Pub Date : 2025-01-05DOI: 10.1016/j.adapen.2025.100206
Shuo Zhai , Junyu Cai , Idris Temitope Bello , Xi Chen , Na Yu , Rubao Zhao , Xingke Cai , Yunhong Jiang , Meng Ni , Heping Xie
An efficient anode catalyst for hydrocarbon fuel in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) should possess a stable phase structure, high catalytic efficiency, and excellent coke resistance. However, traditional nickel-based anodes necessitate high steam-to-carbon ratios to prevent coking, complicating system design and reducing the overall performance. In this work, we report a nickel-free PrBaFe1.9Pd0.1O5+δ perovskite as anode material for direct ethane SOFC, which demonstrates superior electroactivity and chemical stability. Under a reducing atmosphere, Pd nano-catalysts exsolved in-situ are uniformly anchored to the perovskite surface. Density functional theory analyses reveal that the Pd exsolution significantly improve ethane adsorption capacity, thereby reducing activation resistance and boosting catalytic performance. When used as an anode for an SDC electrolyte-supported SOFC, superior performance is achieved with the peak power densities (PPDs) of 702 and 377 mW cm-2 at 800 °C when using hydrogen and almost dry ethane (3% H2O) as fuel, respectively. Moreover, the cell exhibits a stable continuous operation over 90 h under almost dry ethane atmosphere at 178 mA cm−2, presenting a promising pathway for developing high-performance, nickel-free SOFC anodes that simplify system design and improves efficiency when operating with hydrocarbon fuels, thus holding significant potential for practical SOFC applications.
{"title":"Boosting direct-ethane solid oxide fuel cell efficiency with anchored palladium nanoparticles on perovskite-based anode","authors":"Shuo Zhai , Junyu Cai , Idris Temitope Bello , Xi Chen , Na Yu , Rubao Zhao , Xingke Cai , Yunhong Jiang , Meng Ni , Heping Xie","doi":"10.1016/j.adapen.2025.100206","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.adapen.2025.100206","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>An efficient anode catalyst for hydrocarbon fuel in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) should possess a stable phase structure, high catalytic efficiency, and excellent coke resistance. However, traditional nickel-based anodes necessitate high steam-to-carbon ratios to prevent coking, complicating system design and reducing the overall performance. In this work, we report a nickel-free PrBaFe<sub>1.9</sub>Pd<sub>0.1</sub>O<sub>5+δ</sub> perovskite as anode material for direct ethane SOFC, which demonstrates superior electroactivity and chemical stability. Under a reducing atmosphere, Pd nano-catalysts exsolved in-situ are uniformly anchored to the perovskite surface. Density functional theory analyses reveal that the Pd exsolution significantly improve ethane adsorption capacity, thereby reducing activation resistance and boosting catalytic performance. When used as an anode for an SDC electrolyte-supported SOFC, superior performance is achieved with the peak power densities (PPDs) of 702 and 377 mW cm<sup>-2</sup> at 800 °C when using hydrogen and almost dry ethane (3% H<sub>2</sub>O) as fuel, respectively. Moreover, the cell exhibits a stable continuous operation over 90 h under almost dry ethane atmosphere at 178 mA cm<sup>−2</sup>, presenting a promising pathway for developing high-performance, nickel-free SOFC anodes that simplify system design and improves efficiency when operating with hydrocarbon fuels, thus holding significant potential for practical SOFC applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34615,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Applied Energy","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100206"},"PeriodicalIF":13.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143171807","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-12-31DOI: 10.1016/j.adapen.2024.100205
Xiang Huo , Hao Huang , Katherine R. Davis , H. Vincent Poor , Mingxi Liu
Distributed energy resources (DERs) are gaining prominence due to their advantages in improving energy efficiency, reducing carbon emissions, and enhancing grid resilience. Despite the increasing deployment, the potential of DERs has yet to be fully explored and exploited. A fundamental question restrains the management of numerous DERs in large-scale power systems, “How should DER data be securely processed and DER operations be efficiently optimized?” To address this question, this paper considers two critical issues, namely privacy for processing DER data and scalability in optimizing DER operations, then surveys existing and emerging solutions from a multi-agent framework perspective. In the context of scalability, this paper reviews state-of-the-art research that relies on parallel control, optimization, and learning within distributed and/or decentralized information exchange structures, while in the context of privacy, it identifies privacy preservation measures that can be synthesized into the aforementioned scalable structures. Despite research advances in these areas, challenges remain because these highly interdisciplinary studies blend a wide variety of scalable computing architectures and privacy preservation techniques from different fields, making them difficult to adapt in practice. To mitigate this issue, this paper provides a holistic review of trending strategies that orchestrate privacy and scalability for large-scale power system operations from a multi-agent perspective, particularly for DER control problems. Furthermore, this review extrapolates new approaches for future scalable, privacy-aware, and cybersecure pathways to unlock the full potential of DERs through controlling, optimizing, and learning generic multi-agent-based cyber–physical systems.
