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From lab to commercialisation: what is the optimal pathway for Clean Energy Technologies?

January 11, 2023 by Madeline Geocaris and Andrea Wuorenmaa

It’s a considerable challenge to predict, decades in advance, what the world will need and get it from lab to market. Madeline Geocaris and Andrea Wuorenmaa at NREL summarise four case studies that reveal the key elements required: a good balance of technology, R&D, and public-private partnership; regulatory and market force alignment; good timing for market opportunities. The goal is the optimal pathway to the successful first … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Innovations Tagged With: blades, development, DOE, HydrogenFuelCells, innovation, JISEA, markets, NREL, refrigerators, regulations, research, solarPV, standards, wind

Geopolitics and energy security require the U.S. and its allies to lead on Nuclear

October 21, 2022 by Robert Ichord

Combine the current energy crisis with the geopolitical ambitions of Russia and China, and you have your reason for why the U.S. and its allies should prioritise nuclear, argues Robert Ichord at the Atlantic Council. All three nations have well-developed world-leading nuclear sectors. But it’s Russia that has been the largest exporter of nuclear reactors to the world market. Meanwhile, China has the most plants under construction at twenty. The … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Nuclear Tagged With: China, geopolitics, MNR, Nuclear, regulations, research, Russia, security, SMR, US

Global Wind Speeds: are they falling due to climate change?

October 14, 2022 by Jim Robbins

Last year, Europe experienced a “wind drought”, with wind speeds falling 15% in many regions, sometimes more. Deeper research shows speeds dropped gradually between 1978 and 2010, though rose again in the last decade. It’s difficult for the science to create a clear picture and predict long term trends. But the IPCC forecasts slowing winds for the coming decades, saying average annual wind speeds could drop by up to 10% by 2100. Jim Robbins at … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Renewables Tagged With: Climate, electricity, EU, IPCC, power, research, speeds, temperature, US, wind

China: decades of support for innovation is now delivering results

October 4, 2022 by Daisy Chi

The evolution of China’s clean energy sector used to be based on a technology catch-up approach, which meant secondary innovation based on imported technologies. Daisy Chi at ECECP looks at the IEA’s recent report, “Tracking Clean Energy Innovation: Focus on China”, to conclude that the nation is now a major force in clean energy innovation. Decades of innovation-focussed policies, strong funding support, institutional reforms, big targets and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Innovations Tagged With: batteries, China, emissions, EVs, funding, IEA, innovation, markets, patents, policies, research, solar

Aluminium, sulphur and salt batteries. Cheaper than lithium-ion, for homes and EV charging stations

September 7, 2022 by David Chandler

The high and escalating demand for the lithium-ion batteries that dominate the market is driving the search for alternatives. Ideally, they will be made from inexpensive, abundant materials. David Chandler at MIT describes research there into a design that uses aluminium and sulphur as its two electrode materials, with a molten salt electrolyte in-between. The results point at batteries that have a projected cost per cell of about one-sixth that … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Storage Tagged With: aluminium, batteries, charging, costs, electrolyte, EVs, innovation, lithium, research, residential, salt, storage, sulphur

Getting Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) down to $0.05 per kWh

March 2, 2022 by NREL

The U.S. Department of Energy is funding research to get the cost of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) down to $0.05 per kWh. One key element of that research is the materials used to absorb and store the heat energy. Three categories of materials are being looked at: liquid (i.e. molten salt), particle (like sand), and gaseous. NREL is leading the molten salt research, and there are multiple challenges. The salts can corrode the storage tanks and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Renewables Tagged With: chloride, costs, CSP, fuelcells, heat, MoltenSalt, nitrate, Nuclear, research, solar, storage, USDoE

Clean Hydrogen from water electrolysis: research into catalysts to meet global targets

May 27, 2021 by Glennda Chui

The full potential of the new hydrogen economy will depend on producing enough clean hydrogen from water electrolysis which uses precious metals. But, as Glennda Chui at SLAC (Stanford University & DoE) explains, there aren’t enough precious metals in the world to get to the scale we need. And their cost is so high the clean hydrogen they generate could never compete with hydrogen derived from fossil fuels. Over 95% of hydrogen produced today … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Hydrogen, Innovations Tagged With: batteries, catalysts, CCS, electrolysis, fuelcells, gas, hydrogen, innovation, research

Can the U.S. switch on a Nuclear Fusion plant by 2035?

March 8, 2021 by Peter Dunn

Momentum is building in the U.S. for the switching on of a nuclear fusion pilot plant by 2035. A report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine lays out for the first time the required technical, economic, and regulatory standards. It comes soon after the prospects for fusion were boosted in January by a government bill that funds fusion activities. Peter Dunn at MIT reviews the report and speaks to the experts. The main … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Nuclear Tagged With: electricity, fission, innovation, Nuclear, power, research, US

What effect will blending Hydrogen into the Natural Gas network have?

