Decade of unreliability: renewable projects and transmission ‘urgently’ needed as Australia stares down coal closures
The Australian Energy Market Operator warns every Australian jurisdiction in the national grid could see electricity demand outstripping supply within the decade – though only if anticipated renewable projects do not come to fruition.
Germany launches world’s first operating hydrogen trains
Germany has launched the world’s first operational hydrogen trains and US researchers have presented a novel design for a tubular PEM fuel cell. ABB and Hydrogen Optimized, meanwhile, have expanded their strategic ties and Slovakia has moved forward with a major gas-blending pilot project.
Report reveals massive renewable energy expansion needed to hit net zero target
New modelling has found Australia will require about 40 times the total generation capacity of today’s national electricity market, including an estimated 1,900 GW of solar PV, to deliver on its net-zero ambitions by 2050.
Toyota partners with US agency to develop MW-scale fuel cell systems
The two will study the scaling and integration of fuel cell systems for stationary power generation.
EV shipping is set to blow internal combustion engines out of the water
Modelling 5 to 10 GWh electrified containerships, researchers find that 40% of routes today could be electrified in an economically viable manner, before considering environmental costs.
New Zealand hydrogen R&D blossoms with German backing
New Zealand and Germany have partnered up to provide NZ$2 million (AU$1.8m) each to three green hydrogen research projects, including one to develop more efficient anion exchange membrane electrolysers which promise to be cheaper and more sustainable to manufacture.
Optical microscopy technique to study prevention of battery failure
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have examined one of the fastest-charging anode materials by using a low-cost, lab-based optical microscopy technique. Their findings showed that particle fracture, which can reduce the storage capacity of a battery, is more common with higher rates of delithiation and in longer particles.
Research team unveils high-efficiency coloured BIPV panels
Researchers in China have reported a colourisation strategy for solar based on photonic glass. They created solar panels that took on blue, green, and purple hues, while only dropping the efficiency of power generation from 22.6% to 21.5%.
‘Likely to further dilute trust’: misunderstanding community opposition to transmission lines
As community opposition to overhead transmission line grows, the Victoria-based Energy Grid Alliance has released a report imploring the energy industry to better understand why the phenomenon is gaining momentum – positing the ‘talk to them early and pay them more’ approach will only further decay the situation. Instead, the group says real attention needs to be paid to social license and ensuring environmental and socioeconomic impacts of chosen transmission corridors are considered from the get-go.
Universal method to improve lifespan of lithium-ion batteries
Researchers at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) have developed a broadly applicable and versatile post-electrode-engineering process. It can be applied to a range of conventional anodes to improve their stability.
