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Japan Building Giant Battery Systems to Store Solar Power

Japanese companies are building some of the world’s biggest battery systems to address one of solar power’s biggest problems–its volatility. Handling the surges in power when the sun shines and storing that energy for use when it is cloudy or dark is a major headache for solar power producers and the utilities they supply. Mitsubishi Electric Corp.6503.TO +0.79% and NGK Insulators Ltd.5333.TO +1.68% are assembling a 50,000 kilowatt battery system for Kyushu Electric Power Co.9508.TO +0.41% to study ways to better accommodate solar power. A slightly smaller, 40,000 kilowatt battery system is under construction in Minami Soma, north of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, for Tohoku Electric Power Co.9506.TO +0.52% to conduct similar research. The government is financing both projects at a total cost of ¥31.7 billion ($257 million), a government official said. Power companies have cited the volatility of supply as a reason for refusing to accept […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Stanford team develops new low-voltage single-catalyst water splitter for hydrogen production

Researchers at Stanford University have developed a new low-voltage, single-catalyst water splitter that continuously generates hydrogen and oxygen. An open access paper describing the synthesis and functionality of the bi-functional non-noble metal oxide nanoparticle electrocatalysts appears in the journal Nature Communications . In the reported study, the new catalyst achieved 10 mA cm −2 water-splitting current at only 1.51 V for more than 200 h without degradation in a two-electrode configuration and 1 M KOH—better than the combination of iridium and platinum as benchmark catalysts. Electrochemical/photoelectrochemical water splitting is widely considered to be a critical step for efficient renewable energy production, storage and usage such as sustainable hydrogen production, rechargeable metal-air batteries and fuel cells. Currently, the state-of-the-art catalysts to split water are IrO 2 and Pt for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), respectively, with ~1.5 V to reach 10 mA cm −2 current (for […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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The Way Humans Get Electricity Is About to Change Forever

The renewable-energy boom is here. Trillions of dollars will be invested over the next 25 years, driving some of the most profound changes yet in how humans get their electricity. That’s according to a new forecast by Bloomberg New Energy Finance that plots out global power markets to 2040 1 . Here are six massive shifts coming soon to power markets near you: 1. Solar Prices Keep Crashing The price of solar power will continue to fall, until it becomes the cheapest form of power in a rapidly expanding number of national markets. By 2026, utility-scale solar will be competitive for the majority of the world, according to BNEF . The lifetime cost of a photovoltaic solar-power plant will drop by almost half over the next 25 years, even as the prices of fossil fuels creep higher. Solar power will eventually get so cheap that it will outcompete new […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Wales opens mega offshore wind farm

Welsh first minister on hand for inauguration of offshore wind farm, which German energy company RWE says will put it in a leadership position in the offshore market. Photo courtesy of RWE. CARDIFF, Wales, June 18 (UPI) — With Wednesday’s inauguration of a Welsh wind farm, German energy company RWE said it’s positioned to be one of the largest wind energy providers in the world. Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones was on hand for the inauguration of the Gwynt y Mor wind farm, the second largest installation of its kinds with 160 turbines. "Local companies have been among those to benefit during construction and the site will bring high quality employment and opportunities for years to come," he said in a statement. The wind farm will have a peak operational capacity of 576 megawatts, which RWE says will be enough to meet the energy demands of about 30 percent […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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London to end subsidies for onshore wind

British government proposes end to public subsidies for onshore wind, but Scotland, which hosts most of the regional onshore wind farms, says the move is regrettable. File Photo by UPI/Pat Benic LONDON, June 18 (UPI) — Scotland said an end to subsidies for onshore wind farms will tack on extra costs, though the British government said it’s the best deal for consumers. London announced plans to end public subsidies for new onshore wind farms starting in April 2016. Last year, the $1.2 billion in government support helped onshore wind power generate 5 percent of total British electricity and bring the region closer to its climate change goals, the British government said. "We are driving forward our commitment to end new onshore wind subsidies and give local communities the final say over any new wind farms," Energy and Climate Change Secretary Amber Rudd said in a statement. "Onshore wind is […]

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Study: US Can Profit from Unconventionals While Protecting Environment

Contrary to popular belief, the United States can capture the full economic benefits of unconventional gas and oil while also substantially addressing local environmental impacts and making major strides toward a lower-carbon energy system. But stakeholders must let go of the misconceptions, historic rivalries, and distrust that have led to zero-sum mindsets and slow progress, according to a recent report from Harvard Business School (HBS) and The Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The report, America’s Unconventional Energy Opportunity, offers a comprehensive plan to overcoming the “false trade-offs between reaping the enormous economic benefits of developing unconventional gas and oil, minimizing environmental impacts, and making major progress towards reduced greenhouse gas emissions.” U.S. unconventional oil and gas development, which has eliminated the need for natural gas imports and reestablished the United States as the world’s second largest oil producer for the first time since 1991, offers the United States the largest […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Could hemp nanosheets topple graphene for making the ideal supercapacitor?

Enlarge Scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) image of graphene on Ir(111). The image size is 15 nm × 15 nm. Credit: ESRF As hemp makes a comeback in the U.S. after a decades-long ban on its cultivation, scientists are reporting that fibers from the plant can pack as much energy and power as graphene, long-touted as the model material for supercapacitors. They’re presenting their research, which a Canadian start-up company is working on scaling up, at the 248th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS). David Mitlin, Ph.D., explains that supercapacitors are energy storage devices that have huge potential to transform the way future electronics are powered. Unlike today’s rechargeable batteries, which sip up energy over several hours, supercapacitors can charge and discharge within seconds. But they normally can’t store nearly as much energy as batteries, an important property known as energy density. One approach researchers are […]

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Could Middle East Switch From Oil to Renewables?

Decreasing prices in solar power could provide opportunities for oil-poor countries “Costs have halved in just three years,” energy consultant Robin Mills noted last week , “meaning solar can now beat all conventional generation apart from the very cheapest gas.” Mills cited the bids in Jordan’s recent solar auction, which were just over 6 US cents per kilowatt-hour. These were just slightly above the record 5.84 cents from Acwa Power last November for the 200 MW second phase of Dubai’s Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park. It could be Egypt’s turn next, Mills suggested, as the North African country struggles with a gas and power crisis and is reportedly working on 6,500 MW of solar deals. “Petroleum-poor countries such as Jordan should seize the opportunity now to boost their economic and energy security,” Mills, the head of consulting for Dubai-based Manaar Energy, urged in an article for Abu […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple