Future Energy Infrastructure Research Articles

BBNP: A Blockchain-Based Novel Paradigm for Fair and Secure Smart Grid Communications

As the future energy infrastructure, smart grid aims to overcome the disadvantages of traditional power grid, e.g., low efficiency and unstable service. However, the frequent collection and analysis of the user’s electricity data may bring various security and privacy threats. Besides, the traditional centralized data storage model in the smart grid is prone to the single point of failure. To address these challenges, in this article, for fair and secure smart grid communication, a blockchain-based novel paradigm, named BBNP, is proposed. Specifically, based on the pseudorandom function and auxiliary information generation and sharing technology, a lightweight data aggregation protocol is designed first to protect the user’s data privacy and ensure communication confidentiality. Then, a novel efficient authentication mechanism is proposed to generate and share session keys in a noninteractive way, which is leveraged for MAC authentication to achieve data integrity of the transmitted data. After that, based on the subjective logic reputation model, a blockchain node consensus mechanism is studied to efficiently store smart grid big data and effectively solve the single point failure problem. By constructing the long-term reputation model for consensus nodes (CNs) and integrating batch verification technology, the problems of CN fair selection and scalability of large-scale nodes are solved simultaneously. Finally, the performance evaluation indicates that BBNP outperforms the state-of-the-art similar schemes in computing complexity, communication cost, system availability, and fairness of block generation.

Milling induced surface modification of V-based catalyst to improve sorption kinetics of KSiH3: An XPS investigation

Hydrogen as an energy carrier has shown promises for future energy infrastructure. Due to its light weight and explosive nature, hydrogen need to be stored in safe and efficient way. The storage in solid state materials has been proposed as the safest method, which can store hydrogen through chemical bonding. Among several studied materials so far, KSiH3 is one of the leading contender with a total hydrogen capacity of 4.3 wt %, which is more than what is offered by its rivals such as BCC hydrides or AB5 type hydrides. However, the high activation energy slows down the hydrogen charging/discharging rate and allow the working only at higher temperatures (∼200 °C). The kinetics of hydrogen absorption and desorption intensely improved by the addition of a catalyst. In this work, vanadium based catalysts are added to KSiH3 system to modify the surface and to enhance the kinetics of this system. Specially, V2O5 addition, as leading candidate among the studied catalyst, decreased the activation energy to 83 kJmol-1 from 142 kJ/mol for pristine KSi. KSiH3 system with catalyst V2O5 started desorbing at 100 °C and could achieve highest weight loss 3.7 wt % which is very close to theoretical value. No disproportionation phenomenon is detected which indicated that the reaction between KSiH3 and KSi is flawlessly reversible with a hydrogen storage capacity of 3.7 wt % H2. The XPS investigation suggested a partial reduction of +5 oxidation state (corresponding to V2O5) to metallic state, which is proposed as the possible cause of this improvement.

Stimulating effects of glycerol on the growth, phycoremediation and biofuel potential of Chlorella pyrenoidosa cultivated in wastewater

Chlorella pyrenoidosa is one of the potential microalgae to build sustainable processes for biofuel production alongside the phycoremediation of wastewater. However, low lipid content and impaired lipid quality are major reasons that make the produced microalgal-biofuel uneconomic. Here, we show supplementation of glycerol, a byproduct of biodiesel industry, at a concentration of 3 gL −1 in synthetic wastewater (SWW) can enhance up to 133.74% lipid accumulation (30.76 ± 0.93% dry wt. basis) in C. pyrenoidosa, as compared to control, without glycerol (13.16 ± 0.25% dry wt. basis). Further, the glycerol supplementation improved the biodiesel quality, as evident from the fatty acid profiling. The glycerol supplementation stimulated the microalgal growth also, both under shake flasks and reactor scale studies. Besides, the glycerol supplementation improved the phycoremediation potential with up to 96.35, 47.22 and 79.88% removal in phosphate, nitrate and chemical oxygen demand (COD) within 15 days of microalgal growth period. Synergistically, up to 457.80 ± 1.11 mgL −1 exopolysaccharides production was attained in the microalgal culture. Such an attempt forwards a stepping-stone for developing sustainable future energy and wastewater treatment infrastructure. • Glycerol improves the growth and biofuel potential of Chlorella pyrenoidosa . • Augmented phycoremediation of SWW using Chlorella pyrenoidosa with glycerol. • Improved fatty acid profile for providing biodiesel as per International standards. • First report on microalgal EPS production through glycerol supplementation.

