The Energy Blog

About Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells

The molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) gets its name because it uses molten carbonate salt as the electrolyte.  MCFCs are high-temperature fuel cells in which the electrolyte is suspended in a porous, chemically inert ceramic matrix. They are currently being operated on natural gas and other fuels containing methane in stationary applications in the wastewater treatment, industrial, hotel and government markets. 

They must operate at the extremely high temperature of 650°C (roughly 1,200°F) or above to obtain good conductivity of the electrolyte.  This enables the use of non-precious metals as catalysts at the anode and cathode, reducing costs and enables reformation of gaseous fuels to hydrogen within the fuel cell eliminating the need to supply hydrogen to the fuel cell.  MCFCs can reach efficiencies approaching 60 percent; when the waste heat is captured and used, overall fuel efficiencies can be as high as 85 percent.

The anode process involves a reaction between hydrogen and carbonate ions (CO3=) from the electrolyte which produces water and carbon dioxide (CO2) while releasing electrons to the anode. The cathode process combines oxygen and CO2 from the oxidant stream with electrons from the cathode to produce carbonate ions which enter the electrolyte. The need for CO2 in the oxidant stream requires a system for collecting CO2 from the anode exhaust and mixing it with the cathode feed stream.

Rentech Coal-to-Liquids (CTL) News

Rentech (AMEX:RTK), a Colorado company that is developing gas-to-liquids (GTL)/coal-to-liquids (CTL) processes to convert synthesis gas made from natural gas, coal and other carbon-bearing materials into ultra-low sulfur and ultra-low aromatic fuels, in December announced three news items.

Plans for building a 10,000-plus barrel per day CTL pant are proceeding with the signing of an agreement with the Adams County, Mississippi Board of Supervisors for six months exclusive rights to negotiate the purchase or lease of a 100 acre site located just outside of Natchez.  Rentech plans to build and operate the plant which would supply fuels preferentially to emergency facilities and first responders for their backup power fuel needs.  CTL diesel fuels have a shelf life of at least eight years compared to a three to six month life for petroleum fuels.  By having a reliable standby fuel with a long shelf life, emergency agencies will be able to supply the necessary support immediately during critical situations like these presented during hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which was not the case during those two tragic events. 

1st Permanent Magnetic Suspension Wind Power Generator Debuted

GUANGZHOU, Dec 28, 2005--The world's first permanent magnetic suspension wind power generator debuted in Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, China on December 26.

Its cost is only one tenth of the traditional wind power generator. Moreover, it can generate power by utilizing breeze, that is to say, wind of lower speed in cities can also be used to generate power.

In the past, wind power generators can be only built in the fields with large amount of wind. Experiments show that under the same condition of wind speed, a permanent magnetic suspension wind power generator can generate 20 percent more power compared with a traditional power generator.  China's coastal and western areas are abundant in wind resources, so they can build wind power plants on large scale in the future.

As permanent magnetic suspension wind power generators have advantages in using wind of low speed to generate power, they will be mainly used in two sectors in the future: urban street lamp, speedway, sightseeing lamp system, and large-sized power grids.

via TMCnet

Can anyone answer this question:  Are they talking about anything new?  Using magnetic suspension bearings in a wind turbine would be new, and presuably costly and complex, but is something has been lost in translation and they are talking about a magnetic effect in the generator that wouldn't be news.  The reference to permanent magnets makes me think its the generator.  I couldn't find anything else about this through any searches that I tried. I guess this confirms my lack of understanding of motors and generators.

More blogs about wind power, renewable energy, energy, technology

PBMR Reactor Takes Another Step

From a PBMR press release:

South Africa’s Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) company signs ZAR17.5 million (US$2.6 million) contract with Westinghouse of the USA.

In yet another step forward, South African cutting-edge nuclear vendor PBMR (Pty) Ltd, has entered into a contract for the basic design of automation safety sub-systems for its Demonstration Power Plant at Koeberg in the Western Cape.  The multi-million Rand contract with Westinghouse Electric Company is for the basic design of the Reactor Protection System, the Manual Shutdown System and the Post-event Instrumentation System.

The South African pebble bed modular reactor is accepted as the most advanced reactor design in the world at present and includes many attributes of a Generation IV reactor which criteria demands an inherently safe system as the basis of the engineering and physics design. It is based on proven German pebble fuel technology; contains low-enriched uranium encased in three layers of ceramics which in turn is embedded in a graphite matrix some 60mm in diameter.

The PBMR is described in this previous post. The company press release can be found here.

Thanks to The Atomic Insights Blog for the tip.

Technocrati tags: nuclear, PBMR Reactor, energy, technology

Novel Nanostructured Battery

The current issue of the Bell Labs Technical Journal, featuring a focus on nanotechnology, includes a seminal paper, "Reserve Battery Architecture Based on Superhydrophobic Nanostructured Surfaces,"  describing the achievement by scientists from mPhase Technologies (OTCBB:XDSL) and Lucent Technologies Bell Labs researchers in demonstrating a working reserve battery prototype that relies on a nano-based architecture.

The article reports that the novel battery architecture is based on superhydrophobic nanostructured materials.  Both electrodes of a battery are formed on nanostructured silicon surfaces that are subsequently treated to make them superhydrophobic, effectively separating the liquid electrolyte from the active electrode materials. When the battery is activated to provide power, a phenomenon called electro-wetting promotes electrolyte penetration into the electrode space to initiate an electrochemical reaction. This architecture makes possible an extremely long shelf life, instantaneous ramp-up to full power, and chemistry-independent functionality.  Reprints of the article can be ordered here.

Using this technology, mPhase is developing a new generation of reserve power cells, which could store reserve power for decades and generate electric current virtually on demand. The prototype battery is based on a Bell Labs discovery that liquid droplets of electrolyte will stay in a dormant state atop nanotextured surfaces until stimulated to flow, thereby triggering a reaction producing electricity. This effect can permit precise control and activation of the batteries when required, yielding a very long shelf life. Potential initial applications for this technology may include defense, industrial, healthcare, and consumer electronics. mPhase is also targeting the nanobattery for use in technically-improved, lighter weight battery designs. They are planning on bringing this technology to the marketplace within 18-24 months.  The mPhase description of the technology can be found here.

Technocrati tags: batteries, energy, technology

Daystar Article in "Solar Today'

Daystar Technologies, manufacturer of thin-film CIGS solar cells and panels, announced today that an article by John R. Tuttle, PhD, president of Daystar has been published in the Jan/Feb issue of Solar Today.  The article discusses the growth requirements required for the PV solar industry in order to reach a significant market penetration by 2025.  Two main issues are discussed:  1) the required cost of PV solar in order to reach that penetration and 2) the need for large scale mass production methods.

