VATIS UPDATE: Non-conventional Energy -

VATIS UPDATE: Non-conventional Energy Mar-Apr 2011 1

HighlightsNew solar cells power electronic “super skin”

An innovative approach to large-scale wind powerResearch to improve tidal turbine design

Innovative fuel cell power generatorsNanocomposite material for hydrogen storage

Biodiesel extraction from inedible food

Vol. 2 No. 107 Mar - Apr 2011ISSN 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 Mar-Apr 2011

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

50 MWe parabolic trough power plant (Andasol1) inAndalusia, Spain (Credit: Fraunhofer ISE, Germany)


Vol. 2 No. 107 Mar - Apr 2011

INININININ THETHETHETHETHE NEWSNEWSNEWSNEWSNEWS 44444IFC to invest US$15 million in Indian wind project US$500 million plan

in Bangladesh to light remote villages China: 26.7 per cent renewablesby 2030 Philippines prepares renewable energy market ADB to fundgeothermal power plants in Indonesia Sri Lanka promotes renewableenergy KfW earmarks funds for renewable energy projects in India

Renewable sources for power generation in Pakistan New guidelineson renewable energy architecture in China Renewable energy postsgain in Sri Lanka Agreement on tapping geothermal energy in the region

SOLARSOLARSOLARSOLARSOLAR ENERGYENERGYENERGYENERGYENERGY 77777PV metallization paste increases solar cell efficiency Low-cost solar

cell production technique Low-cost solar cells hold new Europeanrecord Concentrated PV generator with space-grade solar cells Newsolar cells power artificial electronic “super skin” Solar floats on water

WINDWINDWINDWINDWIND ENERGYENERGYENERGYENERGYENERGY 99999An innovative approach to large-scale wind power Direct-drive wind

turbine passes critical grid test New offshore turbine Small windturbines Upgrade for 3 MW onshore wind turbine platform Hybriddrive wind turbine Gearless wind turbine for low to moderate winds

WAVE/TIDALWAVE/TIDALWAVE/TIDALWAVE/TIDALWAVE/TIDAL ENERGYENERGYENERGYENERGYENERGY 1 11 11 11 11 1Research to improve tidal turbine design New wave energy buoy that

works like self-winding watch Tidal energy – real world performanceanalyses DeltaStream concept Power generation from tidal currents

Utility-scale wave energy converter

FUELFUELFUELFUELFUEL CELLSCELLSCELLSCELLSCELLS 1 31 31 31 31 3 New type of Li-metal air fuel cell Fuel-cell generator achieves

milestone High power density PEM fuel cell Low-temperature SOFCswith zirconia-based electrolyte Pioneering microbial fuel cell

Research could advance fuel cell technology Innovative fuel cell powergenerators

HYDROGENHYDROGENHYDROGENHYDROGENHYDROGEN ENERGYENERGYENERGYENERGYENERGY 1 51 51 51 51 5Hydrogen from natural gas, sans CO2 emissions Wastewater to yield

hydrogen fuel Hydrogen from waste processing Nanocompositematerial for hydrogen storage

BIOMASSBIOMASSBIOMASSBIOMASSBIOMASS ENERGYENERGYENERGYENERGYENERGY 1 61 61 61 61 6 More efficient process to make biodiesel fuel Biodiesel extraction from

inedible food Mobile indirect biomass liquefaction system New biofuelto replace petroleum Proteins used for biofuel production A novelprocess for biodiesel production

RECENTRECENTRECENTRECENTRECENT PUBLICATIONSPUBLICATIONSPUBLICATIONSPUBLICATIONSPUBLICATIONS 1 81 81 81 81 8

TECHTECHTECHTECHTECH EVENTSEVENTSEVENTSEVENTSEVENTS 1 81 81 81 81 8

VATIS* UpdateNon-conventional Energy

is published 6 times a year to keep thereaders up to date of most of therelevant and latest technological

developments and events in the field ofNon-conventional Energy. The Update istailored to policy-makers, industries and

technology transfer intermediaries.

