Sweden to investigate phasing out fossil fuels and banning sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030

The Swedish government has appointed an inquiry (LINK) to offer proposals on how to implement a ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars, and when fossil fuels should be phased out.

According to Swedish Public Service news, SVT (LINK) the goal is to prohibit to sell new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 onwards. The question will now be investigated, following an agreement between the government, the Social Democrates, the Center Party and the Liberals.

 

“Sweden will be the world’s first fossil-free welfare nation. The transport sector is responsible for a third of Sweden’s emissions of greenhouse gases, and thus has a significant role to play in the climate transition,” says Minister for Financial Markets and Housing Per Bolund.

The inquiry is to:

• analyse the conditions for introducing a national ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars, and how to exempt vehicles that run on renewable fuels and electric hybrid vehicles from such a ban;
• analyse how to bring about an EU-wide ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars and the phasing out of fossil fuels in the EU;
• make the necessary legislative proposals, albeit not in the area of taxation, where the inquiry may only analyse measures and conduct impact analyses; and
• propose a year by which fossil fuels should be phased out in Sweden, and the measures needed for this to happen in the most cost-effective manner possible.

Texas on track to install large-scale battery storage in the power grid

According to an article in the Houston Chronicle (LINK), Texas is adopting large-scale battery storage as battery prices fall, technology improves, and electricity demand grows. Now in the starting point, the amount of storage on the state’s power grid is still small at just 100 megawatts in a system with a generating capacity of nearly 80,000 megawatts. However, Texas is expected to more than triple the capacity to about 360 megawatts in 2020 and grow even faster in the coming years. Also, they are considering proposals to develop some 7,200 megawatts of large-scale battery storage within the next five years or so, exceeding the amount of natural gas generation in the pipeline.

 

According to the article, the growth of battery storage has boosted by falling prices for batteries. The price for lithium-ion batteries for electricity storage fell 35 percent to $187 per megawatt-hour in March compared to the first half of 2018 (Bloomberg New Energy Finance). By 2024, the costs for installing battery storage may fall to a point low enough for batteries to undercut natural gas-fired power plants during peak hours.

 

Background on power grid battery energy storage:

 

 

Clean Energy Solutions Center This webinar introduces key concepts for understanding the value of battery energy storage systems; reviews the services they can provide to the grid; and explores when, where, why and how they can be deployed economically.

First hydrogen-powered Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system launched in France

Electrive reports (LINK) that the first hydrogen-powered Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system has gone live in Pau, in the south of France. It is called Fébus and launched with the roll-out of a fleet of eight 18m Van Hool Exqui-City FC buses, serving a special six km route. The fuel cell technology for the buses, which also feature batteries, comes from Ballard Power Systems. The 18-metre-long articulated buses offer space for 125 passengers and can cover more than 300 kilometres per hydrogen filling.

Youtube.com

More information: LINK

Earlier this year Flixbus Germany said that it has begun talks with bus manufacturers about the introduction of hydrogen models to their fleat (LINK).

“After being the first to successfully launch three fully electric buses, we now want to develop the first long-distance buses powered by fuel cells, along with Freudenberg technology, to mark another milestone in the history of mobility,” said André Schwämmlein, founder and CEO of FlixMobility.

Background Bus rapid transit (WIKI-LINK): Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to improve capacity and reliability relative to a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes roadways that are dedicated to buses, and gives priority to buses at intersections where buses may interact with other traffic; alongside design features to reduce delays caused by passengers boarding or leaving buses, or purchasing fares. BRT aims to combine the capacity and speed of a metro with the flexibility, lower cost and simplicity of a bus system.

The first BRT system was the Rede Integrada de Transporte ('Integrated Transportation Network') in Curitiba, Brazil, which entered service in 1974.

As of March 2018, a total of 166 cities in six continents have implemented BRT systems, accounting for 4,906 km (3,048 mi) of BRT lanes and about 32.2 million passengers every day, of which about 19.6 million passengers ride daily in Latin America, which has the most cities with BRT systems, with 54, led by Brazil with 21 cities. The Latin American countries with the most daily ridership are Brazil (10.7M), Colombia (3.06M), and Mexico (2.5M). In the other regions, China (4.3M) and Iran (2.1M) also stand out. Currently, TransJakarta is considered as the largest BRT network in the world with approximately 251.2 kilometres (156.1 mi) of corridors connecting the Indonesian capital city.

