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Biological batteries could take the reflectors from the solar and wind
Bioo Arkyne Technologies is committed to bringing to market batteries that generate and store energy from the ground by the end of 2021 or the beginning of 2022. Bioo, a Spanish tech startup based in Barcelona, focuses on the development of the generation of electricity through nature.
Bioo places the batteries underground so that when it rains, nutrients and microorganisms enter the biological battery. The microorganisms then feed on organic matter and produce protons that are delivered to the cathode and electrons that are delivered to the anode. Air passing through the holes in the panel supplies oxygen to this process, feeding a current that can power light, sensors and, if eventually applied on a larger scale, a home or commercial building.
This technology could be used by farmers and the agri-food industry by applying it to their fleet of sensors to measure, among other things, the amount of carbon stored in the soil (a developing resource as farmers aim for restorative farming methods to earn carbon credits).
Arizona outlines the plan for carbon-free energy by 2050
Arizona regulators recently outlined a plan to achieve 100% carbon-free energy by 2050. Current policy requires 15% of the electricity generated in the state to be produced from renewable resources by 2025. The November 5, the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) proposed a plan to provide greater targets for local investor-owned utilities: Arizona Public Service and Tucson Electric Power. Under the new plan, these utilities must reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2032 and by 75% by 2040. The new ACC plan would also require these utilities to use a mix of resources to meet the reduction targets. carbon. For example, energy storage systems are expected to make up five percent of the state’s resource mix by 2035, and 40 percent of those storage systems are expected to be customer-owned or leased.
If confirmed by a final vote, Arizona would join eight other states that have similarly committed to achieving 100% renewable energy production or reducing carbon production to zero by 2050 (although, unlike many states, the 100% target would be established through an administrative agency, rather than by statute or executive order). Additionally, the changes would be the first significant change to Arizona’s clean energy standards since 2006.
FERC publishes NPR to update the QfF definition of cogeneration plants
On October 15, 2020, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPR) to update the definition of “useful thermal energy production” in the Implementing Regulations of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) (18 CFR Part 292) in light of the recent innovations of cogeneration plants, in particular of SOFC (Solid Oxide Fuel Cell) systems. As a result, the proposed changes may reduce the regulatory burden for some qualifying technologies.
The NPR will change the definition of “useful thermal energy production” for a fill cycle CHP plant by adding thermal energy that a SOFC system uses with an integrated steam hydrocarbon reformation process to produce fuel for electricity generation. The purpose of the modification is to clarify that such thermal energy from a SOFC, then used to reform methane and create hydrogen to generate electricity, would allow a plant, powered by SOFC, to be eligible for certification as a cogeneration qualification plant (QF) . In compliance with PURPA, FERC can certify some small production and cogeneration plants as qualifying plants (QF). Such certified facilities are exempt from certain requirements of the Federal Power Act and the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 2005.
FERC clarified that the NPR only applies to SOFC systems “with integrated reforming of natural gas which take natural gas to produce hydrogen and to generate electricity using steam from the power generation process to reform natural gas to produce hydrogen which the [SOFC] systems used to generate electricity. “Comments on the NOPR are expected in FERC Docket # RM21-2-000 and RM20-20-000 on November 25, 2020.
Transparent solar cells can create new places for solar generation
Researchers from Incheon National University have broken new ground by developing a transparent version of a traditional photovoltaic solar cell. Researchers developed the design for a metal oxide-based device by inserting an ultra-thin layer of silicon between two transparent metal oxide semiconductors. The new design has several advantages: it allows the use of longer wavelength light, results in an efficient collection of photons, and allows faster transport of charged particles to the electrodes.
The transparent photovoltaic cell has many unique potential applications, such as integration in windows, vehicles, cell phone screens and other everyday products. The innovation reflects a broader trend towards more “customized energy” solutions that can be integrated into everyday products. Researchers at Incheon National University plan to further refine their invention using innovative materials such as 2D semiconductors, metal nanocrystals or oxides, and sulfide semiconductors, with the aim of making customized energy solutions.
Matthew P. Clark contributed to this article.
