Solar Panels Floating in Reservoirs? We'll Drink to That | Iron And Rust Could Be The Secret To Storing Clean Power For Days | Here’s what worries engineers the most about U.S. infrastructure

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You Might Like � � � You Might Like � � � � � � � � � Don't like ads? Go ad-free with TradeBriefs Premium Solar Panels Floating in Reservoirs? We'll Drink to That - WIRED    With the price of solar power cratering by 85 percent during the 2010s, the question is no longer whether it's economically feasible to deploy the technology on a large scale. Now it's: Where can't we put solar panels? Governments are handing out tax breaks to get people to install them at home, but we can also put them in the empty space around airports and over ugly parking lots, or slap them on rooftop gardens and in agricultural fields and grow crops under them, simultaneously generating power and food. So how about laying a bunch of solar panels on reservoirs? Floating photovoltaic systems, also known as floatovoltaics, could be a powerful complement to the hydroelectric power already generated by a reservoir and save water by shading it and reducing evaporation. A new study by an international team of researchers shows just how useful wide-scale floatovoltaics could be. They calculate that covering 30 percent of the surface of 115,000 reservoirs globally could generate 9,434 terawatt hours of power a year. That's more than twice the energy the entire United States generates annually, and enough to fully power over 6,200 cities in 124 countries. Continued here Iron And Rust Could Be The Secret To Storing Clean Power For Days - Forbes    In the fight to kill planet-cooking carbon emissions, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries have become a core technology. They can power electric cars that get more than 300 miles per charge. They can store enough electricity to support millions of homes for hours. And they’re a central part of power plants’ ability to store ever greater amounts of renewable energy. But if poorly made, they can also overheat into toxic chemical fires. They’re not always reliable, and in electric cars have failed to deliver the driving range certain companies claim. They’re also expensive: battery-grade lithium carbonate costs more than $37,600 per metric ton, according to Trading Economics. Plus, they only hold energy for hours, not days. And in the race to scale up renewable energy, that’s a big problem during periods of cloudy or windless days. That’s why the former vice president of Tesla’s stationary power business, Mateo Jaramillo, is focusing on building batteries made with iron, an abundant and cheap material that only costs $115 per ton. He says that his startup, Form Energy, has created iron-air batteries that can store electricity for at least 100 hours — far longer than the four to six hours large-scale lithium-ion packs provide. Continued here You Might Like � � � � � � � � � Here's what worries engineers the most about U.S. infrastructure - National Geographic (Environment)    Water and sewer systems built in the mid-19th century weren't meant to handle the demands of modern cities, and many bridges and levees have aged well past their intended lifespan. Christine Kirchhoff’s family were preparing to move into a new house when Hurricane Harvey hit Houston in 2017. Then the massive storm dumped 50 inches of rain on the area in just a few days, leaving two nearby reservoirs so full that their operators were forced to open the floodgates. Kirchhoff’s family had to be evacuated by boat. Both their original and new houses were inundated. Christine Kirchhoff's family were preparing to move into a new house when Hurricane Harvey hit Houston in 2017. Then the massive storm dumped 50 inches of rain on the area in just a few days, leaving two nearby reservoirs so full that their operators were forced to open the floodgates. Kirchhoff's family had to be evacuated by boat. Both their original and new houses were inundated. As an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Pennsylvania State University, Kirchhoff spent a lot of time thinking about water even before it swallowed her family's livelihood. She is part of the legion of professionals behind the complex, often invisible systems that support American life: dams, roads, the electric grid, and much more. Continued here

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