🏎️ Extreme E hydrogen race car, GSHP system aid eco-cities, and Vatican goes green

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Welcome back to the ninth edition of Sustainability, a weekly newsletter by Interesting Engineering.

Last week, Tokyo University scientists crafted a new material for films, claiming a breakthrough in anode electrode technology that could pave the way for cleaner energy developments. The material, called BaCe0.4Pr0.4Y0.2O3−δ (BCPY) thin films, was used as anode electrodes in proton-conducting solid oxide fuel cells (PC-SOFCs). The fuel cells could power homes, vehicles, and other industrial applications, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and helping to mitigate climate change.

This week, a team of scientists from Japan tapped into the Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) systems to aid in the development of sustainable urban cities. Upon examining soil marine clays in Southeast Asia, they found that integrating GSHP systems with energy piles in tropical regions helped reduce electricity consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

In other news, the developers of the world's largest offshore wind farm, Dogger Bank Wind Farm have publicized plans to initiate phase D of the project. They proposed a new 400kV substation located in the East Riding of Yorkshire, United Kingdom. Also, Pope Francis, the sovereign of Vatican City State, has directed Vatican authorities to transition to 100 percent solar power to support climate change efforts.

Additionally, this edition has a special short segment spotlighting the new Extreme H hydrogen-powered racing car, Pioneer 25. The firm, Extreme E claims that the hydrogen series will redefine the growth of electric sports across the E360 series. The racing car launched aboard the St Helena in London's Tower Bridge earlier last week.

With that, I, Shubhangi Dua, your author for Sustainability, welcome you to the ninth edition.

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NEWS BULLETIN

• 🔔 The Vatican is going solar, Pope to transition City to 100% green energy Pope Francis has now asked Vatican authorities to begin constructing a solar plant.

• 💨 World’s largest offshore wind farm to add capacity to power 6,000,000 homes Dogger Bank Wind farm will power six million homes at its peak and is further adding capacity before it is even complete.

• ⚡️ AI-backed ‘self-healing’ tech repairs electric grid automatically The system demonstrated near-optimal real-time performance which significantly reduced energy loss during outages caused by various scenarios.

• 🌾 New light-harvesting system offers 38% more efficiency for solar cells Inspired by arrangement of dyes in plants and bacteria, researchers replicated the arrangement using four dyes and found significant improvements.

• 🏎️ Photos: World’s first hydrogen-powered race car to redefine motorsport As part of Extreme E’s hydrogen racing series – Extreme H’s next model has been unveiled at the world’s first hydrogen-powered motorsport championship.

• 🧊 New fuel restrictions for ships in Arctic fall short, green groups say Environmental groups say ban doesn’t go far enough in geographic scope or addressing dirty black carbon emissions from ships, which darkens white ice, speed up the melting wrought by climate change.

• ☀️ German firm Synhelion opens ‘world’s 1st’ industrial solar fuel plant The plant aims to demonstrate the technology’s potential to remove the dependency on fossil fuels from the transport sector, particularly in aviation.

MUST READ

🌇 Ground Source Heat Pump systems with energy piles to develop sustainable urban cities

Scientists from the Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT) in Tokyo, Japan stressed the impotence of thermal properties of soil marine clays commonly observed in Southeast Asia. Research led by Professor Shinya Inazumi revealed that integrating Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) systems with energy piles in tropical regions, as seen in Southeast Asia, significantly reduced electricity consumption and greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).

According to the study, this efficiency is boosted by the system’s ability to mitigate the urban heat island effect in densely populated areas, offering a sustainable solution for urban environments. This study comes in light of increased energy demand, reliance on fossil fuels, the urban heat island effect, and the push for sustainable urban development. Scientists emphasized the necessity for additional research alongside advanced modeling techniques to enhance system configurations and maximize geothermal energy utilization. 

The study employed a one-dimensional finite difference model to predict soil temperatures around energy piles. Upon examining the impact of soil thermal conductivity and density on GSHP performance, researchers deduced that stable temperature distribution with high soil density improved system performance.

