Latest news with #grid
Sustainability Times
11 hours ago
- Science
- Sustainability Times
'Still at 99.8%': Revolutionary Zinc-Iodine Battery Holds Nearly Full Capacity After 500 Brutal Charge Cycles
IN A NUTSHELL 🔋 Researchers in Australia developed a new zinc-iodine battery technology offering safer and more sustainable energy storage. technology offering safer and more sustainable energy storage. ⚡ The innovative dry electrode technique enhances performance and stability by preventing dendrite growth, crucial for battery longevity. enhances performance and stability by preventing dendrite growth, crucial for battery longevity. 🌍 This breakthrough positions zinc-iodine batteries as a viable alternative to lithium-ion for large-scale and grid storage applications. for large-scale and grid storage applications. 🔧 Future prospects include optimizing the technology to double energy density and exploring other halogen chemistries for broader applications. In a groundbreaking development, scientists in Australia have unveiled a cutting-edge zinc-iodine battery technology that promises to revolutionize energy storage solutions. This innovation is set to provide energy storage providers with cheaper, safer, and longer-lasting batteries, particularly beneficial for renewables and grid stability. With the increasing demand for sustainable and efficient energy storage systems, this breakthrough could mark a significant shift in how energy is stored and utilized globally, paving the way for more reliable and environmentally friendly power solutions. The Science Behind Zinc-Iodine Batteries Zinc-iodine batteries have emerged as a promising alternative to traditional lithium-ion batteries, primarily due to their intrinsic safety, low cost, and environmental friendliness. The recent advancement, spearheaded by researchers at the University of Adelaide, involves the development of a dry electrode technique that significantly enhances the performance of these batteries. By mixing active materials as dry powders, the team created thick, self-supporting electrodes, offering enhanced performance and stability. A key innovation is the addition of 1,3,5-trioxane to the electrolyte, which forms a flexible protective film on the zinc surface during charging. This film prevents the growth of dendrites—sharp, needle-like structures that can cause short circuits in batteries. As explained by Professor Shizhang Qiao, this protective measure is crucial in maintaining the battery's longevity and safety, addressing one of the major challenges faced by energy storage technologies today. 'Trash Into Power': Scientists Create Batteries From Industrial Waste to Store Green Energy and Rewrite the Future of Sustainability Comparing With Lithium-Ion Batteries While lithium-ion batteries have long dominated the energy storage market, their limitations in terms of safety, cost, and environmental impact have prompted the search for alternatives. The new zinc-iodine technology stands out due to its ability to retain a significant percentage of its capacity over numerous charge cycles. Pouch cells with the new electrodes maintained 88.6% capacity after 750 cycles, while coin cells demonstrated a remarkable 99.8% retention after 500 cycles. Such performance metrics position zinc-iodine batteries as a viable competitor for grid-scale storage applications. The high iodine loading and stable zinc interface allow these batteries to store more energy at a lower weight and cost, making them an attractive option for large-scale energy storage. This innovation not only holds the potential to disrupt the current market but also encourages the adoption of more sustainable energy practices. 'Solar Just Beat Coal': Historic Milestone as EU Electricity Is Now Powered More by the Sun Than by the World's Dirtiest Fuel Advantages and Future Prospects The dry electrode technique offers several advantages over conventional battery technologies. The dry-processed electrodes can hold more active material, enhancing the energy density and reducing self-discharge rates. This improvement is critical for applications requiring stable and long-lasting energy storage solutions, such as renewable energy integration and grid balancing. Looking forward, the researchers plan to optimize the technology further, potentially doubling the system energy density by refining current collectors and minimizing excess electrolyte. The prospect of scaling this technology using reel-to-reel manufacturing techniques also opens up opportunities for widespread industrial adoption. As the team explores other halogen chemistries, such as bromine systems, the scope for innovation in this field continues to expand. 