He states that cost reductions on the systems level will need to be reduced from the present benchmark of about $6 to $8 per peak watt to approximately $1 per peak watt (see www.nrel.gov/ncpv/thin_film/docs/keshner.pdf).  Short supplies of silicon and indium will have to be addressed to reach this cost goal, as well as developing reduced cost mass production methods to reach the multigigawatt-scale production that is required to meet the desired market penetration.  He gives his arguments as to why thin-film CIGS PV cells are more suitable to reach these goals.

It is a good read for those interested in seeing solar PV becoming a significant factor in energy production. The article may be found here.

Technocrati tags: PV solar, solar energy, energy, technology

About Flywheels

Large metallic flywheels have long been used in many applications as a means of storing and smoothing energy. Flywheels store energy through accelerating a rotor up to a high rate of speed and maintaining the energy in the system as kinetic energy. The flywheel releases its energy by reversing the charging process and slowing down. A flywheel can be designed to either release a large amount of energy in a very short period, or a small amount of energy over a longer period. Flywheels also may be divided into two main types, low speed and high speed. 

Development of flywheels as a stand-alone energy storage unit for electrical power was made possible by advances in power electronics that allowed for the efficient voltage and frequency control of the power output regardless of the rotational rate of the flywheel.  However size and resultant bearing stresses limited the speed and thus the amount of energy that could be stored. Subsequent advances, notably in carbon fiber materials and magnetic bearings allowed for higher energy densities.  Graphic courtesy of Vycon. 

Sunball Nears Commercial Production

Green and Gold Energy, Australia, keeps moving foreword on an impressive track to bring its products to the market.  Twelve 1m² SunBall™ Thermal Appliances units (shown) have been successfully built and are being used for tests and marketing. Four units are installed on the roof of Green and Gold Energy.

As described in a previous post the SunBall has the following features:

• Very high (35-38%) efficiency Spectrolab solar cells developed for the space industry.
• A low cost acrylic 500 sun Fresnel lens concentrator
• A heat sink that keeps the cells cool, at only 10 ⁰C above ambient
• Dawn to dusk tracking
• Requires ~ 1/4 the roof space of conventional flat panels

Seasons Greetings

I would like to wish all of my readers best wishes for the holiday season and a happy new year.  I have been very gratified by the response that I have received for this blog.  I would especially like to thank the many people that have written to me stating their satisfaction with the content and the good quality of the content.  I try to remain objective, unbiased and factual in my reporting.  I have made several errors in reporting on technology that was new to me and appreciate your comments that have helped me get the facts straight. 

In the ten months that the blog has been in existence there have been significant advancements made in some of the technologies and I will try to keep you up to date on the status of the technologies that we will need as we move foreword with The Energy Revolution.  The scope of The Energy Blog has been even greater than I anticipated.  I have now touched on all of the major areas of interest, but I have by no means completed my discussions in many areas.  I feel that solar, wind and biofuels have been pretty well covered, but batteries, fuel cells, energy storage and nuclear energy still deserve quite a bit more exploring, so I have plenty of topics for next year.

Jim for The Energy Blog

Solargenix Neveda One Project to Break Ground

The largest solar power plant built anywhere in the world in the last 15 years is set to get under way next month in Boulder City, Nevada.  Solargenix Energy said this week that it will break ground in January on its 64-megawatt solar power plant, dubbed Nevada Solar One.  Construction is expected to take 12 to 14 months, with the plant scheduled to begin delivering electricity to the grid in June 2007. The plant will use parabolic trough technology, a system in which parabolically shaped mirrors are used to focus the suns rays on a tube containing heat transfer fluid which in turn provides the heat to generate the steam used to power the turbines which drive electric generators. Similar technology was used for nine power plants built in California between 1984 and 1990, which are still operating.  Solargenix has been placing orders for equipment for some time as typified by an order to Shott reported in a previous post.

Resource: Bright future expected for solar project, Kevin Rademacher, Los Vegas Sun December 19, 2005

More blogs about solar, thermal solar, solar power, alternative energy, renewable, renewable energy, energy

BRI Synthesis Gas Fermentation Process Update

Bioengineering Resources, Inc. (BRI) has been developing a synthesis gas fermentation process whereby biomass can be converted to synthesis gas (consisting primarily of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen) via a high temperature gasification process. Anaerobic bacteria are then used to convert the synthesis gas into ethanol. The BRI process can be used to produce ethanol from cellulosic wastes with high yields and rates.  This is made possible because BRI has developed bioreactor systems for fermentation that results in retention times of only a few minutes at atmospheric pressure and less than a minute at elevated pressure. These retention times result in very economical equipment costs.

New developments from a previous post on this process have been:

• Awarding a new $2.4 million contract, the Corn Stover Project, by DOE
• Completion of process design and costing of a standard plant
• Completion of a Technical Evaluation report by Parsons
• Completion of an Emissions Testing Report that is needed for permitting and construction of their first plant.
• At least one plant is expected to begin commercial operations before the end of 2006.

IEA Solar PV Statistics

The International Energy Administration (IEA) has released its 2004 statistics on Solar PV.  The 19 developed countries that participated in their survey installed an additional 770,270 kW of solar power, a 30% increase over 2003, bringing the total to 2,595,545 kW at the end of 2004.

Japan leads with 1,131,991 kW, followed by Germany with 794,000 kW and the U.S. with 365,000 kW. On a per capita basis Germany leads with 9.62 watts/person with Japan at 8.87 and Switzerland with 3.12.  The U.S. was far behind with 1.24 watts/person.

A table with all of the data for developed countries can be found here.

A website Tends in photovoltaic applications in selected IEA countries between 1992 and 2004, provides access to the complete report and to the various sections.  The sub-section Total photovoltaic power installed in IEA PVPS countries is probably the most interesting.  Their is also a section on the photovoltaic industry, with the sub-section Producers of semi-finished and finished PV products, i.e. PV cells and modules probably the the most interesting. There are also sub-sections on silicon producers and balance of system components.  Finally economic issues are addressed in sections on System prices and Economic benefits.

