Publications

As the global electricity systems are shaped by decentralisation digitalisation and decarbonisation the World Energy Council’s Innovation Insights Briefs explore the new frontiers in energy transitions and the challenges of keeping pace with fast moving developments. We use leadership interviews to map the state of play and case studies across the whole energy landscape and build a broader and deeper picture of new developments within and beyond Read More

Deloitte was commissioned by the National Hydrogen Taskforce established by the COAG Energy Council to undertake an Australian and Global Growth Scenario Analysis. Deloitte analysed the current global hydrogen industry its development and growth potential and how Australia can position itself to best capitalise on the newly forming industry.To conceptualise the possibilities for Australia Deloitte created scenarios to model the realm of possibilities Read More

The latest pre-production vehicles on the market show that the major technical challenges posed by integrating a fuel cell system (FCS) within a vehicle—compactness safety autonomy reliability cold starting—have been met. Regarding the ongoing maturity of fuel cell systems dedicated to road transport the present article examines the advances still needed to move from a functional but niche product to a mainstream consumer product. It seeks to ad Read More

The main goal of the project is to enable the wide adoption of H2NG (hydrogen in natural gas) blends by closing knowledge gaps regarding technical impacts on residential and commercial gas appliances. The project consortium will identify and recommend appropriate codes and standards that should be adapted to answer the needs and develop a strategy for addressing the challenges for new and existing appliances.This deliverable on market segmentatio Read More

Variable renewable energy (VRE) is expected to play a major role in the decarbonization of the electricity sector. However decarbonization via VRE requires a fleet of flexible dispatchable plants with low CO2 emissions to supply clean power during times with limited wind and sunlight. These plants will need to operate at reduced capacity factors with frequent ramps in electricity output posing techno-economic challenges. This study therefore presents a Read More

Microalloyed steels have evolved in terms of their chemical composition processing and metallurgical characteristics since the beginning of the 20th century in the function of fabrication costs and mechanical properties required to obtain high-performance materials needed to accommodate for the growing demands of gas and hydrocarbons transport. As a result of this microalloyed steels present a good combination of high strength and ductility obtai Read More

CCUS has economy-wide qualities which could be very valuable to delivering clean industrial growth. It could deliver tangible results in tackling some of the biggest challenges we face in decarbonising our economy contributing to industrial competitiveness and generating new economic opportunities – a key part of our modern Industrial Strategy.Our vision is to become a global leader in CCUS unlocking the potential of the technology and securing the adde Read More

Imbalance costs caused by forecasting errors are considerable for grid-connected wind farms. In order to reduce such costs two onsite storage technologies i.e. power-to-hydrogen-to-power and lithium battery are investigated considering 14 uncertain technological and economic parameters. Probability density distributions of wind forecasting errors and power level are first considered to quantify the imbalance and excess wind power. Then robust optimal Read More

Humans directly or indirectly generate over 105 billion tonnes of organic wastes globally each year all of which release harmful methane and other greenhouse gas emissions directly into the atmosphere as they decompose. These organic wastes include food waste sewage and garden wastes food and drink processing wastes and farm and agricultural wastes. Today only 2% of these are treated and recycled.By simply managing these important b Read More

OutlineThis independent report by Vivid Economics and University College London was commissioned to support the Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) 2020 report The Sixth Carbon Budget -The path to Net Zero. This research provided supporting information for Chapter 7 of the CCC’s report which considered the UK’s contribution to the global goals of the Paris Agreement.Key recommendationsThe report models ‘leadership-driven’ global scenarios that cou Read More

The potential of electron-donating capability in methoxy groups of antioxidant containing protein (ACAP) as organic catalyst is restricted by its low isoelectric point. The goal of this study is to construct endure ACAP based metal-free organic catalyst for hydrogen production from electrolysis of noodle wastewater. The ACAP was coated thermomechanically on PVC sheet and its performance was tested during electrolysis of noodle wastewater. The morpholog Read More

It has been investigated the Ni-Co alloys (obtained from powder 0.1...0.3 mm under hot gaseous (in argon) isostatic pressure (up to 300 MPa) (Ni60Co15Cr8W8Al2Mo3) (Firth Rixon Metal Ltd Sheffield) and deformed (obtained by vacuum induced remealting) materials (Ni62Cr14Co10Mo5Nb3Al3Ti3) for gaseous turbine discs. Investigation has performed in the range of temperature 25…800°С and hydrogen pressure up to 70 MPa. By the 3D vis Read More

