Two University of Calgary researchers have developed a ground-breaking way to make new, affordable, and efficient catalysts for converting electricity into chemical energy.
Their technology opens the door to homeowners and energy companies being able to easily store and reuse solar and wind power. Such energy is clean and renewable, but it’s available only when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing.
The research by Curtis Berlinguette and Simon Trudel, both in the chemistry department in the Faculty of Science, has just been published in Science – one of the world’s top peer-reviewed journals.
“This breakthrough offers a relatively cheaper method of storing and reusing electricity produced by wind turbines and solar panels,” says Berlinguette, associate professor of chemistry and Canada Research Chair in Energy Conversion.
“Our work represents a critical step for realizing a large-scale, clean energy economy,” adds Berlinguette, who’s also director of the university’s Centre for Advanced Solar Materials.
Trudel, assistant professor of chemistry, says their work “opens up a whole new field of how to make catalytic materials. We now have a large new arena for discovery.”
The pair have patented their technology and created from their university research a spin-off company, FireWater Fuel Corp., to commercialize their electrocatalysts for use in electrolyzers.
Electrolyzer devices use catalysts to drive a chemical reaction that converts electricity into chemical energy by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen fuels. These fuels can then be stored and re-converted to electricity for use whenever wanted.
The only byproduct from such a ‘green’ energy system is water, which can be recycled through the system. To store and provide renewable power to a typical house would require an electrolyzer about the size of a beer fridge, containing a few litres of water and converting hydrogen to electricity with virtually no emissions, the researchers say.
Key to their discovery is that they deviated from conventional thinking about catalysts, which typically are made from rare, expensive and toxic metals in a crystalline structure.
Instead, Berlinguette and Trudel turned to simpler production methods for catalysts. This involved using abundant metal compounds or oxides (including iron oxide or ‘rust’), to create mixed metal oxide catalysts having a disordered, or amorphous, structure.
Laboratory tests – reported in their Science paper – show their new catalysts perform as well or better than expensive catalysts now on the market, yet theirs costs 1,000 times less.
The Latest Bing News on:
Reusing renewable energy
- How Queensland Plans To Achieve 70% Renewable Energy Targets By 2032on May 18, 2024 at 5:30 am
Powerlink is a Queensland government-owned service provider that runs a transmission network providing electricity to five million Queenslanders and 238,000 businesses.
- WAVE: Eco Wave Power: Advancing Renewable Energy with Ocean Waveson May 17, 2024 at 7:38 am
NASDAQ:WAVE Eco Wave Power (NASDAQ:WAVE), founded in Tel Aviv, Israel, in 2011, specializes in converting ocean and sea waves into green electricity with patented technology. With a focus on ...
- Azerbaijan prioritizing renewable energy production as key business direction - deputy head of tax serviceon May 17, 2024 at 6:51 am
If we study the priority business in Azerbaijan now, we will see that it is renewable energy production, technology application, waste reuse, seawater desalination, and public-private partnership in ...
- Clean energy slump – why Australia’s renewables revolution is behind schedule, and how to fix iton May 16, 2024 at 6:46 pm
For years, the electricity sector has been the poster child for emissions cuts in Australia. The sector achieved a stunning 26% drop in emissions over the past 15 years, while other sectors have ...
- November election pivotal to clean energy momentumon May 16, 2024 at 8:52 am
A Wood Mackenzie report that a Republican victory in 2024 presidential election could put $1 trillion energy investment on the line and put pressure on states to step up.
- Origin Energy unveils plans for 2 GWh battery in Australiaon May 16, 2024 at 2:15 am
Australian energy giant Origin Energy has revealed plans to build what could be the biggest battery energy storage system (BESS) in the state of Queensland, as it continues the expansion of its ...
- Solar facility’s completion means Park City and resorts can hit alternative energy goalson May 15, 2024 at 10:29 am
D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments on Wednesday announced that the Elektron Solar Project has reached commercial operation, which is big news for Park City, along with Park City Mountain and Deer Valley ...