More blogs about solar power, PV solar, energy, technology

Fuel Cell Technology Overview

Fuelcellworks has an excellent article on the emerging fuel cell technologies, that is worth your reading to bring you up to date on fuel cell technology.  The fuel cell is emerging as the leader in distributed power because of their high efficiency; 50% plus at the present with 70% considered a realistic goal, lower emissions: 80% lower carbon emissions than combustion technologies and almost no other emissions and their high reliability--95-99% vs 85% for reciprocating engines and gas turbines.  Fuel cells cost a few thousand dollars per kW, down from $20,000/kW in 1999 with a continuing downward trend towards the "magic price" of $1000/kw that is the price buyers want to pay.  Various government subsidies can make the first cost of fuel cells competitive with other sources of power at the present time.  In some situations fuel cells are able to command their premium price because of their other advantages and because they are already competitive with existing technologies on a lifetime cost basis.

Fuel Cells Coming Into View, Kujawa, Michael, fuelcellworks, December 20, 2005

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Honda Enters Solar PV Market With CIGS Cell

December 19, 2005 – Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced it that in 2007 it will begin mass production of an independently developed thin film solar cell composed of non-silicon compound materials, which requires 50% less energy, and thus generate 50% less CO₂, during production compared to a conventional solar cell. A mass production plant with annual capacity of 27.5 megawatts will be established at Honda’s Kumamoto factory.

By using thin film made from a compound of copper, indium, gallium and selenium (CIGS), Honda’s next-generation solar cell achieves a major reduction in energy consumed during the manufacturing process to approximately 50% of the energy required to make conventional crystal silicon solar cells. Thus, this new solar cell is more environmentally-friendly by reducing the amount of CO₂ even from the production stage. Further, this next-generation solar cell has achieved the highest level of photoelectric transfer efficiency for a thin film solar cell (almost equivalent to the conventional crystal silicon solar cell).

Honda will be in direct competition with Kyocera, Sharp and Mitsubishi in the Japanese market.  More importantly Honda will be the first Japanese company to concentrated its activities on non-silicon thin-film solar cells. CIGS cells have been the mainstay of Daystar, a U.S. company and a few other smaller companies. ECD Ovonics is the other leader in thin film solar cells, using amorophous silicon technology, which they claim has the advantage of not using toxic cadnium, which the CIGS cells use.  Early difficulty with the stability with amorphous silicon cells has been overcome according to Ovonics.  Many, including myself, consider the future of solar cells to lie in thin-film solar cells, although silicon manufacturers, especially Sharp have projected dramatic cost reductions by reducing their silicon content and taking advantge of the economies of scale.  Thin film solar cells are more adaptable to high volume production in addition to using less energy to produce and being less costly due to not using silicon.

Honda to Mass Produce Next-Generation Thin Film Solar Cell, Press release, December 19, 2005

Thanks to lead from Clean Break

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Dynamotive Reaches Marketing Understanding

DynaMotive Energy Systems Corporation (OTCBB:DYMTF) announced today that the Company and Mitsubishi Canada Ltd., have entered  into a  wide-ranging Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") which expresses their mutual intentions to develop definitive agreements for marketing and distribution of DynaMotive's patented technology in Canada and internationally. 

Mitsubishi Canada Ltd. and DynaMotive agreed to explore collaboration in the
following areas of interest:

• International trade, market development, logistics and sales and
  distribution of DynaMotive's technology and products
• Financial services including, but not limited to, development of
  financial models, financial resources and risk management capabilities
• Equipment fabrication, distribution and leasing
• Corporate investment in DynaMotive Energy Systems Corp.(potential
  interest).

DynaMotive is an energy systems company focused on the development of innovative
energy solutions based on its patented fast pyrolysis system, previous post.

DynaMotive Announces MOU with Mitsubishi Canada Limited for Marketing and Distribution of
Dynamotives Fast Pyrolysis Technology, Press release, December 20, 2005

Dynamotive, Vancover, BC, CA

More blogs about biofuels, bio-oil, energy, technology

Barnabus Completes Acquisition of Solar Roofing Systems

Barnabus Energy, Inc. (OTC BB: BBSE) announced on December 19 that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to acquire all remaining shares of Solar Roofing Systems. According to the MOU, Barnabus will pay 20% of the purchase price in cash, and the remaining 80% in restricted BBSE shares at $2.00 per share. Total valuation of the acquisition (some of which has already been paid) was set at $20.8 million, based upon projected 2006 sales, with provisions for adjustment upon 2006 financial performance.

Barnabus Energy, Inc. is committed to the development of a Renewable Energy project portfolio. The Company is currently acquiring commercially viable projects within the Renewable Energy sector encompassing diverse aspects of the industry. According to the company website Barnabus's three acquisitions to date are:

• SOLARSAVE,the flagship product of Solar Roofing Systems Inc., a manufacturing company that produces solar-integrated roofing products for low-slope/flat-roof applications and portable solar power products,
• Connect Energy, a full-service PV design company, that specializes in Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV)
• Suncone who is developing an inexpensive concentrating solar system that produces high-temperature solar energy using plastic films.

Barnabus Energy Inc., Solana Beach, California

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Chinese Solar Industry

• The Chinese PV industry plans to grow 400% in the next five years, even though the industry is still in its infancy.
• Production capacity is expected to grow to 820 MW/yr in 2006. 
• Silicon production capacity is growing at an even faster rate, with production of 10,000 tons a year of solar grade silicon planned by 2007. 
• They plan to have a cullmulative 450 MW of solar power installed by 2010.  The goal for 2020 is 8,000 MW of installed capacity.
• Over 250 companies comprise their solar industry.

This are some of the conclusions found in a survey report from SolarPlaza entitled “The Chinese PV Market and Industry”. The press release announcing this publication can be found here.

More blogs about solar power, PV solar, energy, technology

More Proof of Global Warming

Dr Michael Coughlin, head of the National Climate Centre was reported as saying that the world is now hotter than any time since prehistoric times.  He is supported by research using gas trapped in Antarctic ice going back 650,000 years that found that current levels of carbon dioxide in the air are 27% higher than at any tiny time during that period.  This goes along with NASA's report that says that 2005 is the hottest year on record.

Effects that have been attributed to the warming include that the Artic sea ice dropped to its lowest level ever, the record hurricane season and an unprecedented drought that reduced the flow of the Amazon river to its lowest ever rate.  Canada and Australia had their hottest ever weather this year, while India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Algeria suffered heatwaves reaching 50C.

