The Energy Blog

Firefly Truck Battery to be Available for Evaluation in First Quarter 2008

Per press release:

Firefly Energy Inc. the Peoria, Illinois based leader in developing next generation carbon and graphite foam batteries, announced today that the first preproduction versions of its BCI Group 31 truck battery – to be marketed under the new name “Oasis” – will be available for review and testing during the first quarter of 2008.

The company said its Oasis battery will primarily be utilized when the truck’s diesel engine is turned off, and provide up to 50 percent longer runtimes than competitors when powering accessories which collectively make up a truck’s “hotel loads.” This newly branded battery will be unveiled by Firefly Energy at its first ever tradeshow appearance at the SAE Commercial Vehicle Engineering Congress and Exhibition (ComVec), Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 2007, in Rosemont, IL.

“Antidiesel engine idling regulations will soon become pervasive across the nation, and better battery performance will be crucial in contributing to trucker safety, comfort, and productivity,” said Ed Williams, chief executive officer of Firefly Energy. “Our Oasis battery will help ensure truck drivers maintain a comfortable haven for their rest periods”

Human-generated Ozone Could Reduce Production by More Than 10 Percent by 2100

Per a MT News Release:

A  MIT study concludes that increasing levels of ozone due to the growing use of fossil fuels will damage global vegetation, resulting in serious costs to the world's economy.

The analysis, reported in the November issue of Energy Policy, focused on how three environmental changes (increases in temperature, carbon dioxide and ozone) associated with human activity will affect crops, pastures and forests.

The research shows that increases in temperature and in carbon dioxide may actually benefit vegetation, especially in northern temperate regions. However, those benefits may be more than offset by the detrimental effects of increases in ozone, notably on crops. Ozone is a form of oxygen that is an atmospheric pollutant at ground level.

The economic cost of the damage will be moderated by changes in land use and by agricultural trade, with some regions more able to adapt than others. But the overall economic consequences will be considerable. According to the analysis, if nothing is done, by 2100 the global value of crop production will fall by 10 to 12 percent.  . . . More

Startup Plans on Establishing Grids to Sell Electricity for Recharging Electric Cars

Shai Agassi, former SAP executive, announced today the formation of Project Better Place, a company based on one of the 21st century’s biggest challenges – developing a sustainable, environmental solution for converting country-wide transportation systems toward electricity and away from fossil fuel. Electric vehicles would be enabled through an electric recharge grid infrastructure and using charge spots and battery exchange stations. In one of the largest-ever initial fundings for a startup, the company has raised $200 million from a group of investors lead by Israel Corp. The energy cost of all-electric cars would be about 7 cents a mile which is  less than a third of the cost of driving a gasoline-powered car today.

Project Better Place will focus in phase one on establishing a repeatable infrastructure to support electric vehicles, implementing electric recharge grids through local operating companies in multiple countries. They will establish a widespread grid of electric charging spots at current parking locations as well as battery exchange stations, analogous to gas stations, all of which are integrated with software systems. These capabilities will provide consumers with the energy to keep their cars charged and driving without the need to wait for electricity at any point. The new grid presents a practical solution to address barriers to electric vehicle adoption.

In addition, the company will secure partnerships with a supply chain of car makers, technology providers, and global and local financing institutions.  The company is currently in discussions with various governments to establish pilot sites, with plans to begin rollout of the new infrastructure in early 2008.

REC to Build World's Largest Solar Manufacturing Complex in Singapore

REC Group announced that it will build a new worldscale solar manufacturing complex in Singapore with total investments possibly exceeding US$4.3 billion (EUR 3 billion) within the next 5 years. It has simultaneously signed an agreement with the Singaporean government agency Economic Development Board (EDB) that defines the terms and conditions related to the development of a new production site, the process of establishing a manufacturing complex, as well as operational and commercial conditions.

In addition to wafer, cell and module production, the manufacturing complex will incorporate infrastructure and support facilities, as well as an on-site supplier park. Sufficient space has also been reserved for future R&D activities and possible manufacturing facilities based on potential new technologies.

The green field site can hold a capacity of up to 1.5 GW within each product area, although it is not likely that the production capacity for wafer, cells and modules will be fully balanced. Depending on the final capacity and site development, total investments in the Singapore site may exceed EUR 3 billion within the next 5 years and the total number of employees could be around 3 000 people.

The development of this site will enable us to continue expanding in a cost efficient manner and will support REC's ambitious cost target. Our future cost position will determine our ability to deliver solar products that can compete with traditional energy sources in the sunny areas of the world without government incentives", said Erik Thosen, the President & CEO of REC.

REC is positioned in the solar energy industry as the only company with a presence across the entire value chain. REC Silicon and REC Wafer are the world's largest producers of polysilicon and wafers for solar applications. REC Solar produces solar cells and solar modules. REC Group had revenues in 2006 of US$810 million (NOK 4 334 million) and an operating profit of US$294 million (NOK 1 574 million).

U.N. Rapporteur Calls for Moratorium on Building Biofuel Plants Using Food Feedstocks

Biopact reports that Jean Ziegler, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, presented his annual report to the General Assembly in New York, which calls for a 5-year moratorium on the production of first-generation liquid biofuels made from food crops such as corn, wheat, palm oil and rapeseed.  A UN special rapporteur is an independent expert, who does not receive any financial compensation for his or her work.

The Energy Blog supports this position except in locations where it can be shown that the production of first-generation biofuels are not causing a significant increase of food prices and are not causing an adverse effect on the environment. This policy should also encourage the building of second-generation plants, that use less water and energy and building of cellulosic biofuel plants that use non-food feedstocks. Additionally The Energy Blog believes that any subsidies on first-generation plants should be phased out over a five year period. This would encourage first generation plants to be converted to second-generation plants or where applicable to cellulosic plants that use the whole plant as feedstock.

Tennant Unveils Technology that Turns Water into Cleaning Solution, Uses 70% Less Water

Tennant Company Unveils Green Technology That Makes Water Behave Like a Powerful Detergent, Without Adding Chemicals

Tennant Company (NYSE: TNC), annouced ech2o™ (pronounced “echo”) technology in a press release, a breakthrough cleaning technology that electrically activates plain tap water, making it behave like a powerful detergent without any added chemicals.

According to Tennant, the patent-pending ech2o™ technology offers eco-friendly advantages including lower costs, ease of use and improved operator safety plus an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional cleaning methods. ech2o’s cleaning effectiveness is proven to be the same or better than general purpose cleaners, without the negative environmental impact and health issues associated with producing, packaging, transporting, using and disposing of traditional cleaning chemicals. Among ech2o’s additional benefits, it uses 70 percent less water than traditional cleaning methods. ech2o begins as water and ends as water.

