Alternative Energy Storage Technologies Research Articles

Direct Synthesis of MOF-74 Materials on Carbon Fiber Electrodes for Structural Supercapacitors.

The use of fossil fuels has contributed significantly to environmental pollution and climate change. For this reason, the development of alternative energy storage devices is key to solving some of these problems. The development of lightweight structures can significantly reduce the devices' weight, thereby reducing energy consumption and emissions. Combining lightweight structures with alternative energy storage technologies can further improve efficiency and performance, leading to a cleaner and more sustainable system. In this work, for the first time, MOF-74 materials with different divalent metal ions have been synthesized directly on carbon fiber, one of the most widely used materials for the preparation of electrodes for supercapacitors with structural properties. Different techniques, such as nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms, cyclic voltammetry or galvanostatic charge-discharge, among others, were used to evaluate the influence of the metal cation on the electrochemical capacitance behavior of the modified electrodes. The Co-MOF-74 material was selected as the best modification of the carbon fibers for their use as electrodes for the fabrication of structural supercapacitors. The good electrochemical performance shown after the incorporation of MOF materials on carbon fibers provides a viable method for the development of carbon fiber electrodes, opening a great variety of alternatives.

Recent advances and promise of MXene-based composites as electrode materials for sodium-ion and potassium-ion batteries.

With the increasing demand for sustainable energy and concerns about the scarcity of lithium resources, sodium and potassium ion batteries have emerged as promising alternative energy storage technologies. MXene, as a novel two-dimensional material, possesses exceptional electrical conductivity, high surface area, and tunable structural features that make it an ideal candidate for high-performance electrode materials. However, its limited theoretical capacity hinders its widespread application. To overcome this limitation, MXene has been combined with other materials through synergistic effects between different components to enhance the overall electrochemical performance and expand its application in sodium/potassium ion batteries. Recently, substantial advancements have been realized in the exploration of MXene-based composites as energy storage materials, encompassing their synthesis, design, and the comprehension of charge storage mechanisms. This paper aims to propose a comprehensive summary of the latest developments in MXene-based composites as electrode materials for sodium ion batteries and potassium ion batteries, with a particular emphasis on the enhanced physicochemical properties resulting from composite formation. Moreover, the challenges faced by MXene materials in sodium ion batteries and potassium ion batteries are thoroughly discussed, and future research directions to further advance this field are proposed.

Facile solvothermal synthesis of Ni-Co MOF/rGO nanoflakes for high-performance asymmetric supercapacitor

Electron transport characteristics continue to be a barrier for supercapacitor electrodes composed of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Therefore, an electrode composite material Ni-Co MOF/rGO was synthesized from a Nickel cobalt-based metal–organic framework (Ni-Co MOF) composed with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) using a simple solvothermal method to improve its electron transfer property. The Ni-Co MOF/rGO nanocomposite demonstrates a high specific capacitance of 1320 Fg−1 at 4 mAcm−2. The asymmetric activated carbon//Ni-Co MOF/rGO device delivers an energy density of 94.4 Wh kg−1 and power density of 1291 Wkg−1, which still holds an energy density of 39.82 Whkg−1 and power density of 359.70 Wkg−1, as well as a long cycle life 90.6 % capacitance retention after 5000th cycles. Ni-Co MOF/rGO ASC is a superb energy storage device as a result, with both practical and financial value. This work's synergistic effect technique can be simply used to create more MOFs with distinctive crystal structures and other redox-active additives, opening up new research possibilities for investigating alternative energy storage technologies.

Advancements in metalloid anodes (Si/Ge/B) for air batteries

Metal-air batteries (MABs) have emerged as a promising contender in the quest for alternative energy storage technologies, rivalling the widespread utilization of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Their comparable theoretical energy density to gasoline, reaching ∼12,000 Wh/kg, has sparked great interest. However, the practical implementation of MABs has been hindered by limitations associated with metal anodes, including volume expansion and unwanted side reactions. Surprisingly, the exploration of metalloid-air batteries (MLAB) remains largely unexplored. This comprehensive review aims to shed light on the potential of MLABs as a novel alternative battery technology. This technology employs metalloids in their elemental form or as compounds/alloys. Elemental metalloids, such as Silicon and Germanium, when used as anodes in combination with alkaline or Ionic liquid electrolytes, have showcased remarkable performance, surpassing their metallic counterparts in energy density, corrosiveness, and discharge time, among other critical factors. Moreover, this review delves into the discussion of Borides and Silicides, compounds of elemental Boron and Silicon, respectively, as anode materials for air batteries. Furthermore, diverse metalloid composites and computational studies exploring innovative configurations have also been examined and discussed, paving the way for future advancements in MLABs.

