"Coal has to go," CEO of Poland's PGE Says
Coal has obviously to be scrapped as a power source, the CEO of the Polish group which owns the EU’s biggest carbon-emitting power plant said on Thursday, underscoring a policy shift in a country until recently wedded to coal to generate electricity.Poland produces most of its electricity from coal but has made a series of policy shifts in recent months and now plans investment in offshore wind, nuclear power and solar energy to help decarbonize its economy.“Today it is obvious that we need to move away from coal,” Wojciech Dabrowski, chief executive of PGE, told an offshore industry conference.
RENEWABLE ENERGY: Smart Power Buoy - Wave Power Expands Recharge at Sea Possibilities
From powering sensor systems to recharging autonomous vehicles to feeding the power grid, Resen Waves is making step changes in the renewable wave power market. Roland Boysen, CCO, discussed the technology and the potential with MTR.While generations of innovators have attempted, to varying degrees of success, to harness the tremendous renewable power potential of waves, the Danish company Resen Waves contends it is able to do just that, in a scale to remotely power sea-based instruments and vehicles, and…
Renewable Energy: The Tides Help Power Cars in Scotland
Nova Innovation announced that vehicles in Shetland are now fueled by the power of the sea, courtesy of the creation of the first ever electric vehicle (EV) charge point where drivers can ‘fill up’ directly from a tidal energy source.The EV charge point is located on the shores of Bluemull Sound, at Cullivoe harbor on the island of Yell in Shetland. Beneath the water, Nova’s tidal turbines have been powering homes and businesses in Shetland for more than five years. The island’s vehicles can now be powered purely by the tide.“Our technology generates electricity from the immense power of the seas…
Eni Buys Biogas Production Firm FRI-EL Biogas
Italian energy giant Eni has agreed to buy FRI-EL Biogas Holding company, a leader in the Italian biogas production sector.The transaction will see Eni’s subsidiary Ecofuel, a company responsible for managing Eni’s investments in the circular economy, buy Biogas Holding from and FRI-EL Greenpower, a Gostner family holdingFRI-EL Biogas Holding owns 21 plants generating electricity from biogas and a plant for processing OFMSW - the organic fraction of municipal solid waste - which Eni intends to convert to produce biomethane…
MethanQuest: Test Results In for Renewable Hydrogen, Methane as a Fuel
As the maritime industry embarks on 'the path to zero', it is widely acknowledged that there is currently not a 'silver bullet' solution, nor is it likely that a solution will emerge from a vaccum. Collaboration is the path forward, and efforts such as MethanQuest offer promise.The project MethanQuest was launched in September 2018 with 29 partners from research, industry and the energy sector to work on processes for producing hydrogen and methane from renewables and for using them to achieve climate-neutral mobility and power generation. The project participants have now submitted their interim results.
Chevron, Microsoft, Schlumberger to Build Carbon Capture Plant in California
Chevron Corp is partnering with Microsoft Corp, oilfield services firm Schlumberger and privately held Clean Energy Systems to build a carbon capture plant in California, as the U.S. oil major expands investments in renewable technology.Fossil fuel companies have faced increased pressure in recent years to reduce emissions, spend more on low-carbon energy and disclose the impact their production has on climate change.Chevron said on Thursday the plant, located in the city of Mendota, will convert agricultural biomass to electricity…
Shell Accelerating Renewables Push in Germany
Royal Dutch Shell in Germany aims to produce aviation fuel and naphtha made from crops and renewable power and to increase to commercial scale an electrolysis plant that makes fossil-free hydrogen, as it seeks to move away from crude oil.The energy major told an online conference on Friday it had applied for subsidies to carry out the work from the European Union and from German funds earmarked for decarbonization.Fabian Ziegler, head of Shell Deutschland, said several hundred million euros should be spent per year…
Denmark Might Not Reach Its 2030 Emissions Reduction Goal as It 'Relies on Unproven Tech'
Denmark risks not reaching its goal to cut carbon emissions by 70% by 2030 because it is too reliant on unproven technology, an independent council monitoring the effort said on Friday.The Nordic country in 2020 set one of the most ambitious and legally binding climate targets in the world - cutting CO2 emissions by 70% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, but its government has yet to come up with a detailed plan for how to achieve that target."The government has so to some extent picked the low-hanging fruit…
Vysus Group Acquires Promaps Technology
Engineering and technology consultancy Vysus Group has acquired Norwegian based software firm, Promaps Technology.This is the first acquisition for Vysus Group, which was itself created recently following a strategic carve-out from Lloyd’s Register.As for Promaps Technology, the company was established in 2017 in Bergen, Norway. It has developed software that allows grid owners and operational teams to accurately monitor and predict disruption in electricity grid systems. Features include scenario modeling to determine the impact of factors such as maintenance and adverse weather…
Ecological Cable Protection in Long Island Sound
December 2020 marked the deployment of fifty 150-sq. ft. nature-inclusive ECOncrete Marine Mattresses, providing large-scale armoring and protection for the Northport to Norwalk Submarine Cable, a 24 mile underwater electrical transmission cable under contract by Eversource and the Long Island Power Authority." Photo courtesy ECOncrete Marine MattressesOperated by PSEG Long Island, as agent to LIPA, the cable runs along the bed of the Long Island Sound allowing electricity to be transmitted between Long Island and Connecticut.
