The new book contains 11 essays from leading experts in the field of energy system dynamics

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Dr. Li-Chen Sim, Assistant Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at Khalifa University, and Robin Mills, CEO of Qamar Energy and Fellow at the Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy, have edited detailing how the transition to low-carbon energy in the Middle East impacts the energy system dynamics of the region. Their new book is titled.

“The book explores the evolving roles of energy stakeholders and geopolitical considerations, leveraging on the dizzying array of planned and actual projects for solar, wind, hydropower, waste-to-energy, and nuclear power in the region,” explained Dr. Sim. “Over the next few decades, favorable economics for low carbon energy sources combined with stagnant oil demand growth will facilitate a shift away from today’s fossil fuel-based energy system. Will the countries of the Middle East and North Africa be losers or leaders in this energy transition? Will state-society relations undergo a change as a result?”

Compiled by editors Dr. Li-Chen Sim and Robin Mills, the new book contains 11 essays from leading experts in their fields, discussing topics ranging from the rise of renewables in the Gulf states to the development of clean electricity supply in Egypt.

“Our book will interest academics working in the fields of international relations and politics, energy economics, and business,” said Dr. Sim. “Consultants, practitioners, policy-makers, and risk analysts will also find the insights helpful. It suggests that ultimately, politics, more so than economics or environmental pressure, will determine the speed, scope, and effects of low-carbon energy uptake in the region.”

“This book compellingly illustrates how the transition to renewable and nuclear energy may fundamentally change the energy system dynamics of a region that has long been known for hydrocarbon-dependence and political strife,” added Dr. Steve Griffiths, Senior Vice President, Research and Development.��

Jade Sterling
Science Writer
30 March 2021

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Using a recycled aluminium alloy to store the heat from the day’s sunshine allows the MISP to produce electricity 24/7

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The world is moving continuously towards using sources of energy that are more sustainable than the fossil fuels on which we predominantly rely today. Solar power is one of the most promising renewable energy technologies, especially in the UAE, allowing the generation of electricity from free, inexhaustible sunlight. But even though the sun shines every day, this resource is subject to supply fluctuations. Further, every night when the sun sets, as it inevitably does, the supply of solar energy ceases until the next morning.

Conventional batteries based on electrochemical storage can charge from solar energy during the day and provide power for a few hours at night, but their economical discharge duration is limited and they are made of critical materials that are not available in infinite supply.

However, a team from Khalifa University, in collaboration with Swedish solar energy company Azelio, and Masdar (Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company), has drawn inspiration from this need for energy storage innovation and applied it to a natural process: the phase change of materials.

During the day when there is a lot of sun, solar energy is used to produce cheap electricity (photovoltaic panels) or provide some combination of heat and electricity (concentrated solar power (CSP). This sustainable energy can be used to melt a Phase Change Material or PCM. When temperatures drop off, those materials cool and re-solidify, releasing their latent heat in the process. A stirling engine can then convert this heat back to electricity on demand. The team aims to leverage this phase transition process using an alloy of aluminum to provide thermal powered electricity at night, after the sun goes down.

“This is the first demonstration of the Azelio technology and we’re looking at proving the long term viability of the system. We need to guarantee that it will last at least 25 years and that’s what we’re expecting. So we will evaluate the TESpod System during a full year of operation, collecting data and checking performances. We’re very excited about this installation as it uses recycled aluminium alloy and will be a game-changer in renewable energy,” said Dr. Nicolas Calvet, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at KU.

Dr. Calvet and his team have placed an aluminium alloy at the center of the Azelio’s energy storage system at the Masdar Institute Solar Platform (MISP), the UAE’s first solar platform dedicated to research and development of CSP and thermal energy storage (TES) technologies.��

This is how the Azelio TES technology works: Photovoltaic panels generate cheap electricity during the day. This electricity is used to melt the PCM using an electrical resistance heater. This same concept is possible using wind energy or excess grid electricity as well. Another configuration can use direct heat from CSP by leveraging generated heat to melt the aluminium alloy. When electricity is needed, the alloy is allowed to cool and resolidify, releasing heat that is then used to generate electricity.