- D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments Announces Elektron Solar Reaches Commercial Operations Dateon May 15, 2024 at 3:00 am
Christine Mikell, CEO of Enyo Renewable Energy added: "We want to thank all of the parties ... The Elektron project is especially gratifying because it created new revenue for schools by reusing land ...
- Budget fuels renewable hydrogen’s future with $8 billion uptickon May 14, 2024 at 9:47 pm
Budget night unveiled more than $8 billion of support measures to grow the domestic hydrogen industry for its place on the global stage, which energy billionaire Andrew Forrest suggests could make ...
- A new recycling program in Ellington is turning food scraps into renewable energyon May 14, 2024 at 2:00 am
Ellington's new food scraps drop-off program is turning kitchen waste into renewable energy, with the help of Vanguard Renewables in Massachusetts.
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Reusing renewable energy
[google_news title=”” keyword=”reusing renewable energy” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”] [/vc_column_text]The Latest Bing News on:
Sustainable energy
- Attorney General Coleman is undermining sustainable energy progress in Kentucky.on May 18, 2024 at 1:55 am
Sarah Lynn Cunningham, PE, Executive Director, Louisville Climate Action Network. LCAN is a network of 65 community and faith-based organizations, for-profit businesses and educational institutions.
- How sustainable energy storage can be achieved in US, other countries — Experton May 17, 2024 at 4:31 pm
Nigerian-born researcher Ridwan Ayinla has revealed how he’s pioneering the revolution of energy storage that would forge a new frontier in environmental stewardship.Ayinla, who is a researcher at ...
- DEWA and PowerChina discuss cooperation to promote sustainable energy solutionson May 17, 2024 at 12:22 am
The visiting delegation included Peng Gang, Vice President of PowerChina-Intl and President of PowerChina MENA; Gao Fei, Vice President of PowerChina MENA; Chen Yunpeng, Vice President of SEPCOIII, a ...
- NegOcc to showcase sustainable energy solutions, actions in RE Weekon May 16, 2024 at 8:29 pm
Negros Occidental province will showcase sustainable energy solutions, innovations, and actions during the first Provincial Renewable Energy Week on May 20 to 2 ...
- Seplat Energy to support national growth with sustainable energy solutionson May 16, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Highlighting its landmark $1 billion turnover and President Bola Tinubu’s commissioning of its the ANOH Gas Processing Plant, Seplat Energy said it was committed to delivering sustainable values to ...
- Business Council for Sustainable Energy voices support for crackdown on critical mineral supply chainson May 15, 2024 at 9:45 am
As the House considers numerous ways to lock China out of the U.S. market, the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) recently wrote to the chamber in support of moves to secure domestic ...
- Leadership is vital for sustainable energy future for allon May 15, 2024 at 7:03 am
In today’s rapidly evolving energy landscape, sustainability is critical for businesses across the globe.It’s very easy to equate sustainability with environmental performance. While environmental ...
- Solar Power Now Leads the Charge Towards Sustainable Energy Futureon May 10, 2024 at 2:58 pm
As the demand for renewable energy grows ever higher, Solar Power Now emerges as a frontrunner in driving the transition towards a sustainable ...
- ‘Eating healthy will give you more sustainable energy’on May 9, 2024 at 9:00 am
Mary Abitanto believes in celebrating nature’s harvest and living a healthy lifestyle. “Eating healthy will give you more sustainable energy to do the things you love,” she said. Abitanto has thrown ...
- Malaysia risks total dependence on imported gas if sustainable energy policies not enacted: Economy Ministeron May 5, 2024 at 3:09 pm
Malaysia could be entirely dependent on imported gas by 2050 if the government does not make concerted efforts to accelerate the transition to more sustainable energy, according to Economy Minister ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Sustainable energy
[google_news title=”” keyword=”sustainable energy” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]