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Digitize your carbon accounting

Posted on October 28, 2022 by dishanth

I’ve been covering the world of software long enough to remember that the aftermath of every frothy funding frenzy is the certain recipe for a tasty smorgasbord of acquisition targets, especially when the economy chills.

Thus, I wasn’t even remotely surprised to learn about the gobble-up earlier this month of U.K. carbon accounting software venture Spherics by London-based Sage, one of the better-known vendors of accounting, financial and human resources applications for small and midsize businesses.

Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but Sage stated that it believes it has a big role to play in helping smaller enterprises progress down the path to net zero by making it simpler for them to calculate their greenhouse gas emissions as part of their day-to-day financial and procurement processes.

IDC analyst Mickey North Rizza noted: “We see companies moving towards more integrated, outcome-driving ways of incorporating sustainability into every step of the business life cycle, and our studies show that organizations are investing in many application areas directly related to sustainability and ESG initiatives. In particular, the applications of supply chain, finance and [enterprise resource planning] are at the top of this investment with some of the largest benefits of elevated productivity, increasing profitability and decreased costs.”

That’s why any data platform that can help multinational companies better understand the climate impact of its value chain is ripe for the picking — and why the carbon accounting category will grow by an estimated $9.6 billion between 2021 and 2026. I encourage you to check out this analysis published by nonprofit Responsible Innovation Labs and VC advisory firm Lucid Capitalism, which offers some great advice about how to go about evaluating software of this nature. The five companies considered are Watershed (a partner of GreenBiz), Greenly, Planetly, Persefoni and Sustain.Life.

Trouble is, very few companies have yet to forge an explicit link between their holistic digital technology strategy and the goals that they are setting for net-zero operations and other environmental, social or corporate governance ambitions. So, many of these tools are probably being purchased in a vacuum.

We see companies moving towards more integrated, outcome-driving ways of incorporating sustainability into every step of the business life cycle …
Consider that just 7 percent of roughly 560 companies surveyed earlier this year by Accenture, for example, have fully integrated those strategies. According to the research, only 49 percent of chief information officers (CIOs) are part of the leadership team setting sustainability goals, while only 45 percent are “assessed” based on those goals.

“Successful integration of sustainability goals into an organization’s broader strategy involved collaboration between a purpose-driven CIO and their leadership team to drive innovation and tech solutions to deliver on sustainability goals; measure the impact of technology and build sustainable tech; and accelerating sustainability outcomes by leveraging the company’s ecosystem,” Sanjay Podder, managing director and global lead of technology sustainability innovation, told me in an email.

The promise of digitalization

Which technologies are particularly important for building more discipline around the collection and management of data is integral to operationalizing sustainability. It’s the usual suspects: artificial intelligence, sensors and other gadgets associated with the Internet of Things, blockchain and cloud computing services. Indeed, Accenture figures that about 70 percent of the companies that have successfully reduced greenhouse gas emissions in their production and operations have used AI to do so.

In our email exchange, Podder cites the example of a building materials company that is using machine learning to assess the strength of cement during the production process, with the aim of reducing emissions during its creation. The goal is to cut the amount of CO2 spit out by its plants by 3 million metric tons — saving about $150 million along the way.

Another area Podder talks up as especially important is “green software development.” Recentering the principles by which a company designs, deploys and manages its fundamental business applications will be critical for making sure that embracing technology to support ESG goals doesn’t wind up increasing corporate emissions or water consumption. He notes that seven areas require particular attention:

How custom software applications are written — not just the time taken for creation but also how features are crafted to use the least amount of energy possible
Design choices associated with user interfaces, so that the way information is displayed uses minimal power
How machine learning and AI processes are constructed — again, with energy usage in mind
Where cloud services are hosted and the generation sources behind the electricity used by those data centers
The types of servers and equipment used for data processing
The algorithms used by any blockchain technology selected for transactions
The life cycle of any hardware used to support a company’s information technology needs — not just how long those servers last, but how they can be recycled and reused at some point in the future
As Podder notes, “Companies need to focus on building trustworthy systems. The environmental aspects of sustainability are important, but they’re not the only issue that matters. For sustainable technology to cover all the bases, it must also consider the human and social impact of technology and — in turn — its effect on company performance. Finally, organizations need to ensure that they’ve created practical governance mechanisms to make technology sustainable.”

