Japan releases plan to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050

 

Source: RenewEconomy

Recently Japan released its plan for reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The government is to give tax incentives and other support for investment in green technologies and predicts that this will boost its economy. The plan is to include at least these developments:

 - To have all new cars to be electric, plug-in hybrid or hydrogen fuel cell driven by 2035 with a ban on the sale of fossil fuel driven cars. 

- To research into reducing the cost of batteries.

- To increase offshore wind power to 45 gigawatts by 2040.

- To bring renewable power to 60% by 2050.

- To be less reliant on nuclear power and have it more stable.

- To have thermal power plants with carbon capture technology related to carbon cycling and not storage underground. That is by using captured CO2 to produce synthetic fibres or to fortify concrete.

- To have nuclear and thermal power at a reduced 30-40% of the nation's electricity demand.

- To have all new buildings and houses built with zero emissions technology by 2030.

- To use green hydrogen and ammonia as fuels for gas turbine power generators and for fuel cells to power heavy vehicles and all sea-going vessels by 2050. (Japan has already launched its first hydrogen-carrying ship which is importing hydrogen from Australia.)

References: 

- Japan sees electric cars, offshore wind as keys to net zero economy. CleanTechnica, December 26, 2020. 

- Japan's plan to go carbon-neutral by 2050. The Globe and Mail, December ~28, 2020. 

- Japan unveils green growth plan for 2050 carbon neutral goal. YahooNews!, December 25, 2020.  

- Mitsubishi Group project on CO2 injection into concrete approved for grant by NEDO. GlobalCement, August 5, 2020. 

- Japan adopts green growth plan to go carbon free by 2050. SeattlePI, December 25, 2020.

South Australia aims for 500% renewables by 2050 and for all new cars to be electric by 2035

 

(Source bbc.com)

The South Australian (SA) government aims for more than 500 per cent renewable energy by 2050 as it aims to become a clean energy exporter both nationally and internationally. Almost under the same breath, the government also announced that it aims to ensure that all new car sales will be electric by 2035 as it wants to be a leader in the uptake of electric vehicles in Australia.

SA already has its electricity grid at 60% renewables and plans to expand that to at least 500 per cent. The government has a Climate Change Action Plan which includes at least 68 proposed activities for more renewables, clean transport and more resilient urban and rural communities. The state has an abundance of solar, wind and other resources. The green hydrogen industry is well on its way in Australia and SA plans to become a major exporter of green hydrogen and other low emission products.

The state Liberal government has also released its plan for electric vehicles (EVs). Firstly it will electrify all government fleets, taxis and ride sharing vehicles by 2030. By 2030, they want electric cars to be mainstream and for all new cars sold to be electric by 2035. There will also be fuel efficiency and quality standards introduced which will help EV uptake but there is also a plan to put a road user tax on EVs which will be a disincentive but will help fund the changes.

Read More: 

- South Australia aims for more than 500 pct renewables in new climate plan. RenewEconomy, December 16, 2020. 

- "Biggest change since Model T": South Australia wants all new car sales to be electric by 2035. The Driven, December 20, 2020.

A remote West Australian town to test a renewable hydrogen microgrid

Source: One Step off the Grid

A remote coastal town in Western Australia (WA) called Denham is now powered by four old wind turbines and a diesel generator. The community pays a high price for having the diesel trucked in and the turbines are at least 20 years old.

To generate most of their own power, the plan is to have a 704kW solar system, a 348kW hydrogen electrolyser, a compressor for hydrogen storage and a 100kW fuel cell to make electricity from the stored hydrogen when needed. There will be enough power for 100 homes but the new items will be connected to the existing system which will act as a backup. The hydrogen electrolyser, powered by solar energy, will split water to make green hydrogen. A Hydro Harvester could be used if water is scarce. 

The project is getting funding assistance from ARENA (Australian Renewable Energy Agency) which will use it as a test case for use in other remote Australian communities. "The potential for these communities to generate, store and use their own renewable energy could simultaneously reduce costs and reduce emissions without sacrificing the reliability of energy supply." said ARENA CEO Darren Miller.

