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The promising salt battery is officially in mass production. The battery is made with salt instead of lithium, making it cheaper and much easier to scale than current batteries.
The salt batteries are particularly promising as a kind of buffer tank for wind and solar farms, or as a backup for data centers. The batteries are made by the American Natron Energy and the factory is even in Holland. Holland, Michigan, where from now on 600 megawatts of storage capacity must be created every year. The major advantage of salt batteries is the raw material: salt is cheap and widely available. Furthermore, aluminum and iron are needed, which are also widely available in the US. This means that the batteries can be developed without hassle about international raw material prices. According to Natron, this can also be done very quickly and it would be cheaper than traditional lithium-ion batteries. More benefits: more sustainable and faster The salt batteries also last much longer than lithium-ion. Natron claims that its batteries last 50,000 deep charge cycles, while lithium only lasts 3,500 times. The salt batteries do not need to cool down between charges to prevent damage or wear. Moreover, little can go wrong, because salt is not easily flammable. Moreover, they can be loaded very heavily, and are therefore full in 5 to 15 minutes, while large lithium batteries can take several hours, especially without special cooling measures. As for cooling: the salt batteries would also be usable from -20 to 50 degrees Celsius, while lithium is a bit more finicky. Particularly suitable as a 'buffer vessel' There are also disadvantages: the energy density is even lower than with lithium-ion. In other words, you need more battery to store the same amount of energy. That's not attractive for portable devices and cars, but it doesn't matter if you just want to use the battery for a lot of energy storage. The attractive characteristics of the battery make it particularly suitable for situations where lithium is currently in short supply. So for energy storage: next to a large solar park or wind farm, the salt batteries can quickly store a lot of energy, so that it can be supplied back to the grid just as quickly later. That is ideal, because then you smooth out the peaks and valleys of green energy. The battery is full when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing, and supplies energy when it is dark and we need power. The startup Aquabattery is also working on a salt battery in the Netherlands. That company is still in the testing phase. But this first factory is also a kind of test for Natron, which should form the blueprint for many more factories that will make many more of these types of batteries. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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Russia conducted a massive strike on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure across the country on Wednesday, the local authorities have said, confirming damage to several facilities.
Moscow has yet no comment on the reported long-range attacks. Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko said in a Facebook post that Moscow attacked power generation and transmission facilities in Poltava, Kirovograd, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Vinnitsa Regions, as well as the Kiev-controlled part of Russia’s Zaporozhye Region. The minister also urged people to save energy. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky confirmed the strikes, noting that the attack also took place in Kiev Region. He claimed that the barrage included more than 50 missiles and 20 drones targeting infrastructure, adding that emergency services were dealing with the aftermath on the ground. The Ukrainian Air Force claimed to have shot down 39 missiles and almost all of the drones. National power grid operator Ukrenergo said, “there has been damage to power-generating facilities,” adding that equipment at one site in the central region was affected. Calling the development “another extremely difficult night for the Ukrainian energy industry,” power grid operator DTEK said Russia attacked three of its thermal power plants, adding that “equipment has been seriously damaged.” Transport operator Ukrainian Railways reported an attack on the “civilian railway infrastructure” in the Kiev-controlled city of Kherson, which damaged the tracks and the station, causing traffic disruptions. Maksim Kozitsky, the head of the military administration of Lviv Region, said one of the attacks targeted a local underground natural gas storage and a thermal power plant. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said last week that the recurring Russian strikes have disrupted half of the country’s energy system. Moscow first began targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in autumn 2022, in response to what it called the terrorist bombing of the Crimean Bridge in October of that year. While Kiev initially denied responsibility, it later acknowledged its role in the attack, saying it was intended to undermine Russian logistics. Moscow insists that the strikes are only aimed at military targets and facilities that support their operations and never at the civilian population. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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There is no need for an international investigation into the explosions on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 natural gas pipelines, Sweden’s Foreign Ministry has told RIA Novosti news agency.