Obviously, these are things sustainability professionals think about but aren’t necessarily expert in addressing. All the more reason it’s time for CSOs to start working more closely with CIOs.

Source Greenbiz

Weetabix to create roadmap to deliver zero-carbon breakfast cereal

Posted on October 27, 2022October 27, 2022 by dishanth

The roadmap will utilise the results of extensive carbon studies undertaken by the company in partnership with its farmers. These studies will help outline carbon-saving farming techniques associated with the growing and harvesting of wheat.

The first study has already been completed, with Weetabix working with 17 of its top farmers who account for a third of wheat supplied to make Weetabix biscuits. The study found that last year’s harvests were between 40% to 50% lower than the standard emission factors for UK wheat production, which Weetabix had been using in previous reporting calculations.

The company will work with the Map of Ag global data platform to gain best practice insight from the agricultural industry. It will also simplify data collection from farmers to improve carbon data accuracy and identify areas of improvement.

Weetabix has not set a deadline for the creation of this roadmap.

Weetabix’s technical director John Petre said: “We’re really proud of the study’s results and the work our Growers’ Group has put into reducing their emissions but we know that this is just the start of what’s required to significantly lower our overall carbon footprint. We want to get to a place where we can empower customers to use their buying power to choose lower carbon products.

“All of the work we’re currently doing with our farmers and across the business to reduce our carbon footprint will hopefully lead to producing a zero carbon box of Weetabix. That’s ultimately our goal.”

The company has also formed a collective of British farmers that are all located within 50 miles of its Northamptonshire factory to help reduce transport emissions and assist with on-the-ground expertise for growing quality. Since the collective was introduced in 2010 the group has involved more than 350 local farmers growing approximately 75,000 metric tonnes of wheat each year.

Weetabix will repeat the carbon assessments with more farmers over the coming years as part of a roadmap to procure carbon-neutral wheat. It will also work with smaller groups of growers to see how new technologies, such as precision nitrogen applications and soil assessments, can assist in its carbon reduction strategy.

The carbon analysis has been included in the company’s latest sustainability report, which also stated that Weetabix has saved more than five million litres of water as part of an efficiency and reuse drive at manufacturing sites.

The report also highlighted that Weetabix had secured a new contract that will supply its site with 100% renewable electricity until 2025.

Last year, edie spoke to Weetabix’s John Petre, who also heads up the business’s sustainability work, to find out more about the company’s sourcing and plastics commitments.

Source edie

Food giants investing ‘record amounts’ in plant-based protein, investor report reveals

Posted on October 27, 2022October 27, 2022 by dishanth

The initiative, supported by investors collectively managing $68trn of assets, has today (26 October) published a report detailing its engagement with almost two-dozen large food and drink firms including ingredient suppliers, manufacturers and retailers, on the topic of protein diversification. FAIRR advocates for protein diversification as a means of reducing risk in the sector, including risks such as antibiotic resistance and climate risk.

The report reveals that 35% of the 23 businesses now have a time-bound, numerical target to increase sales of meat and dairy alternatives, up from 28% this time last year. One of the firms to have set a target this year is Ahold Delhaize’s Dutch supermarket brand Albert Heijn, which is now aiming for 60% of protein sales to be plant-based by 2030. Also praised in the report in Conagra Brands, the US-based company producing brands including Slim Jim, Gardein, Hunts and Reddi Whip.

Promisingly, the report also revealed that many companies are now able to offer plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy products at a similar price point. It states that Tesco’s ‘Plant Chef’ ready meal range is 11.6% cheaper than the supermarket’s own-brand ready meals including meat, for example. Similarly, Walmart now offers alternative proteins in its ‘Great Value’ own-brand line.

In the context of rising food prices this year, FAIRR has documented a 6% increase for meat and just a 3% increase for plant-based meat alternatives.

FAIRR believes that plant-based products will reach cost parity with meat and dairy alternatives in 2023 at the earliest and by 2031 at the latest. It is also expecting major breakthroughs in taste and texture this decade.

“Combined with inflation that is driving the price of traditional meat and dairy up at a quicker rate than alternatives, we are starting to see a world where plant-based meat and dairy is just as affordable as conventional animal-based products,” said FAIRR chair and founder Jeremy Coller.

