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Laser-driven Nuclear fusion achieves “ignition”: lab gets more energy out than in

December 21, 2022 by John Pasley

Though nuclear fusion serving the grid is surely still decades away, it has got one important step closer, explains John Pasley at the University of York. For the first time, in the U.S. the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory achieved “ignition” for laser driven fusion. That means more energy was taken out, by a factor of 1.5, than put in. However, the two million Joules of laser light fired at the fuel pellets needed 300 million Joules to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Nuclear Tagged With: electricity, fusion, grids, ignition, innovation, ITER, Laser, Nuclear, US

Distribution Grid Digitalisation – benefits, policy, cost & funding

December 14, 2022 by Gridspertise

About a third of European grids are over 40 years old. A rapid physical overhaul would be impossible, so the addition of a layer of digital technologies is the key to preparing them for the distributed and intermittent generation from renewable sources, the increased electricity demand from transportation, heat pumps and other sectors, and for ensuring energy efficiency at all levels. It’s why the EC expects about €584bn of investment in Europe’s … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Grids Tagged With: DER, Digitalisation, efficiency, Enel, EU, Europe, EVs, grids, Gridspertise, HeatPumps, investment, Italy, SmartMeters, solar, spain

China’s electricity market design should choose from successes in Europe, UK, Australia, USA

December 8, 2022 by Daisy Chi

China has made substantial initial progress in its electricity market reform, but it still faces an uphill struggle in promoting the consumption of renewables, resource allocation across provinces and regions, and unlocking demand side potential. To help choose the best solutions China could do well to look at the “Handbook on Electricity Markets”, says Daisy Chi at ECECP. The 600-page book looks at the current state of power markets around the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Grids Tagged With: australia, China, demand, electricity, EU, flexibility, grids, markets, prices, renewables, UK, US

Small Modular Reactor cost overruns: the same old problems haunt new nuclear in Utah

November 25, 2022 by David Schlissel

Much hope is being placed on Small Modular Reactors (SMR) making new nuclear plants competitive. But David Schlissel at IEEFA summarises their research into the publications, updates and statements coming from the stakeholders involved with the SMR by UAMPS (Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems) and NuScale Power Corporation that shows that costs are going out of control, a persistent problem in the nuclear industry. The original target power … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Nuclear Tagged With: construction, costs, delays, electricity, Fluor, grids, Nuclear, NuScale, power, SMR, UAMPS, Utah

Can Enhanced Geothermal Systems be used as grid-scale batteries? Anywhere!

November 23, 2022 by Stefan Ellerbeck

The US Department of Energy aims to cut the cost of Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) by 90% by 2035. Standard geothermal power comes from tapping existing hydrothermal reservoirs. But most places don’t have hot water reservoirs underground. EGS pumps water down to reach hot rocks, heating the water to achieve the same purpose. Everywhere has hot rocks underground. Here, Stefan Ellerbeck, writing for the World Economic Forum, describes research … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Storage Tagged With: batteries, costs, EGS, geothermal, grids, solar, storage, US, water, wind

Tools to design energy systems resilient to natural disasters: from small villages to big cities

November 9, 2022 by Connor O'Neil and Moriah Petty

There is little doubt that emissions reduction will not be enough to cope with climate change. Adaptation will be essential too. Connor O’Neil and Moriah Petty at NREL describe how the National Renewable Energy Laboratory is developing free-to-use tools to help configure and create energy systems that are resilient to natural disasters. The tools have already been applied to small and large populations, ranging from a 500-person town to big … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Grids Tagged With: adaptation, buildings, Climate, COP27, data, disasters, efficiency, flooding, grids, hurricanes, infrastructure, Microgrids

U.S. Residential Distributed Solar: still getting cheaper, installation and permitting too, more batteries

October 20, 2022 by John Rogers

John Rogers at UCS reviews the new and comprehensive “Tracking the Sun” report from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory which covers both residential and non-residential “grid-connected, distributed” solar PV systems in the U.S. There has been clear progress across the board, including PV module efficiency, system costs, installation and permitting, and the uptake of batteries. For example, median efficiency for modules in residential systems … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Renewables Tagged With: batteries, California, costs, distributed, efficiency, grids, Hawaii, installation, IRA, modules, NonResidential, permitting, residential, solar, storage, Texas

Evaporation and Radiation cooling: no power required (but the aerogel must get cheaper)

September 28, 2022 by David Chandler

It is well known that evaporation and radiation are two ways of keeping something cool. David Chandler at MIT explains how researchers there have created an experimental 3-layered cell that combines evaporation and radiation with an insulator to deliver cooling that needs no power. It can provide around 9°C of cooling from the ambient temperature, enough to permit safe food storage for about 40% longer under very humid conditions, and could … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, HVAC Tagged With: aerogel, cooling, evaporation, grids, HVAC, hydrogel, insulation, radiation

Is a Carbon Tax the best way to decarbonise the Grid?

