Environment

Low-carbon hydrogen is not cheap and needs support, says major energy organization

Published

3 years ago

July 28, 2021

admin

In this article

SGRE-ES

Chris Ratcliffe | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Low-carbon hydrogen isn’t “cost competitive with other energy supplies in most applications and locations” and the situation is unlikely to change unless there’s “significant support to bridge the price gap,” according to the World Energy Council.

Published Tuesday, the analysis – which was put together in collaboration with PwC and the U.S. Electric Power Research Institute – raised the question of where funding for such support would come from, but also pointed to the increasing profile of the sector and the positive effect this could have.

In an announcement accompanying a briefing, the London-based energy organization said “environmental and political drivers” were “sending encouraging signals to the market and prompting growing interest.” Globally, many pilot projects were being developed, built or in operation, it added.

Described by the International Energy Agency as a “versatile energy carrier,” hydrogen has a diverse range of applications and can be deployed in sectors such as industry and transport.

It can be produced in a number of ways. One method includes using electrolysis, with an electric current splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen. If the electricity used in the process comes from a renewable source, such as wind or solar, then some call it green or renewable hydrogen.

Currently, the vast majority of hydrogen generation is based on fossil fuels, and green hydrogen is expensive to produce. Efforts are being made to drive costs down, however.

The U.S. Department of Energy recently launched its Energy Earthshots Initiative and said the first of these would focus on cutting the cost of “clean” hydrogen to $1 per kilogram (2.2 lbs) in a decade. According to the DOE, hydrogen from renewables is priced at around $5 a kilogram today.

For its part, the World Energy Council said some countries were “actively developing bilateral partnerships to help form global hydrogen supply chains and secure clean hydrogen supply.”

“With the appropriate policies and technologies to enable hydrogen scale up, some projections suggest that it could be cost competitive with other solutions as soon as 2030,” it added.

The sector does seem to be at a crossroads, with a number of issues to resolve as it looks to expand. The WEC’s report claimed the hydrogen economy was facing a “chicken and egg problem” related to supply and demand. Both of these, it argued, lacked “secure volumes from the other to help establish the value chain.”

There was also a discussion to be had about the benefit of using colors – including brown, blue, gray and pink, to name a few – to differentiate between various production methods.

“Colour has been used to simplify the conversation about the carbon footprint of hydrogen production,” the WEC’s report said, “but it has become more complex with no universally agreed colours for specific technologies and some disagreement as to which colour matches which supply.”

The debate about color required clarity, “as it could risk prematurely excluding some technological routes that could be more cost and carbon effective,” it said.

Partnerships and projects

While discussions about the future of hydrogen take place, a number of firms are beginning to make plays in the sector.

Just this week, it was announced that SSE Renewables and wind turbine giant Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy had signed a memorandum of understanding centered around exploring opportunities related to the production and delivery of so-called green hydrogen.

In a statement Monday, SSE Renewables said the partnership would involve itself and Siemens Gamesa aiming to “co-locate hydrogen production facilities at two selected onshore wind farms … from which the partners will begin production and delivery of green hydrogen through electrolysis.”

One of the wind farms will be in Scotland, while the other will be located in Ireland. Jim Smith, who is managing director of SSE Renewables, said hydrogen was “rapidly becoming an important and exciting component of the strategy to decarbonise power production, heavy industry and transport, among other sectors.”

Environment

Baidu- and Geely-backed JiYue brand unveils ROBO X EV that goes 0-100 km/h in under 1.9 sec

Published

1 hour ago

November 15, 2024

admin

JiYue, a Chinese EV brand focused on delivering all-electric “robocars” to the masses, has unveiled its latest model, and it’s quite a deviation from its previous EVs—but in the best way. Earlier today, JiYue launched the ROBO X supercar, designed for high-speed racing. By high speed, we mean 0-100 km/h acceleration in under 1.9 seconds. My mouth is watering.

JiYue has only existed since 2021, when parent tech company Baidu announced it was expanding from software development into physical EV production, joining forces with multinational automotive manufacturer Geely.

The new “robotic EV” marque initially launched as JIDU with $300 million in startup capital before garnering an additional $400 million in Series A funding, led by Baidu, in January 2022.

In August 2023, Geely took on a larger role in JIDU alongside a greater financial stake as the brand reimagined itself as JiYue, inheriting the JIDU logo and its flagship model, the 01 ROBOCAR.