"Our new ech2o technology is a category-changing advancement for the cleaning industry, and delivers on our goal to offer cleaning solutions that lower cost-of-use, improve health and safety and are more environmentally friendly. By changing the properties of plain tap water, ech2o enables it to clean as well as, or better than, traditional chemical-based cleaners. It virtually eliminates any negative impact the cleaning process may have on our natural environment," said Chris Killingstad, Tennant Company's president and chief executive officer.

HelioVolt Announces Closing of its Series B Funding for $101 Million

HelioVolt Corporation, a producer of highly-efficient thin film solar products, announced the closing of its Series B funding round for a total of $101 million. This makes it the largest clean-tech venture capital financing on record according to Matt Marshall of Venture Beat. The additional funding will be used to accelerate scale-up and global deployment of HelioVolt’s proprietary manufacturing process for Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) building-integrated solar products.

HelioVolt Corporation was founded in 2001 to develop and market new technology for applying thin film photovoltaic coatings to a variety of substrates including conventional construction materials. The company’s  process, based on rapid semiconductor printing, was invented by HelioVolt founder Dr. Billy J. Stanbery, an eminent expert within the international PV community in the materials science of CIGS and related compound semiconductors.  FASST™ is a low-cost, flexible manufacturing process for CIGS synthesis and is protected by both nine issued US patents and by numerous global patents pending.

Unexpected Growth in Atmospheric CO2

From press releases:

Research by the Global Carbon Project, the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) shows that atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) growth has increased 35 percent faster than expected since 2000.

The paper, “Contributions to accelerating atmospheric CO₂ growth from economic activity, carbon intensity, and efficiency of natural sinks," found that inefficiency in the use of fossil fuels increased levels of CO₂ by 17 percent, while the other 18 percent came from the decline in the efficiency of natural land and ocean sinks which soak up CO₂ from the atmosphere.

The research also shows that improvements in the carbon intensity of the global economy have stalled since 2000 after improving for 30 years, leading to the unexpected growth of atmospheric CO₂.    . . .

The study also states that global CO₂ emissions were up to 9.9 billion tons of carbon in 2006, 35 percent above emissions in 1990.

The Southern Ocean winds have increased in response to greenhouse gases and ozone depletion. The increase in winds has led to a release of natural CO₂ stored in the deep ocean, which is preventing further absorption of the greenhouse gas.

According to another report on the study, the present atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide is 381 ppm, the largest concentration in the last 650,000 years, and probably in the last 20 million years.

A123Systems Raises Additional $30 million

Per press release:

A123Systems, developer and producer of patent-pending Nanophosphate™ lithium ion batteries, announced that it has completed a $30 million round of funding, bringing the total capital invested in the company to $132 million.

A123Systems will use these funds to increase production capacity for new contract awards for hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid electric and extended range electric vehicle design wins with major automakers including a contract to co-develop proprietary cells for the GM E-FLEX program.

A123Systems has recently opened for business its new, state-of-the-art manufacturing site for the company’s Automotive Class Lithium Ion batteries.

A123Systems is one of the world’s leading suppliers of high-power lithium ion batteries. The company’s patent pending Nanophosphate™ technology enables its batteries to deliver previously unattainable levels of power, safety and life. With more than 800 employees and the largest lithium ion R&D team in North America, world-class expertise and management, and global manufacturing operations, A123Systems’ Automotive Class Lithium Ion™ batteries are leading the automotive movement towards platform electrification.

Read the complete press release here.

Just to keep everyone up to date on what is going on with one of the contenders, if not the leading contender, in the race to produce safe and hopefully affordable lithium-ion automobile batteries. In a recent post we have seen that Altairnano is not yet affordable, I am waiting to see if EnerDel can deliver on its promise for $1,500 plug-in batteries and we can't forget Johnson Controls/Saft the only contender with large scale manufacturing capability.  I am hoping that Firefly can under-price them all with its graphite foam lead-acid battery.

Mozambique has Potential to Sustainably Produce 3.1 Million Barrels of Oil Equivalent per Day

A Biopact post further to substantiate the idea that underdeveloped tropical and semi-tropical regions can be dominant players in the biofuels marketplace.

Mozambique's Agriculture Minister has confirmed his country has signed a huge $510 (€360) million deal with London-listed Central African Mining & Exploration Company Plc (CAMEC) to establish an energy plantation and to build a plant to produce 120 million liters of ethanol per year, as well as fertilizers. . . .

Mozambique has only recently begun to understand that it is a 'biofuel superpower'. Its agro-ecological resources allow for the production of a wide range of efficient energy crops, including eucalyptus, grasses, starch crops like cassava, or sugarcane and jatropha.

Analysts affiliated with the International Energy Agency estimate that the country can produce around 7 Exajoules of biofuels sustainably, that is roughly 3.1 million barrels of oil equivalent per day.

The country currently consumes around 590,000 tonnes of oil products per year, the bulk being diesel (IEA data). This equates to around 0.18EJ. Achieving full energy independence is well within reach, with capacity to spare to supply international markets.

When it comes to the availability of land for energy crops, the country currently uses around 4.3 million hectares out of a total of 63.5 million hectares of potential arable land, or 6.6 per cent. Moreover, some 41 million hectares of poor quality land are available for the production of energy crops that require few inputs and are not suitable for food production.

Read the complete Biopact post here.

There are many other tropical and semi-tropical countries that could equally contribute to our need for liquid fuels while improving their economic plight.  I must repeat my disclaimer that I do not see biofuels as a complete replacement for oil.  However it is an important part of reducing our dependence on oil producing countries and perhaps even more importantly on transitioning the world from ICE powered vehicles to one that depends largely on electrically powered vehicles, whether they be hybrids, plug-in hybrids or all electric vehicles where eventually renewable powered electricity will be dominant.  We must be careful to do this in a sustainable way, not over-utilizing our land resources by unsustainable deforestation, causing erosion, excess fertilization or excess use of water. 