Case study of power allocation strategy for a grid‐side lead‐carbon battery energy storage system

Battery energy storage system (BESS) is an important component of future energy infrastructure with significant renewable energy penetration. Lead-carbon battery is an evolution of the traditional lead-acid technology with the advantage of lower life cycle cost and it is regarded as a promising candidate for grid-side BESS deployment. However, inconsistency among lead-carbon batteries in a BESS is a major concern which has to be carefully considered in practical operation. One of the available approaches to relieve this issue is to develop a sophisticated power allocation strategy (PAS) among multiple converters inside the BESS. This work conducts a comprehensive case study on the impact of PAS in a grid-side 12 MW/48 MWh BESS recently constructed in Zhejiang, China (Zhicheng energy storage station, the first grid-side lead-carbon BESS in China). Three different PASs (i.e. averaged, state weighted and state prioritized) are investigated and benchmarked with two typical BESS application scenarios of peak shaving and frequency regulation, from real-world experiments using the aforementioned BESS. The performance of the strategies is quantitatively evaluated by three indices defined in this work. The state prioritized strategy is found to be the most effective for this lead-carbon BESS.

Isostructural M 2pt (M = Al, Ga, In, Sn) As OER Anode Materials

Looking for the future energy infrastructure, hydrogen will play an important role as energy carrier molecule. Among different physical and chemical methods of hydrogen production, water electrolysis has numerous advantages. However, the sluggish kinetics of anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) hinders its large-scale implementation. The intensive search for new OER electrocatalytic materials is limited by harsh oxidative conditions and instability/ changes of electrocatalyst under reaction conditions. Platinum is characterized by pronounced stability against dissolution compared to other noble metals. However, the OER activity of Pt is one of the lowest one. Combining the platinum with main group elements in form of M 2Pt intermetallic compound will lead to the different electronic state of Pt and, correspondingly, different OER activity.The compounds M2 Pt (M = Al, Ga, In, Sn) crystallize with cubic anti-CaF2 type of crystal structure [1]. Due to the pronounced charge transfer from M to Pt, Pt atoms are negatively charged in these compounds. There is only one type of strongly polar covalent interactions between M and Pt atoms. The OER activity decreases in the following sequence In2Pt > Ga2Pt > Al2Pt. This trend is governed by the chemical nature of the counterpart elements M (M = Al, Ga, In) and their leaching rates under OER conditions. The leaching of M into the electrolyte leads to formation of composite material of intermetallic M2 Pt and Pt-rich phase in the near-surface region. The inactivity of Sn2Pt is due to the formation of passivating SnO2 layer with poor electrical conductivity.The study of OER activity of M 2Pt materials under different electrochemical treatments was combined with surface- and bulk characterization of electrodes after electrochemical experiments, elemental analysis of electrolyte and quantum chemical calculations. This allows to investigate the influence of chemical nature of counterpart element M onto the OER performance of isostructural M 2Pt electrode materials [2].[1]. Antonyshyn, I., Barrios Jiménez, A.M., Sichevych, O., Burkhardt, U., Veremchuk, I., Schmidt, M., Ormeci, A., Spanos, I., Tarasov, A., Teschner, D., Algara-Siller, G., Schlögl, R., Grin, Yu. // Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 59, 16770–16776 (2020).[2]. Barrios Jiménez, A.M., Burkhardt, U., Altendorf, S.G., Kaiser, F., Veremchuk, I., Ormeci, A., Auffermann, G., Antonyshyn, I., Grin, Yu., submitted.

