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Effective policy tools are urgently needed to enable the United States to keep pace with international climate goals. “Feebates”—fees applied to the purchase of vehicles with higher emissions and rebates for clean ones—have become an effective and increasingly common strategy for shaping vehicle markets in European countries. A holistic policy framework that will accelerate the transition to zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) in the US will likely include strong federal policies such as sales mandates, purchase fees for higher emission vehicles, and purchase incentives for ZEVs. Researchers from the University of California, Davis examined what makes a feebate policy work and how this strategy can be leveraged to shift US vehicle markets. The research included a review and analysis of feebate mechanisms in European countries. This policy brief summarizes research findings and provides policy implications. View the NCST Project Webpage

Strong policies are needed to accelerate the zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) transition so that it occurs at a pace in line with international climate goals. The purchase price of new vehicles tends to be the variable that most affects consumer decisions. With urgency for a ZEV transition, fiscal pressure for governments can be high as rebates for consumers and incentives supporting manufacturers in the switch to ZEV technologies will be needed for a mass-market transition. Fees on high-polluting vehicles—and rebates on clean ones—have become an effective and increasingly common strategy in European countries. The feebate mechanism can raise the necessary capital for financing a ZEV transition in combination with other regulatory mechanisms. This paper reviews and assesses feebate design types, issues, and implementation strategies in France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. These examples show that feebates can be designed in a variety of ways to meet unique policy objectives and that periodic adjustments are helpful in achieving goals. Among twelve design considerations for an effective feebate, the authors find that: (1) focusing on a single fee parameter, such as CO2 emissions, can be a simple yet effective mechanism; (2) a continuous functional form for the fee and a stepwise rebate are likely to be most effective in driving EV adoption; and (3) pure feebates, where fee revenue funds EV incentives by program design, provide certainty for manufacturers, regulators, and consumers. View the NCST Project Webpage

The United States (US), under the Biden Administration, has set a goal of reaching a 50% sales share for zero-emission vehicles by 2030. The administration is pursuing a combination of aggressive fuel economy and greenhouse gas performance standards along with tax credits for consumers who purchase electric vehicles (EVs). Given the anticipated high costs of the EV transition and limited public funds, policy mechanisms that generate extra-budgetary funding are enticing. Feebates—where a fee charged on some purchases is used to offer a rebate for others—can serve as a self-sustaining tool. Feebates have been attempted at the state and federal level in the US but did not pass legislatures due to a lack of political support for levying a fee on internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. However, as governments face increasing fiscal constraints, there is greater support for self- funding EV incentive programs. Feebate policies can provide certainty for both producers and consumers to facilitate a steady transition to sustainable transportation. This paper assesses the potential utility of feebates for shaping the US light-duty vehicle market. The analysis demonstrates that: (1) revenue-neutral incentive systems are possible and (2) revenue-neutrality can be achieved with relatively low fees on ICE vehicles to support economic equity among buyers. From an industry perspective, market certainty can be created by incorporating fuel economy targets into a fee schedule as pivot points and allocating fees to finance rebates. This would likely influence industry investment decisions in ways that increase EV production and model availability. View the NCST Project Webpage

Conventional wisdom and standard industry practice is to setback zone temperature setpoints when commercial buildings are unoccupied at night. The HVAC systems then operate in warmup mode to recover zone temperatures prior to the start of occupancy, sometimes with an optimal start algorithm. These strategies were intended to reduce HVAC energy consumption when originally developed decades ago but are due for re-examination given the significant changes in HVAC systems that have since occurred. In particular, the changes currently underway with the movement toward electrification present new design considerations and priorities. Warming up a building as fast as possible may not be the best strategy in terms of energy use, operating cost, or carbon emissions. This article discusses some of the downfalls of conventional morning warmup practices, suggests an improved strategy, and shows the results from a pilot field demonstration test.