{"title":"A review of scalable and privacy-preserving multi-agent frameworks for distributed energy resources","authors":"Xiang Huo , Hao Huang , Katherine R. Davis , H. Vincent Poor , Mingxi Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.adapen.2024.100205","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.adapen.2024.100205","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Distributed energy resources (DERs) are gaining prominence due to their advantages in improving energy efficiency, reducing carbon emissions, and enhancing grid resilience. Despite the increasing deployment, the potential of DERs has yet to be fully explored and exploited. A fundamental question restrains the management of numerous DERs in large-scale power systems, “<em>How should DER data be securely processed and DER operations be efficiently optimized?</em>” To address this question, this paper considers two critical issues, namely <em>privacy</em> for <em>processing DER data</em> and <em>scalability</em> in <em>optimizing DER operations</em>, then surveys existing and emerging solutions from a multi-agent framework perspective. In the context of scalability, this paper reviews state-of-the-art research that relies on parallel control, optimization, and learning within distributed and/or decentralized information exchange structures, while in the context of privacy, it identifies privacy preservation measures that can be synthesized into the aforementioned scalable structures. Despite research advances in these areas, challenges remain because these highly interdisciplinary studies blend a wide variety of scalable computing architectures and privacy preservation techniques from different fields, making them difficult to adapt in practice. To mitigate this issue, this paper provides a holistic review of trending strategies that orchestrate privacy and scalability for large-scale power system operations from a multi-agent perspective, particularly for DER control problems. Furthermore, this review extrapolates new approaches for future scalable, privacy-aware, and cybersecure pathways to unlock the full potential of DERs through controlling, optimizing, and learning generic multi-agent-based cyber–physical systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34615,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Applied Energy","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100205"},"PeriodicalIF":13.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143171819","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-12-21DOI: 10.1016/j.adapen.2024.100204
Alessandro Magnino, Paolo Marocco, Massimo Santarelli, Marta Gandiglio
Ammonia production accounts for 15–20% of greenhouse gas emissions from the chemical sector. Traditionally, ammonia is produced via Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) for hydrogen production, coupled with the Haber-Bosch process. This study compares the SMR-based configuration with emerging alternatives based on water electrolysis – Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolyser Cell (PEMEC) and Solid Oxide Electrolyser Cell (SOEC) – from both economic and CO2 emissions perspective. Process models for the three plant layouts are developed, incorporating heat integration between different components. The economic results are presented in terms of the levelised cost of ammonia, which accounts for both capital and operating expenses over the plant's lifetime. Sensitivity analyses on electricity and methane prices are conducted to assess the cost-competitiveness of each technology across various scenarios. The outcomes reveal that the optimal technology is highly dependent on electricity prices. PEMEC systems are the most cost-effective option at very low electricity prices (approximately 0.02 €/kWhe), while SOEC systems become more competitive as prices rise due to their higher efficiency. Above 0.08 €/kWhe, SMR emerges as the most viable option. Special attention is given to the CO2 emissions from both SMR and electrolyser systems, also considering the carbon intensity of the electricity used. While electrolysis is often assumed to be carbon-free, this research shows that electrolysers can produce more emissions than SMR, depending on the electricity carbon intensity: when carbon intensity exceeds about 260 gCO2/kWhe, SMR results in lower emissions than the electrolyser-based pathways. Finally, future projections suggest that SOEC technology will become highly cost-competitive by 2030–2040.