Website: http://www.techmonitor.net

Editorial BoardDr. Krishnamurthy Ramanathan

Mr. Nanjundappa SrinivasanDr. Satyabrata Sahu

Dr. Krishnan Srinivasaraghavan

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]

Website: http://www.apctt.org

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

IFC to investUS$15 million inIndian wind projectThe International Finance Corpor-ation (IFC), a World Bank Groupmember, will provide up to US$15million in corporate equity financ-ing to Simran Wind Project Pvt. Ltd.,a privately owned Indian entity thatis into wind-based power production.The company will use the moneyto finance its pipeline projects worthUS$40 million in Tamil Nadu state.Presently, the company has instal-led capacity of 50.4 MW in TamilNadu and Karnataka, and is nowexpanding its wind power capacityfor a total new capacity of about126.9 MW in Tamil Nadu. Simranis promoted by Techno Electric &Engineering Company Ltd., a powerengineering, procurement and con-struction company holding 100 percent shares in Simran.

IFC will provide up to US$15 millionto Simran in corporate equity finan-cing and up to US$40 million in debtfinancing in the form of IFC ‘A’ Loanfor financing the 126.9 MW windprojects. The tenor of the ‘A’ loanwill be up to 12 years, with a graceperiod of up to three years. The IFCPost-2012 Carbon Facility proposesto forward purchase up to 1.75 mil-lion Certified Emission Reductions(CERs) to be generated through2020 by Simran’s wind power pro-jects. Simran will receive from IFCa pre-determined percentage of theCER spot price on delivery, subjecta floor rate and a cap rate.

Source: www.business-standard.com

US$500 million planin Bangladesh tolight remote villagesInfrastructure Development Compa-ny Limited (IDCOL), Bangladesh’s

state-owned energy and infrastruc-ture financing body, has taken up alarge-scale programme for renew-able energy expansion, investingUS$500 million to light remote vil-lages. IDCOL will set up solar homesystems (SHSs), 5 MW capacitybiogas-based power plants and 3MW capacity biomass-based powergenerators. IDCOL is currently look-ing for donors – such as the WorldBank, Asian Development Bank andJapan – the government’s Econo-mic Relations Division (ERD) for therequired funding support, stated Mr.Islam Sharif, Chief Executive Officerof IDCOL. ERD has already request-ed the World Bank for financing therenewable energy installation pro-gramme of IDCOL.

Installation of 2.50 million SHSs willcut nearly 7.20 million tonnes of car-bon emission per year. Under thepresent programme, IDCOL has al-ready installed 763,000 SHSs inremote villages of the country as ofDecember 2010, which will check220,000 t/y of carbon emissions.IDCOL’s solar energy programmeis reported to be one of the fastestgrowing renewable energy program-mes in the world. According to Mr.Sharif, “We are targeting at instal-ling 1 million SHSs by December2012, which will be achieved by Julythis year – one and a half yearsbefore the completion date. If thedonors continue to support us, asthey did in previous days, we arehopeful of expanding renewable en-ergy across the country.”

Source: www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com

China: 26.7 per centrenewables by 2030In China, renewable energy couldmake up 26.7 per cent of the totalenergy consumption by 2030, whilea more probable middle scenariosets the share at 20-22 per cent,

according to the Centre for Renew-able Energy Development (CRED),Beijing. A report containing threescenarios for the contribution of re-newable energy to China’s energyconsumption has been developedby CRED. In the three scenarios,the renewable energy utilization inChina could be 8.3 billion tonnes ofcoal equivalent (tce), 10.5 billion tceand 13.3 billion tce in the low, mid-dle and high scenarios, respectively.

All the scenarios take into accountChina’s economic development tar-gets, energy resource availability,environmental policies, as well asthe country’s future as a potentialtechnology leader. China’s renewa-ble energy potential is reported as5,900 million kilowatts, with solar(2,200 million kilowatts) and wind(700-1,200 million kilowatts) headingthe list. Hydro potential is estima-ted at 500 million kilowatts, whilegeothermal registers 20 million kilo-watts. China has already set a goalof 15 per cent of its primary energydemand to be fulfilled by renewableenergy by 2020.

