Here’s how electric trucks can use mountains to create green energy
Researchers found a new way to generate hydroelectric power
Story byIoanna Lykiardopoulou
Ioanna is a writer at TNW. She covers the full spectrum of the European tech ecosystem, with a particular interest in startups, sustainabili(show all)Ioanna is a writer at TNW. She covers the full spectrum of the European tech ecosystem, with a particular interest in startups, sustainability, green tech, AI, and EU policy. With a background in the humanities, she has a soft spot for social impact-enabling technologies.
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What’s been the difficulty so far?
Firstly, the area surrounding small water streams is very limited. This means that the typical components of a hydroelectric plant (dams, tunnels, reservoirs, turbine generation systems) can’t really be installed.
Secondly, river flow is highly susceptible to climate change, which implies that a conventional facility couldn’t guarantee consistent power generation, nor a return of investment.
What’s the research’s solution?
Hunt and his team developed a technology called Electric Truck Hydropower (ETH). As the name suggests, it’selectric trucksthemselves that undertake the entire process of transforming water power into electricity.
Here’s how it works:
What are the advantages?
Notably, the trucks not only power themselves up, but also feed the generated energy back to the grid.
That’s because the discharge site can be connected to a national node, allowing the charged battery packs to supply people and places around the country.Alternatively, the batteries can also operate as a grid energy storage solution.
Another benefit is the cost. Price estimates by the researchers show that the levelized cost of electric truck hydropower is $30-100 per MWh, which is considerably cheaper than conventional hydropower that clocks in at $50-200 per MWh.
As for its environmental impact, electric truck hydropower is believed to be significantly lower than that of its conventional cousin.
“This technology does not require dams, reservoirs, or tunnels, and it does not disrupt the natural flow of the river and fish passage,” Hunt explained.
“The system requires only roads, which already exist, charging and discharging stations similar to small car parks, a battery facility connected to the grid, and the trucks.”
Plus, the flexibility of the technology — the trucks are portable after all — relieves the pressure of using water from the same source. And even during periods with low river flow, the system doesn’t go to waste, as the trucks can be used for the transportation of cargo.
Little makes me happier than researchers finding elegant solutions to creating more green energy. Long live, electric truck hydropower! A technology that sounds ascoolas it is.
If you’d like to learn more about the research, you can find ithere.
