Next Energy最新文献

{"title":"Reduction of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in wastewater treatment plant: A case study of utilizing anaerobic sludge digestion","authors":"Man-Mei Huang ,&nbsp;Ming-Ho Pan ,&nbsp;Feng-Yuan Chang ,&nbsp;Chin-Chao Chen ,&nbsp;Chiu-Yue Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.nxener.2025.100289","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxener.2025.100289","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The energy consumption of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is influenced by many factors, such as the wastewater flow rate, organic strength, and the treatment process for the liquid and sludge. In this study, a complete inventory of energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the WWTP of Qingsui Highway Rest Station was carried out. In this plant, the aeration blowers were used in some units, including the aerobic sludge digestion tank, and they accounted for about 50% of the total power consumption. Four plant operation scenarios, including the existing case of aerobic sludge digestion and its replaced cases of using anaerobic sludge digestion with/without biogas power generators, were applied. The comparison results indicate that for these scenarios inducing anaerobic sludge digestion, the energy consumption and GHG emissions would be reduced by 5.8–13.5% and 13.4–19.0%, respectively. This case study provides a comparison of some feasible engineering strategies for reducing energy consumption and GHG emissions in an existing domestic WWTP that uses aerobic sludge digestion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100957,"journal":{"name":"Next Energy","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100289"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143882808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sizing and designing of an adsorption chiller with phase change material thermal storage for an office building: Case study Nigeria","authors":"Mkpamdi Eke ,&nbsp;Tagne Takote Brice Clausel ,&nbsp;Cosmas Anyanwu ,&nbsp;Onyekwere Ojike ,&nbsp;Fidelis Abam","doi":"10.1016/j.nxener.2025.100305","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxener.2025.100305","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Nigeria receives an average of 6.29 kW/m²/day of solar radiation, making it ideal for solar-assisted cooling systems. In this study, a feasibility study of integrating solar-driven adsorption chiller was conducted for a 24 m³ office at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka using a silica gel-water pair. The prototype features a double-stage, 2-bed heat and mass recovery design with thermal energy storage as innovation to cover the mismatch between the day and night as well as during distrust time of solar collector. Results showed a cooling load of 2.7–3.5 kW, requiring a cooling capacity of 250 W/m² over 10 h with a performance coefficient (COP) of 0.68. A solar power input of 3.5–7.5 kW was achieved with an evacuated tube collector area of 1.75 m². The study validated the use of 28 kg of paraffin wax for heat storage and demonstrated a refrigeration capacity of 9406 kJ and cooling effect of 715.43 kJ with a cycle performance’s coefficient COPcy of 0.08 as well as specific cooling power (SCP) of 77 W/kg. This model offers a promising solution for sustainable cooling in Nigeria's climate especially and in Africa globally. However, the developed model can generate up to 8 kW cooling power with 23 kg of silica gel, which slightly exceeds the typical office size. This is characterized by the smallest office parameters that may affect the system’s performance due to the weather conditions. Thus, some parameters considered are slightly scaled up enabling the integration of more than one office.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100957,"journal":{"name":"Next Energy","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100305"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144070475","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Composite phase change materials by confining polymers inside nanocarbon assemblies: A review","authors":"Xiaohua Zhang ,&nbsp;Yun Zhang ,&nbsp;Xin Wang ,&nbsp;Jingna Zhao ,&nbsp;Jingyun Zou ,&nbsp;Xiaohong Sui ,&nbsp;Qingwen Li ,&nbsp;Bin Ding","doi":"10.1016/j.nxener.2025.100281","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxener.2025.100281","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Phase change materials (PCMs) have been widely used in thermal management owing to their excellent latent heat storage capacity. To overcome the problems of inherent low thermal conductivity, liquid leakage, poor mechanical properties, and poor thermal and form stabilities of polymers, composite PCMs are developed by using various reinforcements, among which nanocarbons have shown superior merits. However, it is still of great challenge to design appropriate nanocarbon skeletons toward high thermal performances and multiple responsibilities. Herein, we review recent advances in a special strategy to fabricate organic composite PCMs based on the rapid development of nanocarbon assembly materials, by focusing on the composition strategies, composite structures and thermal performances of composite PCMs. The advantages of nanocarbon interconnection and polymer confinement inside nanocarbon network are the major concern in these issues, as