Volkswagen targets Bay Area in $2B electric-vehicle infrastructure investment

San Jose and San Francisco stand to gain hundreds of high-speed electric vehicle charging stations as part of Volkswagen’s $2 billion settlement related to false emissions test results.

The German automaker earlier this week released its plan to disburse the funds, which were part of a court settlement with the California Air Resources Board and Environmental Protection Agency. The company was penalized last June after it sold half a million 2.0-liter diesel vehicles rigged with software to cheat on U.S. emissions tests. The company is required to spend $800 million of the total settlement in California alone, according to Elektrek.

VW formed a subsidiary, Electrify America LLC, to handle the investment, construction and maintenance of electric vehicle charging stations in both San Francisco and San Jose. Each metro will receive 350 or more fast-charging stations at locations that include multi‐family homes, workplaces, commercial/retail establishments and at municipal lots/garages.

The company plans to install both 150 kW and 320 kW DC fast chargers with at least five chargers per station. The chargers will not be proprietary to VW.

Los Angeles, San Diego and Sacramento are among about a dozen additional metros slated to receive charging stations from the company. Additional metro areas will be targeted in future investment cycles, Volkswagen said.

“Charging stations will be located first in the areas with the highest anticipated ZEV demand; this is based on the forecast penetration rates of ZEVs in each region and the estimated gap between the supply and demand of charging infrastructure in those regions,” the company wrote it its plan. “In aggregate, the Electrify America first cycle investment will aim to establish a network of approximately 2000‐3000 non‐proprietary chargers across 400+ individual stations.”

Outside of major metro areas, VW plans to build a "high-speed, cross-country" network of more than 200 fast-charging stations for electric cars, according to Bloomberg. VW also agreed to promote the adoption of zero-emission vehicles with a “brand-neutral” ad campaign.

Volkswagen Group of America Chief Operating Officer Mark McNabb will give up his current role to serve as CEO of Electrify America, per the company. The subsidiary will be based in Reston, Virginia.

The settlement won’t be completely punitive for VW as it sets up infrastructure for the future of electric vehicles. The company already has one electric car on the market in the U.S., the e-Golf, and hopes to sell 3 million electric vehicles worldwide by 2025, per Bloomberg. The company also expects to introduce of 20 new electric models by 2020.

VW's plan comes as Tesla seeks to raise $1 billion in capital to scale production of its Model 3 , a less expensive car than its previous models that's already seen high consumer demand via pre-orders. One analyst has predicted that for Tesla's electric vehicles to be competitive with gas-powered cars, it would need to spend between $2 billion and $8 billion to build out a network of about 30,000 charging stations across the U.S.

source:http://www.bizjournals.com/

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Google finds most Asheville rooftops OK for solar panels

 

The number of Asheville rooftops that could serve as a source of solar energy – Google puts that number at more than 20,000 based on satellite imagery and other data – could generate 442 megawatts of power, according to data released by Google last month as part of Project Sunroof.
The Duke Energy coal plant in Asheville has a capacity of about 376 megawatts, while the planned natural gas plant slated to replace it in 2020 will generate up to 560 megawatts.
The Google data, a national effort called Project Sunroof, provides both a bird’s eye view of the citywide data and also allows homeowners to check their own addresses, where the tool estimates the hours of usable sunlight per year, square feet available for solar panels and expected cost savings over 20 years.
It estimates that 66 percent of Asheville roofs could be viable for solar panels.
“If their methodology is good, it’s incredible to see this kind of capacity in a city like Asheville,” said Julie Mayfield, co-director of area environmental group MountainTrue.
While the installation of solar panels on every viable roof isn’t pragmatic, the information suggests that 630 roofs have a solar capacity of 50 kilowatts to one megawatt.
One megawatt of solar energy can power 164 homes, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.
“There are some big roofs out there that could get you a big bang for the buck and that are owned probably by governments or institutions that might have more capacity to install solar rather than [homeowners,]” Mayfield said. “It also shows we have a lot of flat roofs that are easier to work on and could provide a lot of capacity.”
In a paper released in December, one directed to policymakers, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that rooftop solar panels could generate up to 40 percent of energy the United States consumes.
It was a number that was surprising, said lead author Pieter Gagnon, an engineering analyst of solar policy and technoeconomics with the agency.
“It was significantly larger than previous numbers that had been floating around,” he said. “The last time there was a good effort on this was in 2008. There’s more buildings now, there’s been technological advancements – you can generate more power from the same sized roof – and with better data we were able to make a more accurate characterization and it turns out our earlier estimates were somewhat conservative. There’s actually more than we thought
source: http://www.citizen-times.com

LONGi Green Energy Technology's revenue nearly doubled in 2016

The monocrystalline ingot, wafer and module manufacturer LONGi Green Energy Technology Co., Ltd.'s (Xi'an, China) published its 2016 earnings report last week.

The financial results show that the company posted RMB11.531 billion (USD1.67 billion) in revenue, an increase of 93.89% from 2015, and net profit of RMB1.547 billion (USD 224 million), a significant increase of 197.36% from the year before.

Earnings per share stood at RMB 0.86 (USD 0.12), an increase of 177.42%. The weighted average return on net assets after deductions (WARA) was 21.15%, an increase of 9.18 percentage points, and the consolidated gross profit margin was 27.48%, an increase of 7.11 percentage points from the previous year.

“LONGi's noticeable improvement in performance is due to the company's successful effort in breaking free from traditional business model of relying solely on solar wafer, and adding module business to drive revenue growth”, the company notes.

Capacity expansion for solar cell and module business

Last year, solar module sales reached RMB5.7 billion (USD826 million). The module business gross margin of 27.2% is far higher than that of the solar cell and polycrystalline silicon businesses, and is closing in on the 28.16% margin for wafer business.

LONGi continues capacity expansions for the solar cell and module business. A few projects are already under way: a 500MW solar cell and module fab in India, a vertically integrated ingot/wafer/cell/module facility in Kuching, Malaysia, including 500MW cell and module, and 2GW cell and module manufacturing lines in Taizhou. In February 2017, Bloomberg New Energy Finance included LONGi Solar (formerly Lerri Solar) in its Tier 1 module supplier list.

LONGi anticipates to deliver 4.5GW of solar cells and modules this year

LONGi Solar president Li Wenxue commented, "By the end of last year, our monocrystalline module production capacity had reached 5GW, and the target for the end of this year is 6.5GW. LONGi anticipates to deliver 4.5GW of solar cell and module this year. While we will continue to expand our customer base and increase revenue, LONGi strives to maintain reasonable profit margin that will enable us to grow healthy and consistently. We are committed to the continuous improvement of our products and the enhancement of our technology, as we rely on product performance and quality to attract new customers and add value to our business." 

source: http://www.solarserver.com

JA Solar 2016 results: 5.2 GW shipped, net revenue increased

JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd. (Beijing, China) on March 16th, 2017 announced its unaudited financial results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 31st, 2016.

