ENDURING uses electricity from surplus solar or wind to heat silica sand as a thermal storage material. Particles are fed through an array of electric resistive heating elements to heat them to 1,200 degree C. The heated particles are then gravity-fed into insulated concrete silos for thermal energy storage. The baseline system is designed for economical storage of up to a 26,000 MWh of thermal energy. When energy is needed, the hot particles are gravity-fed through a heat exchanger, heating and pressurizing a working gas inside to drive turbines and spin generators that create electricity for the grid. Once discharged, the spent, cold particles are once again fed into insulated silos for storage for charging.
As a storage medium, abundant silica sand is stable and inexpensive at $30-$50/ton, and has a limited ecological impact both in extraction and end of life. Particle thermal energy storage is a less energy dense form of storage, but is very inexpensive ($2-$4 per kWh of thermal energy at a 900 degrees C charge-to-discharge temperature difference). The energy storage system is safe because inert silica sand is used as storage media, making it an ideal candidate for massive, long-duration energy storage.
(Source: NREL, , Sept., 2021) Contact: NREL ENDURING Project, Zhiwen Ma, Principal Investigator, 303-275-3784 Zhiwen.Ma@nrel.gov,
www.nrel.gov/research/staff/zhiwen-ma.html, www.nrel.gov
More Low-Carbon Energy News NREL, Energy Storage, Thermal Energy Storage,
The programme is supported by the DOE Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) , Colorado’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) . AMO, through the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation awarded NREL $800 000 which was matched by $400 000 from OEDIT and $600 000 in company matching contributions. (Source: GE Renewable Energy, PR, July, 2021)
More Low-Carbon Energy News GE Renewable Energy news, LM Wind Power news, Wind Blade news, Wind Energy news, NREL news,
The programme is supported by the DOE Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO), Colorado's Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) . AMO, through the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation. (Source: GE Renewable Energy, PR, July, 2021) Contact: LM Wind Power, www.lmwindpower.com; GE Renewable Energy, www.ge.com/renewableenergy/home
More Low-Carbon Energy News GE Renewable Energy, LM Wind Power , Wind Blade,
B&W is part of NREL's "Duration Addition to electricitY Storage" (DAYS) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) team, which is developing an innovative electric particle heater, pressurized fluidized-bed heat exchanger, a long-term thermal energy storage system that stores energy up to 100 hours, and other technologies to allow power producers to store solar or wind energy to generate grid-scale power..
"B&W's fluidized-bed heat exchanger will be able to generate up to 135 MW of power for up to 100 hours from stored clean thermal energy with zero CO2 emissions. By facilitating long-term storage of zero-carbon, renewable energy, this technology enables power producers to deliver power to the grid 24-hours a day, including during periods of peak demand, or when solar or wind are not optimal conditions," according to the B&W release.
B&W and NREL are also in discussions to develop a prototype heat exchanger that can be scaled-up for a pilot demonstration as part of NREL's Economic Long-Duration Electricity Storage Using Low-Cost Thermal Energy Storage and a High-Efficiency Power Cycle (ENDURING) project.
(Source: Babcock & Wilcox, PR, 12 July, 2021)
Contact: Babcock & Wilcox, Ken Young, CEO, www.babcock.com; NREL, (303) 275-4051,www.nrel.gov
More Low-Carbon Energy News Babcock & Wilcox, NREL, Renewable Energy, Energy STorage,
The award is part of the DOE's $10 million Energy Program for Innovation Clusters (EPIC) and will provide resources to enable the CSU Energy Institute to launch the Rockies/Plains Energy Accelerator for Commercializing Hardtech (REACH) -- in collaboration with Innosphere Ventures, the Colorado Energy Research Collaboratory (CERC) and 22 other ecosystem partners. REACH is tailored to the specific needs of the Rocky Mountains Great Plains region which produces 25 pct of the nation's energy.
Innosphere and CSU will plan, develop, and execute a growth strategy for clean energy innovation clusters throughout the region in partnership with public, private, non-profit, and higher education partners, and with support from CERC -- Colorado's inter-institutional partnership between CSU, University of Colorado- Boulder, Colorado School of Mines and the DOE National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
EPIC is a $10 million funding opportunity created by the DOE Office of Technology Transitions to underscore the importance of regional clusters which increase productivity of area companies, drive the direction and pace of innovation, and stimulate the formation of new businesses, further reinforcing the cluster itself.
