Most recent 40 articles: Bloomberg Energy Science
 |
From Trump to AI, Bill Gates Sees Climate Impacts for the World - Bloomberg Energy Science (Jun 25) |
|
Jun 25 · The Microsoft co-founder, who is in London for a three-day climate tech conference, spoke with Bloomberg Green for a wide-ranging interview covering topics from artificial intelligence to the US election.
Bill Gates
Businesses hate uncertainty, and if Donald Trump is elected US president later this year, they will have to deal with a lot of it, says Bill Gates. That’s among a few things top of mind for the co-founder of Microsoft Corp., who is in London this week for a three-day conference. Read more ...
|
|
|
|
New Silicon Valley Data Centers Will Ramp Up Electricity Use - Bloomberg Energy Science (Jun 12) |
|
Jun 12 · New data centers planned for Silicon Valley have the potential to add 3.5 gigawatts of demand for electricity, PG&E Corp. said. That’s more than the output of three nuclear power plants.
The San Francisco Bay Area is one of the eight primary data center markets in the US given its proximity to the headquarters of global technology giants that include the likes of Meta Platforms Inc., Alphabet Inc. and Apple Inc. There are more than two dozen projects in the works over the next five years, executives with the California utility said during an investor presentation on Wednesday. More than half of the additional capacity will be located in the San Jose area, PG&E said. Read more ...
|
|
|
|
AI’s Power Needs Means New Nuclear Power Tech Can’t Fail, US Energy Official Says - Bloomberg Energy Science (Jun 4) |
|
Jun 4 · Nuclear Energy Revival:
Surging electricity demand for artificial intelligence and data centers means next-generation nuclear power “can’t fail,” according to a top US Energy Department official.
David Crane, undersecretary for infrastructure at the department, said he’s now “very bullish” on emerging designs for so-called small modular reactors. That’s a significant shift from his earlier stance, when “I didn’t really see” a case for using the technology. Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Moving to Renewables Will Mean Using Less Energy Overall - Bloomberg Energy Science (Jun 4) |
|
Jun 4 · Most of the energy from burning fossil fuels is wasted, which is not the case with solar and wind power. Electric cars and heat pumps increase energy efficiency even more.
Neptune Robotics' hull cleaning robot increases the fuel efficiency of ships.
People don’t want coal, oil or gas. Rather they want the products and services that the energy provides - home heating, public transport or sheets of steel. The distinction is important as we move away from fossil fuels and toward clean energy, because it will mean the world could be consuming less energy in total without losing out the benefits it currently enjoys. Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Battery Startup Verkor Secures Another €1.3 Billion for Plant in France - Bloomberg Energy Science (May 24) |
|
May 24 · Rendering of Verkor’s Gigafactory.
French battery startup Verkor secured more than €1.3 billion ($1.4 billion) in green loans to complete a plant in northern France, helped by President Emmanuel Macron's efforts to attract electric-vehicle investments and compete with the US and China.
The new €1.5 billion factory, under construction at the port of Dunkirk, helps expand a growing EV ecosystem in northern France, Verkor Chief Executive Officer Benoit Lemaignan said Friday in an interview. Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Is Net Zero by 2050 Still Possible? Yes, But It’ll Cost 19% More - Bloomberg Energy Science (May 21) |
|
May 21 · A new BloombergNEF report shows global climate goals are becoming harder to achieve the longer the world remains addicted to fossil fuels.
The sun rises beyond wind turbines at a wind farm in Muras, Spain.
Governments and companies need to spend an extra $34 trillion on the clean energy transition between now and 2050 to reach net-zero emissions, according to BloombergNEF. Read more ...
|
|
|
|
France’s $1.1 Billion Floating Wind Project Eyes Giant Turbines - Bloomberg Energy Science (May 16) |
|
May 16 · Wind turbines sit in the North Sea at the London Array offshore wind farm.
Belgium’s Elicio and Germany’s BayWa r.e. AG plan to build France’s first commercial-scale floating wind farm at a cost of as much as €1 billion ($1.1 billion) by 2031, and they’re counting on struggling Western turbine makers to build the giant windmills they need.
The consortium, which has been awardedBloomberg Terminal the 250-megawatt project by the French government, will install a maximum of 13 turbines off the southern coast of Brittany, Aldrik de Fombelle, head of the Pennavel project, told reporters Thursday. The group will pick a turbine supplier around 2029, and “anticipates” that it ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
First US-Built Boat Servicing Offshore Wind Farms Is Ready to Launch - Bloomberg Energy Science (May 11) |
|
May 11 · The 262-foot Eco Edison will maintain wind turbines along the East Coast.
