scholarly journals How much energy storage can we afford? On the need for a sunflower society, aligning demand with renewable supply

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harald Desing ◽  
Rolf Widmer
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Synthetic Fuels ◽  
Climate Risks ◽  
Available Energy ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Storage Demand ◽  
Storage Technologies

Our society has become accustomed to demanding energy whenever we want it. When decarbonising the energy system, this becomes a fundamental challenge due to the extent of energy storage required for matching the intermittent renewable supply to society's current demand. Available energy storage technologies are energetically expensive either to build - like batteries - or to operate - like synthetic fuels. Due to these energetic costs, requiring more storage leads to a slower energy transition and consequently higher climate risks. This paper explores the energy implications of adding energy storage to fast and complete energy transition pathways. Technological innovation can mitigate the problem to some extent by focusing on reduced energy intensity of storage alongside with improved turnaround efficiency. Most influential is, however, the extent of storage that we want: reducing storage demand greatly accelerates the transition and therefore reduces the induced probability of violating 1.5°C peak heating. In addition, it can immediately be implemented with readily available and scalable technologies. However, it requires a fundamental rethinking of the way we use energy in society: aligning energy demand with renewable supply as best as we can. Following the course of the sun, just like sunflowers do, we need to schedule our most energy-intensive activities around midday and summer, while reducing demand during night and winter. The sunflower society has the potential to accelerate climate action and therewith reduce climate risks.

scholarly journals Reducing climate risks with fast and complete energy transitions: applying the precautionary principle to the Paris agreement

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harald Desing ◽  
Rolf Widmer
Keyword(s):  
Precautionary Principle ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Energy System ◽  
The Precautionary Principle ◽  
Climate Risks ◽  
System A ◽  
Prior Consent ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Transition Pathways ◽  
Climate Action

Averting the climate catastrophe requires the transformation of the energy system. A wide range of energy transition pathways are being explored in literature, which limit peak heating during this century as likely as not to 2°C or 1.5°C. Growing understanding of the Earth system suggests that peak heating beyond 1.5°C may be an existential threat to the biosphere and therefore also humanity. Transitions that exceed this vital threshold with a high probability expose future generations to substantial risks without their prior consent. Here we advocate the precautionary principle and explore with a minimal energy transition model the energy requirements to minimize climate risks. Fast and complete transitions are energetically possible when temporarily increasing fossil emissions above current levels for the sole purpose of accelerating the growth of renewable energy capacity. This reduces the probability to exceed 1.5°C peak heating at best to 20%, highlighting the urgency for climate action.

scholarly journals Technologies of Engagement: How Battery Storage Technologies Shape Householder Participation in Energy Transitions

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (22) ◽  
pp. 4384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanneke Kloppenburg ◽  
Robin Smale ◽  
Nick Verkade
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Electricity Market ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Battery Storage ◽  
Energy Community ◽  
Storage Technologies

The transition to a low-carbon energy system goes along with changing roles for citizens in energy production and consumption. In this paper we focus on how residential energy storage technologies can enable householders to contribute to the energy transition. Drawing on literature that understands energy systems as sociotechnical configurations and the theory of ‘material participation’, we examine how the introduction of home batteries affords new roles and energy practices for householders. We present qualitative findings from interviews with householders and other key stakeholders engaged in using or implementing battery storage at household and community level. Our results point to five emerging storage modes in which householders can play a role: individual energy autonomy; local energy community; smart grid integration; virtual energy community; and electricity market integration. We argue that for householders, these storage modes facilitate new energy practices such as providing grid services, trading, self-consumption, and sharing of energy. Several of the storage modes enable the formation of prosumer collectives and change relationships with other actors in the energy system. We conclude by discussing how householders also face new dependencies on information technologies and intermediary actors to organize the multi-directional energy flows which battery systems unleash. With energy storage projects currently being provider-driven, we argue that more space should be given to experimentation with (mixed modes of) energy storage that both empower householders and communities in the pursuit of their own sustainability aspirations and serve the needs of emerging renewable energy-based energy systems.

scholarly journals Reducing climate risks with fast and complete energy transitions: applying the precautionary principle to the Paris agreement

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harald Desing ◽  
Rolf Widmer
Keyword(s):  
Precautionary Principle ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Energy System ◽  
The Precautionary Principle ◽  
Climate Risks ◽  
System A ◽  
Prior Consent ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Transition Pathways ◽  
Climate Action

Abstract Averting the climate catastrophe requires the transformation of the energy system. A wide range of energy transition pathways are being explored in literature, which limit peak heating during this century as likely as not to 2°C or 1.5°C. Growing understanding of the Earth system suggests that peak heating beyond 1.5°C may be an existential threat to the biosphere and therefore also humanity. Transitions that exceed this vital threshold with a high probability expose future generations to substantial risks without their prior consent. Here we advocate the precautionary principle and explore with a minimal energy transition model the energy requirements to minimize climate risks. Fast and complete transitions are energetically possible when temporarily increasing fossil emissions above current levels for the sole purpose of accelerating the growth of renewable energy capacity. This reduces the probability to exceed 1.5°C peak heating at best to 20%, highlighting the urgency for climate action.

