The Energy Blog

UOP to Develop Biofuel Technology for Military Jets

UOP Project sponsored by Defense Department to Develop Process for converting vegetable and algal oils to Jet Propellant-8 (JP-8)

Based on UOP press release - UOP LLC, a Honeywell (NYSE: HON) company, announced today it will accelerate research and development on renewable energy technology to convert vegetable and algal oils to military jet fuels.

The goal of the $6.7 million project funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), is to develop and commercialize a process to produce Jet Propellant 8 (JP-8) used by U.S. and NATO militaries.

“The focus of our renewable energy efforts has been to develop technologies that align with today’s standard refinery practices, but allow a broader range of feedstock options,” said Jennifer Holmgren, director of UOP’s Renewable Energy and Chemicals business unit. “We are confident that we have assembled a strong team of experts that will be successful in proving the viability of biofeedstock technologies for JP-8 and other jet fuels, while offering the U.S. military another option for sustainable liquid fuels critical to their programs.”

UOP will work with Honeywell Aerospace, Cargill, Arizona State University, Sandia National Laboratories and Southwest Research Institute on the project, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2008. Fuel produced by the new process is expected to achieve 90 percent energy efficiency for maximum conversion of feed to fuel, reduced waste and reduced production costs. UOP expects the technology will be viable for future use in the production of jet fuel for commercial jets.

ZAP Announces Second High-Performance Electric Vehicle in Development

According to a recent press release, Electric car producer ZAP (OTC BB: ZAAP) is developing a new electric vehicle that is more affordable for consumers. With a targeted price of $30,000, ZAP says the technology for the new vehicle is similar to that of an electric SUV concept announced earlier this year called ZAP-X (earlier post), but will be available sooner.

ZAP says that the initial concept phase for the new vehicle is complete.  The targeted price is $30,000, top speed in excess of 100 mph and range of 100 miles per charge.  Many of the technologies already specified for the ZAP-X electric car concept will be applied to the new vehicle, but delivery is expected to be sooner than the ZAP-X.  CEO Steve Schneider said more details of the new vehicle will be presented at the annual shareholder meeting, July 29 in Santa Rosa, California.

This certainly makes more sense than the ZAP-X and it will appeal to a much larger set of customers.

Can U.S. Adopt Europe's Fuel-Efficient Cars?

The Wall Street Journal had an article in the July 26 issue that poses this problem.  It may be worth your read to ponder this question. A few brief excerpts:

... car makers in the foreseeable future will likely have to build fleets that average about 35 miles per gallon. But what kinds of cars and trucks will gasoline-guzzling Americans drive to achieve that average?

The answer would seem to lie in Europe, where fuel prices are roughly double U.S. ... more than half of the vehicles ... diesel-powered engines. ... Vehicles in Europe ... average of 35 mpg. ...

cars in Europe are more expensive, pound for pound, and typically far less powerful than the vehicles Americans have come to expect.

These statements seem to be the main concerns that Americans may have to face up to, but what are the answers.  The WSJ offers a few. Read on

1.2 MW Tidal Energy Turbine Ready for Installation

According to a June 6, 2007 press release by Marine Current Turbines Ltd (MCT), the installation of its 1.2 MW SeaGen commercial tidal energy system will commence during the week of August 20th in Northern Ireland’s Strangford Lough. SeaGen will be the world’s largest tidal current device and will generate clean and sustainable electricity for approximately 1000 homes. Being a full size prototype, no scale up will be required for future commercial installations.

SeaGen consists of twin axial flow rotors, each of 16m diameter driving a generator via a gearbox much like a hydro-electric turbine or a wind turbine. The twin power units of each system are mounted on wing-like extensions either side of a tubular steel monopile 3m in diameter which is set into a hole drilled into the seabed. SeaGen will generate electricity from the flow in both directions.

On June 21 MCT annnounced that it had secured £7.5 million ($15 million) in funding from investment and savings bank Triodos Bank, along with new money from hedge fund AM2 (Bermuda) Ltd and some existing shareholders, will support the SeaGen tidal energy project and facilitate the company’s corporate ambitions and future project developments in UK and international waters.

Important Lower Cost Technology Demonstrated for Ethanol Production

GreenField Ethanol and Vaperma, announced they have completed a successful trial demonstration of new technology to save 40% of the energy costs of the ethanol production processs by using Verpanas new membranes to seperate water from an alcohol-water mixture producing a 99 per cent fuel-grade ethanol product that will dramatically improve the ethanol production process. The Vaperma process allows for significant energy savings because the membrane eliminates distillation and molecular sieve units.

GreenField Ethanol, Canada’s largest ethanol producer while Vaperma is an emerging developer, manufacturer, and supplier of advanced hollow polymer fiber membrane gas separation systems.

Vaperma’s process is unique to the industry and has the potential to revolutionize the alcohol production process. Their Siftek™ polymeric membrane system allows high selective separation of water from various gas mixtures and organic vapors. Vaperma membranes are heat and solvent resistant. Membrane based technology offers an alternative to conventional processes for the “dewatering” of ethanol and natural gas and the removal of CO2.

Vaperma Siftek™ membrane enables the dewatering of a 40:60 ethanol to water vapor mixture into a 99+% w/w fuel-grade ethanol product. There is no need to distill (rectify) the ethanol/water blend after evaporation. By replacing the distallation column and the molecular sieve used in a conventional ethanol plant, energy savings as high as 40 % are possible with the innovative membrane permeation process developed by Vaperma. This is equivalent to a cost reduction of 6.4 ¢/Gal (1,7¢/L).

