Overview of current development in electrical energy storage technologies and the application potential in power system operation

Room-temperature stationary sodium-ion batteries have attracted great attention particularly in large-scale electric energy storage applications for renewable energy and smart grid because of the huge abundant sodium resources and low cost. In this article, a variety of electrode materials including cathodes and anodes as well as electrolytes for room-temperature stationary sodium-ion batteries are briefly reviewed. We compare the difference in storage behavior between Na and Li in their analogous electrodes and summarize the sodium storage mechanisms in the available electrode materials. This review also includes some new results from our group and our thoughts on developing new materials. Some perspectives and directions on designing better materials for practical applications are pointed out based on knowledge from the literature and our experience. Through this extensive literature review, the search for suitable electrode and electrolyte materials for stationary sodium-ion batteries is still challenging. However, after intensive research efforts, we believe that low-cost, long-life and room-temperature sodium-ion batteries would be promising for applications in large-scale energy storage system in the near future.

Room-temperature stationary sodium-ion batteries for large-scale electric energy storage

1. Setting the Scope of the Challenge 6474 1.1. The Need for Solar Energy Supply and Storage 6474 1.2. An Imperative for Discovery Research 6477 1.3. Scope of Review 6478 2. Large-Scale Centralized Energy Storage 6478 2.1. Pumped Hydroelectric Energy Storage (PHES) 6479 2.2. Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) 6480 3. Smaller Scale Grid and Distributed Energy Storage 6481 3.1. Flywheel Energy Storage (FES) 6481 3.2. Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage 6482 4. Chemical Energy Storage: Electrochemical 6482 4.1. Batteries 6482 4.1.1. Lead-Acid Batteries 6483 4.1.2. Alkaline Batteries 6484 4.1.3. Lithium-Ion Batteries 6484 4.1.4. High-Temperature Sodium Batteries 6484 4.1.5. Liquid Flow Batteries 6485 4.1.6. Metal-Air Batteries 6485 4.2. Capacitors 6485 5. Chemical Energy Storage: Solar Fuels 6486 5.1. Solar Fuels in Nature 6486 5.2. Artificial Photosynthesis and General Considerations of Water Splitting 6486

Solar Energy Supply and Storage for the Legacy and Nonlegacy Worlds

Increasing demand for finding eco-friendly and everlasting energy sources is now totally depending on fuel cell technology. Though it is an eco-friendly way of producing energy for the urgent requirements, it needs to be improved to make it cheaper and more eco-friendly. Although there are several types of fuel cells, the hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) fuel cell is the one with zero carbon emission and water as the only byproduct. However, supplying fuels in the purest form (at least the H2) is essential to ensure higher life cycles and less decay in cell efficiency. The current large-scale H2 production is largely dependent on steam reforming of fossil fuels, which generates CO2 along with H2 and the source of which is going to be depleted. As an alternate, electrolysis of water has been given greater attention than the steam reforming. The reasons are as follows: the very high purity of the H2 produced, the abundant source, no need for high-temperature, high-pressure reactors, and so on. In earlier days,...

Recent Trends and Perspectives in Electrochemical Water Splitting with an Emphasis on Sulfide, Selenide, and Phosphide Catalysts of Fe, Co, and Ni: A Review

Large-scale deployment of intermittent renewable energy (namely wind energy and solar PV) may entail new challenges in power systems and more volatility in power prices in liberalized electricity markets. Energy storage can diminish this imbalance, relieving the grid congestion, and promoting distributed generation. The economic implications of grid-scale electrical energy storage technologies are however obscure for the experts, power grid operators, regulators, and power producers. A meticulous techno-economic or cost-benefit analysis of electricity storage systems requires consistent, updated cost data and a holistic cost analysis framework. To this end, this study critically examines the existing literature in the analysis of life cycle costs of utility-scale electricity storage systems, providing an updated database for the cost elements (capital costs, operational and maintenance costs, and replacement costs). Moreover, life cycle costs and levelized cost of electricity delivered by electrical energy storage is analyzed, employing Monte Carlo method to consider uncertainties. The examined energy storage technologies include pumped hydropower storage, compressed air energy storage (CAES), flywheel, electrochemical batteries (e.g. lead–acid, NaS, Li-ion, and Ni–Cd), flow batteries (e.g. vanadium-redox), superconducting magnetic energy storage, supercapacitors, and hydrogen energy storage (power to gas technologies). The results illustrate the economy of different storage systems for three main applications: bulk energy storage, T&D support services, and frequency regulation.

Electrical energy storage systems: A comparative life cycle cost analysis

A review of Industry 4.0 characteristics and challenges, with potential improvements using blockchain technology

Hyperspectral imaging applied for the detection of wind turbine blade damage and icing

Assessing the potential for a wind power incentive for remote villages in Canada

Cup anemometers are used in the wind energy industry to characterize wind farm sites and to predict monthly and annual energy production. Their role is important since wind speed predictions depend on their correct operation. Unfortunately, northern climates greatly affect the performance of anemometers, because in-cloud icing generally occurs at higher altitudes (more than 600 m). Wind speed prediction error caused by rime ice accreted on the anemometer can be as large as 10 % to 30 % during the winter months. This generates big errors in wind predictions, resulting in an undervaluation of the wind potential of a site or causing overloads to the wind turbines which depend only on the parameters read by the anemometer. In order to partially remedy this difficulty, heated cup anemometers are used. The Anti-icing Materials International Laboratory (AMIL) at the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi (UQAC), in collaboration with the Wind Energy Group at the University of Quebec at Rimouski (UQAR) evaluated, in a refrigerated wind tunnel, under a very severe freezing fog, the behaviour of two cup anemometers in order to estimate and model the performance loss in adverse atmospheric conditions. The results obtained show that performance decreases for both unheated and heated cup anemometers with respect to exposure time and freezing fog severity, leading to complete stoppage of the unheated anemometer. Finally, a semi-empirical equation, taking into account air speed and temperature, liquid water content as well as water droplets median volumetric diameter is proposed in order to predict a cup anemometer's performance loss due to exposure time to freezing fog exposure time.

Adrian Ilinca

Papers

A review of Industry 4.0 characteristics and challenges, with potential improvements using blockchain technology

Hyperspectral imaging applied for the detection of wind turbine blade damage and icing

Assessing the potential for a wind power incentive for remote villages in Canada

Behaviour and Modeling of Cup Anemometers under Icing Conditions

Optimal management of compressed air energy storage in a hybrid wind-pneumatic-diesel system for remote area's power generation