Nonetheless, there are concerns that some brands will not be increasing their investment in alternative proteins as economic concerns continue to bite. Brands will also doubtless be seeing media coverage of challenger brands that are deemed to have expanded too rapidly, such as Beyond Meat.

FAIRR found that around half of the companies assessed are likely to maintain, rather than accelerate, their work on product research and development as well as on broader climate risk mitigation.

Climate laggards

Despite this increased investment in alternative proteins, FAIRR is concerned that many firms are not seeing protein diversification as a means of minimising climate impact and risk.

The report also raises questions over the ambition and credibility of net-zero targets in the sector. It states that 16 of the 23 companies have publicly stated net-zero targets, but only five (Ahold Delhaize, Unilever, Tesco, Nestle and Marks & Spencer (M&S)) have targets covering Scope 3 (indirect) emissions. On average, 94% of the total emissions of each company engaged by FAIRR are Scope 3, making this a crucial element of climate action.

The report notes that most of the companies (65%) have 2030 climate targets approved by the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). With the SBTi set to increase its minimum requirements from alignment with a 2C pathway to a 1.5C pathway, the report calls on companies with 2C targets – Unilever and Groupe Casino – to update their targets as a priority. But it believes all food companies should revisit their Scope 3 emissions targets.

Companies named as laggards in engagement with FAIRR on climate-related issues are Costco, Amazon, Coles, Grupo Nutresa, Krogerand Saputo. Additionally, Walmart and Hershey are named as weak performers in terms of engaging consumers with the need to change dietary habits.

Fund for thought

In related news, the Global Alliance for the Future of Food is urging the Egyptian COP presidency to recognise the importance of food systems in climate mitigation and adaptation. There will be a day dedicated to food on the agenda this time around.

The Alliance has released a report stating that just 3% of public climate finance provided globally goes to food systems, despite the fact that agriculture and food waste are significant sources of emissions and that food systems will experience climate shocks in a warming world.

The report states that an estimated $300-350bn each year is needed annually to make food systems sustainable and climate resilient. It argues that this money could be found by redirecting farming subsidies which encourage the exploitation of nature.

Without a major scaling up of funding, the report warns, food systems emissions will jeapordise the Paris Agreement and undermine efforts to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.

The Alliance’s climate programme director Patty Fong summarised: “Food systems transformation is critical to ensure food security, improve health, protect biodiversity, and prevent a climate catastrophe. Governments at COP27 must raise their ambition on food and farming, including by boosting finance available to lower-income countries.”

Source edie

Rooftop wind energy invention is 16 times more efficient than solar panels

Posted on October 25, 2022 by dishanth

A new rooftop wind harvesting device is capable of generating 50 per cent more electricity than solar panels for the same cost, according to its inventors.

A much smaller footprint means a single unit can also provide the same amount of power as up to 16 solar panels.

The motionless design, created by Texas-based startup Aeromine Technologies, replaces the blades found in traditional wind turbines with an aerodynamic system that harvests energy from the airflow above a building.

This makes them virtually noiseless and safe for birds and other wildlife.

“This is a game-changer adding new value to the fast-growing rooftop power generation market, helping corporations meet their resilience and sustainability goals with an untapped distributed renewable energy source,” said Aeromine CEO David Asarnow.

“Aeromine’s proprietary technology brings the performance of wind energy to the onsite generation market, mitigating legacy constraints posed by spinning wind turbines and less efficient solar panels.”

Aeromine’s units require 10 per cent of the space needed for solar panels, while also being capable of producing electricity 24 hours a day throughout the year.

The firm said the technology will reduce a building’s need for energy storage capacity and could potentially even make the building energy independent, depending on the building’s design and location.

“The technology is a major leap forward from legacy distributed wind turbines that are ill-suited for most rooftop applications,” the site states.

“Aeromine’s founders have created a much more effective way to harness even moderate wind to create energy for large, flat rooftop buildings such as warehouses, data centers, office, and apartment buildings.”

The device is currently being tested at a manufacturing facility in Michigan, while future applications could include large residential buildings and electric car charging stations.

Source The Independent

Flying cars – can they justify getting off the ground?

Posted on October 25, 2022 by dishanth

The original 1982 sci-fi classic Blade Runner was set in a dystopian ‘future’ of 2017. In that movie, flying cars abound, darting between neon signs and soaring skyscrapers that would put Vegas and Dubai to shame.

