Solar Energy

How solar power is keeping one California community alive as the ground shifts

Published

2 days ago

September 17, 2024

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How solar power is keeping one California community alive as the ground shifts

by Bradley Bartz

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 17, 2024

The cliffs of the Palos Verdes Peninsula have always been stunning, offering sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean. But beneath the natural beauty of Portuguese Bend, a slow and terrifying force is at work. Here, in one of the most geologically unstable areas in California, the ground is in constant motion. The land is slipping into the sea at a rate of one foot per week, threatening homes and lives with every inch. The Portuguese Bend landslide, once a slow-moving anomaly, has accelerated into a full-scale disaster, and the consequences are being felt daily by the residents.

For those of us who call this place home, the landslide is not a hypothetical future threat-it’s a daily reality. The roadways buckle, driveways disappear, and utility lines fail. Southern California Edison (SCE), the local utility provider, announced a sudden shutoff of power and gas to more than 350 homes. In a cruel twist of fate, residents found themselves not only battling the land but also cut off from the essential services that tether them to modern life.

In the midst of this chaos, we at ABC Solar knew something had to be done. Our team has installed over 100 solar and battery systems in the region, but the landslide has turned this work into something more urgent, more vital. It was no longer just about helping homeowners go green-it became about survival.

Our first major site visit was at a Frank Lloyd Wright Jr. home perched above the shifting land. The house, with its futuristic design and sharp, arrow-like roofs, stood defiant against the forces below. Its driveway had become impassable, but the structure remained. We brought in Walrus Portable Battery Systems, each equipped with 30 kWh of storage, and linked them to solar panels. The owners, cut off from traditional power, now had a clean energy source that allowed them to keep the lights on, the fridge cold, and life moving forward.

And this was just the beginning.

As more homes lost power, our team worked around the clock. We deployed Walrus units to homes in the hardest-hit areas and set up temporary energy solutions. In the Sea View neighborhood, we created what nearly became a mini-grid, connecting six homes with 8 solar panels each, along with Walrus battery systems. Each day, we navigated new bumps in the road-literally. The land changed so fast that driving the same road twice meant encountering new twists and turns, fresh reminders of the ground’s instability.

The question that kept coming up wasn’t about the future of energy but the present: “Can I do my laundry today?” With each successful installation, the answer was “Yes.”

At the Portuguese Bend Riding Club, a sprawling horse ranch on Narcissa Drive, the story was much the same. Power was unreliable, and gas was shut off. When we arrived with two portable solar battery generators, it was clear this wasn’t just an inconvenience-it was a matter of safety. We hooked up the systems to power the refrigerators in two apartments and set the stage for a larger, more permanent solution. Then, at noon, Southern California Edison shut off the power to the entire property. But we didn’t miss a beat-the solar batteries took over without a hitch, bringing smiles and relief to everyone on-site.

In moments like this, the gravity of our work hit home. The loud hum of gas generators was everywhere-an unsettling reminder of the fragility of the grid and the pollution that came with it. Our mission became clear: to replace those generators with clean, quiet solar power. The transition wasn’t always easy. On a 100-degree day, when air conditioning was essential for health reasons, our systems had to stretch to their limits. But the Walrus units, backed by solar panels, rose to the challenge.

But this wasn’t just about deploying technology-it was about adapting to a new way of life. Off-grid living was foreign to many, and the psychological adjustment was just as real as the technical one. We saw it at the ranch, where 4 gas generators roared, drowning out thought and peace. But as our systems took over, the noise subsided, and a new quiet emerged. Solar power didn’t just keep the lights on-it restored a sense of normalcy.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be deploying more Sol-Ark 15kW inverters and Briggs and Stratton batteries, creating long-term solutions for homes in the landslide zone. These systems will provide not just backup power but independence-450 amps of clean energy service that can scale as needed. The future we’re building is one where the land may shift, but the power stays on.

As a neighbor in this community and the founder of ABC Solar, I’ve seen firsthand how disaster brings out both the worst and the best in systems. Southern California Edison’s threats to shut down the sewer systems sparked outrage, and rightly so. Luckily, Janice Hahn stepped in, ordering the county to keep the sewers running with generators. But it shouldn’t take a political intervention to keep basic utilities functioning. This is where renewable energy can and must step in-not just in moments of calm but in the thick of crisis.