JA Solar’s total 2016 shipments were 5.2 gigawatts (GW), consisting of 4,606.6 MW of PV modules and module tolling and 313.8 MW of solar cells and cell tolling to external customers, and 245.8 MW of modules to the Company’s downstream projects.

External Shipments represented an increase of 24.9% from 3.9 GW in fiscal year 2015.

Net revenue was RMB 15.7 billion (USD 2.3 billion), compared to net revenue of RMB 13.5 billion (USD 1.9 billion) in fiscal year 2015. Gross margin was 14.6%, compared to 17.0% in fiscal year 2015.

Net income was RMB 719.6 million (USD 103.6 million), compared to RMB 614.5 million (USD 88.5 million) in fiscal year 2015.

 “While the overall market environment remained challenging, we delivered solid Q4 operating results, topping off a strong 2016 for us, comments Baofang Jin, Chairman and CEO of JA Solar.

“We achieved our 2016 financial and operating goals with revenue and external shipments growing 16% and 25%, respectively.”

1.4 GW shipped in Q4, 2016

JA Solar’s total Q4, 2016 shipments were 1,416.2 megawatts (MW), consisting of 1,353.0 MW of PV modules and 58.9 MW of solar cells to external customers, and 4.3 MW of modules to the Company’s downstream projects.  External shipments were up 5.5% y/y and up 13.8% sequentially.

2017 full year shipments are expected to be in the range of 6.0 to 6.5 GW

For the first quarter of 2017, the Company expects total solar cell and PV module shipments to be in the range of 1,200 to 1,300 MW, essentially all being external shipments.

Full year 2017 shipments are expected to be in the range of 6.0 to 6.5 GW, including 200 to 250 MW of module shipments to the Company’s downstream projects. 

Manufacturing capacity expansion

As of December 31st, 2016, the Company had an annual wafer manufacturing capacity of 2.5 GW, solar cell capacity of 5.5 GW, and PV module capacity of 5.5 GW.

JA Solar expects to further expand its annual manufacturing capacity to 3.0 GW for wafers, 7.0 GW for cells, and 6.0 GW for modules by the end of 2017. 

source: http://www.solarserver.com

Atlantis Resources set to launch new tidal power business in France

 Atlantis Resources set to launch new tidal power business in France
Having successfully established the initial phase United Kingdom's first major tidal power project Atlantis Resources Ltd (LON:ARL) is setting sights across the channel, in the French market. France has Europe's second largest tidal power market, according to Atlantis, and the company is now preparing to get involved. Tim Cornelius, Atlantis chief executive, said: "France is an exciting new market for commercial scale tidal power project development which is set for enormous growth over the next few years. "As a leading developer of tidal power projects, we want to be part of the success of the marine energy industry in France." Atlantis has teamed up with Nantes headquartered marine engineer INNOSEA which is presently advising how the British company can build a plan to enter the supply chain for manufacture, assembly and distribution of the Atlantis AR1500 tidal turbines (as well as the innovative foundations and associated transportation and logistics developed in the installation of the MyGen project, offshore Scotland). Atlantis highlights 'supply chain potential' in a number of French regions namely Brittany, Normandy, Aquitaine, Pays-de-la-Loire, and Hauts-de-France. INNOSEA, which has a directory of more than 350 organisations relevant to marine energy, is currently assessing local partners for civil engineering works, composite, steel or concrete fabrication, turbine assembly, testing and commissioning and component manufacture. Additionally, Atlantis says it has immediate aspirations to develop the first tidal array sites in French waters. "We want to make material progress during 2017 with respect to project identification. From our perspective, deployment of generating assets is possible in one to two years' time," Cornelius said. "The AR1500 turbine system is already producing commercial scale power in Scotland and our project teams are the most experienced in the world. "Atlantis has already commenced working with INNOSEA in the United Kingdom on the delivery of MeyGen Phase 1B, a multi- turbine array to be located adjacent to Phase 1A the in the Inner Sound of the Pentland Firth in northern Scotland." Hakim Mouslim, chief executive of INNOSEA Marine Engineering, added: "Atlantis tidal turbine systems are leading the tidal industry right now.
source:www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk

South Australia backs battery vision in $550m energy plan

Australian manufacturers who rely on gas say there is no guarantee the Government's plan to shore up supply will make the fuel more affordable.
"It is less clear how much these initiatives will help with SA's other energy crisis, affordability", said AIG chief excecutive Innes Willox". Unlike the storage aspect, the plant will take some time to build, so the Government will work with South Australia's transmission and distribution companies to provide up to 200 megawatts of temporary generation.
Turnbull's intervention comes less than a month after he blamed state Labor governments' renewable energy targets for rising prices, blackouts and energy shortages.
"The worst example is Victoria", he said in reference to that state's government last week saying Parliament passed legislation that banned all onshore unconventional gas development in the state and extended a moratorium on onshore conventional gas development until 2020.
"New dispatchable renewable generation will be fundamental to the future grid, and large-scale battery storage will be an integral part - the ideal complement to the diverse generation mix that South Australia already has, and that the rest of the electricity market is heading towards", Mr Lombard said.
BHP Billiton has been vocal about South Australia's power problems since widespread outages in September and October a year ago saw the local Olympic Dam site without electricity for just over two weeks.
The plan is expected to create at least 630 new jobs.
The state government will use its bulk-buying power to attract new electricity generation to increase competition and put downward pressure on prices.
Carnegie is one of a number of companies interested in South Australia's plan to add energy storage.
The spot price of wholesale gas in Australia has tripled in the last two years, according to a February report from the Australian Industry Group.
"South Australia will now lead our nation's transformation to the next generation of renewable storage technologies and create an worldwide reputation for high-tech industries".
By the close of the decade, Australia's 10 LNG plants, including eight new post-2010 megaprojects, are set to accelerate the country onto the front row grid as the world's No.1 LNG exporter.
The South Australian Liberal party has not responded to the plan yet.
"The considerable powers we have we would never shirk from using in the national interest".
The prime minister said he made it clear the government would not shy away from "any measures required" to ensure the domestic market is well-supplied.
As part of this effort, Victoria is now seeking bids for the deployment of 100MW of storage capacity from technologies including batteries, pumped hydro or solar thermal, by 2018.
Mr Weatherill said he would examine the offer.
The Andrews Government is also urging the Federal Government to kick in a few bob; well, more than a few.
source: http://travelguideforeurope.com

Tesla offers South Australia battery storage within 100 days

Tesla offers South Australia battery storage within 100 days DON'T MISS: Tesla's battery farm on Kauai opens, large-scale solar energy for Hawaii The region has experienced several recent, high-profile blackouts that were blamed on wind intermittency, although the sudden closure of coal power plants and the fluctuating gas market may have as much to do with the actual causes.

