Power grids supplied largely by renewable sources experience lower intensity blackouts

[OKIsItJustMe]

https://www.tcd.ie/news_events/top-stories/featured/power-grids-supplied-largely-by-renewable-sources-experience-lower-intensity-blackouts/

Power grids supplied largely by renewable sources experience lower intensity blackouts
Posted on: 07 November 2024

New research into the vulnerability of power grids served by weather-dependent renewable energy sources (WD-RESs) such as solar and wind paints a hopeful picture as Ireland attempts to meet its climate emissions targets, with the research showing grids with high penetration of WD-RESs tend to have reduced blackout intensities in the US.

This research – just published in leading international journal Nature Energy – was conducted with US blackout data from 2001 to 2020, but the results are of great interest from an Irish perspective as we rapidly transition to power grids primarily supplied by WD-RESs.

In 2023, 38.9% of electricity generated in Ireland came from renewable energy sources and this figure is expected to grow to above 70% by 2030.

The impacts of fluctuant renewable energy generation have been frequently discussed in the worldwide energy transition process, yet the role of WD-RESs in blackouts has largely remained controversial.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41560-024-01652-1

[dutch777]

1. Power generation per se is not the issue, battery technology to save it and deployment is.

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. At this point, batteries are most useful for leveling out diurnal (day/night) power fluctuations

Last edited Sat Nov 9, 2024, 08:31 PM - Edit history (1)

Personally, I look forward to different technologies replacing Lithium-ion batteries for grid storage in the near future. (Lithium is particularly useful for portable applications, like cell phones, power tools, small automobiles…) because of its high energy/mass density. Grid storage batteries don’t need to be easily transportable.

https://www.tum.de/en/news-and-events/all-news/press-releases/details/significant-extension-of-zinc-battery-lifespan

10/29/2024
TUM Researchers Develop New Chemical Method for Improved Energy Storage
Significant Extension of Zinc Battery Lifespan

The transition to renewable energy requires efficient methods for storing large amounts of electricity. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed a new method that could extend the lifespan of aqueous zinc-ion batteries by several orders of magnitude. Instead of lasting just a few thousand cycles, they could now endure several hundred thousand charge and discharge cycles.

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Zinc Batteries as a Cost-Effective Alternative to Lithium-Ion Batteries
Da Lei, Ph.D. student and lead author of the research published in Advanced Energy Materials, explains: "Zinc-ion batteries with this new protective layer could replace lithium-ion batteries in large-scale energy storage applications, such as in combination with solar or wind power plants. They last longer, are safer, and zinc is both cheaper and more readily available than lithium." While lithium remains the first choice for mobile applications like electric vehicles and portable devices, its higher costs and environmental impact make it less attractive for large-scale energy storage.

Prof. Roland A. Fischer adds: "This is truly a spectacular research result. We have shown that the chemical approach developed by Da Lei not only works but is also controllable. As fundamental researchers, we are primarily interested in new scientific principles—and here we have discovered one. We have already developed a first prototype in the form of a button cell. I see no reason why our findings couldn’t be translated to larger applications. Now, it's up to engineers to take up the idea and develop appropriate production processes.”

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