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Germany has announced a complete ban on the activities of the Palestinian group Hamas and ordered the disbanding of a pro-Palestine group accused of spreading anti-Israel and anti-Semitic ideas.

In a statement on Thursday, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said she implemented a formal ban on activity by or in support of Hamas, which is already designated as a “terrorist” organisation in the country.

“With Hamas, I have today completely banned the activities of a terrorist organisation whose aim is to destroy the state of Israel,” Faeser said.

A Hamas official in Lebanon said the move showed that the country was in partnership with Israel on crimes against Palestinian people.

“This prompts us to question whether the German political mentality is a Holocaust mentality that affects all peoples and is not limited to one party or another,” Osama Hamdan, the Hamas representative in Lebanon, said in a news conference on Thursday.

Faeser said she also is banning and dissolving the German branch of the Samidoun network, which she said “supports and glorifies” groups including Hamas.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had announced that the government would take action against both groups on October 12.

Samidoun was behind an October 7 action in which a group of people handed out pastries in a Berlin street in celebration of Hamas’s attack on Israel. At least 1,400 people were killed in the attack, most of whom were civilians, according to Israeli officials.

“Holding spontaneous ‘jubilant celebrations’ here in Germany in response to Hamas’s terrible terrorist attacks against Israel demonstrates Samidoun’s antisemitic, inhuman worldview in a particularly sickening way,” Faeser said, as cited by Deutsche Welle.

Since the attack, Israel has bombarded Gaza relentlessly and tightened its blockade on the territory, cutting off supplies of  fuel and severely restricting water, food and electricity access.

More than 9,000 Palestinians have been killed in the bombardment, including 3,760 children, according to authorities in Gaza.

Pro-Palestinian protests in many parts of Germany have been banned in recent weeks, and schools in Berlin have been given permission to ban the traditional Palestinian headdress, the keffiyeh.

Pro-Palestinian activists in Germany say it amounts to a crackdown on Palestinians and a curtailment of free speech.

“All instruments of assembly law must be used to prevent solidarity demonstrations with the terror of Hamas as early as possible,” a spokesperson with the German Interior Ministry previously told Al Jazeera.

Amir Ali, a Palestinian who has been involved in organising protests in Munich, told Al Jazeera that a demonstration was cancelled after years of “holding them peacefully with police cooperation”.

“I was even forbidden to walk inside the city for 24 hours because I was wearing a keffiyeh,” he said.

 Hamas criticises announcement, says it shows Berlin in partnership with Israel on crimes against Palestinian people. 

     

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Berlin is expected to spend $5.73 billion on military aid to Kiev this year, officials report

 

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The end of COVID-19 lockdowns in China has boosted the nation’s overall gas demand by 6% this year, according to a new report by UK consultancy firm Cornwall Insight.

This demand isn’t currently mirrored by an increased Chinese appetite for liquified gas (LNG), but experts note this could change during the colder months ahead.

“As China’s economic recovery drives up gas demand and worldwide events send prices skyrocketing, Europe can no longer cling to the illusion of on-demand LNG,” said Dr Matthew Chadwick, lead research analyst at Cornwall Insight.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the EU has relied more heavily on LNG, a move that has allowed the bloc to reduce its dependence on Russian pipeline gas.

In 2022 and 2023, an average of 11.2 billion cubic metres (bcm) of LNG were imported into the EU per month, compared with 6.6bcm per month in 2021.

Imports to member states are predominantly sourced from the US (44%), although the EU is also dependent on Russia (17%) and Qatar (13%) for LNG.

Last year, Europe managed to weather the cold months better than expected, and general gas storage inventories were 55.7% full at the end of the winter period.

The record figure was achieved thanks to mild temperatures and higher energy prices, which in turn led to reduced demand, but consultants from Cornwall Insight have advised Europeans against complacency.

“A multitude of factors, from weather patterns to surging demand in Asia, leave Europe open to potential gas shortages if it places its faith in another high-temperature, low-competition winter,” said Dr Chadwick.

Balancing LNG with going green

The European winter is once again set to be warmer than usual this year, but experts have raised concerns about the effects of global events on LNG supply.

The Israel Hamas war, gas worker strikes in Australia, or damage to the Balticconnector pipeline, are all examples of how wider instability can push up wholesale energy prices.

As China and other Asian nations are able to pay higher prices for gas than the EU, this leaves the bloc in a vulnerable position.

One solution here is to secure more long-term LNG supply deals instead of relying on so-called ‘spot market purchases’, which are essentially immediate but volatile transactions.

In pursuit of future energy stability, the EU has also been improving its infrastructure to combat trade bottlenecks.