Solar Power to Reach Parity with Fossil Fuels in Sunny Countries in Five Years, Most Countries by 2020

Solar power could be the world's number one electricity source by the end of the century . . . production of solar panels will double both next year and in 2009, according to U.S. investment bank Jefferies Group Inc, driven by government support especially in Germany and Japan. . . . costs are dropping by around 5 percent a year and "grid parity", without subsidies, is already a reality in parts of California. Very sunny countries could reach that breakeven in five years or so, and even cloudy Britain by 2020. . . .  General Electric Co's Chief Engineer Jim Lyons told the Jefferies conference in London; "The solar industry will eventually be bigger than wind." . . . But all the growth is from a tiny base. The sun supplies just 0.3 percent of electricity even in market leader Germany, says Jefferies. "It doesn't even register statistically outside Germany," said Jefferies analyst Michael McNamara.

This article totally agrees with the consensus of what I have been reading over the past year, actually a little more pessimistic than the claims of some companies.  The technology is so close to being there now, the only thing holding it back is the scaling up of production facilities of the right technology to the gigawatt scale - in a single location.  Some form of thin-film PV solar will be the dominant technology, if not more than one.  Even though a lot of the technology is being developed by U.S. and German companies, don't be suprised if a Japanese company with manufacturing in China is the first one to take the big leap.

See complete Reuters article here.

Micro-Vett Converting Fiat Doblò Station Wagons to Electric Vehicles

With a range of approximately 60 miles (100 kilometers) the all electric Micro-Vett Fiat Doblò 5 seat station wagon, powered by a 18 kWh Altairnano NanoSafe^® battery pack is undergoing field trials in Oslo, Norway. The battery pack was  recharged three times, in less than ten minutes using a high voltage rapid charging system, for a total of three times to travel a total of 186 miles (300 km) at a top speed of 72 mph (120 kM/h). Go Green expects to ship up to 20 Micro-Vett vehicles to customers in the next several months, and an additional 250 vehicles are planned for shipment in 2008.

Two interesting comments are found on the Go Green website:

"Due to the absence of the Phoenix vehicle, we have selected Micro-Vetts range of vehicles to present during elections in Norway."

"Altairnano are currently selling the batteries at U$2.00 per watt.  It was explained that through volume this could be reduced to U$0.50 per watt by means of automating the production of the cell and module"

This car provides somewhat of a quandary for me. The range of 60 miles is more consistent with that needed for commuting, while the size of the car is more in line with a vehicle used to travel greater distances. For the expected sales volume, it does not really matter what the range or size is, but I would expect some rationale for that.  Perhaps the first use at the elections in Norway determined the design parameters. The 35 kWh Altairnaro battery pack could be used for longer ranges and smaller vehicles are available from Micro-Vett, in fact their website says the YDEA micro-car is now available with electric drive, what kind of batteries was not stated.

As far as the Go Green comment on the availability of the Phoenix vehicles this may be in line with companies August 23 announcement that "While Phoenix Motorcars had hoped to begin initial deliveries of its vehicles by this fall, we have decided to delay deliveries until early 2008."  The price of the Altairnanol battery packs, $9,000 for an 18 kWh pack is about in line with expectations, but higher than my expectations for "automated production".

The Diablo provides a small market for Altairnano's batteries while Phoenix gets its act together, if it ever does.  Altairnano bought a stake in Phoenix, so I would think they are pretty confident that it will go foreward.

The entire text of the press release on which this post was based is available on the next page.

Kansas Turns Down Coal Power Plant Because of CO2 Emissions

An article in the Washington Post reports, on what could be a major decision in the fight against global warming, that the Kansas Department of Health and Environment became the first government agency in the United States to cite carbon dioxide emissions as the reason for rejecting an air permit for a proposed coal-fired electricity generating plant, saying that the greenhouse gas threatens public health and the environment. . . .

It may be the first of a series of similar state actions inspired by a Supreme Court decision in April that asserted that greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide should be considered pollutants under the Clean Air Act. . . . more

Update, 12:34 am:

This is not the only coal plant in trouble, as this article in the Austin American Statemen reports:  At least 16 coal-fired power plant proposals nationwide have been scrapped in recent months and more than three dozen have been delayed as utilities face increasing pressure due to concerns over global warming and rising construction costs. . . . more

Update, 1:48 am:

In Energy and Capital Jeff Siegel wrote: This past Tuesday, American Electric Power Company agreed to a $4.6 billion settlement over pollution controls at its power plants. The company will also have to shell out $15 million in civil penalties and $60 million in cleanup and mitigation costs. . . . more

If this precedent is followed, and it will be cited by environmentalists in future applications for air quality permits for future coal powered power plants, we may not need additional legislation to require carbon capture and sequestration, unless a law is passed exempting carbon dioxide from the provisions of the Clean Air Act.  The later would be a very unpopular law with citizens and, I believe, from Democrats and without much support from Republicans in an election year.  Until this is straighted out in appeals courts, it looks like a big win for nuclear power and renewables as utilities will be less willing to take a chance on coal powered power plants. This will also be a big boon for wind power and thermal solar in the near future, until PV solar becomes more competitive. The fact is that coal power is getting more expensive as many other sources are becoming less expensive.

German Based Hochtief Enter Geothermal Market with 5 MW Plant

Company to plan, finance, build and operate first entirely privately financed power plant in Germany - Further locations planned

According to this press release, Hochtief AG , Essen, Germany-based construction contractor, is forming a venture with Renerco and SachsenFonds to build and operate a EUR 35 million (US $50 million), 5 megawatt plant at Dürrnhaar in Bavaria. For this purpose, a company called Süddeutsche Geothermie-Projekte GmbH & Co. KG (SGG) has been set up, in which Hochtief holds 40 percent of the shares. Its partners are Renerco AG (30 percent) and SachsenFonds (30 percent).

Hochtief believes that in the future, geothermal energy will play a very important role in power generation. Theoretically, geothermal energy plants could cover Germany‘s annual electricity consumption 600 times over.

With its partners, the company plans to build and operate further power plants of this kind, each with an output of four to five megawatts in the South German Molasse basin.

Hochtief will initially focus on the growth market of geothermal energy in Germany, but international expansion is also already being considered. In addition to the business aspect, one factor which the company regards as important is the active contribution to protecting the climate. Geothermal energy power plants reduce the emission of carbon dioxide and - unlike other renewable forms of energy - produce electricity the whole year round for base load capacity.

Ann Arbor to Install LED Street Lighting

The City of Ann Arbor, Michigan and Cree, Inc. (Nasdaq: CREE), a supplier of LED solid-state lighting components, announced that in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption, they will install more than 1000 LED streetlights beginning next month. Ann Arbor plans to become the first U.S. city to convert 100 percent of its downtown streetlights to LED technology.

