DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ The West is freaking out that China is making too much stuff, and it looks like China might be starting to agree
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The proposal covers a range of issues, including minimum technical standards and ecological guidelines for battery production. AdvertisementChina's battery production in 2023 alone was already big enough to fill global demand, according to an analysis from BloombergNEF. China's global share of battery manufacturing capacity is expected to fallDespite the West's consternation, there is an upside for the bloc. China's global share of battery manufacturing is expected to decline in the years ahead, according to a report from the International Energy Agency, or IEA, published on Monday. AdvertisementChina now accounts for more than 80% of battery manufacturing capacity, followed by the US and the EU with around 5% each, per the IEA.

Persons: China's, —, Xi Jinping's, Louise Loo, Loo, Chim Lee, Lee Organizations: Service, China's Ministry of Industry, Information Technology, European Union, Oxford Economics, Economist Intelligence, International Energy Agency, US, EU Locations: China, Beijing, Canada, Europe, India

☆ Giant Batteries Are Transforming the Way the U.S. Uses Electricity
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Brad Plumer | Nadja Popovich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +17 min

Uses Electricity They’re delivering solar power after dark in California and helping to stabilize grids in other states. Peak demand average daily generation, by fuel type Peak demand 25k 25k megawatts megawatts Imports 20k 20k 15k 15k Gas Solar power Batteries Solar power 10k 10k Wind 5k 5k Hydro Nuclear 0 0 12a.m. Peak demand average daily generation, by fuel type Peak demand 25k 25k megawatts megawatts Imports 20k 20k 15k 15k Gas Solar power Batteries Solar power 10k 10k Wind 5k 5k Hydro Nuclear 0 0 12a.m. Ga. Ga. Texas Texas La. By The New York TimesMost grid batteries use lithium-ion technology, similar to batteries in smartphones or electric cars.

Persons: …, ”, Helen Kou, Conn ., Mo ., R.I, Conn . Conn ., . Kan ., “, Andrés Gluski, Mike Blake, John Phipps, Phipps, Stephanie Smith, Aaron Mitchell, Natalie McIntire, Tamir Kalifa, Emma Konet, Max Kanter, BloombergNEF, you’ve, Meredith Fowlie, Nate Blair, “ We’re, Ross D Organizations: Hydro Nuclear, Hydro, The New York Times, “, United States U.S, Conn . Pa . Iowa Neb, N.J . Ohio Nev, Del . Utah Ill, Texas, Fla ., Vt, Wis ., Wis . Idaho Idaho S.D, Pa . Iowa Iowa Neb, Neb . N.J . N.J . Ohio Ohio Nev, Del . Utah Utah Ill, . Energy, AES Corporation, Reuters, California, Georgia Power, Natural Resources Defense Council, Nationwide, The New York Times Grid, University of California, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Franklin, Associated Locations: California, The New York Times California, China, Texas , California, Arizona, Wash . Maine, Minn, Ore, N.H, N.Y, Mass, Wis . Idaho S.D, Mich, Wyo, R.I, Conn, Conn . Pa . Iowa, N.J . Ohio, Del . Utah, Calif, Md, Colo, W.Va . Va, Mo, Mo . Kan, Ky, N.C, Tenn, Ariz, ., S.C . California, Ala, Miss ., Fla, Alaska Texas, Hawaii, Wash . Maine Maine Mont, Mont, Vt, Wis, Wis . Idaho Idaho, S.D . Mich, Conn . Conn, Conn . Conn . Pa, Pa . Iowa, Neb . N.J . N.J . Ohio, Nev . Ind, Ind, Del, W.Va, W.Va . Va . Va, . Kan . Kan, S.C . Ala . Ala . Miss, . Texas Texas, La, Fla . Alaska Alaska Hawaii Hawaii California, Texas, Menifee, . California, ” In Texas, Fort Worth, West Texas, Georgia, Sweetwater , Texas, Tierra, Berkeley, Sacramento

☆ Opinion | The Fantasy of Reviving Nuclear Energy
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Stephanie Cooke | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Thirty-four nations, including the United States and China, agreed “to work to fully unlock the potential of nuclear energy,” including extending the lifetime of existing reactors, building new nuclear power plants and deploying advanced reactors. “Nuclear technology can play an important role in the clean energy transition,” Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, told summit attendees. Solar and wind power together began outperforming nuclear power globally in 2021, and that trend continues as nuclear staggers along. At the same time, investment in energy storage technology is rapidly accelerating. In 2023, BloombergNEF reported that investors for the first time put more money into stationary energy storage than they did into nuclear.