The reality of urban mobility in 2022 is very different. Not only has air and land transport changed little since the 1960s, we are still highly reliant on fossil fuels for our daily commute.

Yes EVs are taking off, but not literally. That is, unless you follow the handful of projects that have moved beyond prototype into workable, autonomous, flying taxis. And while it is easy to dismiss some of the hundreds of projects as gimmicks destined to fail, there are some serious multinational players entering the flying fray.

Like Volkswagen. Recently the world’s second largest automobile manufacturer (it held top position until overtaken by Toyota in 2020) unveiled the Flying Tiger – a drone-like electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) vehicle from the group’s China division.

“The launch of this stunning validation model is the first of many remarkable milestones on our exciting journey towards urban air travel, and a perfect example of our ‘From China, For China’ mission,” says Dr Stephan Wöllenstein, CEO of Volkswagen Group China.

The company says it will pitch Flying Tiger as a premium product for high-net-worth customers in China with a penchant for technology who wish to use the aircraft for VIP air shuttle services. In many regards, it’s a straight replacement for a helicopter – but could these autonomous, pilot-less drones really replace the motor car? And if they did, what impact would that have on the panet?

Airbus – the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer in terms of revenue and number of deliveries – certainly sees a place for these eVTOLs, and has done more than most when it comes to a proof of concept. In fact, Airbus has quietly spent years researching and developing not one but two flying demonstrators (CityAirbus and Vahana), and is now working on a new CityAirbus NextGen. This fully electric vehicle is equipped with fixed wings, a V-shaped tail, and eight electrically powered propellers. It is designed to carry up to four passengers in zero-emissions flight for multiple applications, has a range of 80km and top speed of 120km/h.

A recent report from McKinsey entitled Advanced Air Mobility in 2030 discusses the future of air mobility, and the potential for these flying electric vehicles to replace taxis, not just helicopters.

One of those report authors, Robin Riedel, says we will have aircraft that are much smaller than today’s aircraft, and they will be much more accessible. They’re going to land in your neighbourhoods. You might take a short car ride or a micro mobility scooter ride to get to the vertiport, and you’ll go through there just like you do at a taxi stand today. You’ll get on an aircraft that will take you quite rapidly across the city or to the next city or anywhere within a 100- or 150-mile radius.

Could these overgrown kids toys really change the way that we move around our towns and cities?
Gary Vermaak is an advisor, consultant and ecosystem developer focusing on renewable / sustainable energy, logistics, mining and mobility. A self-proclaimed futurist and practical climate warrior, he says he aims to find the best available, commercial technologies to solve real problems. He also serves as the Secretariat, and Africa Chapter Director, for the Drone Logistics Ecosystem, with members in 21 countries.

“It’s unlikely that regulators will permit the carrying of passengers over urban areas any time soon, other than in very controlled flight lanes over open areas like rivers or rights of way,” he says.

“While there are no pedestrians and fewer obstacles in the air, flying in the ‘concrete jungle’ poses similar challenges due to wind channels and turbulence caused by large buildings, not to mention the risks of bird strikes. One must also remember that unlike an autonomous road or rail vehicle, an aircraft cannot be brought to a controlled stop by cutting the power or applying emergency brakes.”

Regardless of the restrictions and regulatory hurdles (which are going to be far more stringent in the US and Europe than in other geographies), just how sustainable are these vehicles anyway? Many of the manufacturers are positioning them as a sustainable, zero-emissions solution to road cars, taxis, or even trains and buses for short intercity journeys.

“While electric flying taxis, and air shuttles, are a mid mile, not door to door, they are very energy inefficient compared to other midmile electric options, like trains and buses,” says Vermaak. “They will complement, not compete with, getting people out of their (autonomous) EVs. For urban air mobility (UAM), trips under 100km, even a winged 4/5 seated eVTOL, is less efficient than a Tesla Model 3 per passenger mile.”

One of the projects with a longer pedigree and backing from Google co-founder Larry Page, is Kittyhawk. This is a single-person, remotely-piloted electric aircraft that hopes to make flying taxis affordable, ubiquitous and eco-conscious. Founder Sebastian Thrun aims to build an aircraft that can be mass produced at automotive scale and cost, and the H2 can fly up to 100 miles on a single charge, at 180mph.