{"title":"Economic viability and CO2 emissions of hydrogen production for ammonia synthesis: A comparative analysis across Europe","authors":"Alessandro Magnino, Paolo Marocco, Massimo Santarelli, Marta Gandiglio","doi":"10.1016/j.adapen.2024.100204","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.adapen.2024.100204","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ammonia production accounts for 15–20% of greenhouse gas emissions from the chemical sector. Traditionally, ammonia is produced via Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) for hydrogen production, coupled with the Haber-Bosch process. This study compares the SMR-based configuration with emerging alternatives based on water electrolysis – Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolyser Cell (PEMEC) and Solid Oxide Electrolyser Cell (SOEC) – from both economic and CO<sub>2</sub> emissions perspective. Process models for the three plant layouts are developed, incorporating heat integration between different components. The economic results are presented in terms of the levelised cost of ammonia, which accounts for both capital and operating expenses over the plant's lifetime. Sensitivity analyses on electricity and methane prices are conducted to assess the cost-competitiveness of each technology across various scenarios. The outcomes reveal that the optimal technology is highly dependent on electricity prices. PEMEC systems are the most cost-effective option at very low electricity prices (approximately 0.02 €/kWh<sub>e</sub>), while SOEC systems become more competitive as prices rise due to their higher efficiency. Above 0.08 €/kWh<sub>e</sub>, SMR emerges as the most viable option. Special attention is given to the CO<sub>2</sub> emissions from both SMR and electrolyser systems, also considering the carbon intensity of the electricity used. While electrolysis is often assumed to be carbon-free, this research shows that electrolysers can produce more emissions than SMR, depending on the electricity carbon intensity: when carbon intensity exceeds about 260 gCO<sub>2</sub>/kWh<sub>e</sub>, SMR results in lower emissions than the electrolyser-based pathways. Finally, future projections suggest that SOEC technology will become highly cost-competitive by 2030–2040.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34615,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Applied Energy","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100204"},"PeriodicalIF":13.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143171808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-12-19DOI: 10.1016/j.adapen.2024.100202
Iegor Riepin , Tom Brown , Victor M. Zavala
Companies operating datacenters are increasingly committed to procuring renewable energy to reduce their carbon footprint, with a growing emphasis on achieving 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy (CFE) matching—eliminating carbon emissions from electricity use on an hourly basis. However, variability in renewable energy resources poses significant challenges to achieving this goal. This study investigates how shifting computing workloads and associated power loads across time and location supports 24/7 CFE matching. We develop an optimization model to simulate a network of geographically distributed datacenters managed by a company leveraging spatio-temporal load flexibility to achieve 24/7 CFE matching. We isolate three signals relevant for informed use of load flexibility: (1) varying average quality of renewable energy resources, (2) low correlation between wind power generation over long distances due to different weather conditions, and (3) lags in solar radiation peak due to Earth’s rotation. Our analysis reveals that datacenter location and time of year influence which signal drives an effective load-shaping strategy. By leveraging these signals for coordinated energy procurement and load-shifting decisions, clean computing becomes both more resource-efficient and cost-effective—the costs of 24/7 CFE are reduced by 1.29 ± 0.07 €/MWh for every additional percentage of flexible load. This study provides practical guidelines for datacenter companies to harness spatio-temporal load flexibility for clean computing. Our results and the open-source optimization model offer insights applicable to a broader range of industries aiming to eliminate their carbon footprints.