Persons: “, Ursula von der Leyen, BloombergNEF Organizations: International Atomic Energy Agency, “, European Commission Locations: Brussels, Belgian, United States, China

☆ Banks say they’re meeting climate pledges. A new report says they’re ineffective
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Why gold prices are at record highsFrom central banks to Costco customers, it seems everyone is buying gold these days, reports CNN’s John Towfighi. Central banks see gold as a long-term store of value and a safe haven during times of economic and international turmoil. When interest rates fall, gold prices tend to rise, as bullion becomes more appealing than income-paying assets like bonds. The People’s Bank of China bought gold for the 17th straight month in March, adding 160,000 ounces to bring reserves to 72.74 million troy ounces of gold, according to Reuters. The Honest Company posted a strong fourth quarter in March.

Persons: –, ” Mark Carney, ”, GFANZ, Jamie Dimon, ” Dimon, JPMorgan, CNN’s John Towfighi, China —, Read, Jessica Alba, Ramishah Maruf, Alba’s, Chuck Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, European Central Bank, Glasgow Financial Alliance, UN, Bank of England, ECB, MIT, Columbia Business School, Zero Banking Alliance, United Nations, decarbonization, CNN, JPMorgan Chase, State, JPMorgan, Investors, Federal Reserve, China, People’s Bank of China, Reuters, UBS, The Honest, The Honest Company, Honest, Nasdaq Locations: New York, Glasgow, China, India, Turkey

☆ How Georgia became America's green-manufacturing capital
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Howey, now 30, grew up in northwestern Georgia near Dalton, a small city known as the "carpet capital of the world." SolarCycle, which reclaims old solar panels to make new ones, in February announced plans for a glass factory. The law authorized big tax credits for companies making renewable-energy technologies, including solar panels, batteries, and electric vehicles, in the US. According to S&P Global, the US imported more than two-thirds of its solar panels from Southeast Asia last year. When he sees solar panels atop the chargers, he feels pride in his job.

Persons: Robert Howey, Howey, he'd, Qcells, Catherine Boudreau, Joe Biden, Biden, Bob Keefe, Keefe, Gedia, Pat Wilson, Wilson, Brian Kemp, Benz, Dalton, Kemp, Heidi Popham, Popham, Donald Trump, Scott Moskowitz, Sen, Jon Ossoff of, Moskowitz, it's, Carl Campbell, Campbell, —, Whitfield, Jevin Jensen, Jensen, He's Organizations: US Navy, Business, Qcells, South, Hanwha, SK, Hyundai, Georgia Department of Economic, Gov, Porsche, Mercedes, SK On's, Financial Times, Georgia Northwestern Technical College, Treasury Department, P Global, Microsoft, Development Authority, Shaw Industries, Mohawk Industries, EV Locations: Georgia, Dalton, Japan, Cartersville, South Korea, Malaysia, North Carolina, China, Georgia , North Carolina, South Carolina, Savannah, Atlanta, Cartersville , Georgia, Germany, Commerce , Georgia, Southeast Asia, Korea, Jon Ossoff of Georgia, Washington, BloombergNEF, Vietnam, Whitfield County, ., Whitfield, Calhoun

☆ The Wild West carbon credit era might be coming to an end as sales hit record high
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Carbon credits have been through a tough time. But since then, the voluntary carbon market (VCM), where carbon credits are traded, has faced intense criticism for the actual emission reduction the credits provided. "So, definitely, it was a bumpy ride," said Allister Furey, cofounder and CEO of carbon credit rating and data provider Sylvera. In a vote of confidence from venture capitalists, January also saw carbon credit insurer CarbonPool secure $12 million, carbon credit investment platform Cultivo raise $14 million, and carbon project developers platform BlueLayer come out of stealth with $10 million. In all, it signals the start to the end of the carbon credit "wild west," Sylvera's Furey said.

Persons: couldn't, Verra's, Allister Furey, issuances, Mark Kenber, Sylvera's Furey, Lubomila Jordanava, Nathan Bonnisseau, Lubomila Jordanova, Magnus Drewelies, Ben Rubin Organizations: Business, Guardian, BI, Sylvera, Carbon Business

☆ Zero-carbon energy generated a record 41% of US power in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A record amount of renewable energy, led by solar, was added to the grid. It was the opposite story for wind power. They generated a record 41% of US power in 2023. Rowlands-Rees said that falling gas prices made it the cheapest form of energy in 2023. The power sector, as recently as 2016, was the top emitter.