Read more: Australia's first remote, renewable hydrogen microgrid wins ARENA backing. One Step off the Grid, November 27, 2020. 

House with solar, batteries and 'halo' watering system was saved from ravaging Australian bushfires.

 

The aftermath (Source: One Step off the Grid)

Last summer a house with a big solar system, batteries and smart watering system saved a house and its occupants from the horrific bushfires in the Kangaroo Valley, NSW, Australia. Not only did the system save the house but it provided off-grid power for some days after the network power went down due to fire damage.

The house has a 28kW ground-mounted solar system and a 50kWh energy storage system. The carefully designed 'halo' watering system around the house and solar panels saturated the whole area and was able to keep operating during the blaze. 

For details of the systems and more images, please see: How solar and batteries helped save a home, and its people, from a fire storm. One Step off the Grid, November 12, 2020.

Woolworths joins Renewable Energy 100 (RE100) and AGL joined EV100

Source: 'Solar Quotes' for Woolworths

 A growing number of companies worldwide are committing to 100 percent renewable energy by joining the RE100 membership list. Similarly, companies are joining the EV100 membership list when they commit to zero emissions transport by a certain date.

The Australian supermarket chain, Woolworths, has just joined RE100 by committing to 100 percent renewable energy by 2025. They will do this by adding solar panels to their buildings and by buying Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) possibly from solar farms, wind farms or stored renewable electricity. In doing this, they will reduce their greenhouse emissions and save on electricity costs. 

To date, there are 268 members of RE100 worldwide with 14 members from Australia. The Australian membership includes: Westpac, Suncorp, QBE, NAB, Mirvac, Macquarie, Interactive, Dexus, Commonwealth Bank, BINGO Industries, Bank Australia, Atlassian, ANZ, and Woolworths. 70 international companies operating within Australia are also members such as Apple, Facebook and Google.

The number of international companies that pledge to having fleets of zero emission vehicles is at 92 to date. Of those we have one that is Australian and that is AGL Energy which is to transition its fleet of over 400 vehicles to EVs by 2030.

References: 

- RE100 members: https://www.there100.org/re100-members  

- EV100 members: https://www.theclimategroup.org/ev100-members

Green hydrogen (& green methane) made from the sun's energy and water from air.

Professor Moghtaderi & Dr Maddocks with canisters of green hydrogen, PV array and their Hydro Harvester innovation (University of Newcastle)

Engineers at the University of Newcastle, Australia, have used their innovative Hydro Harvester in combination with solar panels and a hydrogen electrolyser to make green hydrogen from the air. See this video. To transport the hydrogen, they take carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air, add it to the hydrogen (H2) to make green methane (CH4). 

The green hydrogen can be used in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles with water as the only waste product. The green methane can be transported in natural gas pipelines and used domestically as a substitute for natural gas. The waste product from burning methane is CO2 which returns the CO2 back to the air completing a sustainable carbon cycle.

By using the university's Hydro Harvester which makes pure water from the air at night, they are not placing pressure on potable water used for domestic and industrial use. The atmospheric produced water (H2O) is split in the electrolyser using an electrical current from solar panels to make hydrogen (H2) with oxygen (O2) as the waste product.

The plan is to work with an international car manufacturer to demonstrate the green hydrogen at one of their Sydney based locations. In addition, the green methane technology will be demonstrated at a gas hub near Roma, Queensland, where it can be transported via existing gas pipelines to east coast locations.

Read more: 

- Hydro Harvester is making a splash to solve global water shortage. University of Newcastle, December 11, 2019. 

- New green hydrogen made from solar power and air. University of Newcastle, September 4, 2020. 

- Green hydrogen breakthrough uses energy from the sun, water from the air. RenewEconomy, September 8, 2020.