Eliminating CO2 emissions from industry and transport in line with the 1.5⁰C climate goalTo avoid catastrophic climate change the world needs to reach zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in all all sectors of the economy by the 2050s. Effective energy decarbonisation presents a major challenge especially in key industry and transport sectors.The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has produced a comprehensive study of deep decarbonisation Read More

For the membrane and spiral walls of the new USC boilers the advanced T24 material was developed. In 2010 however extensive T24 tube weld cracking during the commissioning phase of several newly built boilers was observed. As the dominant root cause Hydrogen Induced - Stress Corrosion Cracking was reported. An investigation into the interaction of the T24 material with hydrogen was launched in order to compare its hydrogen embrittlement su Read More

Understanding hydrogen embrittlement phenomenon that leads to deterioration of mechanical properties of metallic components is vital for applications involving hydrogen environment. Among these understanding the influence of hydrogen on the fatigue behaviour of metals is of great interest. Total fatigue life of a material can be divided into fatigue crack initiation and fatigue crack growth phase. While fatigue crack initiation can be linked with the pr Read More

Metastable austenitic stainless steels (ASSs) have excellent ductility but low strength so that their usage as load-bearing components is significantly limited. Rolling is an effective method of increasing strength whereas the effect of rolling temperature on microstructural evolution the hydrogen embrittlement (HE) sensitivity and fracture mechanisms is still unclear. In present study the effect of cold/warm rolling on detailed microstructural characteristics of 3 Read More

There can be observed global interest in waste pyrolysis technology due to low costs and availability of raw materials. At the same time there is a literature gap in forecasting environmental effects of thermal waste treatment installations. In the article was modelled the chemical composition of pyrolysis gas with main focus on the problem in terms of environmental hazards. Not only RDF fuel was analysed but also selected waste fractions included in its co Read More

Hydrogen transport and trapping equations are implemented in a FE software using User Subroutines and the obtained tool is applied to get the diffusion fields in a metallic sheet submitted to a U-Bend test. Based on a submodelling process mechanical and diffusion fields have been computed at the polycrystal scale from which statistical evaluation of the risk of failure of the sample has been estimated.

To reduce loss of hydrogen in storage vessels with high energy-to-weight-ratio new materials especially polymers have to be developed as barrier materials. Very established methods for characterization of barrier materials with permeation measurements are the time-lag and flow rate method along with the differential pressure method which resembles the nature of hydrogen vessel systems very well. Long measurement durations are necessary to gai Read More

Currently the technology associated with charging stations for electric vehicles (EV) needs to be studied and improved to further encourage its implementation. This paper presents a new energy management system (EMS) based on a Biogeography-Based Optimization (BBO) algorithm for a hybrid EV charging station with a configuration that integrates Z-source converters (ZSC) into medium voltage direct current (MVDC) grids. The EMS uses th Read More

The grand challenges in renewable energy lie in our ability to comprehend efficient energy conversion systems together with dealing with the problem of intermittency via scalable energy storage systems. Relatively little progress has been made on this at grid scale and two overriding challenges still need to be addressed: (i) limiting damage to the environment and (ii) the question of environmentally friendly energy conversion. The present review focuses Read More

A radical decarbonization pathway for the Norwegian society towards 2050 is presented. The paper focuses on the role of hydrogen in the transition when present Norwegian petroleum export is gradually phased out. The study is in line with EU initiatives to secure cooperation opportunities with neighbouring countries to establish an international hydrogen market. Three analytical perspectives are combined. The first uses energy models to investigate t Read More

Hydrogen produced from renewables works as an energy carrier and as energy storage medium and thus hydrogen can help to overcome the intermittency of typical renewable energy sources. However there is no comprehensive environmental performance study of hydrogen production and consumption. In this study detailed cradle to grave life cycle analyses are performed in an isolated territory. The hydrogen is produced on-site by Polymer Electrolyte M Read More

Green hydrogen is addressed as a promising solution to decarbonize industrial and mobility sectors. In this context ports could play a key role not only as hydrogen users but also as suppliers for industrial plants with which they have strong commercial ties. The implementation of hydrogen technologies in ports has started to be addressed as a strategy for renewable energy transition but still requires a detailed evaluation of the involved costs which canno Read More

In this work the design of the hardware architecture to implement an algorithm for optimizing the Hydrogen Productivity Rate (HPR) in a Microbial Electrolysis Cell (MEC) is presented. The HPR in the MEC is maximized by the golden section search algorithm in conjunction with a super-twisting controller. The development of the digital architecture in the implementation step of the optimization algorithm was developed in the Very High Description Lang Read More

