DOE Awards $5 Million to Improve Climate Resilience in Vulnerable Communities
The US Department of Energy has announced $5 million in financing for six Climate Resilience Centres (CRCs) to promote community resilience by empowering local institutions to use DOE climate science to address climate change challenges.
The CRCs will provide as a foundation for future young scientists, engineers, and technicians to apply DOE climate science and skills to increase local climate resilience. Under the DOE Funding Opportunity Announcement for Climate Resilience Centres (DE-FOA-0002915), the projects were chosen through a competitive peer review process. From Fiscal Year 2023 funds, the total financing for projects lasting up to three years is $5 million.
Source: https://www.energy.gov/
New Solar Desalination System Could Produce Drinking Water Cheaper Than Tap Water
Engineers at MIT and Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China have invented a novel passive solar desalination system that converts seawater into potable water using natural sunlight. The system is designed to allow water to flow in swirling eddies, leaving salt behind, and then condensing and collecting the resulting water vapour as pure, potable water.
The novel method produces more water and rejects more salt than existing passive solar desalination technologies now being explored. If the system is expanded up to the size of a compact suitcase, the researchers estimate that it might create 4 to 6 litres of drinking water each hour and endure for several years before needing replacement parts.
The team believes that a larger gadget could passively produce enough drinking water to meet the daily requirements of a small family or supply off-grid, coastal communities where seawater is easily accessible.
Source: https://web.mit.edu/
Using Greener Plastics to Help Japan Meet Carbon-Neutral Goals
A Yokohama-based start-up business Sotas Co., Ltd. and Kyushu University have conducted a collaborative study to examine the possibilities for the Japanese market to adopt a greener plastic supply chain. The researchers assessed the economic and environmental impact of six frequently used plastic types based on whether they were created from virgin, recycled, or bioplastic.
They graded the plastics based on four factors: global warming potential, cost, recyclability, and perceived quality by manufacturers. The researchers discovered that recycled plastics are less expensive and have a reduced risk for global warming compared to virgin plastics. Bioplastics had the lowest potential for global warming, but they are far more expensive to produce than virgin or recycled plastics.
Source: https://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en
Net Zero by 2050 Still Remains Possible With Rapid Renewables Expansion, Says IEA
Yokohama-based start-up Sotas Co., Ltd. and Kyushu University collaborated on a study to look at the potential for the Japanese market to embrace a more environmentally friendly plastic supply chain. Based on whether they were made from virgin, recycled, or bioplastic, the researchers evaluated the effects on the economy and the environment of six widely used plastic varieties.
They assigned a grade to the plastics based on four criteria: cost, recyclability, global warming potential, and manufacturer perception of quality. In comparison to virgin plastics, recycled plastics are less expensive and have a lower risk of contributing to global warming, according to the researchers. The least likely to contribute to global warming were bioplastics, although they are much more expensive to make than either virgin or recycled plastics.
Source: Sotas Co., Ltd.
Desalination Method Could Give Disaster Zones Drinking Water
A new technique for turning seawater into drinking water has been created by a team of researchers from the Universities of Bath, Swansea, and Edinburgh. This technique may be useful in catastrophe areas where infrastructure and energy are lacking. By drawing chloride ions through a membrane and towards a positively charged electrode with the help of a little amount of electrical energy, water molecules can flow through.
Reverse osmosis, the most popular method for salt removal from saltwater, calls for large amounts of electricity and pressure, but this method does not, making it more effective and maybe more practical for smaller-scale applications. The technology is only capable of converting a few millilitres of water at this time. However, the group is looking for collaborators for the futureand funding to scale up the process to a liter, allowing them to calculate energy use more precisely and make it more efficient for larger-scale applications.
Source: https://www.bath.ac.uk/
Dutch developer Giga Storage planning 300MW/1,200MWh BESS in Belgium
Giga Storage, established in the Netherlands, intends to build its first project outside the country, a 300MW/1,200MWh transmission-connected battery energy storage system (BESS) in Belgium. The project will be located in Kinrooi and will connect to the high-voltage transmission network directly via the Van Eyck high-voltage substation in Molshofstraat.
This differs from the majority of BESS installations, which connect to lower-voltage networks managed by distribution network operators. The company is giving a project information presentation near the proposed site. The expansion of Giga Storage into Belgium follows a previous announcement by Dutch utility Eneco, which also mentioned Belgium having a more favourable legislative and commercial climate for large-scale BESS. In Belgium, BESS projects are monetized through energy trading or by by providing flexibility services to grid operator Elia.
Source: Giga Storage
RWE to install 35MW BESS at Netherlands biomass plant
RWE, a German energy firm, is investing €25 million ($25.5 million) in the Netherlands’ first battery energy storage system (BESS). The project, which will be virtually paired with a biomass plant, is one of several “innovative demand assets” that will integrate the intermittent power from the OranjeWind offshore wind farm into the Dutch energy grid.
To maintain grid frequency, the BESS will charge and discharge, and it will be virtually paired with other power plants in Germany to optimise energy management. The business intends to begin building by the end of the year, with a completion date of early 2025. RWE has been active in establishing BESS projects in Germany, as well as in the United States and Australia.
Source: RWE
NENS Power and e-power launch hydrogen dual fuel generator using CMB.TECH’s tech
NENS Power and e-power have collaborated to create a generator that generates green electricity for temporary energy supply. The generator is powered by an industrial engine that utilises CMB.TECH‘s hydrogen dual fuel technology. The Generator E Power 053 may run in either full diesel mode or the revolutionary dual fuel mode, in which hydrogen replaces up to 80% of diesel use, greatly lowering carbon emissions.
Field trials will be done in various places to assess the degree of diesel displacement as a function of power output. The collaboration intends to demonstrate dual fuel technology’s potential in the off-grid power generation industry. The hydrogen dual fuel generator is a practical step towards cleaner, more ecologically friendly energy solutions, marking an important milestone in the global effort to combat climate change and reduce carbon emissions.
Source: CMB.TECH
