
The Most Important 8 Energy News in The 3rd Week of June
New membrane tech promises cleaner, cheaper, faster lithium
ElectraLith, a Monash University company, developed a novel technique that utilises a polymer-ceramic composite membrane to extract lithium from brine solutions using just a small amount of solar-generated electricity and without the use of chemicals or water.
This technology has the capability to cut lithium production costs by up to 40% and make onshore processing more competitive by requiring the least amount of energy and having the least environmental effect of all lithium refining technologies.
This is important because lithium that is used in large-scale batteries for electric vehicles and renewable energy storage is in high demand.
Source: electralith
TotalEnergies to produce 10% of world’s sustainable aviation fuel by 2030

TotalEnergies has set a goal of producing 1.5 million tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) per year by 2030, accounting for 10% of the global SAF market.
SAFs can decrease carbon emissions from commercial aviation by up to 80%. TotalEnergies produces SAF largely from trashed cooking oil and is converting its refineries to generate SAF.
However, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun has warned that SAF would never be as cost-efficient as fossil-based jet fuels that may limit industry use.
Source: totalenergies
New green hydrogen tech turning waste into super energy

HydGene Renewables, an Australian company, has created a unique green hydrogen solution that uses biocatalysts to convert biomass into hydrogen.
The procedure is carried out in modular units, allowing for localised green hydrogen generation in rural and distant places.
The CEFC Clean Energy Innovation Fund has awarded the company $2 million and Agronomics 2.5 million to create a pilot plant, increase its personnel, and perform more research.
The technology has the potential to transform the chemical production and energy industries, as well as promote the worldwide transition to a net-zero economy.
Source: hydgene
Digital Innovation Award success for Switch2 Energy

Switch2 Energy’s ICON electronic heat interface unit (HIU) has won the Decentralised Energy Awards’ Digital Innovation Award.
The technology developed in the United Kingdom allows for comprehensive remote monitoring of heat networks, increasing efficiency by up to 35% and lowering costs and carbon emissions. Managers may use the ICON management portal for detecting performance issues or malfunctions and change to a predictive maintenance regime, which improves reliability and efficiency.
Switch2’s contribution to improving heat network performance and assisting with the transition to net zero is recognised by this award.
Source: switch2
Europe’s largest heat pump to heat Cologne homes using Rhine river water

RheinEnergie plans to build Europe’s biggest heat pump in Cologne, which will use Rhine River energy to heat houses in the city centre. Construction on the 150 MW installations, which will heat around 30,000 houses, is planned to begin in early 2024.
The company also plans to construct a 50 MW heat pump north of the city. These initiatives are part of the company’s ambition to invest around 3.8 billion euros in climate-neutral energy supply by 2035.
However, a recent laws calling for the phase-out of fossil-fuel-powered boilers has sparked controversy about the cost of climate-friendly options such as heat pumps for homeowners and tenants.
Source: rheinenergie
IEA Governing Board concludes 2022 collective actions

The IEA Executive Director stated the end of IEA Member Countries’ collective actions in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
These actions included the release of emergency oil stockpiles of 182.7 million barrels, the greatest amount ever released by IEA Member Countries.
The IEA Member Countries’ stockholding duty will be reintroduced after the first quarter of 2024, but because oil stockpiles in virtually all IEA Member Countries are over the 90-day level, the conclusion of the collective activities will not need additional increases in emergency stock levels.
Source: iea
Seagreen wind farm installs final wind turbine

The final wind turbine has been installed at Seagreen Wind Farm, a joint venture between SSE Renewables and TotalEnergies, marking another milestone in the project’s development.
When completed, the wind farm will be Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm, positioned 27 kilometres from the Angus coast. It will be able to generate around 5000 GWh of renewable energy per year, enough to power more than 1.6 million UK households.
The project has already benefited the local community and the UK supply chain, and it will contribute significantly to Scotland’s and the UK’s net zero goals.
Source: seagreenwindenergy
Panasonic Debuts Advanced Energy Storage Solution

Panasonic recently launched the EVERVOLT Home Battery System, a modular the home storage system for solar installations. The system, which includes a hybrid inverter, lithium-ion battery, and EVERVOLT SmartBox, offers both DC and AC coupling.
It has a maximum lithium-ion battery capacity of 18 kWh, allowing homes to store extra solar power for power outages, and up to four EVERVOLT Home Batteries may be stacked to a single EVERVOLT SmartBox for a total of 30 kW of power and 72 kWh of useable energy.
The system is also compatible with 125A generators for extended power outages, and it comes with a full 12-year product guarantee. Furthermore, the EVERVOLT Battery certification programme guarantees that qualified installers are thoroughly taught on EVERVOLT batteries.
Source: panasonic