Conventional wisdom and standard industry practice is to setback zone temperature setpoints when commercial buildings are unoccupied at night. The HVAC systems then operate in warmup mode to recover zone temperatures prior to the start of occupancy, sometimes with an optimal start algorithm. These strategies were intended to reduce HVAC energy consumption when originally developed decades ago but are due for re-examination given the significant changes in HVAC systems that have since occurred. In particular, the changes currently underway with the movement toward electrification present new design considerations and priorities. Warming up a building as fast as possible may not be the best strategy in terms of energy use, operating cost, or carbon emissions. This article discusses some of the downfalls of conventional morning warmup practices, suggests an improved strategy, and shows the results from a pilot field demonstration test.

Adoption of residential behind-the-meter solar photovoltaic-plus-storage systems (PVESS) is driven, in part, by customer demand for backup power. However, there is limited understanding of how these systems perform over a range of building stock conditions that will evolve with future efficiency and electrification trends, posing challenges for identifying optimal electric resiliency investments. This study quantifies how residential energy consumption impacts the capability of PVESS to provide home backup power during long-duration power interruptions. We model statistically representative distributions of the residential building stock and estimate storage sizes required to provide backup power as a series of building envelope efficiency, load flexibility, and electrification measures are applied. For the baseline building stock, median storage size requirements range from 10 kWh in temperate weather conditions to 90 kWh in hot climates for a 3-day power interruption. Applying energy efficiency and temperature set-point adjustments reduce storage size requirements by 2–45 kWh (16%–53 %). In hot locations, heat pump retrofits reduce median storage sizing by an additional 10–30 kWh while in cold locations, they drive 10–50 kWh of storage capacity increase. Our results suggest that bi-directional EV charging may be essential to enabling PVESS backup of heating and cooling, given their typically large kWh sizes.

In the transition from fossil fuel to electrified heating, a concerning trend is emerging in certain regions of the US. Owners of buildings with gas-based systems leave them in place after adding heat pumps (HPs). Existing control solutions for these hybrid (dual fuel) systems are rudimentary and fall short of realizing the full carbon reduction potential of these systems. Model predictive control (MPC) is often regarded as the benchmark for achieving optimal control in integrated systems. However, in the case of small-medium commercial buildings (SMCBs), the control and communication infrastructure required to facilitate the implementation of such advanced controls is often lacking. This paper presents a field implementation of easy-to-deploy MPC for a dual fuel heating system consisting of HPs and a gas-fired furnace (GF) for SMCBs. The control system is deployed on an open-source middleware platform and utilizes low-cost sensor devices to be used for real SMCBs without major retrofits. We demonstrated this MPC in a real office building with 5 HPs and 1 GF for 2 months. The test results showed that MPC reduced 27% of cost while completely eliminating GF usage by shifting 23% of the thermal load from occupied-peak time to non-occupied-non-peak times.

Advanced manufacturing research for sustainable battery life cycles is of utmost importance to reach net zero carbon emissions (European Commission, 2023a) as well as several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs), for example: 30% reduction of CO2 emission, 10 million job opportunities and access to electricity for 600 million people (World Economic Forum, 2019). This editorial paper highlights international motivations for pursuing more sustainable manufacturing practices and discusses key research topics in battery manufacturing. Batteries will be central to our sustainable future as generation and storage become key components to on-demand energy supply. Four underlying themes are identified to address industrial needs in this field: 1. Digitalizing and automating production capabilities: data-driven solutions for production quality, smart maintenance, automation, and human factors, 2. Human-centric production: extended reality for operator support and skills development, 3. Circular battery life cycles: circular battery systems supported by service-based and other novel business models, 4. Future topics for battery value chains: increased industrial resilience and transparency with digital product passports, and next-generation battery chemistries. Challenges and opportunities along these themes are highlighted for transforming battery value chains through circularity and more sustainable production, with a particular emphasis on lithium-ion batteries (LIB). The paper concludes with directions for further research to advance a circular and sustainable battery value chain through utilizing the full potential of digitalization realising a cleaner, more energy-efficient society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Near‐infrared (NIR) mechanoluminescence (ML), capable of visualizing internal biological stress, is crucial for advancing in vivo bioimaging applications. Nonetheless, the scope of its applications is significantly constrained by the scarcity of available ML materials as well as unsatisfied ML efficiency. In this work, a NIR‐ML phosphor of