CSU is one of 10 recipients of the EPIC funding award.
(Source: Colorado State University, PR, Website, 3 June, 2021) Contact: Colorado State University Energy Institute, Bryan Willson, Exec, Dir., Allison Vitt, Allison.Vitt@colostate.edu,
www.energy.colostate.edu;
Innosphere Ventures, Mike Freeman, CEO, www.innosphereventures.org;
Colorado Energy Research Collaboratory, www.coloradocollaboratory.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News Colorado State University , Clean Energy, Renewable Energy, Innosphere Ventures,
The IMO's newest upper limit, which took effect at the start of 2020, reduced the sulfur content of ships' fuel oil to 0.5 pct from 3.5 pct targeting at least a 50 pct reduction in GHG emissions from international shipping by 2050, relative to 2008 levels. To reach the IMO goal, ship owners can either install sulfur scrubbers to reduce emissions, or they can adopt a different, low-sulfur fuel. Both options carry an additional cost.
The NREL-directed research provides a starting point for establishing the feasibility of ships using biofuels, including the economics of marine "drop-in" biofuels weighed against the cost of burning heavy fuel oil (HFO), which presently accounts for roughly 75 pct of the fuel used.
The research concluded that, if shipping had no competition, the U.S. has sufficient bio-feedstocks for producing substantial amounts of marine biofuels to displace fossil fuels. With ships using 400 million metric tpy of fuel, a blend of 5 pt biofuels translates to about 5 billion gallons.
The research was funded by the U.S. DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office and by the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration.
Download Biofuel Options for Marine Applications: Techno-Economic and Life-Cycle Analyses report details HERE. (Source: NREL, May, 2021) Contact: NREL, Eric Tan, Snr. Research Engineer, www.nrel.gov
More Low-Carbon Energy News National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Marine Biofuel, Maritime Biofuel, nternational Marine Organization,
The SolarAPP+ enables local governments to shorten the time required to grant a permit from a national average of five business days to zero.
NREL released a US DOE-funded pilot version of the free SolarAPP+ software in 2020. (Source: UL, PR, 5 May., 2021) Contact: UL, Steven Brewster, (847) 664-8425, ulnews@ul.com, www.ul.com; NREL,
Wayne Hicks, (303) 275-4051, wayne.hicks@nrel.gov, www.nrel.gov
More Low-Carbon Energy News UL, NREL , Solar,
To that end, ETIPP will use a community-led and inclusive approach to identify the each community's energy challenges and provide strategic assistance and funding to help communities determine and direct their energy transition. The 11 selected communities include: Sitka, Alaska; Dillingham, Alaska; Eastport, Maine; Honolulu, Hawaii; Islesboro, Maine; Kauai, Hawaii; Nags Head, North Carolina; Ocracoke Island, North Carolina; Ouzinkie, Alaska; Sitka, Alaska; and Wainwright, Alaska.
These projects are funded by the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Energy Transition Initiative, Solar Energy Technologies Office, Water Power Technologies Office, and are supported by the DOE's Office of Electricity. Five regional stakeholder engagement partners will help communities identify and prioritize their energy resilience needs and connect them to experts from DOE's NREL, PNNL, Sandia National Laboratories, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories.
(Source: US DOE, ETIPP, PR, 20 Apr., 2021) Contact: ETIPP, www.energy.gov/eere/energy-transitions-initiative-partnership-project-who-we-are
More Low-Carbon Energy News Renewable Energy,
To meet that goal, the NREL report recommends: building solar farms, wind turbines and batteries as fast as possible; install solar panels on rooftops, electric cars in garages and electric heat pumps in homes; and invest in energy efficiency and "demand response" programs that pay people to use electricity during off-peak periods.
The study says "the benefits would be immense: not only helping to counteract the climate crisis, but also slashing deadly air pollution from cars, trucks, power plants and gas furnaces, much of it concentrated in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color."
Download the LA100: The Los Angeles 100 pct Renewable Energy Study HERE. (Source: NREL, Mar., 2021) Contact: NREL, www.nrel.gov
More Low-Carbon Energy News National Renewable Energy Lab, NREL, Renewable Energy,
To meet that goal, the NREL report recommends: building solar farms, wind turbines and batteries as fast as possible; install solar panels on rooftops, electric cars in garages and electric heat pumps in homes; and invest in energy efficiency and “demand response” programs that pay people to use electricity during off-peak periods when solar and wind power are plentiful.
