12.1 Matched hybrid systems (4/12/2014)
12.2 Solar Batteries (16/12/2014)
12.3 Five sustainable food habits (20/12/2014)
12.4 The 'Copenhagen model' of heating cities (30/12/2014)
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12.1 Matched hybrid systems (4/12/2014)
Matched hybrid systems may hold key to wider use of renewable energy
Mon, 12/01/2014 - 8:09am
David Stauth, Oregon State Univ.
Wind farm. Image: Oregon State Univ.
The
use of renewable energy in the U.S. could take a significant leap
forward with improved storage technologies or more efforts to “match”
different forms of alternative energy systems that provide an overall
more steady flow of electricity, researchers say in a new report.
Historically,
a major drawback to the use and cost-effectiveness of alternative
energy systems has been that they are too variable—if the wind doesn’t
blow or the sun doesn’t shine, a completely different energy system has
to be available to pick up the slack. This lack of dependability is
costly and inefficient.
But in an analysis published in The Electricity Journal, scientists say that much of this problem could be addressed with enhanced energy storage technology or by developing “hybrid” systems in which, on a broader geographic scale, one form of renewable energy is ramping up even while the other is declining.
“Wind
energy is already pretty cost-competitive and solar energy is quickly
getting there,” said Anna Kelly, a graduate student in the School of
Public Policy at Oregon State Univ., and an energy policy analyst. “The
key to greater use of these and other technologies is to match them in smart-grid, connected systems.
“This is already being done successfully in a number of countries and the approach could be expanded.”
For
instance, the wind often blows more strongly at night in some regions,
Kelly said, and solar technology can only produce energy during the day.
By making more sophisticated use of that basic concept in a connected
grid, and pairing it with more advanced forms of energy storage, the
door could be opened for a much wider use of renewable energy systems,
scientists say.
“This
is more than just an idea, it’s a working reality in energy facilities
around the world, in places like Spain, Morocco and China, as well as
the U.S.,” Kelly said. “Geothermal is being paired with solar; wind and
solar with lithium-ion batteries; and wind and biodiesel with batteries.
By helping to address the price issue, renewable energy is being
produced in hybrid systems by real, private companies that are making real money.”
Advanced
energy storage could be another huge key to making renewable energy
more functional, and one example is just being developed in several
cooperating states in the West. Electricity is being produced by
efficient wind farms in Wyoming; transmitted to Utah where it’s being
stored via compressed air in certain rock formations; and ultimately
used to help power Los Angeles.
This
$8 billion system could be an indicator of things to come, since
compressed air can rapidly respond to energy needs and be readily scaled
up to be cost-competitive at a significant commercial level.
“There
are still a number of obstacles to overcome,” said Joshua Merritt, a
co-author on the report and also a graduate student in mechanical
engineering and public policy at OSU. “Our transmission grids need major
improvements so we can more easily produce energy and then send it to
where it’s needed. There are some regulatory hurdles to overcome. And
the public has to more readily accept energy systems like wind, wave or
solar in practice, not just in theory.”
The
“not in my back yard” opposition to renewable energy systems is still a
reality, the researchers said, and there are still some environmental
concerns about virtually any form of energy, whether it’s birds killed
by wind turbine rotors, fish losses in hydroelectric dams or chemical
contaminants from use of solar energy.
The
near future may offer more options, the researchers said. Advanced
battery storage technologies are becoming more feasible. Wave or tidal
energy may become a real contributor, and some of those forces are more
predictable and stable by definition. And the birth of small, modular
nuclear reactors—which can be built at lower cost and produce no
greenhouse gas emissions—could play a significant role in helping to
balance energy outflows from renewable sources.
The long-term goal, the report concluded, is to identify technologies that can work in a hybrid system that offers consistency, dependability and doesn’t rely on fossil fuels. With careful matching
of systems, improved transmission abilities and some new technological
advances, that goal may be closer than realized, they said.
“With development, the cost of these hybrid
systems will decrease and become increasingly competitive, hopefully
playing a larger role in power generation in the future,” the
researchers wrote in their conclusion.
Source: Oregon State Univ.
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Intelligent systems
would be required to get the most out of even ordinary home solar power
systems. It would be ideal to split the connected load into three or
four parts and bring them to bear automatically based on the sunshine
and the available battery charge (assuming that regular electric supply
is also available).
The
most expensive part of the solar system could well be the batteries;
intelligent systems can enhance battery life. The additional cost of
automation may not be excessive.
As we move to a regime of scarce energy supply and the necessity for local production and consumption, as envisaged by E. F. Schumacher,
automation in energy use and supply, agricultural activities (watering,
pest control etc.) and other similar activities, could make life easier
and bearable without taking us all back to the stone age.
I. Selvaraj, IITM, 7212.2 Solar Batteries (16/12/2014)
Trojan Battery Co., manufacturer of deep-cycle batteries, says its industrial line of batteries for renewable energy applications has surpassed a 15-year cycle life in IEC 61427 testing.
Trojan has been conducting IEC 61427 testing on its deep-cycle, flooded Industrial batteries since October 2010, and results to date show that the batteries are outperforming their rated 10-year design life. Because Trojan’s deep-cycle batteries are designed to operate at partial states of charge, the testing parameters being performed involve heavily discharging the batteries, which is a typical scenario in solar applications. By stressing the batteries and operating them in this abusive testing environment, Trojan’s goal is to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the battery line’s ability to perform in renewable energy applications where operating at a partial states of charge is common.
http://www.solarpowerworldonli
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The batteries appear to be the Achilles Heel of Solar Power Systems.
I. Selvaraj, IITM, 72
12.3 Five sustainable food habits (20/12/2014)
Sustainable food habits – practices that support a more environmentally and socially responsible food system – are a growing interest in our efforts to protect the environment and our communities from the potentially damaging effects of agriculture, such as soil erosion and the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers.
Adopting even one seemingly small and simple sustainable food habit can make a huge difference in promoting a more sustainable food system.
Here are EN’s top five sustainable food habits:
1. Plant-based
A plant-based diet, which focuses on including more plant foods than animal foods in your diet, can have a significant impact on the environment. Producing billions of pounds of animal meat and dairy each year takes a lot of pesticides, chemical fertilizer, fuel, feed and water, which accounts for 51 percent of annual greenhouse gas emissions, according to a 2009 report in World Watch Institute magazine. ...
http://www.buffalonews.com/
12.4 The 'Copenhagen model' of heating cities (30/12/2014)
The 'Copenhagen model' of heating cities
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/
12.1 The end of shop class (9/2/2012)
12.1 The end of shop class (9/2/2012)
12.1 The end of shop class (9/2/2012)
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