{"title":"Spatio-temporal load shifting for truly clean computing","authors":"Iegor Riepin , Tom Brown , Victor M. Zavala","doi":"10.1016/j.adapen.2024.100202","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.adapen.2024.100202","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Companies operating datacenters are increasingly committed to procuring renewable energy to reduce their carbon footprint, with a growing emphasis on achieving 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy (CFE) matching—eliminating carbon emissions from electricity use on an hourly basis. However, variability in renewable energy resources poses significant challenges to achieving this goal. This study investigates how shifting computing workloads and associated power loads across time and location supports 24/7 CFE matching. We develop an optimization model to simulate a network of geographically distributed datacenters managed by a company leveraging spatio-temporal load flexibility to achieve 24/7 CFE matching. We isolate three signals relevant for informed use of load flexibility: (1) varying average quality of renewable energy resources, (2) low correlation between wind power generation over long distances due to different weather conditions, and (3) lags in solar radiation peak due to Earth’s rotation. Our analysis reveals that datacenter location and time of year influence which signal drives an effective load-shaping strategy. By leveraging these signals for coordinated energy procurement and load-shifting decisions, clean computing becomes both more resource-efficient and cost-effective—the costs of 24/7 CFE are reduced by 1.29 ± 0.07 €/MWh for every additional percentage of flexible load. This study provides practical guidelines for datacenter companies to harness spatio-temporal load flexibility for clean computing. Our results and the open-source optimization model offer insights applicable to a broader range of industries aiming to eliminate their carbon footprints.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34615,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Applied Energy","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100202"},"PeriodicalIF":13.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143171806","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-12-16DOI: 10.1016/j.adapen.2024.100203
Lidian Niu , Zeyan Zhao , Jiawei Tan , Tao Liang , Fuzheng Zhang , Ning Xiao , Yi He , Shan Xie , Rui Jing , Jian Lin , Feng Wang , Yingru Zhao
As the energy internet and integrated energy systems develop, the interconnections among different systems increase operational risks, highlighting the need for urgent reliability research. Recent large-scale blackouts, often caused by cascading failures, reveal that current reliability assessments frequently overlook dynamic equipment conditions and the risk of such failures. Traditional model-driven methods for single energy systems are becoming inadequate due to rapid operational changes. To address these challenges, this study proposes a reliability assessment method for integrated energy systems that considers equipment operational states and cascading failures. It introduces an equipment reliability model for simulating cascading failures due to equipment overloads after initial failures. A hybrid data-model driven approach is proposed to improve the efficiency of load reduction calculations. Then the reliability evaluation is realized by combining the analysis of system energy flow state and index calculation. The modified model simulates more failure events than conventional model and the reliability level reflected by the calculated index is lower than that of the conventional model assessment by 25.39 % to 179.13 %. Evaluation time is reduced by 98.10 % while maintaining an average relative error within 6 %. The subsystem reliability level increases by 69.72 % and decreases by 2.25 % depending on the coupling degree. Failures of less than 20 % of all fault types contributed 43.34 % to 69.59 % of the load reduction. In summary, this model effectively simulates cascading failures from changes in operating states and provides a rapid, accurate reflection of system reliability.Based on this method, the reliability influencing factors can be analyzed and the weak link can be identified.
