Latest news with #IREC
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
UNLV rocketry team shoots for the sky
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Most college students spend their weekends cutting loose or occasionally studying. But a group of UNLV engineering students uses their free time to aim a little higher. On a Saturday morning in April, the university's chapter of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, or SEDS, gathered at the Jean Dry Lake Bed to put a year's worth of work to the test, launching a rocket more than 10,000 feet into the sky. The project is led by Riley Santiago, a third-year engineering student at UNLV. 'When we see this successfully launch, I'm just going to feel a real sense of pride,' Santiago said. Just a few years ago, Santiago was on a path toward medical school. Today, he's leading a team of students preparing to compete in the International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) in June. It's a contest that pits top university rocketry clubs from around the world against each other. This test flight was their only chance to see how their design would perform under real conditions. 'This is kind of the biggest moment of the year other than the actual competition,' said student Ty Huel, who oversees the rocket's recovery systems. The rocket's design requires that every component, from its GPS unit to its parachutes, work flawlessly to ensure a safe and intact return. The payload, a small tank of water meant to simulate a fuel device, also housed several onboard cameras to record the flight. The team spent the morning racing to meet their noon launch deadline, carefully assembling the rocket and troubleshooting last-minute problems. Problems started with the payload. It's the part of the rocket that holds a small tank of water. As part of the competition, SEDS UNLV is trying to minimize water sloshing during launch, mimicking fuel flow. 'It's complicated stuff,' Santiago admitted. 'We run a lot of calculations beforehand, but there's always something unexpected.' Despite the pressure, Santiago praised his teammates for staying calm and focused. 'I love everyone here. They're really passionate, and we all get along well. That makes a big difference when you're under this kind of pressure.' After several hours of preparation, the team was finally ready. At around 2:15 p.m., with the rocket standing tall on the launchpad, Santiago received the green light to initiate the countdown. He pressed a red button, and seconds later, the rocket blasted into the sky. 'It's happening!' Santiago shouted, overwhelmed with excitement as the rocket soared. The SEDS rocket reached 9,700 feet, just shy of its 10,000-foot target. However, it fell to Earth gently after the parachutes deployed. 'Success. Absolute success,' Santiago said, beaming. 'I'm very happy right now. Yeah, I could cry.' With the test flight complete, the team will now analyze the flight data and refine their rocket for the IREC competition, which starts June 9 in Midland, Texas. More than 200 teams from around the world will take part. Whether or not they bring home a trophy, Santiago says the experience of seeing their hard work pay off is reward enough. 'Just seeing your work succeed—after putting in so much effort—is crazy,' he said. 'That's what I love about this club.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
IOL News
06-05-2025
- Science
- IOL News
Spain's blackout highlights renewables' grid challenge
Play at the Madrid Open was cancelled on Monday after a widespread power outage struck the Spanish capital. If a power plant fails or if electricity demand increases too quickly, they help stabilise the grid by releasing the kinetic energy stored in the rotors. Image: Oscar Del Pozo, AFP The cause of last week's massive power outage in Spain and Portugal remains unclear but it has shone a spotlight on solar and wind energy, which critics accuse of straining electricity grids. The rise of renewables presents a challenge for power grids, which must evolve to adapt as countries move away from fossil fuels. Maintaining stability Grid operators must ensure that electricity is constantly balanced between demand and supply. A metric of this balance is the frequency of the electricity flowing through the grid, set at 50 hertz (Hz) in Europe and 60 Hz in the United States. If that number drifts too far off, it can jeopardise the grid. Historically, the electricity system has relied on conventional power plants - gas, coal, nuclear and hydroelectric -- that use spinning turbines to generate electricity. These machines keep the frequency stable. With their gigantic rotors spinning at high speed, they provide inertia to the system. If a power plant fails or if electricity demand increases too quickly, they help stabilise the grid by releasing the kinetic energy stored in the rotors. Instead of spinning machines, solar and wind farms use electronic systems that feed power into the grid, making it harder to maintain that delicate balance. Renewable energy will have to do more than provide carbon-free electricity in the future, said Jose Luis Dominguez-Garcia, an electrical systems expert at the Catalonia Energy Research Institute (IREC). They will have to "assist the system with additional controls to support the