As Kittyhawk says, “if you want the greenest electric aviation measured in power used per mile, be small, have a wing, don’t have an onboard pilot and land anywhere. That’s the Kittyhawk model!”.

Vermaak comments that while the single seater KittyHawk claims to be more efficient than a Tesla Model S, it would not be more efficient than a comparable EV, such as an electric motorbike.

“The technology will keep improving and we are certain to see the first autonomous civilian cargo aircraft operations in Europe and the US, and we may see the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) allowing commercial passenger flying taxi operations in dedicated UAM flight lanes in some Chinese cities,” concludes Vermaak, while adding that public perception will be a significant barrier to uptake.

That may be true, but consider these facts. The aviation industry has a target to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, but there are currently no commercially available methods to do this. In 2019 the sector produced around 1Gt of CO2e, accounting for 2% of annual global CO2 emissions. That number is set to more than double by 2050.

While the answer to how the aviation industry meets the public’s insatiable appetite for travel while meeting net-zero targets is a multi-layered one, UAM could provide a slice of the solution.

Source Sustainability

PepsiCo UK invests in sustainable food packaging innovations

Posted on October 20, 2022October 20, 2022 by dishanth

PepsiCo UK, Walkers parent company, is introducing cardboard boxes for its multi-packs of crisps in a bid to remove tonnes of plastic from its supply chain
PepsiCo UK has recently announced a £14mn investment in new sustainable food packaging innovations that will remove 250 tonnes of virgin plastic from its supply chain annually.

The outer plastic packaging on millions of Walkers 22 and 24 bag multipacks will be replaced with a new cardboard design which reduces the amount of virgin plastic the company uses.

“We are constantly exploring new scalable solutions and this investment marks an important step forward, delivering a huge reduction in virgin plastic across some of our best-selling ranges, while also helping to tackle our carbon footprint,” says Simon Devaney, Sustainable Packaging Director, PepsiCo UK & Ireland.

“Reducing virgin plastic across our supply chain is a key part of our commitment to creating a world where packaging never becomes waste.”

After a successful trial with Tesco, the new and improved multipack outer packaging will be on-shelves in all major supermarkets in the UK in the coming weeks.

Saving 250 tonnes of plastic from the supply chain

Alongside the new packaging design, PepsiCo has also invested in a new stretch film to wrap around its pallets before these are distributed to retailers.

This new film is produced using nanotechnology which puts tiny air bubbles into the film to reduce the amount of plastic used, while retaining the same strength and stretch needed to protect the crisps as they travel to stores across the country.

According to the company, the use of this new technology will lead to a 40% reduction in virgin plastic year on year, compared to the previous film. Reducing the amount of fossil-fuel based virgin plastic in the shrink wrap will also reduce the company’s annual carbon emissions by 465 tonnes.

The investment marks a major step towards PepsiCo’s goal of eliminating virgin fossil-based plastic from its crisp and snack bags across Europe by 2030.

In the UK, the company is also planning to trial new solutions, including packaging made from recycled plastic for its snack bags. This all forms part of PepsiCo Positive, the company’s health and sustainability transformation plan, which includes an ambition of reaching net zero emissions by 2040.

Source edie

Google launches circular economy accelerator for start-ups as Starbucks allocates £1.4m to refill innovations

Posted on October 20, 2022 by dishanth

Google has today (4 October) opened a new accelerator called ‘Google for Startups: Circular Economy’ to applications from the US and the Asia-Pacific region.

The accelerator will provide startups and nonprofits with training, mentoring and technical support from Google’s engineers and other experts as they work to scale solutions that reduce waste.

Organisations working in the food, fashion, built environment and materials science sectors are being invited to apply to the accelerator before 14 November. They will need to be working on projects that reduce material use in the first instance, through innovative design or reuse solutions, or be developing recycling or compositing innovations.

Google said in a statement that it is “imperative we shift our management of materials towards a circular economy model” for environmental, economic and social reasons.

Bring it Back Fund

In related news, Starbucks UK has announced seven projects to receive a share of its £1.4 ‘Bring it Back’ fund, launched in a bid to support innovative reuse solutions for food and beverage packaging. The money has been raised through the coffee chain’s charge on single-use paper cups and environmental charity Hubbub has been assisting Starbucks UK with the fund allocation.

