Talking Climate Tech 019 redux
Holiday Startups, Coal Love & Hate, South Coast Wind, Mushrooms, and Pylon of the Month
ποΈ Holiday Startups | β« Coal Rewind | π Magic Mushrooms | π Tower of Power
Issued to subscribers 11th April 2025.
πͺπΈ 3,2,1, and I'm back at the desk...like that, a few days of rest melt away, the holiday is over - back to the keyboard. π
Although not actually that restful, marching around Barcelona for 3 days, carrying bags and children, etc. - next time I'm for the beach / poolside, sometimes you just need to be still. π
More on Barcelona later in Pylon of the Month... β‘
Shorter newsletter this week, however, some extra goodness in the π Good Stuff for you this week - I'm still in the holiday mood, and I think we all need some cheer at the moment!
πΈ Startup News
Went to voicemail - they are all on holiday this week ποΈ
Back to normal next week - any themes or technologies you would like to see, just let me know! βοΈ
π Deeper Dive
Trump Watch π₯
Yes it's that endless assault on the senses, the shock and awe theory. Every day is a new rollercoaster of financial carnage, economic nonsense, lies, confusion and self-interest.
Let's take a look at those climate-related impacts - I suspect you've had enough of tariffs this last week! Note, at the time of writing we are now on a 90-day pause, with a 10% baseline for all, aside from China who are on 125-145%.
Big impacts on components, batteries, EV, solar etc, great summary from Carbon Brief here.
The other thing that is about to hit DJT around the chops - the Chinese are far too clever and play the long game - rare earth elements. Teflon Don doesn't have the cards to win this one. β οΈ
Especially down to component levels and military equipment. In-depth review here.
Coal Rewind β«
New Executive Order to bring back 'clean coal' π€― More on that here. One thing coal has never been, is clean, especially as DJT likes to now describe it:
βBeautiful clean coal,β Mr. Trump told the gathering. βNever use the word βcoalβ unless you put βbeautiful, cleanβ before it.β
US coal use for power has gone from approx. 50% in 2011 to just 15% in 2024 with more retirements planned. This EO / Policy is yet another regression for the US, at the cost of the environment and energy costs for its population. NY Times here.
Meanwhile. everyone else is sensibly getting rid of coal. Carbon Brief here.
Nearly 60 countries have drastically scaled back their plans for building coal-fired power plants since the Paris Agreement in 2015, according to figures released by Global Energy Monitor (GEM).
Among those making cuts of 98% or more to their coal-power pipeline are some of the worldβs biggest coal users, including Turkey, Vietnam and Japan.
The data also shows that 35 nations eliminated coal from their plans entirely over the past decade, including South Korea and Germany.
National Climate Assessment π₯
Nothing to see here, probably best just get rid of it...Reuters
The last assessment, published in 2023, said climate change was increasingly imposing costs on Americans, as prices rise for weather-related insurance or certain foods, and as medical care becomes more expensive as people face threats like extreme heat.
Climate State Laws βοΈ
Yes they are on watch as well, more on that here. DJT trying to 'unleash American energy' needs to run directly over state and city policy, regulation permitting, and environmental considerations.
North Korean Krypto πΏ
Did you even imagine North Korea had the techno-chops to be this good at crypto-heists, me neither. He's a naughty one, starving his people and funding his nuclear programme. An interesting one from Sunrise Stat below.
Why am I telling you this? Well I thought it interesting, and also he just seems to have popped into my head - I was reading "The Accidental Further Adventures of the Hundred-Year-Old Man" on holiday, which features all sorts of real-life characters, including Kim Jong-un, Donald Trump [first term period, before his complete madness] Angela Merkel etc.
An amusing book, especially reading the DJT sections in light of current scenarios playing out!
π‘ Konfab News
Video Interviews ποΈ
You might be wondering, what's happened to those video interviews then?
We are up and running on the next batch, here's what's coming in the next few weeks. Like buses, nothing for ages, then they all come along...
ποΈAI and Analytics for Energy Decarbonisation
ποΈBuilding Nature-Based Enterprises
ποΈLow Carbon Cement Startup Journey
There are a few more in the scoping phase as well, all happening! π
More Articles π
I have a few coming your way soon, including Data Centre World and Maritime UK Coastal Summit visit updates.
