News
Understanding interconnection of distributed energy resources
The growth in distributed energy resources presents huge opportunities both in front-of-meter and behind-the-meter but the process of interconnection to the grid could still be a lot smoother, Jason Allnutt, Conformity Assessment Program Specialist for the IEEE Standards Association says. Adoption of distributed energy resources (DERs) is surging around the world. DERs are bringing unique benefits to the global energy landscape that central-station power plants and long-distance transmission and distribution alone could not. DERs allow for power to be generated when and where it is most needed, and decentralising power production can contribute to a dramatically more secure and resilient facility for electricity delivery. DERs interconnected with the grid position a utility to better manage peak demand, avoid transmission overloads and keep electricity flowing to its customers.
Asia to remain ‘Mother of Batteries’, producing 1 TWh pa by 2025
In its monthly energy transition report, Rystad Energy has found that Asia, is, and will remain the mother of batteries over the coming decade. The report details that the world’s current total battery cell production capacity is about to exit 2020 at around 617 gigawatt-hours (GWh) per year. Most of this capacity, 516 GWh, comes from producing facilities in Asia. Europe follows with 61 GWh and North America with 40 GWh of production capacity. Existing sanctioning is set to create a boom in capacity for Europe and North America towards 2025, while Asia’s capacity is also set to expand, dwarfing other continents, and securing its place as the ‘mother of batteries’. In 2025, Asia’s production capacity is set to double to around 1 terawatt hour (TWh) per annum. Europe will follow with around 0.33 TWh and North America with around 0.14 TWh.
Biden introduces his climate team
President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. introduced key members of his climate change team on Saturday, declaring that his administration will connect the effort to reduce planet-warming emissions with restoring the economy and creating jobs. Mr. Biden, speaking at an event in Wilmington, Del., said the climate team will be “ready on day one, which is essential because we literally have no time to waste.” A top lieutenant will be Gina McCarthy, former President Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency administrator who Mr. Biden has tapped to head a new White House Office of Climate Policy. The group includes progressives like Representative Deb Haaland of New Mexico, Mr. Biden’s choice to lead the Department of the Interior and a co-sponsor of the Green New Deal, and establishment figures like Jennifer Granholm, the former governor of Michigan who Mr. Biden selected to be Energy secretary.
Why green hydrogen is the renewable energy source to watch in 2021
Green hydrogen, an alternative fuel generated with clean energy, is experiencing a global resurgence and has been identified as the clean energy source that could help bring the world to net-zero emissions in the coming decades. It was initially touted in the U.S. during President George W. Bush's first term, when it was nicknamed the "freedom fuel." Now, President-elect Joe Biden is promising that the U.S. will be able to access green hydrogen at the same cost as conventional hydrogen within a decade as part of his clean energy plan. Several countries around the world already invest heavily into it, including Chile, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Germany and Australia. The market for green hydrogen is expected to grow exponentially in the coming decade, experts told ABC News. "It puts the spotlight on [hydrogen] gas for the first time," a study published in Nature in July stated. "And the gas industry is turning to hydrogen for a new lease of life."
Job creation and wind energy go hand in hand in post-pandemic recovery
A new, first-of-its kind study released by the American Clean Power Association (ACP), in partnership with the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), details the potential of clean energy resources—wind, solar, energy storage, hydropower, and other renewables—to unlock impressive economic growth and achieve majority renewable electricity generation within the next decade. The report, conducted by international analysis group Wood Mackenzie, finds that reaching a majority renewables grid will deploy over $1 trillion in capital investment into the American economy over the next decade, while supporting 980,000 direct, renewable energy jobs, stabilizing wholesale power prices, and reducing U.S. carbon emissions by over 60 percent. Targeted administrative actions and legislative policies are essential for the U.S. to achieve these benefits within the next ten years.
Philippines to launch 1st green energy auction
The Philippines is setting the launch of its first green energy auction in mid-2021. In a webinar Tuesday, National Renewable Energy Board (NREB) chairperson Monalisa Dimalanta said the country is pushing through with the green energy auction next year. “The green energy auction committee has actually convened two weeks ago, the first meeting of the committee to set out the work plan for the first auction scheduled by June 2021,” she said. Last July, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi signed the green energy tariff program policy to boost renewable energy (RE) development in the country. The green energy tariff would “provide price signals on the commercial value of electricity generated from RE facilities,” which would be the basis of a benchmark rate for RE in the country. Meanwhile, the green energy auction would facilitate supply contracting by qualified suppliers with eligible customers under a competitive process.
US to help Vietnam develop clean energy
The U.S.’s official aid agency has signed an agreement with national utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN) for rooftop solar power generation. The Vietnam Urban Energy Security project, which the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funds and runs, formalized a partnership Monday to support EVN’s efforts to expand rooftop solar (RTS) energy generation. Power demand in Vietnam is growing by 10 percent annually, making it critical for the country to use modern, clean technologies to sustain its rapid economic growth while also protecting human health and the environment. Vietnam’s demand for electricity might rise to 90,000 MW by 2025 and double that by 2030, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has said. The current capacity is more than 68,000 MW in the first 11 months, up 3.19 percent against the same period last year. EVN has set a high target for RTS capacity by 2025 and is putting in place tools to help consumers understand how to adopt energy cleaner.
Making Hydropower ‘Greener’
Hydropower technology is considered a clean renewable energy source. It is generated by converting kinetic and potential energy from falling water into rotating shaft power, which can be used to drive an electricity generator. However, several studies including one in the Journal of Fisheries Managements and Ecology has recorded extreme harm caused to downstream moving fish that often enter the hydropower structure. Risks to the fish include injuries, scale loss, fin damage, haemorrhages, bruises, skin wounds, amputation of body parts or internal injuries among others. The study explained that conventional power plants are often equipped with Pelton, Kaplan or Francis turbines, which are known for very high fish mortality due to their high rotation speeds, pressure changes and sheer force. In 2018 the International Energy Agency (IEA) reported that 18 percent of Southeast Asia's energy comes from hydropower, which is expected to rise over the next decade.