A number of the largest economies are now looking towards cleaner sources to help reduce their reliance on high-polluting fossil fuels amid the energy transition, making them more attractive landing spots for renewables investment. IHS Markit’s Global Renewable Markets Attractiveness Rankings has tracked the attractiveness for investment for non-hydro renewables – offshore wind, onshore wind and solar PV – across 35 countries that are expected to account for 90% of non-hydro renewables capacity additions to 2030. The ranking evaluates each nation on the basis of seven subcategories that include the current policy framework, market fundamentals, investor friendliness, infrastructure readiness, revenue risks and return expectations, easiness to compete and the overall opportunity size for each market. Here, NS Energy profiles the top five countries for renewable energy investment, using IHS Markit’s data: US, Germany, China, France, Spain.

NS Energy 7th May 2021 read more »

NORTH Wales could become one of the most prosperous areas in Europe within ten years, a business leader has said. Askar Sheibani, managing director and CEO of Comtek Network Systems and chairman of Deeside Business Forum (DBF), said the transformative possibilities of large scale projects in the region’s future could “completely change North Wales’ economy. He said: “There are a lot of projects happening but a lot of concentration right now is on the North Wales Growth Deal. “The landscape of North Wales is unique; you can develop tidal and marine renewable energy. “With many other parts of the world that is almost impossible. “On top of that, if you want you can generate hydrogen energy. “We already have a hub going to be built in Holyhead for the hydrogen development. “I expect a project will also be approved for tidal energy in Holyhead and a Hydrogen Hub on Deeside. “The beauty of tidal energies is that the require underwater turbines – which need to be manufactured.

Leader Live 7th May 2021 read more »

Homeowners should be allowed to create their own green electricity and sell it to their neighbours, the chair of the environment committee has told the government. Currently, those who create renewable energy using solar panels or hydroelectric dams have to sell it back to the grid, rather than using it to power their own homes or those of their neighbours. Philip Dunne MP, backbencher and chair of the Environment Audit Committee (EAC), has written to business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng asking him to cut the red tape and allow local communities to power themselves. He argued that allowing people to profit from green energy would cause more projects to spring up across the country, helping the UK to reach Net Zero. Currently, there are many barriers in place, particularly for rural communities. The MP for Ludlow explained: “It must make sense for local projects to be able to consume the electricity they’re generating, partly because the grid is posing a real barrier for some of these projects getting off the ground.

Telegraph 6th May 2021 read more »

Plans are progressing for the second phase of the world’s largest tidal energy project off the North coast of Scotland. Simec Atlantis Energy will be putting forward part two of its MeyGen project into allocation round four (AR4) of the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme. The subsidy regime, which is the UK Government’s main mechanism for support low-carbon electricity generation, is due to open in late summer.

Energy Voice 7th May 2021 read more »

Orbital Marine Power has deployed its 2MW tidal turbine, the Orbital O2. It’s on its way to trials at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in the Orkney Islands. It’s the largest power station of its type the world. When towed to its position, the vessel is anchored in place by 4 mooring chains. The blades are then lowered into the water by the support arms. With a swept area of more than 600m2, each 10m blade is capable of generating 1MW. The electricity generated is transferred from the turbine unit via a dynamic cable to the seabed and a static cable along the seabed to the local onshore electricity network. It’s big, at 680 tonnes, and 74m long, but it is designed to be serviceable by simple low cost rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) which the operators hope will reduce lifetime operating costs.

Engineer Live 7th May 2021 read more »

A new study has warned that a universal reliance on hydrogen-based fuels could hamper – rather than boost – the global climate effort, by distracting from the main game of renewable electrification and locking in longer-term fossil fuel dependency. The study from the Netherlands-based Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) says that while renewable hydrogen will play an important role in a low-carbon future, producing it remains too inefficient, costly and uncertain to broadly replace fossil fuels. The researchers argue that hydrogen-based fuels should be prioritised for use in applications for which they are “indispensable;” those that are tough to electrify, such as long-distance aviation, feedstocks in chemical production, steel production and some industrial processes.

Renew Economy 7th May 2021 read more »

Using hydrogen-based fuels for cars and home heating risks locking in a dependency on fossil fuels and failing to tackle the climate crisis, according to a new analysis. Fuels produced from hydrogen can be used as straight replacements for oil and gas and can be low-carbon, if renewable electricity is used to produce these “e-fuels”. However, the research found that using the electricity directly to power cars and warm houses was far more efficient. The analysis estimated that hydrogen-based fuels would be very expensive and scarce in the coming decade. Therefore, equipment such as “hydrogen-ready” boilers could end up reliant on fossil gas and continue to produce the carbon emissions driving global heating.