grid, particularly in inertia terms", he said. Marc Petit, professor of electrical systems at top French engineering school CentraleSupelec, argued that moving away from fossil fuels would make hydroelectric and nuclear power plants "even more essential for stabilising the system" as they use rotating machines. Flywheels A range of technical solutions already exist to compensate for renewables' lack of inertia and hence to support grid stability. These include gravity storage, cryogenic liquid air, compressed air and concentrated solar power. As it undergoes a transition away from coal, Britain is banking on flywheels, a tried and tested system. Surplus power from solar and wind farms is used to make the large wheels turn, creating kinetic energy. This stored energy can then be converted to provide electricity to the grid if needed. No sun or wind Just before the massive blackout on April 28, wind and solar power provided 70 percent of Spain's electricity output. But renewables are intermittent sources of energy as they rely on nature. When the wind stops blowing or the sun is hiding, other sources have to step in within minutes, or there need to be adequate systems for storing -- and then releasing -- renewables in place. Depending on the country, backup supply currently comes from mainly thermal power plants (gas or coal), nuclear reactors or hydroelectricity. To handle the ups and downs of renewable power, countries must ramp up storage capacity. The most widespread method is pumped storage hydropower from water reservoirs. But large stationary batteries, akin to shipping containers, are increasingly being deployed alongside wind and solar farms -- a segment dominated by China. To meet the global goal of tripling renewable capacity by 2030, storage capacity will have to increase sixfold, with batteries doing 90 percent of the work, according to the International Energy Agency. Another way to ease pressure on the system would be to shift electricity use -- for example when you charge your car battery -- to the middle of the day, when solar power is at its peak. Rescale the network Widespread blackouts "have virtually always been triggered by transmission network failures, not by generation, renewables or otherwise", said Mike Hogan, advisor with the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP), an NGO whose stated goal is to achieve a clean, reliable, equitable and cost-efficient energy future. Tens of billions of euros, perhaps hundreds of billions, will be needed to renovate ageing power lines and replace them with new ones that are more powerful. The need to modernise or expand the lines is pressing as energy-hungry data centres are growing and factories are increasingly consuming electricity. Countries also need to strengthen interconnections between their power systems. Such cross-border links helped to restore power to Spain as France stepped in to share electricity during the blackout. By 2028, exchange capacity between the two neighbours is expected to increase from 2.8 to 5.0 gigawatts, reducing the peninsula's relative electrical isolation. AFP
Qatar Tribune
05-05-2025
- Science
- Qatar Tribune
Spain's blackout sheds light on renewables' grid challenge
Agencies The cause of last week's massive power outage in Spain and Portugal remains unclear, but it has shone a spotlight on solar and wind energy, which critics accuse of straining electricity grids. The rise of renewables presents a challenge for power grids, which must evolve to adapt as countries move away from fossil fuels. Grid operators must ensure that electricity is constantly balanced between demand and supply. A metric of this balance is the frequency of the electricity flowing through the grid, set at 50 hertz (Hz) in Europe and 60 Hz in the United States. If that number drifts too far off, it can jeopardize the grid. Historically, the electricity system has relied on conventional power plants – gas, coal, nuclear and hydroelectric – that use spinning turbines to generate electricity. These machines keep the frequency their gigantic rotors spinning at high speed, they provide inertia to the system. If a power plant fails or if electricity demand increases too quickly, they help stabilise the grid by releasing the kinetic energy stored in the rotors. Instead of spinning machines, solar and wind farms use electronic systems that feed power into the grid, making it harder to maintain that delicate energy will have to do more than provide carbon-free electricity in the future, said Jose Luis Dominguez-Garcia, an electrical systems expert at the Catalonia Energy Research Institute (IREC).They will have to 'assist the system with additional controls to support the grid, particularly in inertia terms,' he said. Marc Petit, professor of electrical systems at the top French engineering school CentraleSupelec, argued that moving away from fossil fuels would make hydroelectric and nuclear power plants 'even more essential for stabilizing the system' as they use rotating machines. A range of technical solutions already exists to compensate for renewables' lack of inertia and hence to support grid include gravity storage, cryogenic liquid air, compressed air and concentrated solar it undergoes a transition away from coal, Britain is banking on flywheels, a tried and tested system.
