Christophe Jurczak

The Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering have just published a report entitled "Towards a Green Hydrogen Roadmap for the UK. https://lnkd.in/gKCvpKgy Based on an expert workshop in January this year, the report describes the myriad roles green hydrogen could play in the economy, laying out in great detail what needs to happen in the near, medium and long term to summon this miracle into being. Amazingly, it does this without so much as a cursory look at how much it would cost, or looking at alternatives. That's right, there is no data or analysis WHATSOEVER on what green hydrogen costs to produce, transport, store, distribute, use and keep safe, or how much cheaper other solutions would be. I can lay out a wonderful vision for the role of luxury real estate, holidays and fast cars in my life if I don't have to mention their cost. The £ symbol appears just four times in the report, each time associated with funding set aside for subsidies in the UK: £400m in up-front investment support and £2bn in revenue support over 15 years. *So let's see how much hydrogen £2.4 billion of subsidy will actually deliver, and destroy this report with a back-of-envelope calculation.* The inaugural UK hydrogen auction last year revealed that subsidies of £9.49 per kg were required to get green hydrogen projects to happen. This is in line with figures for actual costs in other European countries. (An EU hydrogen auction cleared at a much lower price, but that was on top of other sources of funding, nowhere near enough to cover the full cost penalty of using green hydrogen.) Let's suppose that £9.48 figure can be reduced by a factor of three between now and 2030. That seems ambitious, based on everything I know, but let's go with it. You would still need £3 of subsidy per kg of hydrogen for each green hydrogen project. And since what you are doing is building electrolyser plants, storage, pipelines, etc, you need 15 years of funding committed up-front, because that's the way project finance works. So the current £2.4 billion of subsidies has to cover 15 years of hydrogen production, of which each kg requires £3 in subsidy, which means it gets you 2,400,000,000/15/3/1000 = 53,000 tons of hydrogen per year. Enough to clean up just 8% of the UK's existing grey hydrogen use! So you've spent £2.4 billion - some of which, by the way, you have taken away from Winter Heat Allowances for pensioners at enormous political cost - and you've cleaned up 8% of the UK's existing hydrogen use. YOU HAVEN'T DONE ANY OF THE COOL THINGS IN THE REPORT. How could this happen? Simple. The workshop was a gathering of vested interests in hydrogen. No one representing alternative pathways. No critical figures. A bunch of hydrogen, fuel cell, chemistry and combustion academics. No scrutiny by economists. Doh! * A huge, huge fail by The The Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering *

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In his #EEI2024 keynote, Founder and CEO Jensen Huang described how #AI will transform the U.S. power grid by enabling #utilities to improve energy efficiency, reduce operating costs, and advance clean #energy. Read the blog. https://bit.ly/3WrLswz

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Orus Energy Secures €2.2 Million to Revolutionize Power Grids with Energy Flexibility Software Orus Energy, a pioneering energy flexibility platform, has successfully raised €2.2 million in a pre-seed funding round dedicated to the decarbonization of power grids. The company utilizes advanced machine learning techniques to forecast and regulate energy consumption within buildings, optimizing usage during eco-friendly off-peak periods. This innovative approach not only cuts down on expenses, but also furnishes the grid with crucial flexibility. The primary investors for this funding endeavor were b2venture, Asterion Ventures, Ring Capital, in addition to prominent industry figureheads such as Pierre Trémolières and Myriam Maestroni. Orus Energy's cutting-edge software operates by regarding buildings as "thermal batteries," empowering them to shift up to 6 gigawatts of power demand in France by the year 2030. This methodology aids in stabilizing the grid, which is grappling with the mounting strain imposed by renewable energy sources and electrified devices, including electric vehicles and heat pumps. The platform interfaces with control systems to manage power demand without compromising the comfort of occupants, offering clients the potential to save up to 10% on their electricity bills. # Thank you Luisa Rodriguez for your submission!

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This is one to watch. There has been a well merited buzz about clean firm power as rising power demand meets decarbonisation goals and the challenges of managing grids with high penetration of variable generation. Pretty much all of that buzz has been around geothermal and SMRs, with the latter enjoying splashy recent announcements from Amazon and Meta. However, exciting as those technologies are, the timelines to really ramp them is long. Net Power could end up being a dark horse in this race to scale low-carbon firm generation.