In December 2023, Baidu and Geely unveiled a second model called the JiYue 07. It was born from JIDU’s ROBO-02 concept, which debuted in 2023 and was designed to compete against the Tesla Model 3 in China.

The 07 finally launched in China earlier this year with 545 miles of range. With an all-electric SUV and sedan on the market, JiYue has unveiled an exciting new entry in the form of a performance supercar called the ROBO X. Check it out:

JiYue’s new ROBO X EV is available for pre-order now

JiYue showcased its new ROBO X hypercar in front of the crowd at the 2024 Guangzhou Auto Show earlier today. Similar to previous models but with a unique spin, JiYue described the ROBO X as an AI smart-driving supercar that, for the first time, blends artificial intelligence and autonomous driving into a high-performance, race-ready EV.

When we say “high performance,” we mean a quad motor liquid-cooled drive system that can propel the ROBO X from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in under 1.9 seconds. JiYue called the new ROBO X a “performance beast” with “the perfect balance of excellent aerodynamic performance and high downforce.” JiYue CEO Joe Xia was even bolder in his statements about the ROBO X:

For the next 20 years, the design of supercars will bear the shadow of Robo X. This is the best design in the history of Chinese automobiles today, and it is a landmark presence.

Fighter-style airflow ducts bolster the EV’s aerodynamics, efficiency, and overall posture. Per JiYue, the two-seater ROBO X is expected to deliver a maximum range of over 650 km (404 miles).

The new supercar features falcon-wing doors, a carbon fiber integrated frame, and a professional racing HALO safety system offering 360° of support. The interior features an AI smart cockpit with SIMO real-time feedback to give drivers an immersive racing experience.

Furthermore, JiYue said the vehicle will utilize parent company Baidu’s Apollo self-driving technology, which could make it the first electric supercar to apply pure-vision ADAS technology that enables track-level autonomous driving.

Following today’s unveiling of the ROBO X, JiYue has officially opened up pre-orders in China for RMB 49,999 ($6,915). That said, reservation holders will need to be patient as JiYue shared that it doesn’t expect to begin mass production of the ROBO X until 2027.

What do you think? Will people be talking about the ROBO X for the next 20 years?

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Environment

Wheel-E Podcast: Solar moped, XPedition 2.0, LiveWire scooter, more

Published

1 hour ago

November 15, 2024

admin

Wheel-E Podcast: Solar moped, XPedition 2.0, LiveWire scooter, more

This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes the launch of the Lectric XPedition 2.0, Yamaha e-bikes pulling out of North America, LiveWire unveils an electric scooter concept, PNY readying its cargo e-scooters for pilot testing, Royal Enfield’s first electric motorcycle, and more.

The Wheel-E podcast returns every two weeks on Electrek’s YouTube channel, Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.

As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.

After the show ends, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:

We also have a Patreon if you want to help us to avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.

Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the Wheel-E podcast today:

Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 9:30 a.m. ET (or the video after 10:30 a.m. ET):

[embedded content]

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Environment

Crude oil heads to weekly loss as looming surplus depresses market

Published

3 hours ago

November 15, 2024

admin

Crude oil heads to weekly loss as looming surplus depresses market

Market Navigator: Crude oil under pressure

Crude oil futures were on pace Friday for loss for the week, as a supply gut and a strong dollar depresses the market.

U.S. crude oil is down more than 2% this week, while Brent has shed nearly 2%.

Here are Friday’s energy prices:

West Texas Intermediate December contract: $68.56 per barrel, down 14 cents, or 0.2%. Year to date, U.S. crude oil has shed about 4%.
Brent January contract: $72.36 per barrel, down 20 cents, or 0.28%. Year to date, the global benchmark has lost nearly 6%.
RBOB Gasoline December contract: $1.99 per gallon, up 0.46%. Year to date, gasoline has fallen more than 1%.
Natural Gas December contract: $2.70 per thousand cubic feet, down 2.98%. Year to date, gas has gained more than 4%.

The International Energy Agency has forecast a surplus of more than 1 million barrels per day in 2025 on robust production in the U.S. OPEC revised down its demand forecast for the fourth consecutive month as demand in China remains soft.

A strong dollar also hangs over the market, as the greenback has surged in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory.