Daily Climate News - March 10 & 11
Tidal stream energy; Carbon capture in Norway; multi-umbrella species approach for biodiversity protection
In this newsletter:
Tidal Stream Energy: getting to 1GW capacity in UK
Government Announcements
Top Stories
Biodiversity
Research
New Reports
Tidal Stream Energy: what’s needed to get to 1 GW capacity
Tidal stream energy captures the kinetic energy of flowing water from tidal currents. The Moon exerts gravitational force on the Earth resulting in periodic low and high tides that flow with great speed. A key advantage of using tidal stream energy is accurate predictability. There are tide tables that show the daily times and levels for low and high tides in a particular location. Unlike wind and solar generation, tidal stream energy can be forecasted far into the future making grid balancing easier.
There are currently some pilots and small-scale commercial projects for Tidal Stream (TS) energy. In the UK, nearly 53 MW of TS capacity was awarded in 2023 at a strike price of £198/MWh. The Marine Energy Council (MEC) has recommended 1GW of marine energy capacity by 2035 for the UK. This would require bringing LCoE to at least half of current prices.
Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, a UK government initiative, has published new research identifying key innovations needed to achieve a 80% reduction in costs for harnessing tidal stream energy. Some of these innovations are:
subsea hubs
anchors for floating devices
controllers to optimise lifetime turbine performance
cable monitoring
tidal array optimisation
Under the ‘optimistic’ cost reduction scenario in ORE’s report, TS costs are projected to fall from the current £259/MWh to £50/MWh by 2035.
Offshore Energy | ORE Catapult Tidal Stream Roadmap Report 2024 | Grantham Institute - What is tidal energy? (recommended) |
Government Announcements
The European Commission has adopted the first ever EU network code on cybersecurity for the electricity sector.
CO2 storage areas off coast of Norway - Norway’s Ministry of Energy has designated two areas in the North Sea for Carbon dioxide injection and storage. Companies can apply for permits for commercial carbon storage applications in the designated area until 24 April 2024.
Offshore Energy | Announcement | Ministry of Energy Press Release | Norway CO2 Storage Regulations | European Commission Report on Implementation of Directive 2009/31/EC on the Geological Storage of Carbon Dioxide (October 2023)
Seabed minerals exploration in Norway - The Norwegian Offshore Directorate is mapping the most commercially interesting deposits of critical minerals in the Norwegian continental shelf. In January, Norway’s parliament endorsed the government’s proposal to open parts of the Norwegian shelf, which is rich in manganese and sulphide deposits, for exploration and production of minerals. A final decree allowing this is yet to be passed. Norwegian Offshore Directorate | Norway’s Seabed Minerals Act (2019)
Government of Alberta (Canada) announced updated regulations for development of renewable energy projects Pembina Institute - analysis | Govt Announcement
California’s Public Utilities Commission has approved a program to underground the state’s power lines to protect them from wildfires. Utility Dive | CPUC Press Release
Top Stories
Nearly 65 years ago, humans began making semiconductor chips from sand, now we’re making sand batteries. Finland-based Polar Night Energy has developed a sand-based thermal storage system that uses excess renewable power to heat sand stored in insulated steel containers. The technology has high efficiency of up to 95% as there is no conversion to electricity - when required, cool air is circulated in tubes around the hot sand and the resulting hot air is used to serve heating applications in industry, commercial buildings and residential complexes. The company set up a pilot in 2022, and will now install its first 1MW/100MWh system in the Finnish town of Pornainen. The project may reduce the town’s carbon emissions by 160 tonnes per year. Recharge | Polar Night Energy Website
Customs duty for imports from India in Norway will be reduced significantly over the next decade under the terms of the trade pact signed between India and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) comprising Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein ET Energy | Govt. of India Press Release | EFTA Website | Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (PDF)
The 16th World Future Energy Summit 2024 will be held in Abu Dhabi from April 16-18. Key sectors at the summit include Solar, Clean Energy, Water, EcoWaste, Smart Cities and Climate & Environment. Energetica India | Event Website - sectors
In France, nearly 10% of nuclear fuel comes from recycling. The French government has announced plans to extend the life of its recycling facilities beyond 2040. This is expected to reduce nuclear waste by up to 75%. Power Technology
New York City Council has introduced a bill that will mandate installation of solar panels of roofs of public buildings. Facilities Dive
Biodiversity
One of the ways to monitor and protect the biodiversity in an area is to track and protect an ‘umbrella’ species. Umbrella species are typically larger animals, such as tigers and rhinos, that require large habitats to roam in. Designing conservation strategies for these species results in protection of other species that exist in their habitats. New research conducted in the tropical rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia reveals that some popular species, such as the Sumatran tiger and rhino, are poor indicators of biodiversity richness - presence of other animals - and instead other, lesser known species should be considered. The researchers recommend a ‘multi-umbrella’ approach - protecting and monitoring more than one umbrella species for better protection of vital ecosystems.
Carbon Pulse | Research Article
Research
Modeling region-wise US power grid composition under different emissions scenarios MIT News | Article in MIT Energy Futures
Detecting small quantities of PFAS in water samples - Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are present in food packaging, non stick cookware, pizza boxes, cosmetics and several consumer products. These do not decompose in human bodies and have been linked to harmful health effects including disrupting the immune and endocrine systems. Researchers at MIT have designed a sensor that can detect the presence of PFAS as low as 200 parts per trillion from a drop of water. This is a significantly cheaper and faster alternative to the current method of sending water samples for lab testing. MIT News | Research Paper
New Reports
Scaling Hydrogen Financing for Development, World Bank (February 2024) | PDF
Middle East Solar Industry Association (MESIA) Solar Outlook Report - Special Edition PDF (via World Future Energy Summit)
Green Hydrogen: India’s Opportunity for a strategic shift in global energy trade, Alvarez & Marsal, A&M Announcement | PDF (via ET Energy)
American Clean Power Annual Market Report 2023, American Clean Power (via Utility Dive)
Cost and emission reductions from installing geothermal heat pumps - US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Analysis | PDF (via Facilities Dive)
I also enjoyed reading about recreational deep sea exploration with submersibles and synthetic palm oil.
You can read over 200 stories from March 11 on Telborg.
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Let me know if I can help with anything! Enjoy your day!
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Best,
Soumya Gupta
Founder, Telborg.com | SummaryWithAI.com