Sub's Alternative Energy Thread

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Scientists stun industry with breakthrough in energy storage technology: 'This is truly a spectacular research result'

Researchers from the Technical University of Munich in Germany have developed new technology that can significantly expand the lifespan of zinc-ion batteries, Interesting Engineering reported.

The university said in a press release that the battery includes a porous organic polymer that can help it last several hundred thousand cycles instead of the regular lifespan of a few thousand cycles.

You don't need to understand what a "porous organic polymer" is to benefit from its existence, however. As we replace more of our dirty energy infrastructure with wind, solar, and other forms of clean, renewable energy, we will also need more and better battery technology in order to store that energy for future use.

To that end, a new invention that makes batteries last hundreds of times longer is a great thing for the industry. Although clean energy is undoubtedly far more environmentally friendly than gas and oil, much of the pollution that the industry creates comes from producing batteries, which require rare metals that must be mined.

The technology to help the industry recycle these batteries and their components more effectively is coming along, but a battery that simply lasts (practically) forever without ever needing to be recycled is in theory the best solution of all.

"This is truly a spectacular research result," Roland Fischer, an inorganic and metal-organic chemistry professor at the Technical University of Munich, said.

I think most people are in agreement that our battery technology absolutely has to improve for a number of different reasons. It's encouraging to see so much research going into different ideas and I hope in the near future we see a move away from lithium ion batteries.

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MIT unveils ultra-efficient 3D transistors, could surpass silicon technology

MIT researchers have developed a new type of 3D transistor that could be more energy-efficient and powerful than current silicon-based transistors.

The novel 3D transistors have been designed using ultrathin semiconductor materials.

“This is a technology with the potential to replace silicon, so you could use it with all the functions that silicon currently has, but with much better energy efficiency,” said Yanjie Shao, an MIT postdoc and lead author.

The transistors harness quantum mechanics to achieve high performance at low voltage within a nanoscale area.

Their minuscule size paves the way for a new era of ultra-dense, high-performance, and energy-efficient electronics.

Silicon transistors function as electronic switches. A simple voltage application triggers a dramatic state change in the transistor, from off to on. This on/off state represents binary digits, enabling computation.

The efficiency of a transistor is linked to its switching slope. A steeper slope directly correlates to lower energy consumption. This means that the transistor can be switched on and off quickly, requiring less time and, consequently, less energy.

However, a fundamental limitation known as Boltzmann tyranny imposes a minimum voltage requirement for transistor operation at room temperature.

This limit is generally found in silicon transistors.

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I find this to be pretty cool.

Airbus and Toshiba collaborate on revolutionary superconducting aircraft motor technology

Superconductivity is a phenomenon that occurs when certain materials are cooled to extremely low temperatures, causing their electrical resistance to drop to nearly zero. This property allows for the creation of powerful and efficient magnets, which can be utilized in various applications, including :

Medical imaging (CAT scanners)

・Particle accelerators

・Power transmission networks

・Electric motors

In the context of aviation, superconducting motors offer significant advantages over conventional systems. Airbus claims that their superconducting motor is over three times lighter than traditional alternatives and boasts an impressive 97% powertrain efficiency rating. This remarkable improvement in power-to-weight ratio makes superconducting motors an attractive option for aircraft propulsion.

The collaboration between Airbus and Toshiba brings together two industry leaders with extensive experience in their respective fields. Airbus, through its subsidiary Airbus UpNext, has been exploring innovative propulsion technologies, while Toshiba's energy arm, Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation, has been developing superconducting motor prototypes for over half a century.
Hydrogen-powered aircraft : A sustainable future


The development of this superconducting motor is closely tied to the broader goal of creating emissions-free aircraft. Among the various options for achieving this objective, hydrogen stands out as the most promising solution. Hydrogen offers a relatively high energy density and produces minimal emissions, with water vapor being the primary byproduct.

However, the use of hydrogen in aviation presents several challenges :

・Storage : Hydrogen requires significant volume compared to traditional aviation fuel.

・Handling : Practical use necessitates storing hydrogen as a cryogenic liquid at temperatures below -253°C (-423°F).

・Weight : Conventional electric motors powerful enough for aircraft propulsion are typically very heavy.

The innovative approach proposed by Airbus and Toshiba addresses these challenges by utilizing the liquid hydrogen as both fuel and coolant. This dual-purpose solution allows for the creation of a more compact and efficient propulsion system.

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Could be a game changer for air travel.

