustion-engine vehicles. In the UK, renewable energy projects generated more electricity over the last quarter than fossil fuels for the first time since the country’s first public power plant fired up in 1882. It is a marked change from only 10 years ago, when gas and coal generated more than 70% of the UK’s electricity. Michael Liebreich, the founder of the research group Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), says the substitution of old technology with new is always “like waiting for a sneeze”. “The first 1% takes forever, 1% to 5% is like waiting for a sneeze – you know it’s inevitable but it takes longer than you think – then 5% to 50% happens incredibly fast,” he says. The world is about to enter this period of rapid transformation, he says. This change promises to upend the fossil fuel producers that fail to adapt at pace, and bring the rise of carbon emissions to an end. A growing number of energy experts agree. “Over the next decade we’ll see a far quicker than expected rollout of a number of clean energy technologies, which will almost certainly mean global emissions plateau,” Liebreich adds.

Guardian 14th Oct 2019 read more »

Dave Elliott: Green gas is being talked up of late as one new way forward for decarbonisation. So what exactly is green gas? It could, in fact, be a lot of different things, some of which are far from green. In general, that depends on the sources and the counterfactuals of using/not using them. Biomass use can be near carbon-neutral, if the replanting rate keeps up with its use, but destroying natural carbon sinks (e.g. by aggressive use of forest products for fuel) means there can be net carbon dioxide rises, while greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from using fossil gas may be reduced if carbon capture and storage (CCS) is included. In between these extremes there are all sorts of options, including synthetic gas made using surplus renewable power-to-gas electrolysis (P2G). A helpful new report for the European Commission (EC) from The International Council on Clean Transportation offers a three-part classification system. Electricity-generating renewables will obviously rule the roost, as costs continue to fall, and electricity has many good end-uses, but there are also other options that can play a part in meeting energy needs and in balancing variable green electricity power sources. Green gas is one.

Physics World 9th Oct 2019 read more »

The Eden Project has secured £16.8 million of funding for a geothermal heat and power project, with drilling due to start on the site next summer.

Energy Voice 15th Oct 2019 read more »

The Eden Project has secured enough money to push ahead with its £17m plan to drill into Cornish rocks to harness clean heat and power, the tourist attraction announced yesterday. Together with project partners EGS Energy Limited, the Eden Project plans to drill down 4.5km as part of a pioneering geothermal energy project. Drilling will start next summer, and plans are already underway for a ‘Phase 2’ for the project, which would generate enough extra heat and power for Eden to become carbon positive by 2023. “This is another huge step forward in the drive to create a geothermal industry in Cornwall, using our natural assets to decarbonise our economy and create high value jobs,” said Glenn Caplin, chief executive of the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership. “Renewable energy is both an environmental and an economic opportunity for Cornwall, which is why clean growth is at the heart of our emerging Local Industrial Strategy.”

Business Green 15th Oct 2019 read more »

A plan to heat the giant biomes of the Eden Project and, eventually, neighbouring communities by tapping into the “hot rocks” beneath the Cornish attraction has moved a step closer. The Eden Project announced on Monday that it had secured the funding to begin drilling for clean energy next summer. Cornwall council and the European Union have provided the bulk of the £16.8m needed to launch the geothermal project, which will initially involve a well being sunk almost three miles (4.5km) into the granite crust beneath Eden.

Guardian 14th Oct 2019 read more »

Wind energy could supply more than one third of global electric power demand by 2040 and could, in turn, save up to four million lives a year, according to a new study from professional services network KPMG and commissioned by wind turbine manufacturer Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. The new study – entitled The socioeconomic impacts of wind energy in the context of the energy transition– was published last week in an effort to highlight the wider benefits of wind energy adoption around the world. The report concludes that accelerating the uptake of wind energy would not only reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, but would slash pollution, save lives, and preserve vital water resources.

Renew Economy 15th Oct 2019 read more »

The MeyGen tidal power project located in Inner Sound of the Pentland Firth, Scotland, UK, is the world’s biggest planned tidal energy project. The massive tidal energy project with a planned capacity of 398MW is being developed in three phases by Simec Atlantis Energy (formerly Atlantis resources). The first phase is further subdivided into three phases. The MeyGen Phase 1A with an installed capacity of 6MW was officially commissioned in April 2018. The MeyGen Phase 1B, currently under construction, is expected to add another 4MW tidal energy generation capacity at the site by 2020, while MeyGen Phase 1C is expected to add 73.5MW to the site.

NS Energy 14th Oct 2019 read more »