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☆ A carbon sequestration company and solar software startup recently raised a combined $7 million. Check out the two pitch decks they used to secure the cash.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Two British climate tech companies have raised a collective £5.5 million, around $7 million, in early-stage funding to sequester CO2 in concrete and digitize solar management in real estate. A mineralization process occurs when it is mixed with concrete, storing the CO2 permanently. The startup's end-to-end AI-driven platform helps real estate owners assess, install, and monetize solar energy, tackling traditionally complex and manual processes. The pre-Seed funding, from Octopus Ventures and impact investor Aenu, will be used to roll out the product. Check out the 11-slide pitch deck below:Metris EnergyMetris EnergyMetris EnergyMetris EnergyMetris EnergyMetris EnergyMetris EnergyMetris EnergyMetris EnergyMetris Energy

Persons: Dalraj Nijjar, Nijjar, Natasha Jones, William Whatley, Metris, Jones Organizations: Business, Zacua Ventures, Siam Cement Group, Metris Energy, Energy, Octopus Ventures, Energy Metris Energy Locations: Nottingham, London, Paris

☆ Commodity markets are in a 'super squeeze' — and higher prices could be here to stay
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

A commodity "super squeeze" is denoted by higher prices driven by supply constraints more than a robust growth in demand, he explained. "If it's a supply constraint that's driving high commodity prices, it's a very different story for global growth," he told CNBC via Zoom. Higher prices as a result of a super squeeze are "not as positive." The super squeeze could be deeper, or more prolonged if geopolitical, climate change or energy transition related supply disruptions are larger than expected. He highlighted that extreme weather events and geopolitics have also impacted the agricultural and energy commodity baskets.

Persons: Li Xin, Paul Bloxham, Bloxham, Brian Luke S, Dow, HSBC's Bloxham, Ian Waldie, Brian Luke, Matty Zhao Organizations: Technology, Getty, Visual China, HSBC, CNBC, Paul Bloxham HSBC, Energy, Commission, Commodities, Bloomberg, Dow Jones, of America Securities Locations: SUIXI, CHINA, Anhui, Suixi County, Huaibei City, Anhui Province, China, Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, Red, Australia, Asia, Pacific

☆ Goldman Sachs likes this under-the-radar European sector, naming 2 stocks with almost 40% upside
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Amala Balakrishner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Europe's power grid is in dire need of an upgrade, Goldman Sachs says, naming two stocks it expects to benefit from the network's expansion and modernization. "Power grids sit in the sweet spot of electrification: besides an accelerating top line, we highlight attractive risk-adjusted returns, which are usually set on a 'cost plus' basis." Stock picks Goldman Sachs said the way to play this theme is through pure plays and green energy majors. The green energy industry has had a tough time of it since 2021 as global central banks hiked interest rates in an effort to combat inflation. "We believe power network activities represent an incremental leg in our re-rating thesis for Green Energy Majors," Goldman's analysts added, naming Enel and SSE as buy-rated stocks.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Alberto Gandolfi, Stock, Goldman, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Clean Energy ETF, Energy Index, Green Energy, Milan Stock Exchange, London Stock Exchange, Global Renewable Energy Locations: Europe

☆ Uranium prices could rally past 16-year highs as the world's largest producer runs short
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

And that's about to send uranium prices, already at 16-year highs, on another rally. Sulfuric acid is critical in the extraction process as it is used to leach and recover uranium from raw ore. Kazatomprom is the world's leading uranium miner, accounting for over one-fifth of the world's production. Kazakhstan also produces 43% of the world's uranium supply, the largest slice of the global market for the heavy metal. Around 60 nuclear power reactors are under construction in 17 countries and another 110 are in the planning stages. Citibank expects uranium prices to average $110 per pound in 2025.

Persons: Guy Keller, Uranium, Jefferies, Janos Kummer Organizations: Corbis, Tribeca, Citibank, Getty Locations: India, Pallava, Kazakh, Kazakhstan, Canada, France, Niger, Tribeca, Asia, China, Slovakia

☆ Copper could skyrocket over 75% to record highs by 2025 — brace for deficits, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-03 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Copper prices are set to soar more than 75% over the next two years amid mining supply disruptions and higher demand for the metal, fueled by the push for renewable energy. In a December report, the investment bank forecast that the higher renewable energy targets would boost copper demand by extra 4.2 million tons by 2030. This would potentially push copper prices to $15,000 a ton in 2025, the report added, way higher than the record peak of $10,730 per ton scaled in March last year. "This assumes a very soft landing in the U.S. and Europe, an earlier global growth recovery, significant China easing," Citi analysts said, while also emphasizing on continued investments in the energy transition sector. A growing economy tends to boost demand for copper, which is used in electrical equipment and industrial machinery.