Electro Energy to Develop High Specific Energy Batteries for Airships

Electro Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: EEEI), a  provider of advanced battery technologies, announced a contract award from Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) for technology development of Very High Specific Energy Battery Cells for use in the company's High Altitude Airship (HAA^TM ) program.

Lockheed contracted Electro Energy to develop an advanced, light-weight, rechargeable lithium ion battery to help power the HAA. Under the contract, EEEI will incorporate advanced materials into their bipolar wafer cell technology with the objective to achieve improved battery "specific energy" -- or energy per unit mass.

Lockheed Martin describes the HAA as an unmanned, lighter-than-air vehicle that will operate above the jet stream in a quasi-geostationary position to deliver persistent station keeping as a surveillance platform, telecommunications relay, or a  weather observer.  The HAA will provide an array of communication and navigation services for both civilian and military purposes. This concept takes lighter-than-air vehicles into a realm that gives users capabilities on par with satellites at a fraction of the cost. In position, the 500 foot long by 150 foot diameter airship would survey a 600-mile diameter area. Lighter-than-air vehicles, operating at altitudes above controlled airspace under the control of a manned ground station, give users the flexibility to change payload equipment, when the airship returns to its operational base, to perform different tasks.

Lockheed Martin is currently in the contract's third phase, prototype build and flight demonstration, awarded by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). The MDA’s performance goals for the prototype HAA include sustained operations for approximately one month, above 60,000 feet, while providing power to a payload for military use.

University of Wisconsin Engineers Develop Higher-Energy Liquid-Transportation Fuel from Sugar

A University of Wisconsin press release, announced that university chemical and biological engineering Professor James Dumesic and his research team have developed a two-stage process for turning biomass-derived sugar, fructose, into 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF), a liquid transportation fuel with 40 percent greater energy density than ethanol, similar to that of gasoline.

By engineering sugar through a series of steps involving hydrochoric acid and copper catalysts, salt and using butanol as a solvent, UW-Madison researchers created a path for a sustainable, carbon-neutral fuel to reduce global reliance on fossil fuels.

Not only does dimethylfuran have higher energy content than ethanol, it also addresses other ethanol shortcomings. DMF is not soluble in water and therefore cannot become contaminated by absorbing water from the atmosphere. DMF is stable in storage and, in the evaporation stage of its production, consumes one-third of the energy required to evaporate a solution of ethanol produced by fermentation for biofuel applications.

Dumesic and graduate students Yuriy Roman-Leshkov, Christopher J. Barrett and Zhen Y. Liu developed their new catalytic process, reported in the June 21 issue of the journal Nature, for creating DMF by expanding upon earlier work, previous post.

UOP, ENI Building "Green Diesel" Facility in Italy

UOP AND ITALY’S ENI S.p.A. ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR FACILITY TO PRODUCE DIESEL FUEL FROM VEGETABLE OIL

UOP LLC, a Honeywell (NYSE: HON) company, and Eni S.p.A. (NYSE: E) announced today that Eni will build a production facility using EcofiningTM technology to produce diesel fuel from vegetable oils.

Green Diesel is a high-cetane diesel fuel, using UOP technology. Green Diesel is superior to that of petrodiesel and biodiesel with cetane values in the 70 to 90 range for significant blending benefits. The technology, developed in partnership between UOP and ENI, integrates seamlessly into existing refinery operations and is currently available for licensing. The first commercial unit is expected to go into operation in early 2009.

The facility, to be located in Livorno, Italy, will process 6,500 barrels per day of vegetable oils to supply European refineries with a high-cetane “green” diesel fuel, to meet growing demand for high-quality, clean fuels and biofuels throughout Europe.

It will be the first facility to use the Ecofining technology developed by UOP and Eni. UOP has already completed the basic design for the first unit. Eni, a leading European oil company with operations in 70 countries and 2006 revenues of more than 86 billion euros, also plans to install several additional Ecofining units at its other wholly-owned and affiliate refineries throughout Europe.

Merger of Diversa & Celunol into Verenium Completed

VERENIUM IS THE FIRST PUBLIC COMPANY WITH THE INTEGRATED, END-TO-END CAPABILITIES TO MAKE CELLULOSIC BIOFUELS A COMMERCIAL REALITY

Diversa Corporation and Celunol Corp. announced today that they have completed their previously-announced merger transaction to create a new leader in the global biofuels industry. The combined company, which has been renamed Verenium Corporation (Nasdaq: VRNM), possesses a growing portfolio of specialty enzyme products and unique technical and operational capabilities designed to enable the production of low-cost, biomass-derived sugars for a multitude of major industrial applications. The most significant near-term commercial opportunity for Verenium will be the large-scale commercial production of cellulosic ethanol derived from multiple biomass feedstocks.

"Verenium is now positioned to be a vertically-integrated leader in the rapidly-evolving worldwide biofuels industry through the unique combination of assets, technologies, and personnel resulting from this merger. We believe that commercial success in this industry requires broad R&D capabilities and asset development expertise, which we have now brought together within one, highly-focused company, Verenium Corporation," said Carlos A. Riva, President and Chief Executive Officer of Verenium.

Verenium has made significant advances in the production of cellulosic ethanol over the past several years, greatly improving the likelihood that it will become a commercial reality in the very near future. In particular, they are using proprietary and unique micro-organisms, called ethanologens, to ferment cellulose and hemicellulose from multiple feedstocks into ethanol.