A new boat the length of a football field, built to help operate US offshore wind farms, will be christened Saturday in New Orleans with Republican and Democratic lawmakers looking on - a show of bipartisan support for an industry that GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump frequently attacks.
The 262-foot Eco Edison, bobbing in the muddy waters of the Mississippi River, is the first US-built vessel for maintaining offshore wind farms. It was built by Danish energy giant Orsted AS and Massachusetts utility Eversource Energy to service their projects in the Northeast and is a sign of the companies’ ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Renewable Sources Provided Record 30% of Electricity Last Year - Bloomberg Energy Science (May 7) |
|
May 7 · The rise in renewables has been driven in large part by solar farms in recent years, the Ember data shows.
The share of global electricity from renewables rose to a record 30% last year as the growth of wind and solar power continued to far exceed that of fossil fuels.
That trend is set to accelerate this year, according to data from energy think-tank Ember. The group expects clean-power growth to more than make up for the overall rise in electricity demand, leading fossil fuel-derived generation to drop 2% in 2024. Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Vestas CEO Says $217 Billion Wind Industry Has Yet to Reach 'Maturity’ - Bloomberg Energy Science (May 7) |
|
May 7 · Wind power currently makes up less than 10% of the global electricity mix, and the industry will continue to face difficulties as it fights to scale.
The nacelle of a wind turbine.
Henrik Andersen is no stranger to crisis.
A decade ago turbine maker Vestas Wind Systems A/S was in trouble when governments pulled back subsidies for renewable power. Andersen was brought in as a board member in 2013, following a record loss in the year prior. He helped restructure the company and returned it to profitability. Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Extreme Weather Is Driving More US Power Outages, Studies Show - Bloomberg Energy Science (May 1) |
|
May 1 · The US experienced twice as many weather-related power outages from 2014 to 2023 as in the previous decade. But they aren’t evenly distributed.
For decades, residents of eastern Queens in New York City have complained that they’re more likely to lose power when extreme weather hits, even as lights in other parts of the city stay on. A new study that looks at power outages across New York state suggests they’re right. Its broader conclusion - that different areas, even within the same neighborhood, can be more vulnerable to power outages - aren’t just limited to New York.
“We’re focusing on New York state, but power outages are a growing problem nationally,” says Nina ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Total CEO Says World Must Adapt to Warming as Oil Thirst Lingers - Bloomberg Energy Science (Apr 26) |
|
Apr 26 · Patrick Pouyanne at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference.
The world could still be using more than 100 million barrels a day of oil by 2040, making it vital to start preparing and adapting for a warmer climate, said TotalEnergies SE Chief Executive Officer Patrick Pouyanne.
The warning from the outspoken 60-year-old Frenchman carries some weight, as under his leadership TotalEnergies is investing $5 billion a year into low-carbon fuels and renewables, while remaining a major supplier of oil and gas. The fact is that “it will take time” to build a clean global energy system that can satisfy the demands of a growing population, Pouyanne said. Read more ...
|
|
|
|
How Wind Giant Vestas Turned Its Fortunes Around - Bloomberg Energy Science (Apr 25) |
|
Apr 25 · “We won't get to carbon neutrality by fooling each other with targets that are not being fulfilled,” Henrik Andersen, chief executive officer of Danish wind energy company Vestas, says on this week’s Zero.
When Henrik Andersen joined Danish wind energy company Vestas in 2013 as a board member, the company was deep in debt and facing an uncertain future.
Vestas, which was founded in 1898, had been an early entrant into the world of wind energy: Spurred on by new US legislation offering tax breaks to wind energy investors in the 1980s, the company was exclusively making wind turbines by 1989. In the 1990s and 2000s, it continued to expand, ultimately selling its technology ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Enphase Sees Soft Solar Market Rebounding Despite Weak Sales - Bloomberg Energy Science (Apr 23) |
|
Apr 23 · Workers install solar panels on the rooftop of a home in Poway, California.
Solar equipment giant Enphase Energy Inc. sees the sluggish US rooftop market rebounding this year even as the company forecast disappointing sales for the second quarter.
Enphase shares dipped 5.5% in post-market trading after the company reported first-quarter resultsBloomberg Terminal that missed analyst expectations as US revenue fell 34% compared to the prior quarter. The weak results dragged down rival SolarEdge Technologies Inc. and home solar providers Sunrun Inc. and Sunnova Energy International Inc. The company’s earnings often are seen as a bellwether for the broader industry. Read more ...
|
|
|
|
European Nuclear Plants Put Out of Work by Green Power Surge - Bloomberg Energy Science (Apr 9) |
|
Apr 9 · The drive to promote renewable energy is turning the screws on Europe’s nuclear industry.
