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Recently, research all over the world is being carried out to develop eco‐friendly supercapacitors (SCs) using biopolymeric materials like proteins or polysaccharides. These polymers offer these innovative energy storage devices' sustainability and recyclability, flexibility, lightweight, and steady cycling performance—all crucial for utilizations involving wearable electronics and others. Given its abundance and extensive recycling behavior, cellulose is one of the most sustainable natural polymers requiring special attention. The paper discusses the various types of cellulose‐based materials (CBMs), including nanocellulose, cellulose derivatives, and composites, as well as their synthesis methods and electrochemical properties. The review also highlights the performance of CBMs in SC applications, including their capacitance, cycling stability, and rate capability, along with recent advances in modifying the materials, such as surface modification and hybrid materials. Finally, the proposed topic is concluded with the current challenges and future prospects of CBMs for SC applications. It describes the various types of cellulose‐based materials, including nanocellulose, cellulose derivatives, and composites, as well as their synthesis methods and electrochemical properties. Further, it also highlights the performance of CBMs in SC applications, including their capacitance, cycling stability, and rate capability, along with recent advances in modifying the materials, such as surface modification and hybrid materials.

With the rapid development of distributed generators (DGs) and increasing power penetration level of renewable energy sources (RESs), it is a critical issue for any power system to operate safely and continuously in the presence of uncertainty and variability (i.e., power fluctuations) of generated power and demanded power. The introduction of controllable power generators and power storage devices is dispensable for mitigating this problem. To satisfy the power supply–demand balancing requirement, the power flow assignment is essential under power balance constraint. However, due to the physical power limitation constraints of power generators and loads, capacity limitation of power storage devices, and connection arrangement, it is hard to achieve power balance. In this paper, a system characterization is proposed that describes the relationship between power generators, loads, storage devices and connections among them. The proposed characterization system should be satisfied to guarantee safe operation of a given power flow system by preserving the SOC bounds of storage devices. That is, to have a feasible power flow assignment, there are many issues such as how the power limitations (i.e., maximum and minimum power levels) of power generators and loads must be decided, how large be the capacity of a storage device, and the physical arrangement of connections that must be considered. This paper also shows an optimization problem that consists of optimizing storage capacity, the use of power generators both renewable and non-renewable, and matching with the power demand. Several demonstration scenarios are discussed in this paper for the application and validation of our proposed system characterization.

Summary A microgrid can operate in two different operating modes, i.e. utility‐grid connected mode or autonomous mode. In this paper, the operation of a microgrid with fully inverter‐based renewable sources in transition from utility‐grid connected mode to the autonomous mode is investigated. Energy storage device as a kind of buffering system might compromise microgrid autonomous operation due to the limited capacity; hence, available electric vehicles and responsive loads in the microgrid are used in primary frequency control upon separation from the utility grid. Secondary frequency control is performed by slow‐response sources. In order to establish a readiness for upcoming disturbances, the state of charge of the energy storage device is held in a secure range by proper coordination and management of the electrical vehicles, responsive loads, energy storage devices and controllable microsources. The proposed control strategy is standalone and does not need any communication link in controlling the sources and loads. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Aqueous Zn‐based energy storage device (ZESD) is a promising candidate for large‐scale energy storage applications due to its significant merits like low cost, inherent safety, and environmental benignity. However, one shortcoming of ZESDs is the performance deficiency of pristine Zn anode caused by detrimental dendrite formation and side reactions. In this work, a novel boron nitride nano‐scale interface was established for ultra‐stable and wide temperature range tolerable anode (BN@Zn) by a scalable magnetron sputtering technique. The as‐introduced BN layers afford enhanced Zn deposition kinetics for a wide temperature application range from −20 to 60°C and effectively mitigated dendritic growth, which were ascribed to the strong interlayer bonds and uniform active sites as demonstrated by both experimental and density functional theory research results. Thus, the ultra‐thin BN interface could significantly improve the reaction kinetics and electrochemical stability of Zn anode, providing a new perspective towards the advanced ZESDs. A novel BN nano‐scale interface was established for ultra‐stable and wide temperature range tolerable anode by a scalable magnetron sputtering technique. The as‐introduced BN layers afford enhanced Zn deposition kinetics for a wide temperature application range from −20 °C to 60 °C and effectively mitigated dendritic growth due to the strong interlayer bonds and uniform active sites.

