The Energy Blog

Great Point's Coal Gasification Process

Cheaper Natural Gas from Coal

Peter Fairley, MIT Technology Review, Jan. 30, 2007

Great Point says that its catalytic process could put coal back in your basement.

In the second half of the 20th century, oil- and natural gas-burning furnaces drove coal out of the home-heating business across North America. But if Great Point Energy--a Boston-area startup with a low-cost process for converting coal into pipeline-grade natural gas--has its way, coal may start keeping us toasty again before long. ...

The process [takes place] in one single, efficient reactor by moving the catalysts into the gasifier itself. The key is a proprietary, recyclable catalyst developed in house with help from gasification and catalysis experts at Southern Illinois University, the University of Toronto, and the University of Tennessee, among others. The catalyst  lowers the amount of heat required to gasify coal and simultaneously transforms the gasified coal into methane. In fact, the heat released in the syngas-to-methane step is sufficient to sustain the gasification, eliminating the need to fire up the reactions with purified oxygen. "It's perfectly heat balanced," says CEO Andrew Perlman. ...

This story is an update on Great Point from my previous more detailed post of April, 26,2006, and familiarizes some of my newer readers with the technology. This technology in many ways is similar to the technology described in yesterdays post about USSEC to turn soybeans into biofuel, but from a much more credible source. 

As Green Technology Grows, So Does Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley Rebounds, Led by Green Technology

Laurie J. Flynn, The New York Times, January 29, 2007

After five years of job losses, Silicon Valley is hiring again. The turnaround coincides with a huge increase of investment in the emerging category of clean environment technology. ...

In Silicon Valley, investment in clean technology — from alternative energy products, like solar panels and hybrid cars, to the use of nanotechnology to solve environmental problems — went from $34 million in the first quarter of 2006 to $290 million in the third quarter, according to an annual report released Sunday by Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network, a research organization in San Jose, Calif. ...

The region first started to show a reversal in late 2005, said Stephen Levy, an economist with the Center for the Continuing Study of the California Economy, a trend he attributed to an increase in worldwide demand for technology products. “Silicon Valley sells more to international markets than any other region, so we can grow as the international market grows, even if the U.S. market isn’t growing.”

It is natural for photovoltaic companies to grow in the home of silicon. The high electronic content of battery powered cars, like Phoenix Motors and Tesla Motors provides an incentive for these companies to locate there.  But this isn't the only place for green technology which is distributed pretty evenly across the country.

Could USSEC Proccess Revolutionize Biofuel Industry?

U.S. Sustainable Energy Corp. (USSEC) (OTC:USSE.PK) announced that they have completed the assembly of their new reactor system located at the USSEC Bioenergy plant and fuel production facility in Natchez, Mississippi. The new reactor includes a number of component upgrades, and process improvements made since introducing the prototype last year. The patent pending process is claimed to be a major advancement for green energy that creates a quality 7-3-7 organic-based fertilizer, while also producing unique biofuel and biogas byproducts at very low cost.

The Rivera Process, named after the inventor, John H. Rivera, CEO of USSEC, is a modified pyrolytic process with hydrolysis. The new reactor is capable of producing 6000 gallons of biofuel daily, producing five gallons of fuel from each bushel of soybean stock -- a conversion ratio three times higher than the ratio for traditional biodiesel. The biofuel has a thermal value similar to petroleum diesel, displays no corrosive behavior, and is resistant to temperatures as low as -70 degrees Fahrenheit. The technology is also claimed to be also to run on cow manure and wood chips.  Further announcements of additional site locations for operation in 2008 are expected by March.

Process Improvements Reduce Ethanol Costs

Engineers Devise New Process To Improve Energy Efficiency of Ethanol Production

Carnegie Mellon University press release, Jan. 26, 2006

Carnegie Mellon University chemical engineers have devised a new process that can improve the efficiency of ethanol production, a major component in making biofuels a significant part of the U.S. energy supply.

Carnegie Mellon researchers have used advanced process-design methods combined with mathematical-optimization techniques to reduce the operating costs of corn-based bio-ethanol plants by more than 60 percent.
   
The key to the Carnegie Mellon strategy involves redesigning the distillation process by using a multicolumn system together with a network for energy recovery that ultimately reduces the consumption of steam, a major energy component in the production of corn-based ethanol.
   
"This new design reduces the manufacturing cost for producing ethanol by 11 percent, from $1.61 a gallon to $1.43 a gallon," said Chemical Engineering Professor Ignacio E. Grossmann. ... "This research is also an important step in making the production of ethanol more energy efficient and economical."

