The Power Of Spin: How Old Mechanical Solutions Are Ensuring Modern Grid Stability

Credit to Author: Michael Barnard| Date: Tue, 16 May 2023 18:35:18 +0000

DALL·E generated image of a big flywheel with lots of inertia and lightning bolts, digital artThe combination of technical, market and regulatory innovation sometimes brings old technical solutions back to life. Such is the case for synchronous condensers it seems.

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Is Green Hydrogen Always Green?

Credit to Author: Michael Barnard| Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2023 19:01:31 +0000

DALL·E generated image of a green hydrogen industrial facility beside a coal generation plan, digital artGovernments shouldn’t be rewarding firms that are actually emitting more CO2e just because they are making hydrogen.

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South Africa’s Department of Water & Sanitation Issues An EOI For Renewable Energy Plants

Credit to Author: Remeredzai Joseph Kuhudzai| Date: Mon, 03 Apr 2023 16:34:37 +0000

Solar farmSouth Africa’s Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) is looking into augmenting its energy supplies with distributed renewable energy systems at selected water works and associated infrastructure around the country. These projects will be for a 20-year operational period under a Design-Build-Finance and Operate (DBFO) framework. The Department of Water and Sanitation says, “South Africa […]

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More Green Batteries for Europe & USA — From Norway’s FREYR

Credit to Author: Zachary Shahan| Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2023 03:57:07 +0000

I recently spoke with FREYR CEO Tom Jensen for our CleanTech Talk podcast. We discussed FREYR’s plans for battery gigafactories in Europe and the USA, and particularly these regions catching up to China in EV battery production (including the battery supply chain). We also talked innovation in EV battery development and production. You can find […]

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Why Aren’t Energy Flows Diagrams Used More To Inform Decarbonization?

Credit to Author: Michael Barnard| Date: Mon, 13 Feb 2023 15:59:22 +0000

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Sankey diagram of US energy flows for 2021The primary energy fallacy is the assumption that all of the energy in all of the oil, gas and coal we burn today must be replaced. We don’t need to replace it, we need to replace the unwasted energy services.

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Why Is Quebec Energy Minister Rejecting & Embracing Green Hydrogen In The Same Week?

Credit to Author: Michael Barnard| Date: Sat, 04 Feb 2023 16:52:46 +0000

DALL·E generated cartoon of a hydrogen powered train and corporate welfare recipientThe refusal of 9 GW of green hydrogen electrolyzer proposals makes complete sense, and the hydrogen train is just the usual nonsense, but with only millions instead of billions wasted on corporate welfare.

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China’s Investment in Energy in Ecuador

Credit to Author: Otto Gunderson| Date: Sat, 04 Feb 2023 16:20:34 +0000

In November of 2016, the previously defined “strategic association” between China and Ecuador was upgraded to an “integral strategic partnership” representing the highest level relationship China has with any country.¹ Especially during the presidency of Rafael Correa, the public sector has primarily worked with Chinese banks and construction companies to build up the hydroelectric sector, […]

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Ecuador Needs to Expand Beyond Hydroelectric Power

Credit to Author: Otto Gunderson| Date: Fri, 03 Feb 2023 19:20:05 +0000

On the surface, Ecuador’s reliance on hydroelectric projects seems to be fulfilling the promise that was made in the country’s 2008 Constitution. This document endorses federal support for clean energy adoption in Article 15, stating: “The State shall promote, in the public and private sectors, the use of environmentally clean technologies and non-polluting and low-impact […]

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