Technologies for renewable energy
Integration of renewable energy sources in the energy
system is a challenge. In many cases this integration
requires additional technologies for the system to work
acceptably. This chapter discusses some technologies that
can be important in order to achieve a successful integration
of renewable energy sources. Some of the technologies
that are discussed have received much attention
in later years. These have been given broader attention in
this chapter. This particularly applies to hydrogen, fuel
cells and heat pumps.
Technologies for renewable energy
Integration of renewable energy sources in the energy system is a challenge. In many cases this integration requires additional technologies for the system to work acceptably. This chapter discusses some technologies that can be important in order to achieve a successful integration of renewable energy sources. Some of the technologies that are discussed have received much attention in later years. These have been given broader attention in this chapter. This particularly applies to hydrogen, fuel cells and heat pumps.
Energy storage
Energy demand varies on many time scales; from hour to hour, day to day and season to season. Most renewable energy sources have production that is difficult to adjust to consumption. When there is much wind, there is not always a need for all the energy from the wind turbines, and when the wind calms there may be too little energy to meet demand.
Hydrogen
Hydrogen (H
2) is the most common element in the
universe. On earth, the largest incidence is in the form of water (H
2O), but hydrogen is also part of a number of organic and inorganic compounds. If hydrogen is allowed to react with oxygen, large amounts of energy are released (look for “heating value” in table 8-1). The product from this reaction is water. This is why hydrogen
is considered a pure energy carrier.
Fuel cells
Fuel cells are not a new technology. The first fuel cell was built by William Robert Grove in 1839, but it was not until the 1960s that the first fuel cells came into use with the space program Apollo (NASA).
Heat pumps
With the help of a heat pump it is possible to move thermal energy from a source with low temperature to a receiver with high temperature. Since this is the opposite direction of normal thermodynamic transition, high quality energy (for example electricity) must be added in the process, but that energy consumption is much less than the amount of thermal energy that is moved.
References
References to the information about technologies for renewable energy.