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☆ Microsoft signs deal with Swedish partner to remove 3.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Microsoft signed a deal to remove to permanently remove 3.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide with Swedish energy company Stockholm Exergi, the companies announced on Monday. The contract with Microsoft is the world's largest carbon removal deal to date, Stockholm Exergi said in a statement. Carbon dioxide released from those materials during incineration will be removed from the gas emitted from the plant, liquified for transport and permanently stored underground. Stockholm Exergi is selling carbon removal certificates, equivalent to 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, to help companies achieve their net-zero emissions goals. "Leveraging existing biomass power plants is a crucial first step to building worldwide carbon removal capacity," said Brian Marrs, Microsoft's senior director of energy and carbon removal, in a statement.

Persons: Stockholm Exergi, Anders Egelrud, Brian Marrs, Microsoft's Organizations: Microsoft, Stockholm Exergi Locations: Stockholm, Swedish, Europe

☆ Wooden turbine towers could make wind power even greener
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Arya Jyothi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Swedish company Modvion believes it has found a greener alternative — building turbine towers from wood. ModvionAccording to Otto Lundman, co-founder and CEO of Modvion, using wooden towers reduces the lifecycle emissions of a wind turbine by over 25%, and by 90% if you only compare the tower component of the turbine. He adds that if you take into account the carbon dioxide absorbed by trees when they grow, the wooden towers can be considered to store more carbon that they emit. In 2023 the company installed its first commercial two-megawatt unit, a 105-meter-high (345 feet) wooden turbine tower, called Wind of Change, outside Skara, Sweden, for electric utility company Varberg Energi. “But in wind power standards, wood is not really considered for the towers, it’s mostly steel and concrete.

Persons: Modvion, Otto Lundman, Lundman, David Olivegren, Wood, ”, Abbas Kazemi Amiri, Amiri, “, Paul Wennerholm Organizations: CNN, Swedish Energy Agency, Wind Energy, Control, University of Strathclyde, Voodin Blades Locations: Sweden, Skara, University of Strathclyde , Glasgow

Vattenfall, a Swedish energy company, has for years been doing preliminary work for what would be one of the world’s largest offshore wind complexes, in the North Sea off eastern England. Last month, Vattenfall said it would halt the first of three phases of the wind farm complex, the Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone, which is projected to provide power for about four million homes in Britain. The estimated price tag for the three phases has risen to 13 billion pounds, or about $16.6 billion, from £10 billion. “With the new market conditions, it simply doesn’t make sense to continue the project,” Helene Bistrom, head of business area wind at Vattenfall, said during a video presentation. The decision led Vattenfall, which is owned by the Swedish government, to write-down more than $500 million.

Persons: Vattenfall, ” Helene Bistrom Locations: Swedish, North, England, Norfolk, Britain, Vattenfall

☆ EU countries fail to agree energy reforms after coal subsidy clash
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

EU energy ministers meeting in Luxembourg ended talks without a joint stance on the reforms that seek to avoid a repeat of last year's energy crisis, when record-high gas prices left consumers with soaring energy bills. EU countries' ambassadors will take up the negotiations, aiming for a deal this month. Asked about the coal proposal, Swedish Energy Minister Ebba Busch said ensuring Poland, which borders Ukraine, had stable power generation could help it support Ukraine with back-up power. Poland, which gets around 70% of its power from coal, could prolong its support scheme for coal plants, potentially until 2028, under the proposal. EU countries must negotiate the final power market upgrade with the EU Parliament, with the aim to pass the law before EU parliamentary elections next year.

Persons: Ebba Busch, Anna Moskwa, Robert Habeck, Kate Abnett, Tassilo Hummel, Sudip Kar, Giles Elgood, Emelia, Barbara Lewis, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Union, Swedish Energy, Reuters, European Commission, Climate, EU, Thomson Locations: Poland, Belgium, Germany, LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg, Sweden, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Austria, Greece, Spain

☆ Europe approves its $47 billion answer to Biden's CHIPS Act — here's everything that's in it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The initiative, dubbed the European Chips Act, seeks to help the bloc compete with the U.S. and Asia on tech, and secure control over a critical bit of technology behind the world's electronics products and devices. What's in the Chips Act? The European Chips Act is a massive, 43-billion-euro ($47 billion) package of public and private investments that aims to secure its supply chains, avert shortages of semiconductors in the future, and promote investment into the industry. The Chips Act has three main aims: Building large-scale capacity and innovation. "The Chips act puts Europe in the first line of cutting-edge technologies which are essential for our green and digital transitions."

EU energy ministers meeting in Prague will attempt to provide clearer instructions on what the European Commission should propose as the bloc's next emergency energy measure. With gas prices almost 90% higher than a year ago, most EU countries say they want a gas price cap, but disagree on its design. Those discussions "went in all directions", one EU diplomat said - referring to the numerous options being floated, including a price cap on all gas, pipeline gas, or just gas used to produce electricity. Some countries, including Germany, Europe's biggest gas consumer, oppose a broad gas price cap, fearing it would leave Europe struggling to attract supplies from price-competitive global markets this winter. Norway's energy minister Terje Aasland, who joined Wednesday's meeting along with other European non-EU members, said his country "doesn't recommend" a gas price cap.

☆ 6 top battery players vying to power the $27.7 billion electric-airplane business
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Andrew Moseman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

While today's technology doesn't allow for battery-powered long-range airliners, plenty of companies are working on short- and medium-range electric aircraft. The global market for electric aircraft is estimated to have reached $7.9 billion in 2021, according to market research company MarketsandMarkets. It's projected to reach $27.7 billion by 2030, and building the batteries to power those aircraft could be a billion-dollar market by 2030. Electric Power SystemsCEO: Nathan MillecamHQ: North Logan, UtahNASA's X-57 Maxwell, meant to prove the potential of electric flight, uses Epic batteries built by Electric Power Systems. Those lithium-ion cells need to become more efficient, however, for Eviation to reach its goal of flying hundreds of miles on only electric power.

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