The Long: Even as Tesla gears up for mass production of the Model 3 electric car and a hoped-for annual production rate of 500,000 total cars by next year, Musk has found time to place a high-profile bet on the renewable energy part of Tesla's businesses. DON'T MISS: Tesla's battery farm on Kauai opens, large-scale solar energy for Hawaii The region has experienced several recent, high-profile blackouts that were blamed on wind intermittency, although the sudden closure of coal power plants and the fluctuating gas market may have as much to do with the actual causes. So Lyndon Rive—now Tesla's vice president of energy products—stepped in, claiming Tesla could solve South Australia's energy problems in 100 days with lithium-ion battery packs, reports the Australian Financial Review. Weatherill confirmed that the government was speaking to a range of battery-storage providers, among them Musk, about the $150 million renewable-energy fund that would pay for the renewable-energy storage facility.

source: http://linkwaylive.com

South Korea supports Vietnam’s renewable energy development

The Energy Associations of Vietnam and South Korea co-organised an international conference on new technologies in power and renewable energy in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday.

South Korean experts introduced renewable energy technologies to produce electricity for islands, remote areas, and high-rise buildings and to store electricity obtained at off-peak times. South Korea has committed to finance Vietnam 5 million USD to develop solar power in Ho Chi Minh City. 

Tran Viet Ngai, Chairman of the Vietnam Energy Association, said: “The central and the southern regions have abundant sunshine and wind which are potential for developing renewable energy projects. Building renewable power plants can save and reduce pressure on the thermal power plants and the national electric grid.” 

source: http://vovworld.vn

Over 3 Million in U.S. Now Work for Clean Energy

National business groups representing the range and breadth of clean energy companies in the U.S. cheered government statistics showing their industries support more than 3 million American jobs — equal to the employment of retail stores across the country and twice as many jobs as involved in construction of buildings. This is based on 2016 data recently released by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in its second annual “U.S. Energy and Employment Report.”

DOE does not offer a definition of "clean energy," and the trade associations representing different portions of the industry have their own ways of defining what it represents. But, the groups all agree that, in the aggregate, these jobs add up to more than 3 million nationwide.

The groups made the announcement on the same day they organized a national social media campaign, encouraging companies and workers to share their employment stories. The purpose of the social media event was to draw attention to these growing industries, which offer good-paying jobs ranging from equipment installation and maintenance to sales and information technology — many of which are jobs that cannot be automated or moved abroad.

Organizers of the #CleanEnergyJobs campaign include Advanced Energy Economy, American Council on Renewable Energy, AJW (representing Energy Service Cos.), Alliance to Save Energy, American Wind Energy Association, the Business Council for Sustainable Energy, Energy Storage Association, and Solar Energy Industries Association.

“Today, our organizations, member companies, and their workers are celebrating all the people who make up the clean energy industries and the positive impact that we have on the U.S. economy,” said Graham Richard, CEO of Advanced Energy Economy. “We are excited to bring visibility to our share of the more than 3 million people who work today in advanced energy across our nation.”

“People often don’t realize that energy efficiency is such a huge job creator,” said Kateri Callahan, president of Alliance to Save Energy. “It supports about three times as many jobs as the mining industry, and, unlike that sector, it is growing and creating good-paying jobs like weatherizing homes and manufacturing high-efficiency appliances or building materials. And the best news is, there’s just enormous opportunity to expand this work and create more jobs with smart efficiency policies and incentives.”

“These impressive employment numbers highlight the tremendous importance of America’s renewable energy sector, which attracted nearly $100 billion in investment over the last two years as a national economic driver,” said Gregory Wetstone, president and chief executive officer of the American Council On Renewable Energy. “We look forward to working with our members, policymakers, and allies to ensure that the American people have increasing opportunities to work, save, and prosper through renewable power.”

“Wind energy has now created over 100,000 jobs that rural and Rust Belt America need, including more than 25,000 manufacturing jobs in 43 states,” said Tom Kiernan, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association. “According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, wind turbine technician is now the fastest-growing job description in America.”

“The contributions of clean energy jobs to the country’s economy are significant and expanding,” said Lisa Jacobson, president of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy. “The trend lines are clear: energy efficiency, natural gas, and renewable energy are creating well-paying jobs and benefitting American consumers, American businesses, and American manufacturers. And that adds up to one conclusion — clean energy wins for America.”

“In setting a record for new electric generating capacity, the solar energy industry added one in every 50 new jobs in the economy last year and now employs 260,000 people in America,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association. “These jobs pay well, they support local economies, and they fuel American innovation."

According to the DOE’s “U.S. Energy and Employment Report,” the clean energy sector supported more than 3 million U.S. jobs in 2016, including:

• Nearly 2.2 million workers making buildings, appliances, and other products more energy efficient, saving money for families and businesses.
• More than 600,000 workers involved with clean power generation, including biomass, biogas, fuel cells, geothermal, hydropower, nuclear, natural gas, solar, waste-to-energy, and wind.
• 100,000 workers in advanced grid technologies, including energy storage, and another 100,000 workers in biofuels.
• In addition, advanced transportation, including hybrid, electric, and fuel cell vehicles support 200,000 more jobs.

These jobs are made possible by the growth of markets for clean energy products and services in this country. According to Advanced Energy Economy’s Advanced Energy Now 2016 Market Report, total U.S. revenue from the wide range of advanced energy goods and services was $200 billion in 2015, more than pharmaceutical manufacturing in this country. Investment over the past 10 years in zero-carbon electricity generation has totaled $507 billion, with $59 billion invested last year alone, according to the 2017 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook, published by the Business Council for Sustainable Energy.
The wind industry gets American-made turbine parts from more than 500 factories in 43 states. AWEA recently highlighted the growing number of jobs throughout the economy that are wind-powered, releasing its latest quarterly results at a General Motors factory near Dallas that builds 1,200 SUVs a day and will soon buy all its electricity from wind farms.

GTM Research and SEIA published a preliminary report showing that the solar industry in 2016 nearly doubled its previous record by installing 14,626 megawatts of generating capacity. This flood of new business helps to explain why The Solar Foundation found that the industry added 51,000 American jobs last year alone.
source:http://www.achrnews.com

Environmental groups oppose planned wind farm in Kenya

Several groups including BirdLife International, Nature Kenya, Kenya Bird of Prey Trust and The Peregrine Fund have expressed concerns over a proposed wind farm to be constructed in Kajiado County, Kenya.