VoloCity, the world's first operating electric air taxi

VoloCity electric air taxi (Source: CleanTechnica)

Volocopter has produced an electric aircraft that can take off and land vertically (an eVTOL). Volocopter has called this one the VoloCity Air Taxi, which is the first-to-fly certified air taxi. Volocopter is based in Germany but has trialled VoloCity in Stuttgart, Helsinki and Singapore.

It is expected that VoloCity will be operational in two to three years. Bookings are available now anywhere in the world for the first public flights of 15 minutes duration.

Read more: 

- Volocopter opens world's 1st electric air taxi flight reservations. CleanTechnica, September 16, 2020. 

- Volocopter: https://www.volocopter.com/en/

A new way to have windows as see-through solar panels

 

See-through solar glass (Source: UbiQD)

UbiQD, a materials manufacturer in the US, developed a layer of nanoparticles glued between two layers of glass that can collect solar energy. The combination is transparent with a slight tint that can be brown, blue or greyish. It is difficult to distinguish these windows from traditional ones as seen in the image above. The innovation will help to collect solar energy in cities where rooftops are limited.

Two glass panels are glued together with a thin polymer which contains the nanoparticles known as quantum dots. These quantum dots are tiny semiconductors that manipulate light. They are non-toxic and relatively cheap to produce.

When exposed to UV light, the quantum dots are excited and release photons that travel to the edges of the window panel. The perimeter is fitted with solar cells which convert the photons into electrical current. These solar cells are within the window frame and therefore out of sight.

The efficiency of the most transparent windows is 3.6 percent. This may seem low but there are many windows on a skyscraper! However, windows can be custom-made to produce more power but transparency is reduced in a linear relationship. Windows of one square metre are soon to be tested in buildings in the US and the Netherlands.

References: 

- Nanoparticles turn windows into see-through solar panels. New Scientist, September 12, 2020, page 15. 

- Windows become transparent solar panels with added nanoparticles. UbiQD, September 7, 2020. 

- Journal reference: ACS Applied energy materials: DOI:10.1021/acsaem.Oc01288.

Nissan dealers in the UK to provide EVs with green-flash number plates

 

Source: CleanTechnica

“Nissan dealers [in the UK] are preparing for the arrival of a new kind of numberplate this autumn.

The plates are being brought in especially for electric vehicles and have an eye-catching green flash on the left-hand side to highlight the fact that EVs are emission-free.

As 70-plate models are introduced at Nissan dealers, trial green number plates have been fitted to show electric vehicle customers how they could look when they hit the road later this year.

The initiative was announced by Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, in June as part of a wider plan to drive a ‘green economic recovery’ after the turmoil caused by the coronavirus pandemic.” 

Read more: New Nissan plates to identify emission-free cars in UK. CleanTechnica, August 28, 2020.

Melbourne start-up is to lease electric vehicles to fleets

Hyundai Ionic Electric (Source: The Driven)

 

EV Lease is taking the plunge into electric vehicles (EVs) as it has been shown that running an electric vehicle fleet now costs less than a petrol and diesel fleet. What held up the adoption of EVs by leasers was the lack of resale data as companies need to be able to guarantee the value of cars after their lease life. But the director of EV Lease, Shane Priest, is taking a punt on the fact he knows EVs have less wear and tear, and will likely have a greater resale value at the end of their lease life than petrol cars. 

EV Lease, which is headquartered in the Melbourne suburb of Mitcham, Victoria, was founded by Priest to make electric vehicles more accessible to fleets, and perhaps eventually, private drivers. The company currently has 3 electric vehicles and one plug-in hybrid available: the Hyundai Ioniq Electric Elite, the Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus, the Hyundai Kona Electric and a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. 

Read more: 

- Car lease startup places bet on electric vehicles for fleets. The Driven, August 13, 2020. 

- EV Lease: affordable, worry-free electric car driving 

London bus depot to provide vehicle-to-grid power during peaks

 

E-buses (Source: The Driven)

A North London bus depot is on the verge of becoming one of the world’s largest vehicle-to-grid (V2G) virtual power stations. The Northumberland Park bus garage will be transformed to be part of UK’s Bus2Grid project. 