If this isn't strong enough proof that global warming is real, what do you need Mr President?  It certainly should be enough to convince you to take all possible measures to reduce global warming, which should include as its main point the reduction of burning of fossil fuels. The time required for any mitigating measures to have any impact is so great, that all stops have to be pulled out now.  Items that have been repeatedly indicated as being necessary include:

How GE Captures New Energy Markets

An article from Fortune magazine via the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, gives a comprehensive review of General Electrics activities in the energy market. In perhaps the broadest and largest corporate effort anywhere, GE spent $700 million in 2004 on clean-energy R&D--ranging from hydrogen production to solar cells, cleaner coal plants, and biofuels. Their wide variety of activities include:

• Their very successful wind turbine business has sold 5,500 turbines since 2002, with 1,600 to be installed this year.  They hope wind power will eventually supply 20% of U.S.'s total energy.
• They are developing hybrid electric locomotives that they have running on an eight mile long test track, which they will start selling in 2007.
• They have many hydrogen related projects including solid oxide fuel cells for stationary applications, ICE engines modified to run on hydrogen, gas stations that use electrolysis to generate hydrogen, methods of storing hydrogen in man-made nanoparticles or in metal hydrides and thermochemical methods of producing hydrogen.
• GE has been building new high temperature nuclear reactors in Europe and Asia.
• They have teamed with Exxon Mobil and Schlumberger to study how to sequester carbon dioxide.
• They are developing IGCC technology for producing electricity and hydrogen.
• GE is pursuing three ways of using solar cells: developing more efficient solar cells, developing electrochemical cells that produce hydrogen, reducing the size of thermal solar farms from hundreds of acres to tens of acres by improving concentrating solar system efficiency.  An example of their research in solar is the development of nanodiodes--whiskers 1/80,000th the thickness of a human hair--displaying a photovoltaic effect that converts sunlight into electricity.

John K. Reinker, who runs a team of about 60 scientists on hydrogen related subjects, is excited about the sheer scope of GE's energy R&D. "I don't think there is any other company in the world that is looking at so many energy technologies and as a result is able to understand which have the most probability of success." Thomas Edison, GE's original research scientist, would be proud.

More blogs about wind power, hydrogen, fuel cells, solar, nuclear, sequestration, hybrids, coal, alternative energy, renewable, renewable energy, energy

Bioenergy Feedstock Information Network

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) recently redesigned its Bioenergy Feedstock Information Network (BFIN), dramatically increasing ease of access to feedstock related data and analysis. The U.S. Department of Energy's Bioenergy Information Network (BIN), housed at ORNL, had become a central location for information related to biomass and in particular feedstocks. Information available at the site includes:

* Reports  * Fact sheets  * Databases  * Presentations  * Images  * Links
* News  * Events  * Contacts

Biomass feedstock types with information featured on the site includes:

• Agricultural residue
• Forestry residue
• Herbaceous crops
• Municipal/Urban residues
• Oil crops
• Short-rotation woody crops

The new website, renamed Bioenergy Feedstock Information Network (BFIN), is now available publicly at http://bioenergy.ornl.gov

The site's overall design and structure is predicated on primarily two publications: The 2003 Roadmap for Agricultural Biomass Feedstock Supply in the United States and the 2005 Biomass as Feedstock for a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry: The Technical Feasibility of a Billion-Ton Annual Supply. The industry segments, outlined in the Roadmap, help to partially structure the site's content into five distinct supply system processes; harvesting, storage, preprocessing, transportation and system integration. The Billion-Ton study provided the structure by which feedstock types were categorized. The study also drives many of the numbers and projections that form the basis for information on the site.

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With Friends Like This, Do We Need Enemies?

Via NEI Nuclear Notes, abridged

Robert F. Kennedy Jr is quoted from the New York Times stating his reasons why he is opposed to building an offshore wind farm that is proposed to be built near Cape Cod, the site of the Kennedy complex.  Over the past few years he has made his opposition to nuclear energy well known, and made the argument that renewable sources of energy could be used to make up the gap in electrical generation.

Patrick Moore, one of the founders of Greenpeace and now head of Greenspirit Strategies, often mentions the fact that most environmentalists are against so much it's hard to figure out what they're in favor of. This is certainly an example of that type of thinking.

I don't think that Kennedy is necessarily typical of environmentalists, but he certainly does nothing positive for their image.

I do believe that global warming is an urgent environmental concern and believe it cannot be solved with renewable energy alone and that both clean coal technologies with sequestration and nuclear power have a role to play in solving this problem in the short term. There is probably not enough time for either renewable energy or conservation to halt or reverse the effects of global warming before it may cause irreversible damage. Therefore we must take all possible steps to mitigate global warming.  Deploying nuclear energy and clean coal technologies does not mean that any efforts should be spared in pursuing renewable energy or conservation.  In fact efforts in these areas should be accelerated as much as possible.

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Hyundai Fuel Cell Vehicles

December 16, 2005--Hyundai Motor Company delivered the first of 10 Hyundai and Kia Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV) to the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) today. The delivery marked the beginning of a five-year demonstration and validation project designed to evaluate fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen infrastructure technologies.

A team, consisting of Hyundai, Chevron and UTC power, officially began testing to support research into hydrogen-powered fuel cell technology in February 2005 when Chevron opened it first-ever hydrogen energy station at the Hyundai America Technical Center (HATCI) in Chino CA .

In addition to HATCI and AC transit, fleets will also be placed at Southern California Edison and the U.S. Army facilities in Detroit to develop and implement a practical, business-based hydrogen energy infrastructure and associated technologies as a part of the five year program.

Hyundai plans to place two addition Tucson FCEV with AC Transit in early 2006 and will round out the fleet with six Kia Sportage FCEV models in late 2006 and 2007.

While the delivery of the first vehicles in itself is newsworthy, the observation that I have is: Where are the American companies that could have been involved in the development of these vehicles? With all of the controversy now going on about the possible failure of Ford and General Motors, this is just more evidence that these companies are and were not investing their R&D dollars in the right technologies. For the most part American car companies have said that they were not investing in hybrid technologies because the fuel cell was a better answer to our automotive technology requirements. Now they do not have that technology either. Hyundai is a newcomer to automotive technologies, we should be able to beat the pants off of them with the megabucks (formerly) available to our automotive industry. The answer is fairly obvious; the new companies are more flexible, are more open to new ideas and do not have the bureaucracy that stymies adaptation of change.  I do not in any way want to demean the capability or the significance of Hyundai, I am sure their products represent a sigificant contribution to fuel cell technology, certainly more than American car companies are capable of at the present time.

Resource: Hyundai Delivers First Fuel Cell Vehicle to AC Transit to Initiate Fleet Testing Program, Tuscon Post, December 16, 2005

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Sorry about any inconvenience that might have been incurred today.  Typepad was experiencing some technical difficulties today and was unable to provide service for most of the day.  Hopefully everything is OK now.

Steam Turbocharges BMW Engine

BMW Group Research and Engineering has demonstrated a new technology, referred to as the turbosteamer, which recovers heat normally wasted in an internal combustion engine and converts it to additional power.

