Deployment Of New Energy Technologies Research Articles

Evaluation of Rail Decarbonization Alternatives: Framework and Application

The Northwestern University Freight Rail Infrastructure & Energy Network Decarbonization (NUFRIEND) framework is a comprehensive industry-oriented tool for simulating the deployment of new energy technologies including biofuels, e-fuels, battery-electric, and hydrogen locomotives. By classifying fuel types into two categories based on deployment requirements, the associated optimal charging/fueling facility location and sizing problem are solved with a five-step framework. Life-cycle analysis (LCA) and techno-economic analysis (TEA) are used to estimate carbon reduction, capital investments, cost of carbon reduction, and operational impacts, enabling sensitivity analysis with operational and technological parameters. The framework is illustrated on lower-carbon drop-in fuels as well as battery-electric technology deployments for the US Eastern and Western Class I railroad networks. Drop-in fuel deployments are modeled as admixtures with diesel in existing locomotives, while battery-electric deployments are shown for varying technology penetration levels and locomotive ranges. When mixed in a 50% ratio with diesel, results show biodiesel’s capacity to reduce emissions at 36% with a cost of $ 0.13 per kilogram of CO2 reduced, while e-fuels offer a potential reduction of 50% of emissions at a cost of $ 0.22 per kilogram of CO2 reduced. Battery-electric results for 50% deployment over all ton-miles highlight the value of future innovations in battery energy densities as scenarios assuming 800-mi range locomotives show an estimated emissions reduction of 46% with a cost of $ 0.06 per kilogram of CO2 reduced, compared with 16% emissions reduction at a cost of $ 0.11 per kilogram of CO2 reduced for 400-mi range locomotives. The NUFRIEND framework provides a systematic method for comparing different alternative energy technologies and identifying potential challenges and benefits in their future deployments.

Perception spillover from fracking onto public perceptions of novel energy technologies

Public opposition to new energy technology can harm the chances of successful deployment. Less is known about knock-on effects on the wider energy system, including whether such opposition impacts public perceptions of other technologies. Here we present a mixed-methods study into ‘perception spillover’, examining whether the controversy over fracking for oil and gas affects public attitudes to two novel low-carbon energy technologies: deep ‘enhanced’ geothermal systems and ‘green’ hydrogen. We argue that perception spillover is multi-faceted, and we conceptualize and test spontaneous, prompted and primed forms, examining how and why particular types occur. Using a nationally representative UK survey and two focus groups, we show that perception spillover from fracking could lead to widespread negative perceptions of deep geothermal energy, influencing the conditions that deep geothermal would be expected to meet. Conversely, a minority of participants expressed more positive perceptions of green hydrogen because they deemed it dissimilar to fracking. Public support or opposition plays an important role in the deployment of new energy technologies. This study explores how attitudes towards fracking in the United Kingdom can influence perceptions of geothermal systems and hydrogen, testing spontaneous, prompted and primed forms of the spillover effect.

Farmers as modern-day stewards and the rise of new rural citizenship in the battle over land use

ABSTRACTA decade ago, scholars such as Michael Woods suggested that mobilisation in response to development in rural spaces was the result of a redefinition of relations between individuals, communities and the State. This remains true with the rural representing a contested site characterised by debates concerning food and fibre, water and energy security. With the recent deployment of new energy technologies in areas traditionally used for agricultural production, increased confrontation and resistance over land use has forged unlikely alliances between farmers, environmentalists and concerned others, ultimately leading to the rise of a new form of rural citizenship. In the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) where resistance to burgeoning coal seam gas operations has become the customary response of many rural communities, environmentalists and concerned others are mobilising in support of farmers, who self-identify as modern-day stewards and are actively working to protect a resource hierarchy of water, land and soil against industries believed to be putting these at risk. Adopting a qualitative case-study approach, this paper examines how residents and supporters in the regional Shire of Narrabri in NSW have responded to what many see as competing land uses. We argue that values traditionally associated with stewardship and rurality are being revalorised by citizens to actively oppose the visions of the State, which seek to prioritise extractive development over other alternate futures. We contend that this rise in rural relations represents a significant shift in the notion of citizens as “inhabitants” and presents a new and enduring form of agency.

