Technology Trending: Energy Web X, TES Israel gigafactory, VTOL EVs
Energy Web readies next-gen energy sector blockchain tech, Brenmiller’s ‘hot rock’ thermal energy storage gigactory inaugurated and flying electric vehicle development are on the week’s technology radar.
Energy Web X – next-gen energy sector blockchain tech
Energy sector blockchain consortium Energy Web is set to launch its new Energy Web X technology with alpha testing currently under way and beta versions slated for delivery in Q3 of this year.
Energy Web X, intended as a complement to the current Energy Web Chain, is designed to introduce new technical capabilities with the implementation of so-called ‘worker nodes’ that perform work off-chain.
The worker nodes are decentralised groups of computers that jointly execute business processes that involve or impact multiple companies – at least three or more – and establish consensus about the results.
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Example use cases where Energy Web has deployed worker nodes include powering solutions for 24/7 matched renewable and green EV charging, coordinating the dispatch of distributed energy resources and supporting decentralised registries for DERs and clean commodities such as sustainable aviation fuel.
Currently, the worker nodes are deployed and operated directly by Energy Web. But to realise their full potential a way is needed to deploy thousands of independent worker nodes and coordinate them in cohesive networks.
This is where Energy Web X is planned to play a key role, with each set of worker nodes deployed by Energy Web, its customers or over time any energy enterprise governed and anchored to unique ‘pallets’ on the Energy Web X chain.
‘Hot rock’ battery gigafactory in Israel
Thermal energy storage solution provider Brenmiller has inaugurated what it believes to be the first ever TES gigafactory in Dimona in Israel’s Negev Desert.
The facility, financed by the European Investment Bank, is equipped with advanced machinery to produce the company’s patented bGen TES modules for its pipeline of clean energy projects.
A rooftop PV system is in place to help power the operations with renewable energy.
The bGen technology uses crushed rocks as one of the mediums for storing heat, with ‘charging’ possible from both renewable and thermal sources. These then heat water flowing through a separated piping cycle to enable steam to be delivered to the user on demand.
“We’re Israeli – we’re building technologies that can reach up to 760oC in the middle of the desert – we know a thing or two about harnessing heat, and we’re ready to share that knowledge with the world,” said Avi Brenmiller, founder and CEO at Brenmiller Energy.
The new facility will serve as Brenmiller’s primary manufacturing hub and its production lines are expected to reach full capacity by the end of 2023, producing up to 4GWh of the bGen TES modules annually for industrial and utility-scale implementations.
Flying VTOL electric vehicles
Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) electric vehicles are gaining growing interest for next-generation mobility and the latest entrant to this field is the University of Miami College of Engineering, which has launched the Miami Engineering Autonomous Mobility Initiative (MEAMI) with a consortium of world-class academic, industry and government partners.
Building on earlier research, MEAMI aims to advance autonomous mobility technology and anticipate challenges to its implementation in today’s cities.
Applications are plentiful, from air taxis to assisting in quick transport of patients to hospitals, to rapid transit from busy downtown areas to the airport.
The consortium intends to investigate the many aspects of autonomous mobility, including advanced propulsion, sensing, integration of satellite signals with local sensing, artificial intelligence, clean energy and energy storage and advanced materials.
In addition, issues of safety, air traffic control, regulatory aspects related to noise, cybersecurity, and other relevant matters are planned to be addressed.
Specifically over the next two years, the initiative will focus on five verticals: advanced technological development, operations, regulations and safety, public relations, development and advancement.
