As the energy crisis unfolds, the European Union eases rules on financing gas projects. But such efforts can only receive administrative support if there is an option to blend or switch to cleaner hydrogen. Municipal district heating company Termoficare Oradea has made a public call to hire consultants for its 80 MW solar park and hydrogen production facility project.
Demand and supply in the grid must be constantly balanced. Pumped-storage hydropower remains the only traditional and most cost-effective technology for large-scale balancing of power systems. Iberdrola has just opened Tâmega Gigabattery in Portugal. According to the European Energy Storage Association, the EU will need 200 gigawatts of energy storage by the end of the century and 600 gigawatts by 2050. Iberdrola's Tâmega Gigabattery is one of the largest pumped hydro storage projects in Europe for the past 25 years.
The facility, valued at 1.5 billion euros, has not yet been completed. It consists of two reservoirs connected to a tunnel, of which the engine room is located underground. Recently, another large pumped hydro storage facility came online in Switzerland.
Germany, Italy and Austria face the greatest risk of gas shortages in the EU due to uncertain supply prospects from Russia. The European Commission presented member states last week with a plan to reduce gas demand, triggering a special meeting of energy ministers. Hungary was the only EU member state to vote against it. The EU is united. Czech Industry and Trade Minister Josef Sikela said today's decision made it clear that member states would firmly oppose any attempt by Russia to split the EU.
Germany has agreed to buy a 30% stake in Uniper, the country's largest natural gas importer, which is suffering from severe liquidity shortages. The bailout may be just the beginning of a structural shift in the energy sector.
Nofar Energy, which is listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, intends to install a 255 MW solar power plant on 290 hectares of land in southern Romania. The utility said it expects annual revenue of 27 million euros. Nofar said it aims to start construction in 2023, pending the necessary permits. The investor revealed that it has a total of 579 MW in pipeline in Romania, including the Răteşti project with a planned installed capacity of 155 MW.
The Sauk Valley Hydrogen project in Illinois will produce green hydrogen using electricity from Invenergy's co-located solar power plant. Green hydrogen projects can scale quickly and efficiently to reach megawatt to gigawatt applications. The project will break ground in the coming months and is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2022.
Upgrades allow older engines to be prepared for future climate-neutral operation. 80% of all necessary adjustments and changes are made during lifecycle upgrades. Based on 6,000 hours of full-load operation, users can save about 500 tons of fuel and 25 tons of lubricating oil per year. Newly modified engines can also be upgraded to run on synthetic fuels.