“The Azelio Stirling engine is converting about 29 percent of the latent heat stored in aluminium alloy to make electricity, making Azelio’s TESPod system very cost competitive when charged with inexpensive solar energy,” explained Dr. Calvet. “This will allow us to produce 50 kW of electricity 24/7, meaning the MISP can generate its own energy during the day and during the night become energy independent.

The MISP was inaugurated in 2015 in recognition of the increasingly important role CSP and TES will play in achieving the UAE’s renewable energy target of generating 44 percent of its energy mix from renewable sources by 2050. With its one-of-a-kind 100kW beam-down solar concentrator facility among other, the MISP aims to provide local and international research institutes and solar and energy storage companies the opportunity to research, test and validate new CSP & TES components and systems, increasing efficiency, driving and driving down the costs of technologies that can withstand the UAE’s harsh desert climate.

Jade Sterling
Science Writer
7 December 2021

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Study Outlines Favorable Prospects for Hydrogen Mobility in UAE

Air Liquide, Khalifa University of Science and Technology and Al-Futtaim Motors released a joint study during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2019, on the ‘Medium to Long Term development of Hydrogen Mobility in the UAE’. This collaborative study outlines the contribution of hydrogen to the energy transition and demonstrates the favorable prospects for hydrogen mobility in the UAE.

The study demonstrates that hydrogen mobility��in the UAE has��a substantial potential to develop into a major economy for the country, and can contribute to the achievement of its clean energy goals, in line with the UAE’s Vision 2021. The study was conducted by Maram Awad, a Khalifa University graduate student during her summer internship with Air Liquid. Awad was guided by Olivier Boucat of Air Liquide, and Dr Ahmed Al Hajaj, Assistant Professor, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Khalifa University.

The study reiterates the UAE’s commitment to diversifying the energy sources, and calls for the pivotal collaboration of the various public and private players for a successful deployment of hydrogen mobility. It also demonstrates the requirement for an initial focus on fleet vehicles, such as buses, trucks and taxis, which would generate enough hydrogen need for an optimized production scale. The use of local sources of hydrogen in addition to excess hydrogen��produced in various industries, such as refining, can also contribute to very competitive costs of hydrogen for commercialization.

Air Liquide is��leading the hydrogen supply for the Hydrogen Mobility market in the UAE, with ongoing projects to develop the hydrogen infrastructure, connecting hydrogen production sources and utilization routes.

Hydrogen is an alternative to fossil fuels in addressing the clean transportation��challenge while improving air quality. Used within a fuel cell, hydrogen combines with oxygen from the air, to produce electricity, with water as the only byproduct. The fuel cell is used to convert hydrogen into energy to run an electric motor in vehicles known as Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles��(FCEV). FCEVs are considered complementary to Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV), especially in large fleets of vehicles, in heavy duty vehicles and in providing greater autonomy in extreme climates, where BEVs are less efficient. A FCEV can be refuelled as quickly as an internal gas or diesel combustion engine vehicle, hence allowing for optimum flexibility of use.

Hydrogen as a transportation fuel has gained momentum globally for its emission-free property and its ease of use. The deployment of hydrogen powered vehicles is already in progress and expanding in the United States, Europe, Japan and Korea, and is now being introduced in the UAE.

As a leading research-based institution in the region focused on providing cutting edge technologies in clean energy and sustainability, Khalifa University, through Masdar Institute, remains committed to obtaining solutions for carbon mitigation and climate change especially through innovations in CO2 capture, biofuel, waste-to-energy, energy storage, desalination and solar power.

Air Liquide and Al-Futtaim Motors inaugurated the Middle East’s first hydrogen station in Dubai, in October 2017, to support the deployment of the FCEVs in the UAE. Once deployed on a larger scale, the Fuel Cell Electric technology has the potential to significantly reduce the UAE’s dependence on oil and lower car-generated pollution levels.

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Abu Dhabi

15 January 2019

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