MIT article on Renewable energy, 24/12/19
The cost of large wind and solar farms dropped by 70% and nearly 90%, respectively. Meanwhile, renewable-power plants around the world are producing four times more electricity than they did 10 years ago.
3 Predictions for US Renewables and Storage Markets in 2025, 30/12/19
The U.S. has deployed more energy storage since the second half of 2018 than the total of all prior years. In 2020 alone, we expect total storage deployed to double again. By 2025, we will be well on our way to the clean energy future that we need.
US has only one offshore wind energy farm, but a $70 billion market is on the way, 15/12/19
KEY POINTS – •Offshore wind has the potential to generate more than 2,000 GW of capacity per year (7200 TWh/yr)— nearly double the nation’s current electricity use, according to the DOE. •By one estimate, there will be a $70 billion offshore wind business pipeline in the U.S. by 2030.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/13/us-has-only-one-offshore-wind-farm-but-thats-about-to-change.html
Fossil fuels fall to record low in Britains energy mix data shows, 19/12/19
Government figures showed the UK relied on renewables, such as wind and solar, for 38.9% of its electricity in the third quarter of this year, up from one-third in the same period in 2018… Renewable energy moved narrowly ahead of gas-fired power, which made up 38.8% of the electricity mix, to emerge as the UK’s biggest source of power.
Worldwide RENEWABLE CAPACITY STATISTICS 2019 IRENA
https://www.irena.org/publications/2019/Mar/Renewable-Capacity-Statistics-2019
Renewables On The Rise In The Mining Industry, 26/12/19
In a recent report, consultancy firm THEnergy stated that 2019 saw significant growth in the number of mining companies materially committing to develop onsite renewable energy projects.
WHAT IS REAL?
Offshore wind power price plunges by a third in a year: BNEF, 22/10/19
Larger turbines drive 32% offshore decline as equipment costs drive onshore wind and PV prices down, says analyst. New-build offshore wind has seen the fastest cost fall of any renewable energy source, according to BNEF’s second-half 2019 global benchmark price of $78/MWh – down 32% on the same stage in 2018 and 12% from the first half of the year.
Wind energy is the cheapest source of electricity generation, 29/3/19
Wind energy is today the cheapest source of electricity generation in majority of places in the world. Unsubsidized onshore wind energy is cheaper than any other energy source, including conventional power generation sources such as coal and gas.
According to the Bloomberg New Energy Finance data, the levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) of onshore wind in Europe ranges from $58 (€50) to $76 (€65)/MWh in H1 2018.
Largest US Solar Power Plant Will Be Built On Public Land. Is That A Problem?, 7/1/20
The $1 billion Gemini project is being developed by Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners and Arevia Power, and will include large scale storage batteries, although few specs about the storage component of the project have been released at this point. It will supply power to NV Energy, Nevada’s largest public utility. NV Energy has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement with the developers and has agreed to pay $38.44/MWh for electricity during that period.
Hinkley Point C cost rises by nearly 15%, 25/9/19
Consisting of two Areva-designed European Pressurised Reactors, it will be the first new nuclear power station to be built in the UK in almost 20 years and will provide about 7% of the country’s electricity….The CfD – the ratepayer-backed guaranteed price for electricity generated by Hinkley Point C – was originally agreed in October 2013 and guarantees the plant will get GBP92.50/MWh for its first 35 years of operation.
http://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Hinkley-Point-C-cost-rises-by-nearly-15
AT EXCHANGE RATE ON 12/1/20 £92.50/MWH = $120.85/MWH = 2 X WIND = 3 X SOLAR
Lazard’s 2019 annual Levelized Cost of Energy Analysis (LCOE 13.0)
IS HYDROGEN HAPPENING?
Green Hydrogen the potential energy transition gamechanger, IRENA Ministerial Round Table, 11/1/20
Japan, EU & US-agree-to-hydrogen-and-fuel-cells-partnership, 11/12/19
Re-imagining Scotland: Can hydrogen fuel unlock our future energy potential?, 15/9/19
Scotland is leading the way with gas touted as cleaner alternative to petrol and diesel.
https://www.insider.co.uk/special-reports/can-hydrogen-fuel-unlock-scotlands-20070965
NWHA Welcomes Halton Borough Council, 5/12/19
Halton Borough Council has been named the first local authority to join the North West Hydrogen Alliance, an organisation working to develop the North West as the UK’s primary hydrogen economy, 5/12/19
https://www.h2-view.com/story/nwha-welcomes-halton-borough-council/
Aramco To Build First Hydrogen Fueling Station, Saudi Arabia, 25/1/19
Germany’s 79th hydrogen station opens, 19/12/19
Ports Enter Partnership on Hydrogen–Groningen Seaports, Port of Amsterdam & Port of Den Helder entering into a partnership & will position themselves under the name Hydroports to become the hydrogen hub of Europe, 16/12/19
Japan launches first liquid hydrogen carrier ship, 11/12/19
ARE FCEVs HAPPENING?