Startup's Revolutionary Jet Engine Could Transform Air Travel

Why it matters: A Y Combinator-backed startup has developed a groundbreaking jet engine that could make supersonic flight as affordable as current commercial aviation. As Freethink reports, this isn’t just another incremental advance – it’s a fundamental reimagining of how jet engines work.

The Innovation: Astro Mechanica‘s Turboelectric Adaptive Engine uses electric motors to independently control its components, allowing it to function efficiently at any speed from takeoff to Mach 5. The design eliminates the traditional trade-offs between power and efficiency that have limited jet engine development.

• Adapts to different flight conditions
• Uses electrical power for optimal control

The Visionary: CEO Ian Brooke, despite lacking traditional engineering credentials, brings decades of hands-on aviation experience to the project. Starting with model aircraft at age 14, he progressed to building real planes before founding Astro Mechanica.

• Plans San Francisco to Tokyo test flight
• Targets commercial aviation market

Market Impact: The company plans to demonstrate a full-size engine model this year and integrate four engines into a 20,000-pound test aircraft. Success could revolutionize both private and commercial aviation, making supersonic travel accessible to regular passengers.

[SubGod22]

More potential advancement around hydrogen.

Magnetocaloric cooling method produces liquid hydrogen using environmentally friendly technology

If we want to use hydrogen as fuel for cars or airplanes, or for chemical storage of excess renewable energy, it would be most efficient if it were liquid. However, this would require cooling it down to minus 253°C or 20°K, which is very energy-consuming when using a conventional cooling technology.

A team of scientists led by Graeme Blake, assistant professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Groningen (the Netherlands), has been researching a more energy-efficient cooling method called magnetocaloric cooling. The research is published in the journal Nature Communications.

This method involves using materials that will heat up when they are exposed to a magnetic field. The heat is then transferred to a "heat sink," which leaves the material—and its surroundings—colder once the magnetic field is removed. The method not only consumes less energy, but also eliminates the need for refrigerant gases, which have a strong greenhouse effect.

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Less destructive means to extract lithium?

Rice develops new electrochemical reactor that extracts 97.5% lithium from hot springs

A team of researchers from Rice University, led by Lisa Biswal and Haotian Wang, has developed an innovative electrochemical reactor designed to extract lithium from natural brine solutions.

This new approach provides a promising solution to meet the growing demand for lithium in rechargeable batteries.

The breakthrough, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, holds significant potential for renewable energy storage and electric vehicles.

Lithium is a critical component in batteries for renewable energy storage and electric vehicles; however, traditional lithium extraction methods face numerous challenges, including high energy requirements and difficulty separating lithium from other elements.

Natural brines—salty water found in geothermal environments—have emerged as an attractive lithium source since traditional ore sources are becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to mine.

These brines contain other ions, such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium, which share similar chemical properties to lithium, making efficient separation quite challenging.

The similarity in ionic size and charge between lithium and these other ions often leads traditional separation techniques to struggle to achieve high selectivity, resulting in additional energy consumption and chemical waste.

I'd like to see us move away from lithium on a large scale, but while we work towards that, something like this could definitely be of value. And there still may be a place for lithium even if most of our battery needs move away from it.

[SubGod22]

Ammonia?

Innovative Fuel Cell Harnesses Ammonia for Clean Power: A Step Toward Efficient, Compact Energy Generation

A research team has developed an innovative fuel cell system that generates electricity directly from ammonia without requiring an external hydrogen conversion process. This integrated system combines a high-temperature fuel cell and an ammonia “cracker,” achieving an impressive 60% efficiency rate—comparable to the energy yield of natural gas. With this technology, ammonia could emerge as an efficient, compact alternative for hydrogen storage and energy generation.

Hydrogen is widely viewed as a clean energy solution due to its versatility: it can be burned for heat or used in fuel cells to generate electricity. However, hydrogen storage and transport present significant challenges, as the gas must be highly compressed or liquefied—an energy-intensive process. Ammonia (NH3) could solve these issues, acting as a compact hydrogen carrier since it liquefies at just -40°F and is easier to transport. Yet, converting ammonia back into usable hydrogen requires temperatures above 572°F, adding a layer of complexity and energy demand.

[1972Shocker]

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Researchers transform unexpected waste product into next-generation jet fuel: 'A significant advancement'

An aviation fuel advancement at a government laboratory may soon have researchers telling the industry: "This Bud's for you."

