Top 8 Emerging Technologies Impacting the Energy Industry
The energy industriy is undergoing a vast transformation because of the new technologies developed in recent years. More and more businesses have aligned themselves with sustainable integrated solutions, such as solar panels, smart grids, and wind energy products.
The following article explores 8 disruptive technologies that are significantly impacting the energy industry’s landscape.
Top 8 Emerging Technologies
Artificial Intelligence
Using artificial intelligence, renewable energy and the energy sector as a whole have become more efficient and affordable. AI enables energy businesses to predict when their equipment may develop a fault or need serviced. By applying this technique, the total reliability of energy infrastructure is enhanced, and time and the cost of repairs are minimized. Machine learning increases the effectiveness of storing and disseminating energy.
Again, regarding the time at which energy needs to be stored and the time when energy has to be released, along with the required quantity to be supplied to consumers, various parameters come into play, such as demand, supply, prices, and the conditions of the grid that artificial intelligence algorithms work upon.
Rechargeable Tires
Rechargeable tires are new-generation tires that can recharge themselves while running. The commonly employed forms include all kinds of technologies and have combined benefits like prolonged service time, minimal maintenance needs, and better capability to work using fuel.
Some contributing factors to the market include the call for green tires, the act to standardize EVs, and the call for better fuel economy. Also, the demand for rechargeable tires is driven by the current shift in automotive industry technology from conventional gas or diesel engine vehicles to electric and hybrid cars.
The rechargeable tires are significantly stable and performative, ideal for hybrids and electric vehicles.
Energy As a Service
EaaS stands for Energy as a Service, a business model in which the client pays a set amount for an energy asset instead of purchasing it upfront. In this model, the customer is fully in charge of not only the installation but also the configuration, maintenance, and cost of the energy system.
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The service provider undertakes this responsibility. This means that, unlike the consumer, who fully owns the energy infrastructure, the buyer only pays for the energy service on a needed, use, or subscription basis when he uses it.
Compared with energy users, the EaaS model is easier to understand. At the same time, it also meets their expectations and needs by providing them with predictable and transparent information for their monthly energy consumption.
Next-Gen Solar Panels 3.0
A crystalline silicon-based solar cell is the most frequently used type. Today, 95% of all modules sold and utilized are silicon-based.
The other primary type of solar cell is thin-film cells. Perovskites, a substance whose crystal structure is identical to the mineral calcium titanium oxide, are utilized in producing these thin-film cells. Solar 3.0 and perovskites are the next generation. Embedding layers of photovoltaic materials make these thin-film cells that use perovskites on a glass, metal, or plastic substrate. The flexibility and versatility of these film solar cells set them apart from other solar cells.
Scientists have also synthesized materials with properties comparable to or identical to those of perovskites. They can manufacture these solar cells using lead iodide or organic salts as conducting materials. If similar qualities could be synthesized from other materials, they would be even more helpful than silicon.
Hydrogen Fuel Cells
Hydrogen fuel cells generate electricity through a chemical reaction. Each fuel cell contains two electrodes: a negative anode and a positive cathode. The reaction that produces electricity occurs at these electrodes, with an electrolyte transporting electrically charged particles between them and a catalyst to accelerate the reactions.
Hydrogen is the primary fuel of a hydrogen fuel cell, but it also needs oxygen to function. One of the most significant advantages of these fuel cells is that they create electricity with minimal pollution, as the hydrogen and oxygen consumed to generate the power mix to form water as a byproduct. Cells powered by pure hydrogen emit no carbon.
Hydrogen fuel can power automobiles, airplanes, boats, and permanent or portable fuel cell applications that can run an electric motor. The biggest issue with employing hydrogen fuel cells in cars is the difficulty in storing hydrogen in either a cryogenic or high-pressure tank.
Waste Power Planes
Waste Power Plane technology utilizes the following feedstocks: solid waste, which you often refer to as garbage or trash, and biomass, which is waste from forests and agricultural places. The end product is a sustainable aviation fuel that is only 10% carbon-intensive compared to traditional jet fuels.
The technique employs garbage/ waste biomass as feedstock, which could be crop residues, pieces of wood, or food particles. This allows for the production of environmentally friendly aviation fuel. This technique generates three to five percent more environmentally friendly aviation fuel than other routinely employed technologies.
Many different sources, or feedstocks, can produce sustainable aviation fuel. Some examples are fats, oils, greases, waste biomass, and other materials.
As a result of this research, a lower-carbon alternative to conventional jet fuel has been developed. This alternative can now be blended with up to fifty percent of traditional jet fuel to power an aircraft. Furthermore, it is compatible with the existing airport and fuelling infrastructure, making it a drop-in option.
Energy-Efficient Buildings
Energy conservation in an aspect of human life involves using less energy in homes and buildings to heat, cool, and use appliances and electronic gadgets. Further, energy-efficient manufacturing industries also improve the amount of energy required to produce certain goods.
A series of activities starts from the construction phase, followed by the design for use, management and finally, the deconstruction phase, to reduce a building’s energy consumption. A building constructed for this purpose remains fully operational as it provides an appropriate climate to the residents. Energy-efficient structures are necessary as energy costs increase, and the energy issue becomes more prominent.
CCUS
CCUS refers to Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage and covers processes that either reduce carbon dioxide emissions or nullify them altogether. Human activities such as cement making, steel manufacturing, fossil fuel use, and so on have made the emergence of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere possible. This carbon dioxide is then added to other gases in other proportions, the proportions of which are determined.
Most use different capture methods to get carbon dioxide in its most potent and simplest form. Subsequently, the carbon dioxide generated can either be used for other processes or captured per the process’s condition.
The carbon capture and storage (CCS) method consists of three stages: CCS is made up of three steps, which include carbon capture, transport, and storage.
- Carbon dioxide is generated from other by-products of other processes, such as combustion in electricity-generating plants that use coal or natural gas or manufacturing industries that use materials like steel or cement.
- After being compressed, the carbon dioxide is conveyed to the storage area via pipelines or other means, such as road transport or ships.
- In the end, carbon dioxide is injected into the strata of rocks beneath the earth’s surface, where it stays fixed forever.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the energy is going through a considerable transformation. More businesses are looking for efficient and sustainable energy solutions. In the article above, we discussed the most emerging solutions that are leading this transformation from the front.