Metals Tech

The rollout of electric vehicles (EVs) should help digitise the economy in more ways than one.

The Energy Networks Association trade body announced yesterday that leading Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) are to reform application processes for installing and connecting EV chargepoints and heat pumps in order to curt the amount of paperwork households, councils, and businesses have to contend with.

The group said the goal aim of the reforms was enable more mass installations by charge point installers by introducing a new, standardised process for all types of properties and businesses, including, for the first time, commercial properties.

The announcement, which was made at the first combined ENA-Ofgem EV Forum in London, was made alongside confirmation the same administrative reforms will be applied to the process for connecting heat pumps to local networks.

Charge point and heat pump installers have previously had to use a range of different forms and requirements from different grid operators around the country to notify them of new installations being connected, the ENA said. The new standardised approach should simplify the entire application process with heat pump installers in particular seeing a major reduction in the amount of paperwork they have to complete.

The group added that further reforms will now be developed to digitalise the process and make use of new technologies such as facial recognition, to make the process even more streamlined.

“We want to help super-charge Britain’s EV roll-out,” said chief executive David Smith. “By finding new ways to cut the amount of paperwork, we are making it easier and quicker for EV charge points to connect to the network, helping the public make the switch to cleaner, greener transportation. At the same time, we want to ensure that they can access the latest low-carbon heating technologies, such as heat pumps, as easily as possible, to keep their homes warm throughout the year.”

He added that reforms will also help grid companies accelerate the development and deployment of smart grid technologies.

“Smart technology and data are vital to ensuring that network companies run the system in a more efficient and capable way,” he said. “But to do that we need to know where and when charge points and heat pumps are being installed so we can manage the system in the most reliable, flexible way possible. The changes announced today will make it easier for installers to provide that information whilst helping network operators fulfil their responsibilities to the public.”

The reforms were welcomed by Ian Johnston, CEO of EV charging company Engenie, who said they marked “a significant step forward in simplifying the roll out of rapid EV charging infrastructure”.

“However, it remains just one piece of the EV jigsaw,” he added. “The government in particular is failing to match its own rhetoric to truly embrace the EV revolution. It must show leadership and use consumer policy, clever regulation and significant funding to accelerate the transition to a zero-carbon, pollutant free transport system.”

Daniel Brown, policy manager and EV lead at the REA trade body, also welcomed the new process, predicting it would “help streamline the deployment of EV charging in homes and commercial settings”, and make it easier to deploy smart charging technologies. .

“What’s key now is to build on this process and for the networks to work towards an app-based system so installers and developers can get extremely rapid decisions on the maximum demand of a site and permissions, where appropriate, to connect,” he added. “If as anticipated the EV charging industry scales up significantly meaning by the mid 2020’s some stakeholders could be modelling several thousand home and workplace installations per week, the speed of processing enquiries and applications, and the creation of industry-led schemes to support consumer protection, will be key.”

From the outside, many recently-built hog barns closely resemble the structures that our parents or grandparents used for raising pigs. However, inside, a revolution is occurring in the form of web-connectable control systems. Just as you can monitor and manage your grain dryer’s settings, you can do the same thing with a hog barn’s web-connectable control system.

Multiple vendors offer this technology today. And, while web-connectable controllers do add cost to a new barn, the technology’s customizability and added management capabilities make it an attractive option.

Increase Flexibility

The core functionality of web-connectable controllers is similar to existing ventilation controllers. In general, the heating and ventilation system is still primarily driven off of temperature sensors that are located in various positions throughout a barn. However, the connectivity and flexibility for different programing options is quite a change from past control systems. Other benefits of the technology include additional built-in redundancies to help prevent disaster events and the ability to operate multiple barns from a single controller.

An internet connection is not required for the controllers to run the ventilation system. If internet is available, information collected from the controller can be routinely uploaded and accessed via personal computer, smart phone or tablet app. Hog producers can then access the information in real-time to monitor things like which fans are running and how many amps they’re drawing.

