Member Info for Alfacomp

Furthermore there is a historical connection between ACWA and Abengoa on South African Solar projects.

Abengoa owned 51% of the Bokport CSP project - http://helioscsp.com/bokpoort-concentrated-solar-power-csp-in-the-northern-cape-will-include-a-facility-to-store-for-up-to-nine-hours/

but apparently ACWA power was also a lead shareholder on this project - https://www.acwapower.com/news/south-africas-bokpoort-csp-plant-breaks-african-record-for-around-the-clock-operation/

This of course was a Concentrating Solar Power project ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokpoort_CSP ) but we all know that these are no longer as favoured as they once were, primarily due to huge improvements in PV panel efficiency and reductions in cost (by a factor of 5) over the last 10 years - https://rameznaam.com/2020/05/14/solars-future-is-insanely-cheap-2020/

This is why people like Abengoa are pivoting to PV based generation, rather than solar thermal, and why they are now hooking up with the VRFB manufacturing community.

All this goes to show how Abengoa were a key partner to establish for the Vametco mini-grid project.

Clearly ACWA are on the look out for large scale battery system that work at high temperatures - they are looking for 1 GWh of storage for their Red Sea Project :-

https://www.vanadiumcorp.com/news/sustainability-news/100-renewable-energy-luxury-resort-in-saudi-arabia-will-use-1000mwh-battery-storage-system/

That is because they are 2-3 years behind us. Sure our integrated Vanadium to VRFB batteries platform was simple at first but now we own Vanchem are building a dedicated Vanadium electrolyte company and have stakes in two of the leading VRFB companies in the world.

And I do not doubt there is a great deal more to come.

Fishy - I think we shall all discover that the reason is that BMN have not been talking the talk is because behind the scenes they have been walking the walk.

'way being' should of course read 'way behind'

now we can see why Bushveld selected Abengoa as engineering and procurement partner for the Vametco microgrid project, rather than pitching up at their local B&Q to buy 500 solar panels.

Another connection, this time Abengoa with the IDC

Abengoa, IDC and PIC inaugurate Xina Solar One, their third solar thermal plant In South Africa
http://www.abengoa.com/export/sites/abengoa_corp/resources/pdf/noticias_y_publicaciones/20180518-ABENGOA-Achieves-Practical-Completion-for-Xina-Solar-One-Eng.pdf

It really makes sense to build smart partnerships doesn't it ?

Not a direct connection but look at this:-

Abengoa Power signs a cooperation agreement with ACWA Power http://www.abengoa.com/web/en/noticias_y_publicaciones/noticias/historico/2018/11_noviembre/20181128.html

Abengoa is awarded the first large scale hybrid microgrid with flow batteries in Africa
http://www.abengoa.es/web/en/noticias_y_publicaciones/noticias/historico/2020/11_noviembre/20201105.html

The second project is of course our very own microgrid at Vametco

ukmoe - I'm afraid that thus is a classic case of the executive authorities being way being the technology (think internet etc)

If you look at large scale (eg 50MWh) battery installation applications it is possible to get planning permission for these with zero effort if you simply locate them inside an existing factory building and say that the battery is simply necessary for the existing function of the building, when in fact you are providing balancing services to the grid.

Furthermore I have seen UK battery planning applications where the only mention of safety is a reference to the 10 page HSE document "Using electric storage batteries safely" ( https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg139.pdf ) which contains such useful nuggets as :

"Wear gloves and suitable eye protection, preferably goggles or a visor"

and

"Empty your pockets of any metal objects that could fall onto the battery or bridge across its terminals."

I'm afraid that it will take one or more deaths from a large scale Lithium-ion battery for the HSE to be forced to do their job.

Nice one !

Sanchez - I was hoping that Ken had a presentation online that I could point people to but after this IFBF and the last one where he has presented on batteries for hyperscale datacentres I have not yet been able to find anything public that I could point people to.

Macanman - it is an auction so there will be one or more sellers and one or more buyers. As it is not possible to categorically say whether any of these were Market Makers it is not possible to categorise the transaction as one of either of the following two:-

1) BUY from market makers
2) SELL to market makers

thus that specific interpretation of BUY/SELL is not applicable in this circumstance

Ken Davies of Birch Infrastructure may be worth listening to on that subject

yes indeed ukmoe, AVL have expressed strong interest in such a device

if any of you wish to discuss your knitting or home brewing perhaps you can do it elsewhere.

I am focussed on the subject of Bushveld Minerals, Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries, Eskom, Energy storage for grids and now VRFBs for shipping.

that is indeed very interesting - in the past it would have been one of the CEOs of an electrical generation or an oil company. It will be good to have energy storage at the top table.

Unlike the UK where every time Boris mentions the word battery he has to go to the Jaguar plant for a PR opportunity hoping to get someone, anyone to build a car battery plant here, in the US they actually have an Energy Storage industry that is not totally subservient to the mobile battery space.

not gas cooking lightningspike but closer to gaslighting

errr it might have something to do with the fact that Tin prices rose by almost $1000 yesterday.

This takes it to the highest point in the last 6 years. I expect that speculators will now drive the price up to $25,000 per tonne

I missed your post somtam as I was virtually attending the International Flow Battery Forum.

There were a number of very interesting things yesterday:-

RFBTA
Portliner
the ducks start in the south west and migrate to the north east

LIION - check out the album Every Valley by PSB ( https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jul/06/public-service-broadcasting-every-valley-review-poignant-elegy-to-coalmining )