As the energy transition gains momentum, attention is turning from renewable energy sources to the materials they are made from

Johnny Wood writes on the WEF website about three sustainable materials that are being used in the renewable energy transition.

 

3 sustainable materials powering the renewable energy transition

• Incorporating sustainable materials into energy-transition technologies could help efforts to decarbonize.
• From wind turbines made of wood to batteries made of sand, several innovations using sustainable materials are in development.
• Next-generation technologies are vital for a successful energy transition, according to the World Economic Forum’s 2023 report Fostering Effective Energy Transition.

As the energy transition gains momentum, attention is turning from renewable energy sources to the materials they are made from as a way to bolster decarbonization efforts.

Incorporating sustainable materials into clean energy solutions helps reduce their environmental impact and could potentially improve their output or efficiency.

Renewable energy deployment has grown exponentially, but innovation in next-generation energy technologies is necessary, according to the World Economic Forum’s Fostering Effective Energy Transition 2023 report.

The science behind wind farms indicates that the bigger the blades, the more electricity each turn generates, giving rise to an industry trend for larger and larger designs.

As the race for size gains pace, transporting supersized steel turbine towers and blades to both land-based and offshore sites has become increasingly challenging, requiring specially built vehicles to transport them and reinforced ports and loading infrastructure to support additional weight.

The wooden turbine’s construction is modular, so it can overcome many of these challenges.

2 Sand batteries

Renewables like wind and solar power are generated on a use-it-or-lose-it basis, unless any surplus energy can be stored for later use when needed.

Storage mediums like batteries are one solution, but these often require critical minerals that are at risk of shortage and could pose an environmental impact if not well managed.

However, Vatajankoski power plant in Finland is home to the world’s first commercial-scale sand battery, a solution that is simple, abundant, sustainable – the planet has plenty of sand – and cheap.

The facility consists of 100 tonnes of low-grade sand unsuitable for construction, which is surrounded by thick insulation to retain heat. Renewable energy from wind turbines and solar installations in Finland power a resistance heater that heats the air inside the battery, which is circulated through heat exchange pipes by a fan.

At a constant temperature of up to 600 centigrade, the sand battery has capacity to store 8 megawatts of thermal energy. When demand increases, the battery discharges about 200 kilowatts of power through heat exchange pipes, which is enough to provide heating and hot water to around 100 homes and a public swimming pool, supplemented by grid power.

The battery is recharged overnight when electricity demand, and therefore prices, are lower. As the system is fully automated, running costs are minimal.

While sand stores between 5 to 10 times less energy (per unit volume) than traditional chemical batteries, no chemical reaction takes place in sand batteries so they don’t degrade and are not flammable. Sand also has a much lower environmental impact than lithium-ion batteries, making it a sustainable way to store energy until it is needed, helping overcome the intermittency challenges associated with some renewable energy sources.

Energy storage is a critical component of the switch to cleaner energy. By 2028, renewable energy sources are predicted to account for more than 42% of global electricity generation, says the International Energy Agency, with wind and solar together accounting for 25%.

3 Rechargeable tyres

A leading global tyre manufacturer is developing a new type of ‘self-generating’ tyre for electric vehicles, capable of adapting to different road or weather conditions, or changing profile to suit individual drivers’ journey preferences.

The tyre is linked to a refillable container housed in the vehicle’s wheel hub that contains biodegradable tyre tread compound, a biological substance strengthened with fibres to enhance its durability.

A capsule propels the compound to replace worn tread on the tyre surface, or to change the tyre’s profile over time to suit different driving conditions, all without the hassle of having to remove the wheel and replace the tyre.

The result is a convenient, highly durable and biodegradable solution that eliminates the problem of what to do with all those discarded, worn-out car tyres.

These are just a few ways that more sustainable materials have been incorporated into clean energy solutions to help efforts to decarbonize.

External link