DOE: 1 fuel cell bus in US has exceeded the DOE/DOT target of 25,000 hours; more getting close, 25/1/19
One fuel cell electric bus (FCEB) operating in the United States has surpassed 29,000 hours of drive time and nine buses have exceeded 20,000 hours without major repairs or replacement of the fuel cell stack, according to the US Department of Energy (DOE). This is comparable to the life expectancy of a diesel engine in a transit bus.
Diesel buses have an engine that is sometimes rebuilt halfway through its usable life at 6 years/250,000 miles on average. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has collected data on fuel cell buses for more than 8 years.
https://www.greencarcongress.com/2019/01/20190125-fceb.html
World’s first hydrogen fuel cell double decker buses in London from Wright Bus., 5/12/19
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/motoring/hydrogen-powered-buses-tfl-wrightbus-ryse-air-quality-a9220531.html 5/12/19
‘Toyota Inside’ strategy kicks off in China with fuel cells, 23/12/19
BEIJING — Toyota Motor has begun supplying key components for fuel cell vehicles to other companies in China, seeking to emulate the way Intel came to dominate the microprocessor business as Taiwanese players built personal computers using its chips. Components being provided by the Japanese automaker include fuel cell stacks, which generate electricity through the chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen.
China Sets Sights on Hydrogen Fuel Cell Market, 13/6/19
His vision to make China an electric-vehicle powerhouse revolutionized the global auto industry, cementing a move from the combustion engine. Now, Wan Gang says get ready for the next game-changing moment.
The world’s biggest car market is set to embrace hydrogen fuel cell vehicles the way it did EVs, Wan, who’s been called the father of China’s electric-car movement, said in a rare interview in Beijing on June 9.
A former Audi executive who went on to become China’s science and technology minister, Wan persuaded leaders two decades ago to bet on the then-untested technology of vehicle electrification, selling it not only as a way to boost economic growth but also to tackle China’s dependence on oil imports and its mounting levels of pollution. His strategy — using government subsidies to bring carmakers and drivers on board — made China home to one of every two EVs sold globally today.
And now it’s hydrogen’s turn, Wan said.
https://www.ttnews.com/articles/china-sets-sights-hydrogen-fuel-cell-market
China sets sight on leapfrogging US and Japan in fuel-cell vehicles with subsidies for buyers and incentives for charging stations, 4/9/19
Buyers in 17 provinces will get subsidies of up to 160,000 yuan per fuel-cell vehicle this year while local authorities in 10 cities will hand out incentives of up to 4 million yuan toward the construction of every refuelling station
The Chinese government is aiming to put a million fuel-cell vehicles on the roads by 2030, from 50,000 in 2025 and last year’s 1,791 units, more ambitious than plans outlined by Japan or in the US state of California
https://www.ttnews.com/articles/china-sets-sights-hydrogen-fuel-cell-market
WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING WITH HYDROGEN?
Housing/Built Environment
Better Energy and Nilsson Energy develop world’s first self-sufficient hydrogen housing complex, 30 homes, Vargarda, Sweden, 3/1/19
https://www.gasworld.com/worlds-first-self-sufficient-hydrogen-housing-complex-/2016206.article
Sweden, Housing Development Powered by Hydrogen Fuel Cells, 172 homes, 6 blocks, Vargarda, Sweden, Surplus electricity stored as Hydrogen and on TESVOLT TS 48V battery and then fed back in winter by 5kW fuel cell, 7/12/19
Toyota unveils hydrogen-powered “city of the future”, 7/1/20
Japan is building the world’s largest #hydrogen plant in #Fukushima as part of efforts to create a hydrogen-fueled society : 7/11/19
Heating and Cooking
Climate change hope for hydrogen fuel, 2/1/20
The natural gas supply at Keele University is being blended with 20% hydrogen in a trial that’s of national significance. Adding the hydrogen will reduce the amount of CO2 that’s being produced through heating and cooking. The 20% proportion was chosen because it’s an optimal blend that won’t affect gas pipes and appliances. The project – known as HyDeploy – is the UK’s first live trial of hydrogen in a modern gas network. Keele was chosen because it has a private gas system.
The gas distribution firm Cadent, which is leading the project, says that if a 20% blend were to be rolled out across Britain, it would reduce emissions of CO2 by six million tonnes – equivalent to taking 2.5 million cars off the road.
