Renewable energy

KooRoo’s battery swapping station [LG ENERGY SOLUTION] LG Energy Solution is pushing ahead with its new businesses and focusing on future growth with in-house ventures KooRoo and AVEL, the battery manufacturing unit of LG Group said. KooRoo, established last year, is seeking to commercialize its battery swapping stations (BSS), which increase the convenience for users of electric motorbikes by allowing them to swap out a used battery for a fully-charged one rather than having to spend time charging the original battery. The service addresses a lot of the issues raised by electric vehicle users, including the long charge time, relatively short distance that can be traveled and high maintenance costs. “If the electric motorbike battery ecosystem grows, it will help delivery services, be eco-friendly, quiet and safe," said Ahn Hong-duk, head of KooRoo. “We are set to initiate developing exclusive BSS battery packs and stations and plan to build up the electric motorcycle … [Read more...] about New ventures drive growth for LG Energy Solution

LG Energy Solution's logo at the company's headquarters at Yeouido, western Seoul [NEWS1] LG Energy Solution will invest 7.2 trillion won ($5.57 billion) in building battery plants in Arizona, the company announced Friday. The battery maker will spend 4.2 trillion won to build a 27-gigawatt-hour production facility for cylindrical batteries in Queen Creek, Arizona, and 3 trillion won to build another 16-gigawatt-hour production plant for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries in line with its energy storage system (ESS) project. The total production capacity of the combined two is 43-gigawatt-hour, the biggest of any plants in North America. The investment is a whopping jump from its prior 1.7-trillion-won deal initially announced in March. That plan was put on hold in June with the company saying it is “reassessing” the deal. "We shelved the investment last year due to unfavorable business conditions, including increasing costs driven by rising inflation," said a … [Read more...] about LG Energy Solution to invest 7.2 trillion won in Arizona battery plants

Orsted, a Danish-based renewable energy company and the largest operator of offshore wind projects in the U.S., declined to attend a Thursday congressional field hearing and answer concerns about offshore wind’s potential links to rising whale deaths. The hearing was called in part to address concerns that Orsted’s New Jersey offshore wind project sites may be potentially linked to whale deaths and negative effects on the East coast fishing industry. “I invited them because we want to hear their answers … I wanted them to provide a transparent accounting for their project. I wanted my congressmen here to be able to ask them questions. Orsted rejected the opportunity to appear and explain their process to us and to all of you at home and all of you who are watching,” Republican New Jersey Congressman Jeff Van Drew said at the hearing. Orsted, the largest operator of offshore wind projects in the U.S., declined to attend a Thursday congressional field hearing.and answer … [Read more...] about Green Energy Giant A No Show At Offshore Wind Hearing Amid Concerns Its Projects Might Be Linked To Whale Deaths

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Last weekend, a Wall Street Journal editorial pointed out the cost of "balancing the grid" added GBP150 to UK household electricity bills in 2022. The authors’ attempt to blame the entire cost on adoption of renewable energy is quite a stretch, as it ignores the larger role of erratic weather and availability of other power plants. Their broader point that wind and solar are still challenged by intermittency, however, is spot on. Rapid advances in storage technology continue, especially for batteries. But operating rates for wind and solar—including the giant offshore wind facilities running off Europe’s coast—still vary widely depending on the time of day, the season and myriad other factors beyond operators’ control. And so long as that’s the case, wind and solar will not replace more "dispatchable" sources of generating electricity such as natural gas. That doesn’t mean expansion will cease or even slow down in … [Read more...] about Building Wealth From Wind And Sun: Costs Are Key

MANILA, Philippines  – The Aboitiz family-led conglomerate Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. is lining up expansion projects across the group, principally for renewable energy and infrastructure, as it boosts capital spending by 10 percent to P78 billion in 2023. The bulk of the identified spending is for Aboitiz InfraCapital (AIC), which is budgeting P32 billion for the year or 42 percent of the group-wide spending. “This will go toward the continuous expansion of AIC’s economic estates, telecommunication towers business, as well as new investments in digital infrastructure,” Aboitiz Equity said in the filing. “Additionally, the capital will also be utilized for the completion and maintenance of Apo Agua, the Infrastructure unit’s bulk water project in Davao City. Once operational, Apo Agua is expected to supply over 300 million liters of safe and sustainable water to Davaoeños daily. The figure was lower than the P42 billion spent by the subsidiary in 2022, a period that marked … [Read more...] about Aboitiz group’s 2023 spending to focus on infra, clean energy

