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Geothermal Energy Storage | Earth Wise

May 22, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Aquifer thermal energy storage a solution to heat and cool buildings

About 12% of the energy consumed by humanity is used to heat and cool homes and businesses.  A study by researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Princeton University looked at a novel approach to making use of underground water to maintain comfortable temperatures and reduce consumption of natural gas and electricity.

The idea is to use aquifer thermal energy storage (known as ATES) to provide both heat in the winter and cooling in the summer.  The concept leverages the heat-absorbing property of water and natural geological features.  The idea is to pump up water from existing underground reservoirs and heat it at the surface using environmental heat or even excess energy from solar or wind generation.  Then the warm water is pumped back down. It stays warm for a long time – even months – because the earth is a good insulator.  When the water is pumped back up in the winter, it is much hotter than the ambient air and can be used to supply heat to buildings.

Alternately, water can be pumped up and cooled in the winter and then put back down underground and stored until cooling is needed in the summer months.

This technology has not been used much in the US, but it is gaining recognition internationally, particularly in the Netherlands.  It can perform very well in areas with large seasonal fluctuations.

The research study used modeling and various simulations to estimate how much energy ATES could save on the US grid.  The results showed that adding ATES to the grid could reduce consumption of petroleum products for heating and  cooling by up to 40%.  The system could also help prevent blackouts by reducing high power demand during extreme weather events.

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Underground Water Could be the Solution to Green Heating and Cooling

Photo, posted February 19, 2012, courtesy of Sanjay via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Lithium Mining And Andes Ecosystems | Earth Wise

October 28, 2022 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The global demand for lithium could be an ecological disaster

A remote region in the high Andes straddling the borders between Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile has become known as the Lithium Triangle.   The area has become the focus of a global rush for lithium to make batteries for electric cars.  The global demand for lithium is expected to quadruple by 2030 to 2.6 million tons a year.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, more than half of the world’s lithium reserves are dissolved in ancient underground water within the Lithium Triangle.  The cheapest way to extract the lithium is to pump the underground water to the surface and evaporate it in the sun to concentrate the lithium carbonate contained in it.

Every ton of lithium carbonate extracted using this cheap, low-tech method dissipates into the air about half a million gallons of water that is vital to the arid high Andes.  The process lowers water tables and has the potential to dry up lakes, wetlands, springs, and rivers.  Hydrologists and conservationists say the lithium rush in Argentina is likely to turn the region’s delicate ecosystems to deserts.

The global drive for green vehicles to fight climate change has the potential to be an ecological disaster in this remote region of South America and for the indigenous people who live there.

The environmental impacts are not an inevitable price for the transition to electric vehicles.  First of all, there are alternatives to lithium.  Both zinc and nickel are potential substitutes in rechargeable batteries.  But, there are also ways of obtaining lithium that are less destructive than evaporating the metal from saline ecosystems.  It is up to battery manufacturers, automakers, and financiers to start demanding lithium from sources that are less environmentally destructive.

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Why the Rush to Mine Lithium Could Dry Up the High Andes

Photo, posted September 25, 2015, courtesy of Nuno Luciano via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Pumped Hydro Storage In Switzerland | Earth Wise

September 15, 2022 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Pumped hydro energy storage is still by far the largest form of energy storage in the world, representing more than 90% of storage capacity worldwide.  The theory behind it is simple.  Water is pumped into an upper reservoir (that is, one at a higher elevation), and when electricity is needed, the water is allowed to flow downhill to power turbines and then is collected in a lower reservoir.   When there is excess electricity, it is used to pump water back uphill for use later.

Pumped hydro installations can’t be built just anywhere.  Geography and hydrology have to be suitable, which means high voltage transmission lines need to be constructed to link electricity sources like wind and solar farms with the storage location.  But in those situations where pumped hydro makes sense, it is a great solution to the energy storage problem.

Switzerland has just completed one of the largest pumped hydro facilities in the world.  The Nant de Drance installation makes use of the Emosson reservoir, which is an artificial lake built high in the Alps near the French border.  Over the past 14 years, 10 miles of tunnels have been dug into the mountains to connect the Emosson reservoir to the Vieux Emosson reservoir to the south.

In between the two reservoirs is a giant underground cavern where six of the largest water-driven turbines in the world are spun from the water rushing down from above.  The turbines have a capacity of 900 megawatts, making Nant de Drance one of the most powerful generating plants in Europe.  In terms of storage capacity, the installation has a maximum capacity of 20 gigawatt-hours, and can store that energy indefinitely, which is challenging for other storage technologies.

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14 Years In The Making, 20 GWh Pumped Hydro Storage Facility Comes To Switzerland (With Video)

Photo, posted September 7, 2009, courtesy of Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Fumes From Gas Stations

November 15, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/EW-11-15-18-Fumes-from-Gas-Stations.mp3

A study by environmental health scientists at Columbia University examined the release of vapors from gas station vent pipes and found that emissions were 10 times higher than the estimates used to establish setback regulations that determine how close schools, playgrounds, and parks can be to the facilities.

[Read more…] about Fumes From Gas Stations

Storing Carbon in the Ocean

October 6, 2017 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/EW-10-06-17-Storing-Carbon-in-the-Ocean.mp3

As carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere continue to rise, it may be that clean energy technologies, electric cars, and other methods of reducing emissions may not be enough.  Carbon sequestration – sucking carbon out of the atmosphere – is seen by many as a crucial part of the solution.

[Read more…] about Storing Carbon in the Ocean

A Hydrogen Sponge

April 7, 2017 By EarthWise

https://earthwiseradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/EW-04-07-17-A-Hydrogen-Sponge.mp3

Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles are just starting to enter the market but they have a long way to go before they can even catch up with their battery-powered counterparts. Powering cars with hydrogen has the advantage that fueling the vehicle is much like what we are used to:  pull up to the pump, fill your tank for a few minutes, and drive off. 

[Read more…] about A Hydrogen Sponge

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