Their concerns center around the fact the Kipeto Wind Energy Project site is in close proximity to the nesting sites of two species of critically endangered vultures.
Kwenia Cliffs, Kenya’s third largest nesting site of the Rüppell’s Vulture, is located less than nine miles away. The White-Backed Vulture colony is only six. The groups believe the wind turbines could severely impact both these species, already on the verge of extinction.
The project area lies along the north-south ridge of the Rift Valley Escarpment, which is a prime location for migratory species including globally endangered Steppe Eagles as well as Amur Falcons, Eurasian Hobbys, Lesser Kestrels and White Storks.
The project would consist of 60 turbines with blades the size of passenger jet wings and a spinning velocity at the tip of 168 mph.
Kipeto Energy states they have “…undertaken comprehensive Environmental and Social Impact Assessments within the proposed project area. These reports have identified both positive and negative impacts of the project in the Kipeto area. Where the impacts are negative, KEL has formulated corresponding mitigation measures under the project's environmental and social management plan.”
They list the availability of jobs for locals; opportunities for local suppliers and artisans to provide goods and services to the project; land leases as a source of revenue and long-term income for local landowners; and the development of community programs throughout the project lifecycle to benefit education, health, environment and agriculture, as positive impacts of the project.
However, many species of large birds and bats are known to be susceptible to collision with commercial-scale wind turbines and indications are the Kipeto project will result in unsustainable mortality of highly threatened birds.
source: http://www.renewableenergymagazine.com

Cities Shop for $10 Billion of Electric Cars to Defy Trump

Dozens of U.S. cities are willing to buy $10 billion of electric cars and trucks to show skeptical automakers there’s demand for low-emission vehicles, just as President Donald Trump seeks to review pollution standards the industry opposes.
Thirty cities including New York and Chicago jointly asked automakers for the cost and feasibility of providing 114,000 electric vehicles, including police cruisers, street sweepers and trash haulers, said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who is coordinating the effort. That would be comparable to about 72 percent of total U.S. plug-in sales last year.
While urban leaders want more low-emission vehicles to ease the role city traffic plays in altering the climate, automakers say there aren’t enough buyers. They also have advocated for relaxing rules on traditional fuel vehicles. The Trump administration, which seeks to cut regulations it sees as too costly or onerous, is poised to announce Wednesday that it will reconsider tighter standards finalized a week before President Barack Obama left office.
“No matter what President Trump does or what happens in Washington, cities will continue leading the way on tackling climate change,” Matt Petersen, Los Angeles chief sustainability officer, said in an email.
The initiative is still in the early stages, and the cities haven’t actually ordered any of the 114,000 vehicles. Rather, they’ve taken what’s typically the first step in a formal bidding process by inviting manufactures to outline plans to supply them. Plus, some cities are asking about vehicles that don’t exist yet, such as electric fire engines and heavy-duty trucks.

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The initiative could move the market nonetheless, said Colin McKerracher, an analyst with Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Orders for that many electric vehicles would be a significant driver for the U.S. plug-in market, which totaled 160,000 in 2016. While the initiative would probably be spread out over several years, it would provide electric vehicle manufacturers reliable demand as federal policies shift and gas prices fluctuate.
“I wouldn’t underestimate this,” McKerracher said. “What automakers really want in investing in electrification, whether that’s for passenger vehicles or commercial-use vehicles, is certainty.”
Trump plans to announce his intentions to re-examine vehicle-efficiency standards on Wednesday during a meeting with auto executives near Detroit. Automakers including General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV have pushed for the move, saying the standards drive up costs and don’t reflect motorists’ driving preferences.

Demonstrating Demand

The mayors, mostly Democrats, want to demonstrate that demand for low-emission vehicles is robust. “If you build it, we will buy it,” Chris Bast, Seattle’s climate and transportation policy adviser, said in an interview.
Myron Ebell, the former head of Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency transition team, said consumers are the ones who want less stringent fuel economy standards. “This is not coming from the auto industry -- it’s coming from consumers and the auto dealers association,” said Ebell, who left the Trump transition team in January.
Carmakers have invested heavily in cutting emissions, offering 95 different varieties of hybrids and electric vehicles last year, said Wade Newton, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers trade group. However, Americans still prefer gasoline-powered vehicles, he said.
“Combined, those models were all outsold by a single model of pickup truck,” Newton said.
Los Angeles began spearheading the effort for a joint electric-vehicle order during the run-up to the Paris climate accord in late 2015. The request to automakers went out earlier this year, initially with an order for 24,000 vehicles from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. Twenty-six other cities have since joined, including Boston, Denver, Kansas City and Houston.
Nearly 40 automakers, truck makers, bus makers and others have responded so far, Petersen said.
source:https://www.bloomberg.com

Dismay after plans to install underwater turbine in Shrewsbury's River Severn cancelled

Shrewsbury Town Council had thrown its weight behind the scheme, which would have brought hydro electricity to the River Severn at Castlefields.
But it was announced last week that the scheme, put forward by Shrewsbury Hydro Community Interest Company, would not be going ahead following concerns over delays.
The company took the decision after realising it could not guarantee having the scheme completed by March 9, 2018, which would have seen the amount it was paid for electricity produced reduced by half.
Alan Mosley, leader of the town council and councillor for the Castlefields ward said: “It is sad news that the weir hydro project is not going to go ahead.
“It was much welcomed as an important environmental scheme which would also have brought a new fish pass and other amenity advantages.
“The town council has supported the scheme from its inception and has worked hard with all stakeholders to help make it happen.
source: http://www.shropshirestar.com

Australia to expand hydropower project to address shortages

Australia will put 2 billion Australian dollars ($1.5 billion) into expanding a hydroelectric project in its latest measure to avoid looming gas and electricity shortages across the nation’s densely populated southeast, the government said Thursday.

The government plans to increase the power output of the Snowy Mountains Hydroelectric Scheme by 50 percent, or 2,000 megawatts, by increasing its pumped-storage capacity, a statement said. Pumped-storage hydroelectricity involves pumping water uphill during times of low electricity demand so that it available to generate more power during peak demand.
Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull said the scheme would provide a backup to the national power grid in which both supply and demand were becoming more volatile due to a growing reliance on fickle solar and wind generation.
“What we are doing here today is supporting a very important game-changing development that will provide more security, greater affordability into our electricity market,” Turnbull told reporters.
A bitterly partisan political debate over Australia’s energy security has intensified in the past two weeks since the Australian Energy Market Operator, which manages the national grid, warned of potential shortages of gas-fired electricity across southeast Australia by late next year.
The shortage is looming as Australia is expected to soon overtake Qatar as the world’s biggest exporter of liquid natural gas. Australia is also a major exporter of coal, which fires much of its electricity generation.
Turnbull threatened to restrict gas exports during a meeting with energy company executives on Wednesday unless they guaranteed to meet growing local demand and prevent shortages.
The conservative Liberal Party-led federal government blames the states, most of which are governed by the center-left Labor Party, for what it described as a national energy crisis.
The Australian government accuses Labor of setting renewables energy targets too high, blocking new gas exploration on environmental grounds and unnecessarily inflating electricity prices.
Labor accuses the federal government of failing to show leadership by ensuring that Australia’s power generation keeps pace with demand.
Labor has called on the government to make power generators pay for the greenhouse gas pollution they create by introducing a so-called emissions intensity scheme to the Australian power industry.
Under such a scheme, generators who create above-average emissions for the amount of power they produce would have to buy carbon credits from generators whose emissions are below average or face penalties imposed by the government.
Labor says it would provide the carbon price signal needed for industry to invest in new gas power generation, which is cleaner than coal generation. Coal generators are gradually being closed due to old age and no new ones are planned.
But the government repealed Australia’s carbon tax in 2014 and refuses to consider any policy that would make polluters pay.
South Australia State Premier Jay Weatherill, who plans to spend AU$550 million on making his state independent of the nation grid, said the hydroelectric expansion would take up to seven years to complete and would not solve current shortages.
“It shows that the Commonwealth government are in a white-knuckled panic about national energy policy. It is a AU$2 billion admission that the national energy market has broken,” Weatherill said.
source: http://www.seattletimes.com