Gd3Ga5O12: Cr3+ (GGO: Cr3+) is synthesized, which is characterized by a peak at 725 nm and a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 100 nm. The NIR‐ML phenomenon of GGO: Cr3+ is demonstrated to stem from contact electrification generated by the interaction between the corresponding oxide powder and the employed elastomer. Accordingly, the NIR‐ML intensity is manipulated to be increased by 340%, attributed to the enhanced surface potential of GGO: Cr3+ for the incorporation of La3+ ions. Furthermore, the NIR‐ML of GGO: Cr3+/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film performs excellent tissue penetration, which indicates its promising potential for in situ monitoring of biological stress. Hence, it paves the way for novel bioimaging within living organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Traditional adaptive cruise control systems ignore the impact of the driver's intentions and driving behavior on system performance. Methods: In response to this issue, this study designs a new adaptive cruise control system by combining personalized driving style recognition, dynamic distance control, prospective energy management, and a model predictive control framework that integrates long short-term memory neural networks and ensemble learning. Results: It was verified that the accuracy of the algorithm was 96.2%. In addition, experts had average ratings of 95, 96, and 98 for the economy, safety, and comfort of the system, respectively. Discussion: This model is expected to achieve comprehensive performance optimization and improvement of EREV in complex driving environments, injecting new vitality and power into the intelligent development of electric vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community microgrids hold significant promise to address the challenges posed by the growing electrification of transportation and other energy-intensive demands, such as the electrification of heating. This potential is further supported by rigorous scientific research, which highlights their capacity to enhance energy resilience, reliability, and sustainability. In the specific context of Aotearoa New Zealand, community microgrids exhibit the potential to significantly improve energy resilience and self-sufficiency. This article outlines the evidence-based benefits, challenges, and high-potential use cases of community microgrids in Aotearoa New Zealand, drawing on both domestic and international research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric vehicle technology is transitioning from mobility based on fossil fuel combustion to one based on vehicle electrification, in which the primary energy is increasingly renewable, and the generation of pollutants and CO2 emissions is being reduced. This paper provides a tour of the key aspects of these systems, reviewing their most important historical, legislative, and grid impact topics. For this purpose, a literature review of publications up to 2022 is conducted. The last decade is the subject of a deeper analysis, shedding light on the essential characteristics of this technology and fundamentally focusing on its integration into electrical distribution networks. This work is carried out based on a review of a selection of articles written by authors worldwide who have researched these topics. We ordered and analyzed the temporal evolution of the defined categories, obtaining their research line direction. A meta-analysis of grid impact was also carried out, prompting clear conclusions about the state of the art and potential future works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bubble status monitoring is essential for designing material nanostructures and optimizing industrial processes. However, tracking the fluid dynamics of bubbles is challenging due to their random distribution and irregular dynamic changes. In this study, a tube liquid–solid triboelectric nanogenerator serves as a probe to investigate bubbles at the liquid–solid interface. The study explores the impact of bubble fluid dynamics on liquid–solid contact electrification, examining variables such as flow rates, volumes, and release intervals of bubbles. The study demonstrates that the liquid–solid triboelectric probe can work as a non‐intrusive and self‐powered sensor for monitoring bubble states in chemical fluid control. The sensor exhibits a sensitivity of 13.2 V·cm−3, a signal‐bubble volume correlation coefficient of 0.9964, and a rapid response time of 0.15 s. The sensor, integrated with a wireless module, enables continuous remote detection. This work provides a valuable tool for investigating tri‐phase contact electrification dynamics and presents promising technology for bubble state monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Swarm electrification-driven communities face significant challenges, including implementing advanced distributed control in areas with limited ICT access and establishing trust among villagers hesitant to grant access to their assets. This paper proposes a distributed DC microgrid architecture for P2P energy exchange in these communities, ensuring stability and an effective exchange operation. By implementing a Blockchain marketplace specifically designed to suit the rural context, the proposed architecture ensures tracing of exchange transactions to fairly settle participants. Validation experiments demonstrate its efficacy in achieving peak shaving. It provides 11% of the requester's total demand from the community even while maintaining the constraint of reducing discharge–charge cycles to one per day, thereby preserving battery life. Additionally, the solution reduces prosumer production losses by 16% of the total PV production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an analysis of recorded variations (anomalies) in the potential gradient of electrical field in the atmosphere caused by the propagation of eruption plumes discharged by eruptions of Shiveluch and Bezymianny volcanoes in Kamchatka. The anomalies were recorded at various distances from eruption centers and under different conditions of atmospheric stratification. These conditions have enabled us to show that the eruption plumes of Shiveluch and Bezymianny possessed a 3D electrostatic structure that is consistent with a known phenomenological model derived on the basis of surveys conducted on various volcanoes worldwide. According to this model, the top of an eruption plume contains a positive volumetric electrostatic charge, while the respective charges are negative in the middle, and positive in the lower part of the plume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sliding-mode triboelectric nanogenerator (S-TENG) is based on the coupling of triboelectrification and electrostatic induction, converting electrical energy from sliding motion. Introducing micro-textures into the sliding surface, and adjusting the angle between the texture and sliding direction (direction angle) may achieve performance anisotropy, which provides novel ideas for optimizing the tribology and electrification performance of S-TENG. To guide the performance optimization based on the anisotropy, in this paper, groove micro-textures were fabricated on the surface of S-TENG, and anisotropic tribology and electrification performance were obtained through changing the direction angle. Based on the surface analysis and after-cleaning tests, the mechanism of the anisotropy was explained. It is shown that the anisotropy of friction coefficient can be attributed to the changes of texture edge induced resistance and groove captured wear debris, while the voltage anisotropy is due to the variations of debris accumulated on the sliding interface and the resulting charge neutralization. Among the selected 0°–90° direction angles, S-TENG at angle of 90° exhibits relatively small stable friction coefficient and high open-circuit voltage, and thus it is recommended for the performance optimization. The open-circuit voltage is not directly associated with the friction coefficient, but closely related to the wear debris accumulated on the sliding interface. This study presents a simple and convenient method to optimize the performance of S-TENG, and help understand the correlation between its tribology and electrical performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigates the incorporation of renewable rooftop photovoltaic systems in fully electrified residential buildings and estimates the zero-energy demand building potential in relation to the climatic data of Greece. Specifically, the aim of the analysis is to calculate the maximum possible number of stories and therefore the total building height for a complete transformation to zero-net-energy building. The energy analysis, which is conducted using the DesignBuilder software, focuses on single-floor up to seven-story buildings. The importance of the present work lies in the acknowledgment of the diversity of the Greek residential sector, the adherence to national energy policies, and the European goal of fully electrified buildings. The examined case studies are equipped with electrically driven air-to-air heat pumps serving the space heating and cooling demands and with an air-to-water heat pump covering the domestic hot water requirements. The investigated locations are the four main cities of Greece, Athens, Thessaloniki, Chania, and Kastoria, which represent the country's four climatic categories. The conducted analysis allows for the mapping of the zero-energy building potential for the climatic data of Greece, demonstrating the possibility of striking a positive building energy balance through the integration of on-site renewable energy sources and the production of necessary electrical energy. The novelty of the present work lies in the identification of a key factor, namely, the building height, which determines the feasibility of transforming multifamily buildings into zero-energy buildings. According to the analysis results, the critical number of stories is calculated at six for Chania, five for Athens, four for Thessaloniki, and two for Kastoria. Regarding a three-story residential building, the incorporation of a renewable photovoltaic system can result in an annual surplus electricity production of 13,741 kWh (Chania), 10,424 kWh (Athens), and 6931 kWh (Thessaloniki), and a corresponding coverage of 100% (Chania), 69.0% (Athens), 38.9% (Thessaloniki) and 0% (Kastoria). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Providing electrical power to ships while they are docked, cold ironing allows ships to turn off their engines and reduces emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases. This study identifies and assesses ship and port emissions and analyzes the potential for emission reduction achievable by cold ironing in European ports. It includes (1) a review of the current state of cold ironing in European ports; (2) an analysis of the time spent in ports by ships; (3) a quantification of emissions potentially avoided by means of a larger-scale use of cold ironing in Europe; (4) an estimation of the benefits achievable and the perspective to play a role in meeting emission reduction targets, improving air quality in port cities; (5) an analysis of the challenges and limitations of larger-scale cold ironing implementation; (6) potential solutions to overcome them. The results of this study could have important implications for (a) the shipping industry, which could benefit from the