The project will enable electric buses parked at the garage to plug in and feed stored electricity back into the grid to provide grid balancing during times of peak demand. It was announced by British energy firm SSE Enterprise and is being conducted in collaboration with bus operator Go-Ahead London. 

A trial will test 28 electric double-decker buses, which are capable of returning over 1MW of electricity back into the grid. The project could then be expanded by the end of 2021 to include the capability of connecting up to 700 electric vehicles to the grid, supplying as much as 25MW of electricity. 

Read more: 

- London bus garage becomes one of world’s largest vehicle-to-grid sites. The Driven, August 14, 2020. 

– London bus garage becomes world’s largest vehicle-to-grid-site. SSE Enterprise. Accessed August 18. 2020.

AGL Energy is to tender for 1.2GW of new battery storage by 2024

 

AGL's Nyngan Solar Farm (source: RenewEconomy)

AGL Energy of Australia plans to diversify its energy portfolio into clean energy options after receiving lower profits from its coal generators. It already has some large solar and wind farms and plans to add 1.2GW of battery storage to some of these renewable energy farms by 2024. 

AGL’s chief operation officer, Markus Brokhof, said “Although energy prices are lower, we still see an opportunity to invest as the composition of the portfolio shifts away from coal towards the new firmed renewable energy generation the market will need.” “AGL is to optimise dispatchable generation, support investment in firmed renewables and continue to invest in the accelerating emergence of batteries and other energy storage technologies.” 

Read more: 

- AGL targets 1.2GW of new battery storage by 2024, plans tender. RenewEconomy, August 13, 2020. 

- NSW to fund four new big battery projects as it readies to flick switch from coal. RenewEconomy, August 15, 2020. 

- AGL says batteries starting to compete with gas generators for peaking services. RenewEconomy, August 17, 2020.

 

Victorian town in bushfire zone adds solar and battery for community sports centre

Hepburn Sports Centre with Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance (One Step off the Grid)

The community sports centre of Hepburn, Victoria, has a solar and battery storage system which will reduce its electricity costs and emissions as well as supporting its role as a last resort community shelter in the case of a bushfire. Electricity power is one of the first supplies to be cut during severe bushfires. 

The Hepburn Recreation Reserve now has a 25kW solar system and a 13.5kWh Tesla Powerwall 2 battery. This system continues to operate when there is a grid outage. This large solar and battery combination will supply power day and night particularly in summer. Alone, the battery will provide power for a day and will be topped up quickly when it is sunny (a little slower if it is smokey or cloudy).

“The $31,818 cost of the solar and storage system was contributed to by the Hepburn Shire Council ($12,000), local community renewables outfit Hepburn Wind ($4,500), and the Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance ($15,318) with $12,500 of that amount from a Bank Australia grant and $2,818 from the Hepburn Solar Bulk-Buy.” 

Read more: Solar and Tesla Powerwall offer Victorian town bushfire resilience. One Step off the Grid, July 24, 2020.

UK relaxes rules to allow more storage on the grid that makes way for “liquid air” storage

Highview Power cryogenic energy storage system

As the UK moves to net zero emissions by 2050 it is going to need much more battery storage to stabilise the grid as the number of solar and wind energy plants increase. So much so, the government is to relax the planning laws to make it easier to develop larger battery storage systems. The legislation will be introduced to remove barriers for storage projects above 50MW (megawatts) in England and 350MW in Wales. 

This will allow the UK company Highview Power (and others) to plan to build much larger electricity storage systems. Highview Power makes cryogenic storage plants that use [renewable] electricity to cool air to a liquid and store it in insulated tanks. The liquid air is then warmed by stored heat from the process to expand the gas 700 times to drive turbines which can add electricity back to the grid when required. 

The advantage of this system over chemical batteries is that it can be stored for days and can supply power for an extended period of time whereas chemical batteries can only supply power for a short period of time. Also, most of the materials and infrastructure needed are easy to obtain so the manufacture of this cryogenic battery is simple and possibly more sustainable (i.e. does not need rare metals). 

