Shale gas in Sussex: The Battle of Balcombe

(Materials World, May 2012)

As shale gas exploration turns its attention to the riches beneath the  Home Counties, Tim Probert asks will the growing environmental  opposition to hydraulic fracturing cause shale gas to go the way of GM  foods?

Fracking in Sussex: The Battle of Balcombe

(Sussex Life, May 2012)

To some, shale gas is potentially the best thing for energy development in Britain since North Sea oil. To others, shale gas is a potential environmental catastrophe. Will the growing oppositon to hydraulic fracturing, or ‘fracking’, stop shale gas in Sussex in its tracks?

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Shale gas fracking: Water lessons from the US to Europe

(Water and Wastewater International, April/May 2012)

Water and energy have always had a close relationship, but shale gas and water are particularly intimate. Water is integral to shale gas drilling and there is a growing market, estimated to be worth potentially up to $100 billion in the United States, for wastewater treatment. Tim Probert explores the opportunities and challenges in Europe.

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Lithium-ion battery backup: Making inroads in remote locations

(Critical Power, Spring 2012)

A year after its official launch, French battery manufacturer Saft’s Evolion lithium-ion system, developed specifically for telecom applications, is beginning to gain market traction. Editor Tim Probert visits Saft’s Paris HQ to find out more.

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CHP in the UK: Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella?

(New Power, March 2012)

The UK lags far behind most European nations in generating power from CHP (combined heat and power) plants. This article explores why a UK ‘heat revolution’ is likely to remain on the back burner despite notable recent progress by utilities in supplying CHP to homes and businesses.

Features comment from RWE Npower Renewables, E.ON, National Grid and the Combined Heat and Power Association.

Much ado about crushing

(Mining Magazine, March 2012)

Anglo Platinum’s Mogalakwena North mine in South Africa is home to the world’s largest single-stream platinum concentrator. This is the first time a high-pressure grinding roll has been used in platinum mining. Tim Probert visited the site to find out more.

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Progress with Namibian power

(African Review of Business and Technology, March 2012)

NamPower is a tightly-run ship: profitable and efficient – no wonder Namibia is the only country in sub-Saharan Africa not to suffer load shedding.

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The EU ETS is broke, is the Commission going to fix it?

(New Power, February 2012)

The European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme is in the doldrums. There is a huge oversupply in the market and analysts say prices will fall close to zero without political action. Tim Probert looks at the options which the Commission are exploring, including a potential set-aside of up to 1.4 billion EUAs, and what will be the likely impact on prices.

An insight into platinum mining

(African Review of Business and Technology, February 2012)

How Anglo American has improved output at the largest single stream platinum concentrator in the world at the Mogalakwena North platinum mine in South Africa.

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Rocking around the clock – Platinum mining in South Africa

(Materials World, February 2012)

Processing platinum ore into metallic powder is a highly complex task. It requires a huge amount of machinery and energy, and efficiency improvements can result in significant cost savings. Tim Probert visits the recently commissioned Mogalakwena North platinum mine in South Africa to find out how Anglo American has improved output at the largest single stream platinum concentrator in the world.

Big hopes, small steps: Whither carbon capture and storage?

(New Power, January 2012)

While renewables continue to receive generous subsidy, carbon capture and storage (CCS) is in danger of becoming the forgotten weapon in the war on carbon, the rusty spanner in the climate change toolbox. Tim Probert looks at why the economics do not yet stack up for CCS and how that could change.

Comment from Alstom, Intergen and the UK Crown Estate.

Converting to Bioenergy: Benefits and Challenges

(Renewable Energy World, January/February 2012)

With legislation increasingly tough on coal-burning plants, many are switching to renewable fuels to ensure longevity. But supply chain issues may prevent some plants from undertaking the conversion process. Tim Probert profiles the UK’s Tilbury power station, a 1960s coal plant which has become the world’s largest biomass plant, and talks to Drax about the potential to convert its 4 GW coal plant.

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The Caprivi Link – Namibia’s Power Lifeline

(Modern Power Systems, January 2012)

With rising demand and capacity nearly 20% short of maximum load, Namibia faces a serious short term power crisis. The 300 MW Caprivi Link offers it a quick way out of trouble.