they provide efficient conduction pathways for heat and electrons, induce full utilization of the phase change capacity, and lead to enhanced stabilities and multifunctionalities. Finally, future developments and challenges in the development of high-performance composite PCMs are also discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100957,"journal":{"name":"Next Energy","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100281"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143870686","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Scaling of current-voltage characteristics of bulk heterojunction solar cells","authors":"Timothy Schlittenhardt ,&nbsp;Alex Giovannone ,&nbsp;Juliane Scholtz ,&nbsp;Selman Hershfield","doi":"10.1016/j.nxener.2025.100286","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxener.2025.100286","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The transport in the mixture of p-type and n-type materials of a bulk heterojunction solar cell is modeled as an effective discretized resistor and diode network. Within this model the current and potential profile is solved using a relaxation method for systems of 100,000 sites. Both an ordered structure, where the p-type and n-type materials form pillars, and a random mixture are considered. Motivated by an analytic approximate solution for the ordered case, scaling relations are developed, where the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics for all sample thicknesses for a given sample composition collapse onto a single curve. The thickness dependence of the I-V characteristics including the optimal thickness for power output is governed by a new length scale which depends on the conductivities of the p- and n-regions and the derivative of the diode I-V characteristic used for transport between regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100957,"journal":{"name":"Next Energy","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100286"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143882809","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rooftop solar programme and citizens' perceptions for sustainable lifestyle: A study of Ahmedabad city, Gujarat","authors":"Shreya Dave ,&nbsp;Venkat Ram Reddy Minampati ,&nbsp;Parth Prajapati","doi":"10.1016/j.nxener.2025.100287","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxener.2025.100287","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The abundant solar energy source provides an immense scope to create ample opportunities to produce affordable and clean energy. To utilise this energy optimally, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, has launched the ‘Rooftop Solar Programme’ in 2014, aiming to achieve an installed capacity of 40 gigawatts by 2022, further extended till 2026. The present study identifies the interests and apprehensions of the respondents to install rooftop solar (RTS) panels; it analyses respondents’ perception of RTS panels and sustainable lifestyle and evaluates the government’s role in encouraging people to adopt sustainable lifestyle practices. The data are collected by applying the snowball sampling method through a structured questionnaire circulated in the 5 zones of Ahmedabad city. The citizens’ perception is collected through a 5-point Likert scale. It is found in the study that the main advantage of installing RTS panels is a reduction in electricity costs, and the main challenge is the regular maintenance of the panels. A total of 44.8% of respondents installed RTS panels as they felt that this would help them to contribute to preserving the environment. The study also reveals that the lengthy payback period of the panels (28.6% respondents) and lack of knowledge about net-metering (27% respondents) are the factors that prevent nonusers from installing the panels. The study concludes that adopting RTS panels results from awareness campaigns, government subsidies, and word of mouth. The study also concludes that both citizens and the government need each other’s cooperation to carry out a greater behaviour change programme.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100957,"journal":{"name":"Next Energy","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100287"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143886838","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative analysis of energy dispatch strategies in PV-integrated renewable energy systems","authors":"Reza Babaei,&nbsp;David S.-K. Ting,&nbsp;Rupp Carriveau","doi":"10.1016/j.nxener.2025.100290","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxener.2025.100290","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The growing global population and escalating energy demands have highlighted the urgent need for a transition to sustainable and renewable energy sources. This study investigates the design and optimization of hybrid energy systems (HES) for Pelee Island, Canada—a remote community facing unreliable single-phase grid supply and increasing seasonal demand. The proposed HES integrates photovoltaic (PV) systems with tracking technologies, a biogas gasifier, diesel generator, lithium-ion battery storage, and grid interaction, under 2 dispatch strategies: Load Following (LF) and Cycle Charging (CC). Among 8 configurations, the CC-based system with VCA tracking (776 kW PV, 73 batteries) performs best, achieving a Net Present Cost (NPC) of $1.6 M, Cost of Electricity (COE) of $0.083/kWh, and Renewable Fraction (RF) of 78.7%. It meets 1,537,217 kWh of a 1,537,271 kWh annual load, with only 54.3 kWh unmet. The LF-VCA system offers the highest RF at 86.3% and the lowest emissions at 21.6 t/year but at a higher NPC of $1.62 M. Battery state of charge (SOC) stays above 60% in summer and often drops below 30% in winter. A 50% increase in SOC_min raises NPC by 20%, and a 1.5× capital cost nearly doubles COE. A 60% albedo boosts RF by 7.6% and reduces NPC by 18%. Compared to LF, the optimal CC system lowers NPC by $0.02 M and COE by $0.002/kWh, while producing 90,551 kWh/year of surplus energy. Grid imports peak in winter (&gt;100 kW) and fall near zero in summer, while surplus exports exceed 200 kW during peak solar hours, enhancing system revenue through $0.15/kWh sales.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100957,"journal":{"name":"Next Energy","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100290"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143886839","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sustainable biolipids-to-alkane conversion: A cascade biocatalysis strategy with enhanced photobiocatalytic efficiency","authors":"Qian Liang ,&nbsp;Huayong Chen ,&nbsp;Bo Yang ,&nbsp;Yonghua Wang ,&nbsp;Zhigang Li ,&nbsp;Yunjian Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.nxener.2025.100278","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxener.2025.100278","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The development of sustainable biofuels is critical for achieving carbon neutrality and reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Biolipids, primarily composed of triglycerides abundant in various biomass feedstocks, can undergo hydrolysis to yield free fatty acids (FFAs). These FFAs serve as substrates for photodecarboxylase (<em>Cv</em>FAP), which utilizes blue light as an energy source to efficiently convert FFAs into C1-shortened alkanes without the need for costly cofactors, such as NADPH offering a green and cofactor-independent solution for biofuel production. However, conventional whole-cell transformation systems suffer from poor light penetration, limited enzyme-substrate interactions, and lipase-induced membrane damage, reducing catalytic efficiency. To overcome these limitations, a <em>Cv</em>FAP-lipase cascade system was integrated within a three-liquid-phase system (TLPS) was developed. TLPS generates microdroplets that expand interfacial areas, improving mass transfer and enzyme accessibility. Additionally, it enhances light penetration, maximizing photodecarboxylase activation. Furthermore, TLPS shields <em>Escherichia coli</em> cell membranes from lipase-induced degradation, ensuring sustained catalytic activity. As a result, this TLPS-based photobiocatalytic cascade system achieves alkanes yield exceeding 90%, surpassing conventional approaches in both efficiency and scalability. This work presents a novel enzymatic platform for high-yield biofuel production, integrating interfacial engineering, enzyme protection, and enhanced light utilization within a single scalable system. The TLPS strategy provides a cost-effective, sustainable solution for converting biomass-derived fatty acids into high-value alkanes, with promising implications for renewable energy and sustainable aviation fuel production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100957,"journal":{"name":"Next Energy","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100278"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143833266","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integration of geothermal power plant, water treatment plant, AWE, and PEM electrolyzer for green hydrogen production: A techno-economic study","authors":"Muhammad Alwi Husaini ,&nbsp;Prihadi Setyo Darmanto ,&nbsp;Firman Bagja Juangsa","doi":"10.1016/j.nxener.2025.100288","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxener.2025.100288","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Green hydrogen production plays a crucial role in the global shift toward sustainable energy, offering a clean alternative to fossil fuels. However, large-scale adoption is often limited by high production costs and the intermittent availability of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. Geothermal energy offers a promising solution by providing a stable and continuous power supply for water electrolysis. This study explores the integration of geothermal power with water treatment and electrolysis systems for green hydrogen production. Cooling tower basin water from a geothermal power plant is treated using an ultrafiltration-reverse osmosis-ion exchange mixed bed system to meet the purity requirements for electrolysis. The treated water achieves a conductivity of 1–2 μS/cm for alkaline water electrolysis (AWE) and 0.05–0.08 μS/cm for proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis. A 10 MW AWE and PEM electrolyzer are modeled to produce 181.03 kg/h and 191.26 kg/h of hydrogen, respectively. The levelized cost of hydrogen is estimated at 6.52 $/kg for AWE and 6.67 $/kg for PEM, with electricity costs contributing over 64% of the total. AWE electrolysis at 10 MW requires 1616 kg/h of feed water, while PEM electrolysis requires 1709 kg/h, both supplied by the water treatment plant. Despite higher capital costs and shorter lifespans of PEM