Video of Highview Power Cryogenic Energy Storage System 

Read more: 

- UK hopes to ramp up battery storage and boost renewables by loosening planning rules. CNBC, July 15 2020.  

– Highview Power to build Europe’s largest battery storage system. The Chemical Engineer, November 29, 2019. 

– Highview Power to build UK’s first “liquid air” energy storage facility. RenewEconomy, October 24, 2019. 

– Highview Power: https://highviewpower.com/.

Electromotiv expands to supply more zero emission bus/truck powering hubs and bus/truck leases

Charging and Refuelling for Trucks. (Source: Electromotiv)

Electromotiv, based in the Australian Capital Territory, is in the business of supplying fast EV charging and green hydrogen fuel hubs for powering electric and hydrogen fuel cell buses and trucks. They also supply zero emission buses and trucks for lease. They are expanding from an electric bus trial in Canberra to business in Queensland and Auckland, New Zealand. 

In Auckland, Electromotiv have a contract to supply electric buses to Auckland Airport and in Queensland, they go into the final phase of design of a privately owned zero emissions bus hub. 

New Zealand has approximately 80 percent of its electricity coming from renewable sources which is mostly hydro and geothermal. This means the electric buses will be near zero emissions and these emissions will decrease as New Zealand moves towards net zero emissions by 2050. 

Queensland has only about 15 percent renewable electricity now but with the potential for much, much more. Such that Queensland is looking to improve that figure and becoming a green hydrogen producer through its Hydrogen Industry Development Fund. This fund is there to promote jobs in regional areas and to provide green hydrogen for local and export markets. The Queensland Government has also set a state target to reach net zero emissions by 2050. 

Read more: 

- Electromotiv expands team as electric bus plans ramp up. The Driven, June 16, 2020. 

– Electromotiv: https://www.electromotiv.com.au/ 

- New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. New Zealand Government. 

– Transition to a zero carbon economy. Queensland Government. 

See also:

- Queensland unveils “gigawatt” scale green hydrogen plans for Gladstone. RenewEconomy, February 27, 2020. 

– Evie to install ultra-rapid charging stations at Puma Energy truck stops. The Driven, July 16, 2020.

Victoria making renewable electricity and heat from high strength organic waste

Image: Barwon Water

In south-west Victoria, Barwon Water is building two Renewable Organics Networks which will use high strength organic trade waste from the Australian Lamb Company (ALC) and Bulla Dairy Foods to make renewable electricity and heat.

The organic waste will be treated by Barwon Water to form biogas which will run turbines that create the electricity and heat for water. The waste at this point is used as a soil improver. 

Yes, burning the biogas has waste CO2 but it is CO2 from a renewable source not from fossil fuels - a complete carbon cycle is created. Otherwise the organic waste goes to landfill where it is covered by soil and in that anaerobic environment most of it decays to waste methane which is a 21 times stronger greenhouse gas than CO2.

The electricity will be used by Barwon Water to take it off-grid with the excess going to the main grid. The renewable hot water will go via a special pipeline to ALC where it will offset ALC's gas consumption by 21.4 terajoules per year.

"The project is expected to achieve a net production of 5.5 gigawatt-hours of renewable electricity each year – enough to power around 1,000 homes – around half of which will be used “behind-the-meter” to take the Colac Water Reclamation Plant off the grid." The generation of this dispatchable renewable energy in the form of hot water and electricity will result in a reduction in carbon emissions of around 6,300 tonnes each year.

Read more: 

- "Australian first" network to deliver renewable electricity and hot water from organic waste. One Step Off The Grid, June 12, 2020.

 - Barwon Water: https://www.barwonwater.vic.gov.au/

Reusable bamboo facial pads to reduce waste and plastic use

EverEco reusable bamboo facial pads (photo J May)

These soft, reusable bamboo facial pads by EverEco can be washed in the bag provided. Having these reduces the waste of throwaway pads and the use of plastic packaging. In addition, bamboo is an easily replaced fibre as it is a very fast growing plant.