Carbon Dioxide Air Capture Achieved by Columbia University's Lackner and Global Research Technologies

Global Research Technologies, LLC (GRT), and Klaus Lackner from Columbia University have achieved successful demonstration of a new technology to capture carbon from the air. The "air extraction" prototype has successfully demonstrated that indeed carbon dioxide (CO2) can be captured from the atmosphere. This is GRT’s first step toward a commercially viable air capture device.

The Tucson-based technology company began development of the device in 2004 and has recently successfully demonstrated its efficacy. The air extraction device, in which sorbents capture carbon dioxide molecules from free-flowing air and release those molecules as a pure stream of carbon dioxide for sequestration, has met a wide range of performance standards in the GRT research facility.

The front of the prototype has a wide opening lined with an absorbent material that acts like a giant sponge. This soaks up CO2. A liquid flows over this material, picking up the gas molecules. This liquid then goes to a separating chamber. Here, electricity separates out the CO2 again to make a stream of pure gas. A Fox 11 (AZ) video explains how the system works.

Solar-Hydrogen Fuel Cell Residence to be Built on Grand Cayman

Renewable Energy International, Inc. (REI) in, a press release, revealed that it will design and install a renewable solar-hydrogen fuel cell energy system in a residential environment in the Cayman Islands – only the second such system in North America. The U.S. based company also developed the prototype solar-hydrogen system near Princeton, New Jersey, USA, which was dedicated in October 2006. This second installation in the Caymans will demonstrate the system's significant cost and environmental benefits in an island environment.

REI’s design for this installation will closely replicate the prototype system in New Jersey. It will include a photovoltaic array that will produce electricity to provide for the home’s primary electricity load, as well as enough excess electricity to run an electrolyzer which converts water into hydrogen. The hydrogen produced will be reserved in a storage tank until needed, at which point it will be converted back into electricity through means of a fuel cell. To increase energy efficiency, the system will be integrated with a geothermal system that will provide for the home’s total cooling needs, as well as its domestic hot water. Energy efficient appliances will also be installed at the home to reduce the overall electricity load. Heat, although available, will not be required due to the climate in the Cayman Islands.

This installation is expected to be significantly more cost effective and energy efficient than the first solar-hydrogen system due to the fact that it will be installed in a sunny island environment. As the Caymans receive an average of 345 days of sunlight annually, the system will require a much smaller solar array, as well as reduced hydrogen production and storage capability, bringing down system costs significantly. The system is expected to be completed for less than US $200,000.00, representing a cost reduction of 60% over the prototype system.

Mr. Jim Knapp, owner of the residence on Grand Cayman where the system will be installed, pointed out that “The environmental benefits are important, but not the only consideration. For me, this is a financial play. The numbers work right now to make this a smart move.”

Biofuels from Sorghum does not Compromise Food Production, Saves Water

A project to produce ethanol from sweet sorghum, is described in the biofuel review.  The project being implemented jointly by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and Rusni Distilleries, has achieved a significant milestone with the first batch of ethanol flowing out of the distillery at Mohammed Shapur village in Andhra Pradesh, India.

Through its ethanol from sweet sorghum project, ICRISAT has been promoting the idea of generating bio-fuel without compromising on food production.

“Our emphasis with the sweet sorghum project is that ethanol is produced from the sweet juice available in the stalk of the crop plant, unlike in the use of grains in other plants. The farmers will continue to use the sorghum grain, while they can earn an additional income from selling the juice,” said Dr Belum VS Reddy, ICRISAT's Principal Sorghum Breeder.

Sweet sorghum has other benefits over sugarcane and corn as feedstock for ethanol production. It requires only one half of the water required to grow maize and around one eighth of the water required to grow sugarcane; and has the least cost of cultivation which is around one fifth of the cost for growing sugarcane.

GM Moving Fuel Cells from Development Laboratories to Core Engineering

Per GM press release - General Motors Corp. is moving more than 500 fuel cell experts from advanced development laboratories to core engineering functions to prepare this technology for future production.

More than 400 fuel cell engineers will report to GM's Powertrain Group to begin production engineering of fuel cell systems. Another 100 will transfer to GM's Global Product Development organization to start integrating fuel cells into future company vehicles.

GM shared details about its fifth-generation fuel cell system technology when it unveiled the fuel cell-powered E-Flex version of the Chevorlot Volt at the Shanghai Auto Show in April. This latest system is half the size of its predecessor, yet provides the same power and performance.

The transition is aimed at expediting the company's efforts to produce vehicles that displace petroleum through energy diversity.

BP 2007 Statistical Review of World Energy

I meant to post a link to  BP's 2007 Statistical Review of World Energy last week but didn't get around to it. BP's Statistical Review is the most widely used estimate of world oil reserves. The annual report is full of much data on the energy industries and it is worth keeping a link in your favorites for future reference.

An article in The Independent, UK., as referenced by Mark C R, points out that some scientists have challenged BP as being to optimistic when it said that it "appears to show that the world still has enough 'proven' reserves to provide 40 years of consumption at current rates."

However, scientists led by the London-based Oil Depletion Analysis Centre (ODAC), say that global production of oil is set to peak in the next four years before entering a steepening decline which will have massive consequences for the world economy and the way that we live our lives.