{"title":"A dynamic reliability assessment framework for integrated energy systems: A new methodology to address cascading failures","authors":"Lidian Niu , Zeyan Zhao , Jiawei Tan , Tao Liang , Fuzheng Zhang , Ning Xiao , Yi He , Shan Xie , Rui Jing , Jian Lin , Feng Wang , Yingru Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.adapen.2024.100203","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.adapen.2024.100203","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As the energy internet and integrated energy systems develop, the interconnections among different systems increase operational risks, highlighting the need for urgent reliability research. Recent large-scale blackouts, often caused by cascading failures, reveal that current reliability assessments frequently overlook dynamic equipment conditions and the risk of such failures. Traditional model-driven methods for single energy systems are becoming inadequate due to rapid operational changes. To address these challenges, this study proposes a reliability assessment method for integrated energy systems that considers equipment operational states and cascading failures. It introduces an equipment reliability model for simulating cascading failures due to equipment overloads after initial failures. A hybrid data-model driven approach is proposed to improve the efficiency of load reduction calculations. Then the reliability evaluation is realized by combining the analysis of system energy flow state and index calculation. The modified model simulates more failure events than conventional model and the reliability level reflected by the calculated index is lower than that of the conventional model assessment by 25.39 % to 179.13 %. Evaluation time is reduced by 98.10 % while maintaining an average relative error within 6 %. The subsystem reliability level increases by 69.72 % and decreases by 2.25 % depending on the coupling degree. Failures of less than 20 % of all fault types contributed 43.34 % to 69.59 % of the load reduction. In summary, this model effectively simulates cascading failures from changes in operating states and provides a rapid, accurate reflection of system reliability.Based on this method, the reliability influencing factors can be analyzed and the weak link can be identified.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34615,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Applied Energy","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100203"},"PeriodicalIF":13.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143171805","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-12-12DOI: 10.1016/j.adapen.2024.100201
Jieyang Xu , Sebastian Mosbach , Jethro Akroyd , Markus Kraft
The adoption of heat pumps to displace the use of gas for domestic heating is a major component of the strategy to reduce emissions in the UK. This study examines the impact of adopting heat pumps on regional inequalities in the UK. An index is used to assess how variations in household fuel costs could affect regional disparities across different future price scenarios. The findings reveal that, at 2019 prices, most households would face higher heating costs with heat pumps. However, following the 2022 energy price shock, heat pump adoption would lead to lower heating costs for most households compared to gas heating. The effect is sensitive to the electricity-to-gas price ratio, with regions experiencing high fuel poverty being most vulnerable to negative impacts. By mapping these geospatial effects, the study enables the forecasting of future inequality trends, providing insights for informed policy development. The results suggest that, under appropriate price structures, heat pump adoption could contribute to both decarbonisation and reduced social inequality. An example mechanism for financial support to mitigate the impact of adopting heat pumps on inequality is demonstrated. This study highlights the novel capability of The World Avatar (TWA) approach to integrate cross-domain data sets, combining energy policy with social equity goals. By forecasting future inequality trends based on energy price scenarios, the study provides a route to valuable insights to support informed policy development, highlighting how the adoption of heat pumps can influence regional inequalities and emphasising the need for targeted interventions to support vulnerable regions.
{"title":"Impact of heat pumps and future energy prices on regional inequalities","authors":"Jieyang Xu , Sebastian Mosbach , Jethro Akroyd , Markus Kraft","doi":"10.1016/j.adapen.2024.100201","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.adapen.2024.100201","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The adoption of heat pumps to displace the use of gas for domestic heating is a major component of the strategy to reduce emissions in the UK. This study examines the impact of adopting heat pumps on regional inequalities in the UK. An index is used to assess how variations in household fuel costs could affect regional disparities across different future price scenarios. The findings reveal that, at 2019 prices, most households would face higher heating costs with heat pumps. However, following the 2022 energy price shock, heat pump adoption would lead to lower heating costs for most households compared to gas heating. The effect is sensitive to the electricity-to-gas price ratio, with regions experiencing high fuel poverty being most vulnerable to negative impacts. By mapping these geospatial effects, the study enables the forecasting of future inequality trends, providing insights for informed policy development. The results suggest that, under appropriate price structures, heat pump adoption could contribute to both decarbonisation and reduced social inequality. An example mechanism for financial support to mitigate the impact of adopting heat pumps on inequality is demonstrated. This study highlights the novel capability of The World Avatar (TWA) approach to integrate cross-domain data sets, combining energy policy with social equity goals. By forecasting future inequality trends based on energy price scenarios, the study provides a route to valuable insights to support informed policy development, highlighting how the adoption of heat pumps can influence regional inequalities and emphasising the need for targeted interventions to support vulnerable regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34615,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Applied Energy","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100201"},"PeriodicalIF":13.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143171820","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-11-30DOI: 10.1016/j.adapen.2024.100200
