Work Underway On Gravitricity Storage Demo
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on renews.biz.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Winch specialists Huisman have begun on the fabrication of Gravitricity’s €1.1m energy storage demonstrator, which is due for trial in Edinburgh early next year.
The article also gives a few details of the system.
- It uses a 16 metre lattice tower.
- Two twenty-five tonne weights are raised and lowered.
- An output of 250 kW is quoted.
Unless they are using a deep hole to increase the height, Omni’s Potential Energy Calculator says that the stored energy is only 2.18 kWh.
So it will only supply 250 kW for about half a minute.
But as it’s a demo, that is probably enough to validate the concept.
Coal mines with shafts around a thousand metres deep are not unknown in the UK and a system with two twenty-five tonne weights would be able to store a very useful 136 kWh.
But that is still very small compared to Highview Power‘s liquid air battery being build in Manchester, that I wrote about in Climate Emission Killer: Construction Begins On World’s Biggest Liquid Air Battery. That battery has these characteristics.
- The size of the battery is 250 MWh.
- It can delivery up to 50 MW of power. which translates to five hours at full power, if the battery is full.
- If it was already working, it would be the ninth biggest battery of all types, except for pumped storage, in the world.
- It will be double the size of the largest chemical battery, which was built by Tesla in South Australia.
Both Gravitricity and Highview Power technologies are being backed by the UK government.
Conclusion
I don’t believe that the two battery systems will compete directly.
In terms of size in Explaining Gravitricity, I state that in the UK, 2.2 MWh of storage might be possible for Gravitricity. This is very small compared with Highview Power’s 250 MWh in Manchester.
I suspect though, that capital and running costs may well be in Gravitricity’s favour and the system will be ideal for some applications, where space is limited.
Gravitricity’s systems may also be an innovative way of capping dangerous mine shafts.
Schlumberger New Energy And Thermal Energy Partners Form Geothermal Development Company STEP Energy
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on World Oil.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Schlumberger New Energy, a new Schlumberger business, and Thermal Energy Partners (TEP) have entered into an agreement to create STEP Energy, a geothermal project development company. STEP Energy will leverage its partners’ expertise to develop efficient and profitable geothermal power generation projects, providing an opportunity to support a reliable supply of clean energy.
Schlumberger are one of the big beasts of the oil industry and are generally described as an oilfield services company.
This agreement could be significant as from my knowledge of the geothermal and oil extraction businesses, they have a lot of technology in common.
The last paragraph of the article is definitely significant.
The new company’s first project is the 10-MW Nevis Geothermal Power Project on the Caribbean island of Nevis, which will enable the island to transition to 100% zero-emission renewable energy for its power supply. STEP Energy has additional opportunities to expand production in the Eastern Caribbean and in North and South America.
How many other places in the world can follow the example of Nevis?
Geothermal Power
The Wikipedia entry for Geothermal Power is worth a read.
These points are from the first paragraph.
- Geothermal electricity generation is currently used in 26 countries.
- Geothermal heating is in use in 70 countries
- As of 2015, worldwide geothermal power capacity amounts to 12.8 GW.
- 3.55 GW are installed in the United States.
- Countries generating more than 15 percent of their electricity from geothermal sources include El Salvador, Kenya, the Philippines, Iceland, New Zealand, and Costa Rica.
- The greenhouse gas emissions of geothermal electric stations are on average 45 grams of carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour of electricity, or less than 5 percent of that of conventional coal-fired plants.
- As a source of renewable energy for both power and heating, geothermal has the potential to meet 3-5% of global demand by 2050.
- With economic incentives, it is estimated that by 2100 it will be possible to meet 10% of global demand.
There is also an informative section on the Economics of geothermal power, where this is said.
Drilling accounts for over half the costs, and exploration of deep resources entails significant risks.
That sounds like areas, where Schlumberger have lots of expertise and experience.
Geothermal Power In The UK
The Wikipedia entry for Geothermal Energy In The United Kingdom is also worth a read.
In a section named Potential, these points are made.
- The resource is widely spread around the UK with ‘hotspots’ in Cornwall, Weardale, Lake District, East Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Cheshire, Worcester, Dorset, Hampshire, Northern Ireland and Scotland;
- Cost reduction potential is exceptionally high;
- Deep geothermal resources could provide 9.5GW of baseload renewable electricity – equivalent to nearly nine nuclear power stations – which could generate 20% of the UK’s current annual electricity consumption;
- Deep geothermal resources could provide over 100GW of heat, which could supply sufficient heat to meet the space heating demand in the UK;
- Despite this significant potential, the UK support regime is uncompetitive with other European countries.
Perhaps, we should get our act together?
Conclusion
It looks to me, that Schlumberger are doing the right thing for the planet.
Will they be followed by the other oilfield services companies, who in the next decades could see their traditional market shrinking?
Long-Duration Energy Storage Makes Progress But Regulation Lags Technology
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on pv Magazine.
It is a detailed summary of around twenty long-term energy storage systems.
It gives a paragraph or a mention to the following.
- Pintail Power – California, US
- Highview Power – UK
- Malta – US
- Brayton Energy – US
- Echogen – US
- Azwlio – Sweden
- 1414 Degrees – Australia
- Alumina – US
- Antora Energy – US
- Primus – US
- Invinity – US/UK
- Sumitomo – Japan
- UET – US
- ESS
- ViZn – US
- Form Energy – US
- Range Energy – US
- Mitsuibishi Power Systems – Japan
- Gravity Power – US
- Ares Power – US
- Energy Vault -US (?)