First let me say that I do not like the term peak oil in that the maximum production is more likely to be set by economics than by reserves constraints.  I prefer to say that we are in an era of decreasing reserves of increasingly expensive oil. Second let me say that I believe that the ODAC is likely to be much closer to reality than The Independent's interpretation of BP's data, but no one knows the exact date. However that is like comparing apples to oranges.  BP reports the R/P ratio (Reserves/Production ratio) which is not meant to predict the time before peak oil is reached or the time it will take to use up all of our oil reserves for the following reasons:

1. It can not be used to predict the peak because the production of oil over time is not linear, but follows a bell shaped curve, as defined by Hubbert, and there is a lot of useful oil that can be produced after peak production is reached.
2. We cannot possibly use all of our oil reserves, as some, rather large quantity, will always remain in the ground.
3. Using R/P does not account for the steady increase in demand.
4. Using the R/P assumes that all reserves are used up before we run out of oil.

Senate Nixes Clean Coal & Nuclear in RPS

National Renewable Energy Portfolio (RPS) legislation proposed by Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM), which included clean coal technology and nuclear power in addition to sources of renewable energy such as solar, wind, biomass, geothermal and tidal, was defeated in the U.S. Senate on Friday 56-29.

The legislation would have been an alternative to a proposal introduced by Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) which calls for an RPS requiring 15 percent of electricity generated in the U.S. to come from renewables by 2020.

Domenci claimed that Bingamans plan was too expensive costing over $175 billion, while industry experts claimed that adding nuclear and clean coal would weaken the the RPS.

A study conducted by the EIA concluded that the increase in renewable generation stimulated by Bingaman's proposal primarily displaces coal-fired generation. By 2030, coal generation is 3086 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) with the RPS compared with 3330 billion kWh in the reference case, a reduction of some 7%. Coal generation is still expected to grow significantly from 2000 billion kWh in 2005. Nuclear generation is reduced by less than 5%, to 856 billion kWh with the RPS from 896 billion kWh in the reference case. As with coal, this still represents significant growth relative to 2005 generation levels.

Without the RPS, CO2 emissions are projected to rise to 3338 million tonnes by 2030, from some 2375 million tonnes in 2005. With the RPS policy, CO2 emissions are projected at almost 3116 million tonnes in 2030, about 6.7% less than the reference case, but still substantially higher than in 2005. Emissions of regulated sulphur, nitrogen, and mercury emissions are not expected to significantly change with this policy because they are limited by existing programs.

No Question Oil has Peaked

Glenn Hunter, Houston Business Journal via MSNBC -T. Boone Pickens in an interview said: I think you'll see $80 oil before the end of the year. There's no question in my mind that oil has peaked. If you've already peaked, you'll start to decline. Can you replace it? Probably not. What happens then? The supply goes down, demand goes up, and price goes up. It will be a case of, how much does the consumer want to pay to get gasoline?

I don't know whether $4 chokes them. Three dollars didn't. But, you know, Europe has seen $5, $6 for gasoline. So I have the feeling that you're going to see the price go up in the U.S. I think cars will get smaller over time. ... read more

Pickens Wants to Build World's Largest Wind Farm

Betsy Blaney, Associated Press Writer, - Billionaire T. Boone Pickens is planning to cash in on the wind energy boom by building the world's largest wind farm in West Texas.

The oil tycoon wants to install large wind turbines in parts of four Panhandle counties in a project that would produce up to 4,000 megawatts of electricity, Pickens spokesman Mike Boswell said Wednesday. The farm would have as many as 2,000 wind turbines, and some would be large enough to generate 2.5 megawatts each. . . . continued

Advances in SOFC Fuel Cell Sealing Technology

Dr. Ian Birkby, AZojomo, via Eureka Alert - Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) have attracted major interest from research and development communities as an alternative source of power, with commercial trials already under way. In these fuel cells electricity is generated via electro-chemical reactions using hydrogen based gas (? more often hydrocarbon gases such as natural gas) and oxygen as a fuel and oxidant, respectively.

Sealing these units is a critical technical issue that needs further work before they can be put into widespread commercial use. In particular the system chosen must exhibit good gas tightness, adhesion with adjoining components (electrolyte and connector), chemical compatibility, matching coefficient of thermal expansion and electrical insulation. . . . continued

The Senate Energy Bill

NPR.org, June 14, 2007 · The controversial energy bill now on the Senate floor takes a different approach than the bill pushed through by a Republican Senate in 2005. That measure sought to increase domestic oil production through subsidies and other incentives. With Democrats now in charge, the new bill focuses on decreasing consumption of oil and gasoline. Here's a look at the bill's major provisions:  . . . continued

Energy and Efficiency: Utilities Global Survey 2007

Power companies worldwide expect generation and utilisation of wind energy and nuclear energy to increase substantially in the next five years, says a PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report released on Thursday.

The ninth annual PwC report, based on responses from 114 power companies in 44 countries, warns however, that regulatory reform, as well as large investments in energy efficient technology are essential to overcome the existing power shortages. Climate change appears to have cemented its place in utility company strategy.

FutureGen Engineering and Construction Management Firm Selected

The FutureGen Alliance has selected Washington Group International (NYSE: WNG) to provide architectural, design, and engineering support services for the FutureGen initiative. The $1 billion project is an approximate 275-megawatt Integrated (coal) Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power plant that will will generate hydrogen to produce electricity while capturing and permanently storing carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, deep underground.

The project includes development of a large-scale engineering laboratory and research platform for evaluating and testing new technologies for the conversion of coal to fuel gases, for the capture of carbon dioxide, and for the clean production of power.

The initial technology selection, design, and engineering work is scheduled for completion in March 2008.