Heat is recovered from both the exhaust gas and the cooling water to make steam, with the majority of the heat coming from the exhaust.  The steam is then expanded to produce the power which is input to the drive shaft of the engine.  A rather complex cycle with eight components and interconnecting piping, which is shown in the illustration, recovers the heat at various temperatures, superheats the steam and then runs it through two expanders and then uses water exiting the radiator to cool the condensers.  The water from the radiator is circulated through the system in a low temperature circuit, while the steam and steam condensate are circulated through a high temperature circuit with heat exchanged from one circuit to the other to maximize the efficiency.

BMW claims that more than 80% of the heat in the exhaust is recovered.

Testing to date has been in a test rig.  All of the components have been designed so that they will fit in the 3 series. In a test with a 1.8 liter engine, the turbosteamer system reduced fuel consumption by 15% while generating 14 additional horsepower and 20 addition Nm of torque.

Resource: BMW More Efficiency Instead of Power Loss, BMW press release via Autoblog, December 7, 2005

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Myers NmG Electric Vehicle Available Now

The Myers Motor NmG (No more Gas) electric vehicle is a single-passenger, three-wheeled vehicle that has outstanding acceleration, can reach speeds of 70 mph and has a range of 30 miles between charges. A unique driving experience is gained through the NmG’s low center of gravity and its power being delivered via the single rear wheel.

“The NmG fits the way Americans use their cars,” said Dana Myers, president of Myers Motors. “Research shows that 87 percent of all commutes are less than 20 miles and 93 percent of those commutes are with one person only in the vehicle.”

The company calculates that a driver charged 11 cents per kilowatt will pay about 55 cents for the “fill up” that powers the NmG about 30 miles. The pollution-free NmG can be fully recharged in 6 to 8 hours using a 110-volt outlet and less than half that time using a 220-volt outlet.

Cyrium, Solar Cell Developer, Secures Financing

Solar cell developer Cyrium Technologies has secured $3 million in venture capital and officially announced Edward Sloot's appointment as the new CEO.

Cyrium has developed breakthrough technology that will significantly increase photovoltaic solar cell efficiency. They uses quantum dot nano-coatings to increase absorption efficiency and light spectrum on triple junction solar cells. The quantum dots are InAs/GaAs semiconductor layers applied to germanium and gallium arsenide substrates.

The multi-junction solar cells are the most efficient solar cells at about 29% efficiency. They have been used to power satellites for many years and could enter the terrestrial market with an increase in efficiency. Cyrium’s technology can increase the efficiency level of multi-junction solar cells by 50%.

Hidden Thermal Solar Collectors for your House

Dawn Solar Systems Inc. produces renewable energy systems that integrate seamlessly with a building’s architecture, providing energy security and reducing operating costs by replacing fossil fuels and electricity with solar energy.  Residential and commercial systems are available today that can provide electricity along with hot air and water for heating and cooling, all harvested from a shared roof or wall surface.

That is the pitch that Dawn uses to describe their solar collectors hidden under the roof and/or walls of your house.  The system is installed during initial construction or a roof replacement.  Depending upon location and application design, an open or closed loop system can be created as fluids are pumped through the system and cycled through conventional heat transfer and distribution systems.  The following applications can be used with the heat collected in the system.

• Domestic hot water heaters
• Institutional, commercial and industrial process water systems
• Radiant floor heating systems
• Swimming pool heater
• Warm air heating systems
• Remote site or isolated cabin applications
• Integrations with photovoltaic systems
• Attic space cooling
• De-icing

New Annual Energy Outlook Raises Projected Oil Prices

The New Energy Market Outlook Raises Projected World Oil Price Path and Adds More Coal and Nuclear Power

This is the headline announcing the new Annual Energy Outlook (AEO2006).  The lead paragraph is:

World oil markets have been extremely volatile for the past several years and the Energy Information Administration (EIA) now believes that the reference case oil price path in recent editions of the "Annual Energy Outlook" did not fully reflect the causes of that volatility and their implications for future oil prices.  In the "Annual Energy Outlook 2006" (AEO2006) reference case, released today by EIA, world oil supplies are assumed to be tighter, as the combined productive capacity of the members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) does not increase as much as previously projected.  World crude oil prices, expressed in terms of the average price of imported light, low-sulfur crude oil to U.S. refiners, are projected to fall from current levels to about $47 per barrel in (2004 dollars) in 2014, then rise to $54 per barrel in 2025 and $57 per barrel in 2030.  The projected crude oil price in 2025 is about $21 per barrel higher than projected in last year's reference case.

The higher world oil prices in AEO2006 lead to greater domestic crude oil production and increase the demand for unconventional sources of transportation fuel, such as ethanol and biodiesel.  Higher oil prices stimulate domestic coal-to-liquids production
and, in some of the alternative scenarios with even higher oil prices, domestic gas-to-liquids and shale oil production.

I've been waiting to see what EIA would do in their next forecast.  It is in the right direction, a lot more realistic than previous projections, but the prices are still not as high as I would expect. Data in the report is only for the U.S.  They show an average increase of oil prices of only 1.3% in 2004 dollars and an increase in consumption of 1.1% per year.  Renewable energy is projected to increase at a rate of only 1.8% per year which is disappointing.

The tables that are available now are the guts of the full report that will be issued in February and are what most people refer to, so there is not too much to wait for in the full report.  The entire press release, which gives a very good summary of the data, with figures, can be seen by clicking the "press release" link in the lower right hand corner of the link in the following paragraph

The reference case projections from the AEO2006 and an overview of the results are available here.  The reference case represents a baseline projection under existing policies and a given set of assumptions regarding economic, energy market, and technology conditions. 

Algae Used to Mitigate Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Greenshift Industrial Design Corporation (GIDC) has acquired technology that uses a blue-green algae that grows in the environment of hot flue gases found in smokestack.  The algae uses photosynthesis to combine water and the CO2 in the flue gas to grow additional algae and form oxygen and water vapor.  The organisms also absorb nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide, which contribute to acid rain.

GDIC obtained a non-exclusive license from Ohio University for its patented bioreactor technology for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the smokestacks of fossil fueled power plants and exclusive rights to the technology for the air pollution control of exhaust gas streams from all other sources.

The reactor is composed of parabolic mirrors, fiber optic cables and slabs of acrylic plastic called "glow plates". The algae grow on membranes of woven fibers resembling window screens interspersed between the glow plates. Capillary action wicks water to the algae, fiber optic cables channel sunlight into the glow plates, and ducts bring in the hot flue gas. By growing the algae on the membranes a lot of surface area is created.  Thus only a small amount of water is needed.  When the algae grows to maturity it drops to the bottom of the chamber where it can be harvested for use as fuel, fertilizer or a soil stabilizer.