The benefits would be immense: not only helping to counteract the climate crisis, but also slashing deadly air pollution from cars, trucks, power plants and gas furnaces, much of it concentrated in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color, the report notes.
Download the LA100: The Los Angeles 100 pct Renewable Energy Study HERE
More Low-Carbon Energy News NREL news, Renewable Energy news,
The company also notes it will procure 75 pct of its worldwide electric power from renewable energy sources by 2025, and hit 90 pct renewable consumption by 2030. The company also plans to use carbon capture by 2030 to remove emissions in "an amount which equals or exceeds the level of IBM's residual emissions" or those emissions IBM still produces after exhausting all avenues to reduce is greenhouse emissions.
As we reported on 15 July, 2020, IBM, a Founding Member of the Climate Leadership Council, reduced its operational CO2 emissions by 39.7 pct since 2005, well ahead of its goal of a 40 pct reduction in CO2 emissions by 2025. The company also noted 47 pct of the electricity it consumed in 2019 came from renewable sources, keeping the company on track to get 55 pct of its electricity from renewables by 2025. (Source: IBM, PR, ZD Net, 17 Feb., 2021)Contact: IBM, www.ibm.com/us-en
More Low-Carbon Energy News IBM, CO2, Carbon Emissions, Net-Zero Emissions,
The GE units will partner with the Oakridge National Lab (ORNL) and the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) on the 25-month, $6.7 million project to develop and demonstrate an integrated additive manufacturing process for novel high-performance blade designs for large rotors.
The project will deliver a full-size blade tip ready to be structurally tested, as well as three blade tips that will be installed on a wind turbine. (Source: General Electric, PR, OE, 5 Feb., 2021) Contact: GE Renewable Energy, www.ge.com/renewableenergy.com; LM Wind Power, www.lmwindpower.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News LM Wind, Wind Blade, GE Renewable Energy,
The company will work with the University of Toledo's Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization Center, the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), and Project Vision Dynamics Inc. "to complete development of attractive, low-cost, high-efficiency solar window units and solar building facades through manufacturing innovations in CdTe module technology," according to the release. Prof. Michael J. Heben, the managing director of UT's Wright Center for Photovoltaics noted "Previously proposed options for incorporating photovoltaic power into building structures ave not made sense from a manufacturing point of view -- Toledo Solar's approach is entirely novel, and entirely doable, so the University of Toledo is very excited to be part of this effort."
Toledo Solar is the only U.S. manufacturer of CdTe thin film PV for both residential and commercial rooftop markets, according to the company website. (Source: Toledo Solar,PR, Toledo Blabe, 14 Nov., 2020) Contact: Toledo Solar, 567-202-4145, info@Toledo-Solar.com, www.toledosolar-inc.com;
US DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office, www.energy.gov/eere/solar/solar-energy-technologies-office
More Low-Carbon Energy News Toledo Solar, Solar,
Feedstock growers typically look at how many trees they can plant per acre rather than the quality and volume of fuel those trees will produce. To address the issue, the researchers analyzed 900 samples of black cottonwood trees -- a type of fast-growing poplar -- grown in Oregon to determine how variations in their size and composition affect feedstock quality and biorefinery economics.
The researh found the amount of fuel produced per-acre per-year and the minimum fuel selling price(MFSP) are most strongly connected to the size of a tree. Since a farmer would only plant the biggest and fastest growing trees, the researchers examined those and found that the size and sugar content in those trees were of nearly identical importance to the MFSP.
Download Economic Impact of Yield and Composition Variation in Bioenergy Crops: Populus trichocarpa report details HERE.
(Source: US DOE ORNL, Center for Bioenergy Innovation, 19 Oct., 2020) Contact: Center for Bioenergy Innovation, www. cbi.ornl.gov; ORNL,
Kimberly A Askey, (865) 576-2841, askeyka@ornl.gov, www.ornl.gvo
More Low-Carbon Energy News Biofuel Feedstock, Lignin, ORNL, NREL, Cellulosic,
Electrochaea offers a climate-friendly solution to store wind and solar generated electricity and recycle CO2 in the form of renewable methane -- a substitute for fossil fuels and major advancement in transitioning to a clean energy economy.
Over the past six years, Electrochaea developed renewable methane from the lab to industrial-scale pilot plants in Denmark and Switzerland, feeding the national gas grids. In 2019 the company opened a third pilot plant at the U.S. DOE National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado, with support from SoCalGas. The company also has renewable methane projects under development in the U.S.