The introduction of an energy storage system plays a vital role in the integration of renewable energy by keeping a stable operation and enhancing the flexibility of the power flow system, especially for an islanding microgrid which is not tied to a grid and for a self-contained microgrid which tries to stay independent from a grid as much as possible. To accommodate the effects of power fluctuations of distributed energy resources and power loads on power systems, a power flow assignment under power balance constraint is essential. However, due to power limitations of power devices, the capacity of storage devices, and power flow connections, the power balance may not be achieved. In this paper, we proposed a system characterization which describes the relation among power generators, power loads, power storage devices, and connections that must be satisfied for a system to operate by keeping SOC limitations of power storage devices. When we consider one power generator, one power load, and one power storage device connected at a single node, the generated energy by the generator minus the consumed energy by the load from some start time will increase/decrease the state of charge (SOC) for the storage device; hence, keeping SOC max/min limitations relies on whether the difference between the generated energy and the consumed energy stays within a certain range or not, which can be computed from the capacity Ess and other parameters. Our contribution in this paper is an extension and generalization of this observation to a system that consists of multiple fluctuating power generators, multiple fluctuating power loads, multiple storage devices, and connections that may not be a full connection between all devices. By carefully enumerating the connection-dependent flow paths of generated energy along the flow direction from generators to storages and loads, and enumerating the connection-dependent flow paths of consumed energy along the counter-flow direction from loads to storages and generators, we have formulated the increase/decrease of SOCs of storage devices caused by the imbalance between generated energy and consumed energy. Finally, considering the max/min limitations of SOCs and fluctuations of power generators and power loads, the conditions that the power generators and the power loads must have for SOCs of storage devices to maintain individual max/min limitations have been derived. The system characterization provides guidelines for a power flow system that can continue safe operation in the presence of power fluctuations. That is, in order for a system to have a feasible power flow assignment, there are the issues of how large the capacity of a power storage device should be, how large/small the maximum/minimum power/demand levels of the power generators and the power loads should be, and how the connection should be configured. Several examples using our system characterization are demonstrated to show the possible applications of our results.

Proton chemistry is becoming a focal point in the development of zinc‐ion energy storage devices due to its swift H+ insertion/extraction kinetics. This characteristic feature confers to electrodes a remarkable power density, rate capability, and prolonged cycling durability. However, the storage mechanism of H+ in electrodes based on covalent‐organic frameworks (COFs) has not been thoroughly investigated. In this work, we introduce an unprecedented concept involving a supramolecular approach based on the design of a benzotrithiophene‐sulfonate COF (COF‐BTT‐SO3H) with remarkable storage capacity for simultaneous insertion and extraction of H+ and Zn2+. The ad hoc positioning of the ‐SO3H groups within the COF‐BTT‐SO3H structure facilitates the formation of a robust H‐bonded network. Through density functional theory calculations and employing in situ and ex situ analyses, we demonstrate that this network functions as a spontaneous proton ion pump leading to enhanced ion‐diffusion kinetics and exceptional rate performance in zinc‐ion energy storage devices. COF‐BTT‐SO3H reveals a high capacity of 294.7 mA h/g (0.1 A/g), a remarkable maximum energy density of 182.5 W h/kg, and power density of 14.8 kW/kg, which are superior to most of the reported COF‐based electrodes or other organic and inorganic electrode materials in Zn2+ energy storage devices. A novel supramolecular approach is introduced using a benzotrithiophene sulfonate imine‐linked covalent‐organic framework (COF‐BTT‐SO3H), enabling remarkable co‐storage of H+ and Zn2+ via three different active sites. COF‐BTT‐SO3H exhibits high capacity of 294.7 mAh/g, outstanding maximum energy density (182.5 Wh/kg), and superior power density (14.8 kW/kg), surpassing most COF‐based electrodes and other materials in Zn2+ energy storage.

