The Hydrogen Stream: New way to make drug materials from hydrogen
UW–Madison has developed an environmentally friendly approach for producing essential drug ingredients by opting for hydrogen, while India has presented new green hydrogen standards.
CATL unveils EV battery enabling a 400 km driving range on a 10 minute charge
Chinese battery industry heavyweight Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) announced a new electric vehicle battery that reportedly enables long-range driving on a fast, ten-minute charge. It expects mass production to begin by the end of this year, and vehicles equipped with the battery to be available in the first quarter of 2024.
South Korea opens tender for 65 MW/260 MWh of battery storage
The South Korean authorities have kicked off a tender for 65 MW/260 MWh of storage capacity, in support of extensive battery systems on Jeju Island.
Solar-driven heat battery for residential applications
Developed by scientists in the Netherlands, the heat battery prototype consists of a storage module based on potassium carbonate and an electricity-driven mechanical system that maintains continuous charging or discharging powers. Through a series of simulations, the research group found that the device can significantly reduce a dwelling’s electricity consumption for heating.
California’s first full-scale direct air capture hub awarded $11.8 million
The hub could potentially remove more than 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide every year, or the equivalent of eliminating 220,000 gasoline vehicles on the road annually.
Weekend Read: Chaotic leadership leaves South Africans in the dark
Extensive load-shedding, lack of grid capacity, failing coal-fired power stations, lack of progress in clean power procurement, and even vandalism have prompted various South African government departments to take renewables generation into their own hands, seemingly without any overarching plan, as Bryan Groenendaal reports.
Combining PV with pumped hydro storage in open-cast coal mines
Indian scientists have suggested building pumped-hydro storage systems connected to solar plants using mines as the lower reservoir and nearby rivers as the upper reservoir. They claim that the proposed combination may reach a levelized cost of energy of $0.2693/kWh.
Biwatt unveils new residential sodium-ion batteries
Biwatt Power, a Chinese manufacturer, has developed new residential sodium-ion batteries with an efficiency rate of 97% and a projected lifespan of more than 3,000 cycles.
Green hydrogen offtakers can shape the industry’s development
With strong government backing; a systems approach to development that views each component of hydrogen production and delivery as a whole; and growing demand, Australia could be on track for a commercially viable green hydrogen industry by 2030.
European heat pump businesses secure funding
Octopus Energy has agreed to invest $89 million to scale up Kensa Group, a ground-source heat pump business, while KfW IPEX-Bank has agreed to provide $129.6 million of financing to German heat pump manufacturer Valliant.