(Source: Electrochaea Corporation , PR, Oct., 2020)
Contact: Electrochaea Corporation, Mich Hein, CEO, Beth Bray
US Communications Director, (773) 241-4948, beth.bray@electrochaea.com, www.electrochaea.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Electrochaea, Methane,
Natron's unique Sodium-ion technology enables energy storage products that are both higher-powered and safer than traditional options -- with none of the fire, toxic gas or thermal runaway risks associated with lithium or lead batteries. Unlike existing products, Natron's BlueTray™ 4000 is a self-contained, pizza box size unit no larger than a pizza box and requires no bolt-on external circuits, fire protective packaging or unreliable cooling systems. (Source: Natron Energy, PR Webdite, 24 Sept., 2020) Contact: Natron Energy, info@natron.energy, www.natron.energy
More Low-Carbon Energy News Natron Energy, Battery Energy Storage,
John Field, research scientist at the Natural Resource Ecology Lab at CSU, said it has been a challenge for the biofuel industry to demonstrate commercial viability for cellulosic biofuels created from switchgrass and other non-edible plants.
The research team used modeling to simulate switchgrass cultivation, cellulosic biofuel production and carbon capture and storage (CCS), tracking ecosystem and carbon flows. Scientists then compared this modeling to alternative ways to store carbon on the land, including growing forest or grassland.
CCS technology is being used by at least one facility in Illinois that is processing corn to ethanol as a conventional biofuel to create ethanol, but these systems are not yet widespread. As part of the study, researchers created models to simulate what this would look like at a cellulosic biofuel refinery. "What we found is that around half of the carbon in the switchgrass that comes into the refinery becomes a byproduct that would be available for carbon capture and storage. The resulting byproduct streams of high-purity CO2 would not require much separation or clean-up before being stored underground," the study noted.
The research team analyzed three contrasting U.S. case studies and found that on land where farmers or land managers were transitioning out of growing crops or maintaining pastures for grazing, cultivating switchgrass for cellulosic ethanol production had a per-hectare mitigation potential comparable to reforestation and several-fold greater than grassland restoration.
Using switchgrass can be particularly helpful in parts of the country where planting more trees is not an option.
This research was partially funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the US DOE via the Center for Bioenergy Innovation, and the Sao Paulo Research Foundation in Brazil.
The study illustrates how deliberate land use choices support the climate performance of present-day cellulosic ethanol technology and how technological advancements and CCS addition could produce several times the climate mitigation potential of competing land-based biological mitigation schemes. These results affirm the climate mitigation logic of biofuels, consistent with their prominent role in many climate stabilization scenarios, the study concludes.
(Source: Colorado State University, Green Car Congress, Aug., 2020) Contact: Colorado State University, Natural Resource Ecology Lab, John Field, (970) 491-1604,
John.L.Field@colostate.edu,
www.nrel.colostate.edu
More Low-Carbon Energy News Advanced Biofuel, Cellulosic Biofuel, Switchgrass,
The researchers see abundant possibilities for RNG in Iowa and beyond to address greenhouse gas emissions and to diversify farm income and reduce pollution in the state's waterways.
The development of biofuels is a major recommendation in Iowa's 2016 energy plan and the state economic development authority's 2018 Biomass Conversion Action Plan which has been funding research into various anaerobic digestion techniques.
According to a 2013 National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) inventory, Iowa produces more manure than any other state but the sources are not sufficiently concentrated to make digestion feasible or economically profitable.
Researchers hope to enhance the efficiency, reduce the costs and create ancillary income streams that will persuade farmers in Iowa and beyond to add AD to their operations. To that end, the researchers will explore the use of mixed prairie grasses and winter cover crops, such as annual rye, for AD.
The project is funded with a $10 million grant from the USDA. (Source: Iowa State University, PR, Aug., 2020) Contact: Iowa State University, Prof. Lisa Schulte Moore, Natural Resource Ecology and Management, (515) 294-7339, , www.iastate.edu
More Low-Carbon Energy News Iowa State University , RNG, Biogas, Anaerobic Digestion,
Northacre Renewable Energy Limited (NREL) is special purpose joint venture established to deliver the Northacre energy from waste facility in Westbury. NREL is jointly owned by Bioenergy Infrastructure Group, a UK independent power producer specialising in energy-from-waste and biomass facilities, and The Hills Group, a Wiltshire-based company with business activities including waste management, quarrying of aggregates and building new homes.
