The Anonymous Widower

NextEnergy Solar Fund To Shift To Energy Storage And Divest Solar in Strategic Overhaul

The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the Solar Power Portal.

This is the sub-heading.

As part of the reset, NextEnergy said it will increase its energy storage exposure up to 30% of its gross asset value, a significant increase on its current rate of 10%.

These two paragraphs give more of their reasoning.

NextEnergy Solar Fund has completed a “strategic reset” of its investment strategy which will see it focus on energy storage assets and increase project sales.

As part of the reset, NextEnergy said it will increase its energy storage exposure up to 30% of its gross asset value, a significant increase on its current rate of 10%. The company said the shift would “enhance the Company’s existing stable revenues generated by its operational solar assets and support future revenues”.

In Is Sumitomo Heavy Industries Highview Power Energy Storage System On Line At Hiroshima?, I describe a power supply system developed by Sumitomo Heavy Industries to supply a stable 5 MW to a LNG Terminal, using these components.

  • A Cold Source
  • Solar Panels
  • A 5 MW/20 MWh Highview Power liquid-air CRYObattery.

Do Sumitomo Heavy Industries believe that a combination of energy and/or battery sources working together gives the quality of stable power, that is needed by today’s modern factories, facilities and buildings?

As a Graduate Control Engineer, I very much believe stable power supplies are a good thing and Sumitomo Heavy Industries obviously feel that Highview Power’s liquid air CRYObatteries are a good way to provide them.

The adding of a battery into a solar-powered renewable power supply, would surely, increase the amount of batteries that NextEnergy were financing.

 

 

March 12, 2026 Posted by | Energy, Energy Storage, Finance | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How Much Electricity Do You Need To Charge A Garage Full Of Electric Buses?

Consider.

I asked Google AI the question in the title of this post and received this comprehensive answer.

Charging a full garage of electric buses requires massive amounts of electricity, with typical, non-optimized charging for a 100-bus depot capable of drawing nearly 10 megawatts (MW) of power. To put this into perspective, a 100-bus depot might require roughly 150 Megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy to recharge over an eight-hour night.

Key Factors and Energy Requirements

Energy Consumption per Bus: A typical electric bus has a battery capacity between 300-500 kWh. Energy consumption averages around 1.11 to 1.35 kWh/km, with higher consumption in winter or with heavy A/C use.

Total Depot Power: For a 100-bus depot, power requirements can reach 10 MW, equivalent to the power output of a small hydroelectric dam.

Optimal Charging: Using smart charging, a 100-bus depot can reduce its peak demand to around 4 MW.

Daily Usage: A single, large electric bus can consume up to 500 kWh per day, with daily demand ranging from 189 to 231 kWh for typical operations.

Infrastructure and Grid Considerations

Charging Infrastructure: Depots often use 40 kW to 250 kW chargers, with 100 kW common for overnight charging.

Grid Capacity: A 34-bus depot might require a new 1000kVA transformer to handle the load.

Voltage: 11,000 volts may be required to power new substations, which are then stepped down to 400 volts for charging.

Operational Factors Affecting Energy Need

Heating and Cooling: Cold weather can increase energy consumption by up to 45% (due to electric heating).

Driving Style: Inefficient driving can increase energy consumption by 0.24 kWh/km above average.

Regenerative Braking: This can recover 37–40% of energy for 40-60 ft buses.

Cost Implications

Energy Bills: A 100-bus depot can incur monthly energy bills between $112,000 and $515,000 without optimization.

Cost Savings: Electric buses are generally cheaper to fuel, costing ~£0.21/mile compared to £0.49/mile for diesel.

Could A System Based On The Sumitomo/Highview Power System At Hiroshima Charge Electric Buses?

The optimal charging figure for a 100-bus garage would appear to be in the region of 4-5 MW.

In Is Sumitomo Heavy Industries Highview Power Energy Storage System On line At Hiroshima?, I state, that it looks like Highview Power’s CRYOBattery™ at the heart of the system has a capacity of 5 MW/20 MWh.

I also state in the post, that the Hiroshima facility is designed to support grid stability and enhance renewable energy integration.

Does this all mean that if you can install enough solar panels on the roof of the garage or perhaps a wind turbine nearby, that you can have buses substantially powered by the sun and wind.

Chicago would just love wind-powered buses!

 

March 3, 2026 Posted by | Transport/Travel, Energy Storage, Energy, Artificial Intelligence | , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Is Sumitomo Heavy Industries Highview Power Energy Storage System On Line At Hiroshima?

