Thematic Thoughts/What Caught Our Eye
Developments that we found particularly interesting during the week and why.
EV charging & industry consolidation - a pre-requisite?
The EV charging chicken and egg? We need more high quality 'public' charging to drive EV sales - which will probably require industry consolidation
Why we need to protect insect populations
A large percentage of our crops require pollination. And for that we need insects. So why, as investors, are we allowing the companies we are invested in to take actions that put pollinators at risk?
Insulation, heat pumps and half truths
We frequently hear that before we even think about rolling heat pumps at scale we need to sort out home insulation first. This is not true.
Will carbon capture enable green steel faster?
The sad answer is probably not. The current best technology in cost terms for new steel is a blast furnace - which uses a lot of coal. So bad for the environment.One solution being heavily promoted is carbon capture. But other options look better.
Can we support the electricity grid using EV's?
In the 'first' real world test, EV's were successfully used to support the electricity grid when it was under stress. There is still a lot of work to do, but V2G looks like a viable technology
A subtle carbon tax for car rental?
Could consumers be pushed into greener choices using pricing? Is stealth taxation a good thing or not?
How big a water problem does Europe have ?
European consumers have got used to cheap and fresh produce in our supermarkets, often all through the year. But much of this produce comes from water stressed countries - hard to believe on a wet day in Northern Europe, but true.
Have we finally found a zero carbon cement solution?
What if we could take demolition concrete and turn it back into new cement. And do it piggy backing off the process for making greener steel - the Electric Arc Furnace. Wouldn't that be good news.
Could artisanal miners help bridge the critical mineral funding gap?
If the large global mining companies are not investing enough in critical minerals, do we need to think more laterally? Could artisanal miners (ASM) help bridge at least part of the gap, and maybe bring production on stream faster?
What to do with gas grids?
The use of gas will decline dramatically as part of the transition to net zero. Modelling at European levels shows that by 2050 about 70% less gaseous fuels will be used. Which raises the question of what happens to our gas grid infrastructure?
Are we thinking about stranded assets incorrectly?
If I say stranded assets to a finance person or a sustainability professional my guess is that your first thought is oil & gas. But is this missing the point?
The 'value' of wind and solar to the grid
Can more wind and solar lead to lower electricity prices for consumers. The answer is broadly yes - and some consumers are already seeing the benefit.