Persons: Matty Zhao Organizations: U.S, BMI, Fitch Solutions, U.S . Federal Reserve, Bank of America Securities, CNBC, Citibank, Citi Locations: Huai'an, Jiangsu Province, China, Asia, Pacific, U.S, Europe

In this year's gleaming host city of Dubai, billboards advertise the benefits of wind energy, climate ambition and Exxon Mobil's (XOM.N) carbon capture projects. This is seen by some as a sign of success and by others as a dangerous distraction from the business of combating climate change as over nearly three decades global oil demand, carbon emissions and temperatures have marched steadily upward. "It's a lobby fest where polluters can schmooze with politicians, all under the guise of tackling climate change," Pascoe Sabido, a researcher at the Corporate Europe Observatory, which scrutinizes corporate influence on policy-making, said. Delegates walk at the Dubai's Expo City during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, December 4, 2023. For daily comprehensive coverage on COP28 in your inbox, sign up for the Reuters Sustainable Switch newsletter here.

Persons: Exxon Mobil's, Pascoe Sabido, Alden Meyer, Meyer, Lisa Jacobson, Jacobson, Thaier, We're, –, Daniel Lund, Joko Widodo, COP28, Jake Schmidt, Darren Woods, General Antonio Guterres, Al Gore, Valerie Volcovici, Katy Daigle, Kate Abnett, Sarah McFarlane, Bernadette Christina, Richard Valdmanis, Alexander Smith Organizations: Exxon, Corporate, Observatory, United Nations, Business Council, Sustainable Energy, Global Strategic Communications Council, Change, United Arab Emirates, REUTERS, Natural Resources Defense, Exxon Mobil, Drillers, U.S, Reuters, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Dubai, Berlin, The Hague, COP28, United Arab, Fiji, Indonesia, China, UAE

A general view of a wind turbine at Westmill Wind Farm & Solar Park, which is owned by the community and supports local renewable energy, at Watchfield, near Swindon, Britain, September 24, 2021. "More than 110 countries have joined already," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the COP28 summit on Thursday of the renewables pledge. A draft of the renewable energy pledge, seen by Reuters, called for "the phase down of unabated coal power" and ending the financing of new coal-fired power plants. Africa receives just 2% of global investments in renewable energy. Somalia has the highest onshore wind power potential of any African country, yet one of the lowest electrification rates in the continent, according to the International Energy Agency.

Persons: Andrew Boyers, Ursula von der Leyen, Najib Ahmed, Kate Abnett, Richard Valdmanis, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, European Union, United Arab, BP, Reuters, International Energy Agency, ___, Thomson Locations: Watchfield, Swindon, Britain, United States, United Arab Emirates, China, India, South Africa, Vietnam, Australia, Japan, Canada, Chile, Barbados, COP28, Africa, Somalia

Greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels are the biggest cause of climate change. "We have a world which has more fossil fuels than ever," said Ani Dasgupta, president of the World Resources Institute, a climate NGO. U.S. officials and others are hopeful a recent climate deal between the U.S. and China may also set a positive tone for the talks. Another test is whether wealthy nations announce money for the fund at COP28 - to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. "Speaking from previous experience, unfortunately most of the global agreements, most of the global climate related pledges went uncompleted," said Najib Ahmed, National Consultant at Somalia's Climate Ministry.

