Networks
Britian’s latest subsea interconnector, the 1.4 GW Viking Link with Denmark began commercial operations at the end of December. Initially its capacity will be limited to 800 MW until internal grid reinforcement in Denmark is completed, since if it ran at full capacity the [...]
In this final post in my series on minerals critical to the energy transition I look at rare earth metals. The name "rare earths" is often used to describe all 15 elements comprising the lanthanide series on the periodic table along with scandium and [...]
In this next post in my series on the critical minerals required for the energy transition, I look at more of the essential components of batteries: graphite and manganese. Graphite is an often over-looked part of the battery supply chain Carbon is one of [...]
Continuing my series on critical minerals, in this post I will look at some of the main metals required for lithium-ion batteries, the core component in electric cars and current battery-based grid-scale electricity storage solutions, lithium, cobalt and nickel. In a lithium-ion battery, the [...]
Following on from my post about the need to secure critical minerals for the energy transition, in this post I look at copper and aluminium, two metals essential for the delivery of the huge increase in grid infrastructure that will be needed to deliver [...]
Following on from my recent post about the challenges of upgrading power grids to meet net zero ambitions, in this post I will set out the issues relating to the supply of critical minerals for the energy transition. This issue is creeping up the [...]
Yesterday I reviewed the key market themes in 2023. In this post I take a look at what we can expect in 2024... The past couple of years have been dominated by concerns over energy prices, particularly gas. However, gas prices have fallen significantly [...]
People are becoming increasingly concerned about the mineral requirements for the energy transition and how these will be met. In October, the International Energy Agency (“IEA”) published a report entitled Electricity Grids and Secure Energy Transitions in which it sets out the grid-related challenges [...]
Recent posts have explored some of the issues the US power grids are facing as the premature closures of fossil fuel and nuclear power stations are creating problems for security of supply. Something discussed less often in this context is the impact on grid [...]
In my previous post I covered the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act and the way challenges with grid infrastructure will act as a brake on climate goals. In this post I will look at another major challenge being confronted by US grid operators: [...]