As the engineering and construction management provider, Washington Group International will assist the Alliance in the evaluation and selection of technologies for coal gasification and for gas and power generation, as well as integrate the selected technologies and packages for the processes across the facility.

The FutureGen Initial Conceptual Design Report, May 2007, describes the project’s objectives and the conceptual design for the entire FutureGen project, including the technical activities that will lead to design, construction and operation of the plant, and the management approaches that will direct and fund those technical activities.

Site selection has been narrowed down to two sites in Illlinois and two in Texas with final site selection scheduled for late 2007. 

The facility is scheduled to go online by 2012.

My previous post "About IGCC Power Plants" has a more detailed description of IGCC power plants.

Cellulosic Ethanol from Bagasse for $1.00 per Gallon

Adapted from a post in Biopact:

Brazil's Dedini SA, a leading manufacturer of sugar and biofuel equipment, has announced that it has demonstrated a cellulosic ethanol process on an industrial scale, a development that could revolutionize the industry by boosting the competitiveness and energy balance of biofuels.

Dedini's São Luiz Mill in São Paulo state began producing cellulose ethanol from bagasse - the leftover cane stalk after the sucrose is pressed out - at about US$ 40 cents a liter in 2002. Production costs have now fallen, due to improvements in processing technologies, to below €20/US$ 27 cents a liter (US$ 1.02 per gallon).

"This means the fuel is cost-competitive with oil at US$42 a barrel," said Dedini Operations Vice President José Luiz Olivério at the seminar.

Further commenting, Oliverio said "this will be able to boost a mill's ethanol output by 30 percent without planting one more cane stalk". In short, a hectare of sugar cane will deliver a third more ethanol and now yield up to 9000 liters, three to four times more than corn.

China May Switch to Non-Food Fuel Crops for Production of Ethanol

BEIJING, June 10 (Xinhua) -- China may switch entirely to non-food energy crops such as cassava, sweet potato, sorghum (not commonly used for food in China) and cellulose sources to producing ethanol fuel as a substitute for petroleum, said a government official.

The country will no longer approve projects designed to produce ethanol fuel with food crops, an official of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) told a seminar on China's fuel ethanol development held in Beijing on Saturday.

Low Level Heat Powers Low Cost Hydraulic Engine

Deluge, Inc. has developed a thermal hydraulic engine that is now ready for commercialization. The company has just successfully completed long term field testing of the technology, and has obtained patents on the design in nearly 40 industrialized countries world wide.

The Natural Energy Engine^™, requires no combustion, operates virtually silently, and generates no emissions. Developed over the past 10 years, it operates by utilizing low level heat energy, 180°F (82°C) is suitable for many applications, from solar, geothermal, or any other heat source, including waste heat from existing processes.

The main components of the engine system are quite simple – a piston/cylinder and a heat transfer system. The cylinder contains a piston and a working fluid, and depending on the application may have a module to reposition the piston after each stroke. The heat transfer system comprises heat exchangers, a system to circulate the heat transfer fluid (typically water), and a simple circulation controller. 

The key difference between a traditional combustion engine and the NE Engine is that the NE Engine relies on the transfer of heat to, and its subsequent removal from, a working fluid within the cylinder. As the working fluid is heated it expands, providing the pressure to drive the piston, and is subsequently cooled to complete the cycle.

“It is a thermal hydraulic engine,” says Brian Hageman, the inventor of the Natural Energy Engine. “It uses the same principles of expansion and contraction from heat as a thermometer, and uses the expansion to create powerful hydraulic pressure in a manner similar to an automobile’s brakes.”

The Company projects that engine configurations can easily be priced at 60-85% of power systems that produce equivalent output.

A D Little to Study Sustainability of Biofuels

Arthur D. Little is undertaking a study on the Sustainability of Transportation Biofuels aiming to answer the question “given dependency on high oil prices and political support, are transportation biofuels economically sustainable?"

Quoting from their press release:

Despite the current support, there are uncertainties regarding the long-term sustainability of biofuel technologies and applications. This is due to the fact that most biofuels are cost competitive only in times of high oil prices. Also, the competition between fuel crop and food crop needs and the impact on biodiversity may lead to withdrawal or reduction of government support in the long-term. Finally, there is uncertainty regarding those who will be the active players in the value chain. For instance, will there continue to be on-off joint ventures supported by private equity, or will the market be dominated by energy majors and others?

“The biofuel market is thriving in countries which have the most favorable political incentives and availability of cheap feedstocks. But long term survival of the various biofuel options is far from clear, as virtually all are dependent on government support and/or high oil prices,” comments Roger Hill, Head of Arthur D. Littles Global Energy Practice.

Their biofuels website gives some preliminary answers regarding the profit potential. As can be seen from their chart above, only sugar cane ethanol from Brazil is profitable at a $40/bbl crude oil price, and U.S. corn oil is profitable at a slightly higher price of crude. The other supplies require a much higher oil price or substantial subsidies. At this point (in the study) cellulosic ethanol and biobutanol apparently are not considered. Factors other than cost will obviously be studied.

Experimental Chrysler 300 Delivers 41 mpg

Warren Brown / The Washington Post in the Detroit News  - Brown averaged 41 miles per gallon on the highway driving the CRD 325 miles, at speeds ranging from 60 to 70 miles per hour. The full-size 2007 Chrysler 300 V-6 CRD sedan is equipped with a three-liter, 215-horsepower, direct-injection diesel engine developed by the Robert Bosch GmbH. The 300 V-6 CRD runs only on ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel--diesel with sulfur at 15 parts per million. At this writing, the car remains experimental -- a test bed for Bosch and DaimlerChrysler to demonstrate the efficiency and feasibility of advanced diesel technology in a U.S. market that has long frowned on things diesel.