Source:www.renewableenergyfocus.com

Philippines preparesrenewable energymarketIn the Philippines, the Departmentof Energy (DoE) is taking steps toput up the country’s first renewableenergy (RE) market, which will bea venue for issuance, trading andmonitoring of RE certificates to com-ply with the Renewable PortfolioStandard (RPS). According to theRenewable Energy Act, RPS is amarket-based policy that requireselectricity suppliers to source anagreed portion of their energy sup-ply from eligible RE sources. RPSis seen to contribute to the growthof the renewable energy industryby diversifying energy supply, and


In the News

to help address environmental con-cerns of the Philippines by reducinggreenhouse gas emissions. This willbe imposed on all electric power in-dustry participants, serving on gridareas, on a per grid basis upon de-termination by the New and Renew-able Energy Board (NREB).

A Steering Committee for the Es-tablishment of RE Market createdby DoE will formulate and establishthe framework that will govern theRE market operations. The Philip-pine Electricity Market Corporation(PEMC) has also formed a groupto coordinate with the DoE SteeringCommittee. The Joint Secretariat iscomposed of members from variousagencies of DoE and PEMC. Thetwo entities have already held sev-eral discussions on the regulatoryframework of the RE market. Underthe proposed RPS rules, there willbe priority connections to the gridfor electricity generated from emerg-ing RE resources within the nation.

Source: www.mb.com.ph

ADB to fundgeothermal powerplants in IndonesiaIndonesia will receive a US$500million loan from the Asian Devel-opment Bank (ADB) to set up threegeothermal power plants with a totalcapacity of 165 MW. According toMr. Djajang Sukarna, Secretary ofthe Alternative & Renewable Energyand Energy Conservation Directo-rate General, the Energy and MineralResources Ministry, the deal will besigned in late 2011 and the powerplant constructions will commencein 2012.

At the Sungaipenuh power plant inJambi, the state oil and gas firmPertamina’s subsidiary PertaminaGeothermal Energy (PGE) will han-dle upstream operations while thestate electricity company PT PLN

will handle downstream operations.At the Karaha power plant in WestJava, all operations will be carriedout by PGE. For the Mataloko plantin East Nusa Tenggara, PLN willtake full control.

PLN’s Renewable Energy DivisionHead Mr. Muhammad Sofyan saidthat the US$500 million loan couldcover 80 per cent of the funds re-quired to build the power plants andthe remaining 20 per cent wouldcome from PLN’s budget. PLN hasreceived a grant from ADB totallingUS$1.5 million to conduct the fea-sibility studies in the three areas,Mr. Sofyan said. The three powerplants are part of the Phase II of the10,000 MW fast track programme.The Sungaipenuh power plant isscheduled to start operation in 2015,Karaha 2014 and Mataloko 2013,Mr. Sofyan revealed.

Source: www.thejakartapost.com

Sri Lanka promotesrenewable energySri Lanka’s Minister of Power andEnergy Mr. Patali Champika Rana-waka said that Sri Lanka is activelypromoting, non-traditional renewa-ble energy sources like solar power,wind energy, biomass and nuclearenergy to gear up for energy crisissituations. Mr. Ranawaka noted thatthe long-term objective of the Minis-try is to use non-traditional renew-able energy sources with a view ofmaking considerable contributionto the national grid by 2015. Thecontribution of non-conventional andrenewable energy sources to thenational grid has gone up from 5.5per cent in 2009 to 6.8 per cent in2010.

The Minister expressed the beliefthat the non-conventional and re-newable energy sector will be ableto make a 10 per cent contributionto the national grid by the end of

2015. The Ministry will launch 38biomass projects to generate elec-tricity using solid waste in Colombocity and suburbs, adding 259 MWto the national grid. It will also helptackle the garbage disposal prob-lem and prevent environmental pol-lution in these areas.

Source: www.sundaytimes.lk

KfW earmarks fundsfor renewable energyprojects in IndiaKfW, the German government-owneddevelopment bank, plans to lend800 million euros in 2011-2012 tofinance various renewable energyprojects in India. This would be inaddition to the 1.5 billion euros thatthe bank has already financed inthe energy sector in India, statedMr. Oskar von Maltzan, Director ofKfW, at the Renewtech India Sum-mit. The German government is keento promote investment in energy-efficiency and renewable energyprojects in India by providing sus-tainable financing through variousagencies, he stated.