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UK curtailed (wasted) energy from wind by year: 2020: 3.5 TWh 2021: 2.4 TWh 2022: 3.4 TWh Thats enough energy to power several million tons of Direct Air Capture in the UK per year. Without changing actual electricity supply on the grid. Just sayin' #renewables #directaircapture #dac #wind #curtailment

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New York Energy Week 2024: "Revolutionizing the Energy Sector: The Next Wave of Grid Innovation" From Monday, June 24 to Friday, June 28, 2024, New York Energy Week (NYEW) will reestablish itself as a pivotal gathering point for the global energy community. Marking its 11th anniversary, NYEW has solidified its status as an essential event for building connections among a wide array of energy stakeholders. This annual event convenes experts and enthusiasts from renewable and fossil fuel sectors, utilities, regulatory bodies, finance, government, academia, law, and media. NYEW is crafted to inspire collaborative efforts, foster groundbreaking innovations, and cultivate strategic partnerships. Since its inception, NYEW has been a catalyst for thought leadership and has effectively bridged divides between various energy sectors. The event’s comprehensive agenda of panel discussions, workshops, keynote speeches, and networking sessions offers a distinct platform for participants to share insights, question established norms, and delve into the latest trends shaping the future of energy. As part of New York Energy Week 2024, a key session titled "Revolutionizing the Energy Sector: The Next Wave of Grid Innovation" will take place on June 27 from 11:00 am to 11:30 am. Richard Sarti, CEO of NODESmarket, will lead this discussion. Sarti is expected to share his insights on the latest advancements in grid technology and how these innovations are set to transform the energy landscape. The session will delve into emerging trends, challenges, and opportunities in grid modernization, highlighting the role of smart grids, renewable integration, and advanced energy management systems. Seize the chance to participate in this crucial session and engage in the dialogue that's transforming the energy sector. https://lnkd.in/ej5aAUzH

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This is an important issue. Expanding the grid often takes longer than building new power plants. Regulatory solutions can mitigate this problem.

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🔋💡 A recent Cornwall Insight report commissioned by Telis Energy UK highlights the potential of hybrid clean energy hubs, which co-locate multiple low-carbon generation technologies, to alleviate grid connection bottlenecks. ⚡ By integrating three technologies, these energy hubs can optimize energy transfer to the grid, achieving generation rates of over 50% of the time—far exceeding the 11% for solar and 30-35% for wind power. ☀️🌬️ Read more 👇 https://lnkd.in/ekXU4JxD #greenenergy #grid #energy #Telis

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Great article which also shows different perspectives, the crux of it 1.      VPP is a vague term and lot of different things can be called VPPs. Most of what there is in the market today are simple seasonal day-ahead DR programs which are thermostat based and that is nothing new. The term VPP is old and vague and current technologies have way passed it, we need a new term. 2.      Though there are scalability issues to be solved from the technology perspective the far more critical issue is affordability as well as the willingness of the customer to pay for the upfront cost and get paid overtime by events or market participation which years of data suggests customers will NOT, they rarely even open their monthly bill if at all. VPPs need to be a core part of IRP and DRP, be reliable and do a lot more than seasonal peak management to be cost-effective and be a useful grid resource. They need to either be rate based and be offered by utilities, or by third-party energy as a service providers. To scale a no up-front cost and holistic Energy as a Service model is needed, which could be offered by the utility, or third-party providers or both. And yes, then there is the technology, some have it and some claim to have it and use the term “it” very loosely and as anything that fits.  Let's start by dropping the V in VPP and use a D. Nothing virtual when you have storage and local generation. #utility #smartgrid #vpp #der #derms #regulators #v2G

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#Engie Power company Engie announced that it has pre-ordered 5 million tons of nature-based carbon removals from climate finance company Catona Climate. According to the landmark 2022 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) climate change mitigation study, scenarios that limit warming to 1.5°C include carbon dioxide removal methods scaling to billions of tons of removal annually over the coming decades. The report also noted, however, that while there are multiple existing solutions to capture and store CO2, most are early stage and currently limited in scale. https://lnkd.in/dh8Kmx_T

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The energy transition is happening - not because of politics but because better technology will win. This is one of our fundamental convictions at EnBW New Ventures . More to come on this by our MD Crispin Leick .

