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Agriculture accounts for about 90% of total water consumption in the western United States and around 80% in the rest of the country.

This year, droughts, ferocious wildfires, and extreme heat waves are turning farmlands dusty and ranchlands into grass stubble too short to feed livestock. Without adequate water supplies, farmers and ranchers are suffering, facing unprecedented restrictions on water supplies they have relied on for decades.

But even without historic droughts, growing demand for clean water will create shortages — and soon. Water managers in 40 U.S. states expect some portion of their community to experience shortfalls by 2024. But there is a solution waiting in runoff drains, farmlands, and even the ocean.

As water insecurity grows and populations continue to increase, the country could tap unconventional sources, like salt water and wastewater, for agriculture (including irrigation and animal management), thermoelectric cooling, mining, oil and gas extraction, industrial and manufacturing processes, care for city parks and cemeteries, and even drinking water.

Still, technological, economic, social, and cultural barriers staunch the flow of a circular water economy — where water can be recycled again and again. That is why the National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) just published a master roadmap to help guide future national (and international) technology investments that will not only help keep crops watered and livestock well-fed but also make sure no one goes thirsty when devastating droughts sap our water supplies.

The U.S. Department of Energy formed NAWI in 2019 to accelerate the development of energy-efficient desalination technologies, which extract salts and other impurities from both salt water and wastewater. Their goal is for such devices to produce clean water with the same (or higher) quality as current water treatment methods for 90% of nontraditional resources within the next 10 years. Led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California, the NAWI collaboration includes the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the National Energy Technology Laboratory, and more than 250 industry and academic partners.

Waste not. Growing demand for clean water will create shortages—and soon. Now, the National Alliance for Water Innovation’s new Master Technology Roadmap can guide industries to invest in the most promising technologies, so we can recycle salt water, wastewater, and other waste products again and again. Photo courtesy of the National Alliance for Water Innovation.

The master roadmap synthesizes the results of the 2020 NAWI Roadmapping initiative, which focused on technical challenges across five sectors: power, resource extraction (mining and oil and gas exploration and production), industrial, municipal, and agriculture. Though NAWI previously published individual roadmaps tailored to each industry, the master roadmap compiles research opportunities that span more than one industry and could speed the transition to a circular water economy.

“Sector-specific roadmaps gave us almost 90 different things we could focus on,” said Jordan Macknick, NREL’s lead energy-water-land analyst and NAWI’s topic-area lead for data, modeling, and analysis. “There’s no amount of money in the world that can address all those in one project in one coherent way.”

The master roadmap distills those 90 options into a smaller list of those with the greatest impact potential. One of those areas is cost.

Desalination devices that filter contaminants out of salt water or wastewater are not cheap. “We’re currently using these very big bulk separation technologies, like reverse osmosis, which use a lot of energy and are also very expensive, to remove trace contaminants,” Macknick said. “It’s almost like you’re using a sledgehammer to put a tack in a bulletin board.”

He and the broader NAWI team are researching ways to extract contaminants faster, cheaper, and smarter. For example, bulk separation technologies are not necessary to extract microscopic contaminants, like selenium or boron. Smaller, more precise technologies could perform the same job for less money and energy input.

Their goal is something called pipe parity. In Denver, Colorado, for example, if traditional water sources run out, what happens then? The city could pump water over the mountains, but that method gets expensive fast. If the NAWI team can design technology that makes recycled water the cheapest back-up option, that is a win.

But cost is not the only barrier.

“The traditionally conservative water industry is understandably risk averse,” Macknick said. “In general, that’s a good thing for our health. But it also makes the pace of innovation more challenging.” To incentivize the water industry to incorporate nontraditional water sources into their current infrastructure, Macknick and the cross-institutional team need to bring the costs down but also ensure the science is “bulletproof,” Macknick said.

And the water industry is not the only group that needs some convincing. Some consumers still balk at the idea of drinking recycled water.

“There’s a major perception issue when we talk about recycling or reusing water that, somehow, it’s not clean enough or as pure as the water we might get from a river and treat, when in fact, we’re oftentimes treating it to a higher standard than the water that we might pull directly from a river,” Macknick said.

Changing perceptions might take time, but, in the meantime, NREL can help speed the development of more efficient, cost-effective technologies that edge recycled water closer to widespread use. No single technologic breakthrough will get the job done; water treatment often uses a dozen different processes strung together. But with NREL’s deep knowledge of systems analysis, the laboratory’s researchers can analyze these processes as a whole and determine which changes might have the biggest impact.

NREL also previously led the development of an analytical tool called the Water Technoeconomic Assessment Pipe-Parity Platform (Water-TAP3), which evaluates water technology costs, energy use, environmental impacts, and resiliency trade-offs. NREL researchers also developed a data repository called the Water Data Analysis and Management System (Water DAMS), a national go-to for water technology and treatment data. And the laboratory does not just collect and analyze data. NREL’s advanced manufacturing researchers can help design entirely new materials to extract contaminants with greater speed and reduced cost.

NAWI’s new master roadmap will help guide future research at NREL and beyond. “The master roadmap is what is guiding our future investments,” Macknick said. “As the field advances, not only in the United States and with NAWI but also internationally, we want it to be a living document that changes as the sector advances and adapts.”

New technology, developed with guidance from the NAWI master roadmap, could allow farmers to reuse wastewater and even some of its extracted contaminants — phosphorous and nitrogen — as fertilizer. As climate change incites more droughts, wildfires, and extreme heat waves, farmers and ranchers could stay afloat with unconventional water sources.

