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Search results for: “small scale LNG”

  • California curtailment: key numbers from 2021?

    California curtailment: key numbers from 2021?

    This data-file tracks curtailment of wind and solar assets in California. c25% of California’s total grid demand in 2021 was met by wind and solar. On average, 0.4% of the wind and 4% of the gross solar generation were curtailed throughout the year. But the data are highly variable.

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  • General Fusion: magnetized fusion breakthrough?

    General Fusion: magnetized fusion breakthrough?

    General Fusion is developing a magnetized target fusion reactor, compressing plasma via high-pressure pistons. It hopes to commercialize 100-200MWe fusion reactors with 5-6.5c/kWh levelized costs of electricity in the late 2020s. Our patent de-risks several innovations. Although complexity is high and we note four residual risks for the technology.

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  • 24M: semi-solid battery breakthrough?

    24M: semi-solid battery breakthrough?

    Semi-solid electrodes are aimed at “dramatically reducing” costs of lithium ion batteries, with 70-100% higher energy density, plus better safety and reliability, for use in battery storage and electric vehicles. 24M has a moat and is licensing technology to Freyr and Volkswagen.

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  • Manufacturing methods: an overview?

    Manufacturing methods: an overview?

    An of overview of manufacturing methods is given in this data-file. Costs are 70% correlated with energy intensity, ranging from well below 0.3 MWH/ton to well above 7MWH/ton. The lowest cost techniques take place at huge throughput in the mining industry, while the most intricate are used in semiconductor.

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  • Energy security: volcanos versus solar panels?

    Energy security: volcanos versus solar panels?

    Every 30-years on average, a giant volcano erupts, ejecting >10km3 of debris, including aerosols that dim the sun and temporarily cool the planet by 0.5-1C. After Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991, US solar insolation fell by 20% in 1992. What implications for global energy security and energy transition?

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  • Power transmission: inter-connectors smooth solar volatility?

    Power transmission: inter-connectors smooth solar volatility?

    Can large-scale power transmission smooth renewables’ volatility? To answer this question, this horrible 18MB data-file aggregates 20-years of hour-by-hour solar insolation arriving at four cities in the US. The volatility in year-by-year can be halved by a single inter-connector.

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  • Battery degradation: causes, effects & implications?

    Battery degradation: causes, effects & implications?

    This 14-page note offers five rules of thumb to maximize the longevity of lithium-ion batteries, in grid-scale storage and electric vehicles. The data suggest hidden upside in the demand for batteries, for lithium and high-quality power electronics, especially if batteries are to backstop renewables.

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  • Solar: energy payback and embedded energy?

    Solar: energy payback and embedded energy?

    What is the energy payback and embedded energy of solar? We have aggregated the consumption of 10 different materials (in kg/kW) and around 10 other energy-consuming line-items (in kWh/kW). Our base case estimate is 2.5 MWH/kWe of solar and an energy payback of 1.5-years. Numbers and sensitivities can be stress-tested in the data-file.

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  • Fluorinated polymers: flying under the radar?

    Fluorinated polymers: flying under the radar?

    Fluorinated polymers are a stealth bottleneck for the energy transition: used in solar back-sheets, battery binders/separators, wind blades, and across the hydrogen chain. They are easily overlooked. This 400kTpa market grows 6x by 2050. Markets are already tight. And the โ€˜CO2 curveโ€™ is very steep. Our 15-page report explores the market, the upside and who…

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  • Nuclear life extensions: costs and case studies?

    Nuclear life extensions: costs and case studies?

    What are the costs of nuclear life extensions and capacity upratings? This data-file has reviewed 25 examples, from past projects and technical papers. The average nuclear life extension costs around $650/kW to extend a nuclear plant’s life by 20-years, or around $30/kW-year.

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