More Hype on the Volt

GM's 30-Person Battery Team; BizWeek Sees Japanese Win on PHEVs

By Felix Kramer, CalCars

A few key clips from the stories, followed by full text:

* The Volt is going some way to persuade cynics that U.S. automakers are finally getting serious about environmental technologies.
* Many industry watchers, especially those in Japan, remain skeptical that the Volt will do much to narrow the gap between GM and hybrid leaders Toyota and Honda.
* While details are scant, Toyota is also working on plug-in hybrids of its own.
* Honda is working on ... plug-in hybrids of its own.
* A breakthrough in Li-ion battery technology...is expected to happen in Japan [from] Sanyo Electric, which supplies hybrid batteries to Honda and Ford, and Panasonic EV Energy, in which Toyota has a 60% stake.   ...

This post, references several articles, full text included, about the GM Volt and the hype it has created, including the speculation that Sanyo will have a battery breakthrough.

Xebra Sparks Interest in Electric Cars

New electric cars spark interest all over Bay Area

Inside Bay Area, January 27, 2007

Xebras, which are made in China, come in lipstick red, ... black-and-white stripes, kiwi green and ocean blue. There's also a pickup truck version, the ZAP Truck Xebra PK, available in blue and white. ... The cars have only three wheels and technically are classified as motorcycles, although you don't need a helmet or a special license to drive one. ... The Xebra sells for around $10,000 and the trucks sell for around $11,000. ... While the cars are cheap to operate, require little maintenance and are easy on the environment, they have significant limitations. You can't take a Xebra on the freeway because it only reaches 40 mph. And they can only travel about 25 miles per charge, or up to 40 miles a day with additional charging, which is accomplished by plugging the cars into an ordinary household 110-volt outlet. I have avoided writing a post on this car, but this article saved me the work for those of your that are interested.

Who is Going to Pay For Renewable Energy?

Energy Research on a Shoestring

New York Times, January 25, 2007 Despite a lot of promises, no one so far has wanted to pay the extra costs to make wind and solar more than a trivial energy source. The intertwined goals of developing domestic energy resources and reducing global warming gases are not necessarily in step with each other.  Despite a lot of promises, no one so far has wanted to pay the extra costs to make wind and solar more than a trivial energy source. Research is uncertain and expensive, and the benefits seem far away. ...

Financing Plan for Renewables Transmission Lines

California ISO Asks Federal Government to Back New Plan for ''Greening the Grid''

California ISO, press release, January 25, 2007

In a precedent-setting move that could have national implications, the California Independent System Operator Corporation (California ISO) filed today with its regulator, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), to approve in concept a financing plan for transmission trunklines to remote locations in order to get green power from multiple users onto the grid. ...

If the new payment mechanism is approved and implemented, it would be a first-of-its-kind means of removing financial barriers that can hinder development of wind, solar, geothermal ... renewable energy resources. ...

“We don’t have a choice as to where these natural resources are located,” said Rich Ferguson research director for the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies. “If we’re going to use these assets to offset less environmentally friendly types of power generation, we need to be able to build the transmission lines that reach those remote locations.” ...

This press release points out very well one of the big problems that renewable energy power plants have in becoming a larger factor in competing with conventional power sources. Even larger problems are expanding the grid so that power can be transmitted to widely separated geographical areas. How these costs should be passed on to the consume, must be determined before financing these projects can go foreword.

Unfortunately affordable high temperature superconducting (HTS) transmission cables are still years away from widespread use, even though significant progress is being made. See Amercan Superconductor Reports Out sanding Progress, ACCC (Aluminum Conductor Composite Core) cable and Second Generation Superconducting Cable Energized, for some of the developments being made in newer technologies for our transmission lines.

 

New Platiinum-Nickel Alloy Catalyst for Fuel Cells?

A Boost for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Research

Lawernce Livermore Labs, Berkley, CA — The development of hydrogen fuel cells for vehicles, the ultimate green dream in transportation energy, is another step closer.  Researchers, led by Vojislav Stamenkovic, in the Materials Sciences Division with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) have identified a new variation of a familiar platinum-nickel alloy that is far and away the most active oxygen-reducing catalyst ever reported.

The researchers identified the platinum-nickel alloy configuration Pt₃Ni(111) as displaying the highest ORR activity that has ever been detected on a cathode catalyst – 10 times better than a single crystal surface of pure platinum(111), and 90 times better than platinum-carbon.   

“This surface sets a new bar for catalytic activity in PEM fuel cells and makes it feasible to meet U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) targets for platinum-specific power densities without a loss in cell voltage,” Stamenkovic said. ...

Ford Unveils Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle

Tech Trifecta: Ford Unveils Fuel Cell, Hybrid Electric Edge, with a Plug!

Ford press release via Autoblog Ford cut the fuel cell's size, weight and cost in half and said their approach would double the lifespan of the fuel cell's stack. Ford's plug-in hybrid Edge operates in "battery only" mode for the first 25 miles, moving at speeds of up to 85 mph. When the battery is depleted to 40 percent, it seamlessly shifts to the fuel-cell mode, which recharges the battery for 200 more miles of range. ....

