21 Mar The Future of Energy Depends on Nanomaterials
Having the capacity to control the molecular and atomic composition of materials enables us to conceive of new properties for those materials that are only possible on at a nanoscopic scale.
This is how new so-called nanomaterials are born whose properties are very different from those displayed at a macroscopic scale.
Due to their distinctive characteristics, these materials can transform our day-to-day lives and provide solutions that, until now, were only possible in theory.
The Threat of Climate Change
One of the most significant problems society will have to confront in the near future is climate change. We must be capable of establishing new and more environmentally sustainable models of production and economic development.
This is why representatives at the 2015 United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP21) signed the Paris Agreement, a compendium of goals established with the aim of reducing emissions of greenhouse gases such as CO2 and other pollutants that lead to global warming.
Despite this agreement, according to a report issued by the International Energy Agency (IEA), worldwide CO2 emissions grew by 1.4% in 2017.
This translates into 460 million tons of emissions.
One of the main culprits responsible for emissions around the globe is the generation of electric power, for which demand is steadily growing.
So, how can the energy sector confront this challenge?
The Challenges of Generating Electric Power
Fossil fuels are one of the primary vectors involved in generating electric power worldwide. Energy produced using fossil fuels monopolizes 80% of the overall demand, despite the existence of renewable sources of energy.
“Fossil fuels are the main cause of anthropogenic emissions (emissions produced by human activity).”
This is a clear indication that our model of energy production is unsustainable over the long term and that we need to study and develop new technologies that will allow us to meet the demand for energy without compromising the environment.
Nanotechnology and Renewable Energy
Reducing the percentage of electricity produced from fossil fuels below 80% and establishing a roadmap towards creating a more sustainable energy sector will require the use of renewable energy conversion and storage devices.
Renewable energy sources are an alternative that allows us to generate clean energy that does not compromise the environment.
However, unlike traditional power generation, where production is adjusted to meet demand, renewable energy cannot be adjusted to meet demand in quite the same way. When demand is low relative to the total amount of energy produced, this results in a “surplus.”
One of the lines of Nanotechnology technological research in the energy sector is hydrogen fuel cells.
Using hydrogen –as a means of storing the electric power produced by renewable energy sources, especially– would help integrate renewable energy sources in the power system.
Hydrogen Fuel Cells: The Energy of the Future Thanks to Nanotechnology
The energy sector has high expectations for fuel cells.
“Fuel cells are one of the few viable alternatives that would allow us to obtain electric power in significant quantities without harming the environment.”
First of all, they are highly efficient at generating power. Moreover, fuel cells reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide and other gases produced by fuel-based power production technologies to a minimum.
Nanotechnology has helped perfect and develop fuel cells, making them increasingly more viable. Among its most significant achievements, for instance, is lowering the operating temperature, one of the biggest obstacles encountered with this type of technology and a critical factor that makes it more expensive.
The search for new nanomaterials that simplify cell designs and create cheaper and more efficient models is one of the biggest challenges posed and a compelling reason to continue working on this line of research.
Europe’s Commitment to Nanomaterials Research for the Energy Sector
Along these lines, the European Union is committed to research in the field of nanotechnology and the energy sector.
Within the Horizon 2020 framework, for instance, we find FCH 2 (Fuell Cells and Hydrogen) –produced in with collaboration from Spanish companies and agencies– whose goal is to create a sustainable and competitive hydrogen fuel cell model by 2024.
The EdEN project, funded within the scope of the 7th Framework Program, focuses on hydrogen as an energy vector. Among the participants in this project are Spanish research centers such as the University of La Laguna’s Nanomaterials and Materials Microengineering research group, coordinated by Juan Carlos Ruiz Morales.
EdEN aims to create nanomaterials to design a hydrogen storage system that can then be combined with solar energy production (High Energy Density Mg-Based Storage System).
Fuel cells used to generate electricity using solar power are tremendously important in places such as the Canary Islands.
Because of their geographic location and climatic conditions, the Canary Islands receive more hours of sunlight than any other European region. It also consumes more solar thermal and photovoltaic energy than other territories.
Nanotec: Tenerife’s Center for Nanotechnology and Sustainability
Because of the European Union’s clear commitment to nanotechnology and nanomaterials research in the energy sector, and the need to confront the tremendous threat posed by climate change, the Canary Islands is the perfect location in which to implement projects to develop new systems of power generation based on clean and renewable energy sources.
Nanotec, at INtech La Laguna, is a technology center dedicated to promoting the study of new multifunctional materials and the development of projects to combat environmental pollution and climate change and improve environmental health.