Wind, photo voltaic, and hydrogen: How energy will get more sustainable in 2023

Both the EU’s formidable 2030 local weather goal and the present energy disaster have highlighted the necessity to speed up the transition to renewable energy.

And whereas wind, photo voltaic, and inexperienced hydrogen are already on the rise, there are nonetheless essential steps to be taken the approaching 12 months to extend their sustainability — and enhance what they’re able to.

To learn how this will work, TNW spoke with three specialists.

Wind energy

Floating offshore wind is a “game changer” for the renewable energy business and a “key technology” in opposition to local weather change, Felipe Cornago — Commercial Director Offshore Wind, at BayWa r.e. — informed us.

That’s as a result of it has the potential not solely to benefit from areas with greater wind depth, but additionally to open up markets beforehand incompatible with bottom-fixed applied sciences.

Compared to mounted installations, floating offshore wind farms additionally include lowered environmental impression in maritime ecosystems, as effectively decrease building prices.

But regardless of accelerated growth in current years, as Cornago famous, there are nonetheless quite a few challenges to be addressed.

“This is why industry and government efforts in 2023 should focus on a number of areas, including the establishment of clear regulatory frameworks as well as improving grid connection and grid planning,” he defined.

As per Cornago, focus also needs to be positioned on the standardization of technological and business options. Currently, there’s a gamut of various designs and manufacturing strategies, all of which drives prices up.

Finally, he believes that the lack of knowledge in growing floating offshore wind platforms will begin being mitigated in the approaching 12 months. This will be achieved “by tapping into pre-existing infrastructure and knowledge from the development of bottom-fixed offshore wind,” in addition to “adapting existing supply chains.”

Solar

According to Frank Jessel — Global Director of Solar Trade at BayWa r.e. — 2022 has seen a fast enlargement in the adoption of photo voltaic photovoltaic (PV) techniques and their accompanying energy storage options.

Jessel expects this development to proceed in 2023 “with the endorsement of renewables within the residential and commercial PV market higher than ever, and the price of PV systems in particular falling mid-term due to technological improvements, decreasing freight prices, and economies of scale.”

However, there are nonetheless challenges that hinder accelerated development and require options, he added. These are disruptions in provide chains and a scarcity of expert staff concerning the set up of PV techniques.

Green hydrogen

Green hydrogen, powered by renewable sources akin to wind and photo voltaic, is a clear and promising different to fossil fuels.

But for the business to realize environment friendly manufacturing, it’s obligatory to acknowledge the important position of digitalization, David Hall, VP Power Systems at Schneider Electric UK & Ireland, informed TNW.

“The challenges in the scaled production of green hydrogen can be addressed largely by using new digital technologies available today,” he defined.

For starters, digital twin know-how and 3D modeling permits the simulation of knowledge all through your complete lifecycle of a inexperienced hydrogen plant, lowering prices, dangers, and time.

Secondly, Hall highlighted the significance of an “overarching” Energy Management System that will point out the optimum instances to make use of electrical energy from the grid and forecast energy technology, to make sure hydrogen’s required quantity manufacturing on a low-cost foundation.

Finally, he famous the necessity for a Unified Operating Center. This interprets to using a Pi system — a software program that collects and analyzes operational knowledge — that may convey collectively all of the completely different property to permit for higher resolution making, optimum efficiency, and lowered downtime.

Facilitating the quicker adoption of wind, photo voltaic, and inexperienced hydrogen requires our efforts past 2023, however beginning to apply a number of the above measures undoubtedly marks a major begin.