Comparative Analysis of Energy Storage Technologies for Portable Electronics: Beyond Li-Ion Batteries

This study conducts a comprehensive comparative analysis of alternative energy storage technologies for portable electronics, considering key criteria such as energy density, cycle life, charging time, safety, environmental impact, cost, and scalability. The collected data reveals distinct performance attributes. Supercapacitors exhibit rapid charging (2 minutes) and a cycle life of 10,000 cycles. Solid-state batteries offer a balance with an energy density of 150 Wh/kg and a safety rating of 3. Hydrogen fuel cells stand out with high energy density (300 Wh/kg), excellent safety (rating of 5), and low environmental impact (0.8 kg CO2 equivalent). The study highlights potential synergies between these technologies and provides insights for future developments in portable electronics' energy storage

Viable Alternatives to Lithium-Based Batteries

Developing sustainable and environmentally friendly energy storage technologies for electric vehicles has become increasingly important with the growing demand for electric vehicles and increasing climate concerns. Lithium-ion batteries have been the primary energy storage technology used in electric vehicles due to their high energy density, long cycle life, and relatively low cost compared to other options. However, safety concerns related to the flammability of liquid electrolytes have motivated research on alternative energy storage technologies, mainly Sodium-ion and solid-state batteries. This paper reviews the status of sodium-ion and solid-state batteries as viable alternatives to lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. Sodium-ion batteries have shown promising results regarding energy density, safety, and cost but face challenges related to their lower specific energy and power density. Solid-state batteries have the potential to overcome many of the safety concerns associated with liquid electrolytes and exhibit high energy density but are currently limited by their high cost and low cycle life.

Surface modification of metal phosphate Binder-Free electrode with metal hydroxides for supercapattery

Supercapattery is one of the emerging alternative energy storage technologies and numerous recent studies have been done in search of good electrode material for its application. Cobalt phosphate (Co3(PO4)2) is a promising candidate due to its abundance, low cost, valence states variation, and good faradaic property. However, cobalt phosphates have limited surface area, affecting its electrochemical performance. To overcome that, herein Co3(PO4)2 was synthesized via sonochemical method and calcined at various temperatures to obtain the best calcination temperature followed by coating of cobalt hydroxide (Co(OH)2) layer. The synthesis of Co3(PO4)2 and coating of Co(OH)2 over cobalt phosphate was observed through X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and the morphology of the synthesized nanostructures was observed using Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analyses were carried out. The results showed calcination temperature of 200 °C followed by coating of Co(OH)2 using 2 mM metal precursor as the optimized sample. This sample exhibited the fascinating electrochemical performance of specific capacitance (2111.83F g−1 at 1 A g−1), energy density (72.51 Wh kg−1 at 1 A g−1), and power density (2357 W kg−1 at 10 A g−1) and fabricated supercapattery demonstrated outstanding cyclic stability up to 84 % over 15,000 charge/discharge cycles.

Realizing Renewable Energy Storage Potential in Municipalities: Identifying the Factors that Matter

Abstract The share of renewable energy in heat and power generation is expected to increase significantly and reach record levels in the coming decades. As a result, emerging energy storage technologies will be key elements in balancing the energy system. To compensate the variability and non-controllability of seasonally generated renewable energy (RES) (daily fluctuations in solar radiation intensity, wind speed, etc.) development of sufficient energy storage infrastructure in the regions will play a major role in transforming RES supply potential into reality. However, local public authorities that are responsible for creating an enabling policy environment for RES infrastructure development in regions encounter numerous challenges and uncertainties in deploying sufficient energy accumulation that often remain unanswered due to a lack of knowledge and on-site capacity, which in turn significantly hinders the regional path to climate neutrality. In this study, the PESLTE analytical framework and composite index methodology is applied to examine the multidimensional factors that influence the deployment of renewable energy storage technologies in municipalities: political, economic, social, legal, technological, and environmental. Developed model is approbated in a case study in a Latvian municipality where four different alternative energy storage technologies are compared: batteries for electricity storage, thermal energy storage, energy storage in a form of hydrogen, and energy storage in a form of biomethane.

