Friday, June 26, 2020
Recycling, Renewables and Sustainable Business 41
1 Battery makers face looming shortages of high-quality lithium
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/battery-makers-face-looming-shortages-of-high-quality-lithium/580482/
Battery makers are facing a shortage of lithium, and ongoing financial problems in markets suppressed by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to industry insiders at an Atlantic Council panel on Wednesday.
Shortages of lithium specialty chemicals are expected by the mid-2020’s, “given the current pace of supply development,” Vivas Kumar, a principal consultant with Benchmark Mineral Intelligence and former senior manager for Tesla’s battery supply chain, said on the panel.
2 Recent LG Chem, CATL, & SK Innovation Battery News
https://cleantechnica.com/2020/06/23/recent-lg-chem-catl-sk-innovation-battery-news/
The good news in 2020: there’s a lot of battery news! If it wasn’t for other things … ahem … I think we could call 2020 “The Year of the Battery.” A week and a half ago, I published a roundup of 10 battery stories we couldn’t give their own headlines. Many others have gotten their own headlines. Three of the top companies in EV battery world had some notable news at the end of April that never saw the light of day here on CleanTechnica, though.
3 EV Batteries Are About To Get Their Own Passports
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/EV-Batteries-Are-About-To-Get-Their-Own-Passports.html
Back in 2018, tech giant IBM unveiled a unique blockchain-based technology that can track diamonds, gold, and precious stones used in jewelry through all stages of the global supply chain, right from a mine located thousands of miles away to the customer. The technology helps establish the provenance of jewelry for quality assurance and authenticity purposes while limiting the trade of so-called blood diamonds that are mined in conflict zones.
And now, the EV sector has adapted this idea to batteries after launching ‘Battery Passport,’ a global quality seal and verification tool on a digital platform that will share value chain data of EV batteries.
4 Ford plans to go carbon neutral by 2050
https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/ford-carbon-neutral-by-2050/580433/
The Ford Motor Company aspires to achieve carbon neutrality globally by 2050, according to the company’s 21st sustainability report released Wednesday. It is working with Ceres and the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to set scope 1, 2 and 3 environmental goals in line with the Paris Agreement.
Ford will invest $11.5 billion in its electric vehicle lines through 2022, as well as reducing carbon dioxide production, water use and waste across its facilities and supplier base. These areas are responsible for 95% of the company’s current emissions, according to a press release.
5 Manufacturing industry seeks unity on wafer size
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/25/manufacturing-industry-seeks-unity-on-wafer-size/
Seven solar manufacturers, including tier-1 players, have signed up to a joint initiative aiming to establish a new standard size for silicon wafers at 182mm x 182mm. Conspicuously absent from the initiative is China’s Zhonghuan Semiconductor, which last year introduced a 210mm solar wafer, the largest seen in the industry so far.
6 By 2029, Half of New US Wind Installations Will Be Offshore
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/by-2029-half-of-new-us-wind-installations-will-be-offshore
The United States offshore wind industry is set to ramp up from near-zero today to as much as 25 gigawatts in 2029, according to new Wood Mackenzie research.
That means offshore wind will capture almost half of the US market for new wind power installations by the end of the decade — if the industry can avoid potential permitting and transmission capacity challenges.
On the other hand, if the market moves more slowly, the total build this decade will total just 15 gigawatts.
7 Satellites reveal major new gas industry methane leaks
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climatechange-methane-satellites-insi-idUSKBN23W3K4
Last fall, European Space Agency satellites detected huge plumes of the invisible planet-warming gas methane leaking from the Yamal pipeline that carries natural gas from Siberia to Europe.
Energy consultancy Kayrros estimated one leak was spewing out 93 tonnes of methane every hour, meaning the daily emissions from the leakage were equivalent to the amount of carbon dioxide pumped out in a year by 15,000 cars in the United States.
8 Well Built Green Stimulus Packages Can Revitalize Economies, Help the Climate
https://about.bnef.com/blog/well-built-green-stimulus-packages-can-revitalize-economies-help-the-climate/
Governments are unveiling trillions of dollars of stimulus measures to revive the economy from a potentially deeper downturn than the 2008-09 financial crisis. Amid great uncertainty, there are known knowns: post-lockdown life will be different from what came before; and the world still needs to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and adapt to the effects of climate change. But which specific ideas can most effectively drive clean growth?
9 Amazon pledges $2 billion venture capital fund to invest in clean energy
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-com-clean-energy-idUSKBN23U1OP
Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) said on Tuesday it will launch a $2 billion venture capital fund that will focus on technology investments to reduce the impact of climate change and support sustainable development.
The Climate Pledge Fund will invest in companies across industries such as transportation and logistics, energy, storage and utilization, manufacturing and materials, and food and agriculture, the e-commerce giant said.
10 German hydrogen economy to spark traded market for imports: consultants
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-hydrogen-imports-idUSKBN23T1JT
Germany’s push to increase the use of hydrogen as a clean fuel to meet climate targets will require imports and a traded market to supplement home-produced supplies, a consultancy close to protagonists in the emerging industry said.
“There will have to be a mix of domestic and foreign hydrogen volumes, depending on where the cheaper source is,” said Andreas Schwenzer, principal consultant at Horvath & Partners, which advises the gas network Open Grid Europe.