need for additional standardized electrical equipment onboard; (b) port authorities, which could benefit from providing additional services to the ships; (c) policymakers working to reduce emissions and promote energy efficiency, who could better approach their local and global targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biogas has emerged as a valid feedstock for biomethanol production from steam reforming. This study investigates an alternative layout based on an auto-thermal electrified reforming assuming a 1 MW equivalent anaerobic digestion plant as a source for methanol synthesis. The process considers an oxy-steam combustion of biogas and direct carbon sequestration with the presence of a reverse water–gas shift reactor to convert CO2 and H2 produced by a solid oxide electrolyzer cell to syngas. Thermal auto-sufficiency is ensured for the reverse water–gas shift reaction through the biogas oxy-combustion, and steam production is met with the integration of heat network recovery, with an overall process total electrical demand. This work compares the proposed process of electrification with standard biogas reforming and data available from the literature. To compare the results, some key performance indicators have been introduced, showing a carbon impact of only 0.04 kgCO2/kgMeOH for the electrified process compared to 1.38 kgCO2/kgMeOH in the case of biogas reforming technology. The auto-thermal electrified design allows for the recovery of 66.32% of the carbon available in the biogas, while a similar electrified process for syngas production reported in literature reaches only 15.34%. The overall energy impact of the simulated scenarios shows 94% of the total energy demand for the auto-thermal scenario associated with the electrolyzer. Finally, the introduction of the new layout is taken into consideration based on the country's carbon intensity, proving carbon neutrality for values lower than 75 gCO2/kWh and demonstrating the role of renewable energies in the industrial application of the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 10–12 April 2019 thundersnow (i.e., lightning within snowfall) outbreak was examined via ground‐ and space‐based lightning observations and was simulated using a numerical weather prediction model with an explicit electrification parameterization. When compared to observations, the simulation propagated the synoptic snowband two to six hours faster while also exaggerating the 3‐D reflectivity structure. Throughout the event, the simulation produced 1,733 thundersnow flashes which was less than what was observed by ground‐ and space‐based lightning sensors. In general, simulated thundersnow flashes were spatially offset from the largest reflectivities within the synoptic snowband and tended to occur within elevated convection that traversed isentropically along the top of mid‐level frontogenesis. These simulated thundersnow flashes were associated with a tripole charge structure with ice/snow hydrometeors contributing most to the main negative charge region. Both simulated and observed thundersnow flashes initiated in conditionally unstable environments. Lastly, a conceptual model was developed to explain the spatial separation between the largest reflectivities in the snowband and the occurrence of thundersnow. It is hypothesized that the spatial offset of thundersnow initiation from the reflectivity cores within the synoptic snowband arose from a thermal circulation—induced by mid‐level frontogenesis—that advects positively charged ice/snow hydrometeors toward the surface and creates a nearly homogeneous vertical charge structure. Plain Language Summary: The 10–12 April 2019 thundersnow event was examined using lightning observations and a numerical simulation. Both observed and simulated thundersnow flashes occurred in slightly unstable environments in the presence of small ice pellets in elevated convection. The charge on the ice and snow hydrometeors slightly offset the charge on the small ice pellets in the cloud structure. Simulated thundersnow flashes also occurred away from the heaviest snowfall rates at the surface. This is a result of a vertical air circulation in the environment that transports positively charged ice/snow hydrometeors downward and prevents thundersnow from occurring in the heaviest surface snowfall rates. Key Points: Model simulated lightning within snowfall (i.e., thundersnow) was compared to ground‐ and space‐based lightning observationsThundersnow flashes were initiated in elevated convection that traversed isentropically and were spatially offset from the synoptic snowbandA conceptual model was developed to explain why thundersnow was spatially offset from the largest reflectivity cores within the snowband [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing environmental concerns have prompted the shipping industry to adopt stringent measures to address greenhouse gas emissions, with fuel-powered ships being the primary source of such emissions. Additionally, alternative forms of ship propulsion, such as internal combustion engine hybridization, low-carbon fuels, and zero-carbon fuels, face significant challenges either in terms of cost or emission-reduction capability at present. In order to decarbonize navigation, countries are focusing the maritime industry's transition towards low-carbon alternatives on transforming energy consumption, with widespread attention on the electrification of ships. Therefore, this paper provides a comprehensive review of the feasibility of fully electrifying ships, covering aspects such as technological prospects, economic viability, and emission-reduction capabilities. Firstly, the current state of research on ship electrification technology is summarized; the applicability of different battery types to electric ship technology is compared. Subsequently, the economic viability and emission-reduction capabilities of five different electric ship lifecycles are discussed separately. The results indicate that ship electrification is a key pathway to achieving zero-emission shipping, with lithium-ion batteries being the most suitable battery technology for maritime use currently. Short-to-medium-range electric ship types have demonstrated economic advantages over traditional diesel ships. As battery costs continue to decline and energy density keeps improving, the economic feasibility of ship electrification is expected to expand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emerging need for cost- and energy-efficient propulsion systems have shifted the research interest to radical concepts, with several challenges to overcome in order to enter into service. However, revitalizing old yet provably successful engine designs--a practice followed by engine manufacturers over the years--can provide low-risk alternative solutions to move immediate market demands. The paper reviews this approach, known as concept of growth engines or core commonality, and investigates how a geometrically fixed or geometrically similar engine core can be utilized across a family of engines. The development programs of the highly successful CFM56 and PT6 engine families are analyzed, proving the success of this concept over the years. The idea is based on the engineering paradigm of product families and is briefly presented from a theoretical perspective. Implementation methods and simulation tools to initiate, conceptualize, design, and evaluate an engine family program are reviewed. The potential application of engine core commonality into electrified propulsion systems is investigated. Design challenges and opportunities that electrification imposes to the growth engine concept are discussed. Finally, the concept of growth electrified propulsion systems is introduced, conveying future research directions to achieve a successful family of engines for electrified applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cost-effectiveness of the hybrid design of microgrids for determining if a hybrid MG system is necessary is taken into consideration as the study focuses on improving power access in an optimal and economical manner. Both the cost of electricity (COE) and the loss of power supply probability (LPSP) of the hybrid MG design are optimized. The hybrid microgrid design including the photovoltaic (PV)-wind systems with battery storage and diesel generators are modeled and optimized for technical and economic feasibility using MATLAB. The energy management technique is applied between hybrid energy sources and loads. For this hybrid microgrid energy management system, an optimisation approach called spider monkey optimization (SMO) is employed. Using their distinct fission and fusion techniques, spider monkeys always engage in natural foraging behavior. Here, a variety of common constraints related to PV, wind, energy storage elements, inverters, and diesel generators with a variety of cost functions and dimensions are resolved by the proposed optimization method. The SMO optimization method is used to find a utilitarian optimal hybrid energy system configuration with a minimum COE, minimum LPSP, and leading renewable factor to meet the customer load throughout the entire time horizon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrification mode is one of the important factors affecting the energy consumption and drainage effect of the electroosmosis method. In this work, a series of laboratory tests were performed to explore the impact of continuous changes in the electric field on the migration of ions and electrons, as well as the migration of electroosmotic flow. The results show that different electrification modes had a significant impact on the current and water discharge. An electrode reversed from anode to cathode, from one circuit to another, is beneficial to drainage, while an electrode reversed from cathode to anode, from one circuit to another, is unfavorable to drainage. The drainage effect of the specific cyclic and progressive electroosmosis (CPE) is not as good as the conventional electroosmosis method. However, combining the two electrification modes can further enhance the shear strength of the soil near a designated electrode. The generation of transverse cracks in soil is mainly due to the drainage difference caused by the electroosmotic flow, which is caused by the adjacent electric field at that location. When the electroosmotic flow is strong, longitudinal cracks will occur in the soil along the strongest electroosmotic flow path. In practical in situ engineering applications, the electrification mode of CPE will be more energy‐efficient than conventional electrification modes with the same processing time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrification of vehicles intensifies their cooling demands due to the requirements of maintaining electronics/electrical systems below their maximum temperature threshold. In this paper, passive cooling approaches based on heat pipes have been considered for the thermal management of electric vehicle (EV) traction systems including battery, inverter, and motor. For the battery, a heat pipe base plate is used to provide high heat removal (180 W per module) and better thermal uniformity (<5°C) for the battery modules in a pack while downsizing the liquid cold plate system. In the case of Inverter, two phase cooling system based on heat pipes was designed to handle hot spots arising from high heat flux (~100 W/cm)–for liquid cooling and provide