Semantic Approach for Evaluation of Energy Storage Technologies under Fuzzy Environment

Energy storage systems are becoming increasingly important, with a growing focus on renewable energy sources that provide highly fluctuating output. Therefore, sound decisions regarding the energy storage systems to be employed need to be made, especially with a systematic and semantic approach. This paper considers the problem of evaluation and selection of energy storage technologies (ESTs). The objective of the proposed research is to decide the best technology for energy storage under the novel idea of hybrid multicriteria decision-making technique under fuzzy environment, that is, fuzzy AHP with fuzzy VIKOR. Electrochemical storage, electrical storage, magnetic storage, mechanical storage, and chemical storage are considered as five alternative energy storage technologies. Energy density, life cycles, cycle efficiency, investment level, suitability to climatic conditions, and required space are considered as six main evaluation criteria. Under each of the main criteria, a set of subcriteria are also considered. The weights of main criteria and subcriteria are determined using fuzzy AHP. With the help of the weights of each set of subcriteria, the weights of alternatives are determined using fuzzy VIKOR. Further, with the help of the main criteria weights and the weights of alternatives determined with respect to each set of subcriteria, the final normalized weights of alternatives are determined. Based on these weights, energy storage technologies are ranked. In addition, the sensitivity analysis is carried out to analyze the variation in ranking pattern of alternatives. From the research findings of this paper, the results are found to be more practical as the evaluation is carried out on an objective basis.

Sustainable electrodes for the next generation of redox flow batteries

The development of alternative energy storage technologies is key to advance renewable energy resources. Among them, redox flow batteries (RFBs) have been identified to be one of the most promising technologies in the field of stationary batteries. The carbon-based electrodes in these batteries are a crucial component and play an important part in achieving high efficiency and performance. A further leap into this direction is the design of fossil-free materials by incorporating sustainable alternative resources as the carbon component in the processing of the electrodes. The use of biomass as carbon precursor for electrode applications has also been a focus of research for other energy storage devices and in the case of RFBs, it has become an emergent topic in recent years. This short review presents the recent advances in the design of biomass-derived carbon materials as electrodes in RFBs, strategies to enhance their electrocatalytic properties, challenges, and future outlook in the design of sustainable electrode materials.

Logical analysis of data for ranking green technologies

Selection of the best green technology for a given application is a multi-criterion decision analysis problem. The tradeoffs that need to be made among conflicting attributes of the alternatives are inherently subjective and require the use of interactive decision analysis tools. In this work, a machine-learning based methodology is developed for ranking green technologies based on multiple criteria. First, an expert generates a training data set by ranking a subset of the alternative technologies using his/her tacit knowledge and preferences. Then, a machine learning procedure known as logical analysis of data (LAD) is used to detect patterns in these rankings. These patterns are approximations of the mental rules used by the expert to compare and rank the competing alternatives; after validation, they can be used to rank other technologies in the same class as those in the training data. This novel methodology is illustrated here for the case of ranking alternative energy storage technologies for stationary applications. This technique provides a rapid means of eliciting expert knowledge for ranking alternatives based on multiple criteria.