While churning out fossil-free electricity has never been more urgent, surging renewables and a slump in power prices are undermining operations of atomic plants that are still the cornerstone of electricity grids in several parts of the continent. Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Massive Power Demand Boosting Solar in US, Nextracker CEO Says - Bloomberg Energy Science (Mar 28) |
|
Mar 28 · Utilities need solar power to help keep the lights on with surging demand from data centers.
Insatiable demand for electricity in the US will overpower headwinds facing the solar industry, leading to an unprecedented buildout of panels, according to Nextracker Inc. Chief Executive Officer Dan Shugar.
Utilities are desperate to line up new supplies to meet the needs of power-hungry data centers, plug-in cars and electric heating and cooling systems, said Shugar in an interview at Bloomberg's bureau in San Francisco. At the same time, legacy fossil fuel and nuclear power plants are retiring and solar is one of the cheapest and fastest options available -- so there ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
NYC's Curbside EV Chargers Are Popular - and Often Blocked - Bloomberg Energy Science (Mar 27) |
|
Mar 27 · Cities Confront Cars:
Vandalism has been low and usage high, but as the city moves to extend the pilot program, problems remain with gasoline cars hogging the dedicated spots.
In the three years since New York City began installing curbside chargers for electric cars, demand for the spaces has boomed - both from EV owners looking for a place to plug in and from gas-engine drivers willing to risk a ticket in exchange for street parking.
“We expected moderate demand,” with usage rates around 15%, said Roy Rada, project manager for e-mobility innovation at Consolidated Edison Inc. It’s been “exponentially higher,” he said. The 100 chargers are online 99.9% of the time ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Australia Seen Needing Gas Investments to Shore Up Renewables - Bloomberg Energy Science (Mar 20, 2024) |
|
Mar 20, 2024 · Australia, one of the biggest exporters of natural gas, “urgently” needs investment to avoid shortfalls in some of its most populous regions from 2025 and to support increasing renewable energy, according to the grid operator.
The southern states, which contain about two-thirds of the population, could see shortages in extreme winter conditions from next year and small seasonal supply gaps from 2026, the Australian Energy Market Operator said in its annual Gas Statement of Opportunities report. The northern regions - which mainly produce natural gas for export to Asia - will also need investment from 2026 to meet demand. Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Texas Hydrogen Projects to Add Wind, Solar Power to State Grid - Bloomberg Energy Science (Mar 20, 2024) |
|
Mar 20, 2024 · Two hydrogen production projects in Texas plan to add a total of 8 gigawatts of local wind and solar power, both to run their own operations and help support the state’s strained electrical grid.
Both projects would use electricity to strip hydrogen from water, considered one of the cleanest ways to produce the fuel. Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Scientists Hack Weather Satellite Data to Quantify Methane Leaks - Bloomberg Energy Science (Mar 17, 2024) |
|
Mar 17, 2024 · The innovation could have far-reaching consequences for fossil fuel operators because it allows researchers to estimate a leak’s total emissions.
Satellites sitting more than 22,200 miles (35,700 kilometers) above the Earth’s surface have been capturing storms and weather data for decades. Now, scientists have essentially hacked the data coming back for another purpose: spotting methane emissions.
The innovation could have far-reaching consequences for fossil fuel operators unable or unwilling to halt major methane releases because it allows researchers to observe emissions every five minutes and estimate the total amount emitted. The approach, which uses shortwave ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
A French CEO’s Pitch for More Wind Turbines: They’re 'Poetic’ - Bloomberg Energy Science (Feb 27, 2024) |
|
Feb 27, 2024 · The boss of one of France’s biggest energy companies has a unique pitch to convince the nation’s citizens to embrace the construction of wind turbines: the giant spinning machines are poetic.
It’s a perspective that’s at odds with a French society which has been slower to expand wind power than its European neighbors. France is still a leader in low-carbon power in the European Union thanks to its massive fleet of nuclear plants. But there’s an effort to add more renewables in the years to come. Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Orsted Says US Offshore Wind Deals Protect Against Inflation Shocks - Bloomberg Energy Science (Feb 22, 2024) |
|
Feb 22, 2024 · The contract provisions safeguard developers if a Republican president slows the permitting process, said the chief of the Danish wind-power company.
The head of Danish energy giant Orsted A/S says the US is an attractive place to build new offshore wind farms even after inflationary shocks devastated the sector over the past year. The reason: the newest deals to sell electricity include crucial provisions that increase the price of power if inflation goes up.
“When US states choose to offer inflation protection, that increases the attractiveness of the US,” Orsted A/S Chief Executive Officer Mads Nipper said in an interview Wednesday. Read more ...
