Articles by
Giles Parkinson
Big batteries and EVs to the rescue again as faults with new nuclear plant cause chaos on Nordic grids
By
Giles Parkinson
The newest and most powerful nuclear reactor in Europe that was delivered more than a decade late and nearly four times over budget is also proving to be a headache for grid operators now that it is finally up and running.
On Sunday, the 1,600 megawatt Olkiluoto 3 nuclear reactor tripped again, the latest in a series of faults and outages that have plagued the new facility and caused the market to reach out for back-up power to fill the gap.
US energy giant says renewables and batteries beat coal, gas and nukes
By
Giles Parkinson
The head of NextEra Energy, the biggest and most successful utility in the United States says the energy industry is in the grip of massive change, with the cost of renewables and battery storage – without subsidies – beating gas, as well as existing coal and nuclear on costs.
Why solar, wind and EVs will be the death of the petroleum industry
By
Giles Parkinson
A stunning new report from French-based global banking group BNP Paribas signals the death toll for the petrol industry – a mixture of solar, wind and electric vehicles can deliver more than six times the “mobility” returns on each dollar invested than oil.
“Base load” power: a myth used to defend the fossil fuel industry
By
Giles Parkinson
As the network operator builds out its clean power sources, they noted, coal-fired generators could only serve as “reserve power” to supplement renewables. “The only hurdle to overcome is ‘mindset’,” Liu said. “There’s no technical challenge at all.”
German grid operator sees 70% wind + solar before storage needed
By
Giles Parkinson
The company responsible for more than one-third of Germany’s electricity grid says there is no issue absorbing high levels of variable renewable energy such as wind and solar, and grids could absorb up to 70 per cent penetration without the need for storage.
VW kills the diesel engine, and opens path for electric vehicles
By
Giles Parkinson
As one analyst wrote: “For Volkswagen (and the auto industry), the dream of inexpensive clean diesel might be dead. Even if carmakers could deliver on VW’s false technological claims, the standard by which car companies can claim green status has shifted away from petrol-burning cars that use less fossil fuel—to an era of electric propulsion.”
REnewEconomy: Why nuclear industry needs to be paid $500/MWh
By
Giles Parkinson
Weatherill is right about one thing: Nuclear energy, he says, is “not something that would be economically viable in South Australia, or indeed the nation.”
ReNewEconomy: Wind energy to rescue as EDF takes part of UK’s nuclear fleet offline
By
Giles Parkinson
According to the FT, National Grid said the closures should not affect the UK’s energy supply. “Demand is low at this time of year, and a lot of wind power is being generated right now,” it said.
Nuclear energy verdict: Costly, slow and very high maintenance
By
Giles Parkinson
Since then, we have received an analysis from Deutsche Bank, which makes some other observations about the cost of nuclear, the comparisons with gas, the price of abatement, and the cost of upkeep for France’s existing fleet.
Renew Economy: How wind displaced coal in Spain
By
Giles Parkinson
Goldman Sachs says Spain is a good example of how increases in renewable energy production has to be offset by a lower average load among fossil fuel plants. “Rising generation from solar plants in particular (whose output often coincides with the time of peak power demand) can result in lower peak power tariffs, undermining the profitability of many conventional power plants,” it says.
Graph of the Day: Women prefer solar, old men like nuclear
By
Giles Parkinson
Solar and wind are by far the most popular, and wind gained the most support from the previous year, jumping from 59 per cent to 67 per cent. Coal and nuclear were the least popular, with nuclear falling from 20 per cent to 13 per cent. No fossil fuel gained more than 28 per cent approval, and geothermal and ocean energy have yet to capture the imagination.
Renew Economy: Victoria wind farm breakthrough, with pioneering share structure
By
Giles Parkinson
A small 5-turbine wind farm project with an innovative share ownership model has become the first wind energy project in the state of Victoria to receive council approval in recent years.