Hossein Ameli , Danny Pudjianto , Goran Strbac , Nigel P. Brandon
The lack of clarity and uncertainty about hydrogen's role, demand, applications, and economics has been a barrier to the development of the hydrogen economy. In this paper, an optimisation model for the integrated planning and operation of hydrogen and electricity systems is presented to identify the role of hydrogen technologies and linepack in decarbonising energy systems, improving system flexibility, and enhancing energy system security and resilience against extreme weather events. The studies are conducted on Great Britain's (GB) 2050 net-zero electricity and gas transmission systems to analyse the hydrogen transport and capacity requirements within the existing infrastructure under different scenarios. This includes sensitivities on the level of flexibility, high gas prices, hydrogen production mixes, enabled reversibility of electrolysers, electricity generation cost, and hydrogen storage facilities. In all sensitivity scenarios, efficient hydrogen transport within the existing infrastructure is enabled by the optimal allocation of green and blue hydrogen sources, distributed storage facilities, and the intra-day flexibility provided by linepack. The findings highlight that increased renewable deployment transfers intermittency to the hydrogen network, requiring greater linepack flexibility compared to the current paradigm (up to 83%). Furthermore, the necessity of synergy between different gas and electricity systems components in providing flexibility, security, and resilience is quantified.
{"title":"The impact of hydrogen on decarbonisation and resilience in integrated energy systems","authors":"Hossein Ameli , Danny Pudjianto , Goran Strbac , Nigel P. Brandon","doi":"10.1016/j.adapen.2024.100200","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.adapen.2024.100200","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The lack of clarity and uncertainty about hydrogen's role, demand, applications, and economics has been a barrier to the development of the hydrogen economy. In this paper, an optimisation model for the integrated planning and operation of hydrogen and electricity systems is presented to identify the role of hydrogen technologies and linepack in decarbonising energy systems, improving system flexibility, and enhancing energy system security and resilience against extreme weather events. The studies are conducted on Great Britain's (GB) 2050 net-zero electricity and gas transmission systems to analyse the hydrogen transport and capacity requirements within the existing infrastructure under different scenarios. This includes sensitivities on the level of flexibility, high gas prices, hydrogen production mixes, enabled reversibility of electrolysers, electricity generation cost, and hydrogen storage facilities. In all sensitivity scenarios, efficient hydrogen transport within the existing infrastructure is enabled by the optimal allocation of green and blue hydrogen sources, distributed storage facilities, and the intra-day flexibility provided by linepack. The findings highlight that increased renewable deployment transfers intermittency to the hydrogen network, requiring greater linepack flexibility compared to the current paradigm (up to 83%). Furthermore, the necessity of synergy between different gas and electricity systems components in providing flexibility, security, and resilience is quantified.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34615,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Applied Energy","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100200"},"PeriodicalIF":13.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143171821","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-11-22DOI: 10.1016/j.adapen.2024.100198
Sebastian Zwickl-Bernhard
This paper addresses the currently overlooked yet urgent topic of material recycling and remanufacturing in energy system optimization modeling, making three substantial contributions. First, it presents a comprehensive review of relevant studies on material demand, flows, and recycling from a techno-economic perspective and highlights the critical gap in existing energy system optimization models, in which material recycling and remanufacturing is not yet adequately integrated. Second, the paper introduces a general mathematical framework for incorporating material recycling and remanufacturing as a technology and investment option into typical energy system optimization models. Third, the paper demonstrates the practical application of this framework by examining the material recycling potential within the solar module expansion plan of the European Union. It explores the main drivers under which material recycling becomes economically competitive, considering various global and regional solar market conditions. Specifically, it investigates how different energy policies — such as incentivizing European Union manufacturing, limiting import shares, and implementing a circular economy constraint — affect the optimal remanufacturing capacities and achievable shares of recycling-based additions to meet the expansion targets until 2050.
