Salt and sulphur is the new battery chemistry to claim high capacity.

Australians claim it could have four times the power per volume than lithium! Electric viking has a youtube thing on it here! https://youtu.be/xodNEVG4baA another video from just have a think: https://youtu.be/cHNELRnJ_4Y

Iron flow batteries with 25 year life and 4 to 10 hour duration

Iron flow batteries provide a long duration energy storage solution suited Australia's resource availability and harsh climate. ESS technology uses the abundant low-cost elements of iron, salt, and water to deliver environmentally safe battery solutions capable of providing up to 12 hours of flexible utility-scale energy storage. From sundown to sunup! “ESS iron flow technology provides cost-effective long-duration energy storage and is ideal for applications that require from 4–12 hours of flexible energy capacity. ESS systems provide resilient, sustainable energy storage well-suited for multiple use cases including utility-scale renewable energy installations, remote solar + storage microgrids, grid load-shifting and peak shaving, and other ancillary grid services. ESS technology is safe, non-toxic and has a 25-year lifespan without capacity fade. Demand for long-duration energy storage systems is expected to grow rapidly in Australia; New South Wales announced the procurement of 2 GW of LDES in its recent Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap.” Stuart Parry, Managing Director of ESI, says: “Safe and non-toxic ESS iron flow batteries are perfect in Australia’s harsh environment and the ability to locally source electrolyte provides insurance against supply chain risks and price escalation. The transition to clean energy requires new long-duration storage solutions and we look forward to working with ESS to meet the needs of an increasingly renewable energy grid.” read the whole story here; https://cleantechnica.com/2022/10/27/iron-flow-batteries-to-be-built-in-queensland/

Canada commits C$970 million to new nuclear power technology from GE/Hitachi for small nuclear reactor

Does he not know that this is no panacea, just more nuclear wasdte than the big reactors.. It might be great to generate heat for the tarsands to cook the tar out of the sand, but then we are left with even more polluted residue, and guess who ends up dealing with aftermath, yes, the taxpayer, just like all those abandoned oil and gas wells.. Read more about how these bold plans for small nuclear teactors make it harder to placed their wate in geological safe storege places, here; https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2111833119 exerpt: Small modular reactors (SMRs), proposed as the future of nuclear energy, have purported cost and safety advantages over existing gigawatt-scale light water reactors (LWRs). However, few studies have assessed the implications of SMRs for the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle. The low-, intermediate-, and high-level waste stream characterization presented here reveals that SMRs will produce more voluminous and chemically/physically reactive waste than LWRs, which will impact options for the management and disposal of this waste. Although the analysis focuses on only three of dozens of proposed SMR designs, the intrinsically higher neutron leakage associated with SMRs suggests that most designs are inferior to LWRs with respect to the generation, management, and final disposal of key radionuclides in nuclear waste. Abstract Small modular reactors (SMRs; i.e., nuclear reactors that produce <300 MWelec each) have garnered attention because of claims of inherent safety features and reduced cost. However, remarkably few studies have analyzed the management and disposal of their nuclear waste streams. Here, we compare three distinct SMR designs to an 1,100-MWelec pressurized water reactor in terms of the energy-equivalent volume, (radio-)chemistry, decay heat, and fissile isotope composition of (notional) high-, intermediate-, and low-level waste streams. Results reveal that water-, molten salt–, and sodium-cooled SMR designs will increase the volume of nuclear waste in need of management and disposal by factors of 2 to 30. The excess waste volume is attributed to the use of neutron reflectors and/or of chemically reactive fuels and coolants in SMR designs. That said, volume is not the most important evaluation metric; rather, geologic repository performance is driven by the decay heat power and the (radio-)chemistry of spent nuclear fuel, for which SMRs provide no benefit. SMRs will not reduce the generation of geochemically mobile 129I, 99Tc, and 79Se fission products, which are important dose contributors for most repository designs. In addition, SMR spent fuel will contain relatively high concentrations of fissile nuclides, which will demand novel approaches to evaluating criticality during storage and disposal. Since waste stream properties are influenced by neutron leakage, a basic physical process that is enhanced in small reactor cores, SMRs will exacerbate the challenges of nuclear waste management and disposal. Sign up for PNAS alerts.