Last week, China's deputy envoy to the UN, Geng Shuang, called for a probe into the September 2022 blasts that ruptured the pipelines, which were built to deliver Russian gas to Germany and the rest of Europe. Countries should work together on an investigation “to bring the perpetrators to justice in order to prevent the reoccurrence of similar incidents,” Geng said. When asked about Beijing’s proposal by RIA Novosti on Friday, the Swedish Foreign Ministry insisted that “there is no need for an international investigation. It’s going to achieve nothing.” “An investigation into the incidents was carried out by the Swedish authorities in accordance with the fundamental principles of independence, impartiality and the rule of law. Other national investigations are still ongoing,” the ministry stated. Sweden conducted its own probe as the explosions on the Nord Stream pipelines occurred in the country’s exclusive economic zone. Germany and Denmark carried out separate inquiries. However, in February, the Swedish and Danish investigations were aborted. Stockholm said it had come to the conclusion that the case did not fall under Swedish jurisdiction, while Copenhagen concluded that “there was deliberate sabotage” of the pipelines, but found insufficient grounds to pursue criminal proceedings. Russia is carrying out its own investigation into the Nord Stream blasts despite the refusal of Western nations to cooperate. Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov said earlier that Moscow had sent more than a dozen requests for legal assistance to Germany, Denmark, Finland, Switzerland and Sweden, but only received a single formal reply from Copenhagen. Russian President Vladimir Putin and other officials suggested previously that the pipelines were targeted by the US or on Washington’s behalf. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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China’s deputy envoy to the UN has called for an international probe into the bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, adding that Russia would be involved in such an investigation.
“With the situation standing where it is, one cannot help but suspect a hidden agenda behind the opposition to an international investigation, while lamenting the potential cover-up and loss of quantities of compelling evidence,” China’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Geng Shuang, said on Friday, according to the Xinhua news agency. “We reiterate our call for the early launch of a UN-led international investigation to bring the truth to light for the international community,” Geng continued, adding that Western nations should “actively communicate and cooperate with Russia and jointly investigate the incident.” Nord Stream 1 and 2 each comprised two separate pipelines, linking Russia and Germany. Three out of the four lines were destroyed in a series of explosions near the Danish island of Bornholm in September 2022, severing Germany’s energy ties to Russia and leaving its gas-dependent economy reliant on more expensive American liquefied natural gas. Germany, Sweden, and Denmark all opened investigations into the attack, but Sweden and Denmark closed their inquiries in February. Swedish investigators published no conclusions, while the Danish team concluded that “there was deliberate sabotage,” but declined to blame the attack on anyone. China and Russia have demanded an international investigation into the bombings since last year. However, the UN Security Council rejected a Russian request for such a probe last March, with Washington’s deputy envoy to the UN, Robert Wood, accusing Russia of trying to “discredit the work of ongoing national investigations.” On Saturday, a spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry appeared to reject Geng’s proposal, telling Russia’s TASS news agency that an “investigation is already being conducted by the German Public Prosecutor General’s Office.” Absent any official conclusions, two competing theories about the bombings have emerged. According to reports in the Western mainstream media, a team of Ukrainian commandos used a rented yacht to transport explosives to the blast sites, with the CIA and European intelligence agencies being made aware of the plot several months beforehand but ultimately failing to stop it. American journalist Seymour Hersh has said that US President Joe Biden ordered the CIA to blow up the pipelines. Citing sources in the intelligence community, Hersh has claimed that CIA divers working with the Norwegian Navy planted remotely-triggered bombs on the lines in the summer of 2022, using a NATO exercise in the region as cover. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he “fully agrees” with Hersh’s conclusions. Russian Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov, who is leading Moscow’s investigation into the blasts, said last month that “everyone knows perfectly well who did it,” and that “the tracks undoubtedly lead beyond the Atlantic,” – an apparent reference to the US. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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As the global demand for solar panels soars, so does the demand for silver – a key component in the manufacturing of photovoltaic (PV) panels.
