Carbon emission reduction: News and technology

[Brian Peacock]

That's an interesting storage solution. There's been some hype recently around new forms of gravity storage, but maybe the physical footprint and maintenance costs for compressed air storage could be more cost effective at scale?

[JimC]

Sometimes, it depends on the locality. In places with convenient higher ground, a pumped hydro solution can be very effective. Excess electricity from renewables (e.g. during the day for solar) is used to pump water uphill to a high reservoir, then released to flow through turbines at times of high demand. From what I've heard, this can be quite efficient in terms of relatively low waste energy...

[Brian Peacock]

Yeah. The limit with the elevated reservoir is finding sites where sufficient water can be accessed, pumped and stored at scale. I came across a paper somewhere proposing every new high-rise should include some kind of closed loop hydro storage system powered by solar or wind built into the building design. That seems quite elegant to me. Another gravity battery idea is to build plants that lift blocks of concrete onto huge towers with surplus energy and then drop them again when renewable inputs are low - or alternatively drop them into very big/deep holes: the motor that lifts basically becomes a generator when the weights are dropped.

Nonetheless, whatever mix of storage solutions eventually get implemented we still need to address the inherent efficiency and end-use deficits in our current energy models.

[pErvinalia]

We also need to overthrow capitalism. :marx:

[Svartalf]

yeah, I want to make a movie, a special movie with no SFX in it, and it will be about the French revolution.

Casting is out, I intend to offer tons of parts to big dishes of western capitalism, but at the current time, I have mostly frump as Louis XVi and elon as Robespierre

Does ayn rand have a female spiritual heir? I need somebody for Charlotte Corday, right after she deals with the big cheese at fox in the part of Marat.

my first problem will be to find a couple guillotines in working order.

[Brian Peacock]

lol

[Brian Peacock]

[Brian Peacock]

Why fear of billion-dollar lawsuits stops countries phasing out fossil fuels

In the mountains of Transylvania, a Canadian company makes plans for a vast gold and silver mine. The proposal – which involves razing four mountain tops – sparks a national outcry, and the Romanian government pulls its support.

After protests from local communities, the Italian government bans drilling for oil within 12 miles of its shoreline. A UK fossil fuel firm has to dismantle its oilfield.

Beneath the grey whales and sea turtles of Mexico’s gulf, an underwater exploration company gets a permit to explore a huge phosphate deposit. Before it can begin, Mexico withdraws the permit, saying the ecosystem is “a natural treasure” that could be threatened by mining.

Such cases appear to be part of the bread and butter of governments – updating environmental laws or responding to voter pressure. But every time, the company involved sued the government for lost profits and often, they won (Romania prevailed in its case, Italy and Mexico were forced to pay out).

They are among more than 1,400 cases analysed by the Guardian from within the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) system, a set of private courts in which companies can sue countries for billions. There have been long-held concerns about ISDS creating “regulatory chill” – where governments are scared off action on nature loss and the climate crisis by legal risks. Now, government ministers from a range of countries have confirmed to the Guardian that this “chilling” is already in effect – and that fear of ISDS suits is actively shaping environmental laws and regulations.

...

In 2021, the International Energy Agency released a report saying the 1.5C pathway requires no new oil, gas or coal. But the issue of regulatory chill has been acknowledged by a number of international bodies, including the 2022 IPPC report on climate change. “Numerous scholars have pointed to ISDS being able to be used by fossil fuel companies to block national legislation aimed at phasing out the use of their assets,” the authors wrote. The UN, Council of Europe and European parliament have all raised similar concerns about climate action being delayed or watered down by ISDS.

...

The Guardian investigation into ISDS reveals $84bn in payouts from governments to fossil fuel companies. More than $120bn of public money has been awarded to private investors across all industries since 1976. The average payout for a fossil fuel claim was $1.2bn.

...

The Danish government set a deadline to stop fossil fuel exploration by 2050 as opposed to 2030 or 2040 because it would have had to pay “incredibly expensive” compensation to companies, on top of lost revenue for the Treasury, then-climate minister Dan Jørgensen said.

A 2023 UN report by David Boyd, the special rapporteur on human rights and the environment, found Denmark, New Zealand and France had limited their climate policies because of the threat of ISDS, with the Spanish government saying it has slowed its transition away from fossil fuels over “fear of being sued by a foreign investor”. The report stated that this threat has become a “major obstacle” for countries addressing the climate crisis.

...

[Brian Peacock]

India’s solar additions could double to 30 GW in fiscal 2025

A new report by SBICAPS projects India’s annual solar capacity addition to double to 30 GW in fiscal 2025 against 15 GW in fiscal 2024.

The report states the deployment pace will further improve in fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2027, leading to significant spike in module demand. It projects PV deployment for fiscal 2026 at 42 GW and for fiscal 2027 at 46 GW, with residential rooftop solar driving expansion.

Annual module demand is forecast to increase from 50-55 GW in fiscal 2025 to 105 GW in fiscal 2027. (The calculation assumes DC/AC overloading of 1.2-1.4, effective utilization to nameplate capacity ratio of 55% to 65%.)

The report says PV installation projections are likely to be met with moderate PPA-PSA gap reduction, PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijlee Yojana (PM-SGMBY) completion by FY28, and enhanced RPO (renewable energy purchase obligation) compliance. Timely scheme (especially PM-KUSUM) and project execution could further augment demand. On the other hand, land constraints, ALCM (Approved List of Cell Manufacturers) implementation, and restrictive state net metering policies pose as deterrents....

India consumes about 10,000TWh of electricity per annum.

[macdoc]

Um no....

India's annual electrical power consumption reached 1,407 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2023

https://www.statista.com/statistics/383 ... households.

[Brian Peacock]

Sorry, you're right. That's total energy consumption.

[Brian Peacock]

2025 Climate Change Performance Index published. Scroll the list to find the global ranking of your country.

[pErvinalia]

I bet the Dutch are up the top.

[macdoc]

Haven't you beat that horse to death yet?

[pErvinalia]

Dutch horses are the best horses.