Ann Arbor will join Raleigh, N.C. and Toronto, in the growing LED City™ initiative. The LED City is an expanding community of government and industry parties working to evaluate, deploy and promote LED lighting technology across the full range of municipal infrastructure to:

* Save energy
* Protect the environment
* Reduce maintenance costs
* Provide better light quality for improved visibility and safety

"This initial installation should save the City more than $100,000 per year and reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 294 tons of CO2. Our plan is to retrofit all downtown lights with LED alternatives over the next two years" said Mayor John Hieftje.

EnerDel to Provide Lithium Batteries for Th!nk Electric Car

EnerDel will deliver prototypes to Th!nk in March 2008 and pre-production parts by July 2008. If all works well, the contract could be worth $70 million, according to EnerDel.

Ener1, Inc. (OTCBB: ENEI) has announced that its EnerDel subsidiary, previous post, entered into a Supply Agreement with Think Global of Oslo, Norway, the manufacturer of the Th!nk City electric vehicle (EV). Under the agreement, Think Global has selected EnerDel as the supplier of choice for prismatic Lithium ion (Li ion) batteries that will be used to power its Th!nk City vehicle.  . . .

EnerDel’s Li ion solution for the Electric Vehicle drive train is designed to have higher energy density than HEV cells and to enable vehicles to last up to a goal of 100 miles (160 kilometers) without recharging.

Under the Agreement, EnerDel must deliver production prototypes in March 2008 and pre-production parts in July 2008, with a value of approximately $1.4 million. Once these milestones are met to the satisfaction of Think Global, production orders under the contract are expected to result in EnerDel battery sales of $70 million over the two-year period ending in 2010. Under Think’s growth plan, the total value of the contract could eventually exceed $200 million. . . .

Th!nk global is the new owner of the electric car producer Th!nk. Formerly part of the Ford Motor Company, Th!nk was taken over by a group of Norwegian investors in March 2006. Think’s existing factory in Norway is presently being upgraded by Porsche Consulting to make it one of Europe’s most cost efficient assembly plants ready to mass-produce the Think model in 2008. The two seater Think City EV is about 2 feet shorter than a Mini Cooper, and a bit taller. When first announced the car was claimed to go 110 miles on a single charge. The battery can be charged using the electrical outlet at home. Top speed is currently capped at 62 mph. . . . more

IMF Warns About Impact of Biofuels on Food Prices

(Thomson Financial) - The IMF warned that an increasing global reliance on grain as a source of fuel could drive up food prices in poor countries.

'The use of food as a source of fuel may have serious implications for the demand for food if the expansion of biofuels continues,' the International Monetary Fund said in its twice-yearly report on the world economy. . . . more

Maize for Biofuels: The Ultimate Energy Crop

According to research conducted by Fred Below at the University of Illinois (U of I), maize may prove to be the ultimate U.S. biofuels crop. This comes at somewhat of a surprise, because U of I has been studying and advocating Miscanthus for some time.

The chief advantage of maize, when grown in the Midwest, is that it requires much less nitrogen fertilizer input than corn because it does not produce any ears.  The sugar is in the stalks, not in the ears and is in the form of sucrose, fructose and glucose.

This differs from conventional corn and other crops being grown for biofuels in that the starch found in corn grain and the cellulose in switchgrass, corn stover and other biofuel crops must be treated with enzymes to convert them into sugars that can be then fermented into alcohols such as ethanol.

It also is easier for farmers to integrate into their current operations than some other dedicated energy crops because it can be easily rotated with corn or soybeans, and can be planted, cultivated and harvested with the same equipment U.S. farmers already have. Finally, tropical maize stalks are believed to require less processing than corn grain, corn stover, switchgrass, Miscanthus giganteus and the scores of other plants now being studied for biofuel production.

Genencor Launches First Ever Commercial Enzyme Product for Cellulose Ethanol

Accellerase™ 1000 is launched at the Cellulosic Ethanol Summit in Washington, DC

Press Release:

Genencor, a division of Danisco A/S, announced on Oct. 15, a new product, Accellerase™ 1000, the first ever commercially available biomass enzyme developed specifically for second generation biorefineries.

Accellerase™ 1000 contains a potent complex of enzymes that reduces complex lignocellulosic biomass into fermentable sugars -- an indispensable step for the production of cellulosic ethanol. . . .

Highlights of Accellerase benefits

• Enhanced saccharification performance on a variety of feedstocks.
• Ability to operate in simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) processes, two step sequential hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) processes or hybrids of the two.
• High ß-glucosidase activity to minimize residual cellobiose, which may lead to a higher saccharification and ultimately to a faster ethanol fermentation.  Yields may also be improved.   
• Unclarified product. The remaining nutrients from enzyme production are available to the yeast in addition to the fermentable sugars produced by saccharification.
• Minimal formulation to ensure that enzyme formulation chemicals do not interfere with saccharification carbohydrate profile analysis or subsequent yeast fermentation. . . .

Hy-Drive to Install Systems on 100 Trucks with Data Monitoring System

Hy-Drive Technologies Ltd., Toronto, (TSX-V: HGS), has launched its Integrated Product Team (IPT) Partnership Program under which it plans to install 100 Hydrogen Generation System (HGS) units of its Clean Burn Technology(TM) on selected partner trucks by year-end. The IPT program has been initiated to maintain an existing market penetration momentum and generate a controlled case study to serve as a verifiable reference. The program will involve a series of existing customer fleet operators already familiar with the company and technology, as well as a number of new IPT partners.

Under the program, each unit installed will be equipped with a PeopleNet(TM) system. This system is capable of tracking mileage to the tenth of a gallon and controlling the data for variables such as excess idle times, truck speed, and elevated RPM's. Monitored results will provide the Company with a significant level of statistically verifiable field data on HGS performance. . . .

Hy-Drive is an energy technology firm that has developed a proprietary, patented hydrogen generating system. The Hy-Drive system generates and injects hydrogen gas into a regular internal combustion engine.

A previous post described similar technology, hydrogen fuel injection (HFI), being developed by Canadian Hydrogen Fuel Company (CHEC).

Perhaps PRV Performance, previous post, should incorporate hydrogen injection into its product, they are working on adding water injection, which might use a similar configuration.

PRV Induction Improves MPG, Emissions, Horsepower at Comparable Costs to Conventional Technology

PRV Performance, Golden, Colorado, is developing PRV induction, Pintle-Regulated Venturi fuel Induction system which replaces the intake manifold on an engine and provides throttling, fuel injection and homogeneous mixing of the air and fuel at each cylinder. The system has demonstrated fuel efficiency improvements of 14% to 25%, torque and horsepower increases, and significant reduction of emissions.

