The Challenge of Energy Storage in Europe: Focus on Power to Fuel

2016 ◽  
Vol 138 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Efthymia Ioanna Koytsoumpa ◽  
Christian Bergins ◽  
Torsten Buddenberg ◽  
Song Wu ◽  
Ómar Sigurbjörnsson ◽  
...  

Abstract The energy sector in the European market has been changing significantly over the last years. European Union (EU) energy strategy includes the EU low-carbon roadmap milestone, which indicates for 2020, a 20% reduction in carbon emissions, and a 20% EU-wide share for renewables, and by 2030 a 40% reduction in carbon emissions and 30% EU-wide share for renewables. The increased renewable energy sources (RES) penetration and their intermittent energy production have led to the emerging need for energy storage technologies. Especially in the European energy market, large-scale energy balancing with sustainable technologies with product flexibility and cost-effective operation are being investigated. The carbon capture and utilization (CCU) concept, as a means for low-carbon sustainable industries, is integrated in the energy storage technologies. The present paper addresses the integration of power to fuel concept in the energy storage sector with simultaneous emission reduction. Grid management, the scale, and the efficient operation of electrolyzers are the basis for the implementation of Power to Fuel technology. The use of surplus and/or low-cost electricity via water electrolysis to commute captured CO2 from industrial plants to versatile energy carriers such as methane and methanol is being investigated in the present paper. Shadow operation of fossil fuel power plants under minimum load conditions leads to optimized energy dispatch of the power plants and provides product flexibility in terms of electricity, grid services, and chemical production. The produced fuels can be used in highly efficient and well-established power systems and further used in the transportation sector or for covering heat demands. The energy efficiency of the different processes is presented and a comparison is made in terms of cost effective energy storage solutions via the simultaneous grid management optimization, the reduction of carbon dioxide, and the production of valuable chemicals. The cross-sectorial concept of the Power to Fuel is presented for Steel and Power industry for the case of methane and methanol production. A review of the U.S. and European markets is made for the application of Power to Fuel.

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-115
Author(s):  
Sayed Belal Hashimi ◽  
Hameedullah Zaheb ◽  
Najib Rahman Sabory

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 3296
Author(s):  
Carlos García-Santacruz ◽  
Luis Galván ◽  
Juan M. Carrasco ◽  
Eduardo Galván

Energy storage systems are expected to play a fundamental part in the integration of increasing renewable energy sources into the electric system. They are already used in power plants for different purposes, such as absorbing the effect of intermittent energy sources or providing ancillary services. For this reason, it is imperative to research managing and sizing methods that make power plants with storage viable and profitable projects. In this paper, a managing method is presented, where particle swarm optimisation is used to reach maximum profits. This method is compared to expert systems, proving that the former achieves better results, while respecting similar rules. The paper further presents a sizing method which uses the previous one to make the power plant as profitable as possible. Finally, both methods are tested through simulations to show their potential.