In the public and third sectors, funding will be provided to Keep Scotland Beautiful as it trials a large-scale reusable cup scheme in the Highlands. Charities RECOUP and PECT will also receive funding for research into perceptions around reusable packaging and practical barriers to adoption, with Peterborough as a base.

In the private sector, reuse-as-a-service startup junee will be supported to undertake trials with Mercato Metropolitano food market in South London and packaging cleaning facility network Again will test doorstep collection for takeaway packaging in central London.

Further North, in Bradford, returnable packaging system Green Street will be supported to expand to more cades and restaurants and to trial a digital rewards platform. And, finally, in Edinburgh, Reath Technology will receive funding for their next-generation reuse tracking software using RFID technology.

Hubbub’s co-founder and director Gavin Ellis said: “The winning projects offer a strong mix of innovative solutions, from brand new reuse system trials to behaviour change research and funding developments in technology. With this funding, we will be able to test and learn from real-world trials and hopefully demonstrate that reuse systems are safe and easy to use, and can benefit the food and drink industry, consumers and the environment.”

Starbucks UK’s general manager Alex Rayner added: “It is important for us as a company that we continue to drive industry-wide innovation, as we work to increase reusability and inspire greater reusables uptake in local communities across the UK.”

Source edie

Tesco pulls forward target to halve food waste

Posted on October 18, 2022October 18, 2022 by dishanth

Tesco has accelerated its plans for halving food waste in operations, bringing the commitment’s deadline forward from 2030 to 2025.

The supermarket first set the target five years ago, in alignment with target 12.3 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDGs). It set a baseline year of the 2016/17 financial year.

By the end of the 2021/22 financial year, the business had delivered a 45% reduction in operational food waste against this baseline. Given that it was, therefore, on track to exceed the 2030 target, it has pulled the deadline forward to 2025.

Actions which Tesco has already taken to reduce food waste in its operations have included forging partnerships with FareShare and OLIO to divert surplus food to communities; diverting surplus food not fit for human consumption to suppliers that can use it for animal feed; stocking ‘wonky’ produce to help reduce waste on farms and allowing store staff to take home foods approaching their use-by dates for free.

Tesco has been reporting food waste data since 2013 and was the first UK supermarket to do so

Tesco has also moved this week to link executive pay to the delivery of the accelerated target. It had already linked a quarter of the Performance Share Plan awards Executive Directors receive to progress on other key environmental and social targets, including those on emissions and on gender and ethnicity representation. Now, food waste will be added.

Tesco Group’s chief executive Ken Murphy said he hopes that the changes will “drive further transformative change”.

He also called on other businesses to follow suit, and for policymaking to raise the bar across the UK’s grocery sector. Murphy said: “The work we and our suppliers do won’t tackle the issue alone. We have long called for Government to introduce mandatory food waste reporting to help measure and judge if real action is happening. Action must be taken across the whole industry.”

Tesco is notably working with Defra on its ‘Step Up To The Plate’ pledge, which helps businesses and individuals align with SDG 12.3 and provides a platform for Ministers to receive recommendations for targeted policy support.

The pledge requires corporate signatories to adopt WRAP’s food waste reduction roadmap. The framework, built in partnership with charity IGD, sets out how organisations can measure and act on wastage levels across a “farm-to-fork” approach.

But, as Murphy said, the business wants the UK Government to go further and mandate that supermarkets publicly publish their food waste data in a uniform fashion.

Source edie

Plans announced for 30MW green hydrogen hub in Pembrokeshire

Posted on October 18, 2022 by dishanth

Norwegian energy developer Statkraft has announced plans to develop a major green hydrogen production hub at the site of disused rail storage in Pembrokeshire.

The company is looking to transform the site of the former Royal Navy Armaments Depot into a green hydrogen production capacity of around 30GW. The hydrogen generated there, using electrolysis, would be used to serve the transport, manufacturing and industrial sectors.

Renewable electricity to serve the Trecwn Green Energy Hub will be generated from three onshore wind turbines and a ground-mounted solar array under Statkraft’s plans.

Statkraft told edie that it is hoping to submit the plans by the end of 2023. If the planning process runs smoothly, the site could be operational by the end of 2026. Around 5,000 homes and businesses in the local area will be contacted by Statkraft in the coming weeks asking if they would like to participate in consultations.