location independence and a dedicated cooling approach-for air cooling. For EV motors, heat pipe-based systems are explored for stator and rotor cooling. The paper also provides a glimpse of development on high-performance microchannel-based cold plate technologies based on parallel fins and multi-layer 3D stacked structures. Specifically, this work extends the concept of hybridization of two-phase technology based on heat pipes with single-phase technology, predominately based on liquid cooling, to extend performance, functionalities, and operational regime of cooling solutions for components of EV drive trains. In summary, heat pipes will help to improve and extend the overall reliability, performance, and safety of air and liquid cooling systems in electric vehicles. Graphic Abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy transition and the implementation of new electrochemical technologies will result in an increased reliance on critical raw materials for electrodes. Their large‐scale application will ultimately mean working with lower grade materials. Here we study the influence of metal impurities on nickel foam electrocatalysts. We do this by electrodepositing known amounts of first‐row transition metals (Cu, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co and Ni) on nickel foam and studying their performance in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) as a model reaction. The electrodes' performance is studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), Tafel analysis, stepwise chronoamperometry (CA) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Combining these results with microscopy analysis, we show that even small amounts of transition‐metal impurities have profound effects on the catalytic performance of nickel electrodes. The changes affect the OER onset potential (the energy that the system requires to convert OH– to O2) and the Tafel slope of each electrode (the electrode's initial activity in the OER onset region). Our results highlight the implications of such impurities on electrode design and future large‐scale application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of electric power systems, load estimation plays an important role in system operation and planning. Usually, load estimation techniques contain traditional, time series, regression analysis-based, and machine learning-based estimation. Since the machine learning-based method can lead to better performance, in this paper, a deep learning-based load estimation algorithm using image fingerprint and attention mechanism is proposed. First, an image fingerprint construction is proposed for training data. After the data preprocessing, the training data matrix is constructed by the cyclic shift and cubic spline interpolation. Then, the linear mapping and the gray-color transformation method are proposed to form the color image fingerprint. Second, a convolutional neural network (CNN) combined with an attentionmechanism is proposed for training performance improvement. At last, an experiment is carried out to evaluate the estimation performance. Compared with the support vector machine method, CNN method and long short-term memory method, the proposed algorithm has the best load estimation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-cost stainless-steel electrodes can activate hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) by converting it into a hydroxyl radical (•OH) and other reactive oxidants. At an applied potential of +0.020 V, the stainless-steel electrode produced •OH with a yield that was over an order of magnitude higher than that reported for other systems that employ iron oxides as catalysts under circumneutral pH conditions. Decreasing the applied potential at pH 8 and 9 enhanced the rate of H2O2 loss by shifting the process to a reaction mechanism that resulted in the formation of an Fe(IV) species. Significant metal leaching was only observed under acidic pH conditions (i.e., at pH

Energy decarbonization is essential for achieving carbon neutrality. To facilitate the low-carbon transition of the energy system, extensive utilization of low-carbon energy technologies is crucial across various sectors, including primary energy supply, energy processing and conversion, and end-use consumption. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the current status and future trends of key energy utilization technologies from the perspective of low-carbon energy system analysis and optimization. We analyze the application prospects and layout challenges of energy utilization technologies in China’s path toward carbon neutrality from multiple dimensions. Our study highlights the following points: Wind and solar energy, as the fastest-growing renewable energy sources, will continue to play a crucial role in energy supply. The utilization of biomass resources requires systematic evaluation of different conversion technologies, optimizing the allocation of biomass resources across industries. Utilization technologies of secondary energies such as hydrogen and energy storage face challenges related to materials, performance, and lifespan. Overcoming these technical bottlenecks is necessary to achieve low-cost and scalable system applications. Future end-use energy utilization technologies will focus on electrification, which depends on the secure and stable transformation and expansion of electricity distribution systems. Achieving low-carbon transformation in the energy system requires balancing the coordinated development of different energy technologies while addressing non-technical factors such as market dynamics, institutional frameworks, and societal acceptance, ultimately accelerating the decarbonization process.

