Non-conventional Energy -

VATIS UPDATE: Non-conventional Energy Nov-Dec 2008 1

HighlightsNew flexible silicon solar cells

Spherical windmillShallow water tidal generator

Hydrogen fuel cells take to the airThe road to full-scale hydrogen plant

Promise of ‘green petrol’

Vol. 2 No. 93 Nov - Dec 2008ISSN 0971-5630

Non-conNon-conNon-conNon-conNon-convvvvventionalentionalentionalentionalentional EnerEnerEnerEnerEnergggggyyyyy

APCTTASIAN AND PACIFIC CENTRE FOR TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY

VATIS UPDATE

2 VATIS UPDATE: Non-conventional Energy Nov-Dec 2008

The shaded areas of the map indicate ESCAP members and associate members

The Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT), a subsidiarybody of ESCAP, was established on 16 July 1977 with the objectives: to assist themembers and associate members of ESCAP through strengthening their capabilities todevelop and manage national innovation systems; develop, transfer, adapt and applytechnology; improve the terms of transfer of technology; and identify and promote thedevelopment and transfer of technologies relevant to the region.

The Centre will achieve the above objectives by undertaking such functions as:

Research and analysis of trends, conditions and opportunities;Advisory services;Dissemination of information and good practices;Networking and partnership with international organizations and key stakeholders; andTraining of national personnel, particularly national scientists and policy analysts.

Cover Photo

The two-blade wind turbine designed by NordwindEnergieanlagen GmbH (Credit: Borawind AG,

Switzerland)


Vol. 2 No. 93 Nov - Dec 2008

IN THE NEWSIN THE NEWSIN THE NEWSIN THE NEWSIN THE NEWS 44444

Hydrogen-fuelled buses tested at Beijing Games Indian cabinetapproves national policy on biofuel Biofuel use to be a must in Indonesia

Viet Nam stops sale of ethanol-blended petrol Philippine Senateapproves renewable energy bill Malaysian action plan on renewableenergy Republic of Korea to boost renewable energy sector

SOLAR ENERGYSOLAR ENERGYSOLAR ENERGYSOLAR ENERGYSOLAR ENERGY 66666

New flexible silicon solar cells Solar cell exhibits 40 per cent efficiencyNew design for efficient solar cells Silicon solar cells show 20 per cent

efficiencies New approach for cheaper solar cells Second-generationthin-film solar cells Concentrated photovoltaic module

WIND ENERGYWIND ENERGYWIND ENERGYWIND ENERGYWIND ENERGY 88888

Two-blade wind turbine with hydrostatic drive Protection of windgenerators during voltage dips Spherical windmill Multi-megawattwind turbine New wind drive train concept unveiled High-performanceshrouded wind turbine Wind turbine with semi-rigid blade Windrescue system

WAVE/TIDAL ENERGYWAVE/TIDAL ENERGYWAVE/TIDAL ENERGYWAVE/TIDAL ENERGYWAVE/TIDAL ENERGY 1 11 11 11 11 1

Commercial tidal energy installation Turbine rides underwatercurrents like a kite Shallow water tidal generator Simpler turbines toharvest tidal energy

FUEL CELLSFUEL CELLSFUEL CELLSFUEL CELLSFUEL CELLS 1 21 21 21 21 2

New fuel cell starts up at room temperature Hydrogen fuel cells taketo the air Fuel cells integrating SFC technology Fuel cells providemarathon power

HYDROGEN ENERGYHYDROGEN ENERGYHYDROGEN ENERGYHYDROGEN ENERGYHYDROGEN ENERGY 1 31 31 31 31 3

Hydrogen breakthrough offers hope in fuel crisis The road to full-scalehydrogen plant Ammonia borane could store hydrogen Siliconnanotubes for hydrogen storage Kit for hydrogen generation Hydrogen-on-demand systems

BIOMASS ENERGYBIOMASS ENERGYBIOMASS ENERGYBIOMASS ENERGYBIOMASS ENERGY 1 51 51 51 51 5

Promise of ‘green petrol’ Advance in biofuel processing Newmechanism to produce energy from biomass Coffee waste converted toenergy Biofuel technology shows potential A novel chemistry to makefuel from sugar Researchers study biodiesel tree

RECENT PUBLICATIONSRECENT PUBLICATIONSRECENT PUBLICATIONSRECENT PUBLICATIONSRECENT PUBLICATIONS 1 81 81 81 81 8

TECH EVENTSTECH EVENTSTECH EVENTSTECH EVENTSTECH EVENTS 1 81 81 81 81 8

VATIS* UpdateNon-conventional Energy

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Editorial Board

Dr. Krishnamurthy RamanathanMr. Nanjundappa Srinivasan

Dr. Satyabrata Sahu

ASIAN AND PACIFIC CENTREFOR TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY

Adjoining Technology BhawanQutab Institutional Area

Post Box No. 4575New Delhi 110 016, IndiaTel: (91) (11) 2696 6509

Fax: (91) (11) 2685 6274E-mail: [email protected]

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The designation employed andthe presentation of material in the

publication do not imply theendorsement of any product, process

or manufacturer by APCTT.

This publication has been issuedwithout formal editing

* Value Added TechnologyInformation Service

CONTENTS


IN THE NEWS

Hydrogen-fuelledbuses tested atBeijing Games

During the recent Olympic Gamesin Beijing, China, some 500 busesusing diverse new energies wereput into operation. One of the tech-nologies tested was hydrogen fuel.A hydrogen gas station was set upat the energy demonstration parkin the Yongfeng High Tech Centre,Zhongguancun. Covering an area of4,000 m2, the hydrogen gas stationhas advanced gas producing facili-ties, including hydrogen gas maker,natural gas reformation device andclean hydrogen gas maker. All thefuel battery vehicles demonstratedat the Beijing Olympic Games weremaintained and refuelled at the sta-tion. It takes about 20 minutes toget a fuel battery car or bus refuel-led, for a run as far as 250 km, andthis will have to be done approxima-tely once a day.

Source: www.most.gov.cn

Indian cabinetapproves nationalpolicy on biofuelIn India, the Minister for New andRenewable Energy, Mr. Vilas Mut-temwar, said the cabinet approvalto the national policy on biofuel willpost a new direction to the develop-ment of biofuels. The cabinet gaveits approval to the National Biofuel

Policy along with setting up of anempowered National Biofuel Co-ordination Committee (headed bythe Prime Minister) and a BiofuelSteering Committee (headed by theCabinet Secretary). The new policyaims to raise blending of biofuelswith petrol and diesel to 20 per centby 2017.

Salient features of the new policyare:

Biodiesel production will be takenup from non-edible oil seeds on de-graded/waste/marginal lands;

The focus would be on indige-nous production of biodiesel feed-stock, and import of free fatty acid(FFA) based-bio fuel stock such asoil palm would not be permitted;

Biodiesel plantations on commu-nity/government forestland/wasteland would be encouraged, whileplantation in fertile irrigated landswould not be encouraged;

Minimum support price with peri-odic revision for biodiesel oil seedsto provide fair price to the growers;

Minimum purchase price for bio-ethanol by the oil marketing compa-nies would be based on its actualcost of production and import price;

Biofuels may be considered “De-clared Goods” by the governmentto ensure their free movement with-in and outside the states;

No taxes and duties to be leviedon biodiesel; and

Thrust to be given to research,development and demonstration,with focus on plantations, proces-sing and production technologies,including second-generation cellu-losic biofuels.

Source: www.pib.nic.in

Biofuel use to be amust in IndonesiaIndonesia has issued a ministerialdecree that will make the use of

biofuels mandatory from 2009, saidDr. Purnomo Yusgiantoro, Indone-sian Energy Minister. The resource-rich nation has been pushing for theuse of biofuels to cut the use of ex-pensive petroleum products and tohelp ensure the survival of its fledg-ling biodiesel industry. The decreestates that for biodiesel, transport-ation vehicles must use a blend of1 per cent oil palm-based biodieseland 99 per cent diesel oil, while in-dustry and power plants must usea blend containing 2.5 per cent and0.25 per cent oil palm-based bio-diesel, respectively.

