This may seem a bit premature as EnergyTech is less than four months old, but we’re going to crow anyway. For the stadium-sized public reception we’ve received we are thankful and want to reshare some of those stories which most connected with you in late 2021.
We at EnergyTech have learned you want insights into the C&I Energy Transition. We hope to deliver that with news about what manufacturers and large commercial customers are doing to secure energy resiliency and carbon reduction, but also highlight the work of university campuses, hospitals and military bases.
Mission critical work deserves mission critical energy coverage.
And so here are the Top 10, covering microgrids and hydrogen, CHP and energy storage and renewables. No sector is left behind, as the breadth of content expands from real estate and smart buildings to health care, military bases and manufacturing. A little agriculture also found its way into the mix.
Hope you enjoy this review as much as we enjoyed sharing them in the first place.
1. Will Hemp Make EV Batteries Better?
A Texas-based startup called Bemp Research Corp. is courting investors to develop and commercialize a product called B4C-hemp short for boron carbide made from hemp to offer improves over traditional lithium ion battery technologies. Prototypes engineered and independently tested at The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee reportedly have proven successful.
Time will only reveal if this, one of many startup ideas to revolutionize elements of the energy transition, but one thing you can bank on: It resonated with EnergyTech readers.
2. Is Micro-Nuclear an Option to Power Net-Zero Microgrids?
A new report sponsored by the Idaho National Laboratory points to another zero-carbon, although controversial energy supply—small modular nuclear reactors. Yes, SMR technology is unproven in the field and raises longtime safety concerns, but numerous ongoing efforts are gaining federal approval and financial backing to get a pilot plant up and running later this decade.
Nuclear power creates friction—if not fission—in the talks of energy transition. Traditional nuclear power generates 20 percent of the U.S. electricity mix and does not emit greenhouse gases. However, it introduces safety concerns and construction is hugely expensive, such as the current Vogtle expansion project in Georgia which is closing in on a $27 billion tab or more.
The SMR modules would offer smaller footprints, much lower costs and safety redundancies. Once again, only time will tell but it feels almost certain that the energy transition audience is paying attention.
3. When is the Right Time to Invest in Battery Energy Storage?
As the world moves towards future decarbonization, it is becoming increasingly difficult for commercial and industrial users to predict what loads they may require a year from now, never mind in five years’ time when new technologies may have been brought into the mix. This story offered by an expert within ABB’s Package and Storage Division makes the argument for smart capital investment in battery storage.
4. Panasonic Unveils Hydrogen Generator
Panasonic Corp. has developed a pure hydrogen fuel cell generator that it claims boasts industry-leading electrical efficiency. Launched in October for commercial use in Japan, the 5-kW generator – scalable to increase power output by linking multiple units – produces power through a chemical reaction with high-purity hydrogen and oxygen in the air, Panasonic stated.
Observing that the generator requires no fuel processing device to extract hydrogen from natural gas, Panasonic maintains the product achieves 56% electrical efficiency. The company calls that efficiency level is “the industry’s best” for a pure hydrogen fuel cell generator.
Once again, we’ll offer the proverbial “time will tell,” but clearly the H2 future fascinates those most intently following the Energy Transition at the industrial level.
5. What You should know about Microgrids
EnergyTech turned to microgrid specialist Mark Feasel, president of Smart Grid North America with Schneider Electric, for expertise. He offered his perspective on why business owners are increasingly deploying microgrids, what they should consider when choosing a microgrid, details about operations and maintenance, and more.
EnergyTech has known Mark Feasel for a long time before there even was an EnergyTech. We hope to connect with him again and again as microgrids increasingly populate the energy landscape. He is a top-notch contributor to this sector.
6. Microgrid at Fort Hood Army base in Texas successfully islands from Utility Grid
Told you microgrids were interesting. In this case, power management firm Eaton and military partners worked together on demonstrating and islanding a microgrid project which sustained electric operations at an airfield in Fort Hood, Texas, independently from the utility grid.
The demonstration proved that the military microgrid could be seamlessly islanded apart from the grid. The system at Fort Hood, an Army base, utilized solar power, energy storage and on-site power generators which, with control systems, provided up to 14 days uninterrupted power at the Robert Gray Army Airfield, according to Eaton.
7. Puerto Rico Microgrids designed to withstand Cat 5 Hurricanes
Most of us know the devastation that Hurricane Maria and other deadly storms inflicted on the U.S. island territory. The misery was relentless and the job to restore the power grid has taken years.
For this project, once again Eaton is involved, joining forces with Enel X. The Las Piedras and Arecibo microgrids will boast a combined 10 MW of solar PV and 2.23 MW/4.46 MWh of battery storage in Puerto Rico by 2022. The firms added the microgrid systems are designed to hurricane code in Puerto Rico and can withstand Category 5-strength hurricane-force winds.
EnergyTech will continue to cover the major work being done to provide Puerto Rico with energy resiliency, security and efficiency.
8. CHP could be Peachy in saving Energy, Costs and Lives, Georgia Tech study says
Forgive us the small pun in the headline, but this is serious research being done in Atlanta and beyond. There is a cogeneration gap in Georgia, and bridging it could be a pivotal turn in the journey to fight climate change and cutting greenhouse gas emissions in the large-scale and on-site power sector, according to this report by Georgia Institute of Technology researchers.
It promotes the widespread adoption of combined heat and power (CHP) plants as a highly promising tool for improving energy efficiency, clearing the environment and creating jobs. Georgia Tech’s research was sponsored by Drawdown Georgia, a statewide initiative focused on scaling market-ready, high-impact climate solutions in Georgia this decade.
9. Arizona Project to Demo Hydrogen from Nuclear Power
They’re not generated by the sun or wind, but hydrogen and nuclear power are two low or no-carbon generation assets which would play a pivotal role in the future.
The U.S. Department of Energy awarded $20 million a project to produce hydrogen from nuclear power at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, a Phoenix-area facility owned by the electric utility Arizona Public Service. The agency noted that six metric tons of stored hydrogen will be used to produce approximately 200 MWh of electricity during times of high demand and may also be used to make chemicals and other fuels.
10. Aussie Energy firm plans to build 290-MW Power and Hydrogen production site in Oklahoma
Australian energy firm and liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer Woodside has announced plans to expand its portfolio of hydrogen production opportunities to the U.S, securing land in Oklahoma for future development of a modular hydrogen facility and entering a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Hyzon Motors.
Woodside has secured a lease and option to purchase 94 acres (38 hectares) of vacant land in Ardmore, Oklahoma, to underpin future development of its proposed H2OK project. Subject to approvals and customer demand, the H2OK concept involves construction of an initial 290- MW (MW) facility, which will use electrolysis to produce up to 90 metric tonnes per day (tpd) of liquid hydrogen for the heavy transport sector.
Happy New Year to all of our EnergyTech readers. Rest assured that 2022 will be an exciting one for insights into the C&I Energy Transition. From manufacturing plant to military base, from apartment housing to hospitals and microgrids, we’ll be on it.
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(Rod Walton, senior editor for EnergyTech, is a 14-year veteran of covering the energy industry both as a newspaper and trade journalist. He can reached at [email protected]).
