Next Energy最新文献

This research explores the effectiveness of a Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) system for cooling purposes in Indian conditions. Key parameters considered include the water’s flow rate, grout material, run time, return air temperature, and borehole configuration. A series of trials were conducted to review the system’s cooling effectiveness by employing two types of grout materials, construction, and demolition (C&D) waste, and the surrounding soil in four distinct borehole layouts. A linear regression model was used to assess how critical factors affected the system’s efficiency for each type of grout. An analysis of variance was also performed to determine which factors had the most significant impact. The study found that factors such as borehole length, system efficiency, and thermal characteristics significantly influenced the GSHP system's thermal performance. The findings revealed that the Coefficient of Performance (COP) of the heat pump and the overall system increased with the number of boreholes and volumetric flow rate. At the same time, it decreased with the rise in initial air temperature and extended operation run time. The mean COP for the GSHP arrangement utilized in thermal management with C&D waste as grout material was determined to be 8.1% lower than the value achieved when using the surrounding soil as the grout material. The results signify that utilizing a GSHP arrangement has the potential to be a favorable choice for cooling purposes. The system is effective, offering considerable energy savings compared to traditional air-conditioning systems. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of the system is determined by various elements, such as the length of the borehole, overall system efficiency, and thermal properties. Therefore, it is vital to carefully consider these factors when designing and installing a GSHP system.

This study explores the role of financial technology (FinTech) and the energy transition in shaping income inequality across 45 sub-Saharan African economies (SSA). By employing the panel-corrected standard errors approach, the analysis takes into account contextual and institutional factors, as well as regional specificities, for the period extending from 2000 to 2021. This research elucidates the connections among energy transition, FinTech, and income inequality, emphasizing their significance for economic progress and clean energy access. The findings reveal significant inequality in the outcomes of SSA countries, with an average Gini index of 43.197, indicating that most countries are unequal. This study reveals a notable connection between transitioning to renewable energy sources and a reduction in income inequality, with a one-unit increase in the energy transition indicator resulting in a 5.10% decrease in inequality. Moreover, FinTech is also found to contribute to a reduction in income inequality, with a 1.31% decrease observed for every unit increase in the FinTech indicator. The analysis also revealed a weak, yet statistically significant, link between population density and income inequality, with a one-unit increase in inequality of 0.00632%. Notably, industrial value added is found to be an influential factor with a statistically significant coefficient of 0.129. The key implications of the study emphasize the importance of redistributive policies, financial inclusion, and the promotion of renewable energy sources in constructing more inclusive economic systems. Furthermore, the study underscores the significant value of accurate energy production prediction for informed decision-making in energy planning and policy-making on regional and global scales.

This review studies the cascading impacts of extreme weather events on the Water-Energy-Carbon (WEC) Nexus, with a focus on their combined and sequential effects. It synthesizes research on how droughts, floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, and wildfires each initiate a chain reaction within the interconnected domains of water, energy, and carbon. Key insights include the analysis of drought impacts, like in California, where hydroelectric power's share dropped from 18% to 7%, leading to a 34%increase in emissions from natural gas plants. In Europe, flooding led to operational challenges for power plants, with a projected loss of 0.6–4.6 TWh in energy generation by 2030 due to water temperature rises. The 2023 European heatwave saw Spain's energy demand spike by 20%, driven by increased use of air conditioning, and a corresponding 15–20% rise in carbon emissions in affected countries due to greater reliance on fossil fuels. The review emphasizes the need for integrated resilience strategies, leveraging the provided quantitative data to argue for policies that address these interdependent challenges. It urges for a nuanced understanding of the WEC Nexus's dynamics to inform more effective responses to the rising tide of climate change-induced extreme weather events. Furthermore, this review expands its examination to include cases from developing countries, showcasing how their unique challenges and responses within the WEC Nexus contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of global resilience strategies against extreme weather. This review brings to the forefront the ripple effects of alterations in energy production on water resources and carbon dynamics, underscoring the critical need for a nuanced understanding and integrated approaches in managing the WEC Nexus in the face of extreme weather events.