Manage Barns Remotely

In addition to accessing information, the technology offers the flexibility for producers to make changes to settings remotely, without having to physically visit the barn. The software applications also come with a number of other management tools, such as daily mortality reporting, that help pull together all of the farmer’s production data into one spot. In the near future, technology will likely exist that will automatically count the number of pigs entering and leaving a barn, which when combined with a web-connectable control system, offers a unique option for inventory management.

This technology also offers the opportunity for further automation. For example, an animal caretaker will be able to set specific parameters for the barn, and the web-connectable controller technology will make small, on-the-fly adjustments to environmental settings to maximize pig comfort, while simultaneously helping control costs. Even changes in conditions outside the barn, like temperature and wind speed and direction, can be programmed into the controller so that environmental settings are adjusted accordingly inside the barn.

Plug in Additional Data

Finally, this technology is built to continually evolve with the option of plugging in additional data feeds. Today, sensors exist that can monitor a number of different parameters, including air quality, pig behavior, cough severity, water usage, feed levels and energy usage. The key is figuring out which of these sensors will last in a pig barn and produce reliable information. Of even more importance is figuring out which set of parameters are most relevant and can be used to influence better production decisions.

There is no doubt that the industry must continually evolve and adopt emerging technologies. These technologies will allow producers to better prioritize their time and stay more informed on what is going on in the barn. Questions like, “Did the water medication I ran in the morning have any impact?” don’t have to wait until your next visit to the barn for an answer.

Carmakers such as Daimler, BMW or Volkswagen are increasingly morphing into tech companies in their bid to develop the digital backbone of new mobility and fend off competition from the big tech firms, writes Christiaan Hetzner for Automotive News Europe. Many car industry managers are betting on in-house solutions rather than co-innovate with rivals or smaller firms. Simply buying shares in tech firms, however, fails as a strategy, Hetzner writes. “The core business needs to adapt, too, and software expertise must be developed in-house if carmakers are to remain competitive. To ensure that their employees think more like workers at tech companies, the entire mindset has to change.”

Germany’s carmakers have vowed to fight in the green transport revolution. Many experts expect to see a shift to e-mobility, autonomous driving and digital mobility services, which will make German carmakers’ traditional engineering strongpoint less important. The industry is also still bogged down by the ongoing debate about the future of combustion engines, in particular diesel-powered cars.

Energy storage company Maxwell Technologies announced Monday that it has agreed to be bought out by electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla Motors.

The two companies have agreed to a mass sale of Maxwell shares at $4.75 apiece, reported by EV Specifications to total $218 million in value. No date for the transaction has been agreed upon, though both expect the deal to be complete in the second or third quarter of 2019.

Maxwell touts itself as a global leader in the energy storage industry and points to its ultracapacitors as evidence thereof. The company claims that its newly developed lithium-ion ultracapacitors boast the advantages of capacitors—high energy density, quick charge and discharge, and low degradation—but also larger storage capacities, comparable to that of a battery. At a commercialized, EV-ready scale, this technology could decrease charge times, have a longer service life than a traditional lithium-ion battery, resist overheating during heavy charge or discharge, and be capable of greater energy output.

“We have developed and transformed our patented, proprietary and fundamental dry electrode manufacturing technology that we have historically used to make ultracapacitors to create a breakthrough technology that can be applied to the manufacturing of batteries,” stated Maxwell in a release. “Our ultracapacitor products provide safe and reliable power solutions for applications in consumer and industrial electronics, transportation, renewable energy, and information technology.”

Dry battery electrode technology is another development of which Maxwell brags. The company’s wording seemingly implies that it has a solid-state battery near commercial readiness, as current lithium-ion batteries use a liquid electrolyte, though this does not rule out lithium-polymer batteries, which have polymer electrolytes.