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📖 Startups Magazine has published my guest article on the hurdles that fusion startups face.   As fusion startups strive to develop viable technologies, they encounter nontechnical challenges that may stall the energy’s progress toward commercialization. Funding, regulatory obstacles, and public perception of fusion are among the core nontechnical challenges hindering fusion’s development.   Thank you, Startups Magazine, for helping spread the word on fusion and its industry!   Read on to learn what solutions for these hurdles we have found at Next Step Fusion👇

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Exploring the Future of Clean Energy: Insights from Article 6 of the Paris Agreement In the realm of energy politics, one topic has garnered significant attention: the future of clean energy technology deployment under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Elizabeth Carey, an Associate Researcher at the Centre Thucydide, Université de Paris, delves into this crucial subject in her enlightening chapter featured in "A Research Agenda for Energy Politics." The COP 26 Conference in Glasgow, held in 2021, was a pivotal moment in the journey towards combating climate change. Among the eagerly awaited outcomes was the finalization of negotiations for the rulebook of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Article 6 is instrumental in facilitating voluntary cooperation among Parties through market and non-market approaches to achieve their climate commitments. Central to Article 6 are its market mechanisms, which lay the groundwork for a global carbon market. This interconnected market aims to expedite the transition towards a world with net-zero emissions. Carey's chapter meticulously examines Article 6 through the lens of its potential to drive the deployment of clean energy technology worldwide, with a specific focus on Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS). As the world grapples with the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions, understanding the implications of Article 6 is paramount. Carey's insightful analysis sheds light on how this agreement could serve as a catalyst for accelerating the adoption of transformative technologies like CCUS. Join us as we explore the implications of Article 6 and envision a future powered by clean energy solutions. Carey's chapter offers a compelling perspective on how international cooperation and innovative policies can pave the way towards a sustainable and resilient world.

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Power grids –our core energy infrastructure– are leaky buckets. For all the good (or fake) decarbonization efforts, we keep throwing massive amounts of energy out of the window when the grid cannot handle it! The industry's answer has always been to throw more capex to the problem – add more production capacity to the grid, along with naive switches to cut it off when consumption is not there. SMPnet has been building intelligent grid management software to autonomously manage the network, balancing things out to optimise power distribution and minimise loses for every participant. We are excited to share that its platform will now be deployed live in Northern Power Grid, a leading UK grid operator, as part of an effort to set a new standard for coordinated grid management. This is the first time software will allow real-time flexibility management of the power grid worldwide and we believe it opens up exciting opportunities for the energy industry!

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Tune into the latest episode of Resources Radio, where EME's Chiara Lo Prete discusses her research on wholesale electricity market designs, resource adequacy in the context of a decarbonizing grid, and the weaponization of the electricity trade. https://ow.ly/KXO650SCEqR #EnergyEconomics #ElectricityMarkets #DecarbonizingGrid

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AspenTech's #ADMS software is now integrated with National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Advanced Distribution Management Systems Test Bed in its Golden, CO laboratory. The joint project is exploring co-optimization of bulk services such as energy, capacity and frequency response and is also assessing novel use cases and co-optimizing solar and storage with flexible loads to minimize grid exports. Learn more here:  https://bit.ly/4gvMEX5

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Constellation Energy to Restart Three Mile Island, Supplying Power to Microsoft - Constellation Energy has announced plans to restart the Three Mile Island nuclear plant, with an agreement to supply the generated power to Microsoft. - This initiative is part of Microsoft's broader commitment to achieving 100% renewable energy usage by 2030, ensuring a reliable and sustainable energy source for its operations. - The deal emphasizes the growing partnership between tech companies and energy providers to leverage nuclear power as a key component of renewable energy strategies. - Restarting Three Mile Island signifies a pivotal move in the energy sector, highlighting the potential of nuclear energy to support large-scale corporate sustainability goals. #NuclearEnergy #RenewableEnergy #Sustainability Read more: [https://buff.ly/3zCLIQC]

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