Zenithal Daylight Guides (ZDG) and Solar Water Heaters (SWH) are individual energy-saving solutions utilized across diverse building types. This study proposes an innovative integrated power-saving system, uniting ZDG and SWH into a single model. The integration concept is rooted in leveraging the available space surrounding the daylighting device's pipe to incorporate a solar heater via a serpentine collector. The primary aim of this amalgamation is to optimize solar energy savings, minimize spatial demands, and alleviate manufacturing expenses. Moreover, the impetus behind this study stems from the recent emergence of daytime power outages in Egypt, attributed to heightened consumption surpassing production capacities. The ZDG is still not well known in Egypt. This is the only study until the year 2022/2023 in Aswan, Egypt, that analyzes the performance of this device under extreme sunlight conditions (with maximum global illumination reaching approximately 118 Klux). Across various seasons, the lighting and thermal efficacy of the current model underwent experimental testing and analysis to assess its practical utility. The integrated system effectively elevated the water temperature and achieved adequate light transmission, as indicated by the obtained results. The average transmitted indoor illumination on the work surface reached approximately 2470 lux. The reliance on electrical lighting could be mitigated for up to 5 hours. On the other hand, the highest water temperature and maximum instantaneous efficiency reached are about 70 °C and 37%, respectively. Throughout the experiments, the proposed solar heater achieved a maximum daily thermal efficiency of 31.5%. The findings are deemed satisfactory and promising.

The mismatch in thermal expansion coefficients (TECs) between cobalt-containing perovskite cathodes and commonly used electrolytes is a significant challenge to the development of durable solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). In this investigation, we propose to introduce low thermal expansion (LTE) cathode (Y_0.5Ca_0.5)_0.8In_0.2BaCo₃ZnO_7 + δ (YCIBCZ) to high thermal expansion (HTE) cathode LaBa_0.5Sr_0.5Co₂O_5 + δ (LBSC) to prepare YCIBCZ–LBSC composite cathodes. The addition of YCIBCZ oxide to LBSC oxide results in good thermal matching between the cathode and electrolyte, effectively improving the electrochemical performance of SOFCs. The TEC is significantly reduced from 27.2 × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ for LBSC to 12.9 × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ for YCIBCZ70–LBSC30. For all the cathode compositions studied, YCIBCZ50–LBSC50 exhibits a relatively low area-specific resistance value (0.011 Ω cm² at 800 °C) and a high power density (571 mW cm⁻² at 800 °C). These results should be associated with the balance of the TEC values of cathode/electrolyte interfaces, the magnitude of the total conductivity, and the electrocatalaytic activity of composite cathodes. In all, it provides a novel idea to develop fully thermal expansion compatible and highly active cobalt-based cathodes for SOFCs.

Electric (mechanical vapour-compression) heat pumps are acknowledged as a key technology for heat decarbonisation, their role being evidently more significant than thermally driven heat pumps and hydrogen boilers. The International Energy Agency estimates that, assuming governments meet their commitments, the global capacity of electric heat pumps will nearly triple by 2030. Heat pump systems come in a variety of designs, including system configurations, component (e.g., heat exchanger, compressor, working fluid) selection, and operation strategies that have a significant effect on performance and cost. In this article, we review current progress in technology development and in the methods used for techno-economic performance assessments of domestic (i.e., residential) heat pumps in the range of a few ∼kWs. The principles upon which heat pump operation and performance depend are first stated. Then, drawing from widely used performance indicators and published data on hundreds of commercially available heat pump products and components over a wide range of operating conditions, a detailed methodology is presented for obtaining performance and cost estimates. A synopsis of potential synergies with other heating, cooling and storage technologies is presented, demonstrating that appropriate integration and operation are required to maximise cost-effectiveness and emission reduction capabilities. Furthermore, whole-energy system implications of widespread heat electrification and current policy measures supporting electric heat pumps in different countries are discussed. The models and analyses presented in this review are useful to a diverse set of stakeholders, including energy technology and system modellers, technology manufacturers, end-users, government, and policy makers.

Fuel cell electric vehicles offer a potential solution for achieving the objectives of the energy transition currently underway, which entails replacing combustion vehicles with vehicles that are low in environmental impact. Thus, this market is expected to grow rapidly in the future. Today, there are a plethora of fuel cell types available on the market with a wide range of applications, including transportation, and stationary, portable, and emergency backup power. Among these fuel cells, Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) have the potential for use in automotive applications due to their low operating temperatures as well as high power density. Furthermore, these PEMFC power sources are also available in various power ranges and capacities for diverse vehicle applications. However, selection of optimized configurations for truck applications is a challenging task due to cost-sensitivity and competitiveness in the Indian market. Therefore, considering the above scenario, a simulation study for PEMFC performance with vehicle operating conditions is necessary to finalize the suitable fuel cell power capacity for truck applications. Based on this study, a fuel cell electric vehicle model for trucks with > 30–40 tonnage applications is developed for the simulation study in this paper. Furthermore, steady state and transient simulations are conducted using GT-Suites version 2021 software on a 100 kW PEM fuel cell system. The developed model of fuel cell was found to be capable of supplying sufficient power for two lower steady-state cycles in regions with low power demand, and slightly more power was required for the third steady-state cycle. On the other hand, during the transient cycle run, the fuel cell in consideration was able to perform adequately and meet the required power demands. This study has kept other parameters constant in addition to temperature, pressure, and humidity. On the basis of this analysis, PEMFCs may find applications in automotive applications due to their low operating temperatures and high power density.