December 9, 2020 by NREL

What are the technical barriers to blending hydrogen into the natural gas network? How well will the pipelines cope? How will the blend affect equipment and appliances? What are the costs and environmental impacts? The answers to these key questions are being sought by a collaboration of laboratories, industry and academia led by NREL, called HyBlend. The long-term impact of hydrogen on materials and equipment is still not understood. The effect … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Alternative fuels, Energy, Grids, Hydrogen Tagged With: costs, emissions, gas, GasGrid, hydrogen, pipelines, research, SyntheticFuels, SyntheticNaturalGas

EU Recovery Package mustn’t sideline Green R&D

May 27, 2020 by Eleonora Moro and Léa Pilsner

Today (Wednesday 27 May) the EC releases its COVID-19 Recovery package and Multiannual Financial Framework. The Green Deal and net-zero ambitions are expected to be a substantial part of it. Eleonora Moro and LĂ©a Pilsner at E3G draw attention to Research & Innovation (R&I, or R&D), often in danger of being seen as a luxury in times of crisis because the big wins are not immediate. Already, the EU could do much better. Looking at … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Innovations Tagged With: Covid, EU, GreenDeal, innovation, MMF, research, stimulus

Nuclear fusion: public-private pitch for pilot power plant in U.S.

April 8, 2020 by Peter Dunn

A working nuclear fusion plant has long been a dream of scientists. The “Sun in a box” would generate abundant low carbon energy with little waste and more safely than traditional existing nuclear (fission) plants. But the scientific, engineering and materials challenges are admittedly enormous. Meanwhile, other electricity generating technologies are getting cheaper, so will we ever need it? Nevertheless, a public-private collaboration in the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Nuclear Tagged With: electricity, France, fusion, innovation, Nuclear, research, US

Next generation Wind rotors: because “supersizing” is reaching its limit

December 13, 2019 by NREL

A great deal of the cost reductions in wind energy have come, pure and simply, from bigger turbines. Their rotors have a greater swept area and access higher wind speeds at elevated heights. But there are practical limits to the size these blades can reach. Challenges include weight, fatigue, manufacturing, reliability, transport and logistics. To push the boundaries of design, teams from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Renewables Tagged With: capacity, efficiency, electricity, research, rotors, wind

Pioneering cold-fusion: the elusive answer to global energy poverty and an end to nuclear waste

June 20, 2019 by Matthew James

Inventor Suneel N Parekh is an energy pioneer. What keeps him going is a mixture of conviction and optimism. But even he knows he won’t get his project over the line without help. After decades he is finally bringing the proof of his methods to the attention of investors who can make or break his life’s work. Pioneers need backers. Just as The Beatles needed a deal before we could enjoy Sgt. Peppers, our energy pioneers need their break too - the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Community, Nuclear, Platform, Promoted content Tagged With: cold fusion, energy poverty, fusion, interview, muon-catalysed fusion, profile, research, Su-N Energy, Suneel Parekh, thermofusion

Most read this week

  • Make Hydrogen in developing nations: share prosperity while meeting our climate goals by Dolf Gielen | posted on January 26, 2023
  • Utah: 140MW Geothermal bid can beat the cost and performance of the proposed Nuclear SMR by Dennis Wamsted | posted on January 27, 2023
  • Biofuel is approaching a feedstock crunch. How bad? And what must be done? by IEA | posted on January 23, 2023
  • 10 Carbon Capture methods compared: costs, scalability, permanence, cleanness by Ella Adlen | posted on November 11, 2019
  • Concrete: 8% of global emissions and rising. Which innovations can achieve net zero by 2050? by Ben Skinner | posted on January 24, 2023
  • Can Aluminium-air batteries outperform Li-ion for EVs? by Helena Uhde | posted on September 8, 2021
  • EU ETS and CBAM: what the big update to emissions trading rules means for Europe’s key sectors by Simon Göss | posted on January 16, 2023
  • Micro-nuclear reactors: up to 20MW, portable, safer by Christina Nunez | posted on April 22, 2021
  • EU Energy Outlook to 2060: how will power prices and revenues develop for wind, solar, gas, hydrogen + more by Alex Schmitt | posted on December 6, 2022
  • Smart Glasses: experts can monitor and advise on power plant inspections anywhere in the world by Christoph Gatzen | posted on January 25, 2023
  • Gravity Batteries: any nation can do it at scale using rocks by Simon Read | posted on July 27, 2022
  • What’s best for Hydrogen transport: ammonia, liquid hydrogen, LOHC or pipelines? by Herib Blanco | posted on May 5, 2022
  • Hydrogen production in 2050: how much water will 74EJ need? by Herib Blanco | posted on July 22, 2021
  • Why hydrogen fuel cell cars are not competitive — from a hydrogen fuel cell expert by Zachary Shahan | posted on June 17, 2016
  • The 10 big problems with simply replacing fossil cars with electric by Schalk Cloete | posted on December 6, 2021
  • Europe needs a Regional Green Bank to fulfil its Green Deal and match the U.S. by Esmeralda Colombo | posted on January 20, 2023
  • How to sell Heat Pumps to the public in Europe by Helena Uhde | posted on January 19, 2023
  • The U.S. should support the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) by Joseph Majkut | posted on January 30, 2023
  • Critical Raw Materials for the energy transition: Europe must start mining again by Frank Umbach | posted on January 10, 2022
  • 2023 lookahead for Sustainable Finance: EU Taxonomy, ESG ratings, corporate disclosure laws, Europe’s “IRA” by Luca Bonaccorsi | posted on January 12, 2023

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  • The U.S. should support the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
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      Recent Posts

      Wind (and Solar) need their own Financial Transmission Rights to hedge their unique congestion risks

      The U.S. should support the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)

      Utah: 140MW Geothermal bid can beat the cost and performance of the proposed Nuclear SMR

      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

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