UPS announces $90 million alternative fuel rollou

UPS has announced that it is to build six further compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling stations and add 390 new CNG tractors and terminal trucks and 50 liquefied natural gas (LNG) vehicles to its alternative fuel and advanced technology fleet.
The announcement comprises more than a $90 million investment in natural gas. “With more than 4,400 natural gas vehicles and a network of fueling stations, UPS has had great results using natural gas as an alternative fuel in our fleet,” said Mark Wallace, UPS senior vice president global engineering and sustainability.
“We know the importance of investing in natural gas globally for our fleet and the alternative fuel market. In 2016, we used more than 61 million gallons of natural gas in our ground fleet, which included 4.6 million gallons of renewable natural gas. This helped us to avoid the use of conventional gas and diesel, and decreased CO2 emissions by 100,000 metric tons,” he said.
Last year UPS invested $100 million in CNG fueling stations and vehicles and currently operates 31 CNG fueling stations and runs CNG vehicles in 38 states in the U.S. in addition to vehicles in Germany, the Netherlands and Thailand.
source: http://edelivery.net

Intersolar North America and ees North America open registration

Intersolar North America, the most attended solar industry exhibition and conference in North America, and ees North America, the exhibition and conference dedicated to the energy storage market, on March 15^th, 2017 announced the opening of registration for their much-anticipated 2017 exhibitions and conferences.

Taking place on July 11th through July 13th in San Francisco, the events will be co-located at the Moscone Center. 

10th Intersolar North America anniversary

Intersolar North America 2017 will celebrate its 10^th anniversary in conjunction with its longtime event partner California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA).

CALSEIA is also celebrating a major anniversary this year: 40 years of service to the California solar community. In collaboration with SEMICON West and ees North America, Intersolar and CALSEIA will host California's biggest-ever solar industry networking event, Summerfest 2017, at AT&T Park, home of San Francisco's major league baseball team.

As CALSEIA's largest donor, Intersolar's funding partnership helps CALSEIA drive growth in the California solar market and nationwide.

"The solar industry has changed significantly over the past 10 years," said Intersolar's Managing Director, Florian Wessendorf.

"A decade ago, discussions at Intersolar North America revolved around reducing the cost of solar photovoltaic panels." 

"Today, we are talking about the emergence of innovative business models like community solar, the rise of solar plus storage, reduction of soft costs and so many other innovations," added Daniel Strowitski, CEO of FMMI.

"Every year, our event reflects the changing market landscape and the solar industry's progress." 

Intersolar North America Conference will feature hundreds of expert speakers, dozens of sessions, and a multitude of workshops. Discussions featured at the event are known for delving into the hottest solar trends of the day, including smart renewable energy, the rise of project finance, the intersection of energy storage and electric vehicles, and how local and national policy trends influence the growth of the sector. The event is also co-located with ees North America and SEMICON West.

More than 550 exhibitors and more than 18,000 visitors participated in Intersolar and ees North America in 2016. Solar and energy storage enthusiasts are invited to sign up to visit the exhibition for free until April 7th, 2017. 

source: http://www.solarserver.com

ET Solar starts construction of a 60.9 MW PV project in Jordan

ET Solutions AG (Munich, Germany), a subsidiary of ET Energy (ET Solar; Nanjing, China), on March 15^th, 2017 announced that it has started the construction of a 60.9 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) project in Jordan for ACWA Power, a Saudi-based independent power producer.

The PV project will become one of the largest 1,500V PV plants in Europe, the Middle East and Africa after completion.

The PV project is situated in Mafraq, Jordan, 50 km north-east of Amman. ACWA Power is the developer and the owner of this project.

After the project is completed, it will deliver solar power to National Electric Power Company (NEPCO) at a tariff of 0.043 JD per kWh (equal to USD 0.0613/kWh). This project was awarded in the Round II of the Photovoltaic Procurement program of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of Jordan.

Acting as the full turn-key EPC provider, ET Solutions, along with its consortium partner, Northwest Power Design Institute (NWPDI) of China Power Engineering Consulting Group, started construction at the beginning of March 2017. The construction is expected to be completed within 10 months. 

source: http://www.solarserver.com

Neoen inks PPA for a 54 MW solar PV plant in Zambia

Neoen (Paris, France) on March 3rd, 2017 signed a 25 years PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) with ZESCO (the Zambian national utility), for a 54 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant.

Solar power for USD 0.06 per kWh

This project was awarded to the consortium comprised of Neoen and First Solar at the historically low price of USD 0.06 per kWh of solar power in the framework of the Scaling Solar program.

Scaling Solar was developed by the World Bank Group (IFC) and its roll-out took place in Zambia following his Excellency the Zambian President Edgar Chagwa Lungu’s initiative in 2015.

The PV plant, representing an investment of USD 60 million, will be built and operated in partnership with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), the Zambian public investment fund, and will be the first utility-scale photovoltaic power plant in the country. 

source: http://www.solarserver.com

Tata Power Solar increases PV module capacity by 100% and solar cell capacity by 65%

Tata Power Solar (TPS, Bangalore, India), India's largest integrated solar company, on March 14^th, 2017 announced a significant expansion and modernisation of its solar cell and photovoltaic (PV) module manufacturing facility.

The two-stage expansion doubled the company’s PV module capacity to 400 from 200 MW, and increased its solar cell manufacturing capacity by 65 per cent from 180 to 300 MW.

Tata Power Solar, as part of this process, modernised and fully automated its entire manufacturing facility, the company notes.

“We are happy to see our team responding to Government of India’s call of ‘Make in India’,” comments Anil Sardana, Chairman, Tata Power Solar.

“A robust domestic, qualitative manufacturing base is the backbone of any nation and is a strong foundation for long-term viability of sector“. 

source: http://www.solarserver.com

Scientists harness solar power to produce clean hydrogen from biomass

A piece of paper placed in front of a solar light source.