From some work I did at ICI in the 1970s on a PACE231R analog computer, I believe that Highview Power may have an extremely promising way of storing energy.

The Highview Power web site talks of Sumitomo Heavy Industries, who are building one of Highview’s batteries at Hiroshima in Japan.

So I asked Google AI the question in the title of this post and received this comprehensive answer.

Yes, the Sumitomo Heavy Industries (SHI) Highview Power liquid air energy storage (LAES) commercial demonstration plant in Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima, is operational, having commenced operations on December 1, 2025.

Key details about the plant:
Location: Within the Hiroshima Gas Hatsukaichi LNG Terminal.
Capacity: 5 MW output with 4-hour storage (4 MW charging).
Technology: Uses Highview Power’s CRYOBattery™ technology, specifically utilizing waste cold from the adjacent LNG terminal to improve efficiency.
Role: The facility is designed to support grid stability and enhance renewable energy integration.
A completion ceremony for the project was held on December 9, 2025. This news item from Sumitomo Heavy Industries gives more details.
This paragraph describes Liquid Air Energy Storage or (LAES).
In LAES, surplus power such as off-peak power and renewable energy is utilized to compress and cool air, liquefying it for storage in tanks. When electricity is needed, the liquefied air is pressurized, vaporized, and heated to drive a turbine generator and supply electricity. It is well-suited for long duration energy storage. It not only helps balance electricity supply and demand but also provides a constant, stable supply of inertia and reactive power, thereby contributing to grid stabilization. In combination with unstable renewable energy generation sources like solar power, it can replace thermal power plants.
Note.
  1. It looks like the battery has a capacity of 5 MW/20 MWh.
  2. As it talks about using waste cold, this looks to be a very professionally-designed specialist application.
  3. But surely, that would be expected from a company like Sumitomo Heavy Industries.
Some of the systems, I mathematical-modelled for ICI could certainly have benefited from Highview’s technology.
How Many LNG Terminals Are There In The World?
I asked Google AI the question in the title of this section and received this answer.
There are hundreds of LNG terminals globally, with significant growth driven by over 300 projects (roughly 177 import/regasification and 124 export/liquefaction) expected between 2025 and 2030. In 2023, there were 22 countries with active liquefaction (export) capacity, while Europe alone operates roughly 28 large-scale terminals, supplemented by a rapidly expanding fleet of FSRUs.
Export Capacity: In 2023, global liquefaction capacity was 472 million tonnes per annum (mtpa), with top exporters being Australia, the U.S., and Qatar.
Expansion: By 2027, 52 new liquefaction terminals are expected to commence operations.
Import Growth: European regasification capacity is expanding, with major terminals in Spain, France, Italy, and new additions in Germany and other nations.
U.S. Infrastructure: The U.S. alone has more than 170 LNG facilities performing various services.
There are a lot of LNG Terminals.
  • They are listed in this Wikipedia entry.
  • There are around thirty in Japan alone.
  • Will Centrica add a 5 MW /20 MWh Highview Power battery to their Grain LNG Terminal?
  • Each facility installed is claimed to be designed to support grid stability and enhance renewable energy integration, so the last part must cut carbon emissions.
It would appear, that Sumitomo could keep busy for many years improving the efficiency of LNG Terminals.
Are There Any Other Chemical Engineering Processes That Give Out Lots Of Waste Cold?
I asked Google AI the question in the title of this section and received this answer.
Yes, several major chemical engineering and industrial processes generate significant amounts of “waste cold” (low-grade thermal energy or cryogenic energy) that is often discarded. While the chemical industry conventionally focuses on recovering waste heat, recovering waste cold is becoming increasingly popular for improving energy efficiency, particularly in cryogenic processes.
Here are the primary chemical engineering processes that produce large amounts of waste cold:
  1. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Regasification
  2. Cryogenic Air Separation Units (ASUs)
  3. Dry Ice and CO2 Liquefaction
  4. Liquid Nitrogen Vaporization
  5. Emerging: Cryogenic Carbon Capture
It seems to me that this could be a technology worth exploiting, which Sumitomo are already doing in the case of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Regasification.
How Was This Page Created?
  1. Creation of this page was not difficult, but you have to get the tricks right.
  2. I used Google Chrome and Google AI.
  3. My blog is hosted in WordPress.
  4. All pages on this blog, where I have had help in their creation from Google AI are tagged as such.

I would be happy to help anybody, who wanted to use Artificial Intelligence to create blog pages.

 

February 28, 2026 Posted by | Artificial Intelligence, Computing, Design, Energy, Energy Storage, Environment | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments