Science - Chinese Gravity Battery Building

well if you can't understand it I am definitely SOL. appreciate the feedback though. now where do I drop $1k into a spec stock in case this comes to fruition

 

DC power on the horizon? Germany working on integrating DC power into an AC grid. This allows all that big wind energy in the midwest/west to get to the east coast cities with smaller lines and no losses and allows all green energy to be put to use

Major tech company and German grid operators team up on game-changing energy technology (msn.com)

Wind and solar power could reach a wider population by 2030 — thanks to a cutting-edge solution from the electric services corporation GE Vernova, reported Renewable Energy Magazine. GE Vernova, working together with four Transmission System Operators (TSOs) from Germany, will craft the groundbreaking High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) technology — then oversee its integration into (and use within) a functional energy system, Renewable Energy Magazine explained.

Energy sources such as wind and solar generate affordable power and bring big benefits, most notably, by reducing the harmful pollution created by "dirty energy" methods. When coal, oil, and gas are burned for fuel, they release toxic substances that contaminate our air and water — placing our health, food supply, wildlife, finances, weather conditions, and more in danger.

Not so with sustainable energy. It's a win-win: In addition to supporting healthier humans and calmer climates, fuel sources like wind and solar can also boost "reliability, security, and resilience of the power grid," enhance American "energy independence," add jobs, and cut costs for businesses and individuals, noted the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

But with those perks comes significant challenges for wind and solar energy providers, one of which is distance: With many wind farms and solar panels placed in remote locales, it can be difficult to transmit the power they generate to cities and other densely populated regions.

 

imagine all ocean going ships able to produce hydrogen for power while they cruise. a little aluminum, a couple of catalyst and some seawater and the ships make their own fuel

Engineers create truly green hydrogen gas using only seawater, soda cans, and caffeine (msn.com)

The study authors experimented with different chemicals including the ones that are typically found in kitchens to overcome this challenge. They soon realized that adding caffeine boosted the speed of hydrogen production. “The team discovered that a low concentration of imidazole (C3N2H4) — an active ingredient in caffeine — is enough to significantly speed up the reaction, producing the same amount of hydrogen in just five minutes, compared to two hours without the added stimulant,” the study authors note.

Moreover, imidazole and the salt-water ions in the seawater enabled the researchers to recover and reuse more than 90 percent of the gallium-indium alloy. This is very important because the availability of rare-metal alloys is what makes green hydrogen production an expensive and unscalable process.
Since ships and submarines already have access to seawater, the proposed method has the potential to provide ample clean hydrogen power to all kinds of surface vessels and underwater vehicles. All they would need are some aluminum and caffeine, ingredients that are much cheaper and easier to transport than fossil fuels.

The study authors are currently working on a reactor that would follow their method to produce hydrogen on a moving vessel. “The vessel would hold a supply of aluminum pellets (recycled from old soda cans and other aluminum products), along with a small amount of gallium-indium and caffeine. These ingredients could be periodically funneled into the reactor, along with some of the surrounding seawater, to produce hydrogen on demand,” the study authors said.

They estimate that the hydrogen fuel produced by such a reactor using 40 lbs (18.14 kg) of aluminum would be enough to power an underwater glider for 30 days. “We’re showing a new way to produce hydrogen fuel, without carrying hydrogen but carrying aluminum as the ‘fuel. The next part is to figure out how to use this for trucks, trains, and maybe airplanes. Perhaps, instead of having to carry water as well, we could extract water from the ambient humidity to produce hydrogen. That’s down the line,” Aly Kombargi, lead study author and a PhD student at MIT, said.

The study00399-0) is published in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science.

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Creating alternative storage systems for large scale batteries would also go a long way to getting the projects going. Closed loop hydro, heated molten salt, and heavy lift batteries seem like the most practical solutions. Pump water uphill when possible, flow downhill when the sun isn't shining. Heat molten salt in underground chambers then extract when needed, drill deep mine shafts and lift weight when sun/wind working, lower weight when energy needed. Must have on demand energy systems to satisfy base load demand to get the hydrocarbon based energy systems replaced

 

This is real and ready to be built and scalable. I read about a lot of really promising stuff in the lab but this has already been built and tested in Italy. Each dome is a 20 MW battery. This will be interesting to track
Compress CO2 into a liquid using excess solar/wind and then convert it to gas to power a generator. Closed loop system with no losses and no degradation over time. No special minerals required...

In general, battery tech advancements are amazing at the speed they are coming for cars but this is first grid scale tech I have seen that has been built and tested and doesn't require a lot of land for hydro (with evaporation losses) or mine shafts or minerals that destructive invasive mining etc

New technology offers mind-blowing breakthrough for storing energy: 'Very efficient and a good source of power' (msn.com)

Power is applied to compress and condense the planet-warming gas into its liquid form, which is then stored at ambient temperatures, reducing overall energy requirements. That can be kept for around 10 hours and then evaporated back into a gas, driving a turbine to produce output electricity. The facility is called the Columbia Energy Storage project and will be hosted by local gas and electricity provider Alliant Energy, per the report. It will help boost grid stability and deliver enough electricity to power around 18,000 homes on a single charge.

It will be the first zero-pollution Energy Dome facility in North America, as long as the application gets final approval from regulators. Once it gets the all-clear, construction should begin in 2026, with plans to be online by 2027.
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The company claims that it should be able to function without degradation of capacity or performance for over 30 years. By comparison, it added, lithium-ion battery storage has a high rate of degradation and only lasts around 12 years. The pilot Energy Dome facility was built in Sardinia, Italy, and is rated at 20 megawatts. It has the potential of being scaled up to 200 megawatts for the Wisconsin-based facility, which would consist of 10 individual 20-megawatt units.

The Energy Dome's method of using carbon dioxide to store energy is a unique solution to the overabundance of this planet-warming gas, and it feeds into our clean energy needs. It can be used alongside other storage mediums to support a balanced grid that's powered by sustainable solar and wind energy, further reducing our reliance on dirty fuel sources.

 

old/ and new nuclear is going to make AI power not destroy our grid. the energy demands are supreme.

 

this needs to be happening across the country. Don't need new towers or additional lines, just more efficient wires on the existing poles

 

micro nuclear reactor - build it right into your datacenter. 5 MW for 8 years before refueling, plug and play

Westinghouse's eVinci micro nuclear reactor for data centers delivers 5 megawatts of power for eight years without refueling — microreactors could power next-gen AI data centers (msn.com)

The rise of AI has led to an explosion of new data center build-outs, but power consumption has become one of the key bottlenecks to further expansion. That's fueled intense interest in small nuclear reactors that can be built right into newer data centers, such as the new eVinci microreactor from Westinghouse, which is designed to output five megawatts of power and work 24/7 for over eight years without refueling.

Westinghouse Electric Company, one of the leaders in nuclear power plant construction, has submitted its Preliminary Safety Design Report (PSDR) for the eVinci Microreactor to the National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). This is a crucial step required at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) so that the eVinci can be deployed for testing at the NRIC’s Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME) facility. Westinghouse also says that it’s the first company to do so, making it one of the pioneers in microreactor technology.

Some see development in microreactor technology as a crucial strategy to keep our data-driven society moving forward. Many key leaders, including Mark Zuckerberg, say that power supply will constrain AI growth, especially as data centers require more power-hungry GPUs just to process all the data we generate. One report even says that a single modern AI GPU could consume up to 3.7MWh annually — or about the power needs of the average American home for four months.
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This microreactor has a target output of five megawatts and is designed to work 24/7 for over eight years. Once the nuclear fuel inside it is spent, Westinghouse will recover it as a complete unit and could even swap it with another one, minimizing the disruption to the facility that uses it. Again, there are parallels with the concept of a battery.

 

First-ever compact nuclear reactor runs for 8 years without water (msn.com)

In a groundbreaking development poised to reshape the energy landscape of Saskatchewan, Canada, a compact nuclear reactor with the capacity to operate for eight years without water is set to come online by 2029.

Announced by the Saskatchewan government, the $80 million CAD project, led by the Saskatchewan Research Council in collaboration with Westinghouse, aims to demonstrate the capabilities of this innovative microreactor, known as eVinci.

Premier Scott Moe expressed optimism about the project's transformative potential, emphasizing its unique ability to cater to Saskatchewan's energy needs while also heralding a greener future. "Microreactors provide a custom solution for Saskatchewan’s unique energy needs," said Premier Moe.

Westinghouse, the company behind the eVinci, asserts that this technology will not only revolutionize energy production but also significantly reduce air pollution. According to Westinghouse, each eVinci unit will contribute to a yearly reduction of up to 55,000 tons of air pollution.

 

U.S. firm makes history with nuclear microreactor, opening door for real-world testing: 'The first reactor developer to reach this milestone'

 

it also carries that green energy 0 carbon credit.

put this or smaller on a cargo ship and power it for 8 years? as explained, it is basically a 8 year battery with a max output. end of life, trade it out for a refurbished, refueled one.

locate them in high demand electrical centers to ease the load on the grid. build multiples at sites of old coal plants

seem to be a lot of options for this tech

 

dyes attach to the tumor, certain lightwaves cause dye cells to vibrate which shatters the cell walls of the cancer cells.

99% effective in cultured melanoma cancers, 50% total remission in melanoma infected mice.

Revolutionary new cancer therapy kills 99% of cancer cells (msn.com)

The research team's breakthrough centers on the use of a small dye molecule commonly employed in medical imaging. When subjected to near-infrared light, these molecules exhibit synchronized vibrations, referred to as plasmons, which lead to the rupture of cancer cell membranes. The research findings, published in Nature Chemistry, revealed an incredible 99% effectiveness in eliminating lab-cultured human melanoma cells, with half of the melanoma-afflicted mice experiencing complete remission after treatment.

Rice chemist James Tour coined these remarkable molecules as "molecular jackhammers." His team had previously employed nanoscale compounds, equipped with light-activated paddle-like chains of atoms, to penetrate and dismantle the outer membranes of infectious bacteria, cancer cells, and drug-resistant fungi.
Unlike the Nobel laureate Bernard Feringa's molecular motors, which rely on a different mechanism, these molecular jackhammers operate at speeds over a million times faster and respond to near-infrared light, an achievement deemed unprecedented.

One of the key advantages of near-infrared light is its ability to penetrate deep within the human body without causing harm to tissues. Tour explained, "Near-infrared light can go as deep as 10 centimeters (~ 4 inches) into the human body as opposed to only half a centimeter (~ 0.2 inches), the depth of penetration for visible light, which we used to activate the nanodrills. It is a huge advance."

The molecular jackhammers responsible for this medical breakthrough are aminocyanine molecules, a class of synthetic dyes extensively used in medical imaging.