The bloc’s import capacity can meet around 40% of its total gas demand, but access to LNG infrastructure is still uneven throughout member states.

Yet when considering long-term energy plans, Cornwall Insight has nonetheless advised the EU to stay focused on its climate targets.

Analysts say that whilst LNG emits 40% less CO2 than coal and 30% less than oil, it remains a significant source of carbon emissions, meaning it should only be viewed as a transitional solution.

Source: Msn.com

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Today I had the opportunity to visit with Tim Kaelin, CEO of Renewable Energy Management about his energy storage company that does not need tax incentives, or subsidies to bring to market. This is a huge win for the grid stabilization that needs to happen for our increased energy demands.

Sustainable to many people does not include fiscal or ecologically responsible in their definition. Our conversation went over their energy storage solution and it hit all of my top requirements. Ecologically sound, not require the massive critical minerals from foreign countries, and fiscally sound. The other key point of our discussion was the battery technology. It could spill out on the ground, and could even be considered fertilizer.

There is a massive need for ending energy poverty, and I am thrilled to have had the opportunity fo visit with Tim, and am looking forward to visiting with his executive team of world experts. George McMilan is one of his team members with whom I have been communicating and planning some fantastic geopolitical discussions around energy.

00:00 – Introduction

02:00 – Tim Kaelin founded a company to create affordable utility-scale batteries for renewable energy, aiming for profitability without subsidies.

04:27 – Explaining their technology’s operation.

06:45 – The significance of kilowatts per megawatt-hour in the discussion.

08:15 – Their batteries for large solar farms in shipping containers, addressing reclamation and recyclability concerns.

11:14 – Upcoming November 9th event with George McMillan, covering energy, geopolitics, market dynamics, and renewable energy challenges.

16:46 – Importance of battery storage in renewable energy, regulatory hurdles, fiscal sustainability, and global energy dynamics, including skepticism around net-zero goals in developing countries and coal demand.

21:31 – Highlighting energy storage as a currency for economic growth and societal advancement.

23:23 – Preview of the November 9th event in New York and the possibility of a live podcast before the event.

24:57 – Outro.

Full Transcript and Show notes will be added shortly.

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The malaise spreading through the renewable energy industry hasn’t come to an end just yet.
wind energy giants Ørsted A/S and Siemens Energy are facing billions of euros in losses and writedowns as their wind energy businesses continue to deteriorate.
Siemens Energy is currently in talks with the German government looking to secure as much as €16B worth of guarantees for long-term projects after the company warned that losses at its troubled wind turbine business are likely to be higher than earlier forecast.

The malaise spreading through the renewable energy industry that started in late October when we reported that shares of Israel-based SolarEdge Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:SEDG) suffered their biggest crash in the company’s public history has now spread to the European wind energy sector, too.

It’s all about soaring costs and supply chain woes–all of which prompted SolarEdge to warn that Q3 revenues, gross margin and operating income would all come in below the low end of the company’s prior guidance.

Now, wind energy giants Ørsted A/S (OTCPK:DNNGY) and Siemens Energy (OTCPK:SMEGF) are facing billions of euros in losses and writedowns as their wind energy businesses continue to deteriorate.

Ørsted, the world’s biggest builder of offshore wind parks, has raised the alarm on possible impairments of as much as 28.4B Danish kroner (US$4B) to its U.S. portfolio thanks to supply chain snarls as well as an unsuccessful bid to seek more profitable contracts with New York regulators.

The company has also scrapped two New Jersey wind projects; 2,248 MW Ocean Wind 1 and 2 projects, but says it will move forward with its Revolution Wind project offshore Connecticut and Rhode Island, a 50-50 joint venture partner with Eversource.  Ørsted has forecast a third-quarter loss of 12 billion kroner, the worst quarterly loss since 2015 when the company was more focused on fossil fuels and conventional electricity.

Two weeks ago, Ørsted announced that it has agreed to sell 50% of the Gode Wind 3 offshore wind farm in Germany for €473M (nearly $500M).

‘‘Ocean Wind 1 and 2 have experienced significant impacts from macroeconomic factors, including high inflation, rising interest rates and supply chain constraints, particularly a vessel delay on Ocean Wind 1 that considerably impacted project timing,” Ørsted has said.

“Orsted is a big player in the renewables world and was one of the frontrunners, so there is a conception in the market that what the company is facing today are actually issues that could be seen across other developers,” ABN Amro Bank NV strategist Larissa Fritz has told Bloomberg.

Ørsted is hardly the only wind energy developer in serious peril.  Norwegian energy giant Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) took a $300 million impairment on U.S. offshore wind projects while  China’s top turbine maker Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co. reported on Friday that third-quarter profit tumbled 98%.