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
|
|
Asia’s Co-Firing Ambitions May Produce More Carbon Emissions - Bloomberg Energy Science (Jul 06, 2023) |
|
Jul 06, 2023 · Among recent projects, Japanese trading house Mitsui & Co. in June concluded a sales agreement to supply ammonia in large-scale co-firing at Jera Co.’s Hekinan Thermal Power Station. Meanwhile, South Korea is aiming to use hydrogen and ammonia in its existing coal power plants, with the two fuels making up more than 7% of the power mix in 2036.
Southeast Asian countries including Indonesia have also signed agreements to research domestic co-firing potential.
Proposals to co-fire ammonia or hydrogen in power plants to replace 20% to 30% of coal or gas burned still leave 80% to 70% of fossil fuel emissions, the Breakthrough Institute said. The benefits shrink ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
World’s Biggest Nuclear Power Plant Being Planned in Canada - Bloomberg Energy Science (Jul 05, 2023) |
|
Jul 05, 2023 · The announcement comes amid growing recognition that carbon-free nuclear power is likely to play an important role in the global battle against climate change. Canada is developing plans to mandate a net-zero power grid by 2035, and the Bruce project would be the first conventional nuclear plant in the province in three decades. Another utility in the region, Ontario Power Generation Inc., is involved in an effort to develop a new type of advanced reactor.
“New nuclear generation is going to be critical to building the clean grid of the future,” said Todd Smith, Ontario’s energy minister.
To contact the editors responsible for this ... Read more ...
|
| |
|
|
|
The State of World Energy Explained in 4 Charts - Bloomberg Energy Science (Jun 29, 2023) |
|
Jun 29, 2023 · Worldwide energy demand is increasing, but it is a split screen in terms of economies. For the high- and middle-income economies of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, primary energy demand peaked 15 years ago — coincidentally the same year that demand in the rest of the world surpassed the OECD’s. Demand in OECD countries has actually declined by 3.4% in absolute terms since 2007, while it has grown almost unabated in the rest of the world over the same time.
In relative terms, the OECD’s role in global energy demand continues to decline, albeit slowly. In 2007, it was responsible for just under half of ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
In Texas Heat Wave, ACs Keep Humming on Renewable Power - Bloomberg Energy Science (Jun 28, 2023) |
|
Jun 28, 2023 · Green-power sources contributed about a third of total output Wednesday. In just three years, oil-rich Texas has added the solar equivalent of 12 nuclear reactors, putting it on the cusp of surpassing California as the top producer of electricity from solar farms.
Renewables’ prominent role in the grid’s stability over the past two weeks casts doubt on some Republican politicians’ claims that heavy reliance on solar and wind was leaving the network vulnerable to disruption.
Texas grid officials have only had to ask consumers to conserve energy on one day since extreme temperatures descended on the Lone Star State, prompting heat advisories and ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Big Oil’s Pullback From Clean Energy Matters Less Than You Might Think - Bloomberg Energy Science (Jun 25, 2023) |
|
Jun 25, 2023 · The first is the share of the companies’ capital expenditure that has gone to clean energy. In 2015, oil majors deployed 0.8% of their capex in low-carbon activities. Last year, that figure had increased more than tenfold, with low-carbon investments reaching 8.6% of total capex.
However, this trend did not keep pace with the total growth in energy-transition investment. In 2015, oil majors’ $3.2 billion of low-carbon capex was less than 1% of all investment. Last year, their $32.3 billion was 10 times higher in absolute terms, but only three-and-a-half times higher as a share of the total. In fact, after jumping from 0.7% of ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
EU Power-Market Design Talks Fail Amid French Nuclear Rift - Bloomberg Energy Science (Jun 19, 2023) |
|
Jun 19, 2023 · The delay will raise concern over whether future disagreements will block progress before EU elections next year. The European Parliament needs to still agree its own position before talks can begin with member states. Busch said that a deal is vital to help the EU boost its energy security in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Claude Turmes, Luxembourg’s energy minister, said provisions in the deal would pay France to prolong existing nuclear facilities, giving the sector unfair benefits.
“For EDF, this is like a check of €120 billion,” he said, referring to Electricite de France SA. “This is really about distorting the ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
The US Factory Boom Is a Golden Opportunity for Green Job Training - Bloomberg Energy Science (Jun 15, 2023) |
|
Jun 15, 2023 · Three opportunities in particular come to mind, which bridge today’s labor force to tomorrow’s demand and its climate imperatives.
The first is training in the most energy-efficient building techniques. That includes learning what the most efficient materials are and how best to install them to reduce the heating or cooling needs of manufacturing facilities. It could also include training on heat pump installation and integration. Heat pumps are not just for residential or commercial applications , after all (though their useful temperatures top out at around 400F or 200C, too low for some industrial processes).
This training might also cover ... Read more ...
|
|
|