The Flexibility in Great Britain project analysed the system-level value of deploying flexibility across the heat transport industry and power sectors in Great Britain to provide a robust evidence-base on the role and value of flexibility in a net zero system.OverviewFindings from this groundbreaking analysis of the future net zero energy system in Great Britain are expected to have profound implications for policymakers households and the wider energy sect Read More

The need to decarbonize the shipping sector is leading to a growing interest in fuel cell-based propulsion systems. While Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) represent one of the most promising and mature technologies for onboard implementation they are still prone to remarkable degradation. The same problem is also affecting Lithium-ion batteries (LIB) which are usually coupled with PEMFC in hybrid powertrains. By including the combined Read More

In electrolyzers Faraday’s efficiency is a relevant parameter to assess the amount of hydrogen generated according to the input energy and energy efficiency. Faraday’s efficiency expresses the faradaic losses due to the gas crossover current. The thickness of the membrane and operating conditions (i.e. temperature gas pressure) may affect the Faraday’s efficiency. The developed models in the literature are mainly focused on alkaline electrolyzer Read More

The growth of the world’s energy demand over recent decades in relation to energy intensity and demography is clear. At the same time the use of renewable energy sources is pursued to address decarbonization targets but the stochasticity of renewable energy systems produces an increasing need for management systems to supply such energy volume while guaranteeing at the same time the security and reliability of the microgrids. Locally dist Read More

A main scientific and technical challenge facing the implementation of new and sustainable energy sources is the development and improvement of materials and components. In order to provide commercial viability of these applications an intensive research in material-hydrogen (H) interaction is required. This work provides an overview of recently developed in-situ and in-operando H-charging methods and their applicability to investigate Read More

In this study the optimal sizing of a hybrid battery/hydrogen Energy Storage System “ESS” is assessed via a model-based parametric analysis in the context of a real hybrid renewable microgrid located in Huelva Spain supplying a real-time monitored residential load (3.5 kW; 5.6 MWh/year) in island mode. Four storage configurations (battery-only H2-only hybrid battery priority and hybrid H2 priority) are assessed under different Energy Management Strat Read More

Developing non-precious catalysts as Pt substitutes for electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with superior stability in acidic electrolyte is of critical importance for large-scale low-cost hydrogen production from water. Herein we report a CoCrFeNiAl high-entropy alloy (HEA) electrocatalyst with self-supported structure synthesized by mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering (SPS) consolidation. The HEA after HF treatment and in situ ele Read More

Globally the accelerating use of renewable energy sources enabled by increased efficiencies and reduced costs and driven by the need to mitigate the effects of climate change has significantly increased research in the areas of renewable energy production storage distribution and end-use. Central to this discussion is the use of hydrogen as a clean efficient energy vector for energy storage. This review by experts of Task 32 “Hydrogen-based Energy Read More

Greenhouse gas emissions from the freight transportation sector are a significant contributor to climate change pollution and negative health impacts because of the common use of heavy-duty diesel vehicles (HDVs). Governments around the world are working to transition away from diesel HDVs and to electric HDVs to reduce emissions. Battery electric HDVs and hydrogen fuel cell HDVs are two available alternatives to diesel engines. Each diesel Read More

Cutting-edge world-leading energy network innovation is vital to ensuring that our economy can continue to access the energy it needs to safeguard jobs and to maintain our international competitiveness as the world goes through decarbonisation. In this report we build on the 2020 Gas Goes Green Zero Carbon Commitment to set out the scale of investment that Britain’s gas networks wish to deliver to hydrogen innovation projects and preparing the gas n Read More

Delayed explosion of free field hydrogen releases at a high pressure is subject of multiple investigation performed by various authors in the past years. These studied considered various parameters such as pressures flow rates etc. and their influence on the resulting overpressure. However the influence of the ignition position on the maximum overpressure was not fully explored. Current investigation addressed by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) sim Read More

Biofuel a cost-effective safe and environmentally benign fuel produced from renewable sources has been accepted as a sustainable replacement and a panacea for the damaging effects of the exploration for and consumption of fossil-based fuels. The current work examines the classification generation and utilization of biofuels particularly in internal combustion engine (ICE) applications. Biofuels are classified according to their physical state technolog Read More

Among the processes for producing hydrogen and oxygen from water via the use of solar energy water splitting has the advantage of being carried out in onestep. According to thermodynamics this process exhibits conversions of practical interest at very high temperatures and needs efficient separation systems in order to separate the reaction products hydrogen and oxygen. In this conceptual work the behaviour of a membrane reactor that uses Read More

