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Hydrogen generators for carbon-free electricity
CategoriesSustainable News

Hydrogen generators for carbon-free electricity

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: In the construction sector, 98 per cent of all energy comes from diesel, and fossil fuel generators are also commonly used in a range of other settings such as outdoor live events. In addition to greenhouse gas emissions, diesel generators produce air pollutants harmful to human health, as well as disruptive noise. As a result, companies are increasingly looking for alternative methods for powering their sites.  

One promising technology for the future of site energy is hydrogen power, and UK startup GeoPura has successfully trialled the technology on two UK infrastructure projects (National Grid’s Viking Link interconnector project and HS2), potentially paving the way for its wider adoption.  

Following ten years of research and development, GeoPura has developed its Hydrogen Power Unit (HPU), which combines hydrogen fuel cell technology with battery storage and real-time electrical conversion. The fuel cell splits the hydrogen into protons and electrons, which creates an electrical current that charges the batteries. The batteries, in turn, provide power to the site for applications such as electric vehicle charging, heating, and hot water. The HPUs are housed in a 20-foot portable shipping container, and it generally only takes a few hours to set up the system. The hydrogen fuel is delivered by HGVs.  

Hydrogen is attractive as a fuel because it only emits water vapour at the point of use. If the hydrogen is produced sustainably, the whole system is carbon-free. GeoPura produces its own green hydrogen by using electricity from renewable sources to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. It then tops up its own supply with hydrogen purchased from natural gas producers (which is not emissions-free).

Springwise has spotted various ways that sites could produce and store their own green power, including using volcanic rock cells and spent electric vehicle (EV) batteries.

Written By: Matthew Hempstead

Reference

Rare-earth-free generators for wind and tidal power
CategoriesSustainable News

Rare-earth-free generators for wind and tidal power

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: The scarcity of rare earth elements (REE) is a challenge for the wind and tidal renewable energy sector. These minerals are lanthanides (Lanthanum-Lutetium in the periodic table plus Yttrium and Scandium) and are vital in the conventional production of wind and tidal turbines, specifically in the magnetic cores of these generators. Contrary to their name, they are not rare in the Earth’s crust, but they are rarely found in high concentrations, which makes mining them difficult. And even after being mined, it is necessary to refine them. China currently has a near monopoly in the global trade of these materials, with 90 per cent of all the REE entering the market produced in the country. The EU, meanwhile, has to import almost all of its REE.

This is where UK company GreenSpur comes in. Its generator replaces the need for REE in the magnets of wind and tidal turbines. The company uses far more abundant and easily available ferrite (Iron derived) magnets, and surrounds these with aluminium coils rather than conventional copper ones. The company is able to make these sustainable material substitutions due to a design innovation in the generator itself.

Conventional generators use moving magnets placed around static coils of wire arranged in concentric circles. The movement of the magnets (in this case via wind or tidal energy) produces an electric charge or energy in these wire coils.

The GreenSpur design, by contrast, relies on ‘axial architecture,’ in which disks of aluminium coil are stacked on top of disks of ferrite magnets. This means that the magnetic field flows parallel to the axis of the generator, which results in a higher ‘magnetic flux’ (essentially magnetic strength) and allows for the alternative materials to be used.

The benefits of using these REE alternatives are clear: lower cost of materials, cheaper cooling than conventional REE generators, and greater strength in supply chains for materials. The new design is also more environmentally friendly as harmful REE byproducts are no longer mass produced and low-risk alternatives are used in their place.

Springwise has also spotted hi-tech anodes for the next generation of batteries as well as one company that uses shades screens as a renewable source of energy.

Written by Archie Cox

Reference

Muscle-powered emergency generators for vulnerable communities
CategoriesSustainable News

Muscle-powered emergency generators for vulnerable communities

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Today 940 million people—13 per cent of the world’s population—lack access to electricity. For ten years, grassroots NGO Deciwatt has been developing renewable energy innovations that help the world’s most energy-insecure communities have emergency access to lighting. Now, it has launched a new product to expand the impact of its activities.  

The organisation’s origins lie in a project to replace the dangerous, expensive, and polluting kerosene lamps that are still relied on by hundreds of millions of people around the world. This brief inspired designers Martin Riddiford and Jim Reeves to take advantage of the vast improvements in LED technology to create a lighting solution that harnessed the power of gravity. Supported by crowdfunding, this insight formed the basis of the GravityLight – a design that required no batteries or sunlight but was powered instead by a user pulling on a weighted cord.

Supported by further crowdfunding campaigns, the GravityLight was put through its paces in a series of field trials and further tweaked to meet the needs of users. However, despite the incremental improvements, users indicated that they needed a longer-lasting, brighter light, and the ability to charge mobile devices. This prompted a pivot to a new product – the NowLight.

The refined design of the NowLight provides instant light and power. The device can provide over two hours of light from the user pulling on a cord for just one minute. And, crucially, the new design is over ten times brighter than the GravityLight and is efficient enough to charge devices through a USB port. Moreover, it provides versatility by supporting mains and solar charging.

Springwise has also recently spotted a sodium-ion battery system that provides power to vulnerable communities. And a university student has also developed a kinetic energy power source for remote areas. Another innovation that helps to tackle the immediate causes of insecurity of supply, is a smart energy device that helps to reduce the impact of electric hot water systems in South Africa.

Written By: Matthew Hempstead

8th April 2022

Website: deciwatt.global

Contact: deciwatt.global/contact

Reference