But there's no need to get out the pretzels and Beer Nuts, as the breakthrough from Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois isn't of the intoxicating variety. Rather, it's a jet fuel made partly with wastewater from breweries and dairy farms that could cut the aviation sector's planet-warming air pollution output by a whopping 70%, according to a lab summary.

Sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, is already developed using biomass and other resources, including algae, oils, fats, and woodmill waste. The U.S. Department of Energy reports that it can power a plane similarly to regular jet fuel with a fraction of the pollution.

However, the Argonne team notes that SAF provides less than 1% of aircraft fuel. Meanwhile, the sector jets out about 2.5% to 3% of carbon pollution and other global heat-trapping fumes, per the summary and Our World in Data. The pollution can be a potent lung-troubler, aggravating asthma and increasing risks for a long list of other health problems, per government medical experts.

To encourage greater use of SAF, the Argonne team said it needs to be cheaper and more efficient than the standard dirty fuel. The latest findings represent welcome news on that front.

"Volatile fatty acids from waste streams can make biofuel production more cost-effective and sustainable," Argonne postdoctoral researcher Haoran Wu said in the lab summary. "Argonne's novel technology uses a membrane-assisted bioreactor to enhance the production of volatile fatty acids."

An interesting way to clean up jet fuel.

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Didn't realize Canada can play such a vital role in nuclear power.

Why Canada could become the next nuclear energy 'superpower'

Uranium is making a comeback thanks to a renewed focus on nuclear energy as a climate crisis solution. Canada, rich with high-grade deposits, could become a nuclear “superpower”. But can its potential be realised?

Leigh Curyer had been working in uranium mining for nearly two decades when he noticed a striking shift.

In 2011, the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster in Japan badly damaged the world's view of nuclear power, and the price for the heavy metal - a critical component for nuclear fuel - cratered.

But the last five years has seen a reversal, with the global price of uranium spiking by more than 200%one of this year's top-performing commodities.

Mr Curyer, an Australian-born businessman, credits this to a changing attitude that began soon after Microsoft founder Bill Gates touted nuclear energy as “ideal for dealing with climate change” in 2018.

Four years later, then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson pushed forward a policy of generating at least 25% of the country’s energy from nuclear.

Shortly after, the European Union voted to declare nuclear energy climate-friendly.

These events were “catalytic” for the uranium industry and a turning point for Mr Curyer's company NexGen, which is behind the largest in-development uranium mine in Canada.

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Speaking of nuclear power...

Three Mile Island Nuclear Reactor Being Renovated And Expected To Be Brought Back Online By 2028, All Thanks To Massive Microsoft Contract

The Three Mile Island nuclear incident is one of the most infamous examples of nuclear accidents in history, thanks to its partial meltdown in 1979.

It is often cited by people who oppose nuclear energy as a clear example of why it is not the safe and clean energy source that it is often touted as by proponents.

While this facility has been fully shut down since 2019, its owner, Constellation Energy, has announced that it is investing $1.6 billion back into the plant and will be bringing it back online by 2028.

The money for these renovations will come both from the company itself and through federal government tax breaks that were put into place by the 2022 Inflation Recovery Act.

The driving force behind restarting this nuclear power plant is Microsoft, who has signed a deal with Constellation Energy agreeing to buy all of the energy produced for the next twenty years.

The details of the contract have not been released, but it is likely that Microsoft needs this massive amount of electricity in order to power the AI data centers that it is building.

The safety features worked as intended in 1979 and the plant continued to operate for another 40 years with the other reactor problem free.

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Swiss scientists plan powerful hydrogen engine to propel green aviation

As the world prepares for a cleaner energy future, researchers at ETH Zurich are developing jet engines that can burn hydrogen as fuel. Today’s jet engines are designed to burn kerosene, and while shifting to clean hydrogen will be a game changer for the aviation industry, it will also require technological changes to the jet engine.

The electrification of transportation has already begun. Electric vehicles (EVs) have progressed from small cars to sedans, pickups, and even trucks running on batteries these days. However, long-haul transport, like aviation, cannot be achieved with today’s battery packs.

The power requirement for flying is mismatched by the relatively low energy density of battery packs compared to fossil fuels. Even though short-distance flying with low payloads is being trialed in various parts of the world, the approach is not practical for long-haul transport of cargo and large numbers of passengers.

This is where hydrogen can help. A lightweight fuel with high energy density and no carbon emissions, hydrogen is ideal for powering aviation.