Persons: BloombergNEF, Tom Rowlands, Rees, BloombergNEF's, Rowlands, —, Biden, Jeannie Salo Organizations: Service, Investments, Business, Companies, Industry, Schneider Electric, Toyota Locations: China, America, Japan, Southeast Asia, Coast, New York, Massachusetts, Georgia, North Carolina, Business

Electric vehicle sales are expected to hit a record 9% of all passenger vehicles in the U.S. this year, according to Atlas Public Policy. That will be up from 7.3% of new car sales in 2022. These figures include both battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid EVs. But even as U.S. EV market share grows steadily, hurdles still stand in the way for some car buyers considering electric. Several U.S. states have set target dates by which they expect vehicle sales to be majority zero-emissions.

Persons: EVs, Tesla, Kelley, Alexa St, John Organizations: Atlas Public, EV, American, Ford Motor Co, General Motors, AP Locations: U.S, China, Germany, Norway, California, Washington, New Jersey, Press, ___

They said some battery operators are already supplying back-up power to grids at a price competitive with gas power plants, meaning gas will be used less. British independent Carlton Power dropped plans for an 800 million pound ($997 million) gas power plant in Manchester, northern England, in 2016. MODELS UNDER SCRUTINYDevelopers can no longer use financial modelling that assumes gas power plants are used constantly throughout their 20-year-plus lifetime, analysts said. Many countries world-wide, but especially in Europe, provide payments for standby power plants through capacity markets. In Europe, 40 million electric vehicles are expected by 2030, capable of displacing around one third of the region's gas power capacity, according to Kaluza.

Persons: Andrew Boyers, Carlton Power, Keith Clarke, Clarke, Carlton, Nigel Scott, Banks, Simon Virley, Helen Sanders, Sanders, Carlton's Clarke, Sarah McFarlane, Susanna Twidale, Simon Webb, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Global Energy Monitor, Power Ventures, Carlton, Carlton Power, Reuters, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Investors, Electricity, KPMG, Union, Octopus Energy, Thomson Locations: Finedon, Britain, Europe, United States, New Jersey, Manchester, England, London

☆ Cable makers are green investing’s dark horses
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Lisa Jucca | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

An electrical power pylon with high-voltage power lines is seen next to wind turbines near Weselitz, Germany November 18, 2022. Moving away from fossil fuels will require laying thousands of new and stronger power lines carrying electricity from source to end users. Putting the additional earnings on Prysmian’s expected EBITDA multiple for 2026 of 8 times would generate an additional enterprise value of 2 billion euros, nearly 20% above today’s 11.6 billion euros. One potential snag is that cable makers’ annual capacity for high-voltage cables is currently only 6 billion euros per year. The volume of high-voltage cable orders has risen to more than 10 billion euros last year from around 3 billion euros in 2019, according to industry and analyst estimates.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Prysmian, George Hay, Streisand Neto Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, International Energy Agency, JPMorgan, Reuters Breakingviews, Thomson Locations: Weselitz, Germany, Europe, North America, Britain, Denmark, China

☆ Biden’s offshore wind target slipping out of reach as projects struggle
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Nichola Groom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The 2030 target, unveiled shortly after Biden took office, is central to Biden's broader plan to decarbonize the U.S. economy by 2050. The energy research firm expects 21 GW of offshore wind along U.S. shores in 2030, breaking 30 GW by 2032. Still, offshore wind developers including Orsted have said the IRA’s subsidies are insufficient for projects to thrive in the current environment, and are lobbying the administration for additional concessions. The nation currently has just two pilot-scale offshore wind farms capable of producing 42 megawatts of electricity. Stephanie McClellan, executive director of the offshore wind advocacy group Turn Forward, said making sure the first fleet of projects succeeds was more important than a particular timeline.

Persons: Brian Snyder, Joe Biden’s, Biden, Kris Ohleth, It's, Samantha Woodworth, Wood Mackenzie, Michael Brown, France's, it's, Kelly Penot, Rousseau, Orsted, Michael Kikukawa, Samah Shaiq, Shaiq, Doreen Harris, NYSERDA, Elizabeth Mahony, Stephanie McClellan, Nichola Groom, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, BP, Shell, Companies, Developers, Ocean Winds, Reuters, Biden, U.S . Department of Energy, DOE, New York State Energy Research, Development Authority, New York State Department of Public Service, Equinor, Orsted . Massachusetts Department of Energy, Office of Energy, Environmental Affairs, New, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, Thomson Locations: Rhode, U.S, North American, Massachusetts, Gulf of Mexico, Europe, Asia, China, United Kingdom, New Jersey, New York, Orsted .

