VATIS Update Non-conventional Energy . Jan-Feb 2008
IN THE NEWS
Unwinding wind energy
The sunrise at Kanyakumari, India, is a major attraction for tourists. Now a man-made wonder that captures the tourists’ gaze: the needle-like towers in the distance. These are windmills at the edge of a massive wind farm – more than 2,000 windmills spread over several thousand acres of land.
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China powers ahead on renewable energy
A pair of recently released reports unveil that China is well on its way to obtaining 15 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by the year 2020, while the United States is dragging its feet on moving away from fossil fuels. Collectively, countries across the globe invested over US$50 billion into renewable energy conversion in 2006. In 2007, China alone is expected to make some US$10 billion of investment, states a report entitled “Powering China’s Development: The Role of Renewable Energy” from the Worldwatch Institute.
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Malaysia considers making biofuels
Malaysia’s state oil firm Petronas is considering developing biofuels in view of the growing popularity of this renewable energy source. The company is repositioning its R&D division to look at alternative sources of energy. Malaysia is planning to make palm oil-based biodiesel development a national policy, tapping the booming biofuel market and reducing its reliance on fossil fuels. The crude palm oil futures contract for February delivery hit an all-time high when crude oil prices traded close at US$100 per barrel mark. Crude palm oil prices have tracked price movements in the oil market very closely, as high energy costs boosts biofuel development.
Source: www.afp.google.com |
India to facilitate SEZs in renewable energy
India will extend all help, support and cooperation if special economic zones (SEZs) are set up for the manufacture of renewable energy equipment, said Mr. Vilas Muttemwar, Minister of State for Renewable Energy. States such as Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have evinced interest in hosting such SEZs, Mr. Muttemwar stated in the upper house of parliament.
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Indonesia to return to 5 per cent biodiesel
Indonesia plans to return to a 5 per cent biodiesel blend in diesel within the next three years on expectations of rising palm oil and jatropha production, reports Energy Minister Mr. Purnomo Yusgiantoro. State-owned oil firm Pertamina had reduced the biodiesel fraction in diesel fuel to 2.5 per cent from 5 per cent due to rising palm oil prices and reduced margins from a lack of subsidies. Palm oil prices have gained nearly 50 per cent during 2007 on strong demand from both the energy and food sectors, prompting countries to delay the introduction of biodiesel. According to Mr. Yusgiantoro, Indonesia will gradually increase biodiesel blend to 5 per cent by 2010. Indonesia, set to overtake Malaysia as the world’s top palm oil producer this year, expects to produce 20 million tonnes of palm oil by 2010.
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Biofuel use soars in Thailand
Consumption of alternative energy has soared in Thailand, with the use of biodiesel skyrocketing by above 1,000 per cent and natural gas for vehicles (NGV) more than doubling. Mr. Mettha Bunthuengsuk, Director General, Energy Business Department, conceded that NGV is now unavailable for sale in some areas, as there is a shortage of gas cylinders. Thailand’s state-owned energy giant PTT Plc has already shifted a purchase order for the cylinders to companies in Brazil from companies in the Republic of Korea to address the shortage.
Source: www.bangkokpost.com |
Millions of Chinese households use biogas
By the end of 2006, the total number of families in China that use biogas reached 21.75 million and the total annual biogas production reached about 8.5 billion cubic metres. By the end of 2006, China had built biogas pits for 21.75 million families in rural areas and provided more than 5,200 large and mid-sized biogas projects based around livestock and poultry farms. This resource will, in total, save approximately 13.3 million tonnes of standard coal for the country annually.
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Viet Nam approves plan to use biofuels
Viet Nam, which has a technology-sharing pact with leading ethanol producer Brazil, has approved the production and use of biofuels, as it seeks to diversify its sources of energy. The country’s Biofuel output, including ethanol, would reach 250,000 t by 2015 and 1.8 million tonnes by 2025, meeting 5 per cent its total fuel demand, stated Viet Nam’s Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Hoang Trung Hai said in a directive. The government would create favourable conditions to promote the transfer of biofuel technology and investment, including tax incentives and low-interest loans, the directive stated.
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China for international cooperation on renewable energy
China recently unveiled a national science and technology project that aims at boosting international cooperation on new and renewable energy. China plans to develop new patterns for international exchange and cooperation, set up a platform for technological cooperation, and encourage countries to complement each other based on their respective technological strengths. Government support will be prioritized in five research fields – solar power, biomass fuels and biomass power, wind power, hydrogen energy and fuel cells, and gas hydrates. The project will be jointly conducted by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Development and Reform Commission.
