A group of four experts in small modular nuclear reactors, including Professor Ahmed Abdulla of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, were by POLITICO’s Energywire to discuss the economic, regulatory, and public acceptance challenges that would face small modular nuclear reactors as they are deployed in the electric grid.

The post Small reactors: “Grid saviors or billion-dollar blunders?” appeared first on Sustainable Energy.

Net-zero transitions are accelerating, with multiple sectors now experiencing the rapid diffusion of carbon neutral technologies. Alongside a team of leading transition and innovation scholars, professors James Meadowcroft and Daniel Rosenbloom examine the many facets of acceleration in their latest publication in Energy Research & Social Science. Acceleration is not only a process (by which the pace of change intensifies) but also an imperative (an ambition to realize positive change more quickly), a transition phase (one that many sectors are now reaching), and multi-system phenomenon (as electrification leads to cascading effects). What role can policy play in deepening these trends? Let鈥檚 talk.

Check the link!

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Few credible experts see how the world will reach net-zero emissions without actively removing carbon dioxide out of the air, perhaps through direct air capture technologies. This has become an active research area over the past two decades, but most existing work doesn鈥檛 consider how ambient environmental conditions鈥攖emperature, humidity, pressure, and carbon dioxide concentration鈥攁ffect these engineered systems, which need to process massive amounts of atmospheric air to remove the carbon dioxide. Faculty and students affiliated with the Sustainable Energy program recently 鈥攖he first to model how these plants would actually perform across the globe, considering different weather conditions, different emissions from electric power systems worldwide (some of which are dirtier than others), and different emissions from natural gas systems (some of which are leakier than others).

The work is intended to stimulate serious discussion of the role of direct air capture technologies in nationally determined contributions submitted to UNFCCC. For nations that are making large bets on carbon dioxide removal despite having poor or fair conditions for the deployment of direct air capture, the research should stimulate discussion of cross-border carbon accounting mechanisms that would allow these nations to subsidize deployment in regions with more appropriate climatic conditions.

The post Integrating climate and physical constraints into assessments of net capture from direct air capture facilities appeared first on Sustainable Energy.

Direct air capture (DAC) is touted as a potential contributor to climate change mitigation and the achievement of net-zero emission targets, including in nations like Canada. Recent research by faculty affiliated with 杏吧原创 University’s Sustainable Energy program shows the extent to which ambient environmental conditions, including temperature, pressure, carbon dioxide concentration, and relative humidity, influence the capacity factor, water losses, and cost of these plants in Canada.

The open-access research, , shows that a DAC plant constructed in Ottawa would be expected to capture only 55% of the carbon dioxide that its nameplate capacity would suggest. Plants in colder climates, like Alberta, which is betting on carbon dioxide removal as its key climate strategy, fare even worse, with a plant in Calgary capturing 45% of its expected capture. Colder climates necessitate the shut down and restart of these large, complex, and tightly integrated plants, further damaging capture performance. Plants in warmer climates perform well, but the water losses in those locations are extremely highly.

The findings in this study can be used to calibrate policy maker expectations, investment decisions, and policy support for DAC. They can also be used by engineers as they refine and optimize plant design to maximize capture.

The post Ambient environmental conditions affect the cost and performance of direct air capture appeared first on Sustainable Energy.

In this seminar, Dr. Heike Brugger, an energy and AI expert from Germany, will deliver an insightful talk on energy efficient digitization and green IT. The keynote will provide valuable perspective in the field of AI (including the European AI Act) and its applications in the energy sector. Following the presentation, there will be an interactive Q&A session. The keynote speech and ensuing discussion will delve into the dual role of digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI) in the clean energy transition. Dr. Brugger will elaborate on how these technologies serve as both enablers, offering innovative solutions to reduce energy consumption, and as challenges, presenting new demands and complexities in energy management. Special attention will be given to the energy demand side, exploring how AI and digital tools can optimize energy use, improve efficiency, and contribute to a more sustainable future. This seminar provides a comprehensive understanding of the interplay between advanced technologies and energy sustainability.

Please register for this event by Tuesday, October 8, 2024. 

Speaker Biography

Dr. Heike Brugger joined the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI in 2018. She works as a senior researcher and project manager at the Competence Center Energy Policy and Energy Markets. Since March 2021, Heike Brugger is Coordinator of the Business Unit Energy Policy.

Her research interests include the design and evaluation of energy and climate change policies, particularly in the field of energy efficiency, digitalisation and artificial intelligence as well as the modeling of the development of energy consumption in private households and the tertiary sector. An additional research interest lies in the analysis and consultation of local energy and climate policy and politics. Heike Brugger studied politics and public administration as well as mathematics and physics at the University of Konstanz, Germany. From 2014 to 2015 she was a visiting research scholar at the School of Governance and Public Policy at the University of Arizona (Tucson, USA). In 2017 she obtained her Phd from the University of Konstanz in the Department of Politics and Public Administration with her work focusing on the local energy transition in Germany and the relevance of policy networks therein. Heike Brugger is a member of the Advisory Board of the 鈥淐ompetence Center for Energy Efficiency Through Digitalisation鈥�, a project by the German Energy Agency.

