Power: Germany’s Clean Energy Holiday Weekend
A combination of breezy and sunny weather in the north and warm weather in the south saw Germany’s May 1 holiday weekend powered almost exclusively by renewable resources, according to the Agora Energiewende Initiative.
Most of Germany’s coal-fired power stations were not even operating on Sunday, April 30, with renewable sources accounting for 85 percent of electricity across the country. Nuclear power sources, which are planned to be completely phased out by 2022, were also severely reduced.
Patrick Graichen of Agora Energiewende said days like April 30 would be “completely normal” by 2030, as the federal government’s Energiewende (energy transition) initiative continues to add value to the wealth of resources invested in it.
A document released by Germany’s government on Thursday showed that money spent on research into energy in Germany has more than doubled since 2006.
RenewEconomy: Origin Stuns Industry With Record-Low Price for 530 MW Wind Farm
Origin Energy has set a stunning new benchmark for renewable energy offtake deals in Australia – and sounded the alarm for energy incumbents – after committing to a long-term power-purchase agreement of below $60/MWh for the 530 MW Stockyard Hill Wind Farm in Victoria.
Under the terms of the deal, Origin will sell Stockyard Hill Wind Farm – Australia’s largest wind development – to Chinese company and wind turbine manufacturer Goldwind for $110 million.
At the same time it has agreed to buy all of the power generated by it, and the associated Renewable Energy Certificates, for less than $60/MWh, from the commencement of operations in 2019 to 2030.
RenewEconomy understands that the strike price for the wind farm output is “well below” $60/MWh and closer to $50/MWh than $60/MWh.
Green Car Reports: Energy Use for Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Vehicles Higher Than Electrics, Even Hybrids (Analysis)
It's now clear that the zero-emission vehicles of the future will be powered by electric motors.
The electricity to power those motors, however, will come from one of two competing technologies: high-capacity batteries or hydrogen fuel cells.
The debate over which technology is superior, which has the lowest wells-to-wheels carbon footprint, and which is likely to appeal more to mass-market buyers has become ... epic.
Our reader Victor A. Ettel, an electrochemical engineer and retired R&D executive, has had a lifelong interest in advanced transportation technologies, including hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.
He submitted an analysis comparing the energy usage of the two approaches that we felt was worthy of publication.
BGR: With Zero Advertising, Elon Musk Says Model 3 Reservations Are Increasing Every Week
When Elon Musk introduced the Model 3 last year, the excitement was palpable; hardly a surprise given that Tesla enthusiasts had been waiting years to see what the company’s more affordable version of the Model S was going to look like. And with a pricepoint of just $35,000, reservations for Tesla’s mass-market EV began skyrocketing almost immediately.
Just 24 hours after the Model 3 was introduced to the world, Musk indicated that the cumulative number of reservations had surpassed 180,000. About 12 hours after that, Musk took to Twitter and said that the number of Model 3 reservations — which require a refundable $1,000 deposit — had reached 276,000.
A few weeks later, word surfaced that Model 3 reservations were approaching 400,000 and that the car was effectively sold out through mid-2018. In fact, with so many preorders on the books, there’s a strong chance that anyone who puts an order in for a Model 3 today won’t receive the car until late 2018 at the absolute earliest.
In a telling statement, Musk said that Model 3 “reservations continue to climb week after week.” That’s quite an impressive feat, especially given that Tesla, as Musk proudly pointed out, has done no advertising for the car and provides no test drives.
Bloomberg: Energy Projects Worth $50 Billion Are Stalled Until Trump Fills Empty Posts
By the time Midwesterners fire up their furnaces this fall, the $2 billion Nexus pipeline is supposed to be pumping natural gas to heat homes from frosty Ohio to frostier Ontario. But six months out, the 255-mile (410-kilometer) pipeline exists only on paper.
Until President Donald Trump fills key vacancies at an energy regulator, Nexus and other sprawling energy projects are in limbo, unable to secure permits to begin construction. For Nexus developers DTE Energy Co. and Spectra Energy Partners LP, each week that passes threatens the project’s ability to meet winter demands.
Nexus is just part of at least $50 billion worth of ventures slowed or stalled while the agency that approves them, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, awaits presidential appointments. For the first time in FERC’s 40-year-history, the agency doesn’t have enough commissioners for a quorum to vote on project applications.