electrolyzers, water treatment costs remain minimal at 0.17% of total production costs. The findings demonstrate geothermal energy as a viable alternative to intermittent renewables for continuous hydrogen production. This study offers a techno-economic evaluation of geothermal-based hydrogen production, supporting its role in the global energy transition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100957,"journal":{"name":"Next Energy","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100288"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143859500","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Energy harvesting enhancement: A roadmap for systematically tuning controllers applied on synchronous generators of wind turbines","authors":"John Breno Santos Freitas ,&nbsp;Felipe Augusto Silva Martins ,&nbsp;Vinicius Foletto Montagner ,&nbsp;Paulo Jefferson Dias de Oliveira Evald","doi":"10.1016/j.nxener.2025.100268","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxener.2025.100268","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This work presents a roadmap for tuning field oriented control (FOC) for permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG)-based wind turbines. A detailed discussion about how to design meta-heuristic optimizers for this task is presented, providing systematic rules to ensure that the tuning procedure returns a set of gains that result in feasible optimized controllers. Ten popular nature-inspired optimizers are implemented at the core of the controller tuning method. The 10 optimized controllers are applied in the system considering a highly stochastic wind speed profile, generated using the Shinozuka method and Kaimal spectrum under intense turbulence. Among them, the ant lion optimizer (ALO) provided the best set of gains for FOC. Compared to the tenth algorithm in the rank, the ALO-based controller ensured a reduction of 96.78% and 90.27% of mean absolute error and root mean squared error, respectively. The findings of this work contribute to the automation of the controller tuning of PMSG‐based wind turbines, enhancing its power generation with more precise current tracking using optimized FOC.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100957,"journal":{"name":"Next Energy","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100268"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143873880","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An electromagnetic-triboelectric hybrid generator (ETHG) for harvesting broadband and multi-directional vibration energy from transmission lines","authors":"Huicong Liu ,&nbsp;Zizhao Wang ,&nbsp;Yurui Shang ,&nbsp;Zhenming Li ,&nbsp;Wei Tang ,&nbsp;Zhen Li ,&nbsp;Wei Liu ,&nbsp;Mingyang Liu ,&nbsp;Yuyang Sun ,&nbsp;Yongling Lu","doi":"10.1016/j.nxener.2025.100292","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxener.2025.100292","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Given the ubiquity of wind-induced vibrations on transmission lines, harvesting this energy to power wireless sensors is crucial for developing smart grids toward the electric Internet of Things (eIoT). This paper introduces a high-power electromagnetic-triboelectric hybrid generator (ETHG) as a self-powered solution for smart grid monitoring, addressing limitations of existing generators, including single-direction operation, narrow working bandwidth, and low output power. The ETHG utilizes an innovative pick-up unit featuring a multi-spring mass structure to harvest vibration energy from arbitrary directions and multiple frequencies ranging from 14 to 24 Hz. The electromagnetic generator (EMG) component adopts a multiple magnet-coil arrangement to generate high current and output power. The origami-inspired triboelectric nanogenerator (origami-TENG) component, made of folded conductive fabrics and conductive fabric/fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) elastic strips, offers advantages of ultralight and high voltage output. By seamlessly integrating a pickup unit with a hybrid power generation module featuring complementary signals, ETHG performance is enhanced in an aeolian vibration environment characterized by random, low-level excitations. Under a 1 g sweep excitation along the Z-axis with a 5-fold origami configuration, the EMG and TENG components achieve maximum voltage outputs of 3.28 and 523.8 V, with corresponding power outputs reaching 46.9 and 8.2 mW, respectively. Compared to relevant reported generators from transmission line vibrations, the normalized power density of 0.88 mW/cm³·g² is improved by one order of magnitude. A power management circuit (PMC) is proposed to efficiently manage the electromagnetic-triboelectric hybrid signals, increasing the EMG and TENG charging speeds by 172 and 333%, respectively, compared to a rectifier bridge scheme. A vibration energy harvesting system (VEHS) comprising multiple ETHGs and a PMC supports a wireless sensing system for online monitoring of temperature, humidity, and vibration of transmission lines. This work highlights the potential of ETHG as a sustainable power source for smart grids towards eIoT applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100957,"journal":{"name":"Next Energy","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100292"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143891694","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}