Source: www.istockanalyst.com

Viet Nam stopssale of ethanol-blended petrolA new notification by the governmentin Viet Nam has stopped the saleof petrol mixed with ethanol just aweek after trial sales began at twopetrol stations in Hanoi. Accordingto Mr. Nguyen Cam Tu, the DeputyMinister of Industry and Trade, themove is aimed at protecting con-sumer rights, as Viet Nam had notyet set standards for ethanol-petrolblends. “Petrol is a commodity thatmust meet the state standards andregulations before it is sold widelyto the public,” he said.

The Ministry’s Science & Technol-ogy Department had permitted thetrial sale of ethanol-blended petrolthrough March 2009. However, theMinistry later found that this petrolblend was yet to undergo sufficienttesting and therefore, failed to meetessential requirements for widerpublic sale. The decision to pull itfrom the market was necessary toprevent negative consequences, theMinister said.

“The decision to temporarily stopthe sale of petrol mixed with etha-nol will not affect much the testing

A hydrogen battery-powered bus


In the News

process of the Petrochemical andBiofuel Joint Stock Company, whichis in charge of blending A92 petrolwith 5 per cent of ethanol petrol,”said Mr. Le Thanh Thai who headsthe company’s Sales Department.

Source: www.english.vietnamnet.vn

Philippine Senateapprovesrenewable energy billThe Philippine Senate approved onthe third and final reading an incen-tives package to attract developersof renewable energy (RE) to investin the country. The RE proponentMr. Juan Miguel Zubiri, who authoredone of the bills that were eventuallyconsolidated as Senate Bill 2046(SB 2046), said the measure pro-vides for a seven-year income taxholiday and a 5 per cent gross in-come tax thereafter to renewableenergy developers who invest in thePhilippines. Power and electricityfrom RE resources for the investor’s/generator’s own consumption orfree distribution in off-grid areas willbe exempt from universal chargesunder Section 34 of the ElectricPower Industry Reform Act. It wasnecessary to provide an attractiveincentive package to RE investorsbecause RE projects are more ex-pensive than energy plants basedon fossil fuel, Mr. Zubiri said.

SB 2046 provides for a governmentshare equivalent to 1 per cent of thegross income of RE developers onthe sale of energy produced, as wellas other incident income from gen-eration, transmission and sale ofelectricity generated from renewa-ble resources. Mr. Edgardo Angara,who co-authored and sponsoredSB 2046, stated that exploitationand use of RE could bring savingsof US$3.6 billion in fuel purchasesby 2014.

Source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Malaysian action planon renewable energyMalaysia is developing a renewableenergy (RE) Action Plan, which willspell out in detail the way forwardto increase the market share of REin the generation mix of the country,the Minister of Energy, Water andCommunications Datuk ShazimanAbu Mansor said. “We need to comeup with policies that can mitigatethe impact of the current fuel pricevolatility. We also need to plan forthe interest of our future generationin view of depleting resources by pre-serving some of these resources forthem,” he said while addressing thePowerGen Asia 2008 conference.

In this context, Datuk Shazimansaid, his Ministry would intensifyefforts on RE and energy efficiencyso that these two energy manage-ment aspects could play a majorrole in the energy supply mix. Heurged greater efforts to encouragethe utilization of renewable resour-ces, such as biomass, biogas, solarand hydro for electricity generation.Datuk Shaziman informed that theuse of renewable energy for powergeneration was being given greateremphasis in line with the country’s‘Five-Fuel Policy’ formulated underthe Eighth Malaysia Plan and wasbeing promoted with more empha-sis under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

The Minister said the high cost ofRE technology was a reason whythe development of RE was ratherslow in Malaysia. To enhance REdevelopment in the country, there-fore, a premium needs to be paidto developers for the clean energythat they produce, he said. DatukShaziman said hydro power wouldplay a more prominent role in thegeneration mix, with its share goingup to 35 per cent in 2030 for Pen-insular Malaysia.

Source: www.bernama.com.my

Republic of Koreato boost renewableenergy sectorThe Republic of Korea would spend111.5 trillion won (US$103 billion)through 2030 in developing new re-newable energy, in an effort to cut itsreliance on fossil fuels and reducecarbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Theplan is part of the government's long-term energy strategy and will comeon top of other energy policies andresource development plans.

The country will “lower the portionof fossil energy to 61 per cent by2030 from the current 83 per cent,while bumping up the portion of newrenewable energy to 11 per centfrom 2.4 per cent,” the Ministry ofKnowledge Economy revealed in astatement. Under the plan, powergeneration capacity for solar, wind,bio and geothermal energy will beexpanded. The statement came afteran Energy Committee meeting pre-sided over by the President Mr. LeeMyung-bak. The country also plansto boost its energy self-sufficiencyrate to 40 per cent by 2030 fromthe current 4.2 per cent. The Re-public of Korea is the world’s 10th

largest energy consumer and the5th largest crude oil importer.

Source: www.ccchina.gov.cn

Global Renewable Energy Policiesand Measures Database

The database provides informationon policies and measures taken orplanned to encourage the uptake ofrenewable energy. It covers mea-sures in International Energy Agency(IEA) member countries, membersof Johannesburg Renewable EnergyCoalition (JREC), and Brazil, China,the European Union, India, Mexico,Russia and South Africa.

For more information, access:http://www.iea.org


SOLAR ENERGY

New flexiblesilicon solar cellsIn the United States, researchersat University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Northwestern Uni-versity have developed a new typeof silicon solar cell that is flexibleenough to be used on a curved sur-face or fabric. Currently, most solarcells are rigid because of the useof plastic in their production. More-over, unlike the thin-film solar cellsproduced by Q-Cells and Sharp,the new technology uses highly ef-ficient single crystal silicon.

The flexible, see-through solar cellscould be used as a solar skin ontop of buildings or aircraft, as win-dows on cars or buildings, or evenas a tinting film on sunroofs. Prof.John Rogers from the University ofIllinois, who led the study, says, “Youcan make the solar cells in the formof a grey film that could be addedto architectural glass.” The techni-que – which involves slicing siliconvery thinly and then transferring itonto plastic, with the resulting cellsone-tenth the thickness of existingmodels – also results in flexiblesolar panels.

Sources: www.cleantechnica.com &www.lowcarboneconomy.com

Solar cell exhibits40 per cent efficiencyIn the United States, researchersat the National Renewable Energy

Laboratory (NREL) of the Depart-ment of Energy have developed aphotovoltaic cell that converts 40.8per cent of solar radiation – the high-est confirmed conversion efficiencyto date. Measured under concen-trated light of 326 suns, the invertedmetamorphic triple-junction solarcell uses compositions of gallium-indium-arsenide and gallium-indium-phosphide to split the solar spec-trum into three equal parts that areabsorbed by each of the cell’s threejunctions for higher potential effici-encies. The new design – forged,fabricated and independently mea-sured by NREL scientists – exceedsthe previous record holder’s perfor-mance, creating a thinner, cheaperand more potent photovoltaics.

Spectro Lab had held the previousworld record for conversion efficien-cy at 40.7 per cent, while the lastconversion record of the invertedtriple-junction cell was achieved byNREL and stands at 38.9 per cent.The new triple-junction solar cellsare the likely candidates for space-based applications with a potentialto be introduced in terrestrial mar-kets as their design and operationbecome more functional.

Source: www.pcmag.com

New design forefficient solar cellsFocusing on creating autonomouspower systems based on flexiblethin-film solar cells, researcher Prof.Seshu Desu from Binghamton Uni-versity, the United States, wants toincrease efficiency through noveldesign and restructuring of the cellitself. When materials collect intomuch smaller dimensions as nano-particles, the number of surfaces isincreased. This, in turn, increasesthe capacity to interact with theenvironment without increasing thesize of the basic unit. Materialsalso have other unexpected and

often beneficial properties when theirsizes reduce to nano levels. Prof.Desu’s work will leverage these asyet unknown properties in construc-ting the next generation of thin-filmsolar cells, in which nanoparticlescover a large surface area to maxi-mize generation efficiency, reducethe cost and increase reliability.

“Potential for solar energy utiliza-tion can be maximized when thesolar cells are integrated with highlyefficient energy storage supercapa-citor devices that could accommo-date the accelerated power needs,”Prof. Desu said. His team producedsupercapacitors with significantlyhigh energy and power densities withextremely long cycle lifetimes usingthe advantages of nanostructuringand thin-film nanocomposite mate-rials. To achieve high-energy densityand prevent self-discharge throughopen circuit reactions, organic andinorganic solid-state electrolytes aswere developed as membranes orgels with ionic conductors that werebiologically derived.