Persons: Sultan al, Jaber, ADNOC, Ani Dasgupta, Narendra Modi, Britain's King Charles, Joe Biden, Gayane, Najib Ahmed, Valerie Volcovici, Josie Kao Organizations: OPEC, United Nations, International Energy Agency, BBC, World Resources Institute, Indian, European Union, Reuters, U.S, FINANCE, EU, Climate Ministry, “, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, WASHINGTON, BRUSSELS, Dubai, UAE, U.S, China, India

☆ Take Five: Warming up this winter
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

1\BUCK UP, IT'S DECEMBERThe dollar is heading for its weakest monthly performance for a year, with a loss so far of 2.7%. On Thursday, China releases official manufacturing PMI data, which last month showed an unexpected contraction, killing momentum for an economic recovery. COP28 gets underway in Dubai and securing an agreement on how to tackle global warming and, crucially, how to pay for it looks as difficult as ever for the near 200 countries and institutions attending. Reuters Graphics5\THE ECB'S BALANCING ACTEuro zone inflation data on Nov. 30 may well confirm a trend of price rises moderating. Policymakers remain wary of any hopes for rate cuts spilling over into increased bank lending and household spending, renewing inflationary pressures.

Persons: Lewis Krauskopf, Kevin Buckland, Naomi Rovnick, Marc Jones, Amanda Cooper, it's, Joshua Roberts, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Christine Lagarde, Pasit Kongkunakornkul, Sumanta Sen, Kripa Jayaram, Vineet Sachdev, Prinz, Toby Chopra Organizations: BUCK, IT'S, Federal Reserve, Reuters, REUTERS, COP28, World Bank, European Central Bank, Thomson Locations: China, Dubai, Lewis, New York, Tokyo, London, Washington , U.S, UAE

U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry shakes hands with his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua before a meeting in Beijing, China July 17, 2023. The countries' top climate envoys, John Kerry and Xie Zhenhua, met in Sunnylands, California on Nov. 4-7 to find common ground ahead of crucial COP28 talks in Dubai starting at the end of the month. It will focus on key areas of cooperation, including abating methane and boosting efficiency and the "circular economy", and exchange information on policies and technologies to reduce emissions. They also committed to advancing "at least five" large-scale cooperation projects in carbon capture, utilisation and storage by the end of the decade. The United States and China agreed that the stocktake should show that "significantly more ambition and implementation" was required to meet the Paris goals and include calls for developed countries to meet their climate financing commitments.

Persons: John Kerry, Xie Zhenhua, Valerie Volcovici, Nancy Pelosi, COP28, David Stanway, Muralikumar Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Dubai, Paris, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights SINGAPORE, United States, Sunnylands , California, Taiwan, Paris

BEIJING (AP) — China and the U.S. have pledged to accelerate their efforts to address climate change ahead of a major U.N. meeting on the issue, making a commitment to take steps to reduce emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases besides carbon dioxide. Cooperation between the world's two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases is considered vital to the success of the U.N. climate talks opening in two weeks in Dubai. A climate expert described the agreement by both countries to include methane in their next climate action plans as “a major step." The U.S. and China also said that they and the United Arab Emirates would host a meeting on methane and other greenhouse gases during the upcoming talks in Dubai. “Methane has been notably absent from China’s previous commitment,” David Waskow, the international climate director at the World Resources Institute, said in a statement.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi, “, ”, ” David Waskow Organizations: BEIJING, U.S, Group, ”, United, World Resources Institute Locations: China, Dubai, Taiwan, Ukraine, Beijing, Washington, U.S, United Arab Emirates

The world-first climate "loss and damage" fund is set to be launched during the United Nations COP28 climate summit to be held Nov. 30-Dec. 12 in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. "The Commissioner is ready to announce substantial financial contribution by the EU and its member states to the loss & damage fund at COP28 in the context of an ambitious outcome at COP28," the European Commission and the UAE's incoming COP28 president said in a joint statement, referring to EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra. Adnan Amin, CEO of the COP28 summit, said the aim was to secure several hundred million U.S. dollars for it by the end of the event. He said he was "hopeful" that the COP28 host, the UAE, would also make a contribution. Countries agreed at last year's U.N. climate talks to launch the climate damage fund, a deal hailed as a breakthrough by more vulnerable, developing nations that have long demanded support to cope with climate-driven damage from drought, floods and rising seas.