Despite its name, wastewater need not be wasted.

Article courtesy of NREL.

 

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YMX Logistics deploys 20 new Orange EV electric yard trucks

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YMX Logistics deploys 20 new Orange EV electric yard trucks

Leading yard operation 3PL YMX Logistics has announced plans to deploy fully twenty (20) of Orange EV’s fully electric Class 8 terminal trucks at a number of distribution and manufacturing sites across North America.

As the shipping and logistics industries increasingly move to embrace electrification, yard operations have proven to be an almost ideal use case for EVs, enabling companies like Orange EV, which specialize in yard hostlers or terminal tractors, to drive real, impactful change. To that end, companies like YMX are partnering with Orange EV.

“This relationship between YMX and Orange EV is a significant step forward in transforming yard operations across North America,” said Matt Yearling, CEO of YMX Logistics. “Besides the initial benefits of reduction in emissions and carbon footprint, our customers are also seeing improvements in the overall operational efficiency and seeking to expand. Our team members have also been sharing positive feedback about their new equipment and highlighting the positive impact on their health and day-to-day activities.”

This Orange looks good in blue

YMX Logistics electric yard trucks; by Orange EV.

One of the most interesting aspects of this story – beyond the Orange EV HUSK-e XP’s almost unbelievable 180,000 lb. GCWR spec. – is that this isn’t a story about California’s ports, which mandate EVs. Instead, YMX is truly deploying these trucks throughout the country, with at least four currently in Chicago (and more on the way).

“Our collaboration with YMX Logistics represents a powerful stride in delivering sustainable yard solutions at scale for enterprise customers,” explains Wayne Mathisen, CEO of Orange EV. “With rising demand for electric yard trucks, our joint efforts ensure that more companies can access the environmental, financial, and operational benefits of electrification … this is a win for the planet, the workforce, and the bottom line of these organizations.”

We interviewed Orange EV founder Kurt Neutgens on The Heavy Equipment Podcast a few months back, but if you’re not familiar with these purpose-built trucks, it’s worth a listen.

HEP-isode 26

SOURCE | IMAGES: YMX Logistics.

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Hyundai IONIQ 9 debut, new NACS Kia, solid state batteries from Honda

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Hyundai IONIQ 9 debut, new NACS Kia, solid state batteries from Honda

On today’s thrilling episode of Quick Charge, we’ve got the all-new Hyundai IONIQ 9 and its “a “rolling living room” pivoting captain’s chairs, Kia gets a go-fast 7 passenger SUV and an updated EV6, while Honda announces plans to start producing solid-state batteries at its new facility in just a few weeks.

We’ve also got big news for American workers – a Minnesota power company is ditching coal for solar while ExxonMobil and LG Chem get to work extracting thousands of tons of lithium out of Tennessee’s soil.

Today’s episode is sponsored by BLUETTI, a leading provider of portable power stations, solar generators, and energy storage systems. For a limited time, save up to 52% during BLUETTI’s exclusive Black Friday sale, now through November 28, and be sure to use promo code BLUETTI5OFF for 5% off all power stations sitewide. Learn more by clicking here.

You can watch the episode, below.

Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple PodcastsSpotifyTuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (and sometimes Sunday). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news!

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Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show!

Read more: Farm-fegnugen? Volkswagen rolls out an electric tractor.

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One of the US’s first solar peaker plants – with Tesla Megapacks – just came online

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One of the US’s first solar peaker plants – with Tesla Megapacks – just came online

Arevon Energy has kicked off operations at Vikings Solar-plus-Storage – one of the US’s first utility-scale solar peaker plants.

The $529 million project in Imperial County, California, near Holtville, features 157 megawatts of solar power paired with 150 megawatts/600 megawatt hours of battery storage.

Vikings Solar-plus-Storage is designed to take cheap daytime solar power and store it for use during more expensive peak demand times, like late afternoons and evenings. The battery storage system can quickly respond to changes in demand, helping tackle critical grid needs.

Vikings leverages provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act that support affordable clean energy, strengthen grid resilience, boost US manufacturing, and create good jobs.

The Vikings project has already brought significant benefits to the local area. It employed over 170 people during construction, many local workers, and boosted nearby businesses like restaurants, hotels, and stores. On top of that, Vikings will pay out more than $17 million to local governments over its lifespan.

“Vikings’ advanced design sets the standard for safe and reliable solar-plus-storage configurations,” said Arevon CEO Kevin Smith. “The project incorporates solar panels, trackers, and batteries that showcase the growing strength of US renewable energy manufacturing.”

The project includes Tesla Megapack battery systems made in California, First Solar’s thin-film solar panels, and smart solar trackers from Nextracker. San Diego-based SOLV Energy handled the engineering, procurement, and construction work.

San Diego Community Power (SDCP) will buy the energy from the Vikings project under a long-term deal, helping power nearly 1 million customer accounts. SDCP and Arevon have also signed an agreement for the 200 MW Avocet Energy Storage Project in Carson, California, which will start construction in early 2025.

Vikings is named after the Holtville High School mascot, and Arevon is giving back to the local community by funding scholarships for deserving Holtville High students.

Arevon is a major renewable energy developer across the US and a key player in California, with nearly 2,500 MW in operation and more than 1,250 MW under construction.

Read more: Minnesota’s largest coal plant goes solar: Sherco Solar comes online


If you live in an area that has frequent natural disaster events, and are interested in making your home more resilient to power outages, consider going solar and adding a battery storage system. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.

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