Nahar Net
05-05-2025
- Science
- Nahar Net
Spain's blackout highlights renewables' grid challenge
by Naharnet Newsdesk 7 hours The cause of last week's massive power outage in Spain and Portugal remains unclear but it has shone a spotlight on solar and wind energy, which critics accuse of straining electricity grids. The rise of renewables presents a challenge for power grids, which must evolve to adapt as countries move away from fossil fuels. - Maintaining stability - Grid operators must ensure that electricity is constantly balanced between demand and supply. A metric of this balance is the frequency of the electricity flowing through the grid, set at 50 hertz (Hz) in Europe and 60 Hz in the United States. If that number drifts too far off, it can jeopardize the grid. Historically, the electricity system has relied on conventional power plants -- gas, coal, nuclear and hydroelectric -- that use spinning turbines to generate electricity. These machines keep the frequency stable. With their gigantic rotors spinning at high speed, they provide inertia to the system. If a power plant fails or if electricity demand increases too quickly, they help stabilize the grid by releasing the kinetic energy stored in the rotors. Instead of spinning machines, solar and wind farms use electronic systems that feed power into the grid, making it harder to maintain that delicate balance. Renewable energy will have to do more than provide carbon-free electricity in the future, said Jose Luis Dominguez-Garcia, an electrical systems expert at the Catalonia Energy Research Institute (IREC). They will have to "assist the system with additional controls to support the grid, particularly in inertia terms", he said. Marc Petit, professor of electrical systems at top French engineering school CentraleSupelec, argued that moving away from fossil fuels would make hydroelectric and nuclear power plants "even more essential for stabilizing the system" as they use rotating machines. - Flywheels - A range of technical solutions already exist to compensate for renewables' lack of inertia and hence to support grid stability. These include gravity storage, cryogenic liquid air, compressed air and concentrated solar power. As it undergoes a transition away from coal, Britain is banking on flywheels, a tried and tested system. Surplus power from solar and wind farms is used to make the large wheels turn, creating kinetic energy. This stored energy can then be converted to provide electricity to the grid if needed. - No sun or wind - Just before the massive blackout on April 28, wind and solar power provided 70 percent of Spain's electricity output. But renewables are intermittent sources of energy as they rely on nature. When the wind stops blowing or the sun is hiding, other sources have to step in within minutes, or there need to be adequate systems for storing -- and then releasing -- renewables in place. Depending on the country, backup supply currently comes from mainly thermal power plants (gas or coal), nuclear reactors or hydroelectricity. To handle the ups and downs of renewable power, countries must ramp up storage capacity. The most widespread method is pumped storage hydropower from water reservoirs. But large stationary batteries, akin to shipping containers, are increasingly being deployed alongside wind and solar farms -- a segment dominated by China. To meet the global goal of tripling renewable capacity by 2030, storage capacity will have to increase sixfold, with batteries doing 90 percent of the work, according to the International Energy Agency. Another way to ease pressure on the system would be to shift electricity use -- for example when you charge your car battery -- to the middle of the day, when solar power is at its peak. - Rescale the network - Widespread blackouts "have virtually always been triggered by transmission network failures, not by generation, renewables or otherwise", said Mike Hogan, advisor with the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP), an NGO whose stated goal is to achieve a clean, reliable, equitable and cost-efficient energy future. Tens of billions of euros, perhaps hundreds of billions, will be needed to renovate ageing power lines and replace them with new ones that are more powerful. The need to modernize or expand the lines is pressing as energy-hungry data centers are growing and factories are increasingly consuming electricity. Countries also need to strengthen interconnections between their power systems. Such cross-border links helped to restore power to Spain as France stepped in to share electricity during the blackout. By 2028, exchange capacity between the two neighbors is expected to increase from 2.8 to 5.0 gigawatts, reducing the peninsula's relative electrical isolation.