Inazumi explained that several critical factors and environmental concerns compelled the team to undertake the research. The factors include an elevated demand for energy due to rapid urbanization, heavy reliance on fossil fuels, the urban heat island effect, and a growing push for sustainable urban development. Therefore, the team explored how integrating GSHP systems with energy piles could address these challenges effectively to promote environmental benefits and meet urban energy needs.

The temperature around energy piles seemed to stay stable over one month, three months, and a year despite changes in soil thermal conductivity, scientists noted. Inazumi further emphasized that the soil temperature decreased as the soil density increased from 1400 to 1800 kg/m3. As soil density increases, there are corresponding decreases in temperature of 0.02 degrees Celsius after three months, 0.01 degrees Celsius after six months, and 0.0025 degrees Celsius after one year. This proportional relationship indicates that higher soil density enhances thermal conductivity, thereby improving the performance of the GSHP system.

The findings were published on June 12, 2024, in the journal – Smart Cities.

OTHER IMPORTANT UPDATES

• 🔥 Greece fights dozens of wildfires in 'most difficult day of year'

• 📱 Rumors are ripe: iPhone 16 may get removable battery to comply with EU

• 🛰️ Satellite captures first-of-a-kind cloud image

• ⛏️ North Sea oil: ‘We can’t have a repeat of what happened to 80s miners’

• 🏡 US: Startup to supply 320 MW geothermal energy for running 350,000 homes

• 🔋 Geely’s new battery boasts 50-year service life, 3,500 charge cycles

• 🍁 Light-controlled artificial maple seeds could monitor the environment even in hard-to-reach locations

🏁 Act to shrink your carbon footprint

Special feature

🏎️ Extreme H unveiled new racing car at world’s first hydrogen-powered motorsport championship

Extreme H is a series of hydrogen-powered motorsport cars launched by Extreme E, an FIA-sanctioned international off-road racing series. The launch event took place aboard the series’ St. Helena vessel, with London’s Tower Bridge on Thursday last week [June 27, 2024]. The firm introduced the new hydrogen-powered racing car called Pioneer 25  designed to demonstrate the viability and performance capabilities of hydrogen fuel cells.

It follows mostly the same principles as its predecessor, Odyssey 21 including the integration of hydrogen fuel cell technology. However, there are certain new enhanced features to this model, Mark Grain, XE’s technical director told Interesting Engineering. He said:

“The chassis itself is a tubular spaceframe, the same in principle as Extreme car, but a lot of the learning from XtremIO has been carried forward. It’s a refined version or, in any case, an all-new version, even though the principles remain the same.”

Single-seater racing car

The biggest change in the design is that it is now a single-seater racing car, unlike its predecessor which had a twin-seat layout. Pioneer 25 also boasts a peak power output of 400 kW (550 horsepower). The 2,200 kg, 2.4-meter-wide vehicle accelerates to 62 mph in just 4.5 seconds on any surface and climbs gradients of up to 130 percent.  

However, the car may have taken a small step back in reverting to using carbon composite material alongside green flax composite elements. Grain explained while the green flax material is still used in some parts, traditional composites are now preferred in areas where damage and the need for repair are frequent. 

Traditional carbon material & green flax material used

“We found that green flax material in Extreme car was harder to repair, therefore, we've returned to some more traditional carbon composite materials, however, the bodywork has been made modular, so sections of it can be replaced when we add that close wheel to wheel rubbing racing that is seen in our championship,” he told IE. 

The Extreme H Pioneer 25 was unveiled with a distinctive Red Bull livery at its official launch, celebrating the energy drink giant's arrival as the championship’s Official Energy Drinks Partner.

The firm said that the car is designed and manufactured by Spark Racing Technology and equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell from Symbio, Extreme H’s Official Fuel Cell Provider. It has undergone an intensive testing program equivalent to three seasons of racing in readiness for its debut campaign. 

The upcoming major milestone for Extreme H is the first public test of the Pioneer 25, scheduled to happen during Extreme E’s Hydro X Prix in Scotland next month (13-14 July).

More to come in the forthcoming edition of Sustainability.