GM Selects Compact Power and Continental Automotive Systems to Develop Volt Batteries

As has been reported in Technology Review and other media, General Motors (NYSE: GM), has selected Compact Power, Inc. (CPI), based in Troy, Mich and Continental Automotive Systems (CAS) to develop batteries for its "E-Flex System."

Per GM "The signing of these advanced development battery contracts for the E-Flex system is the latest proof point in GM's effort to transform the industry by diversifying automotive transportation away from petroleum with a range of propulsion alternatives."

The E-Flex System was first shown as the plug-in battery electric propulsion system for the Chevrolet Volt concept vehicle at the North American International Auto Show in January. A plug-in fuel cell variant of the E-Flex system was shown at the Shanghai Auto Show in April. The "E" stands for electric drive; the "Flex" represents the architecture's adaptability to be configured in several vehicle packages operating on various sources of electricity.

Plug-ins vs Coal-to-Liquids

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce (2007) is considering enacting policies to subsidize the production of transportation fuel from coal-to-liquid projects (CTL), which would enhance national security by lowering oil imports. However encouraging plug-in hybrids is a less costly policy that also reduce oil imports and does more to lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A paper, by Carnegie Mellon Electricity Industry Center (CEIC), compares GHG emissions of CTL gasoline to the emissions of plug-in hybrid vehicles powered with electricity generated with coal as well as various fuel usage scenarios. A life cycle approach was used so that all stages of the life cycle of each fuel, from production to use, are included.

Who Need Wires?

MIT team experimentally demonstrates wireless power transfer, potentially useful for powering laptops, cell phones without cords.

From MIT news - Realizing their recent theoretical prediction, MIt researchers were able to light a 60W light bulb from a power source seven feet (> two meters) away; there was no physical connection between the source and the appliance. The MIT team refers to its concept as "WiTricity" (as in wireless electricity). The work was reported in the June 7 issue of Science Express, the advance online publication of the journal Science.

Shown left-Wireless power transfer over two-meter distance, with approximately 40% efficiency, from the coil on the left to the coil on the right, where it powers a 60W light bulb. Members of the team that performed the experiment are obstructing the direct line of sight between the coils.

WiTricity is based on using coupled resonant objects. Two resonant objects of the same resonant frequency tend to exchange energy efficiently, while interacting weakly with extraneous off-resonant objects. A child on a swing is a good example of this. A swing is a type of mechanical resonance, so only when the child pumps her legs at the natural frequency of the swing is she able to impart substantial energy.

Another example involves acoustic resonances: Imagine a room with 100 identical wine glasses, each filled with wine up to a different level, so they all have different resonant frequencies. If an opera singer sings a sufficiently loud single note inside the room, a glass of the corresponding frequency might accumulate sufficient energy to even explode, while not influencing the other glasses. In any system of coupled resonators there often exists a so-called "strongly coupled" regime of operation. If one ensures to operate in that regime in a given system, the energy transfer can be very efficient.

Brazil May Become First to Produce Economically Viable Cellulosic Ethanol

Brazil's is likely to be one of the first countries in the world to produce economically viable cellulosic ethanol, participants at the Sao Paulo-based Ethanol Summit said earlier this week. Some excerpts from the story at cattlenetwork.com

The reason is simple: Feedstock costs alone account for a full 75% to 80% of the cost of ethanol produced from residual biomass, whether it comes from sugarcane, wood chips, switchgrass or corn husks, said Isaias de Carvalho Macedo, a researcher at the country's Interdisciplinary Center for Energy Planning, or NIPE, at the University of Campinas.

At the same time, Brazil already has much of the logistical infrastructure in place to collect the excess sugarcane mass, or bagasse, which will also cut down on initial costs, said Helena Chum, a senior adviser at the U.S. National Renewable Energy Lab.

"In the U.S the harvesting of corn stover and all that infrastructure still needs to be put in place," she said. "Here in Brazil, it already exists."

Together, Brazil and the U.S. jointly produce more than 70% of the world's ethanol. However, Brazil is the world's lowest-cost ethanol producer and the leading ethanol exporter.

If new ethanol technologies take off, Brazil could almost double its ethanol output - set to hit over 20 billion liters in the ongoing 2007-08 season - to 36 billion liters per harvest, without expanding planted area beyond its current 6 million hectares, said Nilson Zaramella Boeta, the head director of Brazil's leading private cane research center, the Center for Cane Technology, or CTC.

Just a handful of years back, it cost $6 per gallon to produce ethanol from residual biomass in the U.S., Chum said.

"Now it's fallen to about $3 per gallon in 2007, while the cost of producing enzymes has fallen 20-fold in the past four years," she said.

"Enzymes have to cost about 5 U.S. cents per liter here in Brazil, just for us to begin thinking of its economic viability," said Elba P.S. Bon, the scientific coordinator of Brazil's Bioethanol Project. "Right now, 12.4 U.S. cents per liter," she added.

By 2012, if the cost-cutting trend continues, the cost of producing ethanol via cellulosic technologies could slip to a cost-effective $1 per gallon, said Chum.

Are Ethanol Pipelines a Good Idea?