PRV works as follows:

• Air enters the contoured Venturi via an air filter.
• Fuel vaporizes and expands in the low pressure throat.
• Fuel vaporization induces air flow into the Venturi entrance.
• Fuel vaporization in confined space thrusts mixed charge into the engine.
• Charge is always homogeneously mixed and cooled because the pintle regulates air flow at the confluence of fuel and air.

PRV describes the process as follows: PRV induction, with fuel injection directly at the Venturi throat, effectively mixes fuel and air due to the high velocity and reduced pressure at the vapor-liquid contact region, while pressure is recovered in the expansion section. Fuel vaporization in the confined Venturi volume amplifies air flow into the PRV entrance.

EPR, Euopean's First Generation III+ Nuclear Reactor

According to AFP, Agence France-Presse, site preparation is already underway and in two months, workers in Flamanville, France will pour the first concrete for the EPR, or European Pressurized Reactor, the first generation III+ reactor currently under construction touted as the safest and cleanest addition to France's network of 58 nuclear reactors.

It is a PWR (pressurized water reactor) in the 1,600 MW class. PWR technology represents 56% of the world’s operational nuclear capacity (205 million kW out of a total of 368 - as of Dec. 31 2005).

The EPR is based on the most recent technologies: the French N4 reactors in operation at Chooz and Civaux Nuclear Power Plants and the Konvoi reactors in operation in Germany. It benefits from over thirty years' operating feedback from nuclear power plants. AREVA has built around 100 nuclear reactors in 11 countries, representing almost 30% of the total installed nuclear power capacity worldwide.

The first EPR already under construction in Olkiluoto, Finland is scheduled to start commercial operation in 2009.

Anerobic Microoganisms Produce Methane

LUCA Technologies, Golden, Colorado, has discovered that many hydrocarbon deposits such as coal beds, organic-rich shales and oil fields currently are, or have potential to produce large amounts of methane, using naturally occurring populations of anaerobic microorganisms, on an ongoing, real-time basis. In the absence of atmospheric oxygen, these underground communities of organisms feed on the complex organic molecules that make up the coal or oil, yielding methane as a metabolic byproduct.

Luca has identified 46 years of gas supply, at 23 TCFY (approx. current U.S. consumption rate), that could be produced using anaerobic microorganisms, assuming 1% of the substrate is converted to methane.

LUCA has coined the term "Geobioreactors" to refer to these large, naturally occurring bioreactors (containers in which microorganisms are used to perform chemical reactions), and to differentiate them from the human-engineered conversion of plant materials into methane that is currently done on a small scale.

Through a series of controlled laboratory experiments, LUCA has shown that coal samples extracted from a number of suspected Geobioreactors will produce methane on an on-going basis. Moreover, this methane production can be stimulated by the introduction of additional nutrient compounds, or suppressed by heat sterilization or the introduction of oxygen, both of which will kill anaerobic organisms.

The biogenic creation of methane from a higher molecular weight hydrocarbon source is a multi-step process, most likely accomplished by a consortium of microorganisms acting together in a symbiotic fashion. Through a series of steps, various organisms in the consortium breakdown the large hydrocarbon molecules in coal or oil into intermediate, water-soluble compounds, which are then reduced to even smaller hydrocarbon molecules, and finally metabolized into methane by a group of organisms known as methanogens.

Bob Lutz's Latest on the Volt

In an interview in the September 20 issue of the New York Times in David Pogue's column here are a few exherpts to give you some of his latest takes on the Volt.

Do you really believe in it?

Yeah, I firmly believe it. A lot of us see it as the most interesting and most fascinating technical challenge of our whole careers. I mean, this car means more to me than anything else I’ve had anything to do with in the 42 years that I’ve been in the business. I think this is because it’s transformational.

Technical issues?

Well, the problem is nobody has done a lithium ion battery pack this big. But our battery suppliers say, “Hey. Stop saying that. We’re telling you the battery’s going to be OK.” We get the first experimental packs from our two developmental suppliers in October. And then we can start bench testing.

Price?

My personal target still is to bring this car into the market at, you know, nicely below $30,000.

UK to get 250 electric car recharging stations

Personal Computer World (UK) reports:

The viability of electric cars is set to take a giant leap forward after energy giant EDF announced it is to install 250 recharging stations across the UK by April 2008.

The company is to join forces with recharging station manufacturer Elektromotive to provide the recharging stations, which it claims will make electric cars such as the G-Wiz and MEGA City more attractive propositions for urban commuters.

. . . around 200 of the charging stations, which provide a standard 240V charge, are expected to be deployed in London with a further 50 planned for other cities including Brighton and Sheffield.

. . . with most electric cars costing 1.3p to 1.5p per mile to run, costs would be minimal.

. . . The study from ICM Research predicted that Londoners alone will spend £1.2bn on green vehicles in the next year.

Is this a sign of things to come around the world? Detractors of electric cars and PHEV's have often cited the lack of recharging stations was a major problem in making these cars acceptable.  The article does not say how the charging stations will be paid for but infers that some will be paid for by local governments and some from proceeds from selling the electricity.

New Zealand Bans New Fossil Fueled Power Plants

Sometimes people agree with me.  Earlier today I made this comment on a previous post:

"If it was possible I would place a moratorium on building coal plants without CCS."

I swear I had not read or heard about this story.

From Bloomberg:

New Zealand electricity producers, including Contact Energy Ltd., will face a 10-year ban on the construction of new gas- or coal-fired generators to help the nation meet its Kyoto Protocol emission reduction targets. . . .

State-owned generators will be barred from building new gas-fired plants, and a decision on whether to extend the ban to Contact and other private generators will be made this year, Energy Minister David Parker said today.

New Zealand already produces about 70 percent of its power from non-polluting wind, hydro-electric and geothermal generators. The government wants to raise that to 90 percent by 2025 and is blocking construction of cheaper gas-fired power stations to speed investment in wind turbines and steamfields. (another word for geothermal I believe)

New Benefuel Refinery Targets Key Flaws in Biodiesel Production

Benefuel, Inc., announced on October 10 that it will build the world's first industrial-scale biodiesel refinery using a solid catalyst that converts low-grade fats and vegetable oils into biodiesel. The 10-million gallon a year plant, planned to be located in Seymour, Ind., eliminates the need for water in the refining process and produces a market-ready glycerin by-product.

