Heat pumps save energy for heating and cooling

Climate News Links on April 10, 2022

Heat pumps use physical laws of thermodynamics to move large amounts of thermal energy for heating and cooling with little energy expenditure.

Image: Polytechnic University of Valencia / from the article

by Emiliano Bellini, 08/04/2020 in PV Magazine

Residential heat pump produces water up to 75 C: Scientists in Spain have developed a new heat pump that can produce 6.49 kWh of heat for each kilowatt-hour of power it consumes. The device could generate hot water at a temperature of up to 75 C.

Researchers from the Polytechnic University of Valencia in Spain and heating specialist Saunier Duval, a unit of Germany-based Vaillant Group, have developed a new residential heat pump based on natural refrigerants.

The device uses propane as a refrigerant, which allows for high energy efficiency, while keeping carbon dioxide emissions to almost zero.

“Our heat pump can heat homes completely environmentally friendly, without emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. In addition, its high-efficiency energy allows it to be classified as renewable energy, by pumping energy from the environment”, said researcher José Gonzalvez.

Read the complete article….

Featured image: Diagram of a phase change heat pump. Legend: 1. Condenser coil (hot side heat exchanger, gas cools and liquifies); 2 Metering Device (liquid expands and cools), 3. Evaporator coil (cold side heat exchanger, liquid vaporizes and heats up), 4. Compressor (gas is compressed and heats up). Red = Gas at high pressure and very high temperature, Pink = Liquid at high pressure and high temperature, Blue = Liquid at low pressure and very low temperature, Light Blue = Gas at low pressure and low temperature. Note: the arrows in the diagram are meant to indicate the flow of air and coolant; they do not correspond to heat flow, which in the system depicted is (generally) from right to left. / Author: Ilmari Karonen, own work / Licensing: Public Domain.

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Efficient electrolysis makes hydrogen economy look good

Climate News Links on March 20, 2022

Australian technology developed at University of Wollongong and being commercialized by Hysata offers most efficient/cheapest energy conversion to date.

Hysata chief executive officer Paul Barrett and chief technology officer Gerry Swiegers with the company’s capillary-fed electrolysis cell. Photograph: Mark Newsham

by Peter Hannam, 16/03/2022 in The Guardian

Australian researchers claim ‘giant leap’ in technology to produce affordable renewable hydrogen: Morrison government’s hydrogen stretch goal of $2 a kilogram to make the fuel competitive could be reached by 2025, Hysata says.

Featured Image: Capillary-fed electrolysis cell – Schematic depiction showing how the bipolar plate and conducting gas diffusion layer in the capillary-fed cell were combined into a single bipolar plate structure that comprised a sheet of Ni with many small holes to allow evolved gases to exit the electrode. The anode electrode was welded to its bipolar plate. The cathode was compressed against its bipolar plate and not welded / Source: A high-performance capillary-fed electrolysis cell promises more cost-competitive renewable hydrogen, by Hodges, et al. 15/02/2022 in Nature Communications..

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Second definition problem: Not all oils need to be fossil

William P. Hall on February 26, 2022

Some oils are from nuts. The chemical industry can work with other feedstocks than fossils. Safer to try to remove the petroleum from chemicals.

by Tom Egelhoff, 20/02/2022 in Medium
No More Fossil Fuels? Are You Nuts? I think we have a definition problem here. I don’t think people are anti-fossil fuels they are anti-fuel. Fossils just happen to be the source of that fuel.

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Australian MacArthur Fellow (winner of the ‘genius grant’) wants to electrify our world to eliminate GHG emissions

William P. Hall on February 6, 2022

by Bronwyn Adcock, 05/02/2022 in The Guardian
Electric Monaros and hotted-up skateboards : the ‘genius’ who wants to electrify our world — After advising US president Joe Biden on energy, Saul Griffith is back in Australia to declare war on the climate crisis

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New green ‘natural hydrogen’ may soon be coming from the ground in South Australia at low cost

William P. Hall on February 4, 2022

‘Natural hydrogen’ is a term for naturally occurring hydrogen sourced from the ground at low cost with zero (or at least minimal) greenhouse gas emissions

There is a ‘goldrush’ by petrochemical companies currently going on in South Australia where they are looking to stake claims on and prove the existence of underground reserves of nearly pure hydrogen gas. The article touts a “Potential to drastically cut costs” of hydrogen production.

Despite the lack of research, Australians – and indeed a number of companies internationally – remain undeterred, likely because of the potential for natural hydrogen to be three to four times cheaper than that produced via electrolysis or gas reforming with carbon capture. Gold Hydrogen estimates it should be able to produce natural hydrogen for less than $2.30 per kg, compared to manufactured hydrogen projects being produced at greater than $6 per kg.

Queensland company Gold Hydrogen has been granted the right to explore approximately 9,500km2 in the southern part of the Yorke Peninsula through to Kangaroo Island in search of natural hydrogen deposits.Gold Hydrogen

Natural hydrogen exploration ‘boom’ snaps up one third of South Australia

by Bella Peacock, 02/02/2022 – in PV Magazine

South Australia has found itself at the heart of a 21st-century gold rush, though this time for naturally occurring hydrogen. Since February 2021, 18 exploration licenses have been granted or applied for in the state by six different companies searching for natural hydrogen

In a rapid escalation from zero activity in February last year, exploration companies are now scrambling to look for what they believe could be the cheapest, easiest way to get their hands on the much hyped “future fuel”: hydrogen.

In the last 12 months, six different companies have either been granted or applied for 18 Petroleum Exploration Licences across the state of South Australia, according to Australian energy consultancy EnergyQuest. Combined, the area under permit equates to around 570,000 square kilometres (km2) or 32% of the entire state, the consultancy has found, referring to the sudden influx as a “boom”.

Natural hydrogen

Until now, natural or native hydrogen has been largely overlooked – despite it being described as “widespread in nature” by natural hydrogen researcher Viacheslav Zgonnik in a 2020 paper. Natural hydrogen deposits form through chemical reactions underground, with Zgonnik saying the molecule has been detected at high concentrations, often as the major gas, in all types of geologic environments.

Read the complete article….

Caveat emptor. This could be good news in that a potential source of low or zero emissions hydrogen for power generation has been found that could replace natural gas. However, I suspect that most or all of the hydrogen will found to be associated with methane rich natural gas. My guess is that this will be used as an excuse by the fossil fuel industry members funding the exploration to produce and burn more natural gas with consequent greenhouse gas emissions going into the atmosphere.

I would watch this very carefully, and would hope that by the time any concrete decisions need to be made regarding real hydrogen production projects that we will have replaced Capt. Humbug’s LNP Coalition Government with trustworthy people able to make sensible decisions where project approvals and he like are concerned.

Vote Climate One’s Traffic Light Voting System is designed to help you use our preferential voting system to elect these trustworthy people.

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