Source: www.isa.org

Silicon solar cellsshow 20 per centefficienciesThe United States-based SunivaInc., a manufacturer of high-valuecrystalline silicon solar cells, saysthat its R&D team used a patentedcombination of simple cell designsand screen printing technologies todevelop several silicon solar cellswith more than 20 per cent conver-sion efficiencies. According to thecompany, this development exhibitsthat its advanced technologies indiffusion, surface passivation andcontacts can increase conversionefficiency while reducing proces-sing time and maintaining low cellcost. The technology is reported toreduce the number of steps in the

Flexible solar cell, magnified (right)


Solar Energy

production process and incorpo-rate advanced design features thatboost the cell’s power output.

Suniva’s ARTisun cell technologyhas recorded an efficiency of 18.5per cent in the lab, as verified by theNational Renewable Energy Labo-ratory. The company plans to focuson moving this technology from lab-sized cells to the production line andto commercialize the cells as soonas it is “possible and practical”. Italso has three new pending patents,which relate to structural design, fab-rication process, module integrationand the efficient use of low-costheterojunction solar cells.

Source: www.eetimes.com

New approach forcheaper solar cellsIn the United States, University ofUtah researchers are working on anovel approach to slice thin wafersof germanium for use in the mostefficient type of solar power cells.Mr. Dinesh Rakwal, a doctoral stu-dent in mechanical engineering,believes that the new method canhelp lower the cost and weight ofsuch cells by reducing the wasteand breakage of the semiconductor.

Mr. Rakwal, along with Mr. EberhardBamberg, an assistant professor ofmechanical engineering, describesthe new method as wire electricaldischarge machining. They say thatthe method wastes less germani-um and produces more wafers bycutting them thinner than normal,with less waste and cracking. Themethod employs an extremely thinmolybdenum wire with an electricalcurrent running through it. Accord-ing to the researchers, this tool hasbeen used previously for machiningmetals during tool-making.

Germanium serves as the bottomlayer of the most efficient existingtype of solar cell, but is primarily

used on NASA, commercial and mi-litary satellites because of the highexpense: 4 inch wide wafers usedin solar cells cost US$80-US$100each. Germanium-based solar cellsare used on spacecraft becausethey are more efficient and lighterthan silicon-based solar cells, saysMr. Bamberg. Making it more eco-nomically attractive would promotethe use of efficient germanium solarcells on rooftops and elsewhere.

Source: www.thaindian.com

Second-generationthin-film solar cellsSharp Corp., Japan, has completedinstallation of a second-generationthin-film solar cell production lineat its Katsuragi plant using large-size glass substrates measuring1,000 × 1,400 mm, about 2.7 timesthe area of conventional substrates(560 × 925 mm). The facility plansto expand production capacity forthin-film solar cells to 160 MW/year.

Photovoltaic modules that use thesecond-generation thin-film solarcells manufactured on this produc-tion line feature 9 per cent moduleconversion efficiency and high 128W power output. Also, making thesubstrates larger and raising poweroutput ensures fewer modules arerequired for a given installation thanbefore, making it possible to reducethe cost of installed systems. Thiscan be expected to lower the costof generating electricity.

Source: www.techon.nikkeibp.co.jp

Concentratedphotovoltaic moduleConcentracion Solar La ManchaS.L., Spain, has designed and dev-eloped a concentrated photovoltaic(CPV) module, which has a housingmoulded from DuPontTM Rynite®

polyethylene terephthalate (PET).CPV uses mirrors or lenses to con-centrate or focus light from a rela-tively broad collection area on to asmall area (as small as 1 cm2) ofactive semiconductor PV material.These systems show very high cellconversion efficiencies of over 36per cent. The CPV module develop-ed by Concentracion Solar has sixconcentrator elements and automa-tically tracks the Sun’s movementacross the sky to within 0.2º of ac-curacy. This precision enables themto achieve efficiency levels of 20-24 per cent in terms of electricityproduction, compared with 15-16 percent for modules with conventionalsilicon cells.

The elements are housed and sup-ported in a frame moulded usingDuPont Rynite 935 BK505, a mica-and glass-reinforced grade of PET.Rynite 935 BK505 was selectedas an alternative to powder-coatedaluminium, and because of its ex-ceptionally low warpage, very highstiffness and excellent electricalinsulating properties. Exposed toaround-the-clock outdoor weatherconditions, the material had to havehigh heat resistance (temperaturesof up to 85°C) and ultraviolet rays,and provide the structural supportrequired for the entire CPV moduleto withstand high winds. Contact:Concentracion Solar La ManchaS.L., Poligono Industrial Calle Ds/n, 13200 Manzanares (CiudadReal), Spain. Tel: +34 (926) 647414; Fax: +34 (926) 620 674; E-mail: [email protected].

Source:www.innovations-report.com

Mr. Rakwal and Mr. Bamberg in the lab


WIND ENERGY

Two-bladewind turbine withhydrostatic drive

The Switzerland-based BorawindAG, which holds 50 per cent sharein Nordwind Energieanlagen GmbH,Germany, aims to become a majorinternational player in decentralized(non-grid connection) wind power bylaunching a series of two-blade windturbines with a hydrostatic drive andsynchronous (grid-independent sta-bilizer of energy flow) generator. Theturbines, though non-grid, could beconnected to the grid, if needed.

The hydrostatic drive is a fluid solu-tion to address wind variability. Thetechnology is robust and proven,and the operating principle of thehydraulic drive is simple: a pump,connected to the rotor, generatesthe flow to drive a hydraulic motor,which is connected to a generator.If the displacement of the pumpand motor are fixed, the hydrostaticdrive simply acts as a gearbox totransmit power from the rotor to thegenerator. Nordwind utilizes a fixedrotor with variable motor design. Inthe event of a wind gust, excesspressure can be vented through apressure valve. The hydrostatic drive

has fewer components and weighsless than a traditional gearbox. Assuch, this drive is expected to havehigher performance and lower coststhan traditional gearboxes.

Two-blade systems are lighter thanthree-blade systems, but owing tolower solidity, must spin faster toperform the same amount of work.Faster rotor speed translates intoless torque, which causes less wearand tear on gearboxes and othercomponents. Components can bedesigned less robustly, as they faceless stress than the higher torquethree-blade systems. This can alsocontribute to lower capital and main-tenance costs. Installation is muchsimpler with two blades, and trans-portation of smaller turbines is lessarduous, a feature that is useful inrural locations.

Nordwind is focused on developingturbines with hydrostatic transmis-sion systems in the following powerranges: (1) Falcon class: 15-30 kW;(2) Milan class: 150-300 kW; and(3) Condor class: 850-1,500 kW.Contact: Mr. Andreas Schweitzer,Vice Chairman, Borawind AG, See-strasse 1, CH 6330 Cham, Switzer-land. Tel: +41 (22) 716 5409; Fax+41 (860) 792 116 560; E-mail: [email protected].

Source: www.borawind.com.

Protection ofwind generatorsduring voltage dipsAt the Public University of Navarre,Spain, a member of the INGEPERResearch Team has proposed twoprotection techniques that will ena-ble wind generators continue to beoperative despite breaks in electri-city supply. In the case of a voltagedips, there is a risk of the electronicpart of wind generators burning outor otherwise be destroyed, unlessa protection system is installed. The

end-product of the research by Mr.Jesus Lopez Taberna is a modelrotor that enables anticipating howthe wind power unit will behave inthese situations.

Mr. Lopez has patented two techni-ques of protection, and one of thesehas already been transferred to amanufacturer who will exploit it atinternational level. This system al-lows the turbine generator to remainin operation during voltage dips andthus prevent the wind energy con-verter from ceasing to function. Theother method requires changing ofelements inside the machine andcontinues to be developed for appli-cations in new wind generators.