Iowa Congressmen Leonard Boswell has introduced bipartisan legislation to increase the availability of alternative fuels at gasoline stations across the country. The legislation calls for funding a study to find out whether underground pipelines would be a good way to transport ethanol and biodiesel.

The bill, if it passes Congress and becomes law, will direct the U.S. Department of Energy to conduct an ethanol pipeline feasibility study to analyze the technological, economic, regulatory and financial issues in transporting ethanol via dedicated ethanol pipelines. This legislation will also direct the energy department to research the technical factors that prevent transportation of ethanol and bio-diesel in existing pipelines.

While I support the ethanol industry, especially the cellulosic ethanol industry, this idea has limited appeal to me.  Without doing any analysis it would seem to me that all the ethanol that could be produced could be consumed within 500 miles of its point of production.  Cellulosic ethanol can be producd in a much wider area than corn ethanol which reduces the need for pipeline. The ethanol that is necessary as an additive to gasoline, for areas beyond 500 miles, can be moved by rail or truck tanker as is done today.  We must look foreword to the production of biobutanol that can be transported in existing pipelines. We will always have a need for some liquid fuels, but as plug-in hybrids and EV's become available the need for liquid fuels will be reduced and we will have the time necessary to develop biobutanol and a distribution network before U.S. petroleum reserves become critical.

According to IEO2007 world production of unconventional liquids (including biofuels, coal-to-liquids, and gas-to-liquids), which totaled only 2.6 million barrels per day in 2004, is projected to increase to 10.5 million barrels per day and account for 9 percent of total world liquids supply in 2030. They project that petroleum production will increase enough to produce the balance of 118 mbd of liquid fuels needed by that date.

I do not believe that 109 mbd of petroleum will is possible in 2030, more like 90-95 mgd, but I do believe that plug-in and EV's can be produced in large enough quantities to fill in the gap. I also believe that the production of biofuels could be quite a bit higher than projected by IEO.

A Sound Way to Turn Heat into Electricity

University of Utah physicists have developed small devices that turn heat into sound and then into electricity. The technology holds promise for changing waste heat into electricity, harnessing solar energy and cooling computers and radars.

"We are converting waste heat to electricity in an efficient, simple way by using sound," says Orest Symko, a University of Utah physics professor who leads the effort. “It is a new source of renewable energy from waste heat."

In the above photo, Symko demonstrates how heat can be converted into sound by using a blowtorch to heat a metallic screen inside a plastic tube, which then produces a loud tone, similar to when air is blown into a flute. Symko and his students are developing much smaller devices that not only convert heat to sound, but then use the sound to generate electricity.

Symko plans to test the devices within a year to produce electricity from waste heat at a military radar facility and at the university's hot-water-generating plant.

Symko expects the devices could be used within two years as an alternative to photovoltaic cells for converting sunlight into electricity. The heat engines also could be used to cool laptop and other computers that generate more heat as their electronics grow more complex. And Symko foresees using the devices to generate electricity from heat that now is released from nuclear power plant cooling towers.

Why Not Plug-in Hybrids Now?

CalCars testified before the California Air Resources Board's review of its historic Zero Emissions Vehicle Mandate. Part of their testimony, which represents their proposed way to respond to carmakers reluctance to use today's batteries to build a demonstration fleet of PHEVs, was as follows:

If left on their own, an unknown number of years from now, one or more carmakers might begin to produce some quantities of PHEV passenger vehicles.

Why not sooner? They're waiting for affordable, 40-mile range, life-of-vehicle batteries. Yet the best way to test and evolve systems is to put them on the road. What if California said to carmakers, "We'll make it easy for you?" Please don't scrimp on safety -- but on the other factors, we'll go all out to help you get started." (By the way, we're in a race. If we don't act, we hope Washington State, Texas, or the US government will make it happen...) ...

The first large demonstration fleets will give carmakers market research from drivers and help them "get PHEVs right" by improving other aspects of the car. They will help ensure that the public has realistic expectations about PHEVs. Meanwhile, the ARB will be able to address in parallel issues involved in PHEV certification for mass-production cars. And while carmakers get ready for volume production, given the rapid changes in the energy storage industry, they may have even better battery choices in as little as two years. ... more

Maybe their testimony makes clearer the position advocated by The Energy Blog for some time.

Tom Daschle Joins Mascoma's Board of Directors

Mascoma Corporation, one of the leading cellulosic biomass-to-biofuels companies, previous post, today announced former United States Senator Tom Daschle has joined the company’s Board of Directors. Previously, he served more than 25 years in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate where he acted as both Senate Minority and Majority Leader for 10 years. He is a longtime ethanol advocate who has sponsored legislation and led Congressional measures to advance the renewable fuels industry.

“Senator Daschle provides Mascoma with significant government and industry expertise for the emerging market in cellulosic ethanol. Tom shares in our vision that cellulosic ethanol is key to reducing our nation’s dependence on foreign oil and our own greenhouse gas emissions,” said Vinod Khosla of Khosla Ventures, a founding Mascoma investor. “With this additional expertise in public policy, along with our existing executive, scientific and investor support, we are well positioned to play a significant role in this industry.”

Founded by Prof. Charles Wyman, Prof. Robert Johnson, and Prof. Lee Lynd of Dartmouth College and a portfolio of licensed technologies from Dartmouth College the companies research laboratories are now developing a new generation of enzymes, microbes and processes for economical conversion of cellulosic feedstocks into ethanol.  It is aggressively pursuing the development of advanced cellulosic ethanol technologies based on work developed in Professor Lee Lynd’s labs at Dartmouth College. Mascoma’s industry-leading R&D is focused on reducing the biologically mediated steps in ethanol production to a single step.