Electrochemical ammonia oxidation reaction on defect-rich TiO nanofibers: Experimental and theoretical studies

Ammonia is a promising platform molecule for the future renewable energy infrastructure owing to its high hydrogen content and carbon-free nature. The development of inexpensive and efficient catalysts for ammonia electro-oxidation reaction (AOR) is essential to ammonia-based economy. In this paper, a self-supporting AOR catalyst of ultra-elongated defective TiO nanofibers grown on Ti foil (TiO/Ti foil) is designed. By the comparisons of electrochemical measurement results, the efficient AOR activity of TiO/Ti foil has been presented in alkaline ammonia solution when the voltage is higher than 0.4 V. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations illustrate that the surface oxygen vacancies in TiO play a vital role in facilitating AOR activity by reducing the energy barrier in the rate-determining ∗HNNH2 formation step and also promoting N2 desorption. These results demonstrate that defective TiO is a promising low-cost and stable catalyst for AOR, which is a potential electrode for efficient H2 production by ammonia electrolysis and direct ammonia fuel cells.

DhcSim — A Modelica library for simple modeling of complex DHC systems

District heating and cooling systems play an important role in future energy infrastructure by accessing local energy potentials, reducing temperature levels and exploiting synergies between energy systems. Therefore, a transition to next generation heating and cooling networks is needed, which can be realized by multi-level design, bidirectional usage of production and consumption or combined heating and cooling systems. This will increase the complexity of network design which may be hard to analyze and assess without the support of a system simulation. The following paper presents the dhcSim Modelica library which can be used to model complex district heating and cooling networks within a multi-level network structure. The library was developed as extension to the Modelica Buildings library and Modelica Standard library and provides a clear and easy to use model structure. This structure distinguishes between two-, four and multi-port-models which allows the modeling of highly complex multi-level DHC systems. The library provides models for both district heating and cooling and can be easily adapted to individual user cases. To illustrate the implementation of the library and how it can be used, a case study of a three-level district heating network is presented. Using the network simulation of the introduced example, it could be shown that the supply temperature requirements of some consumers could not be achieved by the proposed network and thus further action is needed.

Developing a process-oriented approach towards Positive Energy Blocks: the wind-analysis contribution

Positive Energy Block (PEB) is an emerging paradigm to transform cities into low carbon cities. It is expected that buildings will become the main components of the future energy infrastructure. This scenario demands a structural integration of the cyclical environmental variables in designing our buildings and cities as a whole. However, such an integration continue to be rare due to the dominance of object-oriented approaches. This study contributes to reducing these difficulties by developing a process-oriented approach, focusing on the wind contribution. The assumption posed herein is that the transition towards PEBs should be an opportunity to redefine the rules to organise the built environment structure integrating energy and urban environmental qualities. A case study, involving three public school buildings located in three different urban patterns in Rome, illustrates a preliminary step in developing an integrated platform to orient strategic design solutions towards PEBs. This is done by developing and assessing three indexes: wind form index, wind thermal-loss index, and wind energy production index. The results point out the usability and limits concerning the approach adopted, stressing the relevance of an integrated platform to support decision-makers in planning the agenda to transform buildings as components of PEBs.

Power outages, climate events and renewable energy: Reviewing energy storage policy and regulatory options for Australia

The incidence of harsh climate change and weather events is having profound impacts on energy networks. In recent times, Australia has suffered several network failures and power outages that have placed human lives and community infrastructure at extreme risk. Subsequently, a diverse array of energy storage systems have been commended as a potential solution for electricity network performance and resilience issues. At this critical juncture, this review suggests that an assemblage of currently lacking targeted energy storage systems and supply development policies will be required to grow and advance future domestic energy storage assets and infrastructure; while also providing a mechanism to address changing climatic conditions, variations in electricity demand and associated demand response, and a reduced dependency on coal-fired power generation. Importantly, the recognition of energy storage systems services value across the energy supply chain will be a critical component of future systems growth. In addition, while some specific regulatory changes to create a new energy capacity market will be required, the majority of electricity market rules and procedures will need to be maintained to allow entry of energy storage systems in scheduled and semi-scheduled modes. The review also identified the requirement for strong governance that supports continued renewable energy and energy storage investment, intergovernmental cooperation, and technical network upgrades. Ideally, the implementation of these policy options and regulations should result in a robust and resilient power grid, reduced emissions and economically efficient energy storage systems rollouts.

