The Biden Administration hopes to create a commercial nuclear fusion facility within 10 years as part of the nation’s transition to clean energy.They aim to harness fusion as a carbon-free energy source that can power homes and businesses one day.Fusion works by pressing hydrogen atoms into each other with such force that they combine into helium, releasing enormous amounts of energy and heat. Unlike other nuclear reactions, it doesn’t create radioactive waste. Proponents of nuclear fusion hope it could one day displace fossil fuels and other traditional energy sources. But producing carbon-free energy that powers homes and businesses from fusion is still decades away.https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-n
Concentrated solar power (CSP) traditionally uses large arrays of mirrors to direct sunlight onto a tall central receiver tower, which then creates heat that is stored in various liquids for use when the sun is not shining to generate electricity. CSP offers storage that traditional solar (PV) systems do not, however they have been historically big and expensive. An Australian company has developed a smaller, cheaper CSP and PV combination, with a 70% efficiency rate (on par with pumped hydro). The pilot project is currently operating in Carwarp, Victoria, Australia. https://reneweconomy.com.au/the-australian-solar-tech-that-may-have-found-a-low-cost-solution-to-deep-storage/
Industrial processes typically produce a lot of heat. This heat can be captured and re-used to reduce overall energy consumption with readily available technology such as heat pumps. However, industrial heat has not typically played a part in green hydrogen production. A new process to be trialled at BlueScope's Port Kembla Steelworks will seek to prove a new tubular solid oxide electrolysis (SOE) technology from CSIRO can reduce electricity demand by 30% compared to conventional green hydrogen production processes. https://www.csiro.au/en/news/All/News/2023/August/Hadean