Nickel hydrogen batteries long lasting and dependable

Hubble Space telescope used them for 19 years before replacement! more from wikipedia, here is the highlights; The nickel-hydrogen battery combines the positive nickel electrode of a nickel-cadmium battery and the negative electrode, including the catalyst and gas diffusion elements, of a fuel cell. During discharge, hydrogen contained in the pressure vessel is oxidized into water while the nickel oxyhydroxide electrode is reduced to nickel hydroxide. Water is consumed at the nickel electrode and produced at the hydrogen electrode, so the concentration of the potassium hydroxide electrolyte does not change. As the battery discharges, the hydrogen pressure drops, providing a reliable state of charge indicator. In one communication satellite battery, the pressure at full charge was over 500 pounds/square inch (3.4 MPa), dropping to only about 15 PSI (0.1 MPa) at full discharge. If the cell is over-charged, the oxygen produced at the nickel electrode reacts with the hydrogen present in the cell and forms water; as a consequence the cells can withstand overcharging as long as the heat generated can be dissipated.[dubious – discuss] The cells have the disadvantage of relatively high self-discharge rate, i.e. chemical reduction of Ni(III) into Ni(II) in the cathode: {\displaystyle {\ce {NiOOH + 1/2H2 <=> Ni(OH)2.}}}{\displaystyle {\ce {NiOOH + 1/2H2 <=> Ni(OH)2.}}} which is proportional to the pressure of hydrogen in the cell; in some designs, 50% of the capacity can be lost after only a few days' storage. Self-discharge is less at lower temperature.[1] Compared with other rechargeable batteries, a nickel-hydrogen battery provides good specific energy of 55-60 watt-hours/kg, and very long cycle life (40,000 cycles at 40% DOD) and operating life (> 15 years) in satellite applications. The cells can tolerate overcharging and accidental polarity reversal, and the hydrogen pressure in the cell provides a good indication of the state of charge. However, the gaseous nature of hydrogen means that the volume efficiency is relatively low (60-100 Wh/L for an IPV (individual pressure vessel) cell), and the high pressure required makes for high-cost pressure vessels.[1] The positive electrode is made up of a dry sintered[20] porous nickel plaque, which contains nickel hydroxide. The negative hydrogen electrode utilises a teflon-bonded platinum black catalyst at a loading of 7 mg/cm2 and the separator is knit zirconia cloth (ZYK-15 Zircar).[21][22] The Hubble replacement batteries are produced with a wet slurry process where a binder agent and powdered metallic materials are molded and heated to boil off the liquid.[23] Designs Individual pressure vessel (IPV) design consists of a single unit of NiH2 cells in a pressure vessel.[24] Common pressure vessel (CPV) design consist of two NiH2 cell stacks in series in a common pressure vessel. The CPV provides a slightly higher specific energy than the IPV. Single pressure vessel (SPV) design combines up to 22 cells in series in a single pressure vessel. Bipolar design is based on thick electrodes, positive-to-negative back-to-back stacked in a SPV.[25] Dependent pressure vessel (DPV) cell design offers higher specific energy and reduced cost.[26] Common/dependent pressure vessel (C/DPV) is a hybrid of the common pressure vessel (CPV) and the dependent pressure vessel (DPV) with a high volumetric efficiency.[27]