Multi-input, Multi-output Hybrid Energy Systems

Summary Jurisdictions and industries are setting ambitious goals to decarbonize energy systems. Low-cost wind, solar, and natural gas and the resultant dynamic electric grid require energy technologies to adapt in order to meet key attributes for modern energy systems: resilience, reliability, security, affordability, flexibility, and sustainability. When considering energy sources independently and competitively, value-added synergies among energy technologies may be overlooked for meeting demanding, multidimensional requirements. This paper presents novel concepts for tightly coupled hybrid energy systems that leverage capabilities of diverse energy generators, including renewable, nuclear, and fossil with carbon capture, to provide power, heat, mobility, and other energy services. The paper also presents a framework for engineering-based modeling and analysis for complex optimization of energy generation, transmission, services, processes and products, and market interactions. New modeling capabilities are needed to adequately represent multi-input, multi-output tightly coupled hybrid energy systems that utilize multiple feedstocks to create multiple products and services in novel and synergistic ways through increased coordination of energy systems and tightly coupled hybrid system configurations.

Benchmarking Perovskite Electrocatalysts’ OER Activity as Candidate Materials for Industrial Alkaline Water Electrolysis

The selection and evaluation of electrocatalysts as candidate materials for industrial alkaline water electrolysis is fundamental in the development of promising energy storage and sustainable fuels for future energy infrastructure. However, the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activities of various electrocatalysts already reported in previous studies are not standardized. This work reports on the use of perovskite materials (LaFeO3, LaCoO3, LaNiO3, PrCoO3, Pr0.8Sr0.2CoO3, and Pr0.8Ba0.2CoO3) as OER electrocatalysts for alkaline water electrolysis. A facile co-precipitation technique with subsequent thermal annealing (at 700 °C in air) was performed. Industrial requirements and criteria (cost and ease of scaling up) were well-considered for the selection of the materials. The highest OER activity was observed in LaNiO3 among the La-based perovskites, and in Pr0.8Sr0.2CoO3 among the Pr-based perovskites. Moreover, the formation of double perovskites (Pr0.8Sr0.2CoO3 and Pr0.8Ba0.2CoO3) improved the OER activity of PrCoO3. This work highlights that the simple characterization and electrochemical tests performed are considered the initial step in evaluating candidate catalyst materials to be used for industrial alkaline water electrolysis.

Pandapipes: An Open-Source Piping Grid Calculation Package for Multi-Energy Grid Simulations

The increasing complexity of the design and operation evaluation process of multi-energy grids (MEGs) requires tools for the coupled simulation of power, gas and district heating grids. In this work, we analyze a number of applicable tools and find that most of them do not allow coupling of infrastructures, oversimplify the grid model or are based on inaccessible source code. We introduce the open source piping grid simulation tool pandapipes that—in interaction with pandapower—addresses three crucial criteria: clear data structure, adaptable MEG model setup and performance. In an introduction to pandapipes, we illustrate how it fulfills these criteria through its internal structure and demonstrate how it performs in comparison to STANET®. Then, we show two case studies that have been performed with pandapipes already. The first case study demonstrates a peak shaving strategy as an interaction of a local electricity and district heating grid in a small neighborhood. The second case study analyzes the potential of a power-to-gas device to provide flexibility in a power grid while considering gas grid constraints. These cases show the importance of performing coupled simulations for the design and analysis of future energy infrastructures, as well as why the software should fulfill the three criteria.

