The UK’s leading opposition party – Labour – has outlined its plan to address the country’s energy crisis. Key to its strategy is a plan to freeze household energy prices for six months, at a cost of £28.9 billion, which would be funded by a backdated windfall tax on energy companies.
The German Government maintains that it is still undecided about whether to postpone the closure of its last three nuclear plants. The plants were ordered to close after the Fukushima disaster in 2011, but still account for around 6% of the country’s electricity. They will almost certainly be needed to ease the pain of a growing energy crisis in the country, following a decline in Russian gas deliveries.
Oil prices have hit a six-month low, as fears rise of a global recessions that would dent demand, and as talks continue on the potential revival of Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal, which could boost the country’s exports to global markets. Brent crude, a global benchmark, fell to $91.51 per barrel, the lowest since February, while the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell to $86.33 per barrel.
Taiwan will hold a tender for up to 100 MW of floating wind capacity in demonstration schemes of up to 50 MW in the fourth quarter of this year. Winners will be selected in 2023.
The US state of Massachusetts has signed a new clean energy bill that commits to installing 5.6 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030. The state has already contracted projects worth nearly 2.5 GW.
The polysilicon supply in August is expected to rise to between 72,000 and 73,000 tons, from 66,700 tons in July, even despite the East Hope Group factory fire, power cuts in Sichuan Province, and ongoing maintenance at several facilities. Without adverse events the supply could have been 80,000 tons. The polysilicon price has risen by about 1% in the past week, which is typical so far this year, with some expecting prices to fall a little in Q4, although new output will be matched by new and latent demand.
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has reported that as of July, the country’s solar-grade glass production capacity has increased by 63.6% year-on-year, reaching 65,000 tons per day from 110 kilns and 352 production lines. Output came to 1.356 million tons in July, up 62.8% year-on-year, while prices are down 18.6% and 31.6% respectively for 2mm and 3.2mm thicknesses.
XCEL Energy has revealed in its latest quarterly earnings call that it expects to invest $1.2 billion into transmission lines in the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota, in accordance with Midcontinent independent System Operator (MISO) plans. The company may also spend $1 billion on transmission in Colorado additional to the already-approved $1.7 billion Power Pathway project in that state. Xcel’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for 2030 features 400 MW in energy storage, 2.4 GW wind, 1.6 GW utility solar, and 1.2 GW of distributed solar, while for Minnesota the company plans 2.5 GW of utility-scale, 2.15 GW wind, and 1.1 GW in unspecified renewables. Of between $1.5 billion and $2.5 billion which the company sees potentially invested in “Incremental Opportunities” through to end 2026, transmission is between $500 million and $1 billion. In large part this uncertainty comes from the “right of first refusal” laws in Minnesota which could see local utilities granted this work instead of Xcel.
Risen Energy has had its new 700 W Hyper-ion heterojunction module certified by TUV SUD. The module is 210mm cell size, 120-micrometer wafer thickness, 24 busbars, a Micro-crystalline silicon doping layer and paste with low silver content. This product boasts cell efficiency.
Meyer Burger, which manufactures heterojunction cells and modules, is to source wafers from Norwegian Crystals, whose factory is located in Glomfjord, Norway, and which also produces its own ingots and silicon bricks. Meyer Burger expects to produce between 320 MW and 370 MW of modules this year from its Freiburg factory, followed by between 1 GW and 1.2 GW in 2023.
State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) and China Tianying have signed an agreement to develop 1 GW of gravity energy storage within three years alongside 5 GW of renewable generation. In May the two companies signed a co-operation agreement pertaining to a 100 MWh pilot of Energy Vault’s design, which will presumably also be featured in the 1 GW build out.
Chinese giant battery storage maker CATL and Yutong, which makes electric buses, have cut a second ten-year cooperation agreement following on from one they signed in 2012. The two companies says they will leverage each other’s expertise in their respective industries to push the development of new materials for commercial vehicle batteries. CATL has provided Yutong with 19 GWh worth of EV batteries for nearly 150,000 new buses, some 93% of Yutong’s fleet.