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India’s solar energy generation sluggish
India receives solar energy equivalent to over 5,000 trillion kWh a year. The daily average solar energy incident over the country varies from 4 to 7 kWh/m2, depending upon the location. Though the utilization of solar energy in the country is on the increase, the high initial cost of solar energy systems is a barrier to its large-scale utilization. The unit cost of electricity from a grid-connected solar energy plant is estimated at US$0.30-US$0.38 per unit, which is very high when compared with electricity generated from conventional sources, including thermal power and other renewable energy sources such as wind, biomass and small hydro.
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A National Energy Model for Pakistan
The government of Pakistan is planning a National Energy Model that will cover finance, technologies, energy efficiencies and socio-political impacts. The Model will help policy makers devise various strategies to meet the future energy demand of coal, oil, gas and hydro-electricity. Establishment of the energy model will help the Planning Commission to determine the energy, economic, environment, and energy security consequences of various energy policies.
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SOLAR ENERGY
ISO Texture solar cell
Germany’s Schott Solar, one of the world’s leading manufacturers in the photovoltaic sector, has introduced new solar cells that are slated to become more efficient as a result of a new surface structure. The new surface structure, known as the ISO Texture, enables the photovoltaic cells to convert more of the sunlight falling on them into energy, achieving greater power density and providing a new class of performance. This new technology has been integrated into the company’s existing manufacturing process.
Source: www.earthtoys.com |
High efficiency organic thin-film solar
Sharp Corp., Japan, reports to have achieved a conversion efficiency of 3.8 per cent for a 1 cm2 organic thin-film solar cell. The measurement was carried out by Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science & Technology, an official certification body. Although there have been some reports on solar cells with a conversion efficiency of about 5 per cent, most of these cells had sizes smaller than 0.2 cm2.
Source: www.techon.nikkeibp.co.jp |
Higher conversion efficiency raised for polycrystalline cells
Mitsubishi Electric Corp., Japan, has enhanced the conversion efficiency of a polycrystalline silicon solar cell to 18 per cent and presented the achievement at PVSEC-17, an international conference on solar cells. The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Japan’s official certification body measured the efficiency. The company states that this is the highest value obtained by using the standard electrode structure that ensures a key advantage in that the existing production line can be used as-is.
Source: www.techon.nikkeibp.co.jp |
Printing highly efficient organic cells
Polymer (organic) solar cells built from thin films of organic semiconductors – conjugated polymers and small-molecule compounds provide two examples – are potentially versatile sources of cheap renewable energy, as they may make it possible to print large-area solar cells on lightweight, flexible surfaces at room temperature. At present, bulk heterojunction structures – homogeneous blends of p-type (donor) and n-type (acceptor) semiconductors – based on blends of polymer donor and highly soluble derivatives of fullerene as acceptor have been the material system with the highest published power conversion efficiencies (PCEs). Recently, Konarka Technologies of Germany demonstrated a 5.21 per cent PCE plastic solar cell having an active area of 1.024 cm2. The next step is to identify suitable methods for producing organic solar cells.
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New solar technology to intensify light
A new promising technology in solar power generation is reported to have been developed at Israel’s National Centre for Solar Energy. The novel solar power technology is expected to significantly reduce the high cost usually associated with solar power generation. The new panel developed has a simple reflector made up of several mirrors, which could intensify the sunlight collected by over a thousand times.
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Sharp introduces new solar PV system
Sharp Corporation’s subsidiary firm Sharp Solar Energy Solutions, the United States, has reportedly developed a breakthrough OnenergyTM solar system, which is cost-effective and easy to install. The Onenergy solar system features UL-listed, rail-by-rail integrated grounding, eliminating the module-to-module ground wire connection throughout the entire array. This feature reduces the most labour-intensive aspects of installing a photovoltaic system.
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Lead-free solder photovoltaic modules
Mitsubishi Electric and Electronics USA Inc. in the United States has introduced UD5 series of 100 per cent lead-free solder PV modules. The UD5 series includes four of the most in-demand power outputs, with new engineering for optimal efficiency and reliability. Key features of the UD5 series include: low weight (16.78 kg/module) which facilitates transportation/installation; tested for static load of 5,400 Pa (with protection bar at the back); tolerance of ±3 at Pmax; and solid black frame structure. Contact: Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA Inc., Solar/Photovoltaic Division, 5665 Plaza Drive, Cypress, California, CA 90630 0007, United States of America. Tel: +1 (714) 2202 500; E-mail: pv@ meus.mea.com.