Participatory multi-modelling as the creation of a boundary object ecology: the case of future energy infrastructures in the Rotterdam Port Industrial Cluster

Finding leverage points for sustainability transformation of industrial and infrastructure systems is challenging, given that transformation is emergent from the complex interactions among socio-technical system elements over time within a specific social, technical and geographical context. Participatory multi-modelling, in which modellers and stakeholders collaborate to develop multiple interacting models to support a shared understanding of systems, is a promising approach to support sustainability transformations. The participatory process of modeling can serve as a leverage point by facilitating social learning amongst stakeholders, in which models can function as boundary objects that facilitate dialogue between stakeholders from different social worlds. We propose that participatory multi-modeling allows for the creation of a boundary object ecology, which involves a set of interacting and co-evolving boundary objects emerging throughout the modeling process. To explore this, we analyse the participatory multi-modelling process in the Windmaster project in the Rotterdam Port industrial cluster to understand which design choices were key to the creation of boundary objects. Our analysis shows that two types of design choices were key: design choices that enabled translations between participants, and those between participants and their organisation. We conclude that conceptualising participatory multi-modelling as a process of an evolving boundary object ecology, creating and adapting multiple interacting boundary objects provides a novel perspective that is useful for analysis and design of future participatory multi-modeling processes.

Developing policies for the end-of-life of energy infrastructure: Coming to terms with the challenges of decommissioning

Energy sector policies have focused historically on the planning, design and construction of energy infrastructures, while typically overlooking the processes required for the management of their end-of-life, and particularly their decommissioning. However, decommissioning of existing and future energy infrastructures is constrained by a plethora of technical, economic, social and environmental challenges that must be understood and addressed if such infrastructures are to make a net-positive contribution over their whole life. Here, we introduce the magnitude and variety of these challenges to raise awareness and stimulate debate on the development of reasonable policies for current and future decommissioning projects. Focusing on power plants, the paper provides the foundations for the interdisciplinary thinking required to deliver an integrated decommissioning policy that incorporates circular economy principles to maximise value throughout the lifecycle of energy infrastructures. We conclude by suggesting new research paths that will promote more sustainable management of energy infrastructures at the end of their life.

Offshore renewable energy development: U.S. experience and takeaways for Ukraine

This article is an analysis of the development of global offshore renewable energy in general with a focus in offshore wind, as the most rapidly maturing source in a body of water. Considering the rapid growth of clean power technologies and keeping in mind the target set out by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to limit global temperature increases to 1.5°C versus higher levels, the world can witness 100% transition to renewable energy by 2050. The overview of a recent study published by Stanford University in which authors designed a framework to replace 99.7% of fossil fuel energy in 143 countries with wind, water and solar provides a vision of future energy infrastructure and climate change policymaking as it is seen by scientists. Offshore wind is assumed viable in Ukraine; however, at the date of writing this article no offshore wind farms exist in this country. Are there offshore renewable prospects for Ukraine? Why offshore wind would be beneficial? Can this industry evolve successfully without government support? And if it cannot, what legislative activities can drive offshore renewable power in Ukraine? The article aimed to answer these questions based on the experience in the United States where offshore wind is poised to play a significant role in future energy infrastructure.

Enhanced electrochemical performance of MoS2/PPy nanocomposite as electrodes material for supercapacitor applications

The development of efficient energy storage materials is crucial to the future renewable energy infrastructure. In this work, molybdenum disulfide/polypyrrole (MoS2/PPy) nanocomposites are synthesized in a facile hydrothermal process, where in situ oxidation polymerization of pyrrole occurs in the presence of MoS2 suspension, for their use as supercapacitor electrodes. The layered MoS2 structure serves as 2D conductive skeleton to facilitate the mobility of protons in and out from the nanocomposites, making it easily accessible and shortening the path length for electrolyte ions transport. Further, the electrochemical performance was evaluated by cyclic voltammogram, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and galvanostatic charge/discharge, electrochemical stability, Ragone plot and cycling process. The MoS2/PPy electrode exhibits high specific capacitance of 654Fg−1 and significantly retains its 95% performance after 500 cycles at a current density of 3Ag−1significantly higher than its pristine counterparts. The improved performance of the hybrid nanocomposites due to layered MoS2 imparts the necessary space for ions during charge–discharge and stability to polymeric backbone.

