Category: Policy

Cross-Border Energy Trading

Cross-Border Energy Trading

Cross-Border Energy Trading

05/02/19

“How can energy be traded across borders?”

Energy is one of the most vital resources on the planet. But unfortunately, it is constrained by national borders. However, as energy systems evolve, so will the policy around them. Already, resource-constrained states and nations are in talks with trading energy with their overcapacity neighbors. This is developing in areas from the Western United States with California’s solar potential in the summer and its neighbor’s vast hydropower and wind reservoirs in the Winter and India with Neap, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Hopefully, Cross-Border Energy Trading will become more prominent in bringing peace, security, and resilience between nations.

Hydrogen-Powered Aircraft

Hydrogen-Powered Aircraft

Hydrogen-Powered Aircraft

04/30/19

“How can aircraft be powered by hydrogen?”

The worst problems with aircraft and sustainability is the fact that they are powered by GHG-ridden fuels. This can be offset by creating aircraft powered by electrolysis-based hydrogen. This results in Hydrogen-Powered Aircraft.

Image credit
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Boeing_Fuel_Cell_Demonstrator_AB1.JPG/1200px-Boeing_Fuel_Cell_Demonstrator_AB1.JPG

How Much of a Plastic Bottle Can Be Recycled

How Much of a Plastic Bottle Can Be Recycled

How Much of a Plastic Bottle Can Be Recycled

04/27/19

“Exactly how much of a plastic bottle can be used after its been used?”

In the United States, plastic water bottles can be found everywhere. Whether it be in the supermarket for grocery shopping or on the picnic blanket for plying. However, the plastic that makes these bottles pose numerous threats to the environment. This can be mitigated through recycling. But exactly how much of the material be recycled? Well, if the bottle is made from a polymer known as PET, then approximately 62% of it can be recovered! This is How Much of a Plastic Bottle Can Be Recycled.

Advantages of Utility-Scale Solar over Rooftop Solar

Advantages of Utility-Scale Solar over Rooftop Solar

Advantages of Utility-Scale Solar over Rooftop Solar

04/26/19

“What are the advantages of utility-scale solar over rooftop?”

Utility-scale solar often competes with rooftop solar. Although we here at Isaac Science Blog believe in the value of both, we also like to inform of the costs and benefits. The main advantages of utility-scale solar are that it is cheaper and can be put over brownfields. These are the Advantages of Utility-Scale Solar over Rooftop Solar.

Energy Storage Mandates

Energy Storage Mandates

Energy Storage Mandates

04/25/19

“How can governments use policy to increase the amount of storage on the grid?”

`Energy storage is one of the hottest things in the energy world right now. But despite its seemingly invincible potential, it still needs government action to come online. One clever way to do this is to make a policy stipulating that utilities need to adopt a certain amount of energy storage through an Energy Storage Mandate. This is commonly implemented in California and other governments to meet their carbon neutrality goals.

Image credit inhabitat.com

Why Offshore Wind in the U.S Might Soon Face Logistic Bottlenecks

Why Offshore Wind in the U.S Might Soon Face Logistic Bottlenecks

Why Offshore Wind in the U.S Might Soon Face Logistic Bottlenecks

04/21/19

“Why is offshore wind in the U.S having logistic problems?”

Offshore wind in the United States is expanding at a rapid pace, particularly in the Northeast. However, since offshore wind turbines tend to extremely large in nature, it takes a large amount of transportation infrastructure such as cranes and heavy trucks for transportation logistics. Due to the limited supply of these components, these projects face the possibility of being stalled. This is Why Offshore Wind in the U.S is Facing Logistic Bottlenecks.

Returns to Scale

Returns to Scale

Returns to Scale

04/20/19

“How does cost scale with physical production?”

Cost tends to scale with increased production of a particular element. However, the amount of cost of each item might get larger or smaller! The rate of change of each element to increased production is known as the Returns to Scale. This information is vital for the renewable energy industry, as the optimal deployment size will depend on the best return to scale.

Image credit
https://sites.google.com/site/economicsbasics

Power Factor Tariff

Power Factor Tariff

Power Factor Tariff

04/19/19

“Why do some facilities seem to obtain less power than they receive and how are they penalized in a tariff?”

Every facility connected to the grid can receive energy. But the amount that it receives versus what was apparently sent is known as the Power Factor Tariff. The lower the power factor tariff, the more generators and transformers, and other power infrastructure is needed to keep the system running. Since this increases the amount of upkeep needed, utilities implement a Power Factor Tariff to penalize users who draw too much from the grid.

Maximum Demand Tariffs

Maximum Demand Tariffs

Maximum Demand Tariffs

04/18/19

“How can we design a two-part tariff specifically catered to the maximum demand of a system?”

Two-part tariffs are great for controlling system-level energy use. But sometimes we would like to focus it on controlling the maximum demand for energy use. We can use something called a Maximum Demand Tariff which not only charges in proportion to energy used but levels an extra tariff based on the max power they drew for the given time period.