Benefuel’s key technology innovation – the perfection of a solid catalyst, fixed bed reactor refining process – revolutionizes biodiesel production by eliminating demand for water, expanding the range of oil feedstock options and increasing the value of glycerin byproducts.

Advantages of the process include:

• Processing the broadest range of feedstocks with no pre-processing (up to 100% FFA’s).
• Eliminate the need for water washing or dry washing, as there is no caustic liquid catalyst to remove.
• Create an exceptionally high purity glycerin (98%+) resulting in significant economic benefits.
• Enables a continuous flow fuel-processing model that is not possible in traditional stirred tank reactors.
• Modular, portable and rapidly deployable
• Eliminate the possibility of out of specification fuel with an in-line, continuous automated quality monitoring system connected through Internet technologies, cutting labor costs and eliminating down time.

DOE Awards First Three Large-Scale Carbon Sequestration Projects

U.S Deputy Secretary of Energy Clay Sell today announced that the Department of Energy (DOE) awarded the first three large-scale carbon sequestration projects in the United States and the largest single set in the world to date. DOE plans to invest $197 million over ten years, subject to annual appropriations from Congress, for the projects, whose estimated value including partnership cost share is $318 million.

The three projects - Plains Carbon Dioxide Reduction Partnership; Southeast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership; and Southwest Regional Partnership for Carbon Sequestration - will conduct large volume tests for the storage of one million or more tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) in deep saline reservoirs. These projects will double the number of large-volume carbon storage demonstrations in operation worldwide.

The formations to be tested during this third phase of the regional partnerships program are recognized as the most promising of the geologic basins in the United States. Collectively, these formations have the potential to store more than one hundred years of CO2 emissions from all major point sources in North America.

The projects will demonstrate the entire CO2 injection process - pre-injection characterization, injection process monitoring, and post-injection monitoring - at large volumes to determine the ability of different geologic settings to permanently store CO2.

Air Products and Konarka to Work on Transparent Solar Modules for Building Applications

Air Products, Allentown, Pa, (NYSE:APD) and Konarka Inc. of Lowell, Mass., have been selected by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Advanced Technology Program (ATP) to conduct research and development on transparent, flexible solar modules, using organic pohotovotaic technology (OPV), for windows and other building integrated applications. The $4.7 million award for the $9.6 million project is part of NIST’s Advanced Technology Program which looks to foster new technology developments by U.S. companies.

The technology will be suitable for use in windows capable of controlling transparency for privacy, regulating the wavelength of light passing through for energy conservation, and for aesthetics. Since the materials are capable of harvesting indoor as well as outdoor light, the solar modules can be integrated into building sensors, battery chargers, lighting and displays, and wireless security monitoring systems.

Clipper to Develop 7.5 MW Wind Turbine

Clipper Windpower Plc (LON:CWP) announced today that it will develop the world's largest offshore wind turbine rated at 7.5 MW. It has established a Centre of Excellence for Offshore Wind in Blyth, United Kingdom and the " Project" has attracted support from the UK's One NorthEast Regional Development Agency.

The development of the 7.5 MW wind turbine will build upon the advanced architecture and technology of Clipper's Liberty 2.5 MW turbine which, in September 2007, was recognized for its unparalleled levels of efficiency, reliability and reduced cost of energy by way of a commendation awarded to Clipper by the United States Department of Energy.

One NorthEast's Blyth-based New and Renewable Energy Centre (NaREC) will provide the Britannia Project with a support package for engineering and test laboratory, including its world-class wind turbine blade testing facilities. Engineering for the project will be shared between Clipper's Advanced Technology Group, based in Carpinteria, California, and Clipper operations in Blyth. Funding provided by One NorthEast also will support the development of Clipper's turbine supply chain and related manufacturing facilities.

Clipper considers the North East as its global location of choice for this project which may lead to future manufacturing and job creation in the region.

DOE Loan Guarantee Program Regulations Issued

Biopact also reported that DOE has announced that the final regulations for its loan guarantee program have been issued. This paves the way for selection and funding of clean energy projects including the cellulosic ethanol projects that had been selected earlier. Limited funding is available now, as I understand it, $2 billion has been authorized which should be enought for the 16 projects that have been selected for final review.  Congress currently is considering the Department’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 Budget request for $9 billion in loan guarantee authority and $8.4 million to run the Loan Guarantee office.   more in Biopact ...

USDA: High Oil Prices Push Up Food Prices More Than Biofuels

Biopact reports:

First-generation biofuels like ethanol made from corn and biodiesel from rapeseed have effects on food prices. However, new evidence from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) suggests high oil prices play a much larger role in this trend. The situation is far more complex than some want to believe, because some biofuels even succeed in pushing inflation down. Researchers point at the situation in Brazil: there inflation indices have dropped because of record ethanol output and record low prices for the biofuel. Competitive biofuels bring down costs for all the economic sectors that would otherwise have to rely exclusively on very expensive oil products. More . . .

Report Finds Unconventional Fuels and Efficiency Gains Could Make a Significant Impact on required Oil Imports

In a three volume report that a DOE Task Force prepared it was concluded that "the domestic and global fuels supply situation and outlook is urgent. Increasing global oil demand, declining reserve additions, and our increasing reliance on oil and product imports from unstable foreign sources require the Nation to take immediate action to catalyze a domestic unconventional fuels industry." It further went on to say "Aggressive development by private industry, and encouraged by government, could supply all of the Department of Defense’s domestic fuels demand by 2016, and supply upwards of 7 million barrels per day of domestically produced liquid fuels to domestic markets by 2035." Their most aggressive scenario concluded that oil imports would decrease if significant efficiency gains were made.  The following is a shortened summary of the report from EV World. (click to enlarge graph)

The United States' Task Force on Strategic Unconventional Fuels (www.unconventionalfuels.org) has made public its findings and recommendations on the future role to be played by five non-petroleum energy sources found in America: shale oil, heavy crude, tar sands, coal-to-liquids and enhanced oil recovery (EOR) using captured carbon dioxide.. . .

The Task Force . . . takes a comprehensive look at the potential contribution these, heretofore under-utilized resources can make in supplementing the nation's declining petroleum production. They conclude that even under the most aggressive development scenario, these resources could produce about 7.6 million barrels a day of synthetic liquid fuel by 2035. And under current, business-as-usual, conditions -- and assuming a whole host of issues from socioeconomic to technical can be resolved -- unconventional fuels might add 2.3 mbld by 2035, about one-tenth of what America currently consumes. . . .