The paper presents a review of electrification of the existing propulsion systems and creating new hybrid propulsion systems based on the concept of more electric aircraft and all-electric aircraft in Russia and abroad. New promising directions of electrification of the existing aircraft propulsion systems and creating new hybrid aircraft propulsion systems are specified on the basis of the review.

Rapid electrification of buildings at the district scale is needed for cities to achieve climate change mitigation goals. However, most electrification studies focus on either the single building level or the city/region building stock level, and depend on the slow and uncertain process of requesting personally identifiable customer energy usage data from utilities. To answer a key question facing local policymakers: “Where can electrification proceed at scale without first upgrading the grid?” this study aims to quantify and inform building electrification impacts at the district scale using detailed building energy modeling and based on public records datasets. We explore how energy efficiency retrofits can help mitigate increased peak electric demand, and quantify impacts to energy use and carbon emissions. Building energy models of a baseline, and scenarios of simple electrification, energy retrofits, and electrification in combination with retrofits were created and simulated for 54 commercial buildings in two contiguous districts of San Francisco. A simple electrification scenario increased annual electricity consumption but reduced annual site energy usage by 15% to 17%, mainly due to replacing inefficient gas furnaces and boilers with more efficient heat pumps. Peak demand increased 7.4% for Fisherman's Wharf (e.g. within the capacity of the existing power grid), while the Design District showed a marginal decrease. Annual carbon emissions were reduced by 46% and 37%. Combining electrification with efficiency upgrades reduced peak demand by 26% and 40%, and annual carbon emissions by 63% and 64% for the two districts. These results indicate that impacts of electrification depend on the mix of building uses within a district, and coupling electrification with energy efficiency upgrades is an effective strategy to decarbonize buildings while maintaining or reducing the peak electric demand.

This study presents a carbon dioxide (CO2), exhaust particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) tailpipe emission analysis of passenger cars in nine countries, representing different world regions up to 2050 using a bottom-up calculation method. A diffusion model is used to analyze the development of different drivetrain/fuel technologies in the respective vehicle stocks of each world region. Drivetrain- and country-specific emission factors are weighted according to the modelled stock compositions. The obtained stock fleets’ average emission factors are multiplied by the transport demand in order to obtain the total passenger car emissions. Our findings reveal global passenger car CO2, NOx and PM2.5 emissions decrease by approximately 45%, 63% and 54%, respectively, between 2015 and 2050. Gasoline will remain a significant energy carrier in 2050 with about a 25% stock share. However, electric vehicles will be in the lead, especially after 2040. Additionally, rising transport demand offsets emission reductions in some regions. This study aims to provide global and regional insights into future emissions trends and their driving factors.

This article proposes a particular strategy to proceed with a progressive electrification of public transport systems in cities. Starting from a bus operation model, the possible electrification of two routes is analyzed, one urban and another extra-urban in the city of Pisa. An estimate is made of the energy uses associated with certain operating modes. The maximum level of consumption is estimated at approximately 280 kWh per day per bus for the urban route and excluding some special days, less than 215 kWh per day for the extra-urban route, for which a hybrid bus is proposed. Starting from an estimate of the daily consumption for the management of the two routes, the sizing of a photovoltaic (PV) plant distributed on some modular shelters which serves to power the same routes, is carried out. The resulting system has a power of the order of 190–200 kW. The modular solution is also outlined, and an installation is proposed. The analyzed case lends itself to being easily replicated.