Guardian 6th May 2021 read more »

New research has poured cold water on the idea hydrogen should replace gas as a central heating fuel for millions of people across the UK. The gas industry and the Government are investing millions of pounds to see if the UK’s existing gas grid could be converted to run on hydrogen. That would save the British public from the disruption of having to rip out their boilers and retrofit their homes with heat pumps, the industry argues. But researchers from Germany’s Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research have warned hydrogen fuel is too inefficient and expensive to rely on for home heating, warning doing so would be a “risky” bet for countries targeting net zero emissions.

iNews 6th May 2021 read more »

Potential and risks of hydrogen-based e-fuels in climate change mitigation. E-fuels promise to replace fossil fuels with renewable electricity without the demand-side transformations required for a direct electrification. However, e-fuels’ versatility is counterbalanced by their fragile climate effectiveness, high costs and uncertain availability. E-fuel mitigation costs are €800–1,200 per tCO2. Large-scale deployment could reduce costs to €20–270 per tCO2 until 2050, yet it is unlikely that e-fuels will become cheap and abundant early enough. Neglecting demand-side transformations threatens to lock in a fossil-fuel dependency if e-fuels fall short of expectations. Sensible climate policy supports e-fuel deployment while hedging against the risk of their unavailability at large scale. Policies should be guided by a ‘merit order of end uses’ that prioritizes hydrogen and e-fuels for sectors that are inaccessible to direct electrification.

Nature Climate Change (accessed) 7th May 2021 read more »

Could new-build homes be another solution to the UK’s renewable ambitions? Here, we explore why the construction of new homes is creating renewable energy possibilities, and why we must utilise this opportunity. All new-build homes have the structural support for solar panels, meaning that you can have your own panels fitted after or even before you move in. Housebuilding companies can also offer sustainable options to help with renewable energy creation and increase energy efficiency. Directing properties for maximum sunlight harvesting means that solar panels can be even more effective when used. The cost of solar panels can also be offset within 12 years. This means that for individuals or families moving into a new house, the upfront investment can be incredibly beneficial in the long run. New-build homes also benefit from energy-saving installations. Most developments are created with double glazing windows as standard. Quality home building businesses will use water-restricting devices and create airtight homes. These further save energy and avoids any waste.

Property Investor 7th May 2021 read more »

High mineral prices could delay the global transition to clean energy as the demand for metals in solar panels, wind turbines and batteries outstrips supply, the International Energy Agency has warned. A lack of investment in new mines risks substantially increasing the cost of producing clean energy technologies and hampering the effort to meet the world’s climate goals, the IEA says in its new report The Role of Critical Minerals in Clean Energy Transitions.

Guardian 7th May 2021 read more »

IEA: ‘Critical minerals are crucial to achieving net zero’. A new report reveals the need for critical minerals could increase by as much as six times by 2040 and warns if action is not taken to guarantee supply, targets will be even harder to meet.

Future Net Zero 5th May 2021 read more »

A mismatch between the world’s climate ambitions and the availability of critical minerals could mean a slower and more expensive energy transition, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA). The Paris-based organisation describes its special report, The Role of Critical Minerals in Clean Energy Transitions, as the most comprehensive global study to date on the importance of minerals such as copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements in a secure and rapid transformation of the global energy sector.

World Nuclear News 5th May 2021 read more »

Tom Baxter: Blue hydrogen will increase fuel poverty. Producing blue hydrogen carries a very poor round trip efficiency. Natural gas is reformed to hydrogen, the resultant CO2 emissions are captured and stored, the hydrogen is treated, compressed, stored and distributed to households where it is burned for domestic heating. This chain of delivery steps means that for every 100 kWh of natural gas used to make hydrogen around 35 kWh appears as heat in a property. The upshot is that blue hydrogen will be about 2-3 times the price of using natural gas for heating. The impact that this will have on families already in fuel poverty is obvious. Blue hydrogen will also result in more families being in fuel poverty. So why use blue hydrogen? We know we can’t burn natural gas in the future and proponents of hydrogen say we can use the current gas distribution network and we can easily convert boilers to hydrogen or install hydrogen ready boilers. This will be cheaper and less disruptive than the alternative of electrification. However, there is more to this than ongoing fuel bills. Capital cost, environmental impact, jobs created, gas import costs, rollout schedule all have to be considered. Specifically, the cost of deploying heat pumps in domestic households, the cost of electricity and gas grid upgrades. The cost of new or converted power stations and new blue hydrogen plants. The requirement for four times more gas import for the blue hydrogen route. The lower requirement for dispatchable energy and storage with the power station route. The much higher CO2 emissions associated with blue hydrogen for both the reformer and the production of import natural gas. Heat pump deployment can start now, hydrogen has a long lead time. Many more immediate jobs will be created with heat pump deployment.

Energy Voice 4th May 2021 read more »