AWEA Says US Wind Power Grew 27% in 2006

Wind Power Capacity in US Increased 27% in 2006 and is Expected to Grow an Additional 26% in 2007

AWEA press release

Wind power generating capacity increased by 27% in 2006 and is expected to increase an additional 26% in 2007, proving wind is now a mainstream option for new power generation, according to a market forecast released recently by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). Wind's exponential growth reflects the nation's increasing demand for clean, safe and domestic energy, and continues to attract both private and public sources of capital. ...

A123 Receives Additional $40 Million in Financing

Battery Maker Receives $40M Jolt

By info@redherring.com (RedHerring) on Energy

A123Systems said Thursday it raised $40 million in its fourth round of venture capital funding, bringing the total for the battery maker to $102 million. A123Systems will use funding to expand product line and increase manufacturing. ....

Bodmans Comments on the State of Union Address Regarding Energy

Various news agencies reported on Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman's statements at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting, that the U.S. "will need to have more imports of ethanol," if it is to meet the new mandate to cut gasoline use.

Bodman also said that he did not see a 51-cent-a-gallon subsidy to U.S. farmers remaining in place beyond 2010 or import tariff on ethanol of 54 cents a gallon beyond 2008.  These remarks were made in regard to Bush's proposal outlined in Tuesday's State of the Union address in which the president said that he aims to cut gasoline use by 20 percent by 2017, mostly by replacing the fuel with ethanol, and by expected improvements in automobile fuel economy. (see previous post)

"The idea is that at some point in the future all these technologies need to stand the test of the free market," Bodman said.

Another report quoted Bodman as saying that the U.S. "must go beyond corn" to increase ethanol supplies. Corn could produce only 12 billion to 15 billion gallons of fuel a year, so the nation must develop ways to derive ethanol from plant waste.

New Report Finds Huge Power Potential in Geothermal Resources

The thermal energy stored in the Earth's crust could be converted into electricity to provide a substantial portion of future U.S. power needs, probably at competitive prices and with minimal environmental impact, according to a new study, MIT press release, full report (14 MB pdf), sponsored by DOE and led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). A 21-member expert panel released a report that examines the potential to tap into the heat in Earth's crust and convert it into electricity. The report found the potential to generate 100,000 megawatts of power from geothermal resources within 50 years. That's roughly one-tenth of the total generating capacity that exists in the United States today.

While today's geothermal power plants draw from underground reservoirs of hot, permeable rock containing significant amounts of water or steam, the MIT-led panel specifically examined enhanced geothermal system (EGS) technology, which involves creating such geothermal reservoirs in areas that lack either the water or the permeability, or both. Such technologies were previously tested by DOE in New Mexico and are currently being explored in Europe and Australia. See my previous post and the EGS technology description on the DOE Geothermal Program Web site.

EEStor in Technology Review

Tyler Hamilton, known to bloggers as the publisher of the Clean Break blog has authored a comprehensive article about EEStor that appeared in the January 22 issue of MIT's Technology Review. The article reviews the claims of the company, Tyler gets a rare interview with Richard Weir, EEStor's co-founder and chief executive officer and talks to several experts that are skeptical about the capacitor based electrical energy storage unit (EESU). The article was timed based on EEStores "milestone" announcement that was reported in an earlier post indicating:

1) That it remains on track to begin shipping production 15 kilowatt-hour EESU to ZENN Motor Company in 2007 for use in their electric vehicles.
2) An automated production line has been proven to meet the requirements for precise chemical delivery, purity control, parameter control and stability of its barium nitrate powder.
3) The company has completed the initial milestone of certifying purification, concentration, and stability of all of its key production chemicals notably the attainment of 99.9994% purity of its barium nitrate powder.
4) EEStor is now in the process of producing on its automated production line, composition-modified barium titanate powders and is moving toward completing its next major milestone of powder certification.

Bush's Energy Reduction Executive Order Includes Provisions Requiring Purchase of Plug-in Vehicles

On Wednesday President Bush issued an executive order stating that:

"It is the policy of the United States that Federal agencies conduct their environmental, transportation, and energy-related activities under the law in support of their respective missions in an environmentally, economically and fiscally sound, integrated, continuously improving, efficient, and sustainable manner."

He instructed government agencies to take eight steps to reduce energy consumption, two of which I am focusing on.