More on Ammonia next week from one of our Guest Authors, referencing its proposed use as a fuel for international shipping. Which links nicely with the recent conference visit.
Ammonia is often in the news as a 'fuel of the future', but there isn't enough to go around [see food fertilizer below], and it's lethal anyway β οΈ hardly ideal for confined engine rooms on ships. π€
I also posted this one last week. Unfortunately, it's already out of date as it landed just as the tariff tsunami which has knocked everything out of line! Think of it as an interim segway before the next update.
Kane Watkinson
You might find this report on UK Energy Security strategies with a renewable-based energy mix an interesting read, as we consider how to manage the security of supply with the changing face of geo-politics.
π Good Stuff
Magic Mushrooms π
Well this is quite the piece of innovation - fungi powered batteries! Sounds crazy, but the Swiss Federal Lab for Science and Technology seem to know what they are doing:
Yeast cells release electrons as they digest sugar on one side of the battery. On the other side, white rot fungus produces an enzyme that captures these electrons, creating an electrical current. The batteries only need sugar and water to work.
Applications are for lower-powered remote sensors and the like. Isn't nature remarkable? More here.
UK Wind πͺ
Most of the UK's significant off-shore wind generation is on the East Coast / North Sea and up to Scotland. Not too much down South, which is unfortunate as this is where the bulk of the population resides.
Good news then, new approval for 1.2GW which should power around 1 million homes and businesses. Rampion 2 will add 90 turbines off the Sussex coast, creating around 4,000 jobs during the construction phase. Net Zero lever for growth keeps on giving. π
More juice on that here.
Waste to Crops β»οΈ
We know global food, both now and in the future, is increasingly under pressure. Let's not forget - human life on earth and sustained large global populations are entirely dependent on fertilisers to scale food production, all from nitrogen-based fertilisers, that are made from ammonia.
A new study reveals that animal manure and human waste contain enough nutrients to replace all chemical fertilizers currently used in farming worldwide
More news on the study here. Well ok, that would certainly help with decarbonising global ammonia challenges. And that's a big one - 2% of global energy consumption. Approximately 450 MtCO2e of direct emissions, 90% of which are from hydrogen production. Which currently comes from Fossil Fuels.
Scottish Donation π³
Very nice donated gift for rewilding and conservation in Scotland π΄σ §σ ’σ ³σ £σ ΄σ Ώ
A 7,618-hectare estate is to be converted from a sporting estate into a conservation zone, after the largest UK gift of Β£17.5m for such purposes. πΌ
Look out for a new Atlantic rainforest, restoring riverside woodland and degraded peatland. π
No Coal Here β«
To our international readers, you might be surprised to learn that even in the progressive energy transition the UK is pursuing, we have still had to battle against new oil and gas licensing, as well as even more surprisingly, new coal mines.
Positive news then, the proposed Whitehaven Coalmine planning proposal has finally been withdrawn. Financial viability and subsidence issues flagged, and strangely not pollution from burning coal, but anyway, it's done. π
Pylon of the Month β‘
Special Edition - an alternative old-skool Tower of Power this week!
On the train heading into Barcelona, we zoomed past this monster on the beachfront near the city. Derelict and daunting testimony to a bygone age of thermal power generation for the city.
Couldn't persuade the family to pay a visit, unsurprisingly π, I mean what's not to like? Not that much information online to be honest, just admire the industrial brutalism...
A checkered history. Constructed in the 1970s, to great objections from locals as you might expect for 3 x 200m high towers, the process included a workers' strike, a police-protester clash which resulted in a protestor death, legal battles for pollution and black rain, and final closure in 2011.
By the time came around to hit the big red button π§¨π₯ turns out the locals had grown quite fond of them as landmarks, so they were saved. Dormant ever since, they are heading into a new phase of life as part of regional arts & culture - more on that here and some more cool images.
In case you wanted to see something go bang, here's an old thermal coal plant getting the big red button in Germany recently.
Quite remarkable that Europe continues to push back, shut down, blow up or convert old coal generation to art installations, the Teflon Don wants to send the US back to the 1930s in more ways than one π€
Thanks as always, let's keep pushing forward with all things climate tech and the real-world solutions that meet our climate challenges.
Remember, the momentum is unstoppable despite everything you might see and hear! π
Stay warm, cool and safe wherever you are π
Kane
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