Persons: Stephanie Lecocq, Wopke Hoekstra, Adnan Amin, Amin, John Kerry, Washington, Kate Abnett, Bart Meijer, Gareth Jones, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Environmental, Republique, New Global Financial, REUTERS, Rights, European Union, United, EU, European Commission, Finance, Reuters, Bloomberg, Economy, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Rights BRUSSELS, United Nations, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, COP28, EU, UAE, Singapore

☆ COP28 chief, groups, urge tripling renewable capacity by 2030
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Yousef Saba And Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ABU DHABI, Oct 30 (Reuters) - The presidency of next month's COP28 climate summit and two renewable energy organisations on Monday urged governments to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 as part of efforts to stop global warming exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius. Renewable energy capacity needs "to reach more than 11,000 GW" by 2030, the United Arab Emirates' COP28 presidency, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Global Renewables Alliance said in a joint report. Group of 20 nations, among them China, the United States and India, agreed in September to pursue efforts to triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030. However, striking a deal among the nearly 200 countries that attend COP28 meetings will not be easy. They say a renewable energy deal at COP28 must be paired with a commitment to phase out CO2-emitting fossil fuels - a pledge that has faced resistance from Saudi Arabia, Russia and other fossil fuel-reliant economies.

Persons: IRENA, Wopke Hoekstra, al, Jaber, Yousef Saba, Kate Abnett, Deborah Kyvrikosaios Organizations: United Arab, International Renewable Energy Agency, Global Renewables Alliance, Thomson Locations: ABU DHABI, Dubai, Paris, United Arab Emirates, China, United States, India, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Brussels

A general view of GE Renewable Energy wind turbines, part of Pattern Energy’s Western Spirit Wind project, the largest wind project in the U.S., near Encino, New Mexico, U.S., March 15, 2023. Renewable energy funds globally suffered a net outflow of $1.4 billion in the July-September quarter, the biggest ever quarterly outflow, according to LSEG Lipper data. Reuters GraphicsInvestors have been exiting traditional energy funds, too, but the rate has slowed - net outflows reached $438 million in the last quarter compared with $3.32 billion in the previous three months. Reuters GraphicsDemand for exposure to renewable energy had been a major driver of cash flowing into climate-related funds in recent years. Wind projects off Britain, the Netherlands and Norway have been delayed or shelved due to rising costs and supply chain constraints, raising concerns about countries hitting their 2030 renewable energy targets.

Persons: Bing Guan, Denmark's, Madeline Ruid, Ruid, Morningstar, they're, Rich Pontillo, Patturaja, Tommy Reggiori Wilkes, Simon Jessop, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: GE Renewable Energy, REUTERS, Investors, Reuters Graphics, Companies, U.S . Infrastructure, Clean Energy Exchange, Energy, Reuters, Nasdaq, Intelligence, Thomson Locations: U.S, Encino , New Mexico, BENGALURU, LONDON, Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Bengaluru, London

☆ China climate envoy says phasing out fossil fuels 'unrealistic'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( David Stanway | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SINGAPORE, Sept 22 (Reuters) - The complete phasing-out of fossil fuels is not realistic, China's top climate official said, adding that these climate-warming fuels must continue to play a vital role in maintaining global energy security. China is the world's biggest consumer of fossil fuels including coal and oil, and its special climate envoy Xie Zhenhua was responding to comments by ambassadors at a forum in Beijing on Thursday ahead of the COP28 climate meeting in Dubai in November. The stocktake will be at the centre of discussions at the COP28 climate meeting, with campaigners hoping it will create the political will to set clear targets to end coal and oil use. "It is unrealistic to completely phase out fossil fuel energy," said Xie, who will represent China at COP28 this year. At climate talks in Glasgow in 2021, China led efforts to change the language of the final agreement from "phasing out" to "phasing down" fossil fuels.

Persons: Xie Zhenhua, Xie, John Kerry, Nancy Pelosi's, David Stanway, Miral Organizations: Reuters, U.S, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, China, Beijing, Dubai, COP28, Glasgow, United States, Taiwan

☆ To Understand Clean Energy Challenges, We Went to Uzbekistan
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Max Bearak | More About Max Bearak | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

At the center of it allClean energy investments by Masdar could help Uzbekistan, a vast, landlocked country in Central Asia where the population and its energy needs are growing rapidly, rely less on the fossil fuels that make up nearly all of its energy arsenal today. Its government relies entirely on foreign funding to build up its energy infrastructure, however, and will take what it can get. He said he hoped to get countries to agree on a tripling of global renewable energy capacity at the climate talks. Emirati funding of both renewable and fossil energy is playing out elsewhere, too. In Azerbaijan, a recent Adnoc investment in an offshore oil field overshadowed Masdar’s expansion in renewable energy.