Author(s):  
Mary E. Clayton ◽  
Ashlynn S. Stillwell ◽  
Michael E. Webber

With a push toward renewable electricity generation, wind power has grown substantially in recent U.S. history and technologies continue to improve. However, the intermittency associated with wind-generated electricity without storage has limited the amounts sold on the grid. Furthermore, continental wind farms have a diurnal and seasonal variability that is mismatched with demand. To increase the broader use of wind power technologies, the development of systems that can operate intermittently during off-peak hours must be considered. Utilization of wind-generated electricity for desalination of brackish groundwater presents opportunities to increase use of a low-carbon energy source and supply alternative drinking water that is much needed in some areas. As existing water supplies dwindle and population grows, cities are looking for new water sources. Desalination of brackish groundwater provides one potential water source for inland cities. However, this process is energy-intensive, and therefore potentially incongruous with goals of reducing carbon emissions. Desalination using reverse osmosis is a high-value process that does not require continuous operation and therefore could utilize variable wind power. That is, performing desalination in an intermittent way to match wind supply can help mitigate the challenges of integrating wind into the grid while transforming a low-value product (brackish water and intermittent power) into a high-value product (treated drinking water). This option represents a potentially more economic form of mitigating wind variability than current electricity storage technologies. Also, clean energy and carbon policies under consideration by the U.S. Congress could help make this integration more economically feasible due to incentives for low-carbon energy sources. West Texas is well-suited for desalination of brackish groundwater using wind power, as both resources are abundant and co-located. Utility-scale wind resource potential is found in most of the region. Additionally, brackish groundwater is found at depths less than 150 m, making west Texas a useful geographic testbed to analyze for this work, with applicability for areas with similar climates and water supply scarcity. Implementation of a wind-powered desalination project requires both economic and geographic feasibility. Capital and operating cost data for wind turbines and desalination membranes were used to perform a thermoeconomic analysis to determine the economic feasibility. The availability of wind and brackish groundwater resources were modeled using geographic information systems tools to illustrate areas where implementation of a wind-powered desalination project is economically feasible. Areas with major populations were analyzed further in the context of existing and alternative water supplies. Utilization of wind-generated electricity for desalination presents a feasible alternative to energy storage methods. Efficiency, economics, and ease of development and operation of off-peak water treatment were compared to different energy storage technologies: pumped hydro, batteries, and compressed air energy storage. Further economics of compressed air energy storage and brackish groundwater desalination were examined with a levelized lifetime cost approach. Implementation of water desalination projects using wind-generated electricity might become essential in communities with wind and brackish groundwater resources that are facing water quality and quantity issues and as desires to implement low carbon energy sources increase. This analysis assesses the economic and geographic feasibility and tradeoffs of such projects for areas in Texas.


2020 ◽  
Vol 274 ◽  
pp. 115213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduard Bullich-Massagué ◽  
Francisco-Javier Cifuentes-García ◽  
Ignacio Glenny-Crende ◽  
Marc Cheah-Mañé ◽  
Mònica Aragüés-Peñalba ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (18) ◽  
pp. 8484
Author(s):  
Seok-Ho Song ◽  
Jin-Young Heo ◽  
Jeong-Ik Lee

A nuclear power plant is one of the power sources that shares a large portion of base-load. However, as the proportion of renewable energy increases, nuclear power plants will be required to generate power more flexibly due to the intermittency of the renewable energy sources. This paper reviews a layout thermally integrating the liquid air energy storage system with a nuclear power plant. To evaluate the performance realistically while optimizing the layout, operating nuclear power plant conditions are used. After revisiting the analysis, the optimized performance of the proposed system is predicted to achieve 59.96% of the round-trip efficiency. However, it is further shown that external environmental conditions could deteriorate the performance. For the design of liquid air energy storage-nuclear power plant integrated systems, both the steam properties of the linked plants and external factors should be considered.


Author(s):  
Claudia Lucia De Pascalis ◽  
Stephanie Stockar

Abstract Cogeneration is a well-known and cost effective solution for generating power and heat within the same plant, leading to improved overall efficiency and reduced generation cost. Combined heating and power systems can facilitate the penetration of renewable energy sources in medium size applications through the integration of electric and thermal energy storage units. Due to the complexity of the plant as well as significantly variability in power demand and generation, the design and operation of such systems requires a systematic co-optimization of plant and controller for guaranteeing near optimal performance. In this scenario, this paper presents a physics-based parametric modeling approach for the characterization of the main components of a 1MW combined heating and power system that includes renewable sources, electric and thermal storage devices. To demonstrate the model flexibility and potential benefits achieved by an optimal sizing, the system energy management is optimized using Dynamic Programming. The operational costs for different configurations are compared showing that an optimization of the energy management strategy in conjunction with an improved system sizing lead to more than 6% of reduction in the operational cost.