Ørsted shares have crashed 61.3% in the year-to-date to a five-year low.

“There are too many known unknowns around Orsted, which could lead to near-term headwinds for its shares. Visibility around the US, including balance sheet funding, and the fate of Hornsea 3 is required before any meaningful re-rating,’’ Citigroup Inc. analysts have said.

Meanwhile, shares of Ørsted’s German peer Siemens Energy have jumped nearly 13% in Wednesday’s intraday trading after supervisory board chairman Joe Kaeser said the company does not need a taxpayer-funded bailout from the German government, and that it seeks guarantees rather than a cash injection.

“The company obviously doesn’t need money from the state,” Kaeser reportedly told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper, adding that “all segments apart from the wind business are doing well, partly better than at the competition. If you read ‘state aid’ as an investor, then panic is pre-programmed”

Siemens Energy is currently in talks with the German government looking to secure as much as €16B worth of guarantees for long-term projects after the company warned that losses at its troubled wind turbine business are likely to be higher than earlier forecast. Siemens says it needs the backstops for projects because the financial outlook for its wind turbine business has continued to deteriorate. Back in June, the company announced that it was overhauling the division at a cost of up to €1bn.

Cost Increases

According to Kerstin Ahlfont, chief financial officer at Vattenfall AB, these companies have been contending with cost increases of up to 40% over the past 18 months, rendering many projects unprofitable. The Swedish utility itself has been forced to shelve a giant project in the UK after deeming it not profitable enough even with the guarantees available in an auction it won last year.

Last month, no energy companies submitted bids in the UK’s 5GW offshore wind auction, with the government coming under fire for ignoring warnings that the offer on the table was too low to reflect soaring costs. This comes as a significant blow to Rishi Sunak’s plans to meet climate targets and lower energy bills and also makes it harder for the government to achieve its goal of reaching 50 GW of offshore wind by 2030. The price of the UK’s offshore wind power has fallen steeply in recent decades. The government set a maximum price of £44 a MW hour for the latest auction, which developers deemed too low due to soaring construction costs, owing to rising inflation and higher borrowing costs.

Things could not be more different in Germany where European oil and gas supermajors BP Plc (NYSE:BP) and TotalEnergies (NYSE:TTE) won all of the capacity on offer in the country’s 7GW offshore wind auction, its biggest in history. BP secured leases at two North Sea sites off the coast of Helgoland with total generating potential of about four gigawatts, paying a total of $7.5 billion. The new sites–BP’s first offshore wind projects in Germany–will nearly double the company’s global offshore wind pipeline. Meanwhile, TotalEnergies–through local subsidiaries–secured the other two sites for a total of  $6.5 billion. Germany currently has 8.4GW of operational offshore wind capacity.

Source: Oilprice.com

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A green energy company on Tuesday pulled the plug on two wind projects off the coast of New Jersey which were approved for an estimated $1 billion in taxpayer-funded subsidies by Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and state lawmakers.

The Danish outfit Orsted cited high inflation, rising interest rates and supply chain issues as their reasons for scrapping its Ocean Wind 1 and 2 projects – both of which were buoyed by tax incentives included in President Biden’s so-called Inflation Reduction Act.

“Macroeconomic factors have changed dramatically over a short period of time, with high inflation, rising interest rates, and supply chain bottlenecks impacting our long-term capital investments,” Orsted Americas CEO David Hardy said in a statement.

“As a result, we have no choice but to cease development of Ocean Wind 1 and Ocean Wind 2. We are extremely disappointed to have to take this decision, particularly because New Jersey is poised to be a US and global hub for offshore wind energy.”

Murphy, a strong proponent of the project, fumed over Orsted’s announcement, calling the pullout “outrageous” amid the unprecedented accommodations granted by the Garden State to the foreign company.

“Today’s decision by Orsted to abandon its commitments to New Jersey is outrageous and calls into question the company’s credibility and competence,” Murphy said in a statement. “As recently as several weeks ago, the company made public statements regarding the viability and progress of the Ocean Wind 1 project.”

Murphy he would explore legal options regarding the abandoned Orsted project after the state worked hard to secure the funding.

“In recognition of the challenges inherent in large and complex projects, my Administration in partnership with legislative leadership insisted upon important protections that ensure New Jersey will receive $300 million to support the offshore wind sector should Orsted’s New Jersey projects fail to proceed,” he added.

“I have directed my Administration to review all legal rights and remedies and to take all necessary steps to ensure that Orsted fully and immediately honors its obligations.”

