As the world joins the new decade with an even greater understanding of the needs of planet Earth; sustainability is now at the heart of most global government policies.
The need for more renewable energy sources & providers, grows with an increasing certainty of the future needs of the human race.
With the increasing energy needs of planet Earth set to continue & with an ever more urgency to replace fossil fuels with renewable’s such as solar, wind & water based technologies; there is a general consensus that we need to gather & share our relevant information, our climate technologies & our understanding of a sustainable future as often as we can.
With this in mind, Abu Dhabi took centre stage last week with the World Future Energy Summit 2020, being hosted on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. The theme for this year’s WFES was ‘Rethinking Global Consumption, Production and Investment’.
Dolphin 2 have researched previously about how the generation & storage of renewable energy is already making a considerable difference to global energy needs & in particular how Cryogenics are being utilised.
‘One of the areas cryogenics is being harnessed for, is in the energy storage sector. ‘Liquid Air’ technology, for example, works by cooling air to -196oC & therefore turning it into a liquid form. This is then stored at low pressure in insulated tanks & when power is needed the liquid air is pumped to high pressure and heated. The resulting high-pressure gas is subsequently used to power a turbine & generate electricity.
The United Kingdom Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES) facility in Manchester, has a capacity of five megawatts & stores 15 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity. This is enough to power about 5,000 average-sized homes for about three hours. A commercial-scale sized plant could have a capacity of 50mw. LAES as a non-polluting option is, as Gareth Brett CEO of Highview Power, which developed the technology. “LAES is arguably the only viable, long-duration, locatable energy storage technology available,” he said. (1)
British company Highview Power were one of the forward thinking energy companies given the opportunity to showcase their Cryogenic technologies, in particular the CRYOBattery.
Alexander Silin – Director, Central and Eastern Europe / Middle East Sales at Highview Power represented Highview Power during a panel discussion entitled, “Storage, Technology are Not Mutually Exclusive,”
‘The Highview Power CRYOBattery is a ‘modular cryogenic energy storage system, that is scalable up to multiple gigawatts of energy storage and can be located anywhere. This technology reaches a new benchmark for a levelized cost of storage (LCOS) of $140/MWh for a 10-hour, 200 MW/2 GWh system.’ (2)
With a clear understanding of the importance of sustainability, Abu Dhabi are determined to be a world leader in sustainable development. Therefore, one of the largest presentations from the event was the Masdar Institute (an affiliate company of Mubadala) who showcased their clean energy projects in the Masdar Pavilion.
The Khalifa University of Science and Technology which combines the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MI), Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research (KUSTAR), and the Petroleum Institute (PI) (3) are pioneering their Seawater Energy and Agriculture System (SEAS) project through the Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium (SBRC).
The (SEAS) is now in it’s fourth year & fourth season of sowing crops & biofuel seeds using desert lands irrigated by seawater. The Salicornia plants oil-rich seeds are being harvested to make biofuel.
“This season will be dedicated to increasing the yields of the oilseed crop based on experience gained from previous seasons by implementing a different planting strategy and a supplementary irrigation methodology during the germination phase of the plant,” said Research Engineer Jose Barron. (4)
Abu Dhabi holds 94 percent of the UAE’s oil reserves, or about 98 billion barrels of proven reserves, which can be found both offshore & onshore. Additionally, Dubai holds an estimated 4 billion barrels of oil, followed by Sharjah and Ras al-Khaimah with 1.5 billion & 100 million barrels of oil, respectively. In Abu Dhabi, the Supreme Petroleum Council (SPC) establishes the Emirate’s petroleum-related objectives & policies, effectively functioning as the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s (ADNOC) board of directors. Abu Dhabi’s position as a central player in the UAE’s oil industry and wider economy means that the SPC is considered the country’s most important entity in regard to energy policy. (5)
Despite the fact that Abu Dhabi & the UAE are the world’s seventh largest crude oil producer & the fourth largest producer of petroleum liquids in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) (6) Abu Dhabi is still determined to be a world leader & pioneer for sustainable development.
The ADSW’s aim was therefore an opportunity for policy makers, industry specialists & sustainability leaders to share knowledge, implement strategies & “drive human progress” (7)
One of the way’s in which the theme of the World Future Energy Summit 2020 ‘Rethinking Global Consumption, Production and Investment’ was showcased at the event, was the showcase for the large green hydrogen project which is currently at a trial stage.
At the most recent IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency) Ministerial Roundtable (11Th Jan 20), Thani Al Zeyoudi, the environment minister of the UAE, told the ministerial roundtable on hydrogen: “With further investment, hydrogen production could become cost competitive in the next five years. In the UAE, we are building the region’s first solar-driven hydrogen electrolysis facility.” (8)
With the UAE being most noted for it’s oil production & refineries; it is refreshing & reassuring that Abu Dhabi are striving forward with their ethos of ‘Rethinking Global Consumption, Production and Investment’ with alternative, sustainable & renewable energy supply & production at the forefront of their policies. With the additional focus from the Expo 2020 Dubai pavilion being on raising awareness of recycling & renewable’s through their Universities, Schools & related forums & events; the WFES gave an insight into the vast volume of work being rolled out by global governments & leaders, to meet the ever changing climate crisis & human needs.
Written by Katy-Jane Mason for & on behalf of Dolphin N2.
- https://dolphin-n2.com/cryogenic-technologies-place-in-the-renewable-energy-scenario/
- https://www.highviewpower.com/news_announcement/highview-power-unveils-cryobattery-worlds-first-giga-scale-cryogenic-battery/
- https://www.ku.ac.ae/
- https://www.ku.ac.ae/seas-prepares-for-fourth-planting-season/
- https://www.export.gov/article?id=United-Arab-Emirates-Energy-Power
- https://www.export.gov/article?id=United-Arab-Emirates-Energy-Power
- https://abudhabisustainabilityweek.com/en/about-adsw
- https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/green-hydrogen-could-be-cheapest-form-of-h2-within-five-years/2-1-736269