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin This story is part of Forbes’ coverage of Philippines’ Richest 2022. See the full list here . Ports billionaire Enrique Razon Jr. saw his net worth fall 3% to $5.6 billion on a weaker peso, despite the strong performance of his International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI). Its shares climbed as global trade recovered to pre-pandemic levels last year to hit a record $28.5 trillion, according to the UN’s trade body. He remains No. 3 on the Philippines’ 50 Richest list. ICTSI’s net profit jumped 50% in the first half to $294.5 million, after quadrupling to an all-time high of $428.6 million in 2021, thanks to volume growth and higher shipping rates. The company is boosting cargo handling capacity at its terminals around the world, including a 15-billion-peso ($268 million) upgrade at its flagship port in Manila to handle mega ships that carry up to 18,000 twenty-foot equivalent units of … [Read more...] about Ports And Casino Tycoon Enrique Razon Jr. Bets On $3 Billion Green Energy Project

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Built Robotics has introduced an autonomous pile driving robot that will help build utility-scale solar farms in a faster, safer, more cost-effective way, and make solar viable in even the most remote locations. Called the RPD 35, or Robotic Pile Driver 35, the robot can survey the site, determine the distribution of piles, drive piles, and inspect them at a rate of up to 300 piles per day with a two-person crew. Traditional methods today typically can complete around 100 piles per day using manual labor. The RPD 35 was unveiled today at CONEXPO-CON/AGG in Las Vegas, the largest construction trade show in North America and held every three years. The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act “Building a Clean Energy Economy” section includes a goal to install 950 million solar panels by 2030. With solar farms requiring tens of thousands of 12- to 16-foot-long piles installed eight feet deep with less than an inch tolerance, … [Read more...] about Built Robotics Unveils Autonomous Pile Driving Robot, Expediting Solar Rollout

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The electricity network is among the greatest inventions ever, ushering in global economic and social progress. Yet, the system faces enormous tests and presents unique challenges to the nation’s 1,600 utilities, which center on decarbonization and electrification. How will power companies cope? The trend toward carbon neutrality could pay big dividends for utilities. The growth of electric vehicles (EVs) and the demand for renewables are driving change — all amplified by adding energy efficiency and battery storage technologies. While it will generate more revenues, it will also require a capital investment in transmission and distribution. The good news is 70% of the largest U.S. electric and gas utilities have net-zero goals, says S&P Global Market Intelligence . “The trend toward more sustainability is going to continue,” says Todd Ramey, senior vice president of markets for the Midwest Independent System … [Read more...] about Can Utilities Rise To The Challenges Presented By Decarbonization?

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin 49 BCE Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon river with the 13th Legion, a defiant act that signalled the start of the Roman Civil War. The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant on 17 th March against Vladimir Putin, leader of the world’s largest energy exporter (Russia), accusing him of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. Five days later, China’s President Xi Jinping – recently confirmed for an unprecedented third term — said he was ready to 'stand guard over a world order based on international law' as he met President Putin in Moscow. “International law” seems to have different interpretations, and the ICC evidently does not have a monopoly on what passes as international law in the concert of nations. According to Wikipedia , the ICC is an international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands with over 100 countries having ratified the Rome Statute, … [Read more...] about The Rubicon Crossed: The Energy World Turned Upside Down After The Ukraine War

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Technology-as-savior is baked into the philosophy of our post-industrial era, so the pitch for green hydrogen sounds compelling. And yet, like other tech-dependent energy revolutions including superconductivity , modular nuclear reactors , and fusion energy , it is just one part of a portfolio of clean energy sources attempting to reverse growth in greenhouse gas emissions. Better Than a Better Mousetrap For supply chain leaders, the takeaway is not to simply sit back and wait for this process to play itself out. Rather, think in terms of “systems solutions,” as described by Agrawal, Gans, and Goldfarb in “ Power and Prediction: The Disruptive Economics of Artificial Intelligence .” Their research explains how technology transforms economics at three levels of increasing impact: point solutions, which apply the new tech to improve existing processes, application solutions which spawn new and better … [Read more...] about Green Hydrogen Is No Silver Bullet, But Clean Energy Systems Might Be