The reality is stark: the landslide won’t stop. The homes will keep shifting, and the landscape will change. But the people here are resilient. With solar panels on their roofs and batteries in their garages, they are no longer waiting for the lights to flicker out. They are taking control of their power, their future, and their peace of mind.

For now, I roll solar batteries down the street and see the look of relief on my neighbors’ faces as the lights come back on. Each installation is a small victory against forces bigger than us. In the battle between land and life, we’re learning that the key to survival is energy-clean, renewable, and ours to keep.

Bradley Bartz is the founder and president of ABC Solar Incorporated. He lives in Rancho Palos Verdes and has been working in solar energy since 2000.

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Solar Energy

University of Michigan develops efficient system for converting CO2 into ethylene

Published

9 hours ago

September 19, 2024

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University of Michigan develops efficient system for converting CO2 into ethylene

by Clarence Oxford

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 19, 2024

Researchers at the University of Michigan have made a significant advancement toward creating sustainable fuels by developing an artificial photosynthesis system that efficiently chains carbon atoms together. The system is capable of converting carbon dioxide into ethylene, a critical hydrocarbon used in plastics, with field-leading efficiency, yield, and longevity.

“The performance, or the activity and stability, is about five to six times better than what is typically reported for solar energy or light-driven carbon dioxide reduction to ethylene,” said Zetian Mi, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Michigan and the corresponding author of the study, which was published in ‘Nature Synthesis’.

Ethylene, the most widely produced organic compound in the world, is traditionally created using oil and gas under high temperatures and pressures – processes that contribute significantly to carbon dioxide emissions. By utilizing this new photosynthesis system, it may become possible to produce ethylene without adding to atmospheric CO2 levels.

The long-term goal of the research team is to develop a process that chains more carbon and hydrogen atoms together, potentially leading to the creation of liquid fuels, which are easier to transport and could support sustainable energy solutions.

The device created by the Michigan team uses two types of semiconductors: a base layer of silicon with gallium nitride nanowires grown on top. These nanowires, each just 50 nanometers wide, are dotted with copper clusters that catalyze the conversion of water and carbon dioxide into ethylene.

When exposed to light, the semiconductors generate electrons that break apart water molecules, producing hydrogen for the reaction. The copper clusters then facilitate the bonding of carbon atoms from carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide, eventually leading to the creation of ethylene.

The device stands out not only for its efficiency but also for its durability. While previous systems lasted only a few hours, the Michigan team’s device ran continuously for 116 hours without losing performance. Some earlier iterations have operated for up to 3,000 hours. This longevity is attributed to the synergistic effects between gallium nitride and the water-splitting process, which leads to self-healing of the catalyst over time.

Looking ahead, the research team plans to explore ways to extend the process to create other multicarbon compounds, including propanol, as they work toward the ultimate goal of producing sustainable liquid fuels.

“In the future, we want to produce some other multicarbon compounds such as propanol with three carbons or liquid products,” said Bingxing Zhang, assistant research scientist at U-M and first author of the paper.

Research Report:Interfacially coupled Cu-cluster/GaN photocathode for efficient CO2 to ethylene conversion

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Solar Energy

Second life of lithium-ion batteries may propel future space missions

Published

10 hours ago

September 19, 2024

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Second life of lithium-ion batteries may propel future space missions

by Robert Schreiber

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Sep 19, 2024

Lithium-ion battery usage worldwide has doubled in the past four years, contributing to a growing volume of hazardous battery waste. This rise underscores the urgent need for more effective recycling solutions. Scientists from several Polish research institutions, including Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology (PBS), the Institute of Fundamental Technological Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the PAS in Warsaw, and Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, have introduced a promising approach in the journal ‘ChemElectroChem’.

The research focused on carbon materials extracted from the electrodes of spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The team employed an acidic leaching process to recover valuable metals from these electrodes. Depending on experimental conditions, the extracted carbon materials retained trace amounts of metals like cobalt, commonly used in catalysis. The goal was to repurpose these materials for use in catalytic processes, with a particular emphasis on hydrogen peroxide production.