BIG invests in a number of energy facilities across the UK, including the Hull Energy Works facility, Evermore Renewable Energy and Birmingham Bio Power.
(Source: Northacre Renewable Energy, PR, Lets Recycle, 17 June, 2020) Contact: Northacre Renewable Energy, northacre@bioenergyinfrastructure.com, www.northacre-energy.co.uk: Bioenergy Infrastructure Group, +44 (0) 118 929 8350, info@bioenergyinfrastructure.com,
www.bioenergyinfrastructure.co.uk
More Low-Carbon Energy News Biowaste news, Waste-to-Energy news, Biomass news, Bioenergy Infrastructure Group news,
The project will focus on enhancing coordination between utilities and consumers and finding ways to connect distributed energy resources (DERs) like solar panels to local distribution networks by using digital identity and hardware created by NREL's Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF).
NREL plans to leverage blockchain to create a scalable solution for electricity feeders, which can be customized as desired. Currently, they are running a virtual pilot that connects electric vehicles, smart appliances, batteries, and other components, to a blockchain.
NREL is a member of Blockchain for Optimized Security and Energy Management (BLOSEM), and provides expertise on accelerating blockchain adoption in the energy sector.
The BLOSEM project is led by the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and is funded by the Grid Modernization Laboratory Consortium. (Source: NREL, COINGEEK, 30 May, 2020) Contact: NREL, Dane Christensen, dane.christensen@nrel.gov, www.nrel.gov;
Excelon, www.exeloncorp.com; Web Foundation, www.energyweb.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News National Renewable Energy Laboratory , NREL, Renewable Energy, Exelon, ,
This guidance specifically covers regulatory and financial support policies that address both new building stock and existing building stock with retrofit. Users are guided on how to estimate the impacts of these policies for the residential sector, although this guidance may also be used for the commercial and public sectors. The guidance focuses on the assessment of impacts from built-in energy loads, including space heating, cooling, lighting and hot water. The guidance does not assess the impacts of appliances that are unrelated to heating, cooling and hot water.
ICAT assessment guides help policymakers and other users assess the impacts of countries' climate policies and actions. They can play a critical role in providing the information needed for effective policymaking, for implementing the Nationally Determined Contributions and for preparing reports under the enhanced transparency framework of the Paris Agreement and on progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
(Source: ICAT, May, 2020) Contact: New Climate Institute, Carsten Warneke, +49 221 999 83 302
c.warnecke@newclimate.org , www. climateactiontransparency.org/icat-toolbox, www.newclimate.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News New Climate Institute , ICAT, Paris Climate Accord, Building Energy Efficiency,
While perovskite cells have shown promise in the lab, more work remains to be done to ensure that the technology is ready for commercial success, according to NREL. Manufacturing, durability, and sustainability remain challenges and will be the consortium's research focus. Members of US-MAP will share R&D, validation, and pilot manufacturing, which will reduce development costs and technology risks for potential investors.
US-MAP has six major US-based industry players as founding members: BlueDot Photonics, Energy Materials Corporation, First Solar, Hunt Perovskites Technologies, Swift Solar, and Tandem PV.
(Source: NREL, Renewable Energy Mag., 1 May, 2020) Contact: NREL, Center for Materials Science, Joseph J. Berry, 303-384-7611, Joe.Berry@nrel.gov, |
HERE; US-MAP, HERE
More Low-Carbon Energy News NREL, perovskite, Solar,
BrainBox AI technology combines deep learning, cloud-based computing and autonomous decision making to support a 24/7 self-operating building. BrainBox AI's solution enables a building's HVAC system to operate autonomously, in real-time, to generate up to a 25 pct reduction in total energy costs and a 20-40 pct reduction in carbon footprint.
In the 11 months since its launch to market in May 2019, BrainBox AI has installed its self-learning technology in over 15 million square feet of commercial properties, across 15 cities on 3 continents. The company has gained significant traction in its home market of Canada, and the recent raise will enable rapid expansion in both existing and new markets.
BrainBox AI works in collaboration with research partners including the US DOE National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Institute for Data Valorization (IVADO), Montral's McGill University and others.