Spherical windmillThe Energy Ball®, designed and builtby Home Energy in the Netherlands,differs from most wind turbine de-signs in that it sports a sphericalstructure. This design reportedlyenables much higher aerodynamicefficiency to be achieved (40 percent better efficiency) as comparedwith traditional designs. The EnergyBall’s design constricts the wind,thereby causing the pressure todrop inside the “ball”. This sucksin air flowing around the ball andhelps turn the rotor blades. Owingto this suction, such Venturi-basedturbines utilize more of the wind –and can therefore be 40 per centmore efficient – than a propeller-style turbine of the same diameter,according to research by TechnicalUniversity of Delft, the Netherlands.

The low-noise turbine is character-ized by the six curved rotor blades,which are attached to the rotor hubwith both ends. When the EnergyBall rotor turns, it resembles a ball.A distinct feature is that the windblows parallel to the rotor hub viathe rotor. This wind flow direction

The Norwind two-blade wind turbinethat won the Red Dot design award


forms a key contrast with classicsphere-shaped Darrieus turbines,wherein the wind hits the bladesperpendicular to the rotor shaft orrotor hub. Because of the unusualand exceptional aerodynamic char-acteristics of the turbine, it createsa wind flow pattern that first conver-ges and then accelerates throughthe rotor, resembling the rapids ina river (Venturi effect). This providesa higher aerodynamic efficiency thanconventional wind turbine designs.

At present, two models are avail-able, the 0.5 kW Energy Ball V100with a diameter of 110 cm and the2.5 kW Energy Ball V200 with adiameter of 198 cm. Home Energyreports that the V200 can meet halfthe electricity needs of a typicalhome, while the V100 is more asupplement to other energy sources.Both produce power at wind speedsof 3 m/s to 40 m/s. Contact: HomeEnergy International, Buys Ballot-straat, 94507 DA, Schoondijke, TheNetherlands. Tel: +31 (23) 5580 022;Fax: +31 (23) 5581 870; E-mail:[email protected].

Source: www.peswiki.com

Multi-megawattwind turbineSpain-based Acciona Energía’s windturbine manufacturing and supplydivision, Acciona Windpower, hasintroduced its AW-3000 machine tothe market. The wind turbine with3 MW rated capacity expands thecompany’s range of products in themulti-megawatt market segment.Designed to leverage the provenstrength and high reliability of thecompany’s AW-1500 machine, theAW-3000 is reportedly offers a su-perior power performance in a widerange of wind resource conditionsto optimize investment.

Designed for different wind classes(IEC Ia, IEC IIa and IEC IIIa), the

AW-3000 will be manufactured withthree rotor diameter options, de-pending on the characteristics of aspecific site – 100, 109 and 116 m.This represents a swept surfacearea of up to 10,568 m2, the largestin the market for this capacity. Theturbine is supplied with a concretetower of 100 or 120 m hub height.Ease of operation and maintenanceis another advantage claimed.

Electricity is generated at mediumvoltage (12 kV), which cuts produc-tion losses and transformer costs.The main shaft of the turbine is in-stalled on a double frame to reduceloads on the gearbox and extendits working life. The AW-3000 canoperate at variable speeds with anindependent pitch system for eachblade, thereby reducing loads on theunit and optimizing power produc-tion. The machine is equipped witha number of intelligent control andmonitoring systems: a control andpower unit, a condition monitoringsystem for key components, anautomatic lubrication system for themain shaft, generator and blades,etc. Contact: Acciona Windpower,Avenida Ciudad de la Inovacion, 5,Sarriguren, Navarra 31621, Spain.

Source:www.environmental-expert.com

New wind drive trainconcept unveiledGE Drivetrain Technologies, a divi-sion of the multinational GE Trans-portation, has developed a systemengineered to take the wind energy

industry to a new level. IntegraDriveintegrates in one system the com-pany’s proven planetary gearing andmedium-speed generator technol-ogies. The product is an integrated,geared generator that is lighter andmore compact than conventionalthree-stage gearbox generator sys-tems. With fewer gears and beari-ngs it is more reliable and efficient,according to the company.

Source: www.nawindpower.com

High-performanceshrouded wind turbineFloDesign Wind Turbine Corp., theUnited States, has developed andpatented FloDesign FD700 shroudedturbine that reportedly outperformsexisting turbines by a factor of threeor more in a much wider range ofwind resources. The prototype beingbuilt will be 3.65 m in diameter andproduce 108 kW of power. If it per-forms as expected, models suitablefor commercial wind farms will bedeveloped with a diameter of 15 macross and with the capability toproduce 700 kW or more of powereach, enough electricity to powerabout 500 homes.

The FloDesign wind turbine inclu-des an ejector system comprisinga lobed, supersonic primary nozzleand a convergent/divergent ejectorshroud. The lobed nozzle is just up-stream from the ejector shroud, suchthat there exists an annular spacebetween the nozzle and shroud foradmitting a secondary flow. Whileoperating, a flow of high-pressuresteam or air is directed through theprimary nozzle, where it is accel-erated to supersonic speeds. Thisprimary flow then exits the nozzle,where it entrains and gets mixedwith the secondary flow, creating alow-pressure region (vacuum). Theejector shroud subsequently de-celerates the combined flow whileincreasing the flow pressure, which

Wind Energy

Acciona’s AW-3000 wind turbine


Wind Energy

increases suction performance andreduces energy loss. Because theprimary nozzle mixes the two flows,the ejector shroud is able to havea length-to-entrance-diameter ratiomuch smaller than typical shrouds/diffusers, which decreases the sys-tem size and improves performance.Contact: FloDesign Wind TurbineCorporation, 380 Main Street, Wil-braham, MA 01095, United Statesof America. Tel: +1 (413) 5965 900;Fax: +1 (413) 5965 355; E-mail: [email protected].


Wind turbine withsemi-rigid blade

Electric Pinwheels LLC, the UnitedStates, designs and manufacturesa novel wind turbine/generator witha semi-rigid fabric blade. With alightweight structure and a blade thatflexes upon impact, the wind turbineprovides an aesthetically pleasingand safe alternative to other formsof wind power. The wind turbine,targeted at the residential and por-table markets, permits the coloursand patterns of the blades and tailto be customized.

The company plans to soon launcha downwind Horizontal Axis WindTurbine (HAWT) in a 3-blade con-figuration. The blades are arrangedaround a hub that rotates on a fixedshaft. Wind power is converted toelectrical power with an axial flux

permanent magnet alternator. Thepatent-pending blade design con-sists of a fabric / vinyl blade sleevepulled over the top of a compositerod structure. The result is a semi-rigid aerodynamic wing with camberand twist, providing the lift requiredto generate power. This structurehas a high degree of stiffness in thedirection of wind flow, yet flexeseasily in the direction of rotationupon impact as the supporting rodsslide within the hub. This allowsthe device to be safely stopped byhand, and is intended to addresssafety concerns as more wind tur-bines are installed close to peopleand buildings.

High-wind protection is accompli-shed through flexing of the blades,which greatly reduces wind loading.Blade pitch and curvature can bechanged by moving the leading edgesupporting rod through a modifiedarc. This adjustment can be mademanually or automatically with anoptional variable pitch device. Asresidential and portable uses usuallypresent less-than-ideal wind condi-tions, so the variable pitch featureis essential to gather the maximumamount of power in low and variablewinds.


Wind rescue systemGravitec Systems Inc., fall protec-tion industry specialists based inthe United States, has released theG4 Wind Rescue System. The pro-duct addresses the need for a user-friendly, high-angle rescue systemthat can be used to quickly rescueor evacuate service personnel fromhigh locations on turbines. G4 is anassembly of rescue equipment spe-cifically selected for use in windturbines to handle four basic rescuefunctions, including lifting, hauling,evacuation and assisted rescue. Itcan be configured to facilitate one-or two-person rescues, using over-head anchorages. G4 can also beemployed to manipulate casualtiesaround corners or to lift, lower ordrag an incapacitated worker.

Each G4 system is enclosed in aweatherproof PVC storage bag andis individually numbered for ease oftracking. Unlike other rescue sys-tems, G4’s design eliminates ropeentanglement in windy conditions. Adetailed user manual and plasti-cized, quick-view instruction cardsillustrating G4’s configurations forrescue or evacuation are also in-corporated into the system.

Source: www.nawindpower.com

Electric pinwheel with semi-rigid blade

SWERAThe Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment (SWERA)programme provides easy access to high quality renewable energyresource information and data to users all around the world. Its goalis to help facilitate renewable energy policy and investment by makinghigh quality information freely available to key user groups. SWERAproducts include Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and time seriesdata, along with links to energy optimization tools needed to apply thesedata.