The failed development, which would have provided the state with its first offshore wind farm just 13 miles off the South Jersey coast, was expected to generate enough energy to power half a million homes.

In July, New Jersey legislators approved tax breaks for Orsted valued as high as $1 billion to keep the project moving forward  — a move Republicans, commercial fishermen and activists slammed as a generous subsidy for a potentially harmful environmental project.

In exchange for the handout, which allowed Orsted to pocket federal tax breaks it was initially required to give back to New Jersey ratepayers,  the company was required to place a $200 million guarantee into state coffers, which will ostensibly be returned to ratepayers now that the company has scrapped the project.

State Sen. Ed Durr (R-Gloucester) criticized the subsidy at the time, arguing that when Orsted first received approval to build the wind farms it “agreed to apply for and return to ratepayers any federal tax incentives that might become available to offset the higher costs that ratepayers are paying today for the development of wind energy.”

“Despite the deal they signed, Orsted is realizing that wind farm projects don’t make economic sense without major government subsidies, so now they’re looking for a huge handout at the expense of New Jersey utility customers,” he added.

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Satellite images show the eastern gate of the GERD is fully open, despite objections from Egypt and Sudan over the infrastructure

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This article was produced in partnership with Planet Detroit.

A new community center in Detroit’s Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood is also a key part of the city’s climate strategy.

The Community Center at A. B. Ford Park is part of the first three networks of resiliency hubs on the eastside of Detroit. In case of climate emergencies like power outages, heat waves or floods, these facilities serve the residents of the community as a central hub for resources, distribution, shelter, internet access and a place to charge devices.

The new facility includes a 70-kilowatt solar array with a backup battery and generator. This system can provide up to 72 hours of power. Ryter Cooperative Industries, a Black-owned company, was the primary solar contractor, and the development project served as a training opportunity for local contractors to learn how to install solar arrays.

The parking lot is equipped with green stormwater infrastructure and lots of native plants. The Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood was hard hit with flooding in 2021. The Lenox Center, an existing building in the park that was a pioneering resource for disabled people in the 1960s, was demolished as part of the renovation project because it was vulnerable to flooding and would have required extensive renovations.

“This is our first community center in over 15 years in District 4,” Detroit Councilmember Latisha Johnson said during her remarks at a ribbon-cutting event on Oct. 19. “This community knows how important green stormwater infrastructure is to addressing and ensuring that we don’t continue to have problems with our combined sewer overflow system.”

The new $7.9 million community center — built on higher ground — has a welcome desk, a cozy living room and library with fireplace, a multipurpose classroom, a flexible space for indoor sports, exercise classes or parties, and a large community event and meeting space with lots of big windows to view the future landscaped park and Detroit River.

“My hope is that this center will serve as a place of empowerment where individuals can access educational programs, engage in recreational activities and build lasting connections with one another,” said Mary Sheffield, president of the Detroit City Council. “Hopefully it will serve as a sanctuary of growth where the potential of our youth and the wisdom of our elders can be nurtured and celebrated.”

Community members at a ribbon-cutting event on Oct. 19. Credit: Angela Lugo-Thomas

In the fall of 2024, with funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, the surrounding green space will be transformed into a new park for residents and visitors with playgrounds for different ages, picnic areas, outdoor fitness equipment, basketball court, pickleball court, walking paths, shelters and fishing area. There will be a meadow, new trees planted and a wetland for wildlife.

Over 200 community members from Jefferson Chalmers and District 4 were engaged during the design process for the park and the building.

Tammie Black, founder of the Manistique Community Treehouse, has led solar roof projects in Jefferson Chalmers that have helped 25 houses get solar power. And she hasn’t stopped there. She mentioned that plans are underway for a solar training house where people will learn how to implement solar.

“I am numb,” she said. “All of our dreams and everything that we wanted inside of this space is here,” Black told Planet Detroit. “We’re going to continue this effort throughout.”

William Dawkins IV grew up in Highland Park and is working at the new center as the rec leader. He hopes to be able to create programming for all of the ages who will visit the center. He spent time training at the Patton and Adams Butzel recreation centers.

At the ribbon-cutting, Dawkins pointed out the classroom area where attendees played bingo. Iconic Detroit dancer and model Fast Freddy — still going strong at 77 years old — led a hustle dance class in the large community room.

Frank Bach, who has lived a block away for 44 years, said enjoying the park taught him that “recreation is essential to physical health and to mental health.”

“This is a place people can go when the power is out. Not only when the power is out — it’s a place for people to convene just to be amongst other people,” said Jack Akinlosotu, director of the city of Detroit’s Office of Sustainability. “This project is essential to Detroit’s climate strategy.”

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