Researchers have crunched the numbers and found that if a small number of companies committed to matching every hour of electricity consumption with green energy, it could kickstart a cleaner future.
Using open-source PyPSA software from the Technical University of Berlin, a collaborative group has found that if just 3% of companies made a 24/7 green energy commitment, it could help reduce costs and drive innovation in clean electricity generation and storage technologies.
Although companies have been using 100% green electricity tariffs to reduce reliance on dirty fuels, as an article shared by the University of Berlin on Tech Xplore detailed, that doesn't account for backup power and nighttime generation.
It goes on to explain that data on green electricity usage must be recorded and traceable, while new electricity storage methods and carbon-free generation technologies must be used to fuel this leap forward.
"Such new technologies would be, for example, long-duration storage to bridge prolonged periods without wind power, and new controllable power sources such as advanced geothermal or advanced gas-fired power plants with Allam cycle turbines," as Dr. Iegor Riepin of the Department of Digital Transformation in Energy Systems at TU Berlin and first author of the study explained.
The "24/7 Carbon-Free Coalition" has already enlisted major corporations including Google, Vodafone, and pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca in committing to use green electricity around the clock, as the article detailed.
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Google has gone so far as to announce its own goal of running all its data centers and office campuses on carbon-free energy by 2030.
"The deployment of the first projects leads to cost reductions through economies of scale, making 24/7 carbon-free energy more affordable for a wider range of businesses and organizations. Widespread use of these technologies then leads to a 'virtuous circle' that brings forward the time when the technologies become competitive in the general electricity market," said Riepin per the report.
Dr. Tom Brown from TU Berlin added that a 24/7 commitment from just 3% of Germany's corporate and industrial energy sectors could trigger significant knowledge advancements and cost savings.
To demonstrate this, the researchers estimated that this level of commitment could quadruple expansion of the innovative iron-air battery storage project being planned in Donegal, Ireland, while also reducing costs by 25%.
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NET Power's Allam Cycle natural gas-fired turbine project, which is already in operation in Texas, according to the report, offers no atmospheric emissions, no water usage, and captures all CO2 released from its operation, as Powermag laid out.
If just 1% of Germany's industrial and commercial energy demands are met through 24/7 adoption, the researchers estimate that costs of Allam Cycle technology could be reduced by 12%. Bump up adoption to 10% of green energy generation, and costs drop by 38%.
"As these technologies mature and their costs sink, we will see their application go beyond voluntary corporate initiatives and on to broader, system-wide decarbonization," as Brown further shared in the article.
"The innovation cycle triggered by commitments made in the private sector can be the catalyst for a wave of change that revolutionizes the energy market, reduces emissions, and paves the way for a clean and sustainable future," added Riepin.
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