Data products such as ‘Resource Information’ and ‘Analysis Tools’ areoffered through a team of international experts and their in-countrypartners. New datasets are made available on a continuing basis.

For more information, access: http://swera.unep.net


WAVE/TIDAL ENERGY

Commercial tidalenergy installationRealizing the first commercial-scaleturbine farm built under the oceanis a step closer. A deal to acquireCurrent Resources by Singapore-based tidal energy developer AtlantisResources will allow the latter toscale up its operations and deliverits first large project by combiningits technological know-how with theexpertise of Current Resources inproject development.

Atlantis manufactures two types ofsub-marine turbines: the 400 kWNereus, a horizontal axis turbine,is meant for shallow (under 25 m)waters; and the more powerful 500kW Solon, a ducted horizontal axisturbine with a unique blade design,is for water depths exceeding 40m. Their impact on the surroundinghabitat and wildlife is negligible, andthe turbines can be connected off-grid, even in remote locations, justlike offshore wind installations. Bothtechnologies have been extensivelytested and developed with the in-tent of deployment in commercial-scale installations. The companyreports the turbines have been in-dependently rated as the top twotidal energy technologies for per-formance and efficiency.

Source: www.venturebeat.com

Turbine ridesunderwater currentslike a kiteMechanical engineers at the EnergySystems Research Unit (ESRU) ofUniversity of Strathclyde, the UnitedKingdom, have developed a turbinethat will ride the tide while latchedto the seabed by a cable – like akite flying on a windy day. The goalof the ESRU team is to create adevice that literally goes with theflow rather than resting on the sea

bottom like an underwater windmill.The contra-rotating marine turbine(CoRMaT) is designed to facilitateplacing tidal turbines in deep water,where the stronger current has thepotential for providing greater powerbut also makes it very difficult toplant a turbine in the seabed.

Another key feature of the ESRUdesign is that the turbine has tworotors – one in front of the other –that turn in opposite directions ona single axis. The rotor blades aremade of either solid aluminium alloyor glass-reinforced plastic, depend-ing on their sizes. By having therotors turn in opposite directions,Dr. Andrew Grant and his team aretrying to cut down on reactive tor-que (which pushes the turbine in theopposite direction) so that the unitcan be attached to a relatively sim-ple mooring system even in verydeep water.

Source: www.sciam.com

Shallow watertidal generatorPulse Tidal, the United Kingdom,has successfully deployed a testversion of its tidal generator in theHumber estuary, capable of provi-ding adequate energy to power 70homes. The device represents thefirst tidal generator in the world todeliver power directly to a commer-

cial customer – Millennium InorganicChemicals plant. A director of thecompany, Mr. Howard Nimmo, saidthat the device, which has beenspecifically designed to operate inshallow waters where tidal streamstend to be at their fastest, will op-erate in waters just 5 m deep.

Pulse Tidal’s generator differs fromconventional tidal turbine designsbecause it is based on horizontalmoving foils or fins, as opposed towindmill-style rotor blades. Conse-quently, the area of water it drawspower from can be maximized inrelatively shallow water simply byextending the length of the fins.

Source: www.businessgreen.com

Simpler turbines toharvest tidal energyIn the United Kingdom, Universityof Oxford researchers have devel-oped a tidal turbine with the poten-tial to harness tidal energy moreefficiently and cheaply, using a de-sign that is simpler, more robust andscaleable than current ones. Theresearch team includes Prof. GuyHoulsby, Civil Engineering professorat Oxford, Dr. Malcolm McCullochof the Electrical Power Group, andProf. Martin Oldfield from Mecha-nical Engineering Department.

The team designed, built and testedthe horizontal axis water turbine, tointersect the largest possible areaof current. The rotor is cylindricaland rolls around its axis, catchingthe current. A prototype 0.5 m dia-meter turbine has performed well intests, proving the benefits of theblade design. A full-scale device willbe up to 10 m in diameter, and aseries of turbines can be chainedtogether across a tidal channel. Theteam has calculated that a tidal site1 km in width could produce 60 MWof energy.

Source: www.physorg.com

ESRU’s contra-rotating marine turbine


FUEL CELLS

New fuel cell starts upat room temperatureIn Japan, researchers have devel-oped a non-humidification polymerelectrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) that cangenerate power at temperatures ran-ging from the ambient to the inter-mediate (100ºC-200°C). The groupof scientists led by Prof. MasahiroRikukawa at Sophia University useda composite membrane as the solidelectrolyte membrane.

PEFCs that are nearly at a prac-tical level have an acid group suchas sulphonic acid at the end andprotons (H+) are carried throughwater. In contrast, the PEFC studiedby Prof. Rikukawa uses a compo-site membrane of polybenzimida-zole (PBI), a basic polymer with anN or NH group, doped with phos-phoric acid (H3PO4). The base inthe PBI chain and the doped acidinteract with each other and H3PO4through which protons migrate getsimmobilized.

A fuel cell that uses a PBI/H3PO4composite membrane can eliminateauxiliaries to control water becauseit does not require humidification,and thus reduces the cost and thesize. Furthermore, as the membraneshows ionic conductivity in a tem-perature range of 100ºC-200ºC,which is higher than the range (70ºC-90ºC) that is applicable to exist-ing PEFCs, it has many advantages,such as a high power generationefficiency and a capability to pre-vent catalyst poisoning.

Source: www.techon.nikkeibp.co.jp

Hydrogen fuel cellstake to the airThe first manned airplane poweredsolely by a fuel cell during take-offand flying was demonstrated at theGerman Aerospace Centre (DLR)at Stuttgart airport, Germany. The

power for the motor glider AntaresDLR-H2 comes from a high-temper-ature polymer electrolyte membrane(PEM) fuel cell developed by BASF.BASF’s Celtec® membrane elec-trode assemblies (MEAs) technol-ogy operates between 120ºC and180ºC and tolerates impurities in thehydrogen fuel gas. This factor couldbe important to future applicationsin aircraft, where the hydrogen fuelmight be generated on board via jetfuel reformation.

Although fuel cells are not expec-ted to be used for large commercialaircraft propulsion, they could provevery useful for on-board auxiliarypower supply. Contact: Dr. IsabelKundler, Manager of Technical Mar-keting, BASF Fuel Cell GmbH, In-dustriepark Höchst, G 865, 65926Frankfurt, Germany. Tel: +49 (69)3051 5953; Fax: +49 (69) 3052 6600;E-mail: [email protected].

Source:www.energyefficiencynews.com

Fuel cells integratingSFC technologyGermany’s SFC Smart Fuel CellAG, with its United States-basedpartners DuPont and Capitol Con-nections LLC, announced that twoof its portable fuel cell systemsintegrating different technologiessecured prizes in the United StatesDefence Department’s WearablePower Competition: the M-25 porta-ble fuel cell won the US$1 million

first prize and the company’s Jennyfuel cell got the $250,000 third prize.

Attached to a standard military vest,the systems were required to pro-vide 20 W of average electric powerfor 96 hours, meet brief peak-powerdemand of up to 200 W and weighno more than 4 kg. Both systemsinclude a fuel cell, a fuel cartridge,a rechargeable Li-ion battery and aDC/DC converter. They can powera wide range of equipment, such asGPS navigation devices, communi-cations equipment, computers, sen-sors, robots and UAVs. Contact: Mr.Ulrike Schramm, SFC Smart FuelCell AG, Germany. Tel: +49 (89) 6735 92379; Fax: +49 (89) 6735 92369; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: www.sfc.com.

Source: www.marketwatch.com

Fuel cells providemarathon powerUltraCell Corporation, the UnitedStates, announced that its XX25TM

fuel cell systems have successfullypowered emergency communica-tion radios at the 12th annual UnitedStates Air Force (USAF) Marathon.

Included in the emergency commu-nication system for the 130 sq. kmmarathon operational area were 7VHF tactical radios powered by twoUltraCell XX25 fuel cells. The light-weight, portable XX25 fuel cell sys-tems delivered uninterrupted power,which normally would have requiredmultiple battery replacements. Thetactical radio field charging systemused included six lithium ion unitchargers, one hybrid XX25 fuel cellsystem paired with a gel-cell bat-tery and a power distribution system.Contact: UltraCell Corporation, 399Lindbergh Avenue, Livermore, CA94551, United States of America.Fax: +1 (925) 455 7750; E-mail: [email protected].

