Battery swapping stations powered by solar and wind: we show how this could work for electric vehicles in South Africa: Petrol and diesel vehicles are being phased out globally and replaced with electric vehicles so that countries can meet their commitments to zero human-caused carbon emissions by 2050. But electric vehicles’ batteries run down quickly …
How gas keeps the UK’s electricity bills so high – despite lots of cheap wind power: The UK has become a world leader in offshore wind power. iweta0077 / shutterstock Gas and electricity bills will rise again for millions of UK households on April 1, when the latest energy price cap takes effect. A typical …
Offshore wind farms: policymakers are more influenced by reports that accentuate negative impacts – new study: New metrics could help policymakers assess the benefits and environmental effects of offshore wind more effectively dragancfm/Shutterstock Towering up to 260m above the ocean’s surface, modern wind turbines are impressive feats of engineering, producing much-needed renewable energy. But what …
Britain likely to generate more electricity from wind, solar and hydro than fossil fuels for the first year ever in 2023: Solar now provides about 5% of Britain's electricity. StudioFI / shutterstock There are many milestones to pass in the transition from a high to low-carbon sustainable energy system. There is the first hour without …
Wind turbine blades: inside the battle to overcome their waste problem: What to do with them? thaiview/Shutterstock Wind-farm owners in Europe are holding off on scrapping their old turbines to maximise the power they can generate from them. That’s the latest news from a meeting we recently attended on the industry’s future. Wind turbines are …
Offshore wind: a perfect storm of inflation and policy uncertainty risks derailing the UK’s main hope for a low-carbon future: pauljrobinson/Shutterstock In what many have deemed a disaster, the UK government’s latest auction for renewable power – an annual attempt to incentivise private sector investment in a range of power sources – has failed to …
The world needs hundreds of thousands more offshore wind turbines – where will they all go?: We'll need tens of thousands of new turbines if net-zero targets are to be met. Shaun Wilkinson / Shutterstock To reach net zero, the world may need as many 200,000 offshore wind turbines generating 2,000 gigawatts (GW) of energy. …
How we stop floating wind turbines the size of skyscrapers from drifting away: Hywind Tampen wind farm, Norway. Karoline Rivero Bernacki/Equinor, CC BY-NC-ND Growing demand for cleaner energy sources means offshore wind farms are being built all over the world. More than 5,000 turbines must be installed each year until 2050 to limit global warming …
Offshore wind farm construction is noisy – but gadgets used to protect marine mammals are working: Harbour porpoises are the most common toothed whale in the turbine-rich North Sea. Onutancu/Shutterstock The European Union had 14.6 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy installed in 2021, and this is projected to increase by at least 25 times …
Wind turbines are already skyscraper-sized – is there any limit to how big they will get?: Fokke Baarssen / Shutterstock In 2023, some 100 miles off the coast of north-east England, the world’s largest wind turbines will start generating electricity. This first phase of the Dogger Bank offshore wind farm development uses General Electric’s Haliade X, …
Onshore wind rebellion reveals fractious climate politics within the Conservative party: Dave Head / shutterstock Campaigners have sought to overturn planning restrictions banning onshore windfarms ever since then UK prime minister David Cameron introduced them in 2015. This year, however, there have been signs of movement. Former UK prime minister Boris Johnson reportedly wanted to …
Check out this South African City image: Metakomatiite (Diamond Springs Formation, Mesoarchean; South Pass, Wind River Range, Wyoming, USA) 2 Image by James St. John Metakomatiite (serpentinite) from the Precambrian of Wyoming, USA. (6.3 centimeters across at its widest) Komatiites are very rare, magnesium-rich, extrusive, ultramafic igneous rocks. They are named after the Komati River …
Check out this South African City image: Metakomatiite (Diamond Springs Formation, Mesoarchean; South Pass, Wind River Range, Wyoming, USA) 6 Image by James St. John Metakomatiite (serpentinite) from the Precambrian of Wyoming, USA. (8.5 centimeters across at its widest) Komatiites are very rare, magnesium-rich, extrusive, ultramafic igneous rocks. They are named after the Komati River …
Wind turbines can breathe new life into our warming seas: Ian Dyball / shutterstock Offshore wind is set to move further and further from shore, as demand for renewable energy grows and new floating turbine technology makes deep-water expansion possible. However, for the first time, large areas of the UK continental shelf now open for …
Why Storm Eunice is so severe – and will violent wind storms become more common?: Porthcawl Lighthouse in South Wales is buffeted by waves during Storm Eunice's approach. Leighton Collins/Shutterstock The UK Met Office has issued two red weather warnings in as many months for strong winds. These are the highest threat levels meteorologists can …
Renewable energy: US tax credits for wind and solar mostly benefit big banks: How can countries build renewable energy at the scale and rate needed to prevent dangerous climate change? The plan so far has been to try and make the cost of generating electricity from renewable sources cheap enough to compete with fossil fuels. …
Ireland has the wind and seas to become an offshore superpower: The Irish government signed up to the recent Glasgow Climate Pact and used the summit to announce a raft of ambitious goals, including the development of 5 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy up to 2030. That would more than double the country’s current …
South Africa in the news: Game Stores to wind up operations in Uganda: The chain begun a formal sales process to divest in five Game Stores in Nigeria, four in Ghana, three in Kenya, one in Uganda and another in Tanzania.: “South Africa” – BingNews Shehbaaz Gill: PM IST Sidharth Shukla’s rumoured girlfriend, Shehnaaz Gill …