UN: Wind Power Best Weapon Against Global Warming/ Nordex, GE Set Up Facilities in China

Wind power has more potential to provide developing countries with access to cheap and clean energy, according to a UN project.  Thousands of megawatts of new renewable energy potential in Africa, Asia, South and Central America have been discovered by a pioneering project to map the solar and wind resource of 13 developing countries.

The SWERA team has assessed wind and solar energy resources using a range of data from satellites and ground-based instruments -- often with surprising results. In Nicaragua, for example, SWERA assessments of wind resources demonstrated a much greater potential than the 200 megawatts (MW) estimated in the 1980s.

Wind power is the most developed of the renewable energy resources and in many ways is more suited for use in developing countries than PV solar, thermal solar and ocean power.  Its major advantage, of course, is that the technology is fquite mature and it can produce power at costs competitive with fossil fuels.  Many of the componenets for an installation can be fabricated using local labor, not requiring special manufacturing equipment.  Several manufacturers of wind power equipment have set up fabrication and assembly facilities in countries where there products are to be installed.  If some of the components, which are relatively small, cannot be made locally they can easily be imported from more developed countries.  Wind power plants have some geographical limitations, but in many countries they can be installed in both coastal and interior locations--both in plains areas and in hilly or mountanous areas--locations which are generally more diverse than can be used by solar or ocean power technologies.

Breakthrough Oil Shale Technology?

A relatively unknown company, Digital Gas has signed an agreement with an undisclosed private company (PRIVATCO) to use high temperature fuel cells (HTFC) to recover a variety of unconventional hydrocarbon resources, especially shale oil.  The following is their press release announcing the agreement:

Dec. 9, 2005--Digital Gas, Inc. Ann Arbor, MI (OTC Pink Sheets: DIGG - News) announced today that it has signed an agreement to partner with a private US-based company (PRIVATCO) that owns the exclusive rights to a high temperature fuel cell (HTFC) method which is expected to dramatically reduce the cost for oil and gas recovery from a variety of unconventional hydrocarbon resources.

The broadly-patented HTFC approach is designed to make it possible to economically produce oil and gas from unconventional resources, such as oil shale, tar sands, heavy oil deposits, and coal bed methane, while producing electricity as a byproduct. Under the terms of the agreement, Digital Gas intends to make an equity investment in PRIVATCO, be responsible for drilling contract and funding matters on PRIVATCO-controlled properties, and will have the right to use the HTFC method on properties it acquires independent of PRIVATCO, subject to a royalty payment. Digital Gas expects initial HTFC units to be operational during 2006.

AEP NOx Emissions Reduced 70%

American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP - News), the nations largest generator of electricity, reported that its nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions had been reduced by 70%, from 145,762 tons during the 2000 ozone season to 45,945 tons during the 2005 ozone season from May 1 to Sept. 30, while generating 5% more electricity.  Smog, is formed from NOx and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the presence of sunlight and heat. 

The NOx reduction was made possible by installing selective catalytic reduction (SCR) equipment on 14 of its 50 generating units. AEP's SCR systems are designed to reduce NOx emissions by up to 90 percent; however, a majority of AEP's SCR units achieve better than design and industry standards by consistently achieving NOx reductions of 92 to 94 percent.

RoseStreet Labs Licenses High Efficieny Solar Cell Technology

RoseStreet Labs has signed an exclusive license agreement with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) for Multi-Band Semiconductors and High Efficiency Solar Cells. This license complements and expands RoseStreet Labs' existing exclusive license for full spectrum solar cells utilizing unique multijunction technology announced April 19, 2005 with Berkeley Lab and Cornell University.

Solar cells that can capture the light from the full spectrum, that don't let any light pass through are the most efficient. The wavelength that a material can absorb is characterized by a property of the semiconductor called the band gap. By making a solar cell in layers of semiconductors, that when combined, can absorb all of the wavelengths, a very high theoretical efficiency can be obtained.  In previous practice too many layers were required and finding materials with proper matching of the band gaps was difficult. In 2002 Researchers in the Materials Sciences Division (MSD) of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, working with crystal-growing teams at Cornell University and Japan's Ritsumeikan University, learned that the band gap of the semiconductor indium nitride is not 2 electron volts (2 eV) as previously reported, but instead is a much lower 0.7 eV.  The serendipitous discovery means that a single system of alloys incorporating indium, gallium, and nitrogen can convert virtually the full spectrum of sunlight - from the near infrared to the far ultraviolet - to electrical current. (click to enlarge image showing solar spectrum of indium gallium nitride)  Solar cells made with this alloy, promise to be rugged, relatively inexpensive - and the most efficient ever created.  Apparently further research in this area has led to development of solar cell materials that can be made on a practical basis, the technology that RoseStreet Labs has licensed.

Solar Hydrogen from Landfill Gas

SHEC LABS - Solar Hydrogen Energy Corporation, with its partners will deploy the world’s first Solar Hydrogen production station, “SHEC Station #1”, using methane collected from the City of Regina's (Canada) landfill.

The unit produces hydrogen with solar energy as the primary energy input. A solar concentrator, pictured, similar to that used in thermal solar dish electrical generators is used.  The Stirling engine in the electrical generators is replaced by a reaction chamber that receives the solar energy through an iris that can be controlled to regulate the amount of heat being fed to the reactor.  SHEC has developed a solar concentrator that is simple to make using relatively common materials. They developed a process to get the curvatures required to a high degree of accuracy with a manufacturing process that is very inexpensive. 

Solatec Solar Panels for Hybrids

Solatec LLC(TM) announced that it is producing flexible, rooftop-mounted Solar Panels for Hybrid Vehicles, starting with a kit for the 2004-2006 Toyota Prius. A prototype (pictured) has been operating in the Northeast for several months under mixed driving conditions. With Solatec panels installed on the roof, the prototype SolaPrius(R) averages 55 MPG city and 62 MPG highway - an overall 10 percent improvement over the pre-installation numbers. All-season testing is in progress.

Solatec's photovoltaic kit adds two flexible, conformal panels that charge the hybrid automobile's auxiliary battery through a proprietary charger/current-limiter system concealed behind interior trim panels. The self-adhesive, rooftop-mounted panels are only 0.6mm thick and cause no change in aerodynamic drag. The panels are rated for 30 watts at 18 volts.

Development of the hybrid vehicle solar panels came about as a side project of Solatec LLC's solar aircraft research, which uses the same high efficiency flexible photovoltaic panels to sustain the aircraft in flight. The same aircraft grade adhesive is used on both systems.