(Source: BrainBox AI, PR , 28 April, 2020)
Contact: BrainBox AI, Sean Neely, CEO and Co-Founder , 888 585 2630, www.brainboxai.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Energy Efficiency, Energy Monitoring,
The NREL scientists produced a six-junction solar cell, combining sandwiching multiple layers of materials that were fine-tuned to convert different portions of the light spectrum into electricity. While the layered solar cell design will almost certainly be cost prohibitive to produce at commercial scale compared to conventional silicon cells, it may find use in more niche applications, the NREL team said. Generally, the super high-efficiency solar cells are limited for use in spacecraft and satellites, where performance, space and weight are a premium. However, the researchers highlight that cells with such high conversion efficiencies would be ideally used in concentrated solar plants.
The researchers trialled their nearly 50 pct efficient solar cells with concentrated sunlight, producing the equivalent of 143 suns of solar intensity.
Using unconcentrated light, the six-junction solar cells were able to achieve a conversion efficiency of 39.2 pct, which was also a new world record.
(Source: NREL,PR, 14 April, 2020)
Contact: NREL, John Geisz, Research Scientist, 303-384-6474, John.Geisz@nrel.gov, www.enrel.gov
More Low-Carbon Energy News National Renewable Energy Laboratory, NREL, Solar, Solar Scell Efficiency,
McDonnell's comments came in response to concerns from the House Appropriations Committee over how the state's share of the RGGI programs quarterly auction program would be used by the state, relative to climate change issues rather than unrelated programs and projects.
Sec. McDonnell assured the Appropriations Committee "improvements to public transportation, installing energy efficient windows, insulation, or appliances, or building out alternative fuel vehicle infrastructure" were among the projects the RGGI funds would be applied to.
Governor Wolf's executive order follows the implementation of aggressive clean energy targets announced last year, including a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 26 percent by 2025. Pennsylvania also became the 24th state to join the U.S. Climate Alliance -- a group formed in 2017 after President Donald Trump withdrew the nation from the Paris Agreement.
Critics of RGGI argue it will cripple Pennsylvania's economy, force fossil fuel plants into early retirement and drive up electricity prices. Critics note that Pennsylvania is the nation's number two natural gas producer and the region's top power exporter -- making it very different, economically, from the other RGGI participants.
(Source: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, The Center Square, 26 Feb., 2020) Contact: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, www.dep.pa.gov; C RGGI, www.rggi.org
More Low-Carbon Energy News RGGI, Carbon Emissions, ,
The team used corn stover-derived molecules as the starting point for a range of potential fuel candidates. From here, the researchers relied on predictive models to determine which molecules would be best to blend with and improve traditional diesel. With the goal of developing drop-in biofuels that work with existing infrastructure. The intention is to blend the 4-butoxyheptane molecule into diesel fuel at a mixture of 20 - 30 pct Initial results suggest the potential to improve ignition quality, reduce sooting and improve fuel economy of the base diesel at these blend levels.
NREL is working with Yale University, Argonne National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory as part of the US DOE Co-Optimization of Fuels and Engines (Co-Optima) initiative which is funded by the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Bioenergy Technologies.
Performance-Advantaged Ether Diesel Bioblendstock Production by a Priori Design, the initiative's research paper was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (Source: NREL,PR, Dec., 2019) Contact: NREL,
Derek Vardon, Senior Research Engineer, (303) 384-7763, Derek.Vardon@nrel.gov, www.nrel.gov
More Low-Carbon Energy News National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
HPE expects the three-year collaboration to train machine learning models to detect anomalies so that energy efficiency issues can be predicted and prevented.
(Source: HPE, Storage Review, 18 Nov., 2019) Contact: HPE, www.hpe.com; NREL, www.nrel.gov
More Low-Carbon Energy News Hewlett Packard, Energy Efficiency, NREL ,
The two-year project scope includes the conceptual design, preliminary design, and feasibility assessment of the fixed-bottom, suction-bucket support structure and heavy-lift-vessel alternative for the US DOE National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 15MW reference turbine.
According to its website, RCAM Technologies was "founded to develop concrete additive manufacturing technologies initially for wind energy technologies -- RCAM's vision for wind energy is to develop land-based and offshore wind turbine towers and substructures up to 200-meter tall at half the cost of conventional tall tower technologies."
(Source: RCAM Technologies, PR,
19 November, 2019) Contact:
RCAM Technologies, Jason Cottrell, CEO, www.rcamtechnologies.com;
National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium, www.energy.gov/eere/wind/national-offshore-wind-rd-consortium
More Low-Carbon Energy News Offshore Wind Foundation,
The group that counts Equinor and offshore engineering company Aker Solutions among its members notes that U.S. East Coast states have about 22 GW worth of offshore wind commitments and are projected to see an estimated $70 billion in related supply chain spending by 2030.