The economic case for a coal phase-out is stronger than ever

According to several reports, coal power is losing its economic ground, and a lot of infrastructures may one day actually become stranded assesst totgether with recent, ongoing, and planned oil invest in pipelines, harbor faciliteis and refinereies etc.

As detailed analysis by Carbon Tracker analysis, 60% of the global coal capacity is uneconomic on a long-run marginal cost basis. Theis means that in the absence of changing circumstances (i.e., lower costs and/or higher revenues), coal power is, and will continue to be, inherently risky business.

 

Carbon Tracker reports: "The trend is more widespread in liberalized markets, such as those in Western Europe, as wind and solar, with their near-zero marginal costs, drive power prices below the operating cost of coal generation. For example, based on a recent Carbon Tracker report, 79% of operating hard coal and lignite capacity in the EU28 is uneconomic. This dire situation contrasts with coal generators in South Korea, where all operators are cash-flow positive due to market structures that effectively guarantee a rate of return regardless of cost.[ii] Irrespective of whether plants are in liberalized or regulated markets, low-cost wind and solar is a megatrend coursing through regions at varying levels. As detailed in Figure 2, this trend has accelerated in 2019, to the extent where we now believe over 50% of global coal capacity has a higher marginal cost than the levelised cost of either solar PV, onshore wind, or offshore wind. Even nations such as Japan, which is known to have limited renewable resources due to topographical and land-use constraints, low-cost wind and solar could soon eclipse the economics of incumbent coal as early as 2024."

 Source: Carbon Tracker analysis (2019)

Source: Carbon Tracker (LINK)

Spanish oil company Repsol has announced to become a net-zero emissions company by 2050

Carbon Tracker reports that Repsol has announced to become a net-zero emissions company by 2050. This is a step forward from their previous long-term ambition, which was to lower carbon intensity by 40% by 2040.

"This ambition entails directing all of its activities and investments to meet new and more stringent plans all in alignment with the energy transition and the effort to limit the planet’s temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius according to the Paris Agreement’s climate goals."

Now Repsol is one of a handful of oil companies that have set ambitions to lower the lifecycle carbon emissions intensity of their products, alongside Total and Shell.

Repsol is increasing by 3,000 MW its target for low-carbon electricity generation capacity, to 7,500 MW by 2025, and will begin to expand into other markets to become a leading international player in renewable energies such as photovoltaic and wind power.

Source: Carbon Tracker (LINK), Repsol (LINK)

2nd double-digit-gigawatt scale renewable energy project start in China

PV Magazine reports (LINK) that Huanghe Hydropower Development has started work on of a renewable energy project featuring 10 GW of solar generation capacity, 5 GW of wind and 1 GW of concentrating solar power. Trina will supply 600 MW of modules to the first phase of the facility.

This facility is one of two double-digit-gigawatt scale projects being planned by the China State Power Investment Corporation. The other is a 16 GW facility that is being constructed in Hainan prefecture.

Photo credit: Huanghe Hydropower Development LINK

In addition, JA Solar will supply 485 MW,  Longi 470 MW, Eging 420 MW, Solargiga 407 MW, JinkoSolar 314 MW, CPI Solar Power Xi’An 288 MW, Jolywood 150 MW and GS-Solar 48 MW. All of these panels will be bifacial products with an output of more than 400 Wp.

The monocrystalline manufacturer Longi willsupply the project with 445 Wp modules employing its new M6, 166mm wafer and PERC cells.

Earlier this year the big news was that Zhonghuan Semiconductor unveiled a 12-inch super solar wafer (LINK). The manufacturer said that its 12 inch "Kwafoo" product would improve efficiency and, if used in the optimal p-type PERC type of panel, could boast a module output of 610 W.

 

Credit : Zhonghuan Semiconductor (LINK)

US Installed 2.6 GW New Solar In Q3/2019 - Up 45%

According to Taiyangnews citing the Solar Market Insight report (LINK), the US saw 712 MW of new residential solar installations in the third quarter of 2019 which is a record for this segment and helped take total PV installations in the reporting period to 2.6 GW, growing 45% over last year and 25% up from the previous quarter, according to the Q4 2019 US Solar Market Insight report. The cumulative solar PV capacity of the US market until the end of Q3/2019 has now reached 71.3 GW.

• In 2019, the report forecasts the US market to install 13 GW of total capacity, growing 23% annually
• Growing more than double over the next five years, annual installations are expected to reach 20.1 GW by 2021

Source: Taiyangnews US Installed 2.6 GW New Solar In Q3/2019