The cell balance, negative to positive (N:P) electrode ratio, and voltage limits determine the first cycle loss and reversible capacity at different rates and can influence degradation mechanisms and cycle life. This balance needs optimizing for each cell chemistry, electrode mass loading, and cell format, typically performed through empirical optimization. This work provides an accurate predictive tool for calculating full-cell voltages by decoupling the independent electrode potential under the same operating conditions. Full-cell NMC622//Graphite voltages are accurately predicted from low-rate half-cell voltage profiles (pseudo-open circuit voltages) and validated for different N:P ratios, rates, material types, and cell formats. The application of this methodology to several chemistries, including sodium-ion cell chemistry, high power (NMC622//MoNb₁₂O₃₃), and high energy (NMC920305//Graphite-SiO_x), is also demonstrated. In addition, each electrode's key thermodynamic and kinetic parameters are extracted from the observed voltage and overpotentials for the negative and positive electrodes at different rates. Elucidating the rate-limiting electrodes and providing further cell balancing information to achieve high power, energy, and lifetime. The extracted parameters can be used in multi-scale models to optimise cell design and performance limitations further. This method promises new and quicker routes for cell optimization for different chemistries and formats.

Polymer modification techniques are crucial for customizing material properties to suit specific applications, particularly in energy storage systems. This study investigates the modification of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membranes via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) to graft 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid (AMPS) onto the fluorinated backbone. The successful grafting was confirmed via nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, while the membrane structure was evaluated using infrared (IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies (XPS). Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and universal testing machine (UTM) tests verified the thermal and mechanical stability of the membranes. Electrochemical analysis showed sustained performance over 300 cycles. The FluorCat-25 membrane demonstrated high coulombic efficiency (>98 %), voltage efficiency (83 %), and energy efficiency (81 %) at a current density of 100 mA cm⁻². Notably, FluorCat-25 achieved a peak power density of 353 mW cm⁻², surpassing that of Nafion-117 (304 mW cm⁻²), with >85 % capacity retention, indicating its superior performance and suitability for VRFB applications. These findings position FluorCat-25 as a promising candidate for efficient and durable energy storage solutions in VRFB technology.

By 2060, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) aims to achieve net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, targeting 50% renewable energy and reducing 278 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent annually by 2030 under Vision 2030. This ambitious roadmap focuses on economic diversification, global engagement, and enhanced quality of life. The electricity sector, with a 90 GW installed capacity as of 2020, is central to decarbonization, aiming for a 55% reduction in emissions by 2030. Saudi Energy Efficiency Centre’s Energy Efficiency Action Plan aims to reduce power intensity by 30% by 2030, while the NEOM project showcases a 4 GW green hydrogen facility, reflecting the country’s commitments to sustainability and technological innovation. Despite being the largest oil producer and user, Saudi Arabia must align with international CO₂ emission reduction targets. Currently, there is no state-of-the-art energy policy framework to guide a sustainable energy transition. In the academic literature, there is also lack of effort in developing comprehensive energy policy framework. This study provides a thorough and comprehensive analysis of the entire energy industry, spanning from the stage of production to consumption, incorporating sustainability factors into the wider discussion on energy policy. It establishes a conceptual framework for the energy policy of Saudi Arabia that corresponds with Vision 2030. A total of hundred documents (e.g., 25 original articles and 75 industry reports) were retrieved from Google Scholar, Web of Science Core Collection Database, and Google Search and then analyzed. Results showed that for advancing the green energy transition, areas such as strategies for regional and cross-sectoral collaboration, adoption of international models, human capital development and public engagement, technological innovation, and research; and resource conservation, environmental protection, and climate change should move forward exclusively from an energy policy perspective. This article's main contribution is developing a comprehensive and conceptual policy framework for Saudi Arabia's sustainable green energy transition aligned with Vision 2030. The framework integrates social, economic, and environmental criteria and provides critical policy implications and research directions for advancing energy policy and sustainable practices in the country.