US graphite miners ask Washington to impose tariffs of 920% on Chinese competitors
On Wednesday, North American miners of graphite asked the U.S. Government to impose tariffs as high as 92% on Chinese suppliers for the battery metal to combat what they call Beijing's "malicious" trade practices. This is the latest effort by Western suppliers of critical minerals to counter China's control over the extraction and processing of building blocks used in electric vehicles and electronic devices. Graphite can be produced synthetically or from natural sources.
Sources: Rio Tinto is in negotiations to purchase lithium miner Arcadium.
Rio Tinto is in talks with Arcadium to purchase its lithium mine, according to three sources who have direct knowledge of these negotiations. This would make Rio Tinto the third largest producer of battery metal for electric vehicles. One source said that talks have continued and been ongoing in London during the LME Week Conference. According to a second source, an offer should be forthcoming in the near term. The sources stated that talks are continuing and could not necessarily lead to a deal.
"Green Energy" will drive the need for more Mining and Metals Production
Clean energy may mean less mining for coal, but it also means opening or expanding mines to unearth minerals such as cobalt for use in alloys and batteries, tellurium for solar cells and semiconductors, and germanium for transistors in electronic devices. That’s according to Dr. Michael Moats, professor and interim chair of materials science and engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology, who says reducing carbon emissions…
GE Power Releases Whitepaper on Energy Digitization
GE Power Releases Whitepaper on Digitization of Energy Transmission & Distribution in AfricaAs Africa faces emerging opportunities to help deliver efficient, affordable and reliable electricity to consumers, GE Power’s Grid Solutions business has unveiled a whitepaper on the “Digitization of Energy Transmission & Distribution in Africa.” The paper explores the opportunities and challenges faced in Sub-Saharan Africa as the new future of energy and electrification emerges.
ABB Wins Order for World's Biggest Offshore Wind Farm
ABB has won orders worth more than $150 million from Danish energy company Ørsted to supply technology to transmit wind energy from the 1,400 megawatt (MW) Hornsea Project Two, slated to be the world's largest offshore wind farm.The orders were booked in the second quarter of 2018 and are the first tranche of a global five year frame agreement for the supply of electrical and automation equipment for offshore and onshore wind power connection and integration to the grid…
Danfoss, General Electric Join Forces
Danfoss Silicon Power has announced it is establishing production in the U.S. and entering into a collaboration with industrial giant General Electric (GE). The collaboration means that Danfoss Silicon Power will become the world’s leading provider of silicon-carbide (SiC) power modules. The SiC power modules will create smaller, faster, and more effective electronic devices — and are expected to revolutionize the technology within solar and wind energy as well as the future generations of electric and hybrid cars.
ABB Debuts Digital Substation
Digital substations as key elements in future-oriented power grids to improve efficiency, safety and system visibility. ABB is presenting its digital substation model at the Cigré conference and exhibition, in Paris from August 22-26, 2016, a leading global platform for power experts and a showcase for the latest technology developments in the sector. Digital substations will be a key component of next generation grids as they enable smarter power systems.
Vacon, One of 18 Selected by DoE
Global AC drives manufacturer, Vacon, has been named one of 18 industry-leading companies to participate in the Next Generation Power Electronics Institute at North Carolina State University. The Institute will bring research and commercial product development resources together in a centralized location to improve and make cost-competitive wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductor-based power electronics. Over the next five years the institute will…
$80 Billion Wasted Powering Online Devices in 2013
Simple measures can keep problem of inefficient ‘network standby’ from worsening in years ahead, IEA report says. Today, the world’s 14 billion online electronic devices – such as set-top boxes, modems, printers and game consoles – waste around USD 80 billion each year because of inefficient technology. By 2020, the problem will considerably worsen, with an estimated USD 120 billion wasted. But a report by the International Energy Agency points to a different path…
U.S. Coal Falls Victim to Stagnating Electricity Demand
U.S. electricity consumption has remained flat for the last six years, the first such prolonged pause in growth, as recession and improvements in efficiency have bitten deeply into demand. Homes, schools, offices and factories consumed a total of 3,831 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2013, basically unchanged from the 3,816 billion in 2006, and well down from the record 3,890 billion in 2007, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) (Chart 1).