'Bury Them Deep': Nuclear Reactors Planted One Kilometer Underground Could Deliver Cheap and Ultra-Safe Energy for Decades Implications for the Energy Industry This breakthrough in zinc-iodine battery technology holds significant implications for the energy industry, particularly in the context of renewable energy integration. By providing a safer and more cost-effective storage solution, energy providers can better manage supply and demand, enhancing grid stability and reducing reliance on fossil fuels. The potential to scale this technology for use in utilities and microgrids further underscores its importance in the transition towards a more sustainable energy future. The research team's success in developing this technology not only highlights the capabilities of zinc-iodine batteries but also sets a precedent for future innovations in energy storage. As industries and governments worldwide seek to address the challenges of climate change and energy security, such advancements are crucial in driving progress towards a more sustainable and resilient energy landscape. As the world continues to grapple with the challenges of sustainable energy storage, this innovation raises an intriguing question: What other groundbreaking technologies lie on the horizon to transform how we store and use energy? Our author used artificial intelligence to enhance this article. Did you like it? 4.6/5 (21)
The Wire
16 hours ago
- Business
- The Wire
India Slips to Rank 71 on World Economic Forum's Energy Transition Index
From a rank of 63 in 2024, India has now slipped to rank 71 on the World Economic Forum (WEF)'s Energy Transition Index (ETI), which ranks countries on their progress towards energy transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. However, the report that compared the annual progress of 118 countries also noted that India had advanced in energy efficiency and investment capacity. The ETI is a tool developed by the WEF, an international non-profit for public-private cooperation set up in 1971, to quantify the yearly progress of nations in energy transition – the move from high carbon-emitting fuels such as coal to what are generally considered cleaner and renewable fuels such as solar power. The Forum takes into account two main aspects to put together the Index. One is 'system performance', which includes three factors – energy security (the presence of a stable and resilient energy supply through developing a diversity of energy sources as well as grid and power supply reliability), equity (wherein there is access to energy for all, including consumers and industries) and sustainability (promoting energy sources that have lower impacts on the environment such as lower carbon footprints). The second is 'transition readiness', which includes regulation (legal structures that facilitate energy transition), infrastructure, education, innovation and investment capacities. The Index used 43 indicators under these broad categories using data from multiple sources and organisations, and scored countries on a scale of 0 to 100. In 2025, 77 out of 118 countries (65%) recorded an increase in their overall ETI scores, with an average gain of 1.1% that signals 'a broad, though uneven, recovery in transition momentum', the Index report published on Wednesday (June 18) said. Overall, advanced economies dominated the ETI rankings, accounting for 16 of the index's top 20 performers. The top four are all Nordic countries: Sweden, followed by Finland, Denmark and Norway. Sweden, ranked first in the Index, scored 77.5, and had a system performance score of 77 and a transition readiness score of 78.1. How India fared At rank 71, India scored 53.3 on the Index. India's system performance score was 60.4 and transition readiness score 42.7. Major economies 'showed selective gains with potential to lead', the Index report noted. China topped the 'Emerging Asia' category which India is also part of, with a 2.2% year-on-year ETI score gain and the fifth-highest transition readiness score globally, which per the report, was 'driven by strong innovation ecosystems and financial capacity'. The report noted that in the 2025 Index, India advanced in 'energy intensity, methane emissions and regulations and financial investments'. It also claimed that over the past decade, India had made 'significant strides in increasing equity through greater access to energy and clean fuels, while also improving energy regulations and investment in renewable and other clean-energy technologies'. However, it does not provide details on how India did this. Among the challenges that India faces are a consistent improvement in grid reliability, energy access for rural areas and further reducing dependence on imported energy. 'Further investment in infrastructure, renewables, labour force development and financing conditions could help boost the country's energy transition,' the report noted. Overall, the report noted that one of the main challenges that several nations in Asia still face is their huge reliance on fossil fuels. 'While the ETI top ten continue to offer strong examples of long-term leadership, it is the top five largest economies – China, the US, the EU, Japan and India – that will ultimately determine the pace and direction of the global energy transition due to their sheer size,' the report said. The report also underlined that several 'disruptions' – geopolitical, economic and technological – exposed vulnerabilities in global energy systems, thus 'heightening the urgency of securing more resilient, adaptive energy strategies'. These included geopolitical tensions that have intensified, including in the Middle East and Africa. Top among the global risk factors affecting energy transition are armed state conflicts, followed by extreme weather events and geoeconomic confrontation (such as the use of sanctions, tariffs and investment screening).
