Research Spotlight

Optimizing operations in net-zero buildings

Sana Sadiq — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 23:41:02 -0400

Today, buildings account for nearly a third of global energy consumption. Net-zero energy structures aim to decarbonize the sector by generating as much electricity on site as they use each year. But what happens when their actual energy consumption is initially higher than intended?

In the case of a 100,000-square-foot office building recently…

Insights into China’s energy storage

Sana Sadiq — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 12:03:31 -0500

Socio-political factors can make or break the large-scale deployment of virtually any new technology. Energy storage (e.g., batteries, pumped hydro, and compressed air) is one such technology, requiring broad social acceptance if it is to play an essential role for a sustainable energy transition.

So how are those factors affecting energy…

Building batteries to get flying cars off the ground

Sana Sadiq — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 14:24:52 -0500

Flying cars are no longer reserved for sci-fi novels, with groups like Boeing, Toyota and NASA working to move electric vehicles into the skies. One of the key challenges is ensuring the power batteries in these airborne automobiles don’t overheat during takeoff and landing, when discharge rates peak.

Flat heat pipe (FHP) technology offers a…

Prolonging the life of wind farm transformers

Sana Sadiq — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 13:32:00 -0500

Transformers are a crucial — and expensive — part of wind farm infrastructure, boosting the low-voltage output from turbine generators to the higher voltage required by the grid. But too often, they fail prematurely.

That’s because standard transformers aren’t designed to handle spikes in high-frequency energy that are common in wind farms,…

Analyzing the economic potential of electrified ammonia production

Sana Sadiq — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 14:13:30 -0500

Today, new technologies are emerging that use electricity to produce low-carbon ammonia — a versatile commodity that can be sold locally as fertilizer, traded as an export good or used to temporarily store electricity when supply exceeds demand.

It’s an enticing idea for energy producers, who often sell their excess…

Making offshore wind farms lean and green

Sana Sadiq — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 14:24:50 -0400

As the number of offshore wind farms around the world grows, so do efforts to make them more cost-effective and efficient. One way to do that is to avoid oversizing the power electronic convertors that transform the variable-frequency electricity produced by the turbines into a fixed frequency suitable for the grid.

In series-connected,…

Game Theory in the Energy Storage Market

Sana Sadiq — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 14:51:55 -0400

Energy storage systems like batteries, supercapacitors and flywheels play an important role in the world of renewables. When the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing, these devices ensure customers have reliable power.

This has sparked interest in privately owned energy storage hubs that could sell power to customers as they need it. To…

Participating profitably: how compressed air energy storage can make the most of electricity markets

Sana Sadiq — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 10:56:57 -0400

Compressed air energy storage (CAES) facilities offer an attractive way for bulk power systems to buffer the intermittent nature of renewable energy, storing excess energy when it’s not needed and retrieving it during peak demand. But few studies have examined their operation in electricity markets.

For WISE researchers Claudio Cañizares,…

Overcoming short-circuit shortcomings on wind farms

Sana Sadiq — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 16:10:27 -0500

Wind farms contribute an ever-growing share of the energy flowing through the world’s electricity grids. Because those grids have to be stable and reliable, wind farms are required to stay connected even if a short circuit causes the voltage to drop. This prevents a short circuit from knocking out other generators and causing widespread outages.

…

Plotting the path to a hydrogen economy

Sana Sadiq — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 16:38:26 -0400

When you burn fossil fuels, the by-products are greenhouse gases and particulates. When you burn hydrogen, the by-product is water.

This versatile gas can serve as fuel for transportation and heating, as a way to store energy, and as a feedstock for many products such as ammonia and methanol. It’s easy to transport via pipelines, trucks or tankers,…