The US DOE National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) estimates California's potential for offshore wind at about 112 GW, including about 8.4 GW in three Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) designated study areas. NREL also notes that floating wind platforms are a basic requirement for most of the state's offshore waters, which are too deep to support monopile or multi-leg jackets. (Source: NREL, Maritime Executive, Oct., 2019) Contact: NREL, www.nrel.gov; Aker Solutions, Fredrik Berge, Inv. Relations, +47 22 94 62 19, fredrik.berge@akersolutions.com, www.akersolutions.com; Equinor, Pal Eitrheim, VP New Energy Solutions, www.equinor.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind, BOEM, NREL, Equinor, Aker Solutions, Offshore Wind,
The DOE-created consortium is funded with $20 million to conduct research and development to address technological barriers and lower the costs and risks of offshore wind in the United States. To that end, DOE and Department of the Interior (DOI) identified the following research areas to facilitate the development of the U.S. offshore wind industry: wind plant technology advancement; wind resource and physical site characterization, and; installation, operations and maintenance, and supply chain technology solutions.
The Consortium is administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Agency (NYSERDA).
(Source: National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium, ENR, 11 Sept., 2019)Contact: National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium, www.energy.gov › eere › national-offshore-wind-rd-consortium; NYSERDA, Alicia Barton, Pres., CEO, (518) 862-1090, www.nyserda.ny.gov
More Low-Carbon Energy News Wind, Wind R&D, NYSERDA,
The DEWA R&D Centre, situated at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, also has renewable and alternative energy co-operation agreements with the U.S. DOE National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Spanish National Renewable Energy Centre, as well as the United Arab Emirates University and Khalifa University.
The UAE National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031 aims to position the UAE as a global leader in AI by 2031; the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 aims to diversify the country's energy mix and provide 75 pct of Dubai's total power output from clean sources by 2050.
(Source: DEWA, MEP Middle East, Stanford, DEWA, Aug., 2019) Contact: DEWA, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO, www.dewa.gov.ae; Stanford, www.stanford.edu
More Low-Carbon Energy News DEWA, Solar, Stanford, PV,
NREL will investigate and improve the effectiveness of ultrasonic acoustic deterrents that emit frequencies perceptible to bats to discourage them from approaching wind turbines.
Other technological innovations include thermal imaging cameras and specially developed radar technologies that detect and deter bats and other wildlife from approaching wind-turbine blades.
Identifying the best wind-wildlife mitigation technologies will enable more efficient and cost-effective wind energy projects. (Source: NREL,WindPower, 10 July, 2019) Contact: NREL, www.nrel.gov
More Low-Carbon Energy News National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Wind,
Should the technical readiness and scalability of the technology be determined, pilot projects at ExxonMobil facilities could follow, according to a MobilExxon press release.
As previously reported, ExxonMobil recently committed to spending as much as $100 million over 10 years with the U.S. DOE National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) on research to bring lower-emission tech to commercial scale. (Source: ExxonMobil, PR, 1 July, 2019)
Contact: ExxonMobil, Vijay Swarup, VP ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Co., William M. Colton, VP Strategic Planning, www.exxonmobil.com;
Global Thermostat, Dr. Graciela Chichilnisky, CEO, 646-798-6217, www.globalthermostat.com
More Low-Carbon Energy News ExxonMobil, CCS, CO2 Emissions, Carbon Capture,
Research will be conducted at NREL's Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF) where the focus is on developing and demonstrating innovative energy systems and "second life" battery storage technologies. Second life batteries include batteries previously used in electric vehicles as a single unit for disparate applications.
(Source: Centrica, NREL, newKerala, 23 June, 2019) Contact: Centrica Business Solutions, Fabio Mantovani, Director of Technology Strategy and Innovation, www.centrica.com;
NREL, Martha Symko-Davies, Laboratory Program Manager, ESIF, www.nrel.gov
More Low-Carbon Energy News Centrica, NREL, Energy Storage, Battery,
The research aims to advance potential scalable technologies that improve energy efficiency, minimize greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce emissions from the production of fossil fuels and petrochemicals, according to ExxonMobil.