1) If agencies operates a fleet of at least 20 motor vehicles 

(i) reduce the fleet's total consumption of petroleum products by 2 percent annually through the end of fiscal year 2015,
(ii) increases the total fuel consumption that is non-petroleum-based by 10 percent annually, and
(iii) use plug-in hybrid (PIH) vehicles when PIH vehicles are commercially available at a cost reasonably comparable, on the basis of life-cycle cost, to non-PIH vehicles

Sol X Signs Agreement with GSS to Produce Solar Concentrator Modules

Silicon Valley Solar (SVS), maker of the Sol-X internal concentrator solar modules, announced today that they have finalized an agreement with GSS that will accelerate the market introduction of the company’s Sol-X2 internal concentrator solar modules. The contract defines specific product, process and equipment development that will be executed by GSS to ensure that SVS’s module design can be seamlessly produced on the GSS manufacturing line.

This is an important milestone in the scale-up of our company”, offered Dave Shannahan, president of SV Solar. “We have been evaluating potential manufacturing partners to enable us to meet the demand for our module technology on an accelerated schedule. This agreement is a perfect complement to the 10MW purchase order we secured from Pacific Power Management in December.”

“GSS is an integral part of the German solar industry, having won numerous awards and provided innovative solutions for companies such as Conergy AG, Q-Cells AG and Shell Solar GmbH," added Patrick Callinan, CEO of SV Solar.

Production samples from the new venture are anticipated to ship in late Q1 of this year, with volume ramping up over the latter half of 2007. GSS has the capacity to produce nearly 100,000 modules per year (16MWp), and it is anticipated that the company will represent a significant portion of SVS’s initial annual production.

The State of the Union on Energy

In his State of the Union Address, President Bush called for an energy agenda having these main points. The complete text of his six paragraphs on energy policy are found in the continuation.

1) Greater use of coal, solar, wind and nuclear
2) Battery research for plug-in and hybrid vehicles
3) Expand the use of clean diesel vehicles
4) Greater emphasis on cellulosic ethanol
5) Reduce gasoline usage by 20 percent in the next ten years by
     5a) Setting a mandatory Fuels Standard of 35 billion
           gallons of renewable and alternative fuels in 2017
     5b) Adopting fuel economy standards for cars to conserve
           eight and a half billion gallons of gasoline by 2017

I don't really have any objection to these points, except to say that I think we could reduce gasoline consumption by more than 20% by having even higher economy standards for cars and a really good push on batteries and plug-ins, electric cars ought to be included, we ought to include butanol and geothermal in our stable of renewable fuels, we need an a greater effort on more efficient power transmission technologies if we are going to take full advantage of renewable energy sources and we should place a high priority on energy storage technologies.

The best way to encourage better batteries would be to require the post office to replace its fleet with electric vans and require the other government agencies to use efficient hybrids. By the time laws were enacted and RFP's written a couple of years would pass by and the technology would be even better.

The only money we need to spend on coal technology is to encourage IGCC plants and carbon capture technologies, this program is pretty well in place, if more money would speed it up all the better. Getting the money that has been authorized into the budget and released is probable all that is needed.

I know that increased use of coal and nuclear will be controversial among many of my readers, but I don't see any way other technologies can take their place in the next 25 to 50 years. I am sure there are those of you that think that government spending for energy technologies is not necessary, that market forces would provide all the incentives that are needed.  This is too much of a risk. The cost of our liquid fuels are increasing at too high a rate, despite the recent lull, and if we are not to have drastic economic effects we must push on with alternative energy sources before this happens. All the money we need for these programs could come from reducing the subsidies on hydrogen, fuel cells and the oil industry.

Sunopta Updates Cellulosic Ethanol Projects

SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL) (TSX:SOY) has provided an update on the four cellulosic ethanol projects which are or will be operational using SunOpta's patented technology and equipment to produce ethanol from cellulosic biomass.

Abengoa Bioenergy R&D Inc. (Abengoa)

Key components of SunOpta's patented equipment and technology have recently been shipped to Spain for the start up of the Abengoa wheat straw to ethanol facility. This project is expected to start up in the summer of 2007 (delayed from Dec 2006) and will be the first commercial production facility in the world producing cellulosic ethanol from wheat straw. Abengoa is the largest producer of ethanol in Europe.

This 5-million-liter per year (1.3-million-gallon per year) facility will be built in Babilafuente (Salamanca), Spain and is located adjacent to an existing 195-million-liter (52 million gallons per year) cereal grain to ethanol plant operated by Abengoa.

UK Firm, Green Biologics, Awarded $1.1 Million to Develop Biobutanol

Green Biologics Ltd (GBL), an Oxfordshire biotechnology company, was awarded £560,000 (US$1.1 million) to boost 'green' fuel development, specifically biobutanol, with £250,000 (US$500,000 ) funding from the Department of Trade and Industry-led Technology Program and £310,000 (US$610,000) from shareholder investors and business angels.

Butafuel™, their patented biobutanol, is an advanced transportation biofuel based on butanol. Butanol is derived from waste plant material (cellulosic biomass) offering a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future.