Cement occupies a significant proportion in construction, serving as the primary material for components such as bricks and walls. However, its role is largely limited to load‐bearing functions, with little exploration of additional applications. Simultaneously, buildings remain a major contributor to global energy consumption, accounting for 40% of total energy use. Here, we for the first time endow cement with energy storage functionality by developing cement‐based solid‐state energy storage wallboards (CSESWs), which can utilize the ample idle surface areas of building walls to seamlessly store renewable energy from distributed photovoltaics without compromising building safety or requiring additional space. Owing to unprecedented microstructures and composition interactions, these CSESWs not only achieve a superionic conductivity of 101.1 mS cm−1 but also demonstrate multifunctionality, such as significant toughness, thermal insulation, lightweight, and adhesion. When integrated with asymmetrical electrodes, the CSESWs exhibit a remarkable capacitance (2778.9 mF cm−2) and high areal energy density (10.8 mWh cm−2). Moreover, existing residential buildings renovated with our CSESWs can supply 98% of daily electricity needs, demonstrating their outstanding potential for realizing zero‐carbon buildings. This study pioneers the use of cement in energy storage, providing a scalable and cost‐effective pathway for sustainable construction. Schematic of OLMC/PAM‐based CSESWs integrated with distributed photovoltaic systems for zero‐carbon buildings. The composite solid electrolytes proposed in this study are designed by creating novel OLMC architectures, where PAM gel electrolytes are incorporated into the oriented interlayers and act as the fast ion transport medium. In addition, the OLMC has strong interfacial interactions with PAM, releasing additional free cations and synergistically enhancing toughness, thermal insulation, and adhesion. The resulting multifunctional OLMC/PAM composite solid electrolytes are then sandwiched by electrodes to form high‐performance CSEWSs, which are attached to building walls to store renewable electricity generated from rooftop distributed photovoltaic systems, providing a sustainable energy source for daily human activities and for realizing a zero‐carbon building.

Perovskite-based electrode catalysts are the most promising potential candidate that could bring about remarkable scientific advances in widespread renewable energy-storage devices, especially supercapacitors, batteries, fuel cells, solid oxide fuel cells, and solar-cell applications. This review demonstrated that perovskite composites are used as advanced electrode materials for efficient energy-storage-device development with different working principles and various available electrochemical technologies. Research efforts on increasing energy-storage efficiency, a wide range of electro-active constituents, and a longer lifetime of the various perovskite materials are discussed in this review. Furthermore, this review describes the prospects, widespread available materials, properties, synthesis strategies, uses of perovskite-supported materials, and our views on future perspectives of high-performance, next-generation sustainable-energy technology.

This paper investigates the benefits of using the on-board energy storage devices (OESD) and wayside energy storage devices (WESD) in light rail transportation (metro and tram) systems. The analysed benefits are the use of OESD and WESD as a source of supply in an emergency metro scenario to safely evacuate the passengers blocked in a metro train between stations; the use of OESD for catenary free sections, the benefits of using the WESD as an energy source for electrical car charging points and tram traction power supply; the benefits of using a central communication system between trams, cars, WESD and electrical car charging points. The authors investigated the use of: OESD with batteries for a catenary free section for different scenarios (full route or a catenary free section between two stations); the charge of OESD between stations (in parallel with tram motoring) to decrease the charging dwell time at stations and to help in achieving the operational timetable; the thermal effect of the additional load on the overhead contact system (OCS) when the tram is charging between stations; the sizing of OESD and WESD for emergency feeding in a metro system. The authors investigated the use of the WESD as a source of energy for the electrical car charging points to reduce the car pollution and carbon emissions. Presented in the paper is the enhanced multi train simulator with WESD prepared for the analyses conducted. The paper describes the DC electrical solver and WESD control method. A validation of the software has been conducted in regard to the substation voltage, WESD energy balance and WESD control.

This paper presents an analysis on using an on-board energy storage device (ESD) for enhancing braking energy re-use in electrified railway transportation. A simulation model was developed in the programming language C++ to help with the sizing of the ESD. The simulation model based on the mathematical description has been proposed for a train equipped with on-board ESD for analysis of effectiveness of its application. A case study was carried out for a metro line taking into consideration train characteristics, track alignment, line velocity limits and a running time table. This case study was used to assess the energy savings and perform a cost-benefit analysis for different sizes of the on-board ESD by applying the proposed approach. It was shown that when additional environmental benefits (reduction of CO2 emissions) are considered, this may significantly improve effectiveness of the investments due to CO2 European Emission allowances.