Ideas That Happen
By Bax & Company
Ideas That HappenNov 24, 2023
How can we make EV batteries truly sustainable?
Join us as we dive into the cutting-edge world of battery technology with Piotr Grudzień, an innovation consultant and energy engineer. Tackling the question, “How can we make EV batteries truly sustainable?” Piotr shares his expert insights on battery circularity and the environmental and ethical challenges plaguing traditional battery production, especially the contentious use of cobalt.
We discuss the COBRA initiative that has developed an innovative cobalt-free battery pack for electric vehicles. This ambitious project is replacing cobalt with more abundant materials like manganese, marking a significant stride towards ethical and sustainable energy solutions.
We are also introduced to the BatteReverse initiative, in which Piotr is exploring more circular ways of handling batteries. Highlighting the practical aspects of these innovations, he notes, "Giving a second life to electric vehicle batteries is not only more sustainable, it can also be cheaper. Some companies are turning this into a profitable business."
Piotr also sheds light on the intricate complexities of implementing new battery technologies, emphasising the critical role of market intelligence in ensuring these innovations remain relevant and impactful. He says "The market intelligence reports we publish in COBRA touch upon the most sought-after topics in the industry, such as second-life applications, solid-state batteries, and also safety aspects."
Tune in for an engaging conversation that not only highlights the challenges in the realm of energy storage but also celebrates the innovative strides being made towards a more sustainable and ethical future.
Mentioned in this episode:
COBRA’s market intelligence reports: https://projectcobra.eu/market-intelligence/
COBRA’s results platform: https://projectcobra.eu/outputs/
The BatterReverse project: https://www.battereverse.eu/
The BatteReverse community (forum): https://www.battereverse.eu/community
What are peatlands and why should you care?
“For people who haven’t experienced a peatland - I would say get your wellies on and go find your nearest peatland…If you’re not in your wellies, you’re not in a healthy peatland.”
Join restoration ecologist Dr. Catherine Farrell to discover the exciting world of peatlands - a climate champion in this Decade of Restoration. Peatlands, a type of wetland, are one of the most valuable ecosystems in Europe for biodiversity, water quality, flood protection and carbon storage.
Mismanaged, drained peatlands have massive GHG emissions – more than the shipping and aviation industries combined – and cost €400 billion in climate damage annually. However, they are often overlooked and underrepresented. Rewetting peatlands is therefore a key step to fighting the climate crisis.
As we journey through this episode, we navigate the challenges and rewards of restoring these invaluable landscapes, tracing their historical uses from fuel to agriculture. We delve into the complex issue of community engagement and the urgent need for policy changes to protect these vital ecosystems. In doing so, we demonstrate that the cost of not protecting peatlands is much higher than any cost needed to restore these climate champions.
Immerse yourself in a holistic perspective on peatlands' conservation and restoration to be inspired by the progress that has already been made and by all the possibilities that lie ahead.
Want to learn more about our peatlands work? Head to https://europeanpeatlandsinitiative.com/
How West Suffolk Council is developing scalable business models for the local energy transition
“We understand how solar works … so if we invest and own it, businesses don’t have to invest but still get the financial and environmental benefits” The energy transition is an expensive proposition. BloombergNEF estimates that Europe needs €4.9 trillion of investment need for Europe by 2050. Much of this investment will be local, as the decentralised revolution takes energy generation ever closer to its point of use. But many of the residents and local businesses who will have to make this local transition don’t have the expertise, time or money lying around to invest themselves. So how can local authorities tasked with managing the local transition make it affordable for users and even profitable for the authority? We sat down with Andy Oswald, Energy and Environment Strategy Manager at West Suffolk Council to learn how. West Suffolk is a frontrunner in advancing the local energy transition. From one of the UK’s first partnerships with a peer-to-peer energy trading system to an effective and scalable solar leasing scheme for local businesses, West Suffolk are embracing the trailblazing activities that local authorities will need to take to make transition cost-effective. As Andy tells us, embracing new types of energy business model is one method that local authorities should at be considering. In this episode, Andy shares: - How West Suffolk’s Solar for Business scheme has helped 78 businesses and counting access cheap solar power with no upfront cost - How West Suffolk is using peer-to-peer energy trading through UrbanChain to provide clean energy to local buildings without the need for new physical connections - How the role of energy management has switched entirely from goals of cheapest unit rates to a role defined active management and ambitious decarbonisation targets in just 15 years Discussed in this episode: - Results from the ACCESS project, which tested how local authorities could lead the energy transition - leadinglocalenergy.systems - West Suffolk’s work during the European Union co-funded project ACCESS - https://leadinglocalenergy.systems/westsuffolk - Details on West Suffolk’s climate change work - https://www.westsuffolk.gov.uk/environment/climate-change/index.cfm - Information on Solar for Business - https://www.westsuffolk.gov.uk/environment/business-support/solar-for-business.cfm - Information on West Suffolk’s peer-to-peer energy trading agreement - https://www.current-news.co.uk/p2p-trading-and-demand-management-at-industrial-parks-a-look-at-west-suffolks-project/00:00 - Coming Up 01:16 - Introduction 01:27 - How has your role changed? 04:20 - What net zero has meant for West Suffolk 09:15 - How do you get an ROI on the transition? 11:05 - West Suffolk's P2P trading scheme 16:03 - The role of software in the energy transition 18:10 - West Suffolk's Solar for Business scheme 23:41 - How is scalability important? 26:56 - What's your advice? 27:47 - What should people see in West Suffolk?