Demand for carbon credits is on track to fall in 2023, according to two of the top data providers. Nestle, which has also not disclosed its spending on offsets, said it would stop using carbon offsets and was seeking other routes to net zero. Until this year, the voluntary carbon market had grown as more companies came under shareholder pressure to adopt net zero policies. SECOND THOUGHTSFor the carbon markets, another issue is that regulators and carbon market advisory bodies are limiting the scope of their use by companies. "You need to reduce emissions and that's how you will be judged in the market when you're disclosing your carbon emissions."

Persons: Elizabeth Frantz, Gucci, Renat Heuberger, Stephen Donofrio, certifier Verra, EasyJet, Jane Ashton, Ashton, Naomi Swickard, Verra, Zimbabwe's, Steve Wentzel, Wentzel, Kristian Rönn, Rob Hayward, Susanna Twidale, Sarah McFarlane, Barbara Lewis Organizations: New England Forestry Foundation, REUTERS, Nestle, Reuters, Marketplace, Shell, Boston Consulting, Offset, GEO, Verra, Carbon, Investments, United Nations, Voluntary, Initiative, EU, KLM, Companies, Thomson Locations: Hersey, New Hampton , New Hampshire, U.S, Kenya, Pole, Stockholm, Ghana

☆ Einride: 2023 CNBC Disruptor 50
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Cnbc.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Swedish startup Einride is among those looking to swap out the diesel engines that currently dominate the industry in favor of fleets of autonomous electric vehicles . Just as electric vehicles are gaining popularity among consumers, so too are they catching on in the commercial trucking realm. Before Tesla, Renault Trucks, owned by Volvo, and Daimler, also produced and delivered electric heavy-duty trucks. Only 0.1% of heavy-duty trucks sold in Europe were zero-emission in 2021, according to BloombergNEF estimates. Electric trucks are also facing competition from hydrogen-powered vehicles, which boast quick refueling and a longer driving range, unlike electric vehicles.

☆ Amazon is the 500-pound gorilla in a room full of puppies when it comes to corporate buying of wind and solar power
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

In 2022, Amazon bought 10.9 gigawatts of clean power, making it the largest corporate buyer of renewable power in the world, according to data from the market research company BloombergNEF. It's also more than four times the amount of clean energy that the second-largest purchaser of clean power, Facebook parent company Meta , bought in 2022. Since 2019, Amazon has scaled from having one gigawatt of renewable energy to more than 20 gigawatts of publicly announced renewable power. Amazon is focused on building new wind and solar projects, Daitch told CNBC. But that's really more of a bridging solution and not our core strategy, which is around enabling new wind and solar projects," Daitch said.

☆ China doesn’t want US cars like Ford and General Motors. That’s a big problem for their futures.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

America has a problem: China — the world's largest car market — doesn't want its vehicles. In 2022, data shows Ford and General Motors' car sales in China each dropped more than 20% from the year before. My colleagues Alexa St. John and Nora Naughton break down how the future of US automakers hinges on China. Although Google founder Larry Page's flying car company Kittyhawk majorly flopped, it left us with some interesting vehicles. Hop aboard to see all the funky flying car models here.

☆ Low-Carbon Electricity Expected to Cover New Power Demand in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Dieter Holger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

A surge of clean electricity is set to cover new power demand globally this year, bringing within reach the Paris-aligned sustainable energy goals set by the International Energy Agency. Historically, rising electricity demand has been met by burning more fossil fuels, such as coal and gas, but from 2023 additional renewable energy capacity should be available to supply almost all new power demand, said London-based environmental nonprofit Ember on Wednesday. Last year’s record high of 12.4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases from the global power sector is likely to be the peak. The share of global electricity generated by low-carbon emission sources—including wind, solar, biomass and nuclear—reached a record high of 39%. The nonprofit’s data covers 78 countries representing 93% of global electricity demand.

☆ Sustainable Aviation Fuel No Quick Fix to Greening Air Travel
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Dieter Holger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Oscar the Grouch is United Airlines’ pitchman for a new advertising campaign touting the environmental benefits of jet fuel made from waste. It can cut emissions by up to 80% compared with conventional jet fuel, depending on the feedstock used. First, the sustainably derived fuel is typically two to four times as expensive as conventional jet fuel. Globally, jet fuel cost can be volatile but was around $2.76 a gallon as of March 3, according to the International Air Transport Association. Hydrogen’s energy density makes it more promising as a jet fuel.

