Solar energy produced “water battery” wins global award and saves 40% of university’s energy use

"Water Battery" and solar panels at the USC (USC website)

The University of the Sunshine Coast (USC), Queensland, Australia, wins an award at the 6th Global District Energy Climate Awards which was presented in Iceland in September 2019. The award was for their “water battery”, featuring 6,000+ solar panels and a thermal energy storage tank, that is cutting grid energy use at the Sunshine Coast campus by 40 percent.

The USC has a goal to become carbon neutral by 2025 and to operate sustainably. The Sunshine Coast campus uses a lot of electricity, so in order to achieve that goal they had to come up with a way to store energy without using chemical batteries which have a waste problem.

In collaboration with Veolia, the USC installed a massive rooftop solar system and built a thermal energy storage battery with a thermal chiller. When the sunshines (which is often in this location), solar energy powers the thermal chiller to cool water which is stored in a massive tank. The chilled water is used to air condition the entire campus.

Read more:
- Sunny approach to cooling campus wins global award. University of the Sunshine Coast, October 28, 2019.
- Clean Energy (How it Works): Sustainable USC, University of the Sunshine Coast.
- Sustainable USC, University of the Sunshine Coast.

A new, efficient way to capture CO₂ from the air

Diagram of the new system (MIT News)

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) engineers have developed a new way to remove carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the air without large heat losses. The method can use any concentration of CO₂ in a stream of gas: from that of the atmosphere/air to high concentrations emitted from power plants.

The method passes gas through a stack of electrochemical plates (like a battery). The plates alternate between being charged and discharged. When air (or other gas stream) pass over the plates they are charged up and remove CO₂ from the gas stream. When the discharging cycle begins a pure stream of CO₂ is then released. Also during the discharge power is provided to drive the whole system. The cycle operates at room temperature and normal air pressure.

The air leaving the device has much less of the greenhouse gas. The resulting pure stream of CO₂ captured can be used productively to make fizzy drinks or assist with plant growth in greenhouses. Both these two industries currently use fossil fuels to make the CO₂ they need. The gas could also be compressed and injected underground for long-term disposal or, alternatively, it could be used to make fuels through a series of chemical and electrochemical processes.

Further information:
- MIT engineers develop a new way to remove carbon dioxide from the air (includes video). MIT News, October 24, 2019.
- A new paper in the journal Energy and Environmental Science by Sahag Voskian and T. Alan Hatton entitled “Faradaic electro-swing reactive adsorption for CO₂ capture.”

Renewable microgrid saves lives and helps folk in the Californian wild-fires

Blue Lake Rancheria Microgrid, CA (One Step off the Grid)

The Blue Lake Rancheria microgrid saved lives when its owner welcomed in the broader community during the recent sweep of wild-fire related power shut offs in northwest Humboldt County, California. The Rancheria and its estate are owned by three Indian tribes.

The microgrid kept the tribes’ casino, hotel and offices powered up and enabled the tribes to set aside some of its hotel rooms for medical patients who needed electric power for their medical devices. This assistance saved at least four lives.

The microgrid also provided a safe, warm environment for local families to charge mobile phones and access the internet; power to charge electric vehicles; and it was also able to provide a mobile office for Humboldt’s daily newspaper. The tribes served about 10,000 people during the electricity outages which were enacted to lower the fire risk.

The Rancheria has a 430kW solar photovoltaic array with a 500kW, 2kWh Tesla battery storage system complemented by two legacy diesel generators with a combined capacity of 1.8MW. There are plans to upgrade the microgrid next year.

Read more: How a renewable microgrid saved lives in the California wild-fires. One Step off the Grid, November 14, 2019.

ACT’s first electric bus starts service - the aim is zero transport emissions

The ACT government's first electric bus (Source Twitter)

On its way to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, Canberra’s local government purchased its first electric bus which started operation this week. CanberraTransport runs the bus fleet and it plans to have 100% zero emission vehicles (including light rail) by 2040.

In October 2019, the ACT achieved its goal of 100% renewable electricity target by 2020 (three months early) with the start of deliveries of power from the Hornsdale Stage 3 109MW wind farm in South Australia. So with the grid having 100% renewable electricity, the bus is greenhouse gas emissions free.

It is now looking to reduce the next largest source of carbon emissions, transport, which now makes up 60% of the ACT’s emissions thanks to the decarbonisation of the ACT grid, as part of a wider plan to achieve net zero emissions by 2045. Therefore many more electric buses will joint the fleet.