Jordan Times
05-05-2025
- Science
- Jordan Times
Spain's blackout highlights renewables' grid challenge
A view of a solar power plant following a major blackout in the Iberian Peninsula on April 28, in Caudete, Spain, April 30 (AFP photo) PARIS — The cause of last week's massive power outage in Spain and Portugal remains unclear but it has shone a spotlight on solar and wind energy, which critics accuse of straining electricity grids. The rise of renewables presents a challenge for power grids, which must evolve to adapt as countries move away from fossil stabilityGrid operators must ensure that electricity is constantly balanced between demand and supply.A metric of this balance is the frequency of the electricity flowing through the grid, set at 50 hertz in Europe and 60 Hz in the United States. If that number drifts too far off, it can jeopardise the the electricity system has relied on conventional power plants , gas, coal, nuclear and hydroelectric -- that use spinning turbines to generate machines keep the frequency their gigantic rotors spinning at high speed, they provide inertia to the a power plant fails or if electricity demand increases too quickly, they help stabilise the grid by releasing the kinetic energy stored in the of spinning machines, solar and wind farms use electronic systems that feed power into the grid, making it harder to maintain that delicate energy will have to do more than provide carbon-free electricity in the future, said Jose Luis Dominguez-Garcia, an electrical systems expert at the Catalonia Energy Research Institute [IREC].They will have to "assist the system with additional controls to support the grid, particularly in inertia terms", he Petit, professor of electrical systems at top French engineering school CentraleSupelec, argued that moving away from fossil fuels would make hydroelectric and nuclear power plants "even more essential for stabilising the system" as they use rotating machines. FlywheelsA range of technical solutions already exist to compensate for renewables' lack of inertia and hence to support grid include gravity storage, cryogenic liquid air, compressed air and concentrated solar it undergoes a transition away from coal, Britain is banking on flywheels, a tried and tested power from solar and wind farms is used to make the large wheels turn, creating kinetic stored energy can then be converted to provide electricity to the grid if sun or windJust before the massive blackout on April 28, wind and solar power provided 70 per cent of Spain's electricity output. But renewables are intermittent sources of energy as they rely on the wind stops blowing or the sun is hiding, other sources have to step in within minutes, or there need to be adequate systems for storing, and then releasing , renewables in on the country, backup supply currently comes from mainly thermal power plants [gas or coal], nuclear reactors or handle the ups and downs of renewable power, countries must ramp up storage most widespread method is pumped storage hydropower from water large stationary batteries, akin to shipping containers, are increasingly being deployed alongside wind and solar farms , a segment dominated by meet the global goal of tripling renewable capacity by 2030, storage capacity will have to increase sixfold, with batteries doing 90 per cent of the work, according to the International Energy way to ease pressure on the system would be to shift electricity use, for example when you charge your car battery , to the middle of the day, when solar power is at its peak. Rescale the networkWidespread blackouts "have virtually always been triggered by transmission network failures, not by generation, renewables or otherwise", said Mike Hogan, advisor with the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP), an NGO whose stated goal is to achieve a clean, reliable, equitable and cost-efficient energy of billions of euros, perhaps hundreds of billions, will be needed to renovate ageing power lines and replace them with new ones that are more need to modernise or expand the lines is pressing as energy-hungry data centres are growing and factories are increasingly consuming also need to strengthen interconnections between their power cross-border links helped to restore power to Spain as France stepped in to share electricity during the blackout. By 2028, exchange capacity between the two neighbours is expected to increase from 2.8 to 5.0 gigawatts, reducing the peninsula's relative electrical isolation.