A team of scientists at the University of Cambridge has developed a way of using solar power to generate a fuel that is both sustainable and relatively cheap to produce. It's using natural light to generate hydrogen from biomass. One of the challenges facing modern society is what it does with its waste products. As natural resources decline in abundance, using waste for energy is becoming more pressing for both governments and business.
Biomass has been a source of heat and energy since the beginning of recorded history. The planet's oil reserves are derived from ancient biomass which has been subjected to high pressures and temperatures over millions of years. Lignocellulose is the main component of plant biomass and up to now its conversion into hydrogen has only been achieved through a gasification process which uses high temperatures to decompose it fully.
Dr Moritz Kuehnel, from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Cambridge, joint lead author on a new research paper published in Nature Energy, says:
"Lignocellulose is nature's equivalent to armoured concrete. It consists of strong, highly crystalline cellulose fibres, that are interwoven with lignin and hemicellulose which act as a glue. This rigid structure has evolved to give plants and trees mechanical stability and protect them from degradation, and makes chemical utilisation of lignocellulose so challenging."
The new technology relies on a simple photocatalytic conversion process. Catalytic nanoparticles are added to alkaline water in which the biomass is suspended. This is then placed in front of a light in the lab which mimics solar light. The solution is ideal for absorbing this light and converting the biomass into gaseous hydrogen which can then be collected from the headspace. The hydrogen is free of fuel-cell inhibitors, such as carbon monoxide, which allows it to be used for power.
The nanoparticle is able to absorb energy from solar light and use it to undertake complex chemical reactions. In this case, it rearranges the atoms in the water and biomass to form hydrogen fuel and other organic chemicals, such as formic acid and carbonate.
Joint lead author, Dr David Wakerley, also of the Department of Chemistry, says:
"There's a lot of chemical energy stored in raw biomass, but it's unrefined, so you can't expect it to work in complicated machinery, such as a car engine. Our system is able to convert the long, messy structures that make up biomass into hydrogen gas, which is much more useful. We have specifically designed a combination of catalyst and solution that allows this transformation to occur using sunlight as a source of energy. With this in place we can simply add organic matter to the system and then, provided it's a sunny day, produce hydrogen fuel."
The team used different types of biomass in their experiments. Pieces of wood, paper and leaves were placed in test tubes and exposed to solar light. The biomass didn't require any processing beforehand.
The technology was developed in the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Sustainable SynGas Chemistry at the University of Cambridge. The head of the laboratory, Dr. Erwin Reisner, adds:
"Our sunlight-powered technology is exciting as it enables the production of clean hydrogen from unprocessed biomass under ambient conditions. We see it as a new and viable alternative to high temperature gasification and other renewable means of hydrogen production.
Future development can be envisioned at any scale, from small scale devices for off-grid applications to industrial-scale plants, and we are currently exploring a range of potential commercial options.
source:

VW is installing ultra-fast 320 kW chargers in California as part of its $2 billion EV infrastructure plan

As part of its court settlement with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the DieselGate scandal, Volkswagen agreed to invest $2 billion in electric vehicle infrastructure in the US.
They released highlights of their plan for how to spend that money last month, but now they released the first detailed version of the plan for California, where they need to spend $800 million of the total settlement. We embedded the full plan below, but we also highlight the main points, like the fact that they want to install high-power 320 kW charging stations for electric vehicles, which is probably the biggest news 
Also, it’s important to note that it is still subject to change after review, but it gives us a good idea of what they have in mind at this point.
Through the new subsidiary called Electrify America that they set up to spend that money, the chargers will not be proprietary to VW (Combined Charging System (CCS), CHAdeMO and open protocols like Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP)). In total, they plan to install between 2000‐3000 chargers at 400+ individual stations:

“Charging stations will be located first in the areas with the highest anticipated ZEV demand; this is based on the forecast penetration rates of ZEVs in each region and the estimated gap between the supply and demand of charging infrastructure in those regions. In aggregate, the Electrify America first cycle investment will aim to establish a network of approximately 2000‐3000 non‐proprietary chargers across 400+ individual stations.”

It means that there will be at least 5 chargers per station, which isn’t exactly a lot, but it could have been worse.
Here’s the schedule for deployment and some of the corridors they plan to cover:
 







That’s mainly for level 2 chargers and 50 kW DC chargers, but the fun starts with the high power stations, which enable long-distance travel in electric vehicles and make charging time competitive with fueling gas-powered cars.
VW seems to understand the different use cases for each different charging speed, which is encouraging:

VW confirmed that Electrify America fast-charging stations will include both 150 kW and 320 kW DC fast chargers:

“Electrify America will build a long distance high speed highway network consisting of approximately 50+ charging stations along high‐traffic corridors between metropolitan areas. These stations will focus on 150 kW and 320 kW DC fast chargers; each station will have 5 plugs on average. These chargers will represent state‐of‐the‐art technology with the fastest charging speeds available. Most currently installed non‐proprietary DC fast chargers are in the 25‐50 kW range, so Electrify America’s stations will be at least 3‐6 times faster, which reduces charging times to approximately 15‐20 minutes in some cases for new generation, larger battery capacity ZEVs.”

It’s not the most powerful charging technology, but it’s in the higher end of the spectrum. ChargePoint recently announced a 400 kW charging technology. Additionally, 5 major automakers announced that they joined forces to deploy 400 ultra-fast (350 kW) charging stations for electric vehicles in Europe. Those stations should start being installed in the coming months.
And finally, Tesla is also expected to soon release the “version 3” of its Superchargers. Elon Musk hinted that it will put 350 kW to shame, but there’s no clear timeline at this point for the release of the technology – though speculation points toward the charge rate only working with Tesla’s new battery technology, which will first be released in the Model 3.
On the other hand, VW’s plans are laid out clearly. The first high-power stations are coming in the next few months:


In the plan, VW also lays out its electric vehicle awareness efforts and “electric city” plan, which is expected to be in Sacramento.
source:https://electrek.co

Jaguar tests its all-electric I-PACE on the streets of London – Full Gallery

The British automaker has now “unleashed” the prototype onto the streets of London for the first time and released a gallery of pictures showing the new design, which feature less “electrifying” design touches
The design of the I-PACE was already well received even with the “Tron-like” blue accents of the original prototype unveiled last November, but this new prototype looks more like a production car.
Jaguar Director of Design Ian Callum commented:

“The feedback on the I-PACE Concept has been fantastic. With the I-PACE Concept we’ve torn up the rule book to create a vehicle with supercar inspired aesthetics, sports car performance and SUV space, in one electric package. It has surprised people and the enthusiasm for our first electric vehicle has been beyond all my expectations. Driving the concept on the streets is really important for the design team. It’s very special to put the car outside and in the real-world. You can see the true value of the I-PACE’s dramatic silhouette and powerful proportions when you see it on the road, against other cars. The I-PACE Concept represents the next generation of battery electric vehicle design. For me, the future of motoring has arrived.”