The $2,195 kits will be available nationwide through dealer franchises. Kits for other hybrid cars are presently in development and testing.

Solatec LLC is a Nevada company engaged in alternative energy research, development and manufacturing. Solatec's main areas of research currently include solar, wind power and geothermal energy.

There have been questions as to why this hasn't been done before.  The miles that have to be driven to recover the cost of the panels, like the miles to be driven to recover the additional cost of a hybrid are likely to be to high to justify the panels on an economic basis.  If your living in the desert (lots of sun), add a few more batteries (more cost) and only have to drive a few miles, you might be able to have the convenience of not having to buy gas very often.  But then an electric vehicle would make more sense.  But there are a lot of people, like me, who would like to have the newest technology, would like the environmental benefits of burning less hydrocarbons and see this as a way of developing technologies that will be necessary as our hydrocarbon fuels become depleted and much more costly.

Resources: New Solar Panels for Hybrid Cars Improve MPG, Press Release, November 6, 2005
Solatec LLC, Wells, NV, USA, Company website

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Shiitake Mushroom Gene Secret to Xylanase Enzyme

From Agricultural Research Service news release:

The Shiitake mushroom thrive on downed wood on the forest floors, turning it into sugars that they use for food.  The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is studying a Shiitake gene that's key to the mushrooms ability to dissolve wood.  Called Xyn11A, the gene carries the instructions that the mushroom uses to make an enzyme known as xylanase. The researchers want to see if a ramped-up version of the gene could be put to work digesting rice hulls or other harvest leftovers.

South African Pebble Bed Reactor Moves Foreward

From Mitsubishi press release:

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. has received two orders from PBMR (Pty) Ltd of the Republic of South Africa related to the core barrel assembly (CBA) of the company's demonstration power plant pebble bed modular reactor. One contract calls for MHI to undertake the basic design of the CBA, an integral component of the reactor pressure vessel, and another is for provision of forgings and procurement of items for the CBA. The contracts, together worth approximately US$15 million (1.8 billion yen), have already been signed.

The PBMR is a safe and cost-efficient reactor that uses silicon carbide-coated uranium particles encased in graphite for fuel spheres, making it free from risk of reactor core meltdown; helium is used as the coolant and energy transfer medium to a closed-cycle gas turbine and generator. The first PBMR commercial operation in South Africa is slated to commence in 2013. In South Africa, electricity demand is expected to increase by 30GW (gigawatts) in the next two decades. Strong support coming in from the South African government is prompting expansion of power generation capacity with the construction of PBMR power plants planned at a rate of three units per year. In 2020, the total number of PBMR units is expected to reach 24 and they are planned to produce 4 GW, about 13% of additional electricity demand.

South Africa sees the Pebble Bed reactor as its lowest cost and quickest answer to its urgent needs for more power. See earlier post for detailed description of pebble bed reactors. Thanks to NEI Nuclear Notes for the lead.

Resource: MHI Receives Orders from South Africa for Basic Design and Procurement Activity
For Core Assembly of Pebble Bed Modular Reactors, MHI Press release, December 7, 2005

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Mitsubishi Ponders Producing Plug-in MIEV?

According to the Chicago Tribune Mitsubishi may introduce a plug-in mini vehicle in the U.S. by 2009.  It would be a four-door, four-passenger car derived from a Mitsubishi Colt that's now sold in Japan.   It would be powered by a 1.1-liter, 3-cylinder gasoline engine and electric motors at the wheels, a MIEV--Mitsubishi In-wheel Electric Vehicle.  With electric motors powering the wheels, it is always driven by the electric motors, the engine being only used to recharge the batteries. This eliminates the need for a conventional transmission and save a lot of space and weight which translates to better mileage.  The estimated recharging time for the lithium-ion batteries would be only 10 minutes.

There seems to be quite a bit of conflict between the Tribune description and what Green Car Congress has to say about developments at Mitsubishi, although the Trib got some info in a phone interview.  Neither Green Car Congress or the Mitsubishi press release have anything to say about a plug-in, only about the concept CT MIEV (shown) to be introduced at the Detroit Motor Show, which is clearly a two  door.  That leaves the questions: Is it more like the MIEV electric that GCG reported on in May with an engine added, is it the 2 door CT MIEV with a plug, is it something else or did the Trib get the facts mixed up? I'm voting for the latter.

Resource: Mitsubishi ponders joining the mini derby despite late start, Chicago Tribune, December 5, 2005

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Xethanol, Forest Products Laboratory to Develop Xylitol Process

Xethanol Corporation (OTCBB:XTHN - News) goal is to be the leader in the emerging biomass-to-ethanol industry by optimizing the use of biomass in the renewable energy field and convert biomass that is currently being abandoned or land filled into ethanol and other valuable co-products, especially xylitol.  Xethanol's strategy is to deploy proprietary biotechnologies that will extract and ferment the sugars trapped in these biomass waste concentrations.  Today they announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Xylose Technologies, Inc. (XTI), has finalized a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) located on the campus of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin.

This CRADA is a cooperative research and development program for the purpose of genetically engineering proprietary yeast strains for the efficient production of xylitol, a low calorie natural sweetener. The feedstock for this process is derived from cellulosic biomass, such as wood chips and corn stalks.  XTI will have the right to commercialize technology developed under the CRADA. XTI currently holds a license for a patented fermentation process to convert xylose into ethanol and xylitol, a technology previously developed by Dr. Jeffries of the FPL. Their existing portfolio of technologies, along with the work being developed under this joint effort with USDA Forest Service, will position XTI to become a low cost, high volume producer of this valuable sweetener.  Although it has been used in this country since the 1960's, demand has been curtailed by high cost and limited, unreliable supply.

Biofuel Plant to be Model of Diversity

A new biofuel plant in Wisconsin will be the states largest ethanol plant, the country's biggest tilapia fish farm, include a biodiesel plant and produce carbon dioxide and corn gluten as by-products. The plant  will have a cogeneration facility for all its power, a waste treatment facility and is own water supply. The facility to be located on the site of the former Cargill Malt facility in Jefferson, which closed in October.  The project calls for a $200 million investment on the 375 acre site and will employ about 150 people, double that of the malting facility.  The company received a conditional use permit on November 28 from the local zoning and planning committees.

Upon completion Jefferson Grain Processors (JPG) will produce 140 million gallons of ethanol per year, making it nearly three times larger than any other ethanol plant in Wisconsin. The biodiesel plant will produce 20 million gallons per year from soybeans, fish waste and animal fats. The by-products of the ethanol production will include 350,000 tones per year of liquid CO2, to be sold to the food industry, and 425,000 tons per year of high protein corn gluten, much of which will be exported to China. The company is also exploring the production of food grade corn oil as part of the process.