Biobutanol is produced by the clostridial fermentation of starch and sugars, a process first commercialised in 1916 to produce acetone for munitions for the war effort but which was displaced in the 1950s by a cheaper petrochemical method.

GBL plans to develop a way of manufacturing biobutanol which will slash the cost of production by up to a third. Biobutanol is currently used as a chemical feed for stock but high production costs have prevented it being widely used as a fuel. Butanol is a liquid fuel that can be readily integrated into the existing fuel infrastructure, it has a high energy yield, similar to gasoline; low vapor pressure and can easily be stored, handled and transported via pipelines.

CitiBus Hybrid Distribution Network Set UP

Azure Dynamics Corporation (TSX: AZD & LSE: ADC) a developer of hybrid electric and electric powertrains for commercial vehicles, has announced with its shuttle bus partner StarTrans, a business division of Supreme Corporation (AMEX: STS), that it has signed nine bus distributors across North America for the marketing and sales of the CitiBus Hybrid Senator HD (“CitiBus”) hybrid electric shuttle buses.

Azure estimates that approximately 70% of the targeted shuttle bus market in the US and Canada is covered by this distributor network.

"More than 10,000 shuttle buses are sold each year in North America and with federal and state funded subsidization programs available in the U.S. for shuttle bus operators that adopt environmentally cleaner hybrid solutions, this sector represents a compelling opportunity for both Azure and StarTrans,” said Campbell Deacon, CEO of Azure Dynamics.

Electovaya Launces Higher Energy Density, Lower Cost "MN-Series" Li-ion Battery

Electrovaya Inc. (OTC: EFLV.PK), Toronto, Canada has launched the "MN-Series" Lithium Ion SuperPolymer® battery technology. The MN-Series, which is a Lithiated Manganese Oxide based system, differentiates itself from Electrovaya's Phosphate-Series solution with up to 50% higher energy density while retaining its safety characteristics.

Their website states that their proprietary Lithium Ion SuperPolymer® batteries have an energy density of 470-watt hours per liter, a higher energy density than other rechargeable battery technology currently in commercial production. This would make the the energy density of the MN-series batteries on the order of 700 Wh/liter. The higher energy density directly contributes to their batteries having significantly longer run-times for their size (my italics) than any rechargeable batteries currently in commercial production.

Electrovaya's proprietary Lithium Ion SuperPolymer® technology is independent of the composition of the positive electrode active material. As such, advances in positive electrode chemistry, such as the MN-Series, are expected to enable better technical performance and safety characteristics at more economical price-points. Their previous batteries were claimed to be cost competitive with other manufacturers of lithium ion or lithium ion polymer batteries, so we should expect some reduction in price.

SOM Designs Zero Energy Chinese Skyscraper

The 71-story, 2.2-million-square-foot Pearl River Tower, in the new city of Guangzhou, China, being built for the China National Tobacco Corp., is a “net”-zero-energy building designed by the storied architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), New York City, scheduled for completion in 2009.  The firm has set its sights on redefining one of its bread-and-butter project types, the corporate headquarters, into a model of high-tech sustainability

The Pearl River Tower epitomizes the super tall corporate headquarters building of tomorrow as an iconic, high performance structure, that is designed so that it potentially produces as much energy as it consumes. The building’s form guides wind to a pair of openings at its mechanical floors. The winds drive turbines that generate energy for the building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. The openings also provide structural relief, by allowing wind to pass through the building instead of pressing against it.

Tesla Update

Via EE Times: Following the introduction of its first electric car, startup Tesla Motors on Jan. 8 dropped hints about a next-generation sports sedan for the 2009 time frame. The car will boast the equivalent of 110 miles per gallon and will continue to use off-the-shelf lithium ion batteries. According to Winding Road the sedan is said to take on the BMW 5-Series, the rear-drive vehicle will be sold globally, with a more ambitious volume target of 10,000-20,000 units per year. The as-yet-unnamed second model will likely ride on a chassis made of lightweight steel. The sports sedan will cost between $50,000 and $75,000  and have room for five adults and a full-sized trunk.

EEStor on Schedule to Deliver Units to ZENN

At last some more news about EEStor. The biggest news is that they are on schedule to deliver their first products to ZENN:

The first commercial application of the Electrical Energy Storage Units (EESU) is intended to be used in electric vehicles under a technology agreement with ZENN Motors Company. EEStor, Inc. remains on track to begin shipping production 15 kilowatt-hour EESU to ZENN Motor Company in 2007 for use in their electric vehicles. The production EESU for ZENN Motor Company will function to specification in operating environments as sever as negative 20 to plus 65 degrees Celsius, will weigh less than 100 pounds, and will have ability to be recharged in a matter of minutes.