EverEco has many different sustainable products which can be viewed here and ordered online: https://evereco.com.au/.

Australian green hydrogen refuelling stations and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles

Source: The Driven

In Port Kembla, NSW, a company named H2X plans to build a range of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles from cars to heavy duty trucks and even trains. It hopes to re-boot Australia's car industry with vehicles powered by green hydrogen and in doing so create many jobs.

The development of renewable hydrogen made by the electrolysis of water with power from renewable electricity has been funded by the Australian Clean Energy Finance Corporation. This will be a good move for Australia as it can make its own green fuel and export it as well. Australia imports its oil and only has a month to six weeks supply at any one time.

H2X has joined forces with Elvin Group which invests in Australia's Hydrostar's green hydrogen electrolyser technology. The Elvin Group will put small scale hydrogen electrolysers at service stations. They will be 500kW to 1MW containers for hydrogen production and hydrogen refuelling onsite for vehicles. The Queensland and ACT governments already have small fleets of hydrogen fuel cell cars and these Elvin Group systems are being trialled in the ACT (Australian Capital Territory).

Larger-scale electrolysers will be available for larger industries. The systems can be located at existing service stations or at business-based locations such as vehicle fleet depots, work sites, farms and distribution centres.

Read more: 

- H2X hopes to reboot Australia car industry with launch of hydrogen SUV. The Driven, June 12, 2020. 

- CEFC to kick-start Australia's hydrogen industry with new $300m investment fund. RenewEconomy, May 4, 2020. 

- H2X teams with Elvin Group to develop green hydrogen refuelling stations in Australia. The Driven, June 26, 2020.

ACT electricity prices to drop after going 100% renewable

Majura Solar Farm, Canberra. (Photo Julie May)

 ACT (Australian Capital Territory) households are set to enjoy an average 2.56 per cent drop in electricity prices from 1 July, after Canberra succeeded in reaching its 100 per cent renewable electricity target.

 

The territory has had a reduction in the wholesale electricity prices due to a 100 per cent transition to renewable electricity and the falling costs of renewable energy certificates. This will be passed onto the consumers with a reduction in their electricity prices.

 

The ACT officially received its transition to 100 percent renewable electricity in October 2019.  The price reduction will save the average household $43 on their electricity bills in a year.

 

Read more: ACT electricity prices to drop after reaching 100% renewable target. RenewEconomy, June 9, 2020.

“Carpet made from fishing nets and recycled plastic”

Source: Wikipedia

A foresighted carpet manufacturer, ege®, from Herning, Denmark, has since 1938 kept up with time, constantly improving production and sustainability practices.  It is now able to produce a 100 per cent recycled carpet. 

The backing layer of the carpet is made from recycled plastic. Water bottles made of PET plastic is broken down into flakes and then fibres used for creating the felt backings ensuring a long-lasting product. The upper layer of the carpet is made from regenerated fishing nets, which can be a hazard to marine wildlife if left abandoned. 

The company aims to foster a sustainable outcome from almost all of its production practices. 2 million litres of residual dye are recycled along with 7,000 kilograms of chemicals, 1,572 MWh recirculated heat from production facilities, 81 per cent recycled cardboard equivalent to 183,000 kilograms of packaging for carpet tiles for example and much more. 

Read more: 

- Carpet made from fishing nets and recycled plastic. State of Green, accessed June 4, 2020. 

- ege carpets: https://www.egecarpets.com/

British Manor saves US$12,280 a year with biomass boiler

Barrington Court, Somerset, UK (photo: J May)

Barrington Court, Somerset, UK, now belonging to the National Trust, is saving 10,000 pounds per year (A$18,550, US$12,280) after replacing its oil boiler with a biomass boiler. The energy comes from burning wood pellets from local sustainable forests. 

The building is a very large 16^th century manor and a popular tourist attraction. Being an old building, keeping it warm in winter requires a great deal of heat. The oil boiler emitted a lot of fossil fuel CO2, so with these renewable wood pellets there is a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. 

