Sightline Climate (CTVC)’s Post

Critical topic, thank you for highlighting it, Ann Mettler! Apart from "non-EU cleantech," I believe it's crucial to understand whether we can accurately quantify the "correct" figures for missed climate targets, and even more so for energy security. For decades, we have struggled to assign a dollar figure to climate inaction and discount rates, and I believe this challenge will persist. However, it is timely to question whether we can adequately assess energy security risks and determine the associated costs. If so, how long should these cost-benefit analyses be, and as always, what should we label as pluses and minuses?

"There's a little bit of an arms race ... between industrial nations. Nobody wants to lose their competitive edge," says Chris Taylor, chief executive of GridStor. "Industrial policy is back at the forefront all over the globe." Our CEO joins other global business leaders in the Financial Times weighing in on how the 37% increase in investment in #CleanEnergy in the U.S. this year is also emblematic of policy tensions around globalization -- read the story at https://lnkd.in/gigzW-SP #Cleantech #BatteryStorage #IRA #Decarbonization #FinancialTimes #industrialpolicy #EnergyStorage #supplychain

"Good things come to those who act!" A common and frankly boring argument against nascent low carbon technologies is that they are not readily available and very expensive. It is boring because it is an argument that can be levied against pretty much every new technology. In this short but punchy piece, the FT reminds us how much of the progress that will come (or not) is in our hands. We need to get going with deploying low-carbon tech at scale so we learn the lessons and the benefits can start accruing. In a world that has now breached the 1.5degC warming threshold for a few months now, it is a timely reminder...

US industrial policy is highly charged! Today the Treasury department released guidance on 45X manufacturing tax credits--a reminder that the battery supply chain is central to American global industrial competition. The separate incentives for battery metals production, electrode materials production, cell manufacturing, and pack manufacturing mean each part of the supply chain has support to develop domestically -- and all of the incentives are *stackable*, compounding cost reductions in the batteries manufactured for #EnergyStorage and #ElectricVehicles. It is also satisfying to see reasonable guidance that will allow unconventional battery techs, like #ThermalStorage and #FlowBatteries, to qualify for incentives--we're going to need all the energy storage we can make here. Re-upping the Financial Times story and why we at GridStor are quoted--the US energy storage sector is at the crossroads of US industrial policy and climate policy.

The German business daily Handelsblatt published my op-ed today in which I argue for a fundamental rethink so that Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) becomes a vital option in Germany to reach our ambitious climate goals. More here: https://brnw.ch/21wDDjT The reality we have to face is this: Without #CCS as additional element, it will hardly be possible to sufficiently abate the greenhouse gas emissions of a number of key industries. The technology is a pivotal tool to meet climate goals within the timeframes Germany has set for itself while also keeping industry jobs in Germany. The eight key takeaways from my article are: 👉 Germany aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. That is a very ambitious goal. To succeed, we need to use all available instruments. 👉 As to creating the proper regulatory environment, we need to avoid the tendency to formulate lofty goals that then get stuck in the gears of bureaucracy. 👉 To date, carbon storage is largely viewed as a niche solution in Germany. Making matters worse, the relevant legislation, the “Kohlendioxidspeicherungs¬gesetz” (Carbon Dioxide Storage Act) of 2012, effectively shackles the development of CCS projects in Germany. 👉 CCS is critical to maintaining the competitiveness of a range of important German industries such as the cement and glass industry, but also the iron and steel industry as well as large parts of the building materials industry and consumer goods industries. 👉 Moreover, this technology also has the potential to become an industrial growth market. Indeed, CO2 could serve as a valuable raw material for new fields of application, for example, in the chemical or plastics industries. There are already examples that have achieved proof of concept. 👉 Politics and business need to work together to reach Germany’s climate goals. This involves promoting and implementing innovative solutions. Other nations, including the United States and Norway, have shown that this can be achieved when it comes to CCS. 👉 German companies are highly innovative and very skilled technologically. The German mechanical engineering sector in particular can pride itself in its track record of always meeting the technical and commercial requirements of the times. This can also become true for CCS. 👉 In summary, the task ahead is to find the right balance between regulation, engineering capabilities and entrepreneurial freedom. If we can achieve that, we can simultaneously serve our economic and our climate goals.