“Hydrogen peroxide is one of the fundamental chemical molecules, essential to numerous industries. Large-scale production of this substance typically demands high pressures and temperatures, costly catalysts, and various toxic electrolytes. Our focus was on developing a more environmentally friendly method for producing hydrogen peroxide: specifically, an electrochemical approach using catalysts derived from used lithium-ion batteries,” explains Dr. Eng. Magdalena Warczak (PBS), project leader and lead author.

The team’s electrochemical tests demonstrated that carbon nanostructures and cobalt recovered from the batteries exhibited catalytic properties for the oxygen reduction reaction. However, these properties were influenced by the composition and structure of the sample, which were determined by the types of etching baths used to clean the extracted electrodes.

“For potential future applications, the crucial finding is that, based on data gathered from experiments using a rotating electrode, we were able to determine the number of electrons involved in the reduction of a single oxygen molecule. The electrochemical reduction of oxygen can occur with either four or two electrons. In the case of four electrons, water is produced, but with two electrons, we obtain the desired hydrogen peroxide. In all the samples we tested, we observed the two-electron reduction,” explains Dr. Warczak.

To ensure accuracy, the measurements were repeated with battery powders suspended between two immiscible liquids, eliminating any influence from the glassy carbon electrode. The oxygen reduction reaction occurred spontaneously at the interface of these liquids, with the organic liquid containing decamethylferrocene, an electron donor. These experiments confirmed that all samples catalyzed the production of hydrogen peroxide, with concentrations measured by a scanning electrochemical microscope showing levels one to two orders of magnitude higher than those in systems without battery waste.

“Lithium-ion batteries have generally been viewed as just a secondary source of carbon materials, mainly graphite, and metals like lithium, cobalt, or nickel. Meanwhile, our group’s findings clearly demonstrate that battery waste can catalyze the reduction of oxygen to hydrogen peroxide, and in the future, this could lead to its use in producing this important chemical compound,” concludes Dr. Warczak.

Hydrogen peroxide, commonly found in pharmacies at a 3% concentration for disinfecting wounds, has a range of industrial applications. Solutions with up to 15% concentration are used in household cleaning products and cosmetics, while concentrations of around 30% are vital in industries such as chemical manufacturing, pulp and paper, textiles, electronics, and food processing. Hydrogen peroxide also serves as an oxidizer for fuels, including rocket propellants. During the 1940s, it was first used in early rockets capable of reaching space. Recently, hydrogen peroxide at concentrations exceeding 98% powered a suborbital rocket built by the Lukasiewicz Institute of Aviation in Warsaw.

The research on hydrogen peroxide production from spent lithium-ion batteries, initially funded by a SONATA grant from the Polish National Science Centre, will continue with a focus on enhancing the efficiency of electrochemical reactions for industrial use. The team also plans to explore four-electron reduction for potential applications in fuel cells.

Research Report:Insights into the High Catalytic Activity of Li-ion Battery Waste Toward Oxygen Reduction to Hydrogen Peroxide

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Solar Energy

Solar on track for another record year: report

Published

11 hours ago

September 19, 2024

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Solar on track for another record year: report

by AFP Staff Writers

Paris (AFP) Sept 18, 2024

The solar industry is due to grow by nearly a third in 2024, beating forecasts as it adds 593 gigawatts of additional capacity, the majority of them in China, according to a report released on Thursday by the Ember think tank.

“This is a 29 percent increase compared to the previous year, maintaining strong growth following an estimated 87 percent surge in 2023,” the report said.

“Yet again, solar power is growing faster than people expected, as it establishes itself as the cheapest source of electricity globally,” said Euan Graham, electricity data analyst at Ember.

Illustrating the lightning speed at which solar is growing, Ember projections show that new solar capacity added in 2024 alone will be more than the 540 GW of additional coal power added around the world since 2010.

China remains the world leader in the sector and is expected to add 334 GW, or 56 percent of the world total in 2024.

It is followed by the United States, India, Germany and Brazil, with the top five countries accounting for 75 percent of the new solar capacity in 2024, the report said.

Grid capacity and battery storage were key to maintaining growth in the sector, the report said.

“As solar becomes more affordable and accessible, ensuring sufficient grid capacity and developing battery storage is crucial for handling power distribution and supporting solar outside of peak sunlight hours,” it said.

“By addressing these challenges and sustaining growth, solar power could continue to exceed expectations for the remainder of the decade.”

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