Source: www.earthtimes.org

Antares DLR-H2 aircraft approachingairport (Credit: DLR)


Hydrogenbreakthrough offershope in fuel crisisITM Power, the United Kingdom, hasconverted a Ford Focus to run onhydrogen, a move that could revo-lutionize commuting while cuttingfuel costs and carbon dioxide emis-sions. The company also revealeda hydrogen home refuelling station,capable of producing the gas fromwater and electricity, which it sayscould ultimately offer drivers an al-ternative to conventional fuels andprovide a novel power source forhomes and businesses. The stationovercomes one of the fundamentalhurdles to a hydrogen economy –the lack of refuelling infrastructureand utility supply network.

It has taken ITM Power’s Sheffieldresearch base, currently Europe’slargest electrolyser and fuel celldevelopment centre, eight years tocreate a low-cost means of manu-facturing hydrogen. Its electrolyser-based refuelling station employs aunique low-cost polymer, which dis-penses with the need for expensiveplatinum catalyst, and can be pro-duced at 1 per cent of the cost oftraditional membrane materials. Theresult is a hydrogen production sys-tem, small enough to be used in ahome, which can generate the gasfrom a supply of water and off-peakor renewable electricity. The storedhydrogen gas could then be usedto fuel converted cars or providepower for other purposes.

The converted car is effectively a bi-fuel vehicle, which can be switchedback to petrol if the hydrogen sup-ply is exhausted. The demonstrationvehicle can travel 40 km on a singlerecharge of hydrogen from the re-fuelling station. If the hydrogen iscompressed, the range can be ex-tended to 160 km.

Source: www.enviroireland.com

The road to full-scalehydrogen plantAt Idaho National Laboratory, theUnited States, a team of engineersis working to split steam into hy-drogen and oxygen employing high-temperature electrolysis. Coupledto an advanced nuclear plant, high-temperature electrolysis would useheat and a portion of the plant’selectricity to generate hydrogen.“This is a way to produce hydrogenwithout producing carbon dioxide,”says Dr. Stephen Herring, the INLnuclear physicist who heads up theHigh-Temperature Electrolysis (HTE)project.

INL’s HTE team recently completedthe first test of its Integrated Lab-oratory Scale (ILS) experiment, ascaled, high-temperature electroly-sis hydrogen plant. When operatedat full capacity, the plant will gen-erate roughly 500 g of hydrogen anhour. The experiment will help theteam design a full-scale plant thatcan produce 2.5 kg of hydrogen persecond – an automobile equivalentof 10 litres of petrol.

Because water breaks apart moreeasily when heated, electrolysingwater at high temperatures (800ºC)is more efficient than conventionalelectrolysis. But designing compo-nents that perform well at such hightemperatures can be difficult. To pro-duce hydrogen, Dr. Herring and hiscolleagues used fuel cell-like mate-rials. In each solid oxide fuel cell, avoltage pulls oxygen ions througha ceramic electrolyte, effectivelyseparating the steam into hydrogenand oxygen. The team is workingwith Ceramatec Inc. to produce thecells.

The ILS experiment will incorporate720 cells that will fit in a hotbox thesize of a steamer trunk. When run-ning at full power, the ILS plant willconsume 15 kW of energy to power

the electrolysis cells that will pro-duce its hourly 500 g of hydrogen.The team is working to reduce thatenergy by making the electrolysiscells more efficient. They also planto add heat exchangers to transferheat from the end of the ILS to heatup water at the beginning. Creatingsuch a cyclical process will reducethe power needed to make steam,enabling the system to use 20 percent less electricity than it does now.

The biggest challenge is to makecorrosion-resistant solid oxide cells.Constant use in a demanding, high-temperature environment quicklyreduces the cells’ hydrogen produc-tion efficiency. The team has testedstacks of cells that have operatedfor 2,000 hours, or three months.But to make a commercial, high-temperature electrolysis plant cost-effective, Dr. Herring says, the cellsmust run for two years.

Source: www.sciencedaily.com

Ammonia boranecould store hydrogenResearchers at the Pacific North-west National Laboratory (PNNL) ofthe United States Department ofEnergy have made progress on dev-eloping a simple “one-pot” reactionto make ammonia borane (NH3BH3),

HYDROGEN ENERGY

Dr. Stephen Herring flanked by HTEteam members


which is a chemical hydrogen (H2)storage material of current interestfor use in on-board storage systems.NH3BH3 is a stable white powder,which begins to release gas uponheating to more than 70ºC. With agravimetric density of around 194 gH2 per kg and a volumetric densityof around 146 g H2 per litre, it is apromising chemical hydrogen sto-rage material.

One issue with the material, how-ever, has been insufficient yields inits production. The newly reportedPNNL work showed the “surprising”result that ammonium borohydride,NH4BH4, formed in situ by the meta-thesis of NH4X and MBH4 salts (M= Na, Li; X = Cl, F) in liquid NH3,can be induced to decompose in anether to yield NH3BH3 in high quan-tities. The NH3BH3 prepared by thisone-pot strategy is pure enough tomeet the thermal stability require-ments for on-board H2 storage, ac-cording to the researchers.

The high yields of NH3BH3 surprisedthe researchers for two reasons.They found that (1) it was not nec-essary to remove all traces of NH3prior to addition of the organic sol-vent; and (2) it was not necessaryto add trace quantities of diboraneto get quantitative yields. The re-search group is currently looking atscaling up the reaction to industriallevel.

Source:www.greencarcongress.com

Silicon nanotubesfor hydrogen storageResearchers have focused on thepotential use of carbon nanotubesfor storing hydrogen in fuel cell vehi-cles for years. Despite nanotubes’great promise, they have not beenable to meet the hydrogen storagegoals set forth by the United StatesDepartment of Energy for hydrogen

fuel cell vehicles. A more efficienthydrogen storage material is needed,scientists say.

In a recent study, Dr. Dapeng Caoand his colleagues at Beijing Univer-sity of Chemical Technology, China,used powerful molecular modellingtools for comparing the hydrogenstorage capacities of newly devel-oped silicon nanotubes to carbonnanotubes. They found that, theo-retically, silicon nanotubes couldabsorb hydrogen molecules moreefficiently than carbon nanotubesunder normal fuel cell operating con-ditions. The calculations pave theway for tests to determine whethersilicon nanotubes can meet govern-ment standards for hydrogen storagein hydrogen-powered cars, note theresearchers. Contact: Dr. DapengCao, Beijing University of ChemicalTechnology, Beijing, China. Tel: +86(10) 6444 3254; Fax: +86 (10) 64427616; E-mail: [email protected].

Source: www.nanotech.com

Kit forhydrogen generationEcoMobil, India, has announced thatit will be introducing the “Hfactor”– a hydrogen generator kit, whichwill help cars run for 3,500 km on asingle charge, it is claimed. Hfactorcurrently costs just about US$400and the company expects the priceto drop further when it starts manu-facturing it in India. The companypurchased the Hfactor technologyfrom Mr. Raymond Ross, a pioneerin hydrogen fuel technology, whohad earlier worked for Ford MotorCompany.

The hydrogen generator sits on theengine of a vehicle and separateswater into hydrogen and oxygen. Itthen infuses hydrogen in the air in-take manifold, helping the engineburn fuel more efficiently. The unit

has internal positively and negati-vely charged components, and areaction using a chemical catalystseparates hydrogen and oxygen inthe water. Introduction of hydrogenreduces the usage of fuel, therebyincreasing fuel efficiency. This alsoreduces carbon monoxide and otheremissions.

Another advantage is that the hy-drogen cleans the carbon depositsbuilt up over time on the vehicle’spistons and valves. This ensuresthat fuel is used more for powerinstead of being absorbed by thecarbon deposits.

Source: www.beyondfossilfuel.com

Hydrogen-on-demand systemsRonn Motor Company, the UnitedStates, is preparing to launch itsproprietary H2GOTM, a hydrogen-on-demand (HOD) system that canbe installed on any existing car ortruck. H2GO system is claimed tobe an after-market solution that in-creases fuel mileage and reducesnoxious emissions harmful to theenvironment.