The contributions made by the various unconventional energy sources under three different utilization scenarios shows America continuing to be largely dependent on imported oil with energy conservation and efficiency making greater contributions then unconventional fuels put together.

TECO Cancels IGCC Power Plant

Tampa Electric yesterday announced that it no longer plans to meet its 2013 need for baseload generation through the use of integrated gasification combined-cycle technology, or IGCC. Primary drivers of the decision announced today include continued uncertainty related to carbon dioxide (CO2) regulations, particularly capture and sequestration issues, and the potential for related project cost increases. Because of the economic risk of these factors to customers and investors, the company believes it should not proceed with an IGCC project at this time.

The company remains steadfast in its support of IGCC as a critical component of future fuel diversity in Florida and the nation, and believes the technology is the most environmentally responsible way to utilize coal, an affordable, abundant and domestically produced fuel. Tampa Electric is recognized as the world leader in the production of electricity from IGCC. The company also believes that IGCC technology offers the best platform to capture and then sequester CO2. Once public policy issues regarding long-term sequestration are resolved, demonstration projects can be conducted that will lead to a better understanding of the science, technologies and economics of sequestration.

“We believe there is a role for IGCC in Tampa Electric’s future generation plans, but with the uncertainty of carbon capture and sequestration regulations being discussed at the federal and state levels, the timing is not right to utilize it for a baseload facility needed by 2013. We are not prepared to expose our customers and shareholders to that risk.” - President Chuck Black

This is but one of the many coal fired power plants that have been either canceled or put on hold - but this is the first IGCC plant I have heard of that has been canceled.  Power companies are coming under more pressure to put in environmentally friendly power plants, but the government has not moved on any regulations that require any restriction on CO2 emissions.  Several power companies have said they would back carbon capture and sequestration requirements, but they do not want to put in such plants unless their is an even playing field regarding such requirements.

Perhaps the recent development of technologies that can be applied to conventional coal fired power plants is one consideration affecting their decision.  Nuclear power is probably the safest route to go as far as not having to worry about CO2 emissions, but its capital expense is still very high and even though the approval process has been simplified, that is yet to be demonstrated in the real world.  Natural gas is also a fairly safe route, but future costs of natural gas are quite uncertain.

Renewable energy, especially for large base load plants is not generally accepted as the answer.  I would think with TECO's load growing at 150 megawatts per year it might be possible to establish a policy of installing renewable energy incrementally to meet its needs.  Florida is situated where solar power, offshore wind and someday wave power might be considered.  By installing a mix of renewable energy technologies which have different time periods of peak output, the resulting power production is considerably leveled out to provide a more continuous flow of power.  Solar, with about four hours of storage, matches the peak load for most areas. The large load for air conditioning and a fairly small industrial load would seem to me to make a good case for solar power in Florida. Florida Power and Light recently made a commitment to solar power, so at least one utility thinks Florida is a suitable location for solar power.

Firefly to Produce Truck Batteries

Firefly Energy Inc. the Peoria based developer of advanced lead acid batteries announced on October 3 that it is expanding into the trucking market with the commencement of a BCI Group 31 battery development program.

The Group 31 size battery is a broadly deployed battery type in trucks. The company said the Firefly Group 31 battery will be initially available next summer with full production scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2008.

The sealed, valve regulated Group 31 battery is similar to a battery Firefly Energy is developing for the U.S. Army to give combat vehicles enough onboard electrical storage to power equipment without significantly decreasing battery life.

“Conventional deepcycle lead acid batteries used in truck starting show sizeable performance dropoff after some 200 deep discharge cycles,” said Mil Ovan, senior vice president and cofounder of Firefly Energy.

He noted the Firefly Energy battery will deliver greater reliability and longer service life because it is capable of achieving more than triple the deep cycles while still maintaining over 90 percent of its initial capacity.

“In trucking, this means our battery can be expected to last three to five times longer than the best performing valve regulated lead acid batteries.”

He added that with the new antiidling laws, “drivers using our battery can keep cool during sleep periods without having to idle their engines. Substantial reductions in rest stop engine idling and diesel fuel use by heavy trucks are achievable because our battery powers accessories like air conditioners, TVs, VCRs, computers and refrigerators with 50 percent more runtime than top competitors.”

VeraSun Energy Suspends Construction of Refinery

VeraSun Energy Corporation (NYSE: VSE) announced on October 2 that it was suspending construction of a 110 million-gallon-per-year ethanol biorefinery due to current market conditions. The company expects that construction will be resumed in 2008 if market conditions improve. The company had only completed site grading and preparation work on he effected plant.

"We believe it's important to be mindful of the current market conditions and manage our business accordingly," said Danny Herron, VeraSun Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President. "Given the abrupt change in market conditions that have seen ethanol prices drop nearly 50 cents per gallon in the last 60 days, it is prudent for us to adjust our current pace of expansion. Due to Reynold's early stage of development, we believe it is wise to suspend investment until the market provides an acceptable return."

"We have a large business that we are growing rapidly with four facilities continuing under construction," said Don Endres, VeraSun Chairman and CEO. "We remain confident in the outlook for our industry and believe that with ethanol currently priced at a dollar less than gasoline, it provides a great value as a high-octane, clean-burning renewable fuel that will drive additional blending throughout the nation."

Priced at a dollar less than gasoline, blending ethanol with gasoline now reduces the price of gasoline, but does not provide as great a profit margin for producers as it previously did. This is evidence that market forces are at work and the out of control expansion of corn ethanol producers will be moderated. Although I support the development of the ethanol market, it is time that subsidies on corn ethanol be reduced so that cost reduction improvements to biorefineries will be implemented. See the previous post on Poet to see what cost reduction practices are being planned by one producer.

Update: Loan guarantees for improvements to reduce cost would be OK for corn ethanol. Full subsidies for cellulosic ethanol would be OK until processes are more developed and costs are under control.

Contract Awarded to Study Recycling of Nuclear Waste

From an AREVA press release:

The International Nuclear Recycling Alliance (INRA) – led by AREVA (Paris, EPA:CEI) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. and including Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited; Washington Group International; BWX Technologies, Inc.; and Battelle -- has been awarded a contract with the Department of Energy (DOE) to evaluate closing the nuclear fuel cycle in the U.S., through the development of a nuclear fuel recycling center and an advanced recycling reactor. The contract was awarded within the framework of the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP).

GNEP seeks to close the nuclear fuel cycle by recycling used fuel in ways that both minimize proliferation risks and reduce the volume and toxicity of final waste residues. Closing the fuel cycle would conserve uranium resources and enhance energy security.