I saw this chart yesterday 👇 Clean technologies and energy are growing exponentially 😌 Plus, RMI has just published The Cleantech Revolution report with lots of data and chart backing this thesis. The next post of The Climate Tech Business will be fun to write 🤓

The controversial environment-saving tech that sounds like it was pitched by a stoned teenager — “You should, like, suck all the carbon stuff out of the sky or whatever” — is suddenly a very real thing. Direct air capture (DAC) is the emerging atmosphere-restoring process of sucking in large quantities of air, stripping out carbon dioxide molecules, then transferring that carbon into underground storage. But could it really work? That's exactly the question we're trying to answer in today's edition of The Hustle. Catch up on it here⬇️

2023 will be remembered as the year BigTech recognised the value of Direct Air Capture. Frontier, now on the 3rd purchase cycle, announced their Summer 2023 recipients and allocated $3m out of the $10m in pre-purchase agreements to DAC start-ups. Congratulations Airhive, Spiritus, Holocene, EDAC Labs, and Carbon Atlantis! Frontier's support for innovative and novel approaches to CDR along with a commitment to open-source has arguably been the single most catalytic intervention in CDR. Check out the deal details here: https://lnkd.in/eiQyK7ds A few steps further up the TRL scale... This week Amazon added their name to the growing list of corporate giants entering the world of direct air capture. Their purchase of 250,000 tonnes over a 10-year period procured from 1PointFive's Stratos Plant, is yet another fine example of the bold and ambitious corporate action we need to see to ramp up scale in our seemingly not-so nascent industry. Alongside this purchase, which ranks in at the 6th largest carbon removal deal in history, Amazon's $2Bn investment into the Climate Pledge Fund added CarbonCapture Inc. to their list of portfolio companies. No corporate has done more for carbon removal than Microsoft who account for over 2.8 million tonnes purchased. Last week, this number increased to over to 3.1 million as they announced a deal totalling 315,000 tonnes from Heirloom. For so long the question has been: "what does DAC need to scale?" This of course is a multifaceted question but let us not underestimated the value of having these kind of deals on your books and the capital that comes with it, regardless what end of the spectrum TRL spectrum your company sits. The Direct Air Capture Coalition applauds the leadership shown from all organisations involved. Congratulations all! Melanie Nakagawa, Lauren Kickham, Brian Marrs & Shashank Samala, Noah McQueen Adiari Vazquez, Ph.D., & Adrian Corless, Jonas Lee, Patricia Loria, MBA and MNR Amazon Deal - https://lnkd.in/eYcy3Kgr Microsoft Deal - https://lnkd.in/dM_JH3XG

Embracing Transformation in the Energy Industry. The global battery industry is in the midst of a remarkable evolution, fueled by the surging demand for batteries and electric vehicles (EVs). The landscape of EVs is shifting at an astounding pace, with forecasts indicating a remarkable 18% of all car sales to be electric this year - a significant leap from 13% in 2022 and more than double the 9% in 2021. This incredible momentum signifies that nearly one in every five cars sold worldwide in 2023 could be an EV, a milestone further solidified by the impressive 10 million EVs sold last year. This seismic shift in the automotive sector is undoubtedly a positive stride towards cleaner and more sustainable transportation. However, it's also a call to action, underscoring the need to establish more resilient, transparent, and eco-friendly battery value chains. As we embrace this electrifying revolution, the importance of investing in advanced technologies becomes paramount. The Advanced Technology Fund is at the forefront, driving innovation and supporting the development of cutting-edge solutions that can shape a greener future. Let's seize this transformative moment to build a more sustainable world, where EVs and batteries power progress with a reduced carbon footprint. Together, we can forge a path toward a brighter and cleaner future for generations to come. Source: World Economic Forum #BatteryIndustry #ElectricVehicles #SustainableFuture #Innovation #AdvancedTechnologyFund