11 Low-cost direct solar-to-hydrogen ambitions see the light
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/06/22/low-cost-direct-solar-to-hydrogen-ambitions-see-the-light/
Australian National University (ANU) researchers have more than nudged the dial on the efficiency of solar-to-hydrogen production processes which bypass electrolysers and avoid AC/DC power conversion and transmission losses. An ANU-based group say their world record 17.6% efficiency – achieved with perovskite-silicon tandem absorbers – is open to further refinement which could see clean hydrogen production become cost competitive with fuels including brown hydrogen and gas more quickly than expected.
12 EU draft hydrogen plan splits supporters down color-coded lines
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-hydrogen-idUSKBN23W1RQ
Energy industry lobbyists and advocates of renewable hydrogen are divided over whether the bloc should support low-carbon hydrogen produced by fossil fuels ahead of a new EU strategy next month.
The EU’s executive Commission plans to publish its hydrogen strategy on July 8, which will form the basis for EU regulation and funding to scale up production of the fuel to replace fossil fuels in sectors including chemicals and transport.
13 Local Governments Advance Clean Energy Transition
https://solarindustrymag.com/local-governments-advance-clean-energy-transition
As of March, local governments have signed 335 deals to procure a total of 8.28 GW of renewable energy over the last five years – more than the total energy generation capacity of Alaska, Hawaii, Rhode Island and Vermont combined.
This data was compiled by the Local Government Renewables Action Tracker, a new resource launched by the American Cities Climate Challenge Renewables Accelerator that documents renewable energy deals executed by U.S. city, county and tribal governments.
14 ArcelorMittal seeks EU support to make steel greener
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-arcelormittal-carbon-idUSKBN23W1W9
Europe’s steelmakers like ArcelorMittal, are under pressure to cut carbon emissions while maintaining profitability in a market where there is fierce competition, mainly from China.
“The support the EU and member states can give to ensure we have a well-designed policy to make large-scale, competitive, carbon-neutral steelmaking a reality, is critical,” Chief Financial Officer Aditya Mittal said on a call.
15 Millions of Americans can’t afford water as bills rise 80% in a decade
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/23/millions-of-americans-cant-afford-water-bills-rise
Millions of ordinary Americans are facing rising and unaffordable bills for running water, and risk being disconnected or losing their homes if they cannot pay, a landmark Guardian investigation has found.
Exclusive analysis of 12 US cities shows the combined price of water and sewage increased by an average of 80% between 2010 and 2018, with more than two-fifths of residents in some cities living in neighbourhoods with unaffordable bills.
16 10 examples of building performance standards: ACEEE
https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/10-examples-of-building-performance-standards-aceee/580311/
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) released a white paper on Monday calling on jurisdictions globally to explore mandatory building energy performance standards to meet long-term climate goals, energy savings and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions.
The report outlined 10 jurisdictions with existing standards, ranging from the Tokyo Cap-and-Trade program to Washington State’s Clean Buildings Bill, to illustrate the many approaches that can be taken in developing a building performance program. ACEEE also outlined a handful of pending building performance standards, as well as details on a number of “stepping-stone” programs in U.S. cities that can lead to whole-building performance standards.
17 Fortum’s new CEO sees natural gas, hydrogen helping green transition
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-fortum-oyj-ceo-idUSKBN23V1HP
The new chief executive of Fortum (FORTUM.HE) said on Wednesday natural gas and hydrogen could help Europe shift to clean energy and promised to present a strategy for the Finnish utility and its newly acquired German rival Uniper by the end of 2020.
The state-controlled group named Chief Financial Officer Markus Rauramo as its new chief executive on Wednesday as it seeks to integrate Uniper (UN01.DE), now 73.4% owned by Fortum after a two-year struggle to overcome resistance from Uniper managers.
18 Tesla’s reluctant commitment to cobalt a warning to others
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tesla-cobalt-ahome-idUSKBN23U20Q
Just when his electric vehicle (EV) company Tesla seemed to be pivoting away from using cobalt in its batteries, it signs a long-term supply deal for the controversial metal with Glencore.
This from the man who has vowed to eliminate cobalt from the Tesla product mix because of its financial cost and the reputational cost of a metal associated with child labour and poor safety conditions at artisanal mining operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the world’s dominant producer.
19 Trillion-dollar investors warn Brazil over ‘dismantling’ of environmental policies
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/23/trillion-dollar-investors-warn-brazil-over-dismantling-of-environmental-policies
Investors managing trillions of dollars in assets have warned Brazil that escalating deforestation and the “dismantling” of policies to protect the environment and indigenous communities are “creating widespread uncertainty about the conditions for investing”.
Amazon destruction rose to its highest level in more than a decade last year, Brazil’s first under the leadership of Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right nationalist who has vowed to develop the region and slash environmental protections.
20 Massachusetts Moves to Follow California, New York in Planning for Natural Gas Phaseout
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/massachusetts-to-follow-california-and-new-york-in-planning-for-natural-gas-phase-down
Massachusetts may become just the third state, after California and New York, to begin planning for a managed decline of its conventional natural gas industry.
This month the state’s attorney general, Maura Healey, asked the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities to open an investigation into the future of natural gas in the state.
21 Spain pushes clean energy decree to speed renewable rollout
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-change-spain-renewables-idUSKBN23U1PE
Spain’s cabinet approved on Tuesday a decree aimed at smoothing the rollout of renewable energy generation, with measures to combat speculation in the market, cut red tape and overhaul an outdated auction system to reassure investors and lower prices.
Spain wants to make use of rich natural resources including prodigious sunlight both to reduce pollution and create jobs, in response to the devastation the coronavirus has wrought on an economy that relies heavily on tourism and cars.