Author(s):  
V. V. Kuvshinov ◽  
E. A. Bekirov ◽  
E. V. Guseva

In the presented work, the possibility of using photovoltaic silicon panels with a double-sided arrangement of solar cells on the front and back sides is presented. With a lack of space for placing solar panels, these types of modules can significantly increase the generation of electrical energy. Equipping photovoltaic systems with rechargeable batteries contributes to a more rational consumption of electrical energy, while energy storage systems significantly increase the efficiency of solar generating systems. The proposed designs are intended to increase the power characteristics of solar energy converters in the winter months, in the presence of snow or when using reflective surfaces on road surfaces. The results of the experimental studies have shown a significant efficiency of the proposed designs, as well as an increase in the total generation of electrical energy. With the development of the global technical potential and a significant increase in the production of power plants for solar energy, a new opportunity has emerged to use combined solar plants for photovoltaic conversion of the flux of incident solar radiation. At the Department of Renewable Energy Sources and Electrical Systems and Networks at Sevastopol State University, at the site of the Institute of Nuclear Energy and Industry, a photovoltaic installation was developed and studied, consisting of two side silicon solar cells and energy storage systems. The article presents the results of experimental and theoretical studies, presents diagrams, drawings and graphs of various characteristics of the FSM-110D photovoltaic panel and storage batteries. The research results show the increased efficiency of the proposed installation, as well as a good possibility of using the presented photovoltaic systems to provide them with autonomous and individual consumers living in the Crimean region and the city of Sevastopol.


Author(s):  
Sammy Houssainy ◽  
Reza Baghaei Lakeh ◽  
H. Pirouz Kavehpour

Human activity is overloading our atmosphere with carbon dioxide and other global warming emissions. These emissions trap heat, increase the planet’s temperature, and create significant health, environmental, and climate issues. Electricity production accounts for more than one-third of U.S. global warming emissions, with the majority generated by coal-fired power plants. These plants produce approximately 25 percent of total U.S. global warming emissions. In contrast, most renewable energy sources produce little to no global warming emissions. Unfortunately, generated electricity from renewable sources rarely provides immediate response to electrical demands, as the sources of generation do not deliver a regular supply easily adjustable to consumption needs. This has led to the emergence of storage as a crucial element in the management of energy, allowing energy to be released into the grid during peak hours and meet electrical demands. Compressed air energy storage can potentially allow renewable energy sources to meet electricity demands as reliably as coal-fired power plants. Most compressed air energy storage systems run at very high pressures, which possess inherent problems such as equipment failure, high cost, and inefficiency. This research aims to illustrate the potential of compressed air energy storage systems by illustrating two different discharge configurations and outlining key variables, which have a major impact on the performance of the storage system. Storage efficiency is a key factor to making renewable sources an independent form of sustainable energy. In this paper, a comprehensive thermodynamic analysis of a compressed air energy storage system is presented. Specifically, a detailed study of the first law of thermodynamics of the entire system is presented followed by a thorough analysis of the second law of thermodynamics of the complete system. Details of both discharge and charge cycles of the storage system are presented. The first and second law based efficiencies of the system are also presented along with parametric studies, which demonstrates the effects of various thermodynamic cycle variables on the total round-trip efficiency of compressed air energy storage systems.


Author(s):  
Danny Illera ◽  
Victor Fontalvo ◽  
Humberto Gomez

Renewable energy sources demands sustainable energy storage technologies through the incorporation of low-cost and environment-friendly materials. In this regard, cellulose nanocrystals (CN), which are needle-shaped nanostructure derived from cellulose-rich resources, are extracted by sulfuric acid hydrolysis of biomass and used as both template and binder for the construction of electrochemical capacitors electrodes. A composite material is synthetized comprising CN and a conjugated electroactive polymer (CEP) to overcome the electrical insulating properties of cellulose as well as to exploit enhanced electrochemical activity by increased electrode surface-area. A one-step in-situ film synthesis protocol is evaluated by performing simultaneous polymerization and film deposition. The effect of proportion of starting components are evaluated through statistical Response Surface Methodology towards optimizing the electrochemical performance. Depending on the mass proportion of the starting components, a conducting network could be created by surface coating of the CEP on the whiskers during polymerization. Electrochemical measurements suggest an increase in specific surface area by at least a factor of two relative to bare CEP as a consequence of the template role of cellulose. Therefore, adjustment of the proposed one-step synthesis parameters allows tuning the material properties to meet specific application requirements regarding electrochemical performance.


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