Additionally in a company press release they outlined meeting several milestones:

1) An automated production line has been proven to meet the requirements for precise chemical delivery, purity control, parameter control and stability.

Long Island Utility Seeks to Build a 5-Megawatt Fuel Cell Power Plant

The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) has issued a request for proposals to construct and operate a 5-megawatt fuel cell power plant in Long Beach, New York. The fuel cell system will have a symbiotic relationship with a natural gas distribution hub located on the site, drawing its fuel from the distribution pipeline while warming the natural gas in the pipeline with the heat generated by the fuel cells. This cogeneration approach—using both the heat and electricity generated by the fuel cell—makes the most efficient use of the natural gas fuel. This project would be the first of its kind in the nation and may, when completed, be the largest commercial fuel cell system in the world. Proposals are due February 16, 2007, selection of the winning proposal is scheduled for June 30, and commercial operation scheduled for one year from the effective date of the authorization. See press release for more details.

Free Solar Power for Staples

The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF), Staples and SunEdison hosted a dedication ceremony on Jan. 16 to unveil the largest solar power installation in New England at Staples’ 300,000-square-foot retail distribution center in Killingly, Connecticut. The solar power installation, built at no capital cost to Staples, was made possible through the collaborative effort of CCEF, which provided a $1.7 million grant for the project, and SunEdison, which financed the remaining costs of the project and designed and installed the system.

Is this the way we want to see our solar projects financed?  Or is this type of financing necessary to enable expansion of the industry so it is more competitive with conventional power?  I certainly think that the end user should pay a share of the costs. I don't especially blame Staples for taking advantage of a business opportunity.

Bill Would Cap and Reduce Greenhouse Emissions

Sens Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.), along with co-sponsors, Senators Snowe, Obama, Collins, and Lincoln, have introduced the Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act of 2007. The bill contains a “declining cap” provision that cuts emissions steadily over time, managing costs while reducing pollution. The bill caps the global warming emissions of the electric power, industrial, transportation, and commercial sectors of the economy at year 2004 levels by 2012. It then lowers that cap steadily, to cut total U.S. emissions by two-thirds from year 2004 levels by 2050.

Lieberman had this statement on his website:

The most bipartisan of the Senate proposals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across all major sectors of the US economy, the new bill quickly won endorsements from the National Wildlife Federation, Environmental Defense, and the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. ...

The 2005 version of the Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act would have capped US greenhouse gas emissions at year 2000 levels without mandating further reductions. The new bill (S. 280) will gradually lower the emissions cap, such that it reaches approximately one third of 2000 levels by 2050. Those long-term reductions will forestall catastrophic, manmade climate change, provided the world’s other major economies follow suit within the next decade. Like the 2005 version, the reintroduced bill controls compliance costs by allowing companies to trade, save, and borrow emissions credits, and by allowing them to generate “offset” credits by inducing non-covered businesses, farms, and others to reduce their emissions or capture and store greenhouse gases. The reintroduced bill, however, increases the availability of borrowing and offsets in order to control costs further. ...

Ford Airstream Fuel Cell PHEV

The Chevrolet Volt was not the only PHEV concept at the Detroit Auto Show. Ford Motor Company debuted a hydrogen-fueled, battery-powered plug-in in the new Airstream concept vehicle. Hardly a credible showing in my opinion.

In their press release they describe the car as follows:

The system, called HySeries Drive™, is powered by a 336-volt lithium-ion battery pack at all times and has a range of 25 miles on a full electric power. Once the battery pack is depleted by about 40 percent, the hydrogen-powered fuel cell begins generating electricity to recharge the batteries, increasing range another 280 miles, for a total driving range of more than 300 miles.

A Chinese Built PHEV?

CalCars has the full text of three stories reporting on Malcolm Bricklin, "a wild card, a high-flyer and a crash-lander," who says he is now working on prototypes for a series PHEV that could cost $25-$30K.

According to the Washington Post, Bricklin, chairman and chief executive of Visionary Vehicles, is tenacious. Bricklin brought Subaru, the gull-winged Bricklin SV-1 and Yugo automobiles to North America from the late 1960s through the early 1980s. Some of his ventures, such as that with Subaru, were bona fide successes. Others, such as that with the Bricklin SV-1 and the ill-fated Yugo, were dismal failures.

According to Reuters the car would use technology similar to that proposed by GM in their Cheverlot Volt concept car, but with a smaller engine. He said a working proof of concept would be built in six months and that the cars would be in production by 2009.

USA Today quotes him as saying that he's in talks with 15 Chinese manufacturers about building the cars in China to take advantage of low wages and modern equipment. "Use the Chinese advantage to make it cheaper" he says, "instead of it being $3,000 more."