alternatives to lithium batteries are lower cost, longer duration

Various battery chemistries based on zinc, iron, and other low-cost materials are also being developed and commercialized. Interest in these alternatives can be highlighted by some of the funding raised in 2021 from companies developing these long-duration technologies, including the $200 million for Form Energy’s iron-air, $144 million for Ambri Inc’s high-temperature battery, and $100 million for Enervenue’s nickel-hydrogen hybrid battery,” the report reads. “Companies developing non-electrochemical storage technologies such as Highview Power and Energy Vault have also raised considerable funding in 2021.” Non-lithium battery chemistries to grow in importance for stationary energy storage sector - report (Source: IDTechEx). IDTechEx’s review predicts that several factors playing against the lithium-ion industry could open opportunities for battery chemistries, and energy storage technologies, that utilize lower cost, more widely available materials and that can also offer additional safety and environmental benefits. The analyst’s data show that the second half of the 2020s could see lithium, cobalt, and nickel supply disruptions and bottlenecks, while the sector will also have to deal with the ongoing questioning of the safety and environmental credentials of materials throughout the Li-ion supply chain. “Li-ion will continue to dominate the energy storage space in the short term. For battery electric vehicles, this will continue to be the case even in the long-term as there are few realistic alternatives beyond related chemistries based on silicon and lithium-metal anodes or solid-electrolytes,” the report reads. But for stationary storage, IDTechEx predicts alternatives to Li-ion are set to play an increasingly important role due to their potential for improving cost and safety, easing material supply burdens, and the often less demanding requirements on energy density in the stationary sector.