Several climate scenarios suggest that to limit global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average, the world needs to be investing $4 in renewable energy for every $1 invested in fossil fuels by 2030. In 2021, bank financing for energy supply totalled $1.9 trillion, just over $1 trillion of which went to fossil fuels and $842 billion to low carbon energy projects and companies, according to the report. The bank financing ratio, of 81 cents to $1, was below the global energy supply investment ratio of 90 cents to $1. Individual banks' financing ratios varied. The report's findings differ from another study published by environmental groups last month which said the share of bank financing going to renewables had stagnated.

☆ Europe’s now dealing with an oversupply of natural gas after hoarding it for months before winter
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The benchmark price for natural gas futures has cratered about 28% this year, and it's trading roughly 85% cheaper than record highs reached in August. At that time, natural gas was costing buyers about 10 times more than usual ahead of the winter months. As a key energy supplier to Europe, many feared that Russia would cut off natural gas flows in retaliation to Western sanctions. Europe enjoyed its third hottest January ever last month, meaning people used less heating and thus less natural gas. A former Gazprom official told Reuters this week that all the years of work to build up Russia's natural gas exports have become moot.

☆ China doesn't need to sell a single car in the US to dominate the American electric car market
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Chinese carmakers have a massive, domestic EV battery supply chain to lean on. That's a huge advantage for those companies in the global market. And given the number of Chinese buyers, those sales made up about two-thirds of the global EV market. EV companies like Geely, Xpeng, Li Auto, NIO, and more are gaining traction. Even if others catch up, China will continue to dominate global EV sales this year, according to GlobalData.

☆ Electric vehicles accounted for 10% of global auto sales last year — this could quadruple by 2030
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Electric vehicles accounted for 10% of global auto sales in 2022, preliminary research shows. In the near term, however, there are some signs of slowing demand for electric vehicles in the US. The uptick helped electric vehicles achieve a roughly 10% global market share in the automotive industry for the first time, WSJ reported. CBInsights Auto and Mobility Trends estimated that its global market share could reach 22% by 2030. The Biden Administration, which included a $7,500 tax credit for purchasing an electric vehicle in last year's Inflation Reduction Act, is aiming for half of US vehicle sales to be electric by 2030.

☆ The race to make electric cars cheaper is making electric cars more expensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Electric cars aren't exactly the most affordable right now. The world of batteries influences your EV's price tagAutomakers are pouring more than $515 billion into all-electric lineups over the next several years. Mercedes is only making newly launched cars electric starting in 2025. Scaling up will inherently make electric cars less expensive over time. But, driving costs back down, he says: "The lithium prices will trigger more supply to enter the market."

☆ After a Bumpy Year, Renewable Energy Looks Poised for Boom Times
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Dieter Holger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +9 min

The future has never been brighter for renewable energy, as some of the snags that kept wind and solar production from going full throttle this year seem poised to ease. What is more, by early 2025, the IEA said it expects renewable energy to be the largest source of electricity in the global power mix, surpassing coal. Driving the IEA’s rosier outlook: First is the global energy crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that led European nations to try to build more renewable energy capacity within their borders to improve their energy security and replace Russian fuel imports. But the climate-and-spending bill’s support for growth of the solar industry should reverse the recent spikes in PPA costs, he said. GridsLong waits for permits and permissions to build new grid infrastructure remain a challenge to getting more renewable energy.

☆ Electric vehicle sales hit a tipping point in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Bloomberg includes plug-in hybrids in its count of “electric vehicles,” but a large majority are purely battery-powered models. It’s unclear exactly why 5% seems to mark the point where EV sales really take off. The Mustang Mach-E, which hit the market in in 2021, was the first electric vehicle to take a notable chunk of Tesla’s still-dominant EV market share. The act, passed this year, changes the rules around which electric vehicles are eligible for consumer tax credits. Given their popularity and already high sales, incentive rules could help push EV sales significantly higher.

☆ East-West battleground will shift from fossil fuels to metals
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Lisa Jucca | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MILAN, Dec 23 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The global trade war will shift from fossil fuels to metals and raw materials. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine highlighted the risk of relying on autocratic states for energy. Europe needs to cumulatively spend $5.3 trillion on clean energy projects by 2050. That requires a sixfold increase in the global production of copper, lithium, graphite, nickel and some rare earths by 2040, International Energy Agency estimates show. It refines 58% of lithium produced globally, 65% of cobalt and over one-third of nickel and copper.

Search resuls for: "BloombergNEF"

25 mentions found