How Europe's municipalities will lead the local energy transition
Consider the dilemma facing municipal energy managers across Europe: Most have committed to ambitious decarbonisation targets on a tight deadline. To reach this deadline, managers must oversee breakneck electrification of cooking, heating and vehicles. This electrification (if unmanaged) will lead to huge spikes in demand at peak times. To meet the demand for green electricity, managers are encouraging as much renewable installation on local rooftops as possible. But renewables may fall short at peak demand, and can also stretch capacity at peak production times. Waiting for capacity upgrades to support electrification and renewables forces delays, even for critical local projects like school and hospital construction, and cuts into the rapidly closing window to deliver the transition on time. How do local authorities break out of this dilemma? How can they lead the transition to a decarbonised, democratised and decentralised energy system that works? We sat down with Rolf Bastiaanssen, Head of Energy Systems at Bax & Company to discuss the answer. In this conversation, Rolf draws on a decade of experience supporting municipalities through the energy transition, highlighting the solutions he's seen work on the ground. Discussed in this episode:
- How the push to electrification could overwhelm local distribution grids without good management
- How municipalities will increasingly take a leadership role in this management
- How new business models are needed to find the money for the local energy transition
- How peer learning and European-level collaboration can unlock local energy transition
- Rolf's advice for energy managers taking on the local energy transition Interested in learning more? Read more on our site dedicated to local authority leadership in the energy transition: https://leadinglocalenergy.systems/ Do you have a question for Rolf? Contact us: contact@baxcompany.com
00:00 Coming Up
00:56 Introduction
01:46 How will the energy transition work locally?
03:05 What is the local energy transition
04:39 Isn't this a grid operator problem?
06:00 How electricity affects every part of life
07:05 Who are the new energy stakeholders?
09:30 How should municipalities prepare for transition?
12:24 How do we pay for transition?
14:37 Why doesn't a business model exist yet?
19:00 How can municipalities support business models?
21:02 What innovations are coming up?
22:08 How can municipalities get started?
23:55 Rolf's advice for transition
26:56 The importance of peer learning
Redesigning cities for healthier citizens with the Healthy Cities Generator
Building citizen-focused cities is nothing new to the world of urban planning, but the tools we use are constantly evolving.
Most easy-to-use tools are limited in scope or depth, whereas holistic tools tend to be complex and time-consuming.
That’s what drove the Healthy Cities team to create the Healthy Cities Generator - a holistic and user-friendly planning tool that allows professionals, academics, and citizens to quickly assess the health impact of a plan or existing space, and see how small adjustments could make a big difference to the lives of local people.
In this episode of Ideas That Happen, we interview Ruth Gow and Amber De La Haye from Healthy Cities, who guide us through the science behind the tool and its two entry points:
- Health - designed to help practitioners recommend planning interventions based on an area’s health priorities
- Planning - optimised for urban planners to assess the health impact of spaces and interventions
Watch to discover how this free tool is helping practitioners around the world redesign their cities for healthier citizens.
Head to healthycitiesgenerator.com to try out the tool for free.
How Barcelona is designing its streets for health and happiness
“We are the only animals which build habitats that harm us.”
We recently sat down with Eloi Juvillà, Director of Building and Logistics at the Diputació de Barcelona, to learn how Barcelona is rethinking city design for healthy urban living.
Together with Marta Rofin Serrà, head of Healthy Cities, we discussed:
How economy and car-centred thinking has made health an afterthought when designing cities – habitat and home to over 75% of Europe’s population – contributing to thousands of preventable deaths
How Barcelona is leading a growing movement of cities putting the health of citizens first when planning new or regenerated areas of a city
How Barcelona’s L’Industrial Suma regeneration project offers a real life example of health-driven planning leading the way to healthier outcomes
This episode marks the launch of our new video series, Ideas That Happen.
Over the coming months we’re excited to bring you insights from the practitioners turning transformational ideas into real improvement projects for Europe.
Subscribe to learn more about how great concepts become Ideas That Happen.
Curious to learn more about Healthy Cities? Check out their work: healthycitiesgenerator.com
Ideas That Happen Trailer
Discover the future with "Ideas That Happen," a podcast featuring thought-provoking conversations with experts and innovators across a range of fascinating topics. Uncover breakthroughs in advanced materials, batteries, blockchain, and more, while exploring how climate adaptation and urban energy solutions are transforming our cities. Delve into the latest developments in Industry 4.0, circular economy, and future mobility. Join us on this inspiring journey to make ideas happen together. Don't miss an episode – hit 'subscribe' now and stay ahead of the curve!