TECHNOLOGY FOCUS
Energy and Climate
A roundup of recent advances in engineering technology. In this issue, a look at energy and climate advances.
GM TO COMMERCIALIZE NEW BATTERY
In May, GM and LG Energy Solution announced a plan to commercialize a lithium-ion battery that uses virtually no cobalt and less than half the nickel of standard lithium-ion batteries. These batteries use lithium manganese rich (LMR) cathodes that GM believes will prove to be both cheaper than conventional Li-ion batteries and more energy dense than other alternatives, such as lithium iron phosphate batteries.
“We’re pioneering manganese-rich battery technology to unlock premium range and performance at an affordable cost, especially in electric trucks,” said Kurt Kelty, GM’s vice president of battery, propulsion, and sustainability, in a press statement. “LMR will complement our high-nickel and iron-phosphate solutions to expand customer choice in the truck and full-size SUV markets.”
GM has been working on LMR batteries for about a decade but has been stymied by a short lifespan and the tendency to lose voltage over time. According to a press release, GM and its partners have taken steps such as adding proprietary dopants and coatings and developing new production processes in order to keep the cells stable over a longer period.
GM aims to become the first automaker to deploy LMR batteries in EVs. GM and LG Energy Solution plan to start commercial production of LMR prismatic cells in the United States by 2028.
SOLAR REACTOR TURNS CO₂ TO FUEL
One of the major stumbling blocks to carbon capture technology is that the devices require so much energy to drive the processes that they can wind up putting more carbon in the atmosphere than they take out. Engineers at the University of Cambridge in England believe they can avoid that trap with a technology they unveiled in February. Instead of electricity or process heat from burning fuel, their device relies on sunlight to release the captured carbon so the reactor can absorb more carbon dioxide (CO₂).
The team, led by chemistry professor Erwin Reisner, developed a solar-powered flow reactor, which uses specialized filters to soak up CO₂ from the air at night. When exposed to concentrated sunlight the next day, the heat from infrared radiation plus the energy from ultraviolet radiation drive a chemical reaction that converts the captured CO₂ into a syngas, a valuable precursor to the production of chemicals and pharmaceuticals.
Syngas can also be used to produce liquid fuels.
“Instead of continuing to dig up and burn fossil fuels to produce the products we have come to rely on, we can get all the CO₂ we need directly from the air and reuse it,” Reisner said in a press statement.
The university is working to commercialize the technology, which may find uses in off-the-grid applications.
CALIFORNIA MOVES FORWARD ON SATELLITE METHANE MONITOR
Because methane is a colorless gas, it can be difficult to detect large plumes emitted from leaky pipelines, landfills, or industrial facilities. Tracking down large methane emissions often requires overhead monitoring via planes or drones, which can be expensive. The State of California is pushing forward with an ambitious plan to look for methane plumes from orbit, using a dedicated satellite launched in 2024.
The state has invested $100 million collected from its cap-and-trade program to support the Tanager-1 satellite, which is operated by a partnership led by the nonprofit Carbon Mapper. The satellite can detect large, localized leaks from point sources.
State agencies will use the data for mitigation actions. The state will maintain a database of observations from the satellite to enable communities in California and elsewhere to view local emissions.
Tanager-1 is the first of a potential constellation of eight methane monitoring satellites to be launched by Carbon Mapper.
The announcement by the State of California is significant, as support for efforts such as this from the Federal government will likely be discontinued.
DOW, X-ENERGY SUBMIT SMR CONSTRUCTION PERMIT APPLICATION
Small modular reactors have garnered a lot of attention in the nuclear industry. In March, the partnership between a key SMR developer, X-energy of Rockville, Md., and Dow Chemical reached a milestone with the submission to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of construction permit application for a project in Seadrift, Texas.
The project is intended to replace aging energy and steam generating facilities at Dow’s Seadrift manufacturing site with an Xe-100 reactor.
X-energy’s reactor technology builds on gas-cooled, pebble-bed reactor technology that seals the nuclear fuel in graphite-coated spheres.
Approval of the construction permit by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission could take up to 30 months. Only after the permit is received can construction begin. The project is not expected to be completed until late in the decade. Dow projects the cost of energy to be competitive with other sources of clean, firm energy, the company said.
HEAT PUMP STARTUP TEAMS WITH HOMEBUILDER
One key challenge for developers of new technology is to get the opportunity to produce units at scale. The April announcement that Dandelion Energy, a startup building residential-scale geothermal heat pumps, is partnering with one of the nation’s leading homebuilders to install its systems in 1,500 new homes could well provide the opportunity to take its technology to the next level.
Lennar will be working with Dandelion to integrate the geothermal systems in new homes in Colorado. The site is particularly important to the project, as the state provides a tax credit for geothermal heat pumps. The incentives reduce the upfront cost of installation. The technology is also expected to lower the homeowners’ heating and cooling bills. In aggregate, the 1,500 homeowners are projected to save around $30 million over 20 years, compared to the use of a standard air-source heat pump.
The new homes will be spread across 14 different communities in Colorado.
Dandelion’s founder and president, Kathy Hannun, was recognized in the 2024 Mechanical Engineering Watch List.
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