Phoenix Announces Receipt of 75 Fleet Orders

Phoenix Motorcars has announced the receipt of 75 fleet orders from several municipalities and an utility company for its new zero-emission, all-electric, freeway-ready sports utility truck.

The company, which is on target to manufacture and sell 500 fleet-ready vehicles by year’s end, will produce 16 pilot-build vehicles next month.

The Phoenix Motorcars sport utility truck can cruise on the freeway at up to 95 m.p.h. while carrying five passengers and a full payload, a capability that has caught the attention of fleet dealers, consumers, Hollywood and the media. It exceeds all specifications for a Type III ZEV and has a driving range of 130 miles. Its Altairnano's NanoSafe™ battery pack can be recharged in less than 10 minutes, with a 480V recharger and has a life-span of 12 years or more. Phoenix is currently working on an expanded battery pack that will allow a 250-mile range, still permitting a 10-minute charge. It will be available in late 2007.

Medicine Bow CTL Facility Agrees to Sell its Diesel to Sinclair Oil Corporation

Medicine Bow Fuel & Power LLC, a subsidiary of DKRW Advanced Fuels LLC, announced that it has entered into a long-term contract to sell 100% of the ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel from its planned coal-to-liquids (CTL) facility in Medicine Bow, Wyoming, to Sinclair Oil Corporation, which will market the fuel in the Rocky Mountain region.

The planned Medicine Bow project (see previous post), which includes a coal mine and adjacent CTL facility, will use an indirect liquefaction process to convert coal resources into refined products that meet critical energy needs while reducing the environmental concerns associated with coal combustion.

The CTL facility will utilize General Electric Company's coal gasification technology to produce synthetic gas. The synthetic gas will be cleaned so that substantially all of the sulfur and carbon dioxide (CO2) is removed. This process significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts associated with the traditional use of coal as a boiler fuel. The syngas will then be liquefied using Fischer- Tropsch technology licensed from Rentech, Inc. (Amex: RTK - News). A further refining process will produce the ultra-low-sulfur diesel product that is expected to exceed current environmental emission standards in the region.

Raser Enters Geothermal Power Business

Raser Technologies, Inc. (NYSE Arca: RZ) , a technology licensing company, reported that it has secured geothermal rights to certain Nevada properties owned by Truckee River Ranches, LLC, under the terms of a 50-year lease agreement.

Brent M. Cook, CEO of Raser, stated, "This lease offers Raser an excellent starting point to launch into the geothermal power generation spaces utilizing our recently acquired heat-transfer technologies. We expect to move rapidly into the development phases of this exciting resource during 2007. We believe that developing geothermal power projects will be a significant addition to Raser's business."

The heat-transfer technology involves binary cycle generation, in which the steam or water from the geothermal reservoir never comes into direct contact with the blades of the turbine generator. This method has a competitive advantage when used for water-based geothermal resources of generally low temperature, ranging from approximately 93 to 183 degrees C, but it works at higher temperatures as well.

Hydrogenics Signs Distribution Agreement With LiftOne

Hydrogenics Corporation (NASDAQ:HYGS - News), a designer and manufacturer of hydrogen and fuel cell systems, announced it has entered into a distribution agreement with LiftOne, a division of Carolina Tractor.

A full-service material handling dealership, LiftOne is Hydrogenics' first distributor for the company's HyPX(TM) Fuel Cell Power Pack product for lift trucks. Under the agreement, LiftOne will market, sell, and service the HyPX fuel cell solution to potential end-users in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

GS AgriFuels Completes Investment in Biorefinery Operator

GS AgriFuels Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: GSGF - News) announced that it recently acquired a 14.3% stake in Missoula, MT-based Sustainable Systems, Inc., ("Sustainable") an agricultural company focused on high-value culinary oil, biobased fuels, and bioproducts obtained by crushing oilseeds.

In addition, GS AgriFuels received a purchase order from Sustainable for a ten million gallon per year biodiesel system through its wholly-owned subsidiary, NextGen Fuel Inc. Fabrication of the biodiesel system is expected to begin later this year for co-location at Sustainable's Culbertson, Montana oilseed crush plant. The system, which is being manufactured by Warnecke Design in Van Wert, Ohio, is expected to operate using various vegetable oilseed crops that grow in the region of the existing crush plant.

The biodiesel system being purchased by Sustainable Systems, Inc. represents NextGen's fifth customer order for equipment in the past 90 days - in total representing 40 million gallons of annual production capacity.

Catching Up

Here are some of the items I have missed the last couple of weeks that are of some significance.