“Although wood does emit carbon dioxide when burned, it is considered close to carbon neutral as the amount it emits is the same amount as it has absorbed during its lifetime. It is a sustainable and renewable process so long as woodlands are allowed to regrow following harvesting and that the wood-fuel is not transported far. Even if you include the energy used to make a biomass boiler, using wood will emit 94% less [excess] carbon dioxide than oil.”  (Barrington Court, 2015). 

For more information: 

- Barrington Court, National Trust 

- Biomass boiler project, National Trust 

- Biomass heating system at Barrington Court, 2015. pdf

Norway to have commercial electric planes by 2030

'Alice' Israel's e-plane. (Source: Financial Times 17.06.19)

Norway’s northern most region is well suited for short-haul electric planes as there are 16 airports within a radius of 350 kilometres. A report launched by Avinor and the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority says that battery operated planes will be available before 2030 and well suited to this network of airports within the Arctic Circle. 

The world is facing a climate crisis and Norway has been a leader in reducing fossil fuel transport emissions by encouraging the uptake of electric cars. Now it is focusing on air transport and plans to be the driving force and arena for the development, testing and early implementation of electrified aircraft. Norway has an abundance of renewable electricity to charge the planes' batteries.

The goals are to have a commercial fleet of domestic electric planes operating by 2030 and to have all domestic civil aircraft electrified by 2040. 

Read more: 

- Electric aviation ready for take-off in Norway by 2030, report says. The Independent Barents Observer, March 8, 2020. 

- Norwegian authorities aim for electric aircraft debut by 2030. Flight Global News, March 9, 2020, 

- Commercial electric planes set to take-off in Norway by 2030. The Driven, March 13, 2020.

A trial to test "green methane" as a replacement for mains gas

Concept art for a renewable gas plant near Roma, Qld. (ABC News)

The Australian Federal Government will fund a trial of renewable methane production in Roma, Queensland. Natural gas, which is currently used for mains gas, is mostly methane. The process is to be powered by solar energy. 

Australian gas producer APA Group will develop a $2.2 million renewable methane demonstration project at the company’s Wallumbilla Gas hub near Roma in Queensland. Funds and collaboration will also come from ARENA (Australian Renewable Energy Agency) and Southern Green Gas, respectively. 

The plan is to use solar PV to power the conversion of water into hydrogen using an anion exchange membrane electrolyser. Then the hydrogen would be converted into methane (CH₄) through a process that combines hydrogen (H₂) with carbon dioxide (CO₂). 

If successful, the project will be converted into a larger commercial-grade plant to provide emissions-free methane for mains gas and possibly for export. 

Read more: 

- Trial to explore “green methane” as replacement for mains gas. RenewEconomy, May 8, 2020. 

- “Coffee-table”-sized units to power new gas plant near Roma. ABC News, May 8, 2020.

"Mobility for Africa" providing EVs and solar microgrids

Mobility for Africa's Hamba electric three-wheelers, Zimbabwe (Mobility for Africa)

In Africa, the lives of the women have not changed much as they still need to walk large distances to obtain their daily requirements. A start-up called Mobility for Africa (MFA), with the help of sponsors, is trying to improve local mobility by piloting low-cost three-wheeler electric vehicles in the rural Wedza district of Zimbabwe. Along with the EVs, solar hubs are also provided where the people can charge their electric tricycles. 

MFA’s aim is to empower women and their families by providing this transport so they can easily get their produce to market and use the family services available in their local villages. The people can purchase the EVs through their financing system called PayGo; a pay-as-you-go system. 

The electric tricycle is known as the Hamba which means ‘go’ in the local language. The parts come from China and the plan is to assemble the EVs in Harare. Once the pilot has succeeded, MFA intends to extend the EV tricycles and solar microgrids to other parts of Africa. 

Read More: 

- Mobility for Africa shows how electric vehicles can transform lives where it matters most. CleanTechnica, May 11, 2020. 

- Mobility for Africa: https://www.mobilityforafrica.com/