Due to energy and environmental issues hydrogen has become a more attractive clean fuel. Furthermore there is high interest in producing hydrogen from biomass with a view to sustainability. The thermochemical process for hydrogen production i.e. gasification is the focus of this work. This paper discusses the mathematical modeling of hydrogen production process via biomass steam gasification with calcium oxide as sorbent in a gasifier. A modelling fra Read More

Hydrogen Mobility Europe (H2ME 2015–2022) is the largest European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (EU FCH JU)-funded hydrogen light vehicle and infrastructure demonstration. Up until April 2017 the 40 Daimler passenger car fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and 62 Symbio Fuel Cell-Range Extended Electric Vans (FC-REEV)-vans deployed by the project drove 625300 km and consumed a total of 7900 kg of hydrogen with no safety inci Read More

The pressure swing adsorption (PSA) system is widely applied to separate and purify hydrogen from gaseous mixtures. The extended Langmuir equation fitted from the extended Langmuir-Freundlich isotherm has been used to predict the adsorption isothermal of hydrogen and methane on the zeolite 5A adsorbent bed. A six-step two-bed PSA model for hydrogen purification is developed and validated by comparing its simulation results with other w Read More

Carbon capture and storage is expected to play a pivotal role in achieving the emission reduction targets established by the Paris Agreement. However the most mature technologies have been shown to reduce the net efficiency of fossil fuel-fired power plants by at least 7% points increasing the electricity cost. Carbonate looping is a technology that may reduce these efficiency and economic penalties. Its maturity has increased significantly over the past Read More

The transition to net-zero emission energy systems creates synergistic opportunities across sectors. For example fuel hydrogen production from water electrolysis generates by-product oxygen that could be used to reduce the cost of carbon capture and storage (CCS) essential in the decarbonization of clinker production in cement making. To assess this opportunity a techno-economic assessment was carried out for the production of clinker using Read More

The THyGA project (‘Testing Hydrogen admixture for Gas Applications’) focusses on technical aspects and the regulatory framework concerning the potential operation of domestic and commercial end-user appliances with hydrogen / natural gas blends.The core of the project is a broad experimental campaign with the aim to conduct up to 100 hydrogen tolerance tests. In addition the technical status quo and present knowledge about hydrogen impact on do Read More

The diffusion of electric vehicles in Italy has started but some complications weight its spread. At present hybrid technology is the most followed by users due particularly to socioeconomic factors such as cost of investment and range anxiety. After a deep discussion of the Italian scenario the aim of the paper is to recognize whether fuel cell technology may be an enabling solution to overcome pollution problems and respect for the environment. The opportu Read More

To achieve a vehicle-efficient energy management system an architecture composed of a PEM fuel cell as the main energy source and a hybrid storage system based on battery banks and supercapacitors is proposed. This paper introduces a methodology for the optimal component sizing aiming at minimizing the total cost achieving a cheaper system that can achieve the requirements of the speed profiles. The chosen vehicle is an urban transport bus w Read More

The NASA Safety Standard which establishes a uniform process for hydrogen system design materials selection operation storage and transportation is presented. The guidelines include suggestions for safely storing handling and using hydrogen in gaseous (GH2) liquid (LH2) or slush (SLH2) form whether used as a propellant or non-propellant. The handbook contains 9 chapters detailing properties and hazards facility design design of components materi Read More

In this work methanol decomposition method has been discussed for the production of hydrogen gas with the application of plasma. A simple dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma reactor was designed for this purpose with two types of electrode. The DBD plasma reactor was experimented by substituting one of the metal electrodes with feebly conducting sea water which yielded better efficiency in producing hydrogen gas. Experimental parameters Read More

Given the limited sources of fossil fuels mankind should find new ways to meet its energy demands. In this regard geothermal and solar energy are acknowledged as reliable safe promising and clean means for this purpose. In this research study a comparative analysis is applied on geothermal and solar-driven multi-generation systems for clean electricity and hydrogen production through energy and exergy assessments. The system consists of an Read More

Biochar (BCH) is a carbon‐based bio‐material produced from thermochemical conversion of biomass. Several activation or functionalization methods are usually used to improve physicochemical and functional properties of BCHs. In the context of green and sustainable future development activated and functionalized biochars with abundant surface functional groups and large surface area can act as effective catalysts or catalyst supports for che Read More