Abengoa S.A. the $3 billion Spanish based energy company, best known to The Energy Blog readers for its efforts in ethanol and cellulosic ethanol  has formed Solucar Power, Inc., a new U.S. subsidiary that will handle market development in solar energy using concentrating solar power (CSP) (Their techology is usually referred to as themal solar which concentrates solar energy onto a fluid. CSP is usually defined as a technology that concentrates solar energy onto a PV cell ) technologies.  Abengoa will initially focus on parabolic trough technology. Solucar Power has purchased Industrial Solar Technology (IST) Corporation's assets and technology in solar troughs. IST, based in Denver, Colorado, has 20 years' experience in CSP with IST systems delivering hot water, air conditioning, district heat, steam and potable water from a desalination unit, but not electricity generation. Abengoa recently completed an 11 MW central receiver plant in Spain and has started construction of a 20 MW plant.

According to this press release, Katabatic Power Corp., a privately held wind energy developer, announced a joint venture with Deutsche Bank AG to develop a 3,000 MW wind farm, the world's largest, located in Northwest British Columbia (BC). Under the terms of the joint venture, Katabatic will develop the first 700 MW of the full 3,000 MW Banks Island wind resource over the next two years, with construction to commence in early 2009.

Phoenix Places Large Order to Altair, Altair Receives 16.6% Ownership in Phoenix

Altair Nanotechnologies Inc. (Nasdaq: ALTI) entered into an exclusive three year supply agreement with Phoenix Motorcars and in return has received a 16.6% ownership of Phoenix.

Altair has received a purchase order for its NanoSafe™ 35 KWh battery pack systems from California-based Phoenix Motorcars for $1,040,000 for battery pack systems scheduled for delivery in February and March 2007.

In addition, the company announced it has entered into a multi-year purchase and supply agreement with Phoenix under which Phoenix has projected orders for 2007 between $16 and $42 Million for up to five hundred battery pack systems.

$42,000,000/500 = $84,000 -- This doesn't make sense. What's wrong?

Publishers Note

As regular visitors must have noted, I have been publishing posts at a much slower rate than usual during the past couple of weeks.  I have been incapacitated by a bout with some unknown bug and have not had the energy to publish posts on The Energy Blog during some of that time. I believe that I am now gaining strength, but I may not be able to publish posts as frequently as I would like to for a little while longer.

I appreciate your patience and continued comments on the limited posts I have been able to get out.

Jim

GM Unveils Volt Plug-in Hybrid

The new Chevrolet Volt, which was unveiled Sunday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, is a new type of plug-in hybrid. The four passenger Volt runs exclusively on battery power, but a gas-fueled engine charges the battery which powers the drive motor. The batteries can also be charged by plugging in to a 110 V power source. 

"Today's vehicles were designed around mechanical propulsion systems that use petroleum as their primary source of fuel." said Jon Lauckner, GM vice president of Global Program Management. "Tomorrow's vehicles need to be developed around a new propulsion architecture with electricity in mind. The Volt is the first vehicle designed around GM's E-flex System."

The vehicle on display at the auto show is a concept car, but GM intends to develop a production version.

UCS Asserts That ExxonMobil is Clouding Understanding of Climate Change to Delay Action on the Issue

A new report, Smoke, Mirrors & Hot Air, from the Union of Concerned Scientists asserts that ExxonMobil has adopted the tobacco industry's disinformation tactics, as well as some of the same organizations and personnel, to cloud the scientific understanding of climate change and delay action on the issue. According to the report, ExxonMobil has funneled nearly $16 million between 1998 and 2005 to a network of 43 advocacy organizations that seek to confuse the public on global warming science.

"When one looks closely, ExxonMobil's underhanded strategy is as clear and indisputable as the scientific research it's meant to discredit," said Seth Shulman, an investigative journalist who wrote the UCS report.  "The paper trail shows that, to serve its corporate interests, ExxonMobil has built a vast echo chamber of seemingly independent groups with the express purpose of spreading disinformation about global warming."

The Liquid Chimney Battles CO2

The liquid chimney is claimed to be a unique solution to the problem posed by the CO2-laden exhaust created by coal and natural gas furnaces, which together account for about half of America’s greenhouse gas emissions. The basic technology for liquid chimneys - so called because the exhaust from a power plant is filtered through an alkaline scubber - has been around for decades.

Invented by Fremont, Ohio resident Tom Kiser, shown left, a heating and ventilation engineer turned entrepreneur whose biggest claim to fame is his work on the Ford Motor Company’s famed ecologically designed Rouge River Complex, the liquid chimney could be one of the key solutions in the effort to halt climate change. If it works on a commercial scale, it could lead to a dramatic reduction in global CO2 emissions.

Kiser is working on making his patent pending system more efficient and believes that he is close to a working model that could be retrofitted to existing industrial furnaces or boilers that run on natural gas. Eventually he hopes to get the technology to work with any fossil fuel, including coal. What makes the system more economical is that the chimney captures wasted heat, which boosts the efficiency of the system and saves on fuel costs.