Columbia Electrochemical Energy Center (CEEC) Announced

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CEEC, Columbia, electrochemistry, energy, energy storage, grand challenges, interdisciplinary

Based in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), Columbia has officially lunched the Columbia Electrochemical Energy Center (CEEC). There are nine core faculty members in the center,  which brings together interdisciplinary teams of students and faculty from chemical, earth & environmental, mechanical, and electrical engineering to tackle grand challenges in electrochemical energy conversion technologies.  Find out more about the center in this SEAS press release and/or check out these videos promoting the new center:

 

 

 

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Technoeconomic analysis on solar hydrogen production

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economics, energy, hydrogen, photovoltaics, solar

A technoeconomic analysis on solar hydrogen production was recently published in Energy. Environ. Sci. by Shaner, et al. (Energy. Environ. Sci., 2016, Advance Article). The levelized cost of hydrogen was compared between photovoltaic-electrolyzers (PV-E), photoelectrochemical cells (PECs), and fossil fuel derived hydrogen using steam methane reforming (SMR).

This paper highlights the strengths of PEC systems and outlines the challenges which must be met in order for the technology to become viable. One way to make solar hydrogen production competitive with SMR is to tax the carbon dioxide that is produced. They estimate that for the current PEC technology to achieve hydrogen price parity with SMR, a carbon tax of $1000/ton C02 is required. If a solar concentrator PEC is used, the estimated tax decreases to $800/ton CO2.

 

Perspective on fossil fuels

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economics, energy, fossil fuels, renewable energy

Here is a recent perspective on (moving away from) fossil fuels in FORTUNE magazine by Prof. Mark Barteau at the University of Michigan:

Why a Production Freeze Won’t Fix the Oil Collapse

As discussed in the article, two common arguments for moving away from fossil fuels have been i.) fossil fuels are quickly running out and ii.) high use of fossil fuels makes us highly dependent on foreign oil reserves.  However, developments over the past 10 years or so, including the tremendous growth of fracking in the US, have made both issues less urgent than they have seemed to be in the past. Furthermore, it’s likely that we will remain in this state for a while.  If society is going to make a meaningful transition away from a fossil fuel based energy system in a in the near future, it needs to be driven by a conscious effort to do so for the sake of the environment and climate.  As noted at the end of the article, it is tempting to continue to reap the short-term profits of cheap and abundant fossil fuels, but there is also a huge opportunity to utilize the financial benefits of cheap oil to help accelerate the transition to a truly sustainable energy system.

 

The Methanol Economy

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CO2 reduction, energy, energy storage, hydrogen, methanol, methanol economy

We often hear about and talk about the “Hydrogen Economy“, an energy system that is centered around the use of hydrogen (H2) as the main energy carrier.  Such a system is attractive for three main reasons: i.) the associated CO2 emissions can approach zero (assume H2 is produced from water splitting using renewable electricity from solar or wind), ii.) H2 can be efficiently converted to electricity by H2 fuel cells, and iii.) H2 fuel can be used in many different applications ranging from transportation to general electricity use.

Another alternative is the “Methanol Economy” in which the primary energy carrier is methanol.  The primary advantage of methanol over hydrogen is its ability to be stored as a liquid at room temperature and pressure, making a methanol storage and transport infrastructure much more simple (low cost) and energy efficient.  Currently, methanol is produced predominantly from syngas (CO + H2) produced from fossil fuels, but it can also be made directly from the reduction of CO2 (with H2O providing the H2).

For a high-level overview of the methanol economy, here is an excellent article in Angewandte Chemie written by George Olah, the 1994 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry and major advocate of the methanol economy:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/anie.200462121/abstract

Energy-Water Nexus in Arizona

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arizona, coal, Colorado River, energy, energy-water nexus, Navajo Generating Station, water

This is an interesting article on energy and water use in the American West, specifically talking about the Navajo power plant in nothern Arizona:

https://projects.propublica.org/killing-the-colorado/story/navajo-generating-station-colorado-river-drought

The Navajo Generating Station is a coal fired power plant that is one of the largest power plants in the West, generating over 2 GW of power.   The plant is instrumental in providing the electricity needed to power pumps that divert millions of gallons of water from the Colorado River over 300 miles and 3,000 vertical feet to Phoenix, Tuscon, and other arid parts of AZ where the water is essential to the existence of those populations centers. In the process, the plant generates 15 tons of coal per minute and accounts for ~ 29% of the state’s emissions from energy generation.

The future of this > 40 year old plant is unclear, especially in a water- and carbon-constrained world, but its story is an excellent example of how energy, water, and climate are vitally connected in many parts of the world. It is an interesting article that is well worth reading.

Navajo generating station in Arizona. https://projects.propublica.org/killing-the-colorado/story/navajo-generating-station-colorado-river-drought