Right.Abdul Alhazred wrote: ↑Sat Jun 27, 2020 12:33 am Next up: Tethered rigid aerostat with biggest yet wind turbine to harness the jet stream.![]()

"Elon Musk announces worlds tallest ladder to the Moon."
Right.Abdul Alhazred wrote: ↑Sat Jun 27, 2020 12:33 am Next up: Tethered rigid aerostat with biggest yet wind turbine to harness the jet stream.![]()
https://www.carbonbrief.org/wind-and-so ... governmentWind and solar are 30-50% cheaper than thought, admits UK government
Electricity generated from wind and solar is 30-50% cheaper than previously thought, according to newly published UK government figures.
The new estimates of the “levelised cost” of electricity, published this week by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), show that renewables are much cheaper than expected in the previous iteration of the report, published in 2016.
The previously published version had, in turn, already trimmed the cost of wind and solar by up to 30%. As a result, electricity from onshore wind or solar could be supplied in 2025 at half the cost of gas-fired power, the new estimates suggest.
The new report is the government’s first public admission of the dramatic reductions in renewable costs in recent years. It had previously carried out internal updates to its cost estimates, in both 2018 and 2019, but these were never published despite repeated questions in parliament.
The BEIS report also presents new estimates of the “enhanced levelised cost” of different technologies, which reflects any wider system benefits and their “system integration costs”.
These alternative figures, which have been under development for several years, put gas with carbon capture and storage (CCS) in a particularly favourable light, with costs comparable to wind or solar. CCS is expected to feature in the upcoming energy white paper, due this autumn.
https://www.worldoil.com/news/2020/9/10 ... investmentBP enters offshore wind with $1.1 billion U.S. investment
BP, the oil giant that announced a seismic strategy shift last month, made its first venture into offshore wind power with a $1.1 billion purchase of U.S. assets from Norway’s Equinor ASA.
The deal marks the start of an offshore-wind investment partnership in the region for the two companies, which have been at the forefront of the rapid changes in the oil industry as companies seek to adapt to the realities of climate change.
BP has taken the boldest steps so far in abandoning the oil-supermajor business model. Just six months after taking the helm, CEO Bernard Looney said in August he’d shrink oil and gas output by 40% over the next decade and spend as much as $5 billion a year building one of the world’s largest renewable-power businesses.
BP will receive a 50% stake in the Empire Wind and Beacon Wind developments off New York and Massachusetts, respectively, the companies said in two separate statements on Thursday. Equinor will retain 50% in both, and continue to be the operator.
Empire Wind, whose first phase could start in 2024-25, has a potential installed capacity of more than 2 gigawatts, and Beacon Wind more than 2.4 gigawatts. Together they’ll be able to power more than 2 million homes. Equinor earlier estimated total investments in Empire Wind’s first phase at about $3 billion.
Future Cooperation
The companies plan to participate in more offshore wind projects in the U.S., bringing together their significant balance sheets and experience of handling large projects.
“Our ambition would be to replicate this across the U.S.,” Dev Sanyal, executive vice president for gas and low-carbon energy at BP, said in an interview. “States are going through their own process of looking at the offshore wind sector, and as offshore leases come available both of us would like to be a part of that.”
Norway’s state-controlled Equinor has so far been the most aggressive oil major in offshore wind, seeking to capitalize on its experience in operating big industrial projects at sea. It’s now reaping the rewards of its early-mover status, expecting to book a $1 billion gain from the BP transaction.
https://www.independent.co.uk/environme ... 17838.htmlAirbus reveals plan for first-ever ‘zero emission commercial planes’, potentially by 2035
The company says that the ZEROe concepts are a ‘historic moment’ for the aviation sector
Aerospace company Airbus announced on Monday that its first zero-emission, hydrogen-powered commercial flight may be ready for take-off by 2035.
It was dubbed a “historic moment” for the commercial aviation sector by the company’s CEO Guillaume Faury.
Called ZEROe, there are three design concepts. The first is a lot like a typical commercial aircraft you would see today, except with longer, more flexible wings.
The second resembles a turboprop plane with six-bladed propellers. The third is the most futuristic, with a “blended-wing body". But the real game-changer is the fuel source: hydrogen propulsion.
In a statement, Glenn Llewellyn, Airbus VP, Zero-Emission Aircraft, said: “As recently as five years ago, hydrogen propulsion wasn’t even on our radar as a viable emission-reduction technology pathway.
“But convincing data from other transport industries quickly changed all that. Today, we’re excited by the incredible potential hydrogen offers aviation in terms of disruptive emissions reduction."
...
