Levelized cost: ten things I hate about you?
‘Levelized cost’ can be a useful concept. But it can also be mis-used, as though one ‘energy source to rule them all’ was on the cusp of pushing out all…
Aurubis: copper recycling breakthrough?
…to be “one of the most modern and environmentally friendly copper smelters in the world”. Environmental credentials include two-thirds lower energy (at 2 MWH/ton) and lower carbon than (at 1.7…
Cyanide production: the economics?
…high gas and energy prices. In other words, energy shortages in Europe could spill over into causing gold and silver shortages, which would also in turn compound energy shortages in…
Solar volatility: tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies?
…10%, around 100 times per day. We want to ramp solar in the energy transition. But how can industrial processes truly be ‘powered by solar’? Buffering the volatility creates opportunities…
Coal grades: what CO2 intensity?
…CO2 intensive per unit of thermal energy than natural gas, where CO2 intensity is around 0.19kg/kWh. This is consistent with our analysis of bond enthalpies and energy units and conversions….
Silver and gold: the economics?
…can be flexed in the data-file. A good, free source of reference data for both gold and silver prices is linked here. Energy intensity is extremely high. Energy costs are…
Silver and gold: medal winners?
…two of the most energy intensive and CO2 intensive materials we have evaluated in our research to-date (chart below). The reason this matters is that complex and energy intensive processes…
Solar capacity: growth through 2030 and 2050?
…the numbers be higher? This would clearly be helpful. We want faster solar growth in order to achieve important goals in the energy transition, and to alleviate devastating energy shortages….
Membranes for carbon capture: separation anxiety?
Next-generation membranes for carbon capture could separate out 95% of the CO2 in a flue gas, into a 95% pure permeate, for a cost of $20/ton and an energy penalty…
Aker Carbon Capture: technology review?
Aker Carbon Capture is a public company, listed in Norway, with c120 permanent employees in 2022. It has developed novel solvents for post-combustion carbon capture, with low energy penalties (1.6…