The deployment of new energy technologies and the need for local learning

The objective of this paper is to identify local aspects of technological learning in the deployment of solar photovoltaic (PV), a globally important form of distributed energy technology. We review literature in the economics of innovation and economic geography to identify the need for local learning when adopting new technologies and seek evidence on the local aspects of learning processes in the deployment of new (energy) technologies. The analysis focuses on the empirical evidence of learning processes in PV deployment. Our findings show that learning for PV deployment exhibits characteristics of local learning identified in the innovation literature (tacit knowledge, shared narratives, user relations and learning in interorganizational networks). In addition, we show that competencies in the deployment of PV rely on learning processes that are closely connected to the historically and geographically distinctive characteristics of the built environment. We also find evidence of the significance of proximity in (local) learning, as well as examples of knowledge being codified over time into national and global knowledge flows. We conclude with policy implications that acknowledge the importance of local learning for deployment.

Energy consumption and projected growth in selected Caribbean countries

This paper examines two issues that are central to the understanding of the need to increase efficiency in the use, distribution, and production of energy in the Caribbean region. The empirical results of this Paper suggest the following: first, the three Caribbean countries provide evidence of short-run bi-directional Granger-causality from energy consumption to real gross domestic product per capita. Second, the forecasts with A BVAR model indicate that significant growth in energy demand could be expected in Haiti, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago until at least 2010. Third, the increased growth in energy consumption suggests the need for long-term commitments from Caribbean countries to undertake a series of policy, economic, market, and research and development measures to advance the adoption and deployment of new energy technologies.

Technological innovation in the energy sector: R&D, deployment, and learning-by-doing

Technological innovation is fundamental for rendering the energy economy cleaner and more efficient with concomitant economic, developmental, and environmental benefits. This paper discusses aspects of R&D and ‘learning-by-doing,’ the main contributors to technological change that are complementary yet inter-linked. The relationship between the level of national energy R&D investments and changes in the trajectory of the country's energy system is complex; targeted efforts to promote deployment of new energy technologies play a major role in translating the results of R&D activities to changes in the energy system. Learning-by-doing is an important element of deployment, but it remains largely poorly understood. Hence this phenomenon needs to be ‘unpacked’ and its various aspects analyzed in detail, so as to allow better design of early deployment efforts to enhance learning gains. This paper highlights how public R&D and deployment efforts must work in tandem to expand the portfolio, and realize the potential, of new and improved energy technologies.

National and International Learning with Wind Power

Learning is crucial for technical development, cost reduction and deployment of new energy technologies. The nature of the learning process can be either national or international, which will be crucial in the design of policy measures. In this paper the spatial scope of learning is described for the case of wind power. Based on this the rationale of national vs. international policy support is discussed. With wind power technology getting more mature, the scope of learning gets more and more international. This calls for an international coordination of public policies which are targeted on research, development and deployment. At the same time, national policies remain crucial for further deployment since sufficient budgets are only available in national frameworks. Moreover, national deployment is important to exploit national specific learning opportunities and cost reduction potentials due to better operation of plants and specifically adapted design of machines.

Demonstrations: the missing link in government-sponsored energy technology deployment

When effectively conducted, demonstrations constitute a powerful and often essential marketing step for new technologies. Seven case studies illustrate the value of demonstrations to the deployment of new energy technologies — particularly those being developed by independent inventors and small businesses. One key lesson is that successful demonstrations focus on fully qualified products. Premature prototypes, on the other hand, are more appropriate for field testing, where technical failures can be fixed without severely damaging future market prospects. A second lesson is that multiple and staged demonstrations may be necessary when industry and end-user markets are highly fragmented or when application environments are divergent. Public agencies can promote successful demonstrations in many ways: by finding suitable industrial partners and third-party monitors, by providing subventions that lower the risks and increase economic benefits to participants, and by compiling and disseminating accurate performance data. In addition, government agencies can play a constructive role by helping technology promoters understand the distinction between field tests and demonstrations, and by facilitating multiple demonstrations when necessary.