Germany is set to sign a deal with Canada for a new zero emission power plant that will use green electricity to produce hydrogen and ammonia for export. The agreement will be publicly signed on August 23 in Newfoundland. Up to 164 onshore wind turbines will power the first phase, but World Energy GH2, the Canadian side of the deal said that number is likely to triple.
Marubeni, a Japanese green energy specialist says it will develop green hydrogen projects in Wales as part of a £26 million deal with the UK. A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the Bridgend local council and Marubeni. The agreement will see a new 5 MW green hydrogen initiative developed as a demonstrator project. The Welsh Government plans to use the hydrogen generated as a fuel for fleet vehicles like waste and recycling collection lorries. Marubeni is also trying to add to the list of potential uses for hydrogen in the form of fuel used to heat schools, homes and local swimming pools.
The polysilicon supply in August is expected to rise to between 72,000 and 73,000 tons, from 66,700 tons in July, even despite the East Hope Group factory fire, power cuts in Sichuan Province, and ongoing maintenance at several facilities. Without adverse events the supply could have been 80,000 tons. The polysilicon price has risen by about 1% in the past week, which is typical so far this year, with some expecting prices to fall a little in Q4, although new output will be matched by new and latent demand.
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has reported that as of July, the country’s solar-grade glass production capacity has increased by 63.6% year-on-year, reaching 65,000 tons per day from 110 kilns and 352 production lines. Output came to 1.356 million tons in July, up 62.8% year-on-year, while prices are down 18.6% and 31.6% respectively for 2mm and 3.2mm thicknesses.
XCEL Energy has revealed in its latest quarterly earnings call that it expects to invest $1.2 billion into transmission lines in the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota, in accordance with Midcontinent independent System Operator (MISO) plans. The company may also spend $1 billion on transmission in Colorado additional to the already-approved $1.7 billion Power Pathway project in that state. Xcel’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for 2030 features 400 MW in energy storage, 2.4 GW wind, 1.6 GW utility solar, and 1.2 GW of distributed solar, while for Minnesota the company plans 2.5 GW of utility-scale, 2.15 GW wind, and 1.1 GW in unspecified renewables. Of between $1.5 billion and $2.5 billion which the company sees potentially invested in “Incremental Opportunities” through to end 2026, transmission is between $500 million and $1 billion. In large part this uncertainty comes from the “right of first refusal” laws in Minnesota which could see local utilities granted this work instead of Xcel.
Risen Energy has had its new 700 W Hyper-ion heterojunction module certified by TUV SUD. The module is 210mm cell size, 120-micrometer wafer thickness, 24 busbars, a Micro-crystalline silicon doping layer and paste with low silver content. This product boasts cell efficiency.
Meyer Burger, which manufactures heterojunction cells and modules, is to source wafers from Norwegian Crystals, whose factory is located in Glomfjord, Norway, and which also produces its own ingots and silicon bricks. Meyer Burger expects to produce between 320 MW and 370 MW of modules this year from its Freiburg factory, followed by between 1 GW and 1.2 GW in 2023.
State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) and China Tianying have signed an agreement to develop 1 GW of gravity energy storage within three years alongside 5 GW of renewable generation. In May the two companies signed a co-operation agreement pertaining to a 100 MWh pilot of Energy Vault’s design, which will presumably also be featured in the 1 GW build out.
Chinese BEV maker Xpeng has finally unveiled its long awaited G9, an all-electric SUV which can be bought from next month in China. It has dual multimedia screens, driven by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip and the 3D system projects the real world onto a mixed reality screen. It has the fastest charging facilities yet, and seats with massage functions. Xpeng claims it can have 200 km of range added in 5 minutes, and its full range is 702 km. Without the G9 Xpeng has been growing sales at over 100% over last year’s.
The Wall Street Journal says that Germany plans to postpone the closure of the country’s last three nuclear power plants in order to allow the grid to cope with far less gas generation. Official sources have denied the story, saying that no decision has yet been taken.
Bloom Energy has issued a public offering of public offering of 13,000,000 shares of Class A common stock at a price of $26. Bloom is expected to raise some $338 million.