Life-cycle assessment of gravity energy storage systems for large-scale application

Interest in energy storage systems has been increased with the growing penetration of variable renewable energy sources. This paper discusses a detailed economic analysis of an attractive gravitational potential energy storage option, known as gravity energy storage (GES). The economic performance of this energy storage system is compared to other alternative energy storage technologies such as pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) and compressed air energy storage (CAES). Moreover, a life cycle costs and levelized cost of electricity delivered by this energy storage are analyzed to provide expert, power producers, and grid operators insight about the economic implications of this grid-scale gravitational energy storage technology. Depending on the considered scenarios and assumptions, the levelized cost of storage of GES varies between 7.5 €ct/kWh and 15 €ct/kWh, while it is between 3.8 €ct/kWh and 7.3 €ct/kWh for gravity energy storage with wire hoisting system (GESH). The LCOS of GES and GESH were then compared to other energy storage systems. The obtained results show that GESH is very cost-competitive with pumped hydro and Compressed Air Energy Storage technologies; while GES is competitive with PHES and may be cost-competitive with CAES depending on the operation cycles. The performed analysis has also shown that both GES and GESH offer interesting economic advantages for the provision of energy arbitrage service.

Architecture engineering of carbonaceous anodes for high‐rate potassium‐ion batteries

AbstractThe limited lithium resource in earth's crust has stimulated the pursuit of alternative energy storage technologies to lithium‐ion battery. Potassium‐ion batteries (KIBs) are regarded as a kind of promising candidate for large‐scale energy storage owing to the high abundance and low cost of potassium resources. Nevertheless, further development and wide application of KIBs are still challenged by several obstacles, one of which is their fast capacity deterioration at high rates. A considerable amount of effort has recently been devoted to address this problem by developing advanced carbonaceous anode materials with diverse structures and morphologies. This review presents and highlights how the architecture engineering of carbonaceous anode materials gives rise to high‐rate performances for KIBs, and also the beneficial conceptions are consciously extracted from the recent progress. Particularly, basic insights into the recent engineering strategies, structural innovation, and the related advances of carbonaceous anodes for high‐rate KIBs are under specific concerns. Based on the achievements attained so far, a perspective on the foregoing, and proposed possible directions, and avenues for designing high‐rate anodes, are presented finally.

Interval reference point technique for sustainable industrial processs election under uncertainties

Abstract Sustainability of industrial processes has been a hot spot and draws the attentions of more and more stakeholders, because determining the synthetic sustainability index can help the decision-makers/stakeholders to make informed decisions towards sustainable industrial processes, especially for selecting the most sustainable industrial process among multiple alternatives. This study aims to develop an interval reference point technique for the prioritization of industrial processes under uncertainties. The hierarchy best-worst method which can determine the weights of the criteria, the local weights of the sub-criteria and the global weights of the sub-criteria simultaneously was employed for weights determination. An interval reference point technique which allows the users to set the aspiration point (the level of acceptance) and the reservation point (the level of desirable expectation) was developed to determine the dual synthetic sustainability indexes, and both the weak synthetic sustainability index (compensatory sustainability index) and the strong synthetic sustainability index (non- compensatory sustainability index) were used to prioritize the industrial processes. A case study with five alternative energy storage technologies has been studied to illustrate the developed framework, and the results reveal that the developed framework is feasible and efficient for sustainability assessment and prioritization of industrial processes.

Future Nano-grid technologies and its implementation challenges for Smart Cities

Many technologies have been and are being implemented to make the microgrid model successful in many cities. It is incapable of reaching the scale as predicted because of several obstacles. Smart Nano-grid will cover these lacunae and requirements. The paper illustrates the value of nano-grids in the launch of smart cities by examining the progress of nano and microgrids, alternative energy storage technologies, energy applications, smart gadgets in smart cities. The survey also addressed the implementation challenges associated with a technical and economical point of view. This will provide a wider vision for the researchers to focus on the monitoring and control of nano-grid technologies.

An Energy‐Dense Solvent‐Free Dual‐Ion Battery

AbstractEver‐increasing energy demands call for alternative energy storage technologies with balanced performance and cost characteristics to meet current and emerging applications. Dual‐ion batteries (DIBs) are considered particularly attractive owing to the potentially high specific energy, a rich variety of charge carrier combinations, and the applicability of metal‐free cathode and earth‐abundant anode materials. However, their performance falls far below expectations because of a large excess of solvent needed to dissolve electroactive species that induces side reactions and contributes parasitic weight, which penalizes the reversible capacity and cell‐level energy density. Herein, a solvent‐free DIB utilizing a binary alkali metal molten salt based on bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide as the electrolyte to solve these issues is demonstrated. The cell (NaK‐DIB) operates in a temperature range of 90–120 °C and exhibits high theoretical energy densities of 246 Wh kg−1 and 533 Wh L−1 based on active materials and capacity‐matched electrolyte, far surpassing those of reported DIBs. Further improvements could realize affordable grid‐scale energy storage.

