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The future of energy generation and storage

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More big players in Lithium Ion batteries


Daimler begins construction on a $562 million lithium-ion battery factory in Germany
German automaker wants to bring 10 new electric models to the market by 2020.
Megan Geuss - 5/23/2017, 8:45 AM


Enlarge / Federal Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel in a conversation with Dieter Zetsche (Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars) and others.
Daimler
69

On Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited the site of a future lithium-ion battery factory in the eastern German town of Kamenz. The factory is being developed by Mercedes-Benz manufacturer Daimler, which will devote approximately €500 million (or $562 million) to churning out batteries for electric vehicles and stationary storage

........According to Reuters, Chancellor Merkel said on Monday, “We need long-term horizons and companies that invest in the future. It is important that electric mobility is ready for the market as quickly as possible." She had noted earlier in the week that the German government had invested €35 million in battery research, and she claimed she “had been briefed about the latest lithium cells which could allow cars to travel up to 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) without needing to be recharged,” Reuters said.

According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Daimler’s Kamenz plant will be the biggest battery factory yet in Europe, with large lithium-ion battery factories planned for Sweden, Hungary, and Poland. The research organization estimates that by 2021, the cost of batteries will drop 41 percent, from $271 per kWh today to $156 per kWh.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2017/0...a-562-million-lithium-ion-battery-in-germany/
 
Redflow looks like it's struggling to compete,
http://newwebchart.weblink.com.au/news/pdf_2\01859111.pdf
 
One of the big technological changes to our current energy system is dealing with the demise of our large end-of-life coal fired power stations and developing robust alternatives.
It seems as if the new head of Australia's power grid has the experience and smarts to make that happen. Very interesting read.

Power grid head Audrey Zibelman: the good news about sustainable energy
  • Melissa Fyfe

Audrey Zibelman. Photo: Simon Schluter
The new head of Australia's power grid is drawing on her experience in the US to make our electricity supply more reliable and sustainable. Melissa Fyfe hears an energising message.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/goo...about-sustainable-energy-20170529-gwffcz.html
 


I reckon Smurf should have got the job.
 
The reality of renewable energy in Australia

A few new stories are coming up which reiterate the practical economic reality of renewable energy as our future.

1) Sun Metals in North Queensland is building a `116mw solar energy farm to underpin its zinc mine operations
2) The Queensland Government is building a new transmission line to connect 2000 MW of wind solar and hydro projects. Apparently these will come in at $55-70a MWH vs the current $100 MWH for coal fired power.
It just makes sense

There is an An interesting footnote to this situation
"Xstrata, now part of Glencore, opted for a new gas-fired power station instead, despite advice that the renewables option would be cheaper in the long run.
Glencore is now talking of closing the Mt Isa mining and smelting operations because the price of gas power has risen so high."
http://reneweconomy.com.au/if-glencore-wants-cheap-energy-for-mt-isa-it-should-go-solar-25999/
http://reneweconomy.com.au/sun-meta...-will-underpin-zinc-refinery-expansion-28753/
http://reneweconomy.com.au/queensland-eyes-new-transmission-line-to-unlock-cheap-renewables-59037/
 
And before I go to beddy by.
Guess which other major, major Australian company has decided to buy into it's own Solar farm to contol it's energy spend. ?

Yep Telstra .


Telstra signs deal for 70MW solar farm to cap energy costs
By Giles Parkinson on 31 May 2017

One Step Off The Grid



Telstra has signed a contract to build a 70MW solar farm in north Queensland in a bid to cap energy costs, and as the first part of its long-awaited rollout of the Telstra Energy strategy, which may see it compete against major utilities.

The company says it has signed a long-term contract to buy the output of a new solar farm near Emerald, which will be built by RES Australia. In doing so, it is following in the footsteps of Sun Metals, the zinc producer building its own 116MW solar farm, and Monash University, which has tendered for a 40MW wind farm or solar farm.

All are investing directly in renewable energy to reduce their electricity costs, which continue to soar in Australia as network costs and wholesale prices rise unchecked.

The deal was unveiled by Ben Burge, who Telstra snapped from Powershop last year to head its new Telstra Energy division. He says it is an important step in Telstra’s strategy to more actively manage its energy consumption and costs, and to reduce emissions.

“We are proud to be taking an active role in Australia’s transition to a lower emissions economy, complementing our long-standing energy efficiency and sustainability programs that saw our emissions intensity per unit of data fall by 56 per cent over three years,” Burge said in a statement.