As we previously reported, the I-PACE is equipped with a 90 kWh battery pack with a range of “over 500 km” NEDC-rated. Interestingly, the automaker has now confirmed “a targeted range of approximately 220 miles on EPA test cycles”.
They are currently only talking about 50 kW DC fast charging, which isn’t really “fast”. Hopefully, it will change before the vehicle hit production.
Speaking of production, Jaguar announced today that they will reveal the production vehicle in “late 2017” and that they are committed to bringing the all-electric vehicle to market during “the second half of 2018”.
source: https://electrek.co

U.S. cities’ massive electric vehicle order increases to 114,000 vehicles, ~40 companies competing

It would have become the biggest electric car order ever, but several more cities have since joined the effort and they are now looking for 114,000 electric vehicleThe idea is to counter the argument of automakers arguing that there’s no demand for electric vehicles. President Trump is going to Detroit today to reportedly announce that the EPA will review the fuel consumption standard at the request of those same automakers.
Wade Newton, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers which has been lobbying to review the standard, argues that automakers have been heavily investing in electric vehicles with 95 different models of hybrids and electric vehicles available, but “combined, those models were all outsold by a single model of pickup truck,” he added.
Of course, he doesn’t mention that most of those 95 models were low-volume compliance cars that weren’t built to be EVs but instead converted from existing gas-powered platforms.
The effort from the municipalities looks to show that “if you build them, we will buy them”. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is leading the effort and his chief sustainability officer Matt Petersen said in an email to Bloomberg:

“No matter what President Trump does or what happens in Washington, cities will continue leading the way on tackling climate change,”

The vehicles would include not only regular passenger cars, but also “police cruisers, street sweepers and trash haulers”. In total, close to 40 automakers, truck manufacturers and others are competing for the contracts.
In addition to the original four cities, New York, Boston, Denver, Kansas City and Houston have now joined among about a dozen more.
There are not that many electric vehicles today that could satisfy this kind of volume, but it could be quite impactful even if split into several smaller orders of ~10,000 vehicles. It wouldn’t change much for the production plans of a vehicle like the Model 3, which Tesla plans to produce at a rate of about 400,000 per year, but it could make a big difference for the Chevy Bolt EV, which GM only plans to produce at a rate of ~30,000 per year.
source: https://electrek.co/

Electrek green energy brief: Exxon CEO hid climate change talks, 50,000 battery systems in Germany, ¢6.3/kWh solar+storage, more

Exxon CEO hid climate change communications from legal probe – First off, #exxonknew and they continued to pay third parties to lie to the public about the effect of CO2 on climate change. And they know the bell will soon toll – the question is how long can they hold off the wolves of public opinion, how much more cash can be generated? That’s all it comes down to. Money.
EIA probably going to underestimate their solar development projection, again – It’s almost a joke how the EIA constantly underestimates how much solar power will be built, and this matters because it influences policy and the public. Of course, it is a bit more complicated than a batch of great scientists missing data – and the EIA has responded to these criticisms. I’ll take the path that we need not look at the EIA for solar power projections in the USA – it’s not their job and they don’t focus on it (as they say clearly in their report). That means government folk ought not to pay attention to the projections and instead maybe look at Greentech Media who seems to get pretty close every year.
A carbon dividend really can slow fossil fuel use — under these conditions – First off, I don’t like this article at all. Don’t like how they describe things – and don’t like their conclusions/parallels to other programs. The reason I grabbed the article – I think whomever is writing this document is getting a nudge to use the term ‘carbon dividend’ in a headline.
Australia will drive utility battery storage market – A few days ago, Elon and the PM of Australia got into a battery conversation regarding South Australia, yesterday Victoria – South Australia’s neighbor – announced its own utility scale battery tender. With the price of electricity and the apparent instability of the grid, seems like fast deploying batteries might be a winner…and with the press going crazy watching.
Germany has 50,000 battery installs currently, 100,000 by end of 2018 – How does one fix too much wind/solar? You distribute hundreds of thousands of home battery systems around the country. Stop doubting.
Solar thermal + storage at ¢6.3/kWh – You want electricity 24/7? Yeah, I do too. You want it to not kill your planet? Hey, me too! The Chinese government has decided to invest in 10GW of solar thermal to help the technology scale – we might be seeing the resulting pricing of the belief in that scaling.
Sungevity goes bankrupt while Vivint extends credit access – and SunRun grow 36% – what these conflicting headlines tell me is that residential solar leasing isn’t a bad business model, but maybe it has its limits in terms of market players and maybe you have to do it damn well to be successful (shocker)
source: https://electrek.co/

Building an Island to Power Northern Europe

The continent needs to take huge strides to meet its future energy needs. A brand new island for wind power might do the trick.

 

If Europe is going to meet the tough carbon-cutting goals spelled out in the Paris Climate Agreement, it’s going to have to change the way it produces and consumes energy.
The emissions goals across the continent are formidable: Germany alone, for example, must reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 to 90 percent of what they were in 1990. It also has to increase its renewable energy share to 80 percent of its total energy production. Journeys like Germany’s are made more complicated by the continent’s steady move away from nuclear power, making the pressure to find clean renewable sources even more intense. To put it bluntly, Europe needs something big—and quick—to have any chance at success.
Thankfully, the region is already making some headway, particularly with some interesting projects in the wind-battered waters around Northern Europe. The most ambitious plan yet was unveiled to the public in early March: a new chain of artificial islands dedicated solely to wind power.

Under the plan, the North Sea could gain an archipelago of power-generating islands within a decade. A Danish, Dutch, and German consortium created by the companies TenneT and Energinet is launching plans to create an island 6 kilometers in circumference, roughly equidistant between Denmark, Norway, Britain, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Still at blueprint stage, the island would act as a power hub at the center of a vast new wind farm, at a scale that hasn’t been seen anywhere else thus far. Surrounded by a turbine array with a generating capacity of between 70,000 and 100,000 megawatts, the island would channel this energy through direct live cable connections to the countries surrounding the sea. These current lines would also function as an interconnector system, so that unneeded power could be sold onto other countries in periods of high production or low demand.
Finally, while it is unlikely that the islands would be permanently inhabited, they would provide an ideal base to service the turbines and power lines, providing a temporary base for staff that would make maintenance cheaper and easier. The video below—still speculative—reveals it as a reasonably spacious place, with a high, rocky breakwater sheltering space for a dock, an airstrip, and service buildings, as well as a freshwater pool with tree-planted edges. Should the initial project be successful, a string of other islands nearby could be in the works.

Of course, wind power generation is already possible, and even common, in the North Sea. It already hosts the world’s largest offshore windfarm, the London Array in the southern reaches of the sea. But with a capacity of 630 megawatts, that project pales in comparison to the island plans. Constructing an island this far from land, and in an area with little shipping, could create vast economies of scale, giving the turbine array enough space to spread out where wind conditions are optimal. What’s more, despite the far-flung location, the island can be constructed with less difficulty that you might expect. That’s because the site is on the Dogger Bank, a sub-aquatic sandbar which starts around 62 miles off the east coast of Britain that lies beneath shallow waters.
The plans are grand in scale, and so are Europe’s needs. The continent can hardly meet its Paris Agreement goals just by padding out its generation system with the odd splash of renewable energy. It needs a total transformation. A recent study, for example, estimated that the EU would need to shut down all its coal-fired power plants by 2030 to meet its CO2 targets—a process that is already underway. The sort of grand scale alternatives that could replace coal are not ones that can always be funded and created by individual nations, and it’s arguably essential that all production leaps in solar and wind power are fully integrated into an interconnector system, which means that they can be used far beyond their region of production.
source: https://www.citylab.com

Three solar thermal plants in Chile could generate electricity 24 hours a day

The Chilean government recently gave the go-ahead on a massive solar thermal plant that is expected to produce electricity 24 hours a day, seven days a week—a considerable feat for a plant that depends solely on solar energy. The plant, proposed for a site in Chile’s Tamarugal province, would consist of three 150 megawatt solar thermal towers, which become heated as mirrors placed around each tower reflect sunlight onto it.