Stress-Induced Crystallization of Thin Hf1- XZr XO2 Films: The Origin of Enhanced Energy Density with Minimized Energy Loss for Lead-Free Electrostatic Energy Storage Applications.

Increasing interest in the development of alternative energy storage technologies has led to efforts being taken to improve the energy density of dielectric capacitors with high power density. However, dielectric polymer materials still have low energy densities because of their low dielectric constant, whereas Pb-based materials are limited by environmental issues and regulations. Here, the energy storage behaviors of atomic layer-deposited Hf1- XZr XO2 ( X = 0-1) thin films (10 nm) and the phase transformation mechanism associated with an enhancement of their energy density are reported using unipolar pulse measurements. Based on electrical and material characterization, the energy density and energy efficiency are dependent on the Zr content, and stress-induced crystallization by the encapsulating Hf1- XZr XO2 films with TiN top electrodes prior to annealing can enhance the energy density (up to 47 J/cm3 at a small voltage value of 3.5 MV/cm) while minimizing energy loss even at low process temperatures (400 °C). This work will facilitate the realization of Hf1- XZr XO2-based capacitors for lead-free electrostatic energy storage applications.

Sustainability prioritization of energy storage technologies for promoting the development of renewable energy: A novel intuitionistic fuzzy combinative distance-based assessment approach

Abstract Energy storage technology plays an important role for promoting the development of renewable energy sources due to their highly erratic and intermittent characteristics. However, it is usually difficult for the decision-makers/stakeholders to select the most sustainable scenario among multiple energy storage technologies. This study aims at developing a novel multi-criteria decision making method by combining the interval analytic hierarchy process (IAHP) and the intuitionistic fuzzy combinative distance-based assessment method for prioritizing the alternative energy storage technologies. Four alternative energy storage technologies including pumped hydro, compressed air, lithium-ion, and flywheel were studied by the proposed method, the sustainability sequence of the four energy storage technologies from the most sustainable to the least is pumped hydro, flywheel, lithium-ion, and compressed air. Sensitivity analysis was also carried out to investigate the effects of the weights of the metrics on the sustainability ranking of the four alternative energy storage technologies, and the results reveal that altering the preferences/willingness of the decision-makers/stakeholders and the relative importance of the metrics will change the sustainability ranking of the four energy storage technologies.

Sustainability ranking of energy storage technologies under uncertainties

The selection of the most suitable or the best energy storage technology among multiple alternatives is of vital importance for promoting the development of renewable energy. This study aims at developing a multi-attribute decision analysis framework for sustainability prioritization of energy storage technologies. A criteria system which consists of ten criteria in four categories (economic, performance, technological and environmental) was developed for sustainability assessment of energy storage technologies. The Non-Linear Fuzzy Prioritization which allows the users to use fuzzy numbers to establish the comparison judgments was employed to determine the weights of the evaluation criteria, and a novel interval multi-attribute decision analysis method which can rank the alternative energy storage technologies based on the interval decision-making matrix was developed for sustainability prioritization of energy storage technologies. An illustrative case including five energy storage technologies including pumped hydro (PH), compressed air (CA), Lead-Acid (LA), Lithium-ion (LI), and Flywheel (FW) was studied by the proposed method, and PH was recognized as the most sustainable technology. The results were validated by the interval TOPSIS method, and sensitivity analysis was also carried out to investigate the effects of the weights of the evaluation criteria on the sustainability order of the five energy storage technologies.

Automotive Lithium-Ion Batteries: Dangers and Safety Measures

Due to various economic, environmental, and political pressures, the automotive industry is be-ginning to put greater research eorts towards developing alternative energy storage technologies forvehicles, with a particular focus on lithium-ion batteries. This new technology poses new dangerswhich requires new technology to mitigate these dangers. Current and immediately next-generationsafety concerns and technologies are reviewed.