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WIND ENERGY
China’s first marine wind turbine
China National Offshore Oil Corp. has put a proprietary wind turbine into official operation in November 2007, after a 20-day trial operation. Independently designed and constructed by Chinese engineers, the wind turbine, is the first marine application for offshore oil platforms in the country.
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Airborne wind power generators
Magenn Power, Canada, has developed a lighter-than-air wind turbine capable of powering a small village. This new wind-based power generation system harnesses the steady wind at an altitude of 1,000 ft.
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Tallest wind turbine
The W90 wind turbine developed by Wind to Energy GmbH (W2E), Germany, has an installed rated power of 2.5 MW. The nacelle of the prototype was erected on a lattice tower. The hub height is 160 m and the total height is 205 m. This tallest turbine worldwide was commissioned in end 2006 and by November 2007, it had produced six million kilowatt hours. The wind turbine is characterized by a number of innovative ideas that combine to provide a reliable and safe turbine with a very high lifetime. The project in Laasow (Brandenburg, Germany) was carried out jointly by Fuhrlander AG (nacelle), SeeBA Energiesysteme GmbH (tower) and W2E (engineering). Source: www.verivox.de |
Floating wind turbine
Blue H Technologies BV, the Netherlands, has launched a large-scale prototype of submerged deep water platform (SDP) that will be anchored in 108 m water at 10.6 nautical miles from the coast in Southern Italy. The technology for the prototype uses tension-legged platforms, developed by the oil industry for some of its offshore rigs, to create a platform large and stable enough to support a tower and a wind turbine. This technology reduces the total structure weight. Blue H expects its future deep sea wind energy units, at comparable installed capacity to standard installations, to weigh under 800 t. The SDP can be assembled onshore and then towed out far offshore, at distances of 10 nautical miles or more and positioned in deep waters (50 m or more in depth). Source: www.renewableenergyaccess.com |
New concept to tap wind energy
Sea of Solutions, the Netherlands, has obtained an approval in principle from the Classification society DNV for a new offshore wind energy concept. Developed in cooperation with Sparcs Products, the concept called floating-to-fixed (F2F) is an alternative to current fixed offshore wind installations and reduces the high operational costs related to offshore installation and maintenance. F2F is a flexible concept suitable for both shallow waters and deep water installations.
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New wind farm design software
Garrad Hassan (GH), based in the United Kingdom, has released a new version of its wind farm design software called GH WindFarmer. The new version has more features, such as a detailed uncertainty analysis, an expanded site conditions analysis and self-learning tutorials. The version 3.6 of the GH WindFarmer enables the user to:
Source: www.renewableenergyaccess.com |
Speed control boosts energy output
At the University of Cambridge, the United Kingdom, a study carried out by a research student has revealed that by controlling speed so as to keep the vertical axis wind turbine blades away from stall conditions, energy extraction can be enhanced by 42 per cent. The study by Mr. Simon McIntosh, a Ph.D. student under the supervision of Dr. Holger Babinsky at the Department of Engineering, was partly supported by Quiet Revolution, which manufactures vertical axis wind turbines.
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Wind blade monitoring systems
Physical Acoustics Corp., a part of MISTRAS Group Inc. In the United States, has supplied PCI-8 multichannel acoustic emission (AE) for remote wind blade monitoring systems to National Renewable Energy Laboratory and to Sandia National Laboratory. The PCI-8 AE system uses multiple sensors or channels to detect acoustic emission waveforms and features. The system will be used for static fatigue testing of wind turbine blades. The system, running AEwin Windows software, permits enhanced stress correlation in conjunction with other inputs from external sensors. This procedure reportedly provides a better understanding of how composites behave under loads. In addition, the PAC AEViewer software package, provided to Sandia, permits scientists to remotely monitor as well as control their AE system.
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WIND ENERGY
Oil from wood
Kior Inc., a joint venture between Khosla Ventures, the United States, and Bioecon, based in the Netherlands, has developed a process to create biocrude directly from biomass. In the process, agricultural waste is directly converted into biocrude, which can be processed into fuels such as petroleum or diesel in existing oil refineries. The biomass catalytic cracking (BCC) process is reported to have some advantages over other methods of producing biofuels, such as low cost, relies on a non-toxic catalyst, taps into the present fuel-refining and transportation infrastructure, and produces clean-burning fuels that can be used in existing engines.
