Jim Howlett

Born at 326 ppm. Interested in climate change and energy access. Lived and worked in 🇳🇬🇦🇫🇸🇬🇹🇭🇮🇩🇬🇧 Views are my own.

[Jim Howlett @Jim__Howlett]

@RenEnergyUK highlights the opportunity for businesses with suitable car parks to take control of their energy supply and costs through solar carports.

[ECN @ElecConNews]

Solar carports could be the answer to UK energy woes

To read the full story:

https://t.co/ro5PrwdKRA

#energy #solar #decarbonisation #solarcarport #electricalcontracting #electricalcontractor #electrician

[Jim Howlett @Jim__Howlett]

Supporting the @RenEnergyUK team compete in the Business Fives event at Goals in Norwich this afternoon. Good luck to all #Biz5s

[Ofgem @ofgem]

From 1 Oct 2024 Price Cap average direct debit unit rates for energy;

ELECTRICITY

Unit rate: 24.50p per kWh

Standing charge: 60.99p per day

GAS

Unit rate: 6.24p per kWh

Standing charge: 31.66p per day

https://t.co/lSqVKwnSeS

[Adam Bell @Adam_Grant_Bell]

The expansion of the Synchronous Condenser market is one of underreported stories in energy, primarily because it's about spinning bits of metal hidden in sheds with no exciting planning battles involved. /1

[Bungay Town FC @BungayTownFC]

2 0 win means we are promoted to the top division of the @AnglianCom .

[Jesse Peltan @JessePeltan]

I don't think people appreciate the dimensions solar is improving in.

Conversion efficiency isn't the full story.

Yes, conversion efficiency doubled (~10% -> 20%) in the last 20 years, but silicon use per watt fell by 87%! (16g/W -> 2g/W)

Longi now has cells that use just half a gram per watt and are 26% efficient.

At 1.9 W/g (1.2 horsepower/pound), they're more power dense than most combustion engines!

Glass/glass bifacial panels solve the degradation issues of plastic back sheets. And they harvest light from both sides which increases output in cloudy conditions (higher % diffuse light vs directional).

That's way more valuable than just the increase in overall output because it means more power when it's needed most.

Larger format panels may not seem revolutionary, but they lower balance of system and labor costs.

Even the production of silicon itself is getting more efficient. We use less energy to refine silicon today and get more watts and more watt hours from that silicon.

The energy return on solar isn't about what percentage of sunlight you convert. It's about how much energy it takes to make panels, how much power they produce, and how long they last.

Solar is making huge strides in all these areas. If you're not amazed by solar, you're not looking at the right units. Earth's solar resource is 173,000 TW. Capturing just 1% of that would 100x humanity's energy supply.

[Dave Throup @DaveThroup]

Rainfall anomalies for 4 out of the last 5 Februaries.

This is just the start as already locked in heating will lead to greater extremes.

We’re not coping very well with what we’ve already got, let alone what’s coming.

[David Fickling @davidfickling]

Here’s some good news.

The @iea says we need to be installing 650GW of solar each year by 2030.

It’s quite likely that we hit that THIS YEAR:

https://t.co/Y3fZzOKw7K

[Jim Howlett @Jim__Howlett]

Worth a read, includes a bit about the scaling solar programme and how it worked against Nigeria's efforts to get utility scale solar off the ground. https://t.co/0QP1pO5a3p

[Norfolk Coast Protected Landscape @OurNorfolkCoast]

Welcome to Norfolk Coast Protected Landscape.

We're home to a special collection of protected sites on the Norfolk Coast on land and at sea.

This is a landscape like no other, where big skies stretch across endless beaches and bird cries echo across saltmarsh creeks.

[Nat Bullard @NatBullard]

It's here: my annual presentation on decarbonization.

There is a lot going on, and I attempt to capture it in 200 slides. Ocean heat content, deforestation, fund performance, vehicle efficiency, lighting technology, GLP-1 agonists, and much more. https://t.co/DxlE3kbl13

[Jim Howlett @Jim__Howlett]

Aggreko strikes deal for RenEnergy https://t.co/okgAmVhghw

[Hannah Ritchie @_HannahRitchie]

The last decade was about driving down the cost of low-carbon technologies to make them competitive with fossil fuels.

This decade is about building them as quickly as we can.

Build, build, build.

[note that this will drive the costs down even more]

[Hannah Ritchie @_HannahRitchie]

"Electrification is efficiency".

The energy transition will reduce final energy demand (and primary energy too).

Here's the transition for transport 👇

My new post on this:
https://t.co/U4XrHBsREE

[International Energy Agency @IEA]

The rapid growth of renewables like solar & wind is a key part of clean energy transitions. But grids, which bring the electricity to consumers, aren't keeping up.

Investment in renewables has nearly doubled since 2014. For grids, it has barely changed 👉 https://t.co/Nv6G5MvHvB

[Assaad Razzouk @AssaadRazzouk]

The fastest roll out of a new energy system in history: Renewables have already reached an “irreversible tipping point” and will dominate electricity markets by 2050 without any additional policies

What we need now are policies to go faster

https://t.co/LOrrKtF5bs #climate

[Dave Throup @DaveThroup]

If you think #StormBabet has been a once in a blue moon event you may be disappointed.

Northern Hemisphere ocean and air temperatures ridiculously warm and El Niño gearing up, all adding energy and moisture to the atmosphere.

Climate change is getting real to more folk.

[North Norfolk District Council @NorthNorfolkDC]

NET ZERO: Now our solar carport is switched on, gym-goers will be 'walking on sunshine' as it powers The Reef

@RenEnergyUK & the @NNYouthCouncil joined us & @EveryoneActive to open the carport & start generating electricity ☀️⚡️

Find out more: https://t.co/OTVMXiyjKN

[Jim Howlett @Jim__Howlett]

Proud husband Klaxon!

[Jim Howlett @Jim__Howlett]

Started Father's Day with a terrific breakfast, then in the afternoon off exploring a section of the Fife Coastal Path. Great day!