{"title":"Integrating material recycling and remanufacturing in energy system optimization modeling: A review and showcase","authors":"Sebastian Zwickl-Bernhard","doi":"10.1016/j.adapen.2024.100198","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.adapen.2024.100198","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper addresses the currently overlooked yet urgent topic of material recycling and remanufacturing in energy system optimization modeling, making three substantial contributions. First, it presents a comprehensive review of relevant studies on material demand, flows, and recycling from a techno-economic perspective and highlights the critical gap in existing energy system optimization models, in which material recycling and remanufacturing is not yet adequately integrated. Second, the paper introduces a general mathematical framework for incorporating material recycling and remanufacturing as a technology and investment option into typical energy system optimization models. Third, the paper demonstrates the practical application of this framework by examining the material recycling potential within the solar module expansion plan of the European Union. It explores the main drivers under which material recycling becomes economically competitive, considering various global and regional solar market conditions. Specifically, it investigates how different energy policies — such as incentivizing European Union manufacturing, limiting import shares, and implementing a circular economy constraint — affect the optimal remanufacturing capacities and achievable shares of recycling-based additions to meet the expansion targets until 2050.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34615,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Applied Energy","volume":"16 ","pages":"Article 100198"},"PeriodicalIF":13.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142723549","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-11-19DOI: 10.1016/j.adapen.2024.100199
Ken Chen , Kongfu Hu , Hu Li , Siyan Chan , Junjie Chen , Yu Pei , Bin Zhao , Gang Pei
Photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) hybrid technology offers significant potential for carbon neutrality by simultaneously converting photons into electricity and heat simultaneously. However, the mismatch between PV/T output temperature and the temperature demand across a wide range of scenarios limits its practical uses. Traditional PV cells have high infrared emissivity, resulting in significant heat losses and seriously significantly hindering the development of PV/T systems. Spectrally selective solar cells characterized by high solar absorption, low thermal emission, and photoelectric conversion process, have yet to be realized thus far. In this study, we propose an integrated design and develop a scalable industrial approach for fabricating meter-scale spectrally selective solar cell with a high solar absorptivity of 92.3 % and a low infrared emissivity of 20.3 %, achieving the highest absorption-emission ratio of measured 4.6 experimentally. The primary novelty of the design lies in integrating the PV cell electrode atop and low-emissivity layer into one eliminating the need for rare metals and reducing complexity. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the spectrally selective PV/T significantly increases the overall solar efficiency from 13.7 % to 82.5 % and reduces the heat loss coefficient to 3.55 W/(m2.K). The validated model accurately captures the high photovoltaic thermal efficiency, enabling new technological advancements.