Solar installations are breaking records worldwide in both volume and low price, according to Bloomberg NEF. Installations were up 64% from 2022 to 2023, to 413 gigawatts. Leading the charge is China, which added 240 gigawatts in 2023 alone. Last year photovoltaics consumed 142 million ounces of silver, or 13.8% of total silver usage worldwide, up from nearly 5% in 2014, according to the Silver Institute. The durability and high electrical conductivity of silver make it attractive for many industrial uses, particularly electronics. But in the past 10 years the solar industry’s share of global silver has almost tripled. Not only are solar installations multiplying, but silver use per solar panel is growing, too, by a factor of more than two. More silver content makes solar cells more efficient. Bloomberg estimates that by 2030, solar panels will consume about 20% of total silver demand given trend projections. Despite rising demand from solar, the supply of silver has not risen in recent years. Primary silver mines produce only about 28% of the metal, according to a 2023 report. The other 72% of silver production comes as a by-product of lead, zinc, copper and gold projects. New silver mines are not coming online even though geopolitical disruptions, including the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, have strained the supply chain. Even with the heightened demand for silver, the price today – around $22/oz, USD — is where it was 10 years ago, having traded in a narrow range over that period, between $13.70 and $29.42. Many variables may affect the price, including, among other factors, interest rates, inflation rates, supply forecasts, geopolitical events, and costs of production. Technological innovations may, in the long-term, take some pressure off the silver demand. Supply projections are all based on current PV technology. But what if the technology changes over the next several years? One such technology, based on a mineral called perovskite, could eventually eliminate the need for silver in solar panels. Perovskite solar cell technology, discovered in Japan about 10 years ago, is advancing rapidly. Still, it is unlikely we will see the PV market dramatically switching over from silicon any time soon. Other advances are also underway. Senior scientist Kai Zhu with the National Research Energy Laboratory, and his colleague, Tao Xu, a chemistry professor at Northern Illinois University, have discovered a cheaper and more readily available material. A nickel-doped graphite layer combined with a bismuth-indium alloy layer can be painted onto the perovskite device at mild temperatures and at atmospheric pressure. The new materials may replace silver (or gold) in future solar cells. Technology substitution could help dampen the stress on the global silver supply. It seems, though, that for the near and medium term, silver will remain a crucial component of PVs, and its use, pricing, recycling, and other approaches will need to be employed. Silver demand from solar energy will need to be more carefully integrated into markets, mine and processing investment, and solar pricing. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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French purchases of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia have increased by a massive 75% since the beginning of 2024 compared to the same period a year ago, Politico reported on Thursday, citing data provided by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
In the first quarter of this year, imports of Russian LNG by the EU’s second-biggest economy reportedly amounted to €600 million in monetary terms – more than any other member of the bloc. France topped the table in terms of both total volumes imported in 2024, which amounted to 1.5 million tons, and the surge in purchases versus the same period last year, when imports totalled 882,209 tons. Following the beginning of the conflict with Ukraine and subsequent sanctions imposed on Moscow by Brussels, the EU sought to reduce its energy dependence on Russia. Russian gas supplies had previously made up nearly half of all the bloc’s gas imports. Gas has not been targeted by the EU’s sanctions on Moscow, which banned seaborne exports of Russian oil and significantly narrowed the scope of trade between Russia and the bloc overall. However, gas supplies from Russia to the bloc have seen a sharp drop due to the restrictions and the September 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines. The EU also unveiled a plan to end the bloc’s dependence on fossil imports from Russia by 2027 shortly after the launch of Russia’s military campaign against Ukraine. ommenting on the impressive increase in France’s gas imports from Russia despite the bloc’s official stance on the issue, an unnamed French Energy Ministry official told Politico that it “isn’t an easy topic.” “If we continue to pay for gas we do not import, there is no point,” they added, referring to long-term contracts signed by French oil and gas major TotalEnergies. Last year, TotalEnergies СEO Patrick Pouyanne said the company would purchase the chilled gas from Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 project when it is launched due to contractual liabilities. The enterprise is being developed by private energy giant Novatek. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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Sweden's Maritime Authority issued a warning about two leaks in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, the day after a leak on the nearby Nord Stream 2 pipeline was discovered that prompted Denmark to restrict shipping and impose a small no fly zone. Denmark's armed forces released a video showing bubbles boiling up to the surface of the sea. The largest gas leak had caused a surface disturbance of well over 1 km (0.6 mile) in diameter, the armed forces said. "Today we faced an act of sabotage, we don't know all the details of what happened, but we see clearly that it's an act of sabotage, related to the next step of escalation of the situation in Ukraine," Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said at the opening of a new pipeline between Norway and Poland.
Berlin has formed the opinion that a loss of pressure in three natural gas pipelines between Russia and Germany on Monday was not a coincidence, but a “targeted attack” from either Ukraine or Russia, the Tagesspiegel newspaper has reported. Pressure in one of the Nord Stream 2 lines dropped sharply overnight, followed by both of Nord Stream 1's on Monday afternoon. Denmark announced that a gas leak was spotted off the coast of Bornholm Island in the Baltic Sea and closed the area for maritime traffic, but could not confirm if this was what caused the situation. According to TagesSpiegel, the German government and agencies investigating the incident “can’t imagine a scenario that isn't a targeted attack,” according to an anonymous source familiar with their assessments. “Everything speaks against a coincidence.” The outlet explained that a deliberate attack on the bottom of the sea has to involve special forces, navy divers or a submarine. Berlin is reportedly examining two possible scenarios. In the first, Ukraine or “Ukraine-affiliated forces” could be behind the attack. The second option is that Russia did it as a “false flag,” to make Ukraine look bad and drive EU energy prices even higher. With Nord Stream offline since late August, Russian gas can only be delivered to Germany and central Europe via the older pipelines going through Poland and Ukraine, Tagesspiegel noted. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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