Airbus estimates hydrogen has the potential to reduce aviation’s carbon emissions by up to 50 per cent.
The company said the turbofan design had the potential to transport up to 200 passengers more than 2,000 miles. The turboprop plane could carry half as many, half the distance.
what part of 'didn't' didn't you get? It didn't convince me.
You say it is significant. Give me a metric and number.
https://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/featu ... phere.htmlStudies have shown even small changes in stratospheric humidity may have significant climate impacts
https://reneweconomy.com.au/solar-meets ... ime-78279/Solar meets 100 per cent of South Australia demand for first time
The combination of rooftop and utility scale solar met 100 per cent of demand in South Australia for the first time on Sunday, reaching a milestone that will surely be repeated many times over – and for longer periods – in the future.
The milestone was reached at 12.05pm grid time (Australian eastern standard time), with rooftop solar providing 992MW, or 76.3 per cent of state demand, and utility scale solar providing a further 315MW – meaning all three of the state’s big solar farms, Bungala 1m Bungala 2 and Tailem Bend were operating at full capacity.
The new record came just weeks after solar set a previous milestone of 94 per cent of state demand and rooftop solar output reached 900MW for the first time. On Sunday, that level (94 per cent) was beaten for more than two and a half hours. The combination of sunny weather, mild temperatures and relatively low weekend demand is sure to see more records fall.
The state’s generators were producing more than they needed and exporting most of the surplus to Victoria with some going into the state’s big batteries.
South Australia is currently required to run a minimum amount of gas-fired generation to provide grid services such as inertia and system strength, but the need for this will be reduced when four new synchronous condensers are switched on over the next 12 month, and as battery storage begins to provide “synthetic” inertia services.
The expanded Hornsdale big battery is trialling those inertia services, and has the capacity to meet half the state’s inertia requirements. The construction of a new link to NSW will also further reduce the need for local gas fired generators, and will accelerate the shift towards the state Liberal government’s target of net 100 per cent renewables (averaged over a year).
The continued surged in rooftop solar installations means that South Australia is also likely to reach a new milestone of having rooftop solar alone meet 100 per cent of its demand needs.
What is the $/kwh of that battery?Witness wrote: ↑Mon Oct 12, 2020 10:18 pmSolar meets 100 per cent of South Australia demand for first time
...
ten for more than two and a half hours. The combination of sunny weather, mild temperatures and relatively low weekend demand is sure to see more records fall.
The state’s generators were producing more than they needed and exporting most of the surplus to Victoria with some going into the state’s big batteries.
I guess I could google 'synchronous condensers' and "synthetic inertia services" but it sounds like battery.South Australia is currently required to run a minimum amount of gas-fired generation to provide grid services such as inertia and system strength, but the need for this will be reduced when four new synchronous condensers are switched on over the next 12 month, and as battery storage begins to provide “synthetic” inertia services.
I envision a day when a battery technology exists that can compete. I know it is out there.The expanded Hornsdale big battery is trialing those inertia services,
I'm not going to be it's bitch, but I think it will compete in certain markets.
Rest assured I always appreciate your comments/criticisms.Rob Lister wrote: ↑Tue Oct 13, 2020 5:53 pm I'm so tired. I try to always respond to BS solar news. I never get debate. I should stop. I don't think I excelled in this debunking but nobody is likely to respond.
Lister loves batteries, does not despise. It's BS because it leaves out the costs.Witness wrote: ↑Wed Oct 14, 2020 3:22 am
But the batteries you despise are only a small part of it (yet there is a market for home installations, at 10,000 - 20,000 Au$), e. g. Tesla's Hornsdale Power Reserve now upgraded to 150 MW.
All BS?
https://www.power-technology.com/featur ... gy-prices/South Australia tops the list with just under A$0.50 per kWh, with New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria also represented in the world’s top 10 highest electricity prices. As a comparison point, the European Union average is just over A$0.30 per kWh, while US consumers, benefiting from a glut of cheap gas, pay between A$0.10 and A$0.20. A report published in June by the Grattan Institute found that wholesale electricity prices increased by 130% in the NEM between 2015 and 2017.
I agree with everything but the last sentence. Capitalism demands the meter never stops turning. That's what lobbyists are for, I suppose. Brownouts will not be tolerated long, for real.ceptimus wrote: ↑Wed Oct 14, 2020 6:12 am I still find it difficult to imagine having enough battery storage to cope with a few weeks of dark, cold, windless, winter weather.
Presumably, a country will still need to maintain lots of conventional generating capacity, even though those generators may then sit idle for much of the time?
But capitalism won't want to do that - so there will be power shortages during periods of bad weather.