Where does Nanotechnology fit in Electrification?
Nanotechnology is the design, production, and application of structures at the nanoscale, studying the phenomena and manipulation of materials at atomic, molecular, and macromolecular scales. Its role in the future of electrification is becoming increasingly clear.
Nanotechnology is used in science and engineering to design and improve structures in a variety of industrial fields. These include pharmaceuticals, food and energy, electronics, coatings, cosmetics, optical and magnetic systems.
Paris Climate Agreement to COP26 Glasgow Summit: Failures and Agreements
The Paris Climate Agreement 2015 (COP21) was seen as a landmark agreement, whereby 196 parties signed a legal framework to tackle climate change. The outcome was a pathway aimed at achieving carbon net-zero by 2050 to limit global warming to 1.2 degrees celsius, pre-industrial levels.
Following on from Paris, pledges made at the COP26 Summit in Glasgow were disappointing to many delegates due to the fact China and India forced a last-minute change to a pact, which amended a phase-out of coal and fossil fuel subsidies, to a phase-down of coal instead.
However, there was an agreement for the scaling up of green power.
The private sector showed strong commitment to align US 130 trillion dollars with the goals set out in the Paris Climate Agreement, equating to 40 percent of total global financial assets.
The US and China also agreed on a joint declaration to tackle methane emissions and transition to clean energy, including policies for decarbonization and electrification of end-user sectors.
Why Nanotechnology is Needed for Electrification of End-Use Sectors
End-user sectors refer to the energy directly used by consumers, which equates to the primary energy used for transportation, industrial, commercial and residential. End-use primary energy refers to electricity, gasoline, and natural gas.
Nanotechnology has the potential to help revolutionize industries, especially when it comes to tackling environmental issues such as climate change.
With pressure on World leaders and global sectors to act, and new electrification agreements being formulated, the race is on to electrify as much as possible, from trains and cars to heating homes.
According to the Electrifying US Industry Report (2021, globalefficiencyintel.org), industry alone accounts for two-thirds of all energy demand.
The report calls upon industry to partner with academia, think tanks, and science labs, to scale up electrification processes.
To do this, it is beneficial to scale down, or to be more precise, nanoscale down in order to make more efficient, durable materials and equipment.
Electronics, insulation, coatings, nanotubes, high-efficiency light bulbs, and transformers, to name but a few, have all been enhanced and improved using nanotechnology.
Nanotechnology Applications for Renewable Energy & Industry Developments
Nanotechnology can provide cleaner, more economical, more efficient, and reliable ways to capture renewable energy sources. It also has the potential to revitalize the socio-economic development of developing countries to assist in sustainable energy transition and their decarbonized economies.
Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are now replacing conventional graphite electrodes in batteries. They have an exceptionally high surface area, strong electrical conductivity, and linear geometry, making them highly accessible to battery electrolytes, resulting in higher efficiency from the resulting increased electrical output.
Nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, and quantum dots are used to make solar cells lighter, more efficient, and more cost-effective. The amount of solar radiation captured increases as the surface area to volume ratio of nanoparticles increases conducting surface areas.
Solar energy absorption of conventional PV cells is generally quite poor, coupled with a high cost of manufacturing, making the amount converted into electrical energy less than 40 percent, whereas nanotechnology can create altered materials with higher absorption rates.
Nano batteries can recharge 60 times faster than conventional batteries, and some can also operate over a greater range of temperatures. Some have even been developed to give them a limitless shelf life.
International Conference on Advanced Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology
1st Edition of NANO | 15-16 December 2022 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Hybrid)
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