Persons: Jaber Organizations: Oil Change Locations: Uzbekistan, Central Asia, Masdar, Al, Azerbaijan, Germany, Japan

☆ Column: US offshore wind goals need policy help to reach potential
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

LITTLETON, Colorado, Aug 31 (Reuters) - The weak showing at the first auction for offshore wind development rights in the Gulf of Mexico highlights the critical role that policymaking must play in making ambitious long-term climate goals compatible with current commercial realities. SMALL SCALE IMPACTOne of the biggest faults of the Gulf of Mexico wind leases is the absence of a viable pathway for wind power generators to profitably sell their power to electricity providers given current market conditions. In contrast to several utilities in the Northeast, which have state-level mandates to purchase certain volumes of power from offshore wind generators, the power systems covering Texas and Louisiana do not allow for similar power purchase agreements to be drawn up. Currently, there is a policy planning chasm between the Gulf Coast's power market systems and the long-term strategies of that region's largest employers and tax payers. But if legislators and corporate planners can recognise they may both gain from the emergence of a vibrant offshore wind energy sector that could cut power sector emissions and generate green hydrogen in abundance, there may be scope for closer collaboration and planning.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Gavin Maguire, Miral Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: LITTLETON , Colorado, Gulf, Mexico, United States, Joe Biden's U.S, Texas, Louisiana

Hawaiian Electric CEO Shelee Kimura received a cash bonus in 2022 based on her performance against 10 measures including profit and customer satisfaction. Wildfire risk mitigation was not on the list, according to the utility’s pay disclosures. Wildfire risk had been a concern for several years before the blaze ripped through Lahaina, a historic resort town in Maui. Idacorp declined to comment on its pay practices and how they relate to wildfire mitigation. “You don’t want a wildfire disaster to be the catalyst for a change in public policy,” said Glazer, who supports linking executive pay to wildfire mitigation.

Persons: Mike Blake, ”, Alison Silverstein, Shelee Kimura, Kimura, “, Michael Cerasoli, Michael Underhill, Brian Buckham, ” Buckham, Idacorp, Larry Glazer, Glazer, Tim McLaughlin, Tom Hals, Peter Henderson, Noeleen Walder, Rich Valdmanis, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Workers, REUTERS, Hawaiian Electric, U.S . Federal Energy Regulatory, Electric, Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization, San Diego Gas &, Global Renewable Energy Income Fund, Reuters, Capital Innovations, SEC, Portland General Electric Co, Boston’s Mayflower Advisors, Thomson Locations: Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, U.S, California, Honolulu, Maui ., Idaho , Oregon, Washington, Idaho

☆ Australia gets U.S. backing for critical minerals industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MELBOURNE, May 22 (Reuters) - Australia has won the support of the United States for development of its critical minerals industry after the two countries reached an agreement to coordinate polices and investment to support the industry's growth. Australia supplies around half of the world's lithium as well as other minerals like rare earths used in batteries for electric cars and defence, and is also setting itself up as a major hydrogen producer. The agreement paves the way for Australian suppliers of these minerals, and renewable energy, to be treated as domestic suppliers under the U.S. Defence Production Act, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sunday. "This is about creating an enormous opportunity for Australia and I can't underline how significant this is," Albanese told press at the Quad Leaders Summit in Hiroshima. The compact will establish climate, clean energy and a shared energy industrial base as a central pillar of the Australia-United States Alliance, they said.

☆ Column: 'Dispatchable' renewables in spotlight after upbeat IEA report: Maguire
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

LITTLETON, Colo., Dec 8 (Reuters) - This week's upbeat renewable energy supply outlook by the International Energy Agency (IEA) contained an important but overlooked lament about the slow roll-out of so-called dispatchable renewable energy sources. In an optimised renewables-based electricity system, dispatchable power sources may only be required in minimal amounts during periods of abundant solar and wind power generation. (A column on the locations of major renewable energy installations is available here.) That statement implies that overall conditions could become more favourable for dispatchable renewable energy sources if their worth was better understood. Ultimately, it may be the utilities that have the biggest direct impact on the prospects for dispatchable energy projects.

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