Ocean waves have a lot of energy, and wave power is a renewable energy source capable of generating electricity.
Wave power is free, sustainable, renewable, and produces zero waste. Therefore, it can contribute to reducing our carbon footprint.

There is an enormous energy potential that can be taken out of the waves and tides, but scientists, companies, and national authorities have not yet understood how to make it a viable product.

Wave power is produced by the up and down motion of floating devices placed on the surface of the ocean.

In other words, wind produces waves, and then waves produce energy.

As the waves travel across the ocean, high-tech devices capture the natural movements of ocean currents and the flow of swells to generate power.

Harnessing the Power of the Waves

There are three main methods for harnessing energy from waves and converting it to electricity.

The most common technology uses buoys or float systems that rely on the rise and fall of swells to drive hydraulic pumps.

As the wave moves, they will flex and bend as waves pass, produce a movement in the wave energy converter, the machine that transforms kinetic energy into electricity.

There are also oscillating water column devices equipped with vertical pistons that use buoyancy and gravity to generate energy.

Finally, the tapered channel is a shore-mounted structure that channels and concentrates swells into an elevated reservoir where a hydropower device converts the pressure into electricity.

In the first two cases, electricity is carried to shore via sub-sea cables before feeding power to the grid.

The commercial potential of wave energy has not yet been fully explored because converting wave energy into electric power is not as simple as wind or solar energy.

The disadvantages of wave energy are the high production and installation costs, complicated maintenance and repair logistics, potential threats to marine life, and noise pollution associated with the offshore and onshore structures.

A Slow Start

In 1799, Pierre-Simon Girard patented the world’s first wave energy concept, but the first high-scale prototypes only saw the light of day two hundred years later.

The first ever commercial wave energy system was installed in Scotland’s Islay, in 2000.

The Islay LIMPET (Land Installed Marine Power Energy Transmitter) was a 500 kW wave energy collector that was connected to the National Grid. It was fully decommissioned in 2018.

The current trials, farms, and commercial installations are located in Hawaii (Azura Wave and BOLT Lifesaver), Sweden (Sotenäs), Spain (Mutriku Wave Power Plant), Israel (SDE Sea Wave Power Plant) and Greece (SINN Power).

However, most of the projects are still in the pilot phase, and it is fair to say that, from a pragmatic perspective, wave power is still in its infant stage when compared with wind power, solar power, and other sustainable and renewable energy sources.

Today, the power obtained by harnessing the energy produced by waves at sea is still minimal, and the overall capacity is under 15MW.

The areas of the globe with the highest wave energy potential are the North Atlantic, the North Pacific, and the Southern Ocean.

Qatar Petroleum and Exxon Mobil announced Tuesday a final decision to build a natural gas export facility in Texas, giving the official green light to a long-discussed project.

The Golden Pass project in Sabine Pass, Texas, which will cost more than $10 billion, is scheduled to begin construction in the first quarter of 2019, with a start up date in 2024, the companies said.

The venture is the latest to underscore the shifting complexion of US energy in the wake of a shale boom that has prompted companies to pivot from building facilities to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) to exporting the fuel.

Qatar Petroleum, which holds 70 percent of the project, plans $20 billion in US energy sector investments. Qatar announced in December it was leaving the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to focus on building its international gas business.

The Golden Pass project “enhances the depth and flexibility of our global LNG supply portfolio, and reinforces the position of the US as a key contributor to meeting the world’s growing demand for LNG,” said Qatar Petroleum Chief Executive Saad al-Kaabi, who also serves as Energy Minister for the Middle Eastern country.

Kaabi participated in a ceremony with US Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Darren Woods, chief executive of Exxon Mobil, which holds 30 percent of the project.

The project is expected to create about 9,000 jobs during the construction phase and 200 permanent jobs, Exxon Mobil said in a news release.

“Golden Pass will provide an increased, reliable, long-term supply of liquefied natural gas to global gas markets, stimulate local growth and create thousands of jobs,” Woods said in a statement.