Under the terms of the contract, INRA will provide three major studies:

• Technology development roadmaps analyzing the technology needed to achieve GNEP goals;
• Business plans showing methods for the development and commercialization of advanced GNEP technologies and facilities;
• Conceptual design studies for the nuclear fuel recycling center and the advanced recycling reactor.

The nuclear fuel recycling center would have two functions: the treatment of used fuel to separate it into recyclable, energy-producing components and final waste materials, and the manufacture of nuclear fuel from the recyclable components of the used fuel. The advanced recycling reactor will be fueled with materials recovered from used reactor fuel. The reactor will transform some of these radioactive materials into a more easily manageable waste form while producing energy.

In my mind it is inevitable that nuclear power will play an ever increasing role in meeting our electrical energy needs. As indicated in a previous post, NRG is leading the way with the first application to build a plant in 30 years, with a construction time almost as short as for a clean coal plant. Recycling of nuclear waste, rather than storage which is the current proposal seems to offer the advantage of recycling the waste as well as being a safer method that minimizes the risk of proliferation. Yucca mountain seems to be locked up in endless battles for approval, not that any method will not have its difficulties. No method will meet the approval of everyone, but we must have a viable method for treating our nuclear waste and recycling is my choice.

Macy's to Install 8.9 MW of Solar Power in California Stores, Combined with Energy Efficiency Program Utility-Provided Energy to be Reduced 40%

Per a SunPower press release:

Macy's is launching a program to install solar electric power systems at 28 California stores, including 15 in Southern California. SunPower Corporation (Nasdaq:SPWR), a Silicon Valley-based manufacturer of high-efficiency, solar cells, solar panels and solar systems, is partnering with Macy's to design and install the systems. . . .

Through its 28-store partnership with SunPower, Macy's has committed to installing a total of 8.9-megawatts of solar power systems on its California stores. In addition, SunPower is assisting Macy's to improve the energy efficiency at the stores. Combining solar power with energy efficiency will allow Macy's to achieve an estimated 40 percent reduction in utility-provided energy, almost doubling the impact of the solar power alone. . . .

For 17 of the 28 stores, Macy's will purchase solar-generated electricity under the SunPower Access(tm) program, a solar services agreement that allows the retailer to purchase just the electricity generated at its stores -- not the solar power systems. At the end of a 10-year term, Macy's will have the option to renew the agreement, transfer the equipment to a new site, or buy the system. Macy's will buy solar power systems for the remaining 11 stores through an outright system purchase.

SunPower commercial 300 series solar panels deliver panel efficiencies of up to 19.3% and are backed by a 25 year warranty.

The company is headquartered in San Jose, California and is a subsidiary of Cypress Semiconductor Corporation.

This is a very large commitment by Macy's and with a potential energy savings of 40%, with energy efficiency improvements, demonstrates that solar power combined with energy savings has a great potential, even at the present time, in areas where there is high solar radiation. There are large incentives in California, as well as high solar radiation, which enable such installations now and help develop a solar industry that can be incentive free when production costs are reduced as they most certainly will be in the next 3 to 5 years.

BASF, RWE Power and the Linde Group to Develop New CO2 Capture Process

BASF, RWE Power and the Linde Group agreed recently to develop a new processes for CO2 capture from combustion gases in coal-fired power plants. The collaboration will comprises the construction and operation of a pilot facility at the lignite-fired power plant of RWE Power AG in Niederaussem/Germany to test new developments and solvents from BASF for the capture of CO2 – so-called CO2 scrubbing. Linde is responsible for the engineering and the construction of the pilot facility.

“There is agreement among experts,” says Dr. Johannes Lambertz, Board member of RWE Power, “that coal will continue to be an important pillar in the global energy supply for decades to come. This is why we have set up a long-range CO2 avoidance strategy: we are building the most efficient coal-fired power plants in the world, and we are developing a new generation of power plants for tomorrow, with an efficiency of over 50 percent. We are already designing all our modern coal-fired power plants so that they can eventually be equipped with the CO2 capture technology that is currently being developed with BASF and Linde. The aim must be to set up not only highly modern plants from 2020, but also virtually carbon-neutral coal-fired power plants including storage.”

In late 2005 BASF announced that it had developed a novel amine-based solvent that is particularly efficient in removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from power plant emissions.

Microbial Fuel Cells

Based on a Biopact report:

Microbial fuel cells (MFC) took a step closer to commercial reality recently when MIT students showed off a MFC that efficiently converts cellulosic biomass into electricity and biological engineers at Oregon State University reported that they have designed an MFC that is capable of generating about 10 times more electricity than previously possible from an air cathode microbial fuel cell of the same size.

These and other breakthroughs have taken microbial fuel cells out of their experimental status and closer to beeing ready to be used in real world applications.

A MFC converts chemical energy, available in an organic substrate, directly into electricity. To achieve this, bacteria are used as a catalyst to convert substrate into electrons. In principle they can be fed virtually any type of biomass, from rotten fruit and cellulose to algae and mosquitos.

(above) Schematic of a MFC - Microbes in the anode compartment metabolize organic fuel (in this case glucose) and release electrons, ions and C02. In the cathode compartment electrons combine with ions and oxygen to form water and close the circuit. Credit: IntAct Labs

Cellulosic Ethanol: An Overview

Wired has a very comprehensive overview article on cellulosic ethanol that will equip the novice with a very good background on the subject. A few quotes follow:

On a blackboard, it looks so simple: Take a plant and extract the cellulose. Add some enzymes and convert the cellulose molecules into sugars. Ferment the sugar into alcohol. Then distill the alcohol into fuel. One, two, three, four — and we're powering our cars with lawn cuttings, wood chips, and prairie grasses instead of Middle East oil. . . .

While researchers work to bring down the costs of alternative energy sources, in the past two years policymakers have finally reached consensus that it's time to move past oil. . . .

But how? Hydrogen is too far-out, and it's no easy task to power our cars with wind- or solar-generated electricity. The answer, then, is ethanol. . . .

Cellulosic ethanol, in theory, is a much better bet. Most of the plant species suitable for producing this kind of ethanol — like switchgrass, a fast- growing plant found throughout the Great Plains, and farmed poplar trees — aren't food crops. . . .

Companies featured are Lee Lynds Mascoma, Novozymes, and Verenium.

And even ardent proponents concede that cellulosic ethanol won't solve our fuel problems — or do much to stop global warming — without parallel efforts to improve vehicle efficiency.

Thanks to tip from the R-Squared Energy Blog.