Europe will have to dig deep for the shale gas dream

(The Energy Industry Times, December 2011)

There is no question that shale gas has been a ‘game-changer’ in the United States. From virtually nothing ten years ago, shale gas now accounts for one-third of domestic natural gas production. US energy policy has been turned completely upside down by shale gas. Will the same happen in Europe? Well, the short answer is possibly, but it will take some time for the industry to get up to speed. Here’s why.

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Shedding some light on Namibia

(The Energy Industry Times, December 2011)

Namibia’s state utility NamPower is desperate to build a baseload, fossil fuel plant to enhance power generation self-sufficiency but progress has been slow. In need of a quick fix, NamPower turned to ABB to construct the Caprivi Link, a 950km overhead HVDC Light connection which runs along the narrow, tropical Caprivi Strip in extreme northeast Namibia close to the Zambian border. Tim Probert takes a first-hand look.

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Drilling through the spin about shale gas

(Materials World, December 2011)

2011 will go down in history as a year of revolution. Tunisia. Egypt. Libya. Blackpool. Blackpool? If Cuadrilla Resources’ claim that there is enough methane in Britain’s Bowland Shale to supply national gas demand for at least 50 years is to be believed, this may not seem so brash.

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CCS pipe dreams?

(Gas Turbine World, November/December 2011)

High capital costs make carbon capture and storage uneconomic for the foreseeable future, especially on combined-cycle plants. Nevertheless, plant owners still have the task of making plants ‘carbon capture ready’ (CCR) in the eventuality that the economics might one day stack up. Tim Probert speaks to plant developer Intergen, carbon capture OEM Alstom, engineering group Foster Wheeler and the UK Crown Estate to find what CCR entails, and whether ‘ready’ will ever become ‘retrofit’.

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Drilling through the shale gas spin

(New Power, November 2011)

Cuadrilla Resources, Britain’s first shale gas exploration license holder, claims the Bowland Shale contains enough methane to supply national gas demand for at least 50 years and create thousands of jobs. Proponents say Cuadrilla’s resource is revolutionary, opponents say shale gas is unnecessary. Who’s right?

Comment from the British Geological Survey, Palladian Energy, Douglas-Westwood, RGS Energy and former UK energy secretary Chris Huhne MP.

The charge of the grid-connected battery storage brigade

(Batteries & Energy Storage Technology, Autumn 2011)

Grid-connected, battery-based energy storage systems have many benefits, including renewable energy integration, enhanced grid capacity and improved power quality. Recognizing these advantages, some of the world’s largest power grid OEMs are developing turnkey energy storage products. Tim Probert explores what GE, Alstom and ABB are planning to bring to market and to bring down costs.

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Germany’s giant utilities are in trouble – is the traditional European business model doomed?

(New Power, October 2011)

German utility E.ON recently posted its first ever quarterly loss and is laying off around 10,000 workers. Compatriot RWE is up the creek following Frau Merkel’s decision to abandon nuclear power. And investors are no longer deeming these utilities a ‘safe haven’ in turbulent financial times. The need to move away from their traditional thermal businesses into clean energy, not only in Germany but across Europe, will be challenging but necessary. But it is also clear that given the size of these companies and the businesses they need to support, European utilities have to look at new markets outside their slow-growth, highly-regulated continent to thrive. Otherwise they may not survive.

Comment from Deutsche Bank, Societe Generale, Citigroup, Mott MacDonald, Greenpeace and energy policy professor Stephen Thomas.

Shuweihat – an oasis of power in the Abu Dhabi desert

(Gas Turbine World, September 2011)

The Shuweihat S2 IWPP, a greenfield development project in the remote coastal peninsula of Jebel Dana region 250 kilometres west of Abu Dhabi, will produce 1510 MW of power and 100 MIGD of water when fully operational in the second half of September 2011.

Is the Committee on Climate Change’s influence on the wane?

(New Power, September 2011)

The foundation of the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), established as part of the UK’s landmark Climate Change Act 2008, was a bold move. In climate change policy terms, it was not dissimilar to the UK government making the Bank of England independent in 1997. The CCC is widely respected by business and environmental groups alike as a powerful force, but realpolitik may be seeing its influence diminish.

Contracts for difference: A financier’s view

More features:

Attending class at the Centre for Alternative Technology (Masters degree in Renewable Energy)

The burgeoning tidal power industry in Orkney

Power project investment in the UK