Tens of Thousands are without power - AMES Could Help

'Grand Bahama right now is dead'

Tens of thousands in Atlantic Canada still in the dark after Hurricane Dorian

As hurricane Dorian swept across the Bahamas, Florida and Nova Scotia I can't not to think that if there was an autonomous energy source in a container  - the source which would not depend on the grid nor on the fuel supply, people would have power and heat hours after the disaster instead of days and weeks, possibly even without losing it. This is Autonomous Mobile Energy Station (AMES), developed by Ascent Systems Technologies, British Columbia, Canada.

 

A self-contained module, using only sun and air to generate energy and store it in the built-in energy storage, would survive  the storm and be ready to deliver energy on demand. A number of modules deployed in advance in the areas prone to natural disasters, would help communities survive. Such a module could be also brought to any place in the case of emergency, rapidly deployed and supply heat and power for medical personnel providing aid to victims and provide relief to people.

Do we need The Grid, part 2

It was only yesterday that I wrote: Do we need The Grid?
And today we hear the news: 
Argentina and Uruguay reel after massive power outage

So do we really need the grid? Many of you might think: "You can't be serious". We cannot survive without the grid! But this is exactly my point - we cannot survive without it TODAY! We are slaves of the big monster - The Grid. Do we have to be? As I stated many times before - we don't. We can generate energy where we need it and get rid of grid. Well, may be not immediately. But why not to do it incrementally? There lots of places on Earth without grid, and there millions of people who don't have power. We can start generating energy there instead of pulling hundreds or thousands of kilometers of power lines of fuel pipelines.

What if - a heretical thought - when power grid goes down we don't bring it back, but instead we bring energy generation right where it needs to be? It may not even cost more than restoring the old grid and waiting until it fails again, or somebody decides to cause it to fail.

The technology is here - it is called distributed autonomous generation. All what needs to be done is to combine state-of-the art solar thermal collector with an ultra-efficient thermal energy storage and an energy booster under proper control. We have done it at Ascent Systems Technologies. We even packaged it in a self-contained module that can be delivered on demand to any geographical location in the world, deployed within hours and start delivering uninterrupted clean energy.

Autonomous Mobile Energy Station

Do we need The Grid?

The New York Times reported that U.S. Escalates Online Attacks on Russia's Power Grid in response to their incursion into American grids and networks. Is it the right thing to do?

Advocates of the more aggressive strategy said it was long overdue, after years of public warnings from the Department of Homeland Security and the F.B.I. that Russia has inserted malware that could sabotage American power plants, oil and gas pipelines, or water supplies in any future conflict with the United States.

The grid is the most complex system humans ever created. With complexity comes vulnerability and not only to malicious attacks, but also to technical failures and accidents caused by natural factors such as solar flare or earthquake. It is time to start moving away from the grid as we started moving away from fossil fuels.

We have the technology. The on-demand distributed energy generation would revolutionize the way energy is delivered. It combines solar energy collector, ultra-efficient energy storage and an auxiliary energy booster in one seamlessly integrated system. The "brain" of the system is advanced software utilizing real-time performance and environment data, model-predictive control algorithms and machine learning techniques. The system can be also packaged as an autonomous module which can be delivered anywhere in the world in order to respond to a natural disaster, or provide energy for research, exploration and military operations, as well as remote outposts. The system capacity can be easily scaled up by combining multiple modules into an array. No need for the grid, no need for fuels, no pollution. Clean, reliable secure energy when you need it where you need it!

Ascent Systems Technologies: autonomous mobile energy system

It Is Time to Consider Transitioning to Autonomous Distributed Energy

Storm leaves more than 275,000 people without power in Southern Quebec

Hundreds of thousands of people are still without power in southern Quebec after the region was hit freezing rain and strong winds.

Quebec-Hydro says the storm Monday caused branches and trees to come in contact with their network, leaving 275,000 people without power by early Tuesday morning.

The Crown corporation says the hardest hit areas were Laval, Lanaudiere and the Laurentians.
Meanwhile, the city of Laval opened two community centres for the night to help people without electricity.
By Tuesday morning, more than 80,000 people in the city were without power, while more than 90,000 were still left in the dark in Lanaudiere.

Hydro-Quebec spokesman Louis-Olivier Batty said Monday evening that teams from regions less affected by the power outages had been called in as reinforcements.
From The Canadian Press.

Few weeks ago it was a cyclone Idai which was of course much more catastrophic disaster in Africa. Now it is a storm, blackout, people without heat in Canada. Isn't it time to consider transitioning to distributed autonomous energy generation? Consider AMES module developed by Ascent Systems Technologies. Multiple modules can be deployed throughout the areas affected by the disaster. In the case of one or even several modules going out of service, it will not affect other modules, so the impact will be minimized and localized. Individual modules can be quickly brought back to service without disrupting large areas. Moreover, the modules can be deployed in the "at risk" areas in advance. They would "hibernate" in the transport configuration and can be automatically and remotely activated when needed. Imagine how many lives can be saved and large economic loss can be avoided?

Climate change, natural and other disasters are not going to go away - on the contrary they will become more frequent and more severe. We need strategic thinking. 

Energy on demand for Africa

I was writing earlier about the damage done by the hurricane Maria to Puerto Rico.
Another natural disaster hit Africa. Cyclone Idai flooded huge areas in Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

Thousands of injured, exhausted, traumatized people need shelter, food and medical attention.

Even with the aid available, one thing which is and will be holding any efforts for a long time is lack of infrastructure. Roads, bridges, power lines, pump stations are destroyed.

Danger of epidemic diseases is practically inevitable. Delivering food and medical supplies is possible almost exclusively by helicopter.

Field hospitals need power and hot water. Portable diesel generators are noisy, dirty but most importantly require constant re-supply of fuel. With roads destroyed this is a huge challenge, delay often cost lives.

What if there was a portable source of energy which would not require constant re-supply of fuel? There is no doubt that would be a huge relief. Shelters could get heating (or cooling when needed),  hospitals would get hot water, equipment get power. There is such source of energy - Autonomous Mobile Energy Station (AMES - watch video), developed by Ascent Systems Technologies.

AMES is a complete solution for uninterrupted clean energy on demand, combining advantages of the state of the art solar technology, smart energy storage and energy booster. The system configuration is optimized for providing thermal and electrical energy in real conditions. Adaptive control with real-time inputs from built-in sensors uses machine learning algorithm for the most efficient performance in a specific environment with a particular energy demand. The module fits into a small shipping container, can be delivered to any geographical location in the world, rapidly deployed and operate in a totally autonomous mode without requiring any fuel supply or connection to the power grid! Multiple modules can be combined into an array for increased capacity. Modules deployed in different geographical locations are connected via intelligent network for remote environment parameters and system performance monitoring. AMES is an ideal solution for remote areas, seasonal or temporary camps, military and disaster relief operations and for many regions in developing countries.
If interested, send inquiries to ascent at ascentsystems.ca