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Britain to rely on France to avoid blackouts this winter
Britain will rely on electricity from France to guard against the risk of blackouts this coming winter, officials have said. The National Energy System Operator (Neso), which oversees Britain's electricity grid, said it would import power from France and other nearby European neighbours this winter to help backstop the network. It plans to use the interconnectors linking the UK with France, Holland, Belgium, Norway and Denmark to back up the UK's own power stations on 'tight days' when supplies are stretched. Interconnectors are high voltage cables laid across the seabed between the UK and its neighbours. Those currently in operation have a total capacity of about 9 gigawatts (GW), with plans to double that by 2030. Details of the UK's expected reliance on electricity imports have emerged in Neso's early winter outlook report, which sets out its plans for coping with the colder months. Officials said they expected 'sufficient operational surplus throughout winter, allowing for natural variations in weather'. However, they added: 'There may be some tight days and early indications suggest these are most likely to occur in early December or mid-January.' On these 'tight days', Neso will lean on imports from Europe to give the UK an extra safety margin of 6.6GW, or about 11pc of total demand, one of the highest buffers in recent years. The large margin comes after a near disaster last Jan 8 when poor renewable power generation and soaring demand left grid operators scrambling to keep the lights on. The maximum demand the UK could face this coming winter is about 60.5GW, Neso said – roughly equivalent to 20 large nuclear power stations of the kind under construction at Hinkley Point in Somerset. Backup power supplies are essential to support the UK's power grid as the reliance on renewables such as wind and solar increases. British winters often include lengthy 'dunkelflaute' spells marked by low light levels, short days and low winds. Such weather triggers a slump in renewable power generation and was a key cause of the brush with disaster in January. Some of the interconnectors Neso was relying on had also been shut down as a result of failures or maintenance. Over the last year about 37pc of the UK's electricity has come from renewable sources but solar switches off at night and wind is highly variable, meaning alternative sources are important. The UK is increasingly reliant on overseas generators with annual cost of power imports hitting £3.1bn in 2024 compared with £1bn in 2019, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Most electricity comes from France. Longer-term projects include Xlinks – a planned 2,500-mile set of cables between the UK and Morocco, connecting with a 1,500 square mile array of wind and solar farms in the north African desert. Managing supply and demand on the electricity grid is a vital job. Shortages or surpluses of electricity can cause voltage and frequency fluctuations that can trigger blackouts, as happened in Spain and Portugal in April. A report into Spain's disastrous April blackout on Tuesday blamed power grid operator REE for having too few thermal power stations switched on. Such power stations use the heat from nuclear reactors or from burning gas or coal to generate steam, which in turn spins heavy metal turbine generators at fixed speeds. It means the electricity they produce has a very constant frequency and voltage, which helps to stabilise the whole grid. REE did not have enough thermal power stations switched on during peak hours of April 28 when the surge caused a chain reaction leading to the power outage, Sara Aagesen, Spain's energy minister, said. The report also criticised a number of power plant operators for not being switched on when they were being paid to operate. The unnamed power plants 'should have controlled voltage and, moreover, many of them were economically remunerated to do so. They did not absorb all the reactive power that was expected in a context of high voltages,' she said. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Observer
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Observer
Electrical fault halts Al Harthy in ‘Le Mans 24hrs'
