“Inside the CSIRO’s hybrid energy systems hothouse”

An interesting article this week went behind the scenes at CSIRO to show how the Australian R&D lab is developing energy management systems to link renewable generation with storage technologies – including ammonia, as a chemical energy storage medium, for export to Asia.

The goal is to test the export potential for Australian renewable fuel energy. Dr Badwal cites the example of solar energy in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, “where there is plenty of sun,” to produce renewable energy into transportable fuel, such as ammonia, which can be shipped to Asia in containers similar to LPG containers. “We’re looking at the potential of exporting.”
EcoGeneration, 11/02/2016
Inside the CSIRO’s hybrid energy systems hothouse

In Melbourne, the Centre for Hybrid Energy Systems, part of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), runs simulations on a multitude of generation and storage technologies, at variable environmental conditions and scales. Their aim is to optimize the combinations of these technologies, to discover the most effective renewable energy solutions “in hybrid mode.”

We’ve written previously about CSIRO’s interest in developing Australia’s Concentrated Solar Fuels Program, for large-scale solar ammonia synthesis with an eye on exports into the Japanese low-carbon fuel market.

Their interest here is in “the black box” of energy management, designing optimized systems for the efficient generation, storage, and use of renewable power. As part of this project, the lab is also “setting up a small solar-powered charging station to learn what the future requirement is for a service station.”

You can read the full article at EcoGeneration.