The combination of Mascoma's excellent technology with Daschle and his longtime political experience and Vinod Kholsa's investment expertise make a powerful team that will be hard to beat in the cellulosic ethanol field.

A chronology of the companies significant events depicts their rapid growth in the last year:

It's not just climate and population that are bottlenecking

Some of you (at least one) have questioned my belief that resources of Gallium and Indium may limit the production of CIGS solar cells.  I ran across a forum that had a post on the same subject. An article, 'Earths natural wealth: an audit', that came from the NewScientistis Environment, 23 May 2007 was posted. One paragraph is as follows:

Take the metal gallium, which along with indium is used to make indium gallium arsenide. This is the semiconducting material at the heart of a new generation of solar cells that promise to be up to twice as efficient as conventional designs. Reserves of both metals are disputed, but in a recent report René Kleijn, a chemist at Leiden University in the Netherlands, concludes that current reserves "would not allow a substantial contribution of these cells" to the future supply of solar electricity. He estimates gallium and indium will probably contribute to less than 1 per cent of all future solar cells - a limitation imposed purely by a lack of raw material. ...  read more

Toyota Hybrids Set Sales Record

Three dollar a gallon gasoline helped Toyota Prius sales to jump 185 percent over sales last May.  Just over 24,000 Priuses were sold in May putting the car into ninth place, breaking into the the top ten sellers for the first time.

Prius sales helped Toyota post a U.S. sales gain of 14.1 percent in May compared to the same month last year. It sold 269,023 vehicles, topping its previous monthly record of 242,675 set in March.

Nearly 15 percent of Toyota’s sales were hybrids, which has the company convinced that their appeal has moved beyond buyers wishing to make a statement about global warming. Toyota's calendar-year-to-date hybrid sales totaled 119,154 units, an increase of 75 percent over the same period last year. In May, Toyota posted sales of 36,101 hybrid vehicles, up 102 percent over last May.

Source: Toyota press release

Using Biochar in Soils Traps Carbon and Increases Crop Yields

Biopact has a post on the merits of 'biochar' as a means of reducing carbon in the atmosphere. I had been planning a post on the subject, but they have done a good job.

New research confirms the huge and revolutionary potential of soils to reduce greenhouse gases on a large scale, increase agricultural production while at the same time delivering carbon-negative biofuels based on feedstocks that require less fertilizer and water.  ...

The Australian trials of 'agrichar' or 'biochar' have doubled and, in one case, tripled crop growth when applied at the rate of 10 tonnes per hectare. The technique of storing agrichar in soils is now seen as a potential saviour to restore fertility to depleted or nutrient-poor soils (especially in the tropics), and as a revolutionary technique to mitigate climate change. ...

Agrichar is a black carbon byproduct of a process called pyrolysis, which involves heating biomass without oxygen to generate renewable energy. Pyrolysis of biomass results in the production of bio-oil, that can be further refined into liquid biofuels for transport (earlier post, on Dynamotive's trials). When the agrichar is consequently sequestered into soils, the biofuels become carbon-negative - that is, they take more carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere than they release. This way, they can clean up our past emissions. ... read more

Tyler has a good post in Clean Break and a longer article in the Toronto Star on the subject, while Cornell University has a Bio-char site for those of you interested in more reading.

Mitsubishi Claims Highest Commercial Solar Cell Efficiency

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (OTC:MIELY) announced on May 31 its achievement of a world record photoelectric conversion efficiency rate of 18.0% in a 150mm square practical use multi-crystalline silicon solar cell, an improvement of 1.2% over their previous models.

They claimed to have achieved the world’s highest conversion efficiency rate of 18.0% by adding a low reflectivity surface texture on the multi-crystalline silicon as well as developing a process to print electrodes on the surface of the silicon (metallization) and reducing shade loss of front grid electrodes. In the same surface area as previous products, they have achieved a 7% greater electric output, making it suitable for even smaller installations such as narrow roofs.

In October of last year, Kyocera announced it achieved an efficiency improvement in its polycrystalline solar cells, taking them to 18.5%, although it is not clear when they will commercialize their cell. SunPower claims 22% efficiency, but for monocrystalline solar cells, which have higher efficiency than polycrystaline cells, but are more expensive. SunPower is currently in production with these 22% efficiency cells.

It may be nitpicking to argue over 0.5%, but Mitsubisihi certainly is aware of the Kyocera announcement and it is brazen of them to make this claim. I gather they are using the practical use qualifier to cover themselves as Kyocera has not announced any specific plans to commercialize their cells. In any event it is good to see that efficiencies of commercial solar cells are going up. Continuing on with Mitsubishi's press release.

Main features of cell

1. Increased light absorption using a unique Reactive Ion Etching (RIE) method

Using a nano-sized mask material, the RIE method uses highly reactive ions generated by RF plasma, letting ions precisely etch the target materials. This decreases reflectivity from the texturized surface of the multi-crystalline silicon, increasing the amount of absorbed light.

2. Suppresses reduced electrical performance in crystalline

New metal electrode material reduces metallization time by approximately half that of previous models, and sustains electrical performance of crystalline.

3. Expanded effective electrical output surface area

Using modified screens and front metal electrodes we reduced shading loss of front grid electrodes by 40% compared with our conventional cells.

They will begin introducing this technology into our mass produced photovoltaic modules after the end of 2007.