Some boiler manufacturers are already producing prototype boilers that use 100% hydrogen. Worcester Bosch, for instance, has a “hydrogen-ready” design. It can run on natural gas, but it’s capable of converting to 100% hydrogen following a one-hour visit by an engineer. The firm wants the government to stipulate that by 2025, all new boilers on sale should be hydrogen-ready.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-50873047
Other Vehicles
Is Hydrogen The Fuel Of The Future For Climate-Friendly Flying? 11/12/19
ZeroAvia manufacturing powertrains and storage initially to power commercial planes for 20 passengers being carried 500 miles
Hydrogen fuel cells becoming viable in maritime sector, 5/11/19
Schaeffler-Bio-Hybrid-Pedal-Powered-Light-Electric-Vehicle, 4/12/19
https://www.electrive.com/2019/12/04/schaeffler-bio-hybrid-pedal-powered-light-electric-vehicle/
Plug Power’s stock soars on fuel cell contract win. 7/1/20
Shares of Plug Power Inc. soared in active trading Monday, after the hydrogen and fuel cell technology company announced a contract win valued at $172 million over two years from a large, unnamed company. The rally comes amid apparent renewed interest in fuel cell stocks, highlighted by the tripling in value of FuelCell Energy Inc.’s stock FCEL, +1.37% over the last four sessions of 2019.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/plug-powers-stock-soars-on-fuel-cell-contract-win-2020-01-06
Green and Blue (or grey or brown) Hydrogen manufacture
Project to turn biogas from sewage into renewable hydrogen and graphite wins ARENA backing
The Australian Renewable Energy Arena (ARENA) has approved up to $9.41 million in conditional funding to Hazer Group for the construction and operation of a groundbreaking hydrogen production facility in Munster, Western Australia. The project is utilizing biogas produced at the treatment plant as feedstock to produce hydrogen and graphite.
New Way to Make Hydrogen Energy Out of Water Much More Cheaply,
In research published in Nature Communications recently, scientists from UNSW Sydney, Griffith University and Swinburne University of Technology showed that capturing hydrogen by splitting it from oxygen in water can be achieved by using low-cost metals like iron and nickel as catalysts, which speed up this chemical reaction while requiring less energy, 9/1/20
Iron and nickel, which are found in abundance on Earth, would replace precious metals ruthenium, platinum, and iridium that up until now are regarded as benchmark catalysts in the ‘water-splitting’ process.
A bit of fun
U2 concert powered by hydrogen, 9/1/20
Four Toyota Mirai vehicles provided the power for a U2 concert in Tokyo, Japan last month, making U2 the first international touring band to use hydrogen power at a show. The bands guitar, bass and entire backline – guitar and bass amplifiers, audio effects and system control – ran entirely on clean hydrogen power. Parked backstage, the Toyota Mirai’s stored the energy that delivered the power.
New hydrogen Fuel Cell off-grid electric vehicle charger, 5/12/19
A British hydrogen company, AFC, has announced the launch of a new off-grid electric vehicle charger
Where’s the Money?
China’s 13th Five-Year Plan: Implications for Oil Markets, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, June 2018
Hydrogen Council announces Deal, 5/12/19
The Hydrogen Council, a global initiative of CEOs representing energy, transport, and industry organisations advocating for the accelerated deployment of hydrogen solutions, and the European Investment Bank (EIB), one of the world’s largest providers of climate finance, today signed a landmark agreement to collaborate on the development of innovative schemes to finance hydrogen projects to address climate change. Under this partnership delivered through the InnovFin Advisory program, EIB will provide strategic financial advice and support to companies preparing to deploy large-scale hydrogen projects, making such solutions more readily available to consumers around the world.
EU Announce European Green Deal to solve climate crisis 11/12/19
‘Green hydrogen could be cheapest form of H2 within five years’, IRENA, 12/1/20
Bank of England chief Mark Carney issues climate change warning. 30/12/19
Speaking to the Today programme, he re-iterated his warning that unless firms woke up to what he called the climate crisis, many of their assets would become worthless… “A question for every company, every financial institution, every asset manager, pension fund or insurer: what’s your plan? …“Four to five years ago, only leading institutions had begun to think about these issues and could report on them. Now $120tn worth of balance sheets of banks and asset managers are wanting this disclosure [of investments in fossil fuels]. But it’s not moving fast enough.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-50868717
ARE THERE FCEV FLEETS HAPPENING?
Plug Power – Forklifts and local plant/vehicles
Bus Fleets all over Europe, US, Japan, China and in the UK in London, Birmingham, Aberdeen and more to come…
Main growth is in HGV/PSVs but Scotland and many UK/EU public authorities are very interested in fleet replacement generally and some last mile deliverers as well
Will make a difference to how often fleet managers replace vehicles in 2020s and their lease structures
ZEFER hydrogen fleet testing kicks off in London, 2/5/18
A project to test the capabilities of hydrogen-powered fleets across three European capitals gets underway in London this week.
Green Tomato Cars covers one million miles on hydrogen, 23/10/19
The private hire company took on 25 Mirai after starting a trial with two cars in 2015. Building on this success, Green Tomato Cars has added a further 25 Mirai to its fleet this month, giving it the largest zero-emission passenger fleet in the UK.
MET POLICE GOES ZERO-EMISSION WITH FLEET OF TOYOTA MIRAI HYDROGEN CARS, 14/3/18
LONDON’S Metropolitan Police Service has added the first-ever “zero-emission” cars to its fleet: 11 Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell cars.