Faultless driving, top strategy and a very quick BMW M4 LMGT3 were not enough to deliver what looked likely to be a bid for a dream victory at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans for Ahmad al Harthy and Team WRT — electrical problems in the early hours of Sunday, 15th June, forcing retirement. Oman's Al Harthy and team-mates Valentino Rossi and Kelvin van der Linde had delivered an incredible performance throughout the first half of the twice-round-the-clock encounter at the eight-plus mile Circuit de la Sarthe in France, with LMGT3 silverware well within their grasp. Sadly, though, and for the second year in succession, the 24 Hours of Le Mans ended in misfortune for Al Harthy and Team WRT, having led the class or been inside the top two for the most part since lights-out at 16:00 local time on Saturday, 14th June. After qualifying an excellent third on the grid for the biggest race of the season, round four of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the team choose to begin the 24 Hours with van der Linde and he very quickly climbed into second in LMGT3 close behind the leader. Van der Linde remained in touch in the No.46 BMW M4 and after the initial pit-stops, the South African was back up to second. Oman's Al Harthy climbed behind the wheel for his first miles of the race in hour two and was within less than four seconds of the LMGT3 lead with one hour and 45 minutes elapsed. After another stop, Al Harthy moved up into the lead and he then began to build his advantage, driving faultlessly. Just over three hours into the race the Omani, who is supported by prestigious partners OQ Group, Sohar International, Omantel, Oman LNG, BMW Oman, Oman Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth (MoCSY), and Experience Oman, led by around 25 seconds. Half an hour later the lead was up to roughly 60 seconds, before handing over to Rossi for his first stint of the race. Holding second place initially, the Italian was every bit as competitive as his two team-mates and he soon moved the No.46 BMW back into first place in LMGT3. One quarter of the way through the race, 22.00 local time, van der Linde was back behind the wheel and held an advantage of 14 seconds at that stage. Just before 23.00, with 100 racing laps in the book, he remained at the front with a buffer of half-a-minute over the nearest rival. The entire race strategy from Team WRT was working like clockwork as midnight neared. Around three hours later, though, the squad's tremendous challenge for a dream victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans came to an end when the car ground to a halt — seemingly with no power. After being recovered back to the pits, it was discovered electrical problems were the cause. Moreover, the issue was irreparable at the track in the time available.
Belfast Telegraph
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
Charlie Eastwood toasts ‘faultless' effort after podium finish at 24 Hours of Le Mans
The Gold-rated driver laid the foundations for third place at the twice-around-the-clock meeting as he completed half of the event distance in the No.81 Z06 GT3.R. Starting from sixth place on a packed grid, Eastwood, Tom Van Rompuy and Rui Andrade kept in touch with the LMGT3 pack before breaking into the top three when darkness fell. The charge continued as Eastwood lapped Circuit de la Sarthe and he became the new class leader around 5am French time, and despite the Corvette lacking straight-line speed, its pace through corners and ability to preserve its tyres better paid dividends. Despite surrendering top spot and finishing 71 seconds behind the victorious LMGT3 Manthey Racing Porsche 911 of Ryan Hardwick, Richard Lietz and Riccardo Pera and 38.451 seconds in arrears of the AF Course Ferrari shared by Simon Mann, Francois Heriau and Alessio Rovera, Eastwood said he had no complaints with coming home in third. 'I am delighted with the podium,' said Eastwood, who now has three Le Mans 24 Hour podiums to his name. 'It was a tricky week all week for us as we struggled for straight-line speed which, at a track like Le Mans, tends to come in pretty handy, but it was probably one of the most faultless 24-hour races I have been a part of. 'There were no mistakes from the drivers' side, every pit-stop was perfect and there was not a single touch of damage on the car for the entire race, and those were the things that put us into contention for a podium place. 'It is my first podium in a Corvette – and what a place to have it. Hopefully, it is the first of many at Le Mans – and hopefully I will get even more chances to step even higher on it in future – but right now, I am absolutely busted.' He added: 'Again, like most previous years, I ended up doing just under half of the race whereas the other two guys completed six hours each as their minimum driver time. 'So, I am pretty tired but extremely satisfied with our performance and the team's as a whole.' Meanwhile, a retrospective time penalty by stewards at Rali de Castelo Branco cost Kris Meeke a fourth victory from five starts in the 2025 Portuguese Rally Championship. The Dungannon man thought he had taken top spot – and maximum points – from Dani Sordo by 14.5 seconds only to be punished after he was found to be in breach of the rules. The College of Sports Commissioners said he failed to adhere to the road book as per the International Sporting Code, saying the integrity of the course must always be respected. 'It is very tough to lose a rally like this,' said Meeke, who finished runner-up. 'However, I am very happy with the performance. 'The fight with Dani was excellent, he is one of the best drivers in the world on asphalt, so I really had to give it my all to stay ahead of him.'
