Energy transition highlights: Our editors and analysts bring you the biggest stories from the industry this week, from renewables to storage to carbon prices.
A total solar eclipse crossed North America on April 8, passing over Mexico, the US and Canada, causing significant reductions in solar power plant output with the greatest impacts occurring in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas and PJM Interconnection power markets.
An annular eclipse obscures most of the sun except for a halo of sunlight around the edge of the moon’s dark disc, while during a total eclipse the entirety of the sun will be blocked by the moon.
In Dallas, the partial eclipse began at 12:23 pm CT, with maximum totality occurring at 1:42 pm and the partial eclipse ending at 3:02 pm, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Maximum totality reached Cleveland at 3:15 pm ET, Buffalo at 3:20 pm, and Caribou, Maine at 3:33 pm.
Solar power production in ERCOT was expected to drop to 3 GW generated during the hour of totality versus the roughly 18 GW that is usually generated during that same time of day on a clear sky day in April, according to Maxar Technologies, an advanced forecasting company that provides data to US power grid operators.
As the moon’s shadow moved north through the PJM footprint, solar power output was expected to drop to around 1.6 GW during the hour of totality compared with roughly 7GW on a clear sky day in April, a Maxar spokesperson said in an email.
Even under cloudy skies, PJM prepared for temporary losses of at least 80% to 85% of the production from the approximately 8.2 GW of grid-connected solar or metered solar resources that are part of the PJM solar generation fleet in early April, the grid operator said in a media release.
Editor’s picks
INTERVIEW: Building a credible carbon market takes time; 'bear with us', says ICVCM
A step-by-step approach to informing the market about which project methodologies meet high-quality carbon credit thresholds is considered the best way forward given the high number of methodologies involved, the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market said. The ICVCM confirmed that carbon credit programs from American Carbon Registry, Climate Action Reserve and Gold Standard had met its high-quality Core Carbon Principle labels.
China kicks off consultation on expanding compliance carbon market to cement sector
China has kicked off public consultation on drafting guidelines around emissions accounting and verification for the country's cement sector, laying the foundation for its inclusion in the national compliance carbon market, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said in a notice late April 3.
Thailand's Bangchak, Japan's Sumitomo join forces for green UCO-to-SAF supply chain
Thailand-based energy firm Bangchak and Japan's Sumitomo Corp. have signed a cooperative framework agreement for the procurement of used cooking oil and the sale of sustainable aviation fuel, the companies said in an April 3 joint release.
Denmark paves way for hydrogen pipeline exporting surplus wind to Germany
Denmark is paving the way for state financing for the Jutland hydrogen backbone pipeline to export surplus wind power to Germany, the energy ministry said. Political parties agreed five framework conditions that need to be met for grid operator Energinet to go-ahead with the project including a 1.4-GW or 44% of total capacity booking requirement by private companies.
China’s domestic renewable energy certificate trade volume up tenfold in 2023
The annual trading volume of China’s domestic renewable energy certificates, called Green Electricity Certificates, increased almost tenfold to 96 million certificates in 2023, a record high for a year, from 9.69 million certificates in 2022, data from the country’s GEC trading platform showed.
Fortescue misses FID date for key renewable hydrogen project under Genex PPA
Fortescue Future Industry has missed the deadline for final investment decision (FID) for a key renewable hydrogen/ammonia project in Australia, thus failing to meet a buyer’s condition in a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Genex Power, Genex said April 2.
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