Top Clean Energy & EV Innovations: Volvo, Google, Wind Turbines, and More!

Is the 9-5 workday dead, or is remote work truly the future? Get ready to uncover the groundbreaking innovations reshaping the energy landscape this week. We'll explore Volvo's cutting-edge EV battery passport for the EX90 SUV, setting a new standard in transparency and sustainability. We'll also discuss their game-changing truck-as-a-service model, Volvo On Demand, which aims to revolutionize electric truck accessibility. Plus, we'll delve into the astonishing feats in the offshore wind sector, from China's colossal 18-megawatt turbine to New York's pivotal South Brooklyn Marine Terminal.

Join us as we dissect Google's ambitious geothermal energy project in collaboration with NV Energy, potentially setting a new industry benchmark with its clean transition tariff. Similarly, we'll highlight Duke Energy's initiative attracting tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon. To top it all off, we'll spotlight Highview Power's $383 million venture into liquid air energy storage in Manchester, promising to extend energy storage solutions beyond the typical limits of lithium-ion batteries. Tune in to grasp the future of energy and the disruptive projects leading the charge.

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Speaker 1 0:00

I've got your energy stories for this . The third week of June 2024 , and on the first one , swedish carmaker Volvo is starting the world's first EV battery passport for its soon-to-be produced EX90 SUV . The passport will track the origins of raw materials , components , recycled content and carbon footprint of the vehicles . Beginning 2027 , all EVs sold in the EU will need similar passports and while Audi and Tesla have developed prototypes , volvo is the first one out the door . Volvo owners can use a QR code on the inside of the driver's door to see a simplified version with a more complete version to be delivered to regulators . Future state passports will also include continuous information on battery health . Future state passports will also include continuous information on battery health . Volvo's partner is UK-based Circular , and Volvo will pay about $10 per EV for 15 years of monitoring . The Circular system can trace the battery materials from mine to vehicle using blockchain , while auditing suppliers' monthly energy bills to calculate a total carbon footprint . In the United States , volvo Trucks North America and Volvo Financial Services have launched a truck-as-a-service business model called Volvo On Demand , so that customers can utilize electric trucks without the big upfront investments . The service will start with 25 Class 8 Volvo VNR electric trucks , with customers enrolling for periods as short as 12 months and paying largely depending on mileage driven . The 25e trucks will include 26x4 tractors with a 6 battery configuration and 5 4x2 tractors with a 4 battery configuration . Volvo is betting in part that this try-before-you-buy approach will boost overall sales as customers can gain experience before making capital purchases In offshore wind .

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Chinese state-owned Dongfang Electric Corporation has installed an 18-megawatt offshore wind turbine it claims is the world's largest , with a 260-meter rotor diameter . Sticking with offshore wind . But here in the US , the 73-acre South Brooklyn Marine Terminal had its groundbreaking with the $860 million project , soon to be a staging ground for New York's offshore wind industry , starting with the 810-megawatt 54-turbine Empire Wind 1 project 15 miles off Long Island that is estimated to be commissioned in 2026 . Let's hope that more projects follow soon in its wake . So the economics on this one pencil . Google has entered into an agreement with utility Envy Energy to buy 115 megawatts of enhanced geothermal energy for its Nevada data centers . The deal must still be approved by Nevada state utility regulators and would boost geothermal from developer Fervil Energy from a current 3.5 pilot deal to 115 megawatts in about six years . Google worked with NV Energy's power generation resource planning team to develop a so-called clean transition tariff that it hopes to see replicated in other utility service territories . Southeastern utility Duke Energy announced a similar tariff approach last month , with Google , microsoft and Amazon signing on .

Speaker 1 3:08

And finally , longer duration , but not really longer . Storage company Highview Power has secured a $383 million investment for its first commercial-scale liquid air energy storage plant in Manchester in the UK . The facility liquefies air and then warms it , so it expands 700-fold and creates pressure to spin turbines delivering 50 megawatts for up to six hours , so it's a bit longer than most lithium-ion projects , which generally limit out at around four hours . Construction will start in June , with plant commissioning by early 2026 . So we're starting to see more of these longer , longish duration projects around the world beginning to creep into the marketplace , with expected growth to be much more significant in the near future . Well , thanks for watching this week and we'll see you again next week .