H2GO system produces and blendsgaseous hydrogen with diesel orpetrol fuel to achieve improvementsin fuel efficiency, currently estima-ted at 20-25 per cent, while increa-sing power and decreasing greenhouse gases by approximately 90per cent. It is similar in size to astandard car battery and holds ap-proximately 4 litres of water, whichwill produce hydrogen as neededfor approximately 8,000 km – theequivalent to approximately 10 tanksof fuel for most vehicles. H2GO isadaptable to any internal combus-tion piston engine vehicle, and isclaimed to be suitable for over-the-road fleet trucks and RVs, as wellas prop aircrafts and boats.

Source: www.marketwatch.com

Hydrogen Energy


Promise of‘green petrol’Some promising research program-mes suggest several ways to getpetrol out of plant material, informsProf. William Schultz of the Univer-sity of Michigan, the United States.The programmes basically involvechanging a biofuel – such as poplar,switchgrass or corn stover – throughgasification, deconstruction or py-rolysis to produce precursors togreen petrol, says Prof. Schultz, whois also a Programme Director of theNational Science Foundation. Suchprecursors are chemical moleculessimilar to what is found in crude oil– molecules that can be refined toproduce petrol.

Gasification is the oldest, and hasbeen used to convert coal to petrol,but it is expensive and not very ef-ficient. Pyrolysis employs heat andchemical catalysts to promote theconversion of plants to petrol. It isefficient and can even use wastepaper as its raw material, but so farcan only produce some componentsof petrol. Another process startswith sugars, which can be easilyderived from plants. It is being dev-eloped at a company called VirentEnergy Systems. Company founderMr. Randy Cortright claims the pro-cess produces petrol that is betterthan the standard unleaded petrol.

“Making a fuel – it is a commodity.

You have to have a very highly op-timized and integrated process tomake a profit. You are competingagainst petroleum oil that has beenaround for over 100 years, and thepetroleum industry has developedand learned how to economicallyrefine crude oil. Now we need tolearn how to economically refinebiomass resources,” said Universityof Massachusetts chemical engi-neering professor Dr. George Huber.

One factor favouring biomass-basedpetrol is that the chemical produc-tion process would be quicker thanthe biological process used to makeethanol from similar raw materials.Similar to petrol made from crudeoil, burning green petrol producescarbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhousegas. But there is no net impact onclimate because the CO2 releasedcomes from CO2 absorbed from theatmosphere when the plant wasgrowing. Although green petrol isstill in being researched, it is build-ing on technologies that have beenaround for a long time, Prof. Schultzpointed out. Nevertheless, while thechemical process for making greenpetrol still has a long way to go, sodoes the breeding of plants specifi-cally designed to be turned into fuel.

Source: www.voanews.com

Advance inbiofuel processingThe University of Colorado at Boul-der (CU-Boulder), the United States,has been awarded US$1 million fromthe Department of Agriculture andthe Department of Energy to dev-elop rapid solar-thermal chemicalreactor systems for the conversionof biomass material such as algaeand switchgrass to synthesis gasor syngas. The three-year awardwas made to a team led by Dr. AlanWeimer, professor of CU-Boulder’sDepartment of Chemical and Bio-logical Engineering.

The team will utilize concentratedsunlight to heat biomass like cornstalks, grass, sorghum, and woodwaste, leaves and algae to about1100ºC for just fractions of a sec-ond. The process will produce anintermediate syngas – a mixture ofcarbon oxides and hydrogen – thatcan be easily converted into hydro-gen or liquid fuels.

Dr. Weimer said he envisions a to-tally renewable technology, in whicha significant fraction of the nation’sfuel supply is provided using solar-thermal processing in marginal landswhere the farming of crops such asswitchgrass and algae can providethe required biomass. “Since theprocess is driven by sunlight andconverts biomass to fuels, the endresult is a process that is carbonnegative,” Dr. Weimer said. “Thisprovides an opportunity to substan-tially reduce greenhouse gases inthe atmosphere without impactingthe food supply.”

Source: www.engineerlive.com

New mechanismto produceenergy from biomassScientists from Spain’s Carlos IIIUniversity of Madrid (UC3M) havedeveloped a technology that canimprove the efficiency of the conver-sion process of biomass to fuel gasthat will contribute to more sustain-able energy production. One of thescientists – Mr. Mercedes de Vegafrom Energy System EngineeringGroup of the Department of Ther-mal and Fluid Engineering – saidthat using fluidized beds as chem-ical reactors would allow for a moreefficient conversion by achieving highmixing degrees and high exchangerates of mass and heat.

Fluidized beds have environmentalapplications because they allowbiomass gasification to produce

BIOMASS ENERGY

Mr. Cortright holds a beaker of biopetrol


energy. That is, producing fuel gasfrom crushed biomass, which canthen be used for energy production.This renewable source has greatpotential – especially in processesof co-combustion, direct combus-tion and gasification – in industrialapplications.

The study analyses the behaviourof a new bed designed with a rota-ting base. The base consists of aperforated plate where holes repre-sent just 1 per cent of its total area.The study evaluates the perform-ance of the new design, consider-ing the increase in pressure and thequality of the fluidisation. It analy-ses the effect of the rotation speedof the perforated plate on the per-formance of the fluidized bed. Thistype of beds can usually presentproblems such as agglomeration ofsolid particles and points of hightemperature. But one of the mostimportant conclusions determinedthat the rotating perforated platereduces these problems by main-taining a very uniform fluidization.


Coffee wasteconverted to energyIn the Philippines, the Cagayan deOro factory of leading coffee brandNescafe is employing spent coffeegrounds to generate energy. TheNestle factory’s atmospheric fluid-ized bed boiler (AFBB) is a state-of-the-art technology that burns andrecycles spent coffee grounds intobunker fuel, which the factory usesfor its operations. Coffee groundsare the remains of ground roastedcoffee after extraction.

Mr. Ed Legasto, Senior Vice Presi-dent of Nestle Philippines Inc. saidthat by using biomass or the spentcoffee grounds as a substitute forbunker fuel, “We prevent emission

of air pollutants such as sulphur di-oxide and nitrogen oxide, which arenatural by-products arising from thecombustion of fossil fuels.” AFBBemploys an efficient pollution con-trol device, an electrostatic preci-pitator, to make the whole systemcompliant with the Clean Air Act.

The process of recycling the coffeegrounds starts after the green cof-fee beans are roasted. The ground-roasted coffee is processed with hotwater using percolation batteries orextraction cells to produce coffeeextract. While the coffee extractundergoes spray-drying to producecoffee, the spent coffee groundsare sent to the disposal system tobe used as fuel. The heat producedfrom this process is then used toproduce the steam requirements ofthe factory.

Source: business.inquirer.net

Biofuel technologyshows potentialAquaflow Bionomic Corp. from NewZealand has produced its first sam-ples of green-crude from wild andnatural algae. The company said itsgreen-crude differs slightly from first-generation biofuels because it is

made solely from algae – the photo-synthetic micro-organisms – whichabsorb sunlight, carbon dioxide andnutrients found in waste streams oragricultural run-off.

“Our proprietary processes maxi-mize the entire biomass value ofthe wild algae,” said Mr. Barry Leay,Aquaflow Chairman. “What this pro-duces is a crude oil equivalent tomineral crude. From this crude wecan then fraction out a variety of fuelsand chemicals, including aviationfuel,” Mr. Leay claimed. The outputsfrom the samples have shown si-milar or greater potential comparedwith existing petroleum products.

The technology allows the algae tofully optimize the nutrients availablein the settling oxidation ponds. Thealgae is harvested and separatedfrom contaminants, ready to be con-verted into a usable biofuel, suchas biodiesel. The water dischargedundergoes a bioremediation to en-sure acceptable quality standards.Contact: Aquaflow Bionomic Cor-poration Ltd., P.O. Box 3295, Rich-mond, Nelson 7050, New Zealand.Tel: +64 (3) 543 8227; E-mail: [email protected].