Renewable energy development threatens many globally important biodiversity areas.

Transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy is fundamental for halting anthropogenic climate change. However, renewable energy facilities can be land-use intensive and impact conservation areas, and little attention has been given to whether the aggregated effect of energy transitions poses a substantial threat to global biodiversity. Here, we assess the extent of current and likely future renewable energy infrastructure associated with onshore wind, hydropower and solar photovoltaic generation, within three important conservation areas: protected areas (PAs), Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) and Earth's remaining wilderness. We identified 2,206 fully operational renewable energy facilities within the boundaries of these conservation areas, with another 922 facilities under development. Combined, these facilities span and are degrading 886 PAs, 749 KBAs and 40 distinct wilderness areas. Two trends are particularly concerning. First, while the majority of historical overlap occurs in Western Europe, the renewable electricity facilities under development increasingly overlap with conservation areas in Southeast Asia, a globally important region for biodiversity. Second, this next wave of renewable energy infrastructure represents a ~30% increase in the number of PAs and KBAs impacted and could increase the number of compromised wilderness areas by ~60%. If the world continues to rapidly transition towards renewable energy these areas will face increasing pressure to allow infrastructure expansion. Coordinated planning of renewable energy expansion and biodiversity conservation is essential to avoid conflicts that compromise their respective objectives.

Reverse Manufacturing Enables Perovskite Photovoltaics to Reach the Carbon Footprint Limit of a Glass Substrate

Summary Although it still contributes to less than 2% of the worldwide electricity generation, photovoltaics (PVs) is on the way to becoming a key energy technology for a global future renewable energy infrastructure. We present projections of worldwide CO2 emissions of the future PV industry, finding that these emissions will likely surpass those caused by the global shipping or aviation sector. As an alternative, we propose a fully printed PV reverse manufacturing concept that minimizes the carbon footprint to the ultimate lower limit of the glass substrate fabrication. This so called “in situ” approach is based on a perovskite absorber that is highly durable and encapsulated with glass solder between float glass substrates, reducing the CO2-footprint of conventional PV modules by 1/20th. Yielding a certified stabilized efficiency of 9.3%, this record efficiency for glass-solder-encapsulated perovskite PV paves the way for future solar cells with the lowest carbon footprints.

Exergy as Criteria for Efficient Energy Systems—A Spatially Resolved Comparison of the Current Exergy Consumption, the Current Useful Exergy Demand and Renewable Exergy Potential

The energy transition from fossil-based energy sources to renewable energy sources of an industrialized country is a big challenge and needs major systemic changes to the energy supply. Such changes require a holistic view of the energy system, which includes both renewable potentials and consumption. Thereby exergy, which describes the quality of energy, must also be considered. In this work, the determination and analysis of such a holistic view of a country are presented, using Austria as an example. The methodology enables the calculation of the spatially resolved current exergy consumption, the spatially resolved current useful exergy demand and the spatially resolved technical potential of renewable energy sources (RES). Top-down and bottom-up approaches are combined in order to increase accuracy. We found that, currently, Austria cannot self-supply with exergy using only RES. Therefore, Austria should increase the efficiency of its energy system, since the overall exergy efficiency is only at 34%. The spatially resolved analysis shows that in Austria the exergy potential of RES is rather evenly distributed. In contrast, the exergy consumption is concentrated in urban and industrial areas. Therefore, the future energy infrastructure must compensate for these spatial discrepancies.

Communication—Layered Double Hydroxide as Intermediate-Temperature Electrolyte for Efficient Water Splitting

Highly efficient electrolyzers will be a key component of our future energy infrastructure. An intermediate operating temperature between 100 °C and 250 °C could offer increased efficiency and advantages in system design. However, electrolytes for electrolysis in this temperature range have received little attention so far. In this study, layered double hydroxides are demonstrated as solid-state electrolytes for water splitting at an intermediate temperature of 146 °C and a remarkable gain in efficiency is observed with increasing temperature. This opens new opportunities for electrolyzers and other electrochemical devices in the promising intermediate temperature range.