Regulation of Electricity Storage, Intelligent Grids, and Clean Energies in an Open Market in Mexico

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Juan González Márquez ◽  
Margarita González Brambila
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Energy Supply ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emission ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Open Market ◽  
Innovative Strategy ◽  
Electricity Storage ◽  
Storage Technologies

This chapter analyses the role of electricity storage as an innovative strategy to attain the Mexican Government’s goals regarding carbon dioxide emission reduction and energy transition. The survey includes the analysis of the different electricity storage technologies as well as the legal framework governing electricity storage as the fifth link of the energy supply chain from a comparative perspective. The authors discuss whether energy storage is a generation or a distribution/transmission asset. The chapter also analyses Mexico’s experiences in energy storage and briefly describes the way it is regulated in other jurisdictions. Finally, the authors propose the regulation of energy storage as a separate licensed activity.

Primary Energy System Chain Security Under the Energy Transition

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Osamah Alsayegh
Keyword(s):  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
System Security ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Low Carbon Energy

Abstract This paper examines the energy transition consequences on the oil and gas energy system chain as it propagates from net importing through the transit to the net exporting countries (or regions). The fundamental energy system security concerns of importing, transit, and exporting regions are analyzed under the low carbon energy transition dynamics. The analysis is evidence-based on diversification of energy sources, energy supply and demand evolution, and energy demand management development. The analysis results imply that the energy system is going through technological and logistical reallocation of primary energy. The manifestation of such reallocation includes an increase in electrification, the rise of energy carrier options, and clean technologies. Under healthy and normal global economic growth, the reallocation mentioned above would have a mild effect on curbing the oil and gas primary energy demands growth. A case study concerning electric vehicles, which is part of the energy transition aspect, is presented to assess its impact on the energy system, precisely on the fossil fuel demand. Results show that electric vehicles are indirectly fueled, mainly from fossil-fired power stations through electric grids. Moreover, oil byproducts use in the electric vehicle industry confirms the reallocation of the energy system components' roles. The paper's contribution to the literature is the portrayal of the energy system security state under the low carbon energy transition. The significance of this representation is to shed light on the concerns of the net exporting, transit, and net importing regions under such evolution. Subsequently, it facilitates the development of measures toward mitigating world tensions and conflicts, enhancing the global socio-economic wellbeing, and preventing corruption.

scholarly journals Is Green Recovery Enough? Analysing the Impacts of Post-COVID-19 Economic Packages

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (17) ◽  
pp. 5567
Author(s):  
Pedro R. R. Rochedo ◽  
Panagiotis Fragkos ◽  
Rafael Garaffa ◽  
Lilia Caiado Couto ◽  
Luiz Bernardo Baptista ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Use ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Investment Planning ◽  
Climate Policies ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Support Employment ◽  
Societal Changes

Emissions pathways after COVID-19 will be shaped by how governments’ economic responses translate into infrastructure expansion, energy use, investment planning and societal changes. As a response to the COVID-19 crisis, most governments worldwide launched recovery packages aiming to boost their economies, support employment and enhance their competitiveness. Climate action is pledged to be embedded in most of these packages, but with sharp differences across countries. This paper provides novel evidence on the energy system and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions implications of post-COVID-19 recovery packages by assessing the gap between pledged recovery packages and the actual investment needs of the energy transition to reach the Paris Agreement goals. Using two well-established Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) and analysing various scenarios combining recovery packages and climate policies, we conclude that currently planned recovery from COVID-19 is not enough to enhance societal responses to climate urgency and that it should be significantly upscaled and prolonged to ensure compatibility with the Paris Agreement goals.

scholarly journals Innovation Dynamics of Socio-Technical Alignment in Community Energy Storage: The Cases of DrTen and Ecovat

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2955 ◽  
Author(s):  
Binod Prasad Koirala ◽  
Ellen van Oost ◽  
Henny van der Windt
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Responsible Innovation ◽  
Technical Innovation ◽  
Local Energy ◽  
Innovation Dynamics ◽  
Storage Technologies