Analysis suggests that solar thermal can provide baseline power

That heat is transferred to molten salt, which circulates through the plant during the day and is stored in tanks at night. The salt, a mixture of sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate that’s kept at a balmy 1,050 degrees Fahrenheit (566 degrees Celsius), is used as a “heat transfer fluid.” As energy is needed, the salt can be dispatched to a heat exchanger, where it will lend its heat to water to create a super-heated steam. That steam is used to move a traditional steam turbine to create electricity. Because the molten salt will stay hot for hours in its thermal storage tank—even throughout the night or during a cloudy morning—the molten salt is said to store that thermal energy. Each tower will have 13 hours of energy storage, for a total of 5.8 gigawatt-hours of energy storage capacity.
In total, the proposed Tamarugal plant would be able to provide 450 MW of power continuously, 24 hours a day. The plant could theoretically generate 2,600 GWh annually.
SolarReserve, the US-based company that proposed this project, has also proposed two others—a 260 MW, 24-hour plant near the city of Copiapó in the Atacama Region of Chile, as well as a 390 MW, 24-hour plant in the Antofagasta Region. Mary Grikas, a SolarReserve spokesperson, told Ars via e-mail that Copiapó is shovel-ready, and now Tamarugal is, too, with the Chilean government’s recent approval, which assessed the site for environmental impact. The plant in Antofagasta is still waiting on permitting approval.

A video from SolarReserve on how its solar thermal plants work.

It still might be a while before the plants become a reality, however. SolarReserve now needs to secure Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) so that the company can be assured that it can sell its power to grid managers in Chile. The next public auction for such agreements is in October. If the company is awarded PPAs, SolarReserve will seek financing through investors to actually build the plants—Tamarugal’s reported investment value is a hefty $2.6 billion, but that number could change after the Power Purchase Agreements have been locked in, Grikas said. She added that if the company is awarded a Power Purchase Agreement in October, SolarReserve hopes to close financing and start construction on Tamarugal by the end of 2018.
Although a 24-hour plant is relatively novel, the technology proposed for Tamarugal isn’t new. In southern Arizona, the Solana solar thermal plant uses concentrated solar power from rows and rows of parabolic mirrors to heat an oil that’s sent to either directly create steam or be transferred to heat molten salt for storage and later use. Ivanpah is another massive solar thermal plant outside of Las Vegas that was built to produce 448 GWh annually. But that plant has hit some bumps in the road—it has struggled to meet its production goals, and last May one of the towers suffered an electrical fire. Pilots have also complained of glare coming from the boiler towers.
But SolarReserve may have an advantage in the solar thermal game. Rather than use a heat transfer fluid to heat molten salt, SolarReserve heats the molten salt directly. The company used this technique on a solar thermal project it built at Crescent Dunes, outside of Tonopah, Nevada. While Ivanpah is still short of its production goals, Crescent Dunes has recently delivered 105 percent of its contracted output, and the plant is operating 2 percent above its expected efficiency, according to industry publication Power Magazine.
Crescent Dunes is smaller than what SolarReserve has planned for Chile. The solar company intends for its Chilean 24-hour solar thermal plants to compete with other base load plants like coal, natural gas, hydrothermal, or nuclear plants. Grikas told Ars that the Tamarugal plant will operate with a 75 to 85 capacity factor, depending “upon final configuration of the steam turbines for each tower.” Comparing that to information from the Energy Information Administration on other renewable sources of energy, that’s a competitive number—on par with geothermal and not as good as nuclear but far above other intermittent renewables like wind and solar photovoltaic panels.
Tamarugal and its brethren are expected to have 30-plus-year lifespans, during which they will use no fossil fuels and need no replacement of molten salt. As an added benefit, when the proposed plants are finally decommissioned, SolarReserve says the molten salt can be used to create “high-grade fertilizer."
source: https://arstechnica.com

Experts consider LNG the most viable alternative fuel

The onset in 2020 of reductions on maximum sulfur emissions is certainly the biggest factor driving the cruise industry’s actions on all fronts related to energy consumption and alternative fuels – the focus of a panel on the opening day of Seatrade Cruise Global.

The discussion comes as European regulations on verification of CO2 emissions (MRV) come into force at the start of 2018.
And, a year later, the IMO will be requiring shipowners to provide data on fuel consumption.
TOTE’s evp Peter Keller, who serves as chairman of the Sea/LNG consortium, said the probability of further regulatory initiatives, is ‘right up there with death and taxes.’
The session, moderated by CLIA’s Bud Darr, svp technical and regulatory affairs, was not specifically about LNG fueling - but, in the words of panelist Paolo Moretti, RINA’s Marine general manager, in reviewing a list of alternatives to conventional fuels - including fuel cells and methanol, who said, ‘LNG is the only one to be considered a real alternative at this point.’
Keller noted that shipowners have choices (of low sulfur fuels, scrubbers and LNG) but cautioned that over time, ‘regulators may start asking questions about scrubbers…and, at the end of the day, we have the most viable alternative - which is LNG.’
Keller did acknowledge that LNG makes more sense in newbuilds than in conversions of existing ships, a point emphasized by panel Tom Strang, svp maritime affairs Carnival Corporation, who said, ‘the new ships are clearly more efficient than the older ships.’
In the Q & A session, he discussed the business analysis that led to Carnival’s decision to go with cleaning of exhaust gasses from conventionally fueled vessels, saying, ‘We looked at retrofits on cruise ships [for burning LNG] but it really isn’t feasible.’
Referring to existing ships, Strang reminded the audience of Carnival’s large investments in exhaust gas cleaning systems, but also pointed out that measures such as hull form optimization, air lubrication, high efficiency propellers and even better controls of HVAC in hotel systems were methods of building efficiencies flowing directly to the bottom line.
Keller, amplifying on remarks by Aziz Bamik, gm North America, for GTT - which sponsored the session, pointed out that the infrastructure for LNG fueling of cruise (and other) shipping already exists.
Panelist John Grubic, who leads LNG Business Development at Shell (which will be partnering with Carnival on fueling its LNG powered vessels for AIDA Cruises brand) talked about, ‘a mosaic of fuels’ with LNG being, ‘a destination fuel for shipping.’
Bamik, from GTT, emphasized the importance of logistics (making LNG widely available with proven supply lines) and commoditization - with common standards (developed through SGMF - Society for Gas as A Marine Fuel) and procedures including training, maintenance and drydocking.
Discussing the infrastructure, Bamik said, ‘everything is in place’. LNG fueling will spread its geographical reach. ‘We are keen on making LNG widely available in the market,’ added Grubic.
Widespread LNG fueling is still a work in progress, and requires a tremendous amount of cooperation from stakeholders ranging ‘from molecules all the way to the propeller’, in the words of Keller, who concluded his remarks by emphasizing the need for cooperation and collaboration.
He commented, the advent of LNG fueling is no different from other evolutions in maritime technology, for example, the early installation of container cranes along the quays at ports across the globe.
source: http://www.seatrade-cruise.com