Solar Energy
Study shows how water systems can drive renewable energy adoption
Study shows how water systems can drive renewable energy adoption
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 30, 2024
New research led by Stanford University highlights how water systems, such as desalination plants and wastewater treatment facilities, could contribute to making renewable energy more accessible and reliable. The study, published on Sept. 27 in ‘Nature Water’, introduces a framework for assessing how water systems can modify their energy usage to help balance power grid supply and demand.
“If we’re going to reach net zero, we need demand-side energy solutions, and water systems represent a largely untapped resource,” explained Akshay Rao, the study’s lead author and an environmental engineering PhD student at Stanford School of Engineering. “Our method helps water operators and energy managers make better decisions about how to coordinate these infrastructure systems to simultaneously meet our decarbonization and water reliability goals.”
As grids increasingly depend on renewable sources such as wind and solar, balancing supply and demand becomes more complex. Typically, energy storage options like batteries address this issue, but these technologies can be expensive. An alternative lies in utilizing demand-side flexibility, particularly from large consumers of electricity, such as water conveyance and treatment systems. Water systems, which account for up to 5% of the nation’s electricity consumption, could provide benefits similar to those offered by batteries by adjusting their operations to meet real-time energy needs, according to the study’s authors.
A framework for flexibility
To harness this potential, the researchers devised a framework that evaluates the energy flexibility of water systems from the perspectives of both electric grid operators and water system managers. The framework compares the value of energy flexibility from water systems with that of other large-scale energy storage solutions, such as lithium-ion batteries, which store electricity during low-demand periods and discharge it during peak demand times. The analysis also considers reliability, compliance risks, and capital upgrade costs involved in achieving energy flexibility from critical infrastructure systems.
The team tested the framework on various water facilities, including a seawater desalination plant, a water distribution network, and a wastewater treatment facility. They also examined how different tariff structures and electricity rates in California, Texas, Florida, and New York impacted the results.
Their findings showed that these water systems could shift up to 30% of their energy consumption during peak demand periods, offering significant cost savings and reducing stress on the power grid. Desalination plants, in particular, demonstrated considerable potential for energy flexibility by adjusting water recovery rates or temporarily halting specific operations when electricity prices were high.
The framework developed by the researchers could assist grid operators in evaluating energy flexibility across various water systems, comparing it to other energy storage options, and adjusting energy prices accordingly. It could also guide water utility operators in making more informed financial decisions when designing and operating their plants in the context of rapidly evolving electricity grids.
The study further underscores the importance of energy pricing in maximizing the benefits of energy flexibility. Water systems with variable electricity rates depending on the time of day stand to gain the most. Facilities could even earn revenue by reducing their energy use during periods of high grid stress, participating in energy-saving programs offered by utilities.
“Our study gives water and energy managers a tool to make smarter choices,” Rao said. “With the right investments and policies, water systems can play a key role in making the transition to renewable energy smoother and more affordable.”
Research Report:Valuing Energy Flexibility from Water Systems
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DGIST enhances quantum dot solar cell performance
by Riko Seibo
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Oct 04, 2024
A research team led by Professor Jongmin Choi from the Department of Energy Science and Engineering at DGIST, in collaboration with Gyeongsang National University’s Professor Tae Kyung Lee and Kookmin University’s Professor Younghoon Kim, has developed a new method that significantly boosts the performance and longevity of perovskite quantum dot solar cells. Their innovative approach addresses a key issue: surface distortions on quantum dots that hinder solar cell efficiency.
Perovskite quantum dots are widely regarded as essential for next-generation solar cells due to their high light-to-electricity conversion efficiency and scalability. However, the process of replacing the “ligands” on their surface often causes distortions, akin to crumpled paper, that degrade solar cell performance.
The research team tackled this problem by introducing short ligands that firmly grip both sides of the quantum dots. This method effectively restores the quantum dot’s distorted surface, resembling the process of flattening crumpled paper. By smoothing the surface, they significantly reduced defects and improved both the performance and the stability of the solar cells. The power conversion efficiency rose from 13.6% to 15.3%, and the cells maintained 83% of their performance over 15 days, marking a major advancement in solar cell technology.
“Through this research, we could minimize surface defects on the quantum dots and stabilize their surfaces by newly adopting these amphiphilic ligands, thereby significantly improving the efficiency and stability of the solar cells,” explained Professor Jongmin Choi. He also noted the team’s intention to extend this approach to other photoelectric devices in the future.
This study, a collaborative effort by DGIST, Gyeongsang National University, and Kookmin University, was supported by the National Research Council of Science and Technology, the DGIST R and D Program, and the New Faculty Research Foundation at Gyeongsang National University. The findings were published in the ‘Chemical Engineering Journal’ on September 15, 2024.
Research Report:Multifaceted anchoring ligands for uniform orientation and enhanced cubic-phase stability of perovskite quantum dots
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Philippines’ Marcos opens first EV battery plant
by AFP Staff Writers
Manila (AFP) Sept 30, 2024
President Ferdinand Marcos inaugurated on Monday the first factory for electric vehicle batteries in the Philippines, calling it the “future” of clean energy.
The Australian-owned lithium-iron-phosphate factory aims to produce two gigawatt-hours of batteries per year by 2030, powering about 18,000 electric vehicles or nearly half a million home battery systems.
“We have worked very hard and tried to do our best to bring this kind of technology to the Philippines with a clear recognition that this is the future,” Marcos said in a livestreamed speech.
“As the first manufacturing plant in the Philippines for advanced iron phosphate batteries… (it) sets the stage for the Philippines to become a player in clean energy storage in our part of the world.”
Located in New Clark city north of Manila, the StB Giga Factory Inc. facility will create 2,500 local jobs and channel five billion pesos ($89.2 million) into the economy each year, Marcos said.
The investment aligns with the government’s efforts to “transition our country to renewable energy”, and would help Manila “entice more investors in renewable energy facilities in the country”, he added.
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Fire breaks out at Chinese battery giant CATL plant
by AFP Staff Writers
Beijing (AFP) Sept 29, 2024
A fire broke out Sunday at a factory belonging to Chinese battery giant CATL, which supplies electric vehicle makers including Tesla, but only a “relatively small” impact on operations is expected, the company said.
A CATL spokesperson said no injuries or casualties had occurred at the plant in the coastal city of Ningde, and that “the reasons behind this accident are still under investigation”.
Emergency services were sent to the plant to fight the fire and to organise the evacuation of any people who were inside the 15,000 square metre (160,000 square feet) site, a statement by the Dongqiao Economic and Technological Development Zone said.
Firefighters were alerted to the blaze just before 11:30 AM local time (0330 GMT).
It was not immediately clear what was produced at the plant, CATL’s base in the eastern province of Fujian, but the company said the effect of the now extinguished fire would not be significant.
“The impact to CATL’s overall production operation is relatively small,” the spokesperson said.
Videos published by the Chinese business media outlet Cailianshe, and posted on the Weibo social network, showed parts of a large white building in flames with thick gray smoke rising into the air.
AFP could not immediately verify the authenticity of the images.
CATL was founded in 2011 and produces more than a third of the electric vehicle batteries sold worldwide for automakers that include Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volkswagen, Toyota, Honda and Hyundai.
ehl-reb/des
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