EU Energy Watchdog Sanctions Bosnia over Non-compliance with Rules
The European Union's energy watchdog has extended sanctions against Bosnia for another two years over the Balkan country's failure to comply with the body's gas and electricity sector regulations.Bosnia has been sanctioned for much of the period since 2015 due to its persistent failure to amend legislation in accordance with the Second Energy Package in the gas sector, the Sulphur in Fuels Directive, and the Third Energy Package in both electricity and gas."Bosnia and Herzegovina will not participate in the decision-making on matters of budget and enforcement for a period of two years…
Japan Faces LNG Shortage Amid Supply crunch, Cold Weather
JERA, Japan's biggest electricity generator and the world's largest buyer of liquefied natural gas (LNG), is operating gas- power plants at lower rates as it runs down inventories amid rising heating demand as temperatures drop.The company joins other Japanese power generators reducing run rates on their gas plants as they compete with LNG buyers across northern Asia scrambling to secure supplies, sending prices higher.Tight fuel supplies are also highlighting vulnerabilities in Japan's electricity grid that make it harder to swap power supplies between areas a decade after the Fukushima nuclear disaster set off government-led
Moray East Offshore Wind Farm Jacket Transport Completed
On November 25, 2020, MV Hawk discharged her final jacket foundation for the Moray East Offshore Wind Farm.OHT’s heavy transportation vessel carried its second load of 10jackets from Lamprell’s fabrication site in Hamriyah, UAE, arriving at the Port of Nigg in the Cromarty Firth on November 12, 2020, marking the completion of OHT’s eight-month transportation campaign which also used its vessels MV Osprey and MV Albatross. All told, OHT transported 48 three-legged jacket foundations averaging more than 1…
Deal Struck to Deliver Maritime Biofuel in Fujairah
Uniper Energy DMCC (UED) and Neutral Fuels will collaborate to provide maritime biofuel in Fujairah, UAE.The companies will blend UED’s VLSFO and Neutral Fuels biofuel, creating a maritime fuel that meets IMO standard under their ISO8217:2010 RMG380 specification, cutting emissions of carbon dioxide.“The collaboration is aimed to address climate protection, the predominant social issue in the world today," said Lars Liebig, Managing Director of UED. "UED’s mission is to help countries build up reliable and environmentally friendly energy supplies to support a global transition to cleaner energy.
Fortescue Assessing Green Ammonia Plant in Australia's Tasmania
Fortescue Metals Group said on Tuesday it was assessing prospects to build an ammonia plant in the southern island state of Tasmania, as part of its push to become a major renewable energy producer.The project would include a 250-megawatt hydrogen plant at the Bell Bay Industrial Precinct with green ammonia production capacity of 250,000 tonnes per year for domestic and international export, Fortescue said in a statement.Bell Bay is about 41 km (26 miles) northwest of the city of Launceston.The project is targeted for an investment decision by the Fortescue Board in 2021…
CorPower Moves Foward with its Plan to Generate Energy from Waves
CorPower Ocean is set to move forward fast on its wave energy project in the Atlantic Ocean after securing a 10-year license in PortugalThe TUPEM license - awarded by the national Directorate-General for Natural Resources (DGRM) - provides a ‘Permit for the Private Use of the Maritime Space’ up to 12 miles off the coast of Aguçadoura in northern Portugal.CorPower Ocean Country Manager Miguel Silva said the permit unlocks the demonstration phase of the firm’s flagship HiWave-5 project, paving the way for…
Tech Files: Offshore Power Products
Insights on innovative power products upgrades that could be used to keep offshore operations moving along effectively, efficiently.Maersk Supply Service/Orsted power buoysDanish offshore vessel firm Maersk Supply Service and its compatriot offshore wind developer Ørsted, are testing an innovative charging buoy that can bring green electricity to offshore wind farm service vessels and potentially to a wide range of maritime vessels.The buoy could be used to charge the smaller battery- or hybrid-electrical vessels and to supply power to larger vessels, enabling them to turn off their engines when laying idle.
Total Keeps Dividend But Cuts Investment Target
Total trimmed its 2020 investment target on Friday after a sharp drop in third-quarter net profit, though the French oil and gas producer maintained its dividend.The company cut its investment target to $13 billion from $14 billion and said it was keeping a lid on operating costs too, even as it strives to grow in renewable energy and electricity markets.Energy companies were hit hard by COVID-19 lockdowns and the related collapse in fuel demand.The price of Brent crude has largely stayed above $40 a barrel since June…
Norwegian Businesses See Rise in Wind Industry Orders
Onshore wind companies provided the largest revenue stream for the Norwegian renewables industry from sales of equipment, construction and consultancy services in 2019, overtaking hydropower, according to a report published on Friday.Onshore wind is a new source of energy for the Nordic country which has, for decades, relied on hydropower to produce nearly all of its electricity.Total Norwegian renewable industry turnover, excluding the production and sale of power and heat, reached a record-high 45.1 billion crowns ($4.89 billion) last year…
Opinion: Egypt Banks on Renewables to Meet Expected Energy Demand Surge
To meet its soaring demand for energy, Egypt is turning to renewable sources. Its targets, if accomplished, will see it become a pioneer in the African energy landscape. But are the plans realistic?Egypt’s population has now passed 100 million. As one of the most populous and fastest-growing nations on the African continent, providing electricity to all its citizens is a matter of priority for the Egyptian government.To ensure continuous security and stability of energy supply, Egypt has launched an energy diversification strategy…