{"title":"Scalable spectrally selective solar cell for highly efficient photovoltaic thermal conversion","authors":"Ken Chen , Kongfu Hu , Hu Li , Siyan Chan , Junjie Chen , Yu Pei , Bin Zhao , Gang Pei","doi":"10.1016/j.adapen.2024.100199","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.adapen.2024.100199","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) hybrid technology offers significant potential for carbon neutrality by simultaneously converting photons into electricity and heat simultaneously. However, the mismatch between PV/T output temperature and the temperature demand across a wide range of scenarios limits its practical uses. Traditional PV cells have high infrared emissivity, resulting in significant heat losses and seriously significantly hindering the development of PV/T systems. Spectrally selective solar cells characterized by high solar absorption, low thermal emission, and photoelectric conversion process, have yet to be realized thus far. In this study, we propose an integrated design and develop a scalable industrial approach for fabricating meter-scale spectrally selective solar cell with a high solar absorptivity of 92.3 % and a low infrared emissivity of 20.3 %, achieving the highest absorption-emission ratio of measured 4.6 experimentally. The primary novelty of the design lies in integrating the PV cell electrode atop and low-emissivity layer into one eliminating the need for rare metals and reducing complexity. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the spectrally selective PV/T significantly increases the overall solar efficiency from 13.7 % to 82.5 % and reduces the heat loss coefficient to 3.55 W/(m<sup>2.</sup>K). The validated model accurately captures the high photovoltaic thermal efficiency, enabling new technological advancements.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34615,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Applied Energy","volume":"16 ","pages":"Article 100199"},"PeriodicalIF":13.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142705531","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-10-28DOI: 10.1016/j.adapen.2024.100196
B. Koirala , H. Cai , F. Khayatian , E. Munoz , J.G. An , R. Mutschler , M. Sulzer , C. De Wolf , K. Orehounig
Urban multi-energy systems (UMES) incorporating distributed energy resources are vital to future low-carbon energy systems. These systems demand complex solutions, including increased integration of renewables, improved efficiency through electrification, and exploitation of synergies via sector coupling across multiple sectors and infrastructures. Digitalization and the Internet of Things bring new opportunities for the design-build-operate workflow of the cyber-physical urban multi-energy systems. In this context, digital twins are expected to play a crucial role in managing the intricate integration of assets, systems, and actors within urban multi-energy systems. This review explores digital twin opportunities for urban multi-energy systems by first considering the challenges of urban multi energy systems. It then reviews recent advancements in digital twin architectures, energy system data categories, semantic ontologies, and data management solutions, addressing the growing data demands and modelling complexities. Digital twins provide an objective and comprehensive information base covering the entire design, operation, decommissioning, and reuse lifecycle phases, enhancing collaborative decision-making among stakeholders. This review also highlights that future research should focus on scaling digital twins to manage the complexities of urban environments. A key challenge remains in identifying standardized ontologies for seamless data exchange and interoperability between energy systems and sectors. As the technology matures, future research is required to explore the socio-economic and regulatory implications of digital twins, ensuring that the transition to smart energy systems is both technologically sound and socially equitable. The paper concludes by making a series of recommendations on how digital twins could be implemented for urban multi energy systems.
{"title":"Digitalization of urban multi-energy systems – Advances in digital twin applications across life-cycle phases","authors":"B. Koirala , H. Cai , F. Khayatian , E. Munoz , J.G. An , R. Mutschler , M. Sulzer , C. De Wolf , K. Orehounig","doi":"10.1016/j.adapen.2024.100196","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.adapen.2024.100196","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Urban multi-energy systems (UMES) incorporating distributed energy resources are vital to future low-carbon energy systems. These systems demand complex solutions, including increased integration of renewables, improved efficiency through electrification, and exploitation of synergies via sector coupling across multiple sectors and infrastructures. Digitalization and the Internet of Things bring new opportunities for the design-build-operate workflow of the cyber-physical urban multi-energy systems. In this context, digital twins are expected to play a crucial role in managing the intricate integration of assets, systems, and actors within urban multi-energy systems. This review explores digital twin opportunities for urban multi-energy systems by first considering the challenges of urban multi energy systems. It then reviews recent advancements in digital twin architectures, energy system data categories, semantic ontologies, and data management solutions, addressing the growing data demands and modelling complexities. Digital twins provide an objective and comprehensive information base covering the entire design, operation, decommissioning, and reuse lifecycle phases, enhancing collaborative decision-making among stakeholders. This review also highlights that future research should focus on scaling digital twins to manage the complexities of urban environments. A key challenge remains in identifying standardized ontologies for seamless data exchange and interoperability between energy systems and sectors. As the technology matures, future research is required to explore the socio-economic and regulatory implications of digital twins, ensuring that the transition to smart energy systems is both technologically sound and socially equitable. The paper concludes by making a series of recommendations on how digital twins could be implemented for urban multi energy systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34615,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Applied Energy","volume":"16 ","pages":"Article 100196"},"PeriodicalIF":13.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142578934","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}