- Quidnet Energy – US
The article links to many of the company web sites.
There are some others, that the author has missed including the Gravitricity, which is Scottish, Siemens Ganesa ETES, which is German and Zinc8, which is Canadian.
There are a large number of competitors, lining up to compete in a large market.
The article finishes with some notes on the role of regulators, saying this.
Storage and long-duration storage technologies are here today – but regulators and utility commissions at the federal and state level are still adjusting.
William Conlon, president of thermal storage startup, Pintail Power is quoted with an example.
Long-duration storage technology in California is locked out because of the nature of California’s resource adequacy (RA) requirements. “Four hours is what California wants for RA. If you provide eight hours you only get paid for four hours. We’re at four hours today because that’s what you get paid for.
Regulators must get it right.
Conclusion
Is UK regulation up to scratch, as we certainly have masses of renewable energy.
Artificial Leaves Make Green Energy With Just Water, Sunlight And CO2
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.
The title says it all and the scientists behind the technology are from the Chemistry Department at Cambridge University.
New Energy Storage “Water Battery” Breakthrough: Look Ma, No Underground Powerhouse
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on CleenTechnoca.
Pumped hydro storage as used at Dinorwig power station or Electric Mountain in the UK is a good way to store electricity.
But it is expensive to build and one of the major costs is building a large underground powerhouse. This is Wikipedia’s description of the construction of the powerhouse at Dinorwig.
Twelve million tonnes (12,000,000 long tons; 13,000,000 short tons) of rock had to be moved from inside the mountain, creating tunnels wide enough for two lorries to pass comfortably and an enormous cavern 51 metres (167 ft) tall, 180 metres (590 ft) long, and 23 metres (75 ft) wide[10] known as “the concert hall”. The power station comprises 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) of tunnels, one million tons of concrete, 200,000 tons of cement and 4,500 tons of steel.
That is big, but on the other hand, it reportedly paid for itself in two years.
According to the article, a company called Obermeyer Hydro Inc has come up with a new design of pumped storage turbine., which eliminated the need for an underground powerhouse.
- Cost savings of 45 % are claimed.
- Reading the full article, I get the impression, that a radical redesign of the reversible turbine will be a game-changer.
- I suspect, it could be of benefit in small countries like the UK, where pumped storage is expensive and faces strong opposition in certain areas.
It is also significant, that this appears to be successful innovation in an area, where it was thought we had reached the ultimate design.
Reclassify Hydropower Now – As Renewable Energy
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Cal Matters.
It is written by a politician and details the mess California seems to be in over energy policy.
In the UK and Europe in general, hydro-electric power is generally considered to be renewable.
But not always in California, where environmentalists are against dams. So in the last heatwave, California was importing hydropower from places like the Hoover Dam.
We must get our policies and definitions right on what is and what isn’t renewable energy.
Net Zero: Alternatives To Hydrogen
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Chemical Engineer.
This is the introductory sub-title.
An alternative view for how the UK can achieve net zero for housing and other users, without the wholesale use of hydrogen.
I agree with a lot of what the author says.
- Better insulated houses with heat pumps, battery and thermal storage, and renewable energy.
- The production of green hydrogen for use as a chemical feedstock.
- Biofuels could be promising for heavy haulage, ships and trains.
I do think though, that he ignores, what I think will be a big market for hydrogen – the powering of vehicles like buses, trucks and freight trains in urban areas.
In fact, I believe that the hauling of freight trains, is a classic use for a battery electric locomotive, with a hydrogen-powered range extender.
Read the article!
Solar To Hydrogen Efficiency Record Broken By Australian National University Researchers
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Hydrogen Fuel News.
The traditional route to produce green hydrogen from solar panels, is to create electricity and then use electrolysis to create the hydrogen.
This process goes direct and an improvement in efficiency of 17.6 %.
Funding To Develop Geothermal Energy Plans For Disused Flooded Coal Mines
The title of this post, is the same as that of this page on the University of Strathclyde web site.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Researchers at the University of Strathclyde have won early stage funding to develop plans to tap into the geothermal energy contained within disused, flooded coal mines in Scotland.
I have talked about this technique before in Can Abandoned Mines Heat Our Future?, which I wrote after I attended a public lecture at The Geological Society.
This page on the Geological Society web site, gives a summary of the lecture and details of the speaker; Charlotte Adams of Durham University.
This paragraph indicates the scale of the Scottish project, which has been called HotScot.
Heat trapped in 600 km3 of disused mine-workings in the Central Belt of Scotland could meet up to 8% of Scotland’s domestic heating demand.
It looks to be a very comprehensive project.
Conclusion
As this appears to be the second project where disused coal mines are used as a source of heat, after one in Spennymoor, that I wrote about in Exciting Renewable Energy Project for Spennymoor. I wouldn’t be surprised to see other projects starting in other mining areas.
And not just in the UK, as techniques developed by engineers and scientists get more efficient and more affordable.
Hamburger Hochbahn Launches Tender For 50 Hydrogen Fuel Cell Buses
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on H2 View.
The title says it all!
But it does show how hydrogen buses are proliferating around the world.
This makes the third hydrogen or energy project from the German city, that I have detailed.
The Anonymous Widower 