Grid scale coordination, price sensitive marketing

× Grid-scale modelling of Distributed Energy Resources and dynamic pricing for all customers energypost.eu/grid-scale-modelling-of-distributed-energy-resources-and-dynamic-pricing-for-all-customers/ By James ConcaFebruary 7, 2022 A recent study by DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory shows that grid operators can use something called transactive energy coordination to engage and use thousands or millions of large-area flexible distributed energy resources (DERs), such as air conditioners, water heaters, batteries, and electric vehicles, to help them operate the electric power system. It can help keep the U.S. electric grid stable and reliable and would be a win-win for both consumers and utility operators. The largest ever simulation of its kind, modelled on the Texas power grid that failed so spectacularly last year, concluded that consumers stand to save about 15% on their annual electric bill by partnering this way with utilities. In this system, consumers would coordinate with their electric utility operator to dynamically control big home energy users, like heat pumps, water heaters and electric vehicle charging stations, even in their own garage. https://youtu.be/TJiTaTsuJ7Q “Transactive” agreement between consumers and utilities This kind of flexible control over energy supply and use patterns is called “transactive” because it relies on an agreement between consumers and utilities. But a transactive energy system has never been deployed on a large scale, and there are a lot of unknowns. That’s why the Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity called upon the transactive energy experts at PNNL to study how such a system might work in practice. The final multi-volume report was released last week. Hayden Reeve, who led the team at PNNL, said “Because Texas’s grid is quite representative of the nation’s energy system, it not only enabled the modelling and simulation of transactive concepts but provided a reliable extrapolation of the results and potential economic impacts to the broader U.S. grid and customers.” Saving the U.S. $50bn/year The simulation showed that if a transactive energy system were deployed on the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) grid, peak loads would be reduced by 9 to 15%, translating to economic benefits of up to $5 billion annually in Texas alone, or up to $50 billion annually if deployed across the entire continental United States. The savings would equal the annual output of 180 coal-fired power plants nationally, and would go a long way to avoiding blackouts. The Interactions of Transactive Energy Coordination that can bring down peak loads and peak costs / SOURCE: PNNL The vulnerability of centralised power sources, and also wind & solar By now, most people have experienced or witnessed how weather extremes and natural disasters can wreak havoc on our grid. That vulnerability is magnified by our reliance on a few centralised power sources and a grid system that sometimes struggles to match supply with demand. Further, decarbonisation of the electric grid will mean that more and more power will come from different kinds of renewable energy sources, like wind and solar. So, avoiding sudden spikes or dips—power brown or black outs—becomes paramount. The study results indicate that a transactive energy system would reduce daily load swings by 20 to 44%. And as more electric vehicles come into use, the study, perhaps counterintuitively, showed that smart vehicle charging stations provide even larger electric peak load reductions because they offer additional flexibility in scheduled charging times and power consumption since the customer can just key in when they need the vehicle fully charged. A smart grid is a shock absorber “A smart grid can act as a shock absorber, balancing out mismatches between supply and demand,” Reeve said. “Through our study, we sought to understand just how valuable effective coordination of the electric grid could be to the nation, utilities, and customers. Working with commercial building owners and consumers to automatically adjust energy usage represents a practical, win-win step towards the decarbonisation of the electrical, building, and transportation sectors without compromising the comfort and safety of participating homes and businesses.” One key component to this strategy is adoption of smart appliances and load controls. These dynamic resources can learn how to consume energy more efficiently, adjusting their use for brief periods to free up electricity for other needs. For example, instead of charging an electric vehicle in the early evening when energy demand and price is high, transactive energy participants would rely on a smart load control to delay charging their vehicle until demand is low and electricity cheaper. This approach not only reduces stress on the existing grid infrastructure, it allows utilities more time to plan for next-generation energy storage and distribution infrastructure that is currently in development. Hayden Reeve led the Transactive Energy team at PNNL / SOURCE: PNNL In a transactive energy system, the power grid, homes, commercial buildings, electric appliances and charging stations are in constant contact. Smart devices receive a forecast of energy prices at various times of day and develop a strategy to meet consumer preferences, while reducing cost and overall electricity demand. A local retail market in turn coordinates overall demand with the larger wholesale market. All parties negotiate energy procurement and consumption levels, cost, timing and delivery, in a dynamic pricing scheme. While this concept may seem futuristic, it is already here, being deployed in a demonstration project in the city of Spokane’s Eco-District as well as in Chinese cities like Shanghai. Modelling 100 power sources and 60,000 customers Using Texas’s primary power grid (ERCOT) as the basis for PNNL’s analysis, researchers created highly detailed models that represented the ERCOT power network, including more than 100 power generation sources and 40 different utilities operating on the transmission system. The analysis also included detailed representations of 60,000 homes and businesses, as well as their energy-consuming appliances. Researchers used the models to conduct multiple simulations under various renewable energy generation scenarios. Each simulation demonstrated how the energy system would react to the addition of differing amounts of intermittent power sources, such as wind and solar. The research team also developed a detailed economic model to understand the yearly cost impacts for operators and customers. Modelling the installation costs, too Finally, they looked at upfront costs associated with labour and software expenses, as well as the costs for buying and installing smart devices in homes and businesses. Overall, the PNNL research showed clear benefits of reimagining how the electric grid could accommodate a future where renewable energy is a much bigger contributor to the grid and where electricity powers more of our transportation needs. The world’s largest digitally-connected energy storage network But PNNL isn’t the only company working on AI-assisted grid energy operations. Stem operates the world’s largest digitally-connected energy storage network, referred to as clean energy intelligence (see below) using its Athena AI software. DSD Renewables solar farm buffered by STEM energy storage (2.5MW/10MWh – inset) deployed in Rotterdam, New York in 2021, allowing maximum delivery of its 4.5 MW of solar / SOURCE: DSD RENEWABLES Athena’s machine learning algorithms generate multiple forecasts – about weather, prices, solar generation, energy demand, and other factors – then formulate a strategy for maximising energy use and value (see video). According to Stem’s Chief Technology Officer, Larsh Johnson, “AI software is being deployed to accommodate the addition of battery storage onto the grid as that technology becomes more mature and is commercialised. AI technology determines the most optimal and economic times to recharge the batteries and to release the energy onto the grid. AI software helps the operators forecast what individual customers’ load patterns are going to be, when they’re going to be consuming power and what the cost of power will be during different times of day.” It’s the AI that makes a smart grid smart. *** James Conca is an earth and environmental scientist and a regular contributor to Forbes magazine

lithium battery cathode infographic

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