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Machine turns plant oil into biodiesel fuel
Circle Biodiesel and Ethanol Corp., the United Kingdom, has developed a machine that produces biodiesel fuel from Jatropha curcas seeds. Made from plant and vegetable oils, biodiesel emits less carbon than petroleum and diesel when used to fuel an internal combustion engine. The biodiesel producing machinery can produce 2,050 litres of biodiesel in less than 4 hours. It includes two large stainless steel tanks, a centrifuge and four chemical-resistant pumps. Biodiesel also can be produced from soybean, hemp, canola and sunflower oils. During biodiesel production, a catalyst of methanol and sodium hydroxide is mixed with plant-based oils to remove glycerine, lightening the fuel and making it easier to run through an engine. The machine is designed to run 350 days a year, producing about 3.78 million litres of biodiesel, according to Mr. Peter Schuh, inventor of the machine and CEO of the company.
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Charcoal briquette from waste
In the Philippines, researchers at the state-run Mariano Marcos State University have developed an environment-friendly technology to get rid of wastes from corn effluents and bamboo waste materials. Kawayan charcoal briquette (KCB) technology was developed in three phases. The first phase focused on the testing of chichacorn (deep fried corn kernel) effluent as binders, followed by setting up a semi-commercial-scale production of KCBs and finally training programmes on the production, promotion and organization of farmer co-operators. This technology could be adapted by bamboo farmers and processors to augment their incomes.
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Micro-reactor process for biodiesel refining
In the United States, researchers at the University of Texas’ Arlington College of Engineering have developed a micro-reactor that dramatically reduces the time needed to process biodiesel fuel. The process also reduces the cost of production by as much as US$0.30-0.40/ gallon (US$0.08-0.01/litre). Dr. Richard Billo, Associate Dean of Engineering Research, says that the microreactor can take what is now a 90 minutes process to convert vegetable oil to biodiesel fuel and reduce it to less than 4 minutes, “even down to as little as 6 seconds”, depending on some initial variables. “We have developed the cost analysis and conducted pilot experiments, and the savings in time and money are both phenomenal and realistic,” he added.
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Supercritical method converts fat wastes into biodiesel
Researchers at the University of Arkansas, the United States, have investigated supercritical methanol as a method of converting chicken fat into biodiesel fuel. Mr. Robert E. Babcock, professor of chemical engineering, and Mr. Brent Schulte, a chemical-engineering graduate student, also converted tall oil fatty acid, a major by-product of the wood pulping process, into biodiesel at a yield above 90 per cent. Its initiatives significantly advance efforts to develop commercially viable fuel out of plentiful, accessible and low-cost feedstocks and other agricultural by-products.
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Sludge becomes gas in new process
In the United Kingdom, researchers at the Faculty of Engineering, Leeds University, have developed a process for the transformation of low-grade sludge into a high-value gas. The team expects that the new process will create a environmentally friendly biodiesel fuel. However, low-value glycerol is a by-product when biodiesel is produced, and it needs careful disposal. In the latest study, the Leeds researchers have shown how glycerol can be converted to produce a hydrogen-rich gas, which is in great demand for power generation and use in chemical plants.
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WAVE/TIDAL ENERGY
New technology to harness ocean energy
A new technology to harness the energy-generating potential of tidal currents is being tested by Ocean Renewable Power Co., the United States. A prototype turbine generator unit (TGU) was submerged in the channel between Eastport, Maine, and Deer Island, New Brunswick, at the end of 2007. The US$1 million demonstration project will assess the effectiveness of its ocean current generation (OCGenTM) technology. The company anticipates that the TGU could generate as much as 15-25 kW of power in a 6-knot current.
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Turbines to tap gulf stream current
In the United States, researchers at the Centre of Excellence in Ocean Energy Technology, Florida Atlantic University, have developed a technology that they believe would allow them to use the gulf stream currents to meet Florida’s energy needs. The idea is to have underwater turbines placed right in the middle of the gulf stream current. The turbines are designed to be about 100 ft in diameter. These will be connected to a buoy that holds the electricity generating equipment. The researchers are developing a considerably smaller prototype version that they hope will provide them with enough data to assess whether installing such a system will have an impact in the ocean current, and, just as importantly, all the sea life moving through the area.
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