Source:www.biodieselmagazine.com

Biomass Energy

A production system for commercial scale harvesting of wild algae


Biomass Energy

At University of Wisconsin-Madison(UWM), the United States, scien-tists have devised a novel way totransform plant sugars into petrol,diesel or even jet fuel by passingthe sugars over exotic materials.This chemical trick uses nano-sizedparticles to produce plant-basedpetrol that can be used in existingvehicles in place of petroleum fuels.“You have a conventional fuel thathappens to be made from sustain-able sources,” states Dr. JamesDumesic, a UWS chemical engi-neer who led the research.

Ethanol, the most widely used bio-fuel today, is harder to transport andstore than petrol. Pure ethanol ishighly corrosive to rubber tubing andmany metals. Hence, the compoundmust be moved in stainless steeltanks instead of existing pipelines.Further, engines must be adaptedto run on pure ethanol. These pro-blems go away if petrol or diesel isto be made from plants, Dr. Dumesicsays. While the process is not yetready for large-scale production,UWS team was able to convert al-most 65 per cent of the energy inthe sugars into petrol using theirlaboratory-scale process.

An alloy of the precious metals pla-tinum (Pt) and rhenium (Re) trig-gers the first step of the conversion.Dr. Dumesic and his team deposited2 nm-wide specks of this alloy ontosurfaces made of pure carbon. When

a liquid mixture of water and plantsugar flows over the Pt-Re particlesat the right temperature and pres-sure, the metal atoms act as cata-lysts to cleave chemical bonds inthe sugar, releasing oxygen andleaving behind a mixture of mole-cules containing carbon and hydro-gen – the principal elements in bothpetrol and diesel.

The molecules produced by the cata-lytic reactions can be used directlyto replace petroleum feedstock thatthe chemical industry uses to makeplastics and other materials. Or, themolecules can pass through anotherstep of previously known catalyticreactions to produce the final fuel.“We would just intercept the sugarand go to petrol,” Dr. Dumesic says,“but there is still a lot of work to doon how to go from cellulose to su-gar.” UWM holds a patent on thenew technique.

Source: www.sciencenews.org

Dr. James Dumesic (right) and his former student Dr. George Huber

A novel chemistry to make fuel from sugar

Dr. Chhandak Basu, a biologicalsciences assistant professor at theUniversity of Northern Colorado, theUnited States, has received a grantfrom the Colorado Office of Econo-mic Development and InternationalTrade to study the viability of usingbiodiesel derived from a tropicaltree. The University will match thefunds, bringing the total amount ofgrant money to about US$100,000.

Dr. Basu, during a two-year collabo-rative project under the BioscienceDiscovery Evaluation Grant Pro-gramme, is cloning the genes thatare responsible for the productionof oleoresin, a diesel-like fuel, produ-ced in the copaiba or “diesel tree.”The genes will then be transferredinto plants and algae to determinewhich plants are compatible and canproduce the most biodiesel. Thescientist has been working on theproject with Dr. C. Neal Stewart Jr.,a University of Tennessee-Knoxvilleprofessor. According to Dr. Basu,oleoresin from genetically modifiedplants could potentially be mass-produced and used without furtherrefining fuel automobiles. His focusis on the molecular biology part,the genes responsible for this typeof synthesis.

Source:www.biodieselmagazine.com

Researchers study biodiesel tree

Copaiba – the “diesel tree”


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Room 1008, No. 1525,Zhongshan Road (W),Shanghai 200235, China.Tel: +86 (21) 5118 8222;Fax: +86 (21) 5118 8200;E-mail: [email protected];Website: www.snec.org.cn.

20-23 May Renewable Energy Thailand 2009Bangkok Contact: CMP Media (Thailand) Ltd.,Thailand 8th Floor, Lertpanya Building,

41 Sri Ayudhya Road, Rajathewee,Bangkok 10400, Thailand.Tel: +66 (2) 642 6911;Fax: +66 (2) 642 6919;E-mail: [email protected].

TECH EVENTS

Biofuels EngineeringProcess TechnologyLiberally illustrated, Biofuels Engineering ProcessTechnology fully explains the concepts, systems,and technology now being used to produce biofuelson both an industrial and small scale. It provides state-of-the-art information on biofuels processed from fer-mentations of ethanol, hydrogen, microbial oils andmethane. New material on the production of biodieselfrom plant and algal oils, as well as the use of microbialfuel cells to produce bioelectricity are examined.

Contact: The McGraw-Hill Companies, 7500 Cha-venelle Road, Dubuque, IA 52002, United States ofAmerica. Tel: +1 (609) 426 5793; Fax: +1 (609) 4267917; E-mail: [email protected].

Deploying Renewables:Principles for Effective PoliciesResponding to the Gleneagles G8 call for a clean andsecure energy future, this book highlights key policytools to fast-track renewables into the mainstream.This analysis illustrates good practices by applyingthe combined metrics of effectiveness and efficiencyto renewable energy policies in the electricity, heatingand transport sectors. It highlights significant barriersto accelerating renewables penetration, and arguesthat the great potential of renewables can be exploit-ed much more rapidly and to a much larger extent ifgood practices are adopted.

Contact: International Energy Agency, Bookshop, 9,rue de la Fédération, 75739 Paris Cedex 15, France.Tel: +33 (1) 4057 6690; Fax: +33 (1) 4057 6775; E-mail: [email protected].

High-EfficientLow-Cost PhotovoltaicsThis book presents a bird’s-eye view of the develop-ment and problems of recent photovoltaic cells andsystems and prospects for Si feedstock. It focuseson high-efficient low-cost PV modules, making useof novel efficient solar cells, and low cost solar con-centrators. Recent developments of organic photo-voltaics, which is expected to overcome its difficultiesand to enter the market soon, are also included.

Contact: Springer Asia Limited, Unit 1703, Tower I,Enterprise Square , 9 Sheung Yuet Road, KowloonBay, Hong Kong. Tel: +852 2723 9698; Fax: +8522724 2366; E-mail: [email protected].


PUBLICATIONS from APCTT

PERIODICALS(Free access at www.techmonitor.net)

Asia Pacific Tech Monitor (6 issues/year) (e-version only)

VATIS Update (6 issues/year) Biotechnology (e-version only) Non-conventional Energy (e-version only) Food Processing (e-version only) Ozone Layer Protection (e-version only) Waste Management (e-version only)

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and Nepal)

Managing Innovation for the New Economy: Training Manual, 2002 1,000.00 50.00Volume 1: How to Guide & Quick reference materialsVolume 2: Articles & LecturesRegional Capacity-building for the Adoption of ISO-14000 and 600.00 30.00Transfer of Environmentally Sound Technology: Training Manual, 2000Small Rural Industries in the Asia Pacific Region: Enhancement of 600.00 30.00Competitiveness of Small Rural Industries in a Liberalized EconomicEnvironment and the Impact of Poverty Alleviation, 2000Technology Transfer and Technological Capacity-building in Asiaand the Pacific

Volume 1: Big Countries and Developed Economies, 1999 600.00 30.00 Volume 2: ASEAN, NIEs, SAARC and the Islamic Republic 600.00 30.00

of Iran, 1999 Volume 3: Least Developed and Pacific Island Countries and 600.00 30.00

Economies in Transition, 1999 Volume 4: Emerging Issues in Regional Technological Capability- 600.00 30.00

building and Technology Transfer, 1999Rural Industrialization as a Means of Poverty Alleviation: Report of 600.00 30.00the Regional Seminar on the Enhancement of Partnerships amongGovernmental, Non-governmental and Private Sector Entities for thePromotion of Rural Industrialization for Poverty Alleviation, 1999Institutional Development for Investment Promotion and Technology 500.00 25.00Transfer, 1999Ozone Depletion Substances Phase-out Technologies: Problems & 300.00 15.00Issues on Technology Transfer, Absorption and Generation, 1998Development and Utilization of S&T Indicators: Emerging Issues in 300.00 15.00Developing Countries of the ESCAP Region, 1998ODS Phase-out: A Guide for Industry, 1998 500.00 25.00Proceedings of the Consultative Meeting on Technology Management 800.00 40.00Education and Training for Developing Countries, 1997

Notes: * Amount less than Rs 500 should be sent through a demand draft only. Otherwise, payment should be made bycheque/demand draft/UNESCO coupon in favour of the Asian & Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology, payableat New Delhi. Amount to be sent to APCTT with the order for covering costs and handling charges.

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