“The Emerald project is part of Telstra becoming a more active participant in the energy market to reduce costs while at the same time building resilience in our network and contributing to a more stable energy system.”

Telstra is being coy about how many other contracts it may sign for solar or wind farms, but it expects the corporate PPA market in Australia to finally take off, as businesses understand that renewable energy is a cheaper option to the grid.

“This is about managing risk,” says James Gerraty, Telstra Energy’s head of strategy.

http://reneweconomy.com.au/telstra-signs-deal-for-70mw-solar-farm-to-cap-energy-costs-78281/
 
Well it doesn't seem to matter what fuel we're burning, electricity prices to go up around 15-20%, that's got to hurt.lol
The other problem is, the increase in price, isn't reflecting the capital cost required to overcome the instability in the system.
So my guess is electricity will continue its price march, to eye watering levels, over the next 5-10 years.
Interesting times ahead.IMO

Someone tell Tony Abbott, that no one cares, what electricity costs.
Also tell him he was dreaming, when he said superannuation was the peoples money, not the Governments.
Yep tell Tony, you would rather go down the back and whip yourself, rather than agree with him.lol
 
SirRumpole said:
I agree with Abbott when he is right. He was right about turning back the boats. He's wrong about coal.
Click to expand...

Well strap yourself in for ridiculous cost increases, over the next few years, replacing base load quickly with gas and renewables, is going to cost heaps.
As smurph has said on numerous occasions, generation isn't the major cost, distribution is.
Well if you hit coal generation hard, generation costs will sky rocket and add to distribution costs.
Lets see how that works out, thank god W.A is an island system.

As for Abbott, he is a sensible bloke with no charisma, the media has a field day with him, but as channel 10's demise shows they don't do so well themselves.
Turnbull on the other hand is just like Shorten, Mr Beige, he may as well be wall paper, nobody notices or cares what he says.
That's the problem with Australia, we hate being told the truth, much rather have wilting flowers telling us everything is fine.

By the way, the last thing you would do is agree with Abbott, you would rather crash and burn. lol
 
sptrawler said:
Well strap yourself in for ridiculous cost increases, over the next few years, replacing base load quickly with gas and renewables, is going to cost heaps.
Click to expand...

It wouldn't have to be done quickly if governments had taken a responsible attitude in the first place and built new generators to replace coal with the money they got from selling/leasing existing generators or networks, but instead they used the money to pay off debt or build roads or otherwise patch up their deficits and make them look like 'responsible economic managers'. LOL.
 

That is a weird answer, the Governments sold off old generators, at a time when they were worth something.
If they tried to sell them now, nobody would buy them, so they made a lot of money to pay off debt and build roads. What was your point?
It would have been difficult to sell old generating plant, while saying they are going to use the money to put in new generating plant. Why would anybody buy the old plant?

In my opinion, Australia being a minor CO2 emitter by World standards, should sit back and take a measured approach.
Technology in this area is moving along at a fast pace, Australia doesn't need to throw itself on the cross, to be seen to be leading the World.
But for our inferiority complex, we could take a breath and adopt World leading technology. Rather than jumping in and taking any technology, that pops it head up on the internet, but then we would miss out on the "Kev" look at me, look at me effect.
 
Last edited:
sptrawler said:
If they tried to sell them now, nobody would buy them, so they made a lot of money to pay off debt and build roads. What was your point?
Click to expand...

My point was that privatisation of generators and networks created the impression in State and Federal governments that the power grid was now "someone else's problem" and that they failed to do due diligence to ensure that power supplies were adequate to meet increasing demand and that existing generators would be replaced when they inevitably reached the end of their lives.

Governments abrogated their responsibility for a one-off intake of cash and now they are in a cold sweat because they realise that elections could be lost on power prices.
 
The power supplies were adequate when privatised, the advent of the global warming scare and subsequent Government policy on carbon, has put the cat among the pigeons.

If there was certainty in electricity pricing and Government carbon policy, I'm sure the coal fired generators in S.A and Victoria would still be participants, why wouldn't they be?

The problem is without certainty, why would a company throw money into retrofitting and maintaining the plant, let alone installing new plant.

If anything the Federal Governments lack of direction when implementing the carbon tax, has caused the absolute shambles we have now.
There is no money for coal, there isn't enough gas and the only thing idiot State Governements have supported is renewables.
 


Once upon a time it was municipal competition with private franchises in a few states and private in others. Gradually it moved to municipal retailing and high voltage transmission under the state govt and finally vertical aggregation of the whole lot into state owned and run.

The 1993 idea of privatisation and disaggregation was sustainable reductions in power cost
 
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