September 20, 2022 by Severin Borenstein and Ryan Kellogg

Severin Borenstein at the Energy Institute at Haas and Ryan Kellogg at the University of Chicago question whether carbon pricing is the best way to decarbonise the electricity grid. The authors did an empirical analysis of all of the fossil plants in the US. It shows that a CES (clean electricity standard) or zero-emissions subsidies would close down fossil plants in almost the same order as a carbon tax. So using alternative policy tools can … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Grids Tagged With: carbontax, CES, coal, electricity, emissions, gas, grids, policies, subsidies, US

“GETs”: cheap ways for Grids to double Wind & Solar integration and help battle global inflation

July 29, 2022 by Russell Mendell, Mathias Einberger and Katie Siegner

Accelerating the clean energy transition can tackle the inflation crisis, not just save the climate, explain Russell Mendell, Mathias Einberger and Katie Siegner at Rocky Mountain Institute. Rising energy costs are driving current global inflation. So now is the perfect time to drive through low-hanging-fruit ways to increase wind and solar generation and storage. In the U.S. interconnection queues – the pipeline of clean generation projects … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Grids, Renewables Tagged With: DLRs, GETs, grids, inflation, interconnection, solar, storage, US, wind

Gravity Batteries: any nation can do it at scale using rocks

July 27, 2022 by Simon Read

The beauty of gravity batteries is that they simply involve lifting (charging) and lowering (discharging) a heavy weight, explains Simon Read writing for the World Economic Forum. For pumped hydro, access to water and a geological height difference is needed. But if you’re using rocks or bricks, anyone can do it anywhere, and at any scale. The rest is just a construction job. No rare materials or minerals will ever be needed, nor chemicals that … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Storage Tagged With: batteries, electricity, gravity, grids, lithium, PumpedHydro, rocks, storage, water

Grid Distribution Systems: access to usage data is uncovering the optimal design for future electrification

July 18, 2022 by Meredith Fowlie

The more efficient a distribution grid is, the less likely other potential supply bottlenecks (from lithium for batteries to trained electricians) will slow the transition to greater and greater electrification. State-of-the-art modelling of future grids is already happening, but the robust modelling of the distribution system is conspicuously missing because good data are notoriously hard to find, says Meredith Fowlie at UC Berkeley’s Energy … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Grids Tagged With: buildings, charging, costs, data, Distribution, electrification, EVs, grids, HVAC, rooftop, SmartCharging, solar

Record global clean energy spending, but it’s still not enough and costs are rising

July 8, 2022 by IEA

Since 2020, clean energy investment has grown by 12% per year – it was only 2%/year during the five years after the 2015 Paris Agreement. That boost is the main reason why total global energy investment is set to reach $2.4tn in 2022, according to the latest “World Energy Investment” report from the IEA. It’s very good news that spending on solar PV, batteries and EVs is now growing at rates consistent with reaching global net zero emissions by … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Resources Tagged With: batteries, coal, costs, efficiency, EVs, gas, grids, inflation, investment, oil, power, renewables, solar

Event summary: “45% RES by 2030: EU’s latest investment challenge to DSOs”

July 5, 2022 by Sara Stefanini

Sara Stefanini provides a written summary of our panel discussion held on Thursday June 30th 2022. It’s a full summary of the 90 minute discussion (including audience questions), but it begins conveniently with a summary of the highlights. Investment in and the modernisation of the electricity distribution grid is one the biggest challenges the EU has to overcome in the next decade. It’s a €400bn investment challenge by 2050 says Eurelectric, an … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Grids Tagged With: Automation, buildings, Digitalisation, DSO, EU, EVs, flexibility, grids, industry, innovation, investment, markets, modernisation, smartgrids, SmartMeters, solar, transport, TSO, wind

4 ways to cut whole system electricity costs with flexible Demand Side Management

June 23, 2022 by Laura Sandys

Right now, energy system costs are driven by generation capacity, infrastructure upgrades, network reinforcements, curtailment and constraint payments, and imbalance costs. What’s missing is the investment in a raft of demand side management assets that are ready to go but are not part of the market, therefore not rewarded, and therefore not being invested in. Laura Sandys at Energy Systems Catapult, writing for WEF, explains why flexibility must … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Grids Tagged With: behindthemeter, buildings, demand, efficiency, electricity, EVs, flexibility, grids, infrastructure, investment, markets, networks, storage, supply, system, upgrades

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Recent Posts

Make Hydrogen in developing nations: share prosperity while meeting our climate goals

Smart Glasses: experts can monitor and advise on power plant inspections anywhere in the world

Concrete: 8% of global emissions and rising. Which innovations can achieve net zero by 2050?

Biofuel is approaching a feedstock crunch. How bad? And what must be done?

Europe needs a Regional Green Bank to fulfil its Green Deal and match the U.S.

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