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.

Solar energy produced “water battery” wins global award and saves 40% of university’s energy use

"Water Battery" and solar panels at the USC (USC website)

The University of the Sunshine Coast (USC), Queensland, Australia, wins an award at the 6th Global District Energy Climate Awards which was presented in Iceland in September 2019. The award was for their “water battery”, featuring 6,000+ solar panels and a thermal energy storage tank, that is cutting grid energy use at the Sunshine Coast campus by 40 percent.

The USC has a goal to become carbon neutral by 2025 and to operate sustainably. The Sunshine Coast campus uses a lot of electricity, so in order to achieve that goal they had to come up with a way to store energy without using chemical batteries which have a waste problem.

In collaboration with Veolia, the USC installed a massive rooftop solar system and built a thermal energy storage battery with a thermal chiller. When the sunshines (which is often in this location), solar energy powers the thermal chiller to cool water which is stored in a massive tank. The chilled water is used to air condition the entire campus.

Read more:
- Sunny approach to cooling campus wins global award. University of the Sunshine Coast, October 28, 2019.
- Clean Energy (How it Works): Sustainable USC, University of the Sunshine Coast.
- Sustainable USC, University of the Sunshine Coast.

UK government to commit to net-zero emissions by 2050

Offshore wind turbines - cheapest source of energy in the UK (Source: The Telegraph)

After a recommendation from the UK’s Committee on Climate Change in May, Prime Minister Theresa May announced that the UK government will set a target for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions (i.e. carbon neutral) by 2050. Mrs May said there was a “moral duty to leave this world in a better condition than what we inherited.”

That means greenhouse gas emissions from homes, transport, farming and industry will have to be eliminated by using renewables or - in the most difficult examples - offset by planting trees or having industries that suck CO₂ out of the atmosphere.

It is important to note that Theresa May has announced that a group of young people will be selected to advise the government on priorities for environmental action. They will start their review in July.

Britain is the first G7 nation to propose this target, it has a population close to 67 million. Other nations (and states) have more ambitious or similar targets. Some of those with plans to be carbon neutral include:
- Norway (population ~5.4 million) by 2030.
- Finland (population ~5.6 million) by 2035.
- Sweden (population ~10 million) by 2045.
- California (population ~40 million) by 2045.
- Scotland (population ~5.3 million) by 2045.
- Denmark (population ~5.8 million) by 2050.
- New Zealand (population ~4.8 million) by 2050.
- Costa Rica (population ~5 million) by 2050.
- South Australia (population ~1.7 million) by 2050.
- The Australian Capital Territory (population now ~452,500) by 2045.

Read more:
- Climate Change: UK government to commit to 2050 target. BBC News, June 12 2019.
- Theresa May’s net-zero emissions target is a lot less impressive than it looks. The Guardian, June 13 2019.
- Net zero emissions by 2050, says UK government - now what? The Conversation, June 12 2019.