Statkraft UK’s head of RES eFuels and European wind and solar, Matt Kelly, said the project “presents an exciting opportunity to produce homegrown green energy for local use and has the potential to act a catalyst for the redevelopment of Trecwn Valley.”

The UK Government has committed to growing national low-carbon hydrogen production capacity to 10GW by 2030. At least half of this will need to be green. Hydrogen is considered necessary to the net-zero transition, for decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors such as heavy transport and heavy industry. It produces no greenhouse gases at the point of combustion. However, most global production is currently fossil-fuelled, meaning that it is not a low-carbon solution across the lifecycle.

Funds and accelerators

In related news, Hy24 Partners – a joint venture from investment firms FiveT Hydrogen and Ardian – has closed what it claims is the world’s largest infrastructure fund for the low-carbon hydrogen sector to date.

The €2bn fund will be used to invest across the hydrogen value chain. As well as production, storage and distribution will be supported.

Among the investors in the fund are TotalEnergies, Air Liquide, Airbus, AXA and Allianz. In total, it attracted more than 50 investors from 13 countries.

Hy24Partners estimates that the fund will enable the deployment of up to €20bn of investment within a six-year period.

Elsewhere, the Carbon Trust has announced a new clean hydrogen accelerator with backing from the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

Modelled on the Trust’s offshore wind accelerator, the aim of the project is to help achieve economies of scale for clean hydrogen, so that it becomes cost-competitive with the grey (fossil) hydrogen that dominates global markets today.

The accelerator will convene players across the British hydrogen value chain for innovation programmes. It will cover all production methods which can comply with BEIS’s Low-Carbon Hydrogen Standard.

“This new clean hydrogen accelerator fills a gap in the current innovation landscape by focusing on stimulating the supply chain,” said the Carbon Trust’s chair Baroness Brown.

At this point, the Carbon Trust is calling for new industry participants to join the accelerator. Its first step will be to shape a plan for innovation programmes.

Source edie

Major milestone for Greek energy as renewables power 100% of electricity demand

Posted on October 14, 2022October 17, 2022 by dishanth

Renewable energy met all of Greece’s electricity needs for the first time ever last week, the country’s independent power transmission operator IPTO announced.

For at least five hours on Friday, renewables accounted for 100 per cent of Greece’s power generation, reaching a record high of 3,106 megawatt hours.

Solar, wind and hydro represented 46 per cent of the nation’s power mix in the eight months to August this year, up from 42 per cent in the same period in 2021, according to Greece-based environmental think-tank The Green Tank.

Green Tank called it, a “record of optimism for the country’s transition to clean energy, weaning off fossil fuels and ensuring our energy sufficiency.”

“European countries like Greece are rapidly accelerating away from fossil fuels and towards cheap renewable electricity. The milestone reached by Greece proves that a renewables-dominated electricity grid is within sight,” Elisabeth Cremona, an analyst at energy think tank Ember, told Euronews Green.

“This also clearly demonstrates that the electricity system can be powered by renewables without compromising reliability. But there remains more to do to ensure that renewables overtake fossil fuels in Greece’s power sector across the whole year.”

What’s the big picture for Greece’s energy transition?

It’s a significant milestone in the history of the country’s electricity system, and follows the bright news that renewables fully met the rise in global electricity demand in the first half of 2022.But Greece’s transition to clean energy hasn’t been entirely straightforward.

Solar panels soak up the sun’s rays at a new photovoltaic park near Kozani, Greece, pictured in August this year.

Like other European countries, Greece has cut its reliance on Russian gas following the war in Ukraine by increasing liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports to meet its needs. It has also boosted coal mining, pushing back its decarbonisation plan.

Using IPTO data, The Green Tank finds that renewables – excluding large hydro sources – surpassed all other energy sources, leaving fossil gas in second place as it decreased slightly for the first time since 2018.

Greece aims to more than double its green energy capacity to account for at least 70 per cent of its energy mix by 2030. To help hit that target, the government is seeking to attract around €30 billion in European funds and private investments to upgrade its electricity grid.

It plans to have 25 gigawatt of installed renewable energy capacity from about 10 gigawatt now but analysts say Athens might reach that target sooner.

IPTO has been investing in expanding the country’s power grid to boost power capacity and facilitate the penetration of solar, wind and hydro energy.

Source euronews.green