Greenhouses Produce, Sell Excess Heat

Using GE’s new Lexan ZigZag sheet polycarbonate roofing material, Hydro Huisman and Corn. Bak BV are constructing greenhouses in the Netherlands that will produce more energy than they use. Lexan ZigZag sheet double-wall roofing panels provide higher light transmission than single glass, and insulation similar to multiwall glass or PC sheet. These energy-efficient properties will enable approximately two-thirds of the heat generated in the greenhouses to be sold as surplus.

ZigZag sheet roofing raises light transmission levels above those of single glass, especially during non-peak hours/seasons, while ensuring outstanding insulation to retain heat. The material is also lighter weight than glass, has excellent flame retardance and easy installation.  It offers a number of key properties. First, its angled design enables the capture of light reflected from the sides of the roof surface, thus increasing the total amount of light transmitted into the greenhouse to 90.9 percent – one to two percent higher than with single glass. Further, when the sun is low on the horizon – during winter months and at dawn and dusk – the material’s channels catch more light than flat glass. Second, the sheet offers insulation properties that are similar to those of double-wall glass; the material retains 45 percent more heat than single glass for substantial savings on energy demand: these savings can range from 20 percent to 40 percent.

Direct Carbon Fuel Cell (DCFC)

SRI International introduced their direct carbon fuels cell (DCFC) technology to the fuel cell research community at the 2005 Fuel Cell Seminar on Monday, November 14.  According to their announcement:

DCFCs convert the chemical energy in coal directly into electricity without the need for gasification. SRI's new DCFC technology has several potential benefits. It produces electricity at a competitive cost from a variety of fuels including coal, coke, tar, biomass and organic waste. In addition, it is two times more fuel-efficient than today's coal-fired power plants, resulting in reduced carbon dioxide emissions. The process produces almost pure carbon dioxide, which can be contained in a concentrated stream and easily captured for downstream use or disposal.

Subaru R1e Electric Car

EVWorldblogs had an update on the Subaru R1e electric car development, that I mentioned in my earlier post that it would have a 125 mile range.  Treehugger reported that the car was 3.3 m (11-foot) long and that the battery lifespan is greater than 150,000 km.

Subaru is one of the first car makers to take advantage of the promising new developments in lithium ion batteries.  They are teaming with NEC to use their fast charge batteries, for which there is very little technical information, except that they can be charged in five minutes to 90% of capacity and have a high energy density - sounds very similar to the A123 technology.  All Bill More of EVWorldblog could say was that they could be as small as a briefcase, depending on the requirements of the vehicle.

The R1e is front wheel drive and has an AC permanent magnet motor with a maximum output of 40 kW. Subaru says that if they can develop a high efficiency, high performance and low cost battery, they believe the potential for the electric vehicle will grow since EV's have a simple structure and design.  The battery can also be used in both the ICE and fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles.  So they are focusing on the development of the battery technology. They have recently decided to develop 10 units as test vehicles for the Tokyo Electric Power Company for delivery by the end of March 2006.  Timing for the U.S. market launch has not been determined.

After Gutenberg also has a post about this car.

I have come to believe that if a low cost EV with a range of 60-100 miles can be developed it will have a good niche market.  As our concerns about energy use become greater a personal car like this could have a place, as a second or third car, in the suburbs for commuting and local trips.  With a five minute charge the versatility is increased greatly.  The primary car would then be a plug-in hybrid for longer trips.

Subaru Electric Car Q&A,  EVWorldblogs, November 29, 2005

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Water Heating Energy Excessive

The United States should reduce the energy it uses to heat water by 25% by 2020, mainly through the use of solar and advanced water heaters.  That is the conclusion of a report, 'A Technology Roadmap' developed by the industry and funded by the Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Program.

The country consumes 100 billion kWh of electricity each year to heat water in homes and apartments, 1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, 900 million gallons of oi and 500 million gallons of LPG.  “This energy comes at a significant cost,” the report notes. The average home spends US$207 per year to heat water, the third-largest household energy expense behind space heating and space cooling. Electric and gas water heaters dominate the residential market, accounting for 99% of units sold and 93% of the energy consumed by water heaters.

Stirling Engine Powers Drone

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has received a patent for a drone powered by a Stirling engine.  The Stirling engine, operating at about 800 C, uses temperature difference to activate its gas-filed pistons.  A parabolic mirror, which tracks the sun, would be used to heat a thermal battery consisting of lithium and lithium hydride.  Heat stored in the battery would then be used to heat the Stirling engines gas, while the cold air outside the plane would provide the cooling for the engine.

Obtaining the correct mixture of lithium hydride and lithium and the materials of construction used in the container for the battery are critical to successful operation of the battery.  According to the patent, lithium hydride has a higher density of energy storage of any known material, but is normally explosive above 700C. By adding a small amount of pure lithium the mixture becomes stable. Containment of the mixture is difficult due to the reactive nature of the lithium, but certain alloys that are described in the patent can be used.  The container must be designed for a very low permeation rate of hydrogen to prevent an excessive pressure from being built up in the container.  A gold coating applied to the inside walls of the container can be used to obtain the desired permeation rate.

This is just a patent now, but LLNL has many secret projects, this could be one of them.  The construction of the battery is extremely sophisticated, my description is much simplified. 

Resources:

Invention: Hot-air plane, New Scientist.com, November 29, 2005
Patent: Solar thermal aircraft, Charles L. Bennett, patent number 20050242232, November 3, 2005

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GreenShift's GDIC Announces Technology That Converts Agricultural Waste into Biofuels

GreenShift Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: GSHF - News) today announced its proprietary new waste treatment technology for livestock and poultry processing facilities. Their process takes the sludge from these facilities and puts it through a process developed by Greenshift Industrial Design Corporation (GDIC) that effectively reduces the volume of DAF sludge by 80% while recovering the majority of the animal fats contained in the sludge. This fat can be cost-effectively converted into biodiesel fuel.

GIDC estimates that the benefit for an average sized meat processing facility is about $400,000 per year.  Mean Green BioFuels gets a fixed supply of refined fat for processing in its planned new biodiesel facilities. Additionally, they plan to eventually add Ovation Product's new water purification technology to these systems to help meat processing facilities reuse as much water as possible.  In addition to the revenues generated by GIDC and MGBC another Greenshift portfolio company, INSEQ Corporation gets manufacturing revenues which are estimated at about $500,000 per system.