Speaker: Ana Torres
Title: Storage and Conversion of Intermittent Renewable Energy: Uruguay as a Case Study
Date: 15 November, 2023
Time: 12:00 PM
Location: 3701 Wean Hall and via Zoom
Abstract
This talk covers my research on the decarbonization of the Uruguayan economy. Uruguay is a South American country that lacks any fossil resources; as a result, the country was a pioneer in the adoption of renewable energy. Currently, with more than 95% of the electricity being renewable and a large penetration of wind/solar sources, decarbonization of the transportation sector is the next target.
After a brief introduction to the specifics of the country, in the first part of the talk, I will discuss my group’s work [1,2] in energy storage to mitigate the imbalance between demand and generation of electricity. This imbalance is typical of electrical grids with high penetration of intermittent energy sources. We have studied the use of behind-the-meter batteries in smart house settings to take advantage of strategies that seek to reduce the imbalance through differential electricity pricing.
The second part of the talk discusses P2X systems, in particular, the production of green hydrogen. I will first discuss government-led green hydrogen initiatives being considered in the country. Next, I will present the tools my group has developed to find the optimal hydrogen production capacity and technology to be installed to take advantage of the available renewable energy source [3-4]. Finally, the extension of this work to the Chilean setting will be presented.
References
[1] Corengia, M., Torres, A. I., “Effect of Tariff Policy and Battery Degradation on Optimal Energy Storage.” Processes, 6(10), 204, 2018.
[2] Corengia, M., Torres, A. I., “Operación óptima de baterías bajo el actual régimen tarifario en Uruguay”. ENERLAC, 5(1), 56, 2020.
[3] Corengia, M., Estefan, N., Torres, A. I., “Analyzing Hydrogen Production Capacities to Seize Renewable Energy Surplus.” Comput. Aided Chem. Eng. 48, Eds. Pierucci, S., Manenti, F., Bozzano, G. L. & Manca, D., 1549-1554, 2020.
[4] Corengia, M., Torres, A. I., “Coupling time varying power sources to production of green-hydrogen: a superstructure based approach for technology selection and optimal design.” Chemical Engineering Research and Design, 2022.
[5] Cárdenas, A., Díaz-Alvarado, F., Torres, A. I., “Green hydrogen production: Process design and capacity expansion integrating economic and operational autonomy objectives.” Submitted. Preprint Chemrxiv https://chemrxiv.org/engage/chemrxiv/article-details/64da39124a3f7d0c0d28eb23
After a brief introduction to the specifics of the country, in the first part of the talk, I will discuss my group’s work [1,2] in energy storage to mitigate the imbalance between demand and generation of electricity. This imbalance is typical of electrical grids with high penetration of intermittent energy sources. We have studied the use of behind-the-meter batteries in smart house settings to take advantage of strategies that seek to reduce the imbalance through differential electricity pricing.
The second part of the talk discusses P2X systems, in particular, the production of green hydrogen. I will first discuss government-led green hydrogen initiatives being considered in the country. Next, I will present the tools my group has developed to find the optimal hydrogen production capacity and technology to be installed to take advantage of the available renewable energy source [3-4]. Finally, the extension of this work to the Chilean setting will be presented.
References
[1] Corengia, M., Torres, A. I., “Effect of Tariff Policy and Battery Degradation on Optimal Energy Storage.” Processes, 6(10), 204, 2018.
[2] Corengia, M., Torres, A. I., “Operación óptima de baterías bajo el actual régimen tarifario en Uruguay”. ENERLAC, 5(1), 56, 2020.
[3] Corengia, M., Estefan, N., Torres, A. I., “Analyzing Hydrogen Production Capacities to Seize Renewable Energy Surplus.” Comput. Aided Chem. Eng. 48, Eds. Pierucci, S., Manenti, F., Bozzano, G. L. & Manca, D., 1549-1554, 2020.
[4] Corengia, M., Torres, A. I., “Coupling time varying power sources to production of green-hydrogen: a superstructure based approach for technology selection and optimal design.” Chemical Engineering Research and Design, 2022.
[5] Cárdenas, A., Díaz-Alvarado, F., Torres, A. I., “Green hydrogen production: Process design and capacity expansion integrating economic and operational autonomy objectives.” Submitted. Preprint Chemrxiv https://chemrxiv.org/engage/chemrxiv/article-details/64da39124a3f7d0c0d28eb23
Biographical Sketch
Ana Inés Torres is an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). Torres earned her B.S. in Chemistry in 2003 and a diploma in Chemical Engineering in 2005, both from the Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay. After two years of industrial experience, she pursued graduate studies in the USA, earning her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities in 2013. She completed her postdoctoral studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2014. Most recently, before her current position at CMU, Torres served as an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Universidad de la República in Uruguay.
Prof. Torres's research applies process systems engineering tools for the design and optimization of clean and sustainable processes ranging from the design of biomass to chemicals to using renewable energy to decarbonize the chemical industry. She has been invited to speak at many universities and conferences and was a keynote speaker at the CAPE Forum for Circular Economy and Green Chemistry (2017, Athens, Greece), at the Interamerican Congress of Chemical Engineering Incorporating the 68th Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference (2018, Toronto, Canada) and the Foundations of Computer Aided Process Operations Conference (San Antonio, TX, USA, 2023). She also served as a keynote at the "Unprecedented" Webinar Series on chemical innovation to achieve the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals in 2021.
Prof. Torres's research applies process systems engineering tools for the design and optimization of clean and sustainable processes ranging from the design of biomass to chemicals to using renewable energy to decarbonize the chemical industry. She has been invited to speak at many universities and conferences and was a keynote speaker at the CAPE Forum for Circular Economy and Green Chemistry (2017, Athens, Greece), at the Interamerican Congress of Chemical Engineering Incorporating the 68th Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference (2018, Toronto, Canada) and the Foundations of Computer Aided Process Operations Conference (San Antonio, TX, USA, 2023). She also served as a keynote at the "Unprecedented" Webinar Series on chemical innovation to achieve the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals in 2021.