Henry Harrell"s Blog: July 13 Green Energy News

Headline News:

Australia boasts a renewable energy potential of 25,000 GW, one of the highest in the world and about four times the installed electricity production capacity of the entire planet. A chemist at Monash University says that energy can be captured and stored for later use by making ammonia, which can be used as a carbon-free fuel. [Science Magazine]

Australian energy (Coast Protection Board, South Australia)

A Tesla spokesperson officially confirmed to CleanTechnica that the company had sold and delivered 200,000 EVs in the US. The phaseout period of the federal EV tax credit is set into motion when a manufacturer sells its 200,000th EV in this country. The amount of the tax credit will be cut 50% on January 1, 2019, with two further to follow. [CleanTechnica]
A combination of good meteorological conditions in the first half of 2018 has led Spain to cover 45.8% of the electricity demand on its grid from renewable energy sources. Wind energy systems were the peninsula’s primary source of electricity, covering 22.6% of its electricity demand, followed by hydro power, with a 16.9% share. [pv magazine International]
Researchers at Norway’s Department of Energy Technology in Kjeller say they have perfected a way to substitute silicon for the graphite commonly used in the anodes of lithium-ion batteries. The discovery will lead to batteries that can power an electric car for 600 miles or more, the researchers claim. Pure silicon has ten times the capacity of graphite. [CleanTechnica]
In 2016, the UK ran for a total of 210 hours without using coal to generate electricity. In 2017, the figure rose to 624 hours. For 2018, the figure is already above 1,000 hours, and the switch to renewable power is accelerating, as two of the UK’s eight coal-burning plants are to close this year. Over the past four weeks, PVs provided 7.4% of the UK’s electricity. [The Guardian]

Henry Harrell"s Blog