Initial collaborative efforts will explore ways to bring biofuels and carbon capture and storage (CCS) to commercial scale across the power generation, transportation, and manufacturing sectors. (Source: ExxonMobil, GreenCar Congress, 9 May, 2019)Contact: Exxon Mobil, William M. Colton, VP Strategic Planning, www.exxonmobil.com
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According to DOE, the projects will develop technology solutions to environmental siting and operational challenges to reduce project permitting time and costs, increase the certainty of project development outcomes and provide more deployment options at reduced costs. Three projects by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), American Wind Wildlife Institute of Washington and Stantec Consulting Services of Topsham will receive $2.3 million to further the advancement of smart curtailment strategies to minimize energy loss from curtailment and wind farm environmental impacts to bats. $1.4 million will be awarded to National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) of Golden, General Electric Renewable Energy of Greenville and the Iowa State University of Ame for projects dedicated to advancing the commercial readiness of bat deterrent technologies to minimize the need for curtailment.
The remaining $2.5 million will be allocated to SMRU Consulting of Friday Harbor, Oregon State University of Corvallis and Western EcoSystems Technology of Cheyenne to develop and validate pre- and post-construction monitoring and mitigation solutions for the offshore wind environment to ease regulatory barriers to deployment.
(Source: US DOE Wind Energy Technologies Office, offshoreWIND .biz, 14 Mar., 2019)
Contact: US DOE Wind Energy Technologies Office, Phone: (202) 586-5348, www.energy.gov/eere/wind/wind-energy-technologies-office
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"This proposal would take an axe to innovation in our energy sector, cutting critical research funds and energy efficiency investments that have a proven track record of reducing energy costs for consumers and businesses" said Jason Hartke. "We look forward to working with Republicans and Democrats in Congress to fight for these programs in the coming months."
Hartke added that there is no room for complacency, because this is an existential threat to the backbone of energy efficiency and all of its many economic and environmental benefits. Even if the endgame for the administration is more modest cuts negotiated with Congress, that is still a major threat. These programs are among the smartest investments the federal government makes, and they should be made stronger, not weaker." (Source: Alliance to Save Energy, PR, 12 Mar., 2019) Contact: Alliance to Save Energy, Jason Hartke, Pres., (202) 857-0666, www.ase.org
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Forest Concepts, a manufacturer of precision woody and herbaceous feedstocks for bioenergy and bioproduct applications, leveraged NREL's capabilities in biomass conversion modeling to help quantify the impact of their feedstock characteristics based on various particle shapes and sizes. The NREL team is part of the Consortium for Computational Physics and Chemistry (CCPC), which uses high-performance computing to support the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO).
Prior to the development of the NREL models, Forest Concepts provided feedstock pricing based on volume and size of the biomass particle. Using the NREL models, Forest Concepts can now provide information to their customers such as standardized performance, required conversion conditions, and expected yields based on the size and shape of feedstock particles.
BETO recognized early on the value of developing detailed biomass feedstock particle models to understand how the properties of each particle impact the yield and composition products from the conversion process. Moving forward, these capabilities will be leveraged by the newly established Feedstock-Conversion Interface Consortium (FCIC) whose mission is to quantify, understand, and manage variability in biomass from field through downstream conversion and to understand how biomass composition, structure, and behavior impact system performance.
FCIC is an integrated and collaborative network of eight national laboratories dedicated to addressing technical risks and understanding how biomass properties influence collection, storage, handling, preprocessing and conversion technologies with the goal of improving the overall operational reliability of integrated pioneer biorefineries. (Source: NREL, PR, 10 Dec., 2018)
Contact: NREL, Peter Ciesielski, Scientist, www.nrel.gov;
US DOE BETO, energy.gov/eere/bioenergy/bioenergy-technologies-office; Forest Concepts, James H. Dooley, CTO, (253) 333-9663, www.forestconcepts.com;
Feedstock-Conversion Interface Consortium, https://fcic.inl.gov
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The project is being funded by the U.S. DOE Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy in a collaborative effort to improve the cost-competitiveness and environmental sustainability of microalgae-based fuels and products. (Source: CSU, NREL, Various Media, Oct., 2018) Contact: Colorado State University, Prof. Ken Reardon, kenneth.reardon@colostate.edu, www.colostate.edu; US DOE BETO, energy.gov/eere/bioenergy/bioenergy-technologies-office
More Low-Carbon Energy News Colorado State University, NREL, Algae, CO2, Biofuel,