Carbon Management Implications for R&D in the Chemical Sciences and Technology (2001) / Chapter Skim
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7. Renewable Energy: Generation, Storage, and Utilization
7. Renewable Energy: Generation, Storage, and Utilization
Pages 111-126
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From page 111... ...
This chapter discusses the possibilities and offers some suggestions as to the pathways to a sustainable energy infrastructure. Sustainable in this context means capable of supplying a growing population with energy without destroying the environment within which it is used.
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From page 112... ...
Since we have technologies that will "do the job," we should implement a sustainable energy infrastructure that doesn't emit carbon dioxide and can supply all our energy needs using our indigenous resources. Renewable technologies also have the ability to expand as our usage of and needs for energy grow.
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From page 113... ...
Dealing with the intermittent nature of certain forms of renewable energy and energy storage systems are topics in this discussion. ENERGY PAYBACK Implementing an energy infrastructure that uses more energy in its manufacture and deployment than it produces in its lifetime is not a viable pathway for the future.
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From page 114... ...
While the major technology being installed today is based on single and polycrystalline silicon, thin film solar cell technologies offer the potential for very low cost and high volume manufacturing resulting in a levelized cost in the 6 cents/kWh range. Thin film technologies utilize 1-5-µm-thick films of semiconductors on glass or stainless steel.
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From page 115... ...
Kiss and Cathcart architects designed the building's PV system in collaboration with Fox and Fowle, the base building architects. Energy Photovoltaics of Princeton, New Jersey, developed the custom PV modules.
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From page 116... ...
, plastic, or stainless steel foiló structural support -10 -12 FIGURE 7.2 Thin copper indium diselenide solar cell. Progress in manufacturing is mostly empirical, with little understanding of material properties, devices, and processes that lead to higher efficiency.
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From page 117... ...
However, it has been determined that widely separated wind sites provide a more constant power supply; the more wind farms connected to the grid, the more will the short-term fluctuations from one farm cancel out the fluctuations from another. This has been particularly noted in Denmark, which in 2000 was already supplying 13% of its electricity by wind generation.
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From page 118... ...
Therefore, any renewable-based energy scheme must have integrated energy storage before it can be considered as a viable, sustainable energy system. Energy storage systems include hydrogen, biofuels, batteries, pumped hydro, compressed air, thermal storage, flywheels, and superconducting magnetic storage.
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From page 119... ...
In fact, the author sees the lack of a large program focused on energy storage and its integration into the energy infrastructure as a major gap in current U.S. energy policy.
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From page 120... ...
The strategic potential of fuel cell technology is enormous. Fuel cells integrate into renewable energy power packages and facilitate distributed generation.
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From page 121... ...
It should be recognized that with this approach, the consumer is purchasing most of her or his fuel up-front, with reoccurring charges from the electricity used to power the electrolyzer. Electrolyzers in the Infrastructure Using electrolyzers to provide hydrogen for fuel cell vehicles with our current fossil-based energy infrastructure actually doubles the CO2 produced per mile compared to commercial internal combustion engine technology19 because of the low efficiency of the current electricity generation system and the efficiency of electrolysis.
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From page 122... ...
For flywheel: bearing losses • Efficiency of utilization • Efficiency of system coupling Silicon Solar Cell Technology The PV industry has been very good at reducing costs; however, it is going to run up against a barrier in the cost of the silicon feedstock used to make solar cells. Low-cost, low-energy technologies must be developed that can take the raw material (quartz)
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From page 123... ...
Hydrogen will be one of the main components of a renewable energy infrastructure, and the major conversion technologies for hydrogen, namely electrolyzers and fuel cells, both involve electrocatalysts. Catalysts will be needed for the oxygen reaction for both water oxidation and oxygen reduction.
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From page 124... ...
. APPENDIX A The following is an example of a residential distributed energy system utilizing renewable generation and an electrolyzer-hydrogen storage-fuel cell combination for energy storage.
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From page 125... ...
In addition to providing energy storage, the hydrogen could also be used to fuel the homeowner's fuel cell vehicles. As an option, the homeowner could make power available to the electric utility.
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From page 126... ...
It lasts about 20 years. The degradation of EBA is really what limits the lifetime of silicon solar cells.
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