The bus is a Yutong Electric E12, which is a more modern electric bus than those previously trialled in 2017 and has already proved successful in other jurisdictions. It has an approximate 400km driving range before needing to recharge at the Tuggeranong Depot.

Read more:
- ACT introduces first electric bus on path to zero transport emissions. The Driven, November 12, 2019.
See also:
- NSW unveils plan to switch Sydney’s 8,000 buses to all electric. The Driven, October 28, 2019.
- Victorian-made electric buses ready to run. Manufacturers’ Monthly, October 30, 2019.

“30 of the world’s largest & most influential cities have peaked greenhouse gas emissions”

London (eBay, UK)

Two thirds of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050 according to the UN. So it could be cities that can drive climate change mitigation. Many C40 mayors get it and are doing just that. “C40 is a network of the world’s megacities committed to addressing climate change. C40 supports cities to collaborate effectively, share knowledge and drive meaningful, measurable and sustainable action on climate change.” (C40: About).

“Austin, Athens, Lisbon, and Venice are the latest C40 major cities to have peaked their greenhouse gas emissions. The world’s leading scientists have calculated that global greenhouse gas emissions must peak by 2020 in order to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C.” (C40)

The 30 C40 large and influential cities that have peaked greenhouse gas emissions include: Athens, Austin, Barcelona, Berlin, Boston, Chicago, Copenhagen, Heidelberg, Lisbon, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Melbourne, Milan, Montréal, New Orleans, New York City, Oslo, Paris, Philadelphia, Portland, Rome, San Francisco, Stockholm, Sydney, Toronto, Vancouver, Venice, Warsaw, and Washington, D.C. (C40)

“C40 analysis shows that, since reaching peak emissions levels, these 30 cities have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 22 percent. Copenhagen, the host city for this year’s C40 World Mayors Summit, has reduced emissions by up to 61 percent.” (C40). Cities will shape our future because not only do they need to reduce emissions, they need to address air pollution and find sustainable ways of existing.

Further reading:
- 30 of the world’s largest & most influential cities have peaked greenhouse gas emissions. C40, October 8, 2019.
See also:
- Amsterdam joins a list of 20 cities/territories and 10 countries planning to ban fossil fuel vehicles. Using Renewables, May 7, 2019.
- The city of the future will depend on reimagining our lifestyles. CleanTechnica, November 11, 2019.

“Hyundai unveils hydrogen-powered Neptune heavy duty truck”

Hyundai hydrogen FCEV truck + HT Nitro ThermoTech trailer. (The Driven)

It is thought that hydrogen-powered vehicles could be an optional extra of an electric vehicle for heavy work such as towing but where they really come into force is as a heavy duty electric vehicle. Using an electric motor driven by a fuel cell powered by renewable hydrogen will be greenhouse emissions free. Refuelling is quick, the range is large but most importantly hydrogen provides a powerful fuel for heavy duty trucks, trains, planes, ships and rockets (where it is already used).

At the North American Commercial Vehicle (NACV) Show, Hyundai unveiled two concepts, including the HDC-6 NEPTUNE Concept, a hydrogen-powered Class 8 heavy duty truck, and the Hyundai Translead (HT) – a leading trailer manufacturer – also announced the launch of its new clean energy refrigerated concept trailer, the HT Nitro ThermoTech.

Billed as “optimal” for transporting cold chain products, the HT Nitro ThermoTech is able to reduce temperatures faster than traditional refrigeration units and maintain precise temperature without being affected by outside temperatures. It reduces pollutants and emissions while providing reliable and effective cold chain food transportation without affecting the truck’s power supply.

Hyundai is hoping that the dual announcements of truck and trailer in the US provide a glimpse into the future of transportation in the United States, and around the world.

Read more:
- Hyundai unveils hydrogen-powered Neptune heavy duty truck. The Driven, November 1, 2019.
- Hyundai Media Centre: https://www.hyundainews.com/en-us/releases/2889

Victoria, Australia, aims at 50% renewable electricity by 2030

Ararat wind farm in western Victoria (Renew Economy)

The Victorian Renewable Energy Target (VRET) of 50 per cent by 2030 was written into law by the state parliament in late October, 2019. It is an initiative of the Andrew’s Labor government. They plan to have 25% renewable energy by 2020 and 40% by 2025 as interim steps.

It is a clear signal to industry to keep investing in renewables; particularly in rural districts. It is expected that the VRET will create around 24,000 jobs by 2030 and provide certainty and investor confidence in the renewable energy industry, which itself is expected to drive an additional $5.8 billion in economic activity for the state.

Read more: Victoria 50% by 2030 renewable energy target voted into law. Renew Economy, October 30, 2019.