The post Join us for a seminar on the use of AI in the energy sector appeared first on Sustainable Energy.

Researchers associated with the Sustainable Energy Engineering and Policy programme at 杏吧原创 University have , exploring the opportunities and challenges facing large-scale expansion of direct air capture (DAC) and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS). The paper summarizes results of a structured, invitational, expert workshop conducted by the research team in Ottawa, Canada in May, 2023. Although the focus of the workshop was mainly on Canada, strategies for expanding the deployment of these technologies worldwide were also discussed.

The post Laying the foundations for deployment of negative emissions technologies appeared first on Sustainable Energy.

Collaborative Effort to Address Environmental Challenges in India (July 2024 杏吧原创 International Newsletter)

Prof. Alexandra Mallet from the School of Public Policy & Administration has partnered with Prosanto Pal, a Senior Fellow with  (TERI) in New Delhi, to tackle the challenge of decarbonizing India鈥檚 industry sector, with a focus on iron and steel production.

With the  providing knowledge support, their research is designed to advance net zero goals.

Given the socio-economic impact of decarbonization, particularly in regions like the Steel Belt, Mallet and Pal, along with other members of their research team, have engaged with key informants, including workers, industry executives, government agency representatives, and non-profit organizations. These discussions centered on current activities and the potential implications of an energy transition in three communities across India.

This initiative got off the ground thanks to the International Research Seed Grant, an internal funding program that champions new global partnerships.

Having solidified the concept in collaboration with their Indian and Canadian partners, subsequent funding allowed Mallet and Pal to expand the original project to include a 杏吧原创 student from India and joint fieldwork.

For the full July newsletter, please see this .

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SPPA Associate Professor and Graduate Supervisor 鈥� MPP in Sustainable Energy and the Environment,  Alexandra Mallett speaks to CBC Sudbury about climate action at the municipal level.

City of Greater Sudbury declared a climate emergency 5 years ago. It鈥檚 not on track to meet its goals

Northern Ontario city set a goal to reduce carbon emissions by 25% by 2025

by Jonathan Migneault, .

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杏吧原创 University held convocation last week, June 12-16th, where twelve students from the MPP Policy (formally MA), and eleven from Engineering (MEng and MASc) walked the stage. We could not be more proud of these students accomplishments and are excited to hear about their future.

The post Congratulations to all our 2023 SE Graduates! appeared first on Sustainable Energy.

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor, Ahmed Abdula, Article “U.S. Should Begin Laying the Foundation for New and Advanced Nuclear Reactors, Says New Report” was published in the National Academies, Sciences, Engineering, Medicine. April 27th, 2023

Highlights

• Nuclear power is witnessing renewed interest as a method of generating low-carbon electricity to enable the deep decarbonization of the global energy system.
• Developers of new and advanced nuclear reactors promise novel features that enhance economic competitiveness, safety, and security, while addressing nuclear power鈥檚 past challenges.
• A new report outlines these potentially useful features and what is required for new nuclear power technologies to flourish in the future energy system. Among these are improved economic competitiveness and affordability, as well as the adoption of best practices for community engagement.

Abstract

New and advanced nuclear reactors could play an important role in helping the U.S. and the rest of the world meet their long-term climate goals, but a range of technical, regulatory, economic, and societal challenges must first be overcome,鈥� according to a new report published by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 鈥淎dvanced nuclear technologies likely will not be able to markedly contribute to electricity generation until the 2030s at the earliest,鈥� says the report, 鈥渂ut there are opportunities for them to compete with other energy technologies in the long term. Innovative ideas for reactors, if fulfilled, may provide on-demand power generation to complement variable sources of energy, such as solar and wind energy, and help decarbonize challenging industrial sectors by providing high-temperature heat for chemical processes, such as hydrogen production.鈥�
Ahmed Abdulla, Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at 杏吧原创 University, was a member of the committee that authored the report. Abdulla highlighted the fact that cost control, societal acceptance, and the morphing global electricity system pose the largest challenges to nuclear power鈥檚 prospects for expansion. 鈥淥ur energy system is undergoing massive shifts that are driven by several factors, including the need to decarbonize over the next several decades. Programs to develop new nuclear reactors, which span decades and incur substantial costs, must be cognizant of and responsive to those shifts,鈥� Abdulla said. He emphasized societal acceptance, adding that, 鈥渇or broad, sustainable deployment, addressing the societal acceptance challenge must inform every phase of nuclear reactor development and deployment: from design all the way to decommissioning and the stewardship of potential nuclear waste stockpiles

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