With energy transition gaining momentum, energy storage technologies are increasingly spotlighted as they can effectively handle mismatches in supply and demand. The decreasing cost of distributed energy generation technologies and energy storage technologies as well as increasing demand for local flexibility is opening up new possibilities for the deployment of energy storage technologies in local energy communities. In this context, community energy storage has potential to better integrate energy supply and demand at the local level and can contribute towards accommodating the needs and expectations of citizens and local communities as well as future ecological needs. However, there are techno-economical and socio-institutional challenges of integrating energy storage technologies in the largely centralized present energy system, which demand socio-technical innovation. To gain insight into these challenges, this article studies the technical, demand and political articulations of new innovative local energy storage technologies based on an embedded case study approach. The innovation dynamics of two local energy storage innovations, the seasalt battery of DrTen® and the seasonal thermal storage Ecovat®, are analysed. We adopt a co-shaping perspective for understanding innovation dynamics as a result of the socio-institutional dynamics of alignment of various actors, their articulations and the evolving network interactions. Community energy storage necessitates thus not only technical innovation but, simultaneously, social innovation for its successful adoption. We will assess these dynamics also from the responsible innovation framework that articulates various forms of social, environmental and public values. The socio-technical alignment of various actors, human as well as material, is central in building new socio-technical configurations in which the new storage technology, the community and embedded values are being developed.

scholarly journals Optimal Energy Management in a Standalone Microgrid, with Photovoltaic Generation, Short-Term Storage, and Hydrogen Production

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreu Cecilia ◽  
Javier Carroquino ◽  
Vicente Roda ◽  
Ramon Costa-Castelló ◽  
Félix Barreras
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Hydrogen Production ◽  
Energy Management ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Hybrid Electric Vehicle ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Energy Management Strategy ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Case Scenario ◽  
Photovoltaic Generation

This paper addresses the energy management of a standalone renewable energy system. The system is configured as a microgrid, including photovoltaic generation, a lead-acid battery as a short term energy storage system, hydrogen production, and several loads. In this microgrid, an energy management strategy has been incorporated that pursues several objectives. On the one hand, it aims to minimize the amount of energy cycled in the battery, in order to reduce the associated losses and battery size. On the other hand, it seeks to take advantage of the long-term surplus energy, producing hydrogen and extracting it from the system, to be used in a fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle. A crucial factor in this approach is to accommodate the energy consumption to the energy demand and to achieve this, a model predictive control (MPC) scheme is proposed. In this context, proper models for solar estimation, hydrogen production, and battery energy storage will be presented. Moreover, the controller is capable of advancing or delaying the deferrable loads from its prescheduled time. As a result, a stable and efficient supply with a relatively small battery is obtained. Finally, the proposed control scheme has been validated on a real case scenario.

Enhancement of renewable energy penetration through energy storage technologies in a CHP-based energy system for Chongming, China

Energy ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 162 ◽  
pp. 988-1002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kexin Wang ◽  
Shang Chen ◽  
Liuchen Liu ◽  
Tong Zhu ◽  
Zhongxue Gan
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Storage ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Storage Technologies

Flexible energy systems for planning the world’s main copper mines considering geographical conditions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Moreno Leiva ◽  
Jannik Haas ◽  
Wolfgang Nowak ◽  
Tobias Junne
Keyword(s):  
Energy Demand ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
Demand Side Management ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Energy Planning ◽  
Demand Side ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Available Energy ◽  
Copper Mines ◽  
Ore Grade

<p>Energy systems of the future will be highly renewable, but building the required infrastructure will require vast amounts of materials. Particularly, renewable energy technologies are more copper-intensive than conventional ones and the production of this metal is intensive in energy and emissions. Moreover, as mineral resources are being depleted, more energy is required for their extraction, with subsequent increase in environmental impacts. Highly stressed and uncertain water resources only worsen this situation.</p><p>In this work, we will first provide a comprehensive review of the limited available energy planning approaches on copper mines, including transferrable learnings from other fields. Our second contribution is to compare the influence of different geographical locations on the optimal design of energy systems to supply the world’s main copper mines. For this, we use a linear energy system optimization model, whose main inputs are hourly time series for solar irradiation and power demand, and projections for energy technology costs and ore grade decline. Our third contribution is to propose a multi-vector energy system with novel demand-side management options, specific to copper production processes, including water demand management, illustrated on a case study in Chile (where mining uses a third of the nationwide electricity).</p><p>In the first part, the review, we learned that energy demand models in copper mines have only coarse temporal and operational resolutions, and require major improvements. Also, demand-side management options remain unstudied but could promise large potentials. In general, the models applied in copper energy planning seem overly simplistic when contrasted to available energy decision tools.</p><p>For the second part, we observed that in most locations, using local photovoltaic power not only lowers future electricity costs but also compensates for increased energy demand from ore grade decline. Some regions gain a clear competitive advantage due to extremely favorable climatic conditions.</p><p>In the third and final part, regarding the demand-side management, we saw how the geography and the spatial design of the mines strongly influence the available options and their performance. Jointly planning flexible water and energy supply seems to be particularly attractive. Also, there is space for smart scheduling of maintenance of the production lines, the hardness of the rock feed, oxygen production, and the hauling (rock transport) fleet.</p><p>As an outlook,  we highlight the need for consideration of lifecycle impacts as a design goal, and to further develop demand model’s and their flexibility on the mining side. We expect that implementing these smarter approaches will help secure a cleaner material supply for the global energy transition.</p>

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