KfW finances government agencieswhich either implement renewableenergy projects or lend funds toprivate or public investors. It hasprovided funds to hydro and solarprojects of state-run power genera-ting companies like North-EasternElectric Power Corp. (NEEPCO)and National Thermal Power Corp.(NTPC). The bank has also finan-ced power infrastructure compa-nies such as Power Finance Corp.(PFC), Indian Renewable EnergyDevelopment Agency (IREDA) andRural Electrification Corp. (REC),and energy efficiency projects ofagencies such as National HousingBank (NHB) and Energy EfficiencyServices Ltd. (EESL).

Source:economictimes.indiatimes.com


In the News

Renewable sourcesfor power generationin PakistanThe Pakistan Poverty AlleviationFund (PPAF) and Aga Khan Plan-ning and Building Services-Paki-stan (AKPBS-P) have jointly set upwind turbines and solar panels toprovide environment-friendly electri-city to approximately 6,500 peoplein 29 villages of Thatta district inSindh province, Pakistan. AKPBS-P – with the support of PPAF andthe World Bank, and contributionby the village residents in the formof unskilled labour – installed 29wind turbines, 29 solar panels andstreetlights in various villages loca-ted in Thatta, which were withoutelectricity for decades.

The immediate benefit of electrifi-cation is improved lighting, whichis more bright and safe than thatprovided by kerosene lamps. Utiliz-ing local and renewable energy re-sources instead of diesel for powergeneration not only helps protect theenvironment but also stimulateseconomic benefits for an improvedquality of life. A key reason why thisvillage had not yet benefited froman electric grid connection is its geo-graphical isolation, which offeredan extremely low return on invest-ment made in grid extension. Thischallenge required a local and cost-effective solution.

Source: www.brecorder.com

New guidelines onrenewable energyarchitecture in ChinaOn 3 March 2011, the Ministry ofFinance & Ministry of Housing andUrban-Rural Development, China,published a circular on carrying for-ward renewable energy (RE) archi-tecture, stressing broader reach andimproved implementation at all levels

of government. Significant points ofthe March 2011 circular include:

Promoting higher RE productiontargets from solar, geothermal andbiofuel energy, and achieving a re-newable energy consumption of 20per cent by 2020;

Increasing RE construction to 2.5billion sq.m by the end of 2015, thusproviding alternative energy equalto 3,000 t of coal;

Expanding RE construction inrural areas – accounting for 10 percent in key areas – and encourag-ing implementation at the local level,with emphasis on improving techni-cal standards, infrastructure andclean energy supply;

Accelerating RE technology useand application and increasing de-mands on technological standards,including promoting competition andenhancing system structure; and

Overall, attaching great import-ance to RE efforts, from organizationand leadership to housing construc-tion, finance and real estate, at bothcentral and local levels. There needsto be a coordinated and unified ef-fort to address these major issues.

Source: www.china-briefing.com

Renewable energyposts gain in Sri LankaIn Sri Lanka, the contribution of non-conventional and renewable energysources to the national grid has in-creased from 5.5 per cent in 2009 to6.8 per cent in 2011. Going in linewith the government’s expectation,the sector targets to have a shareof 10 per cent in the national gridby the end of 2015. Renewable en-ergy sources have contributed 213MW to the national grid as on 31January 2011, with mini hydropowerleading the sector by contributing172 MW. The capacity of the minihydropower energy is generated by84 projects. The second renewable

energy source is wind power, whichaccounts for 30 MW from three pro-jects. Power generation from bio-mass and agricultural and industrialwaste follows with a contribution of11 MW.

Source: www.dailynews.lk

Agreement on tappinggeothermal energy inthe regionIn the Philippines, a deal betweena geothermal leader and a wildlifeconservation group is expected tohasten development of the geother-mal energy potential of Asia, com-mencing with the Philippines andIndonesia. Energy DevelopmentCorporation (EDC) and WorldwideFund for Nature-Philippines (WWF-Philippines) will work through the“Ring of Fire” project to accelerategeothermal development in Asia, aswell as replicate the Philippines’success in sustainable geothermalproduction for Indonesia’s untap-ped geothermal energy resources.WWF-Philippines said the projectis in line with its “100 per cent by2050 Renewable Energy Vision”and to increase Asia’s geothermalcapacity by 150 per cent by 2015and 300 per cent by 2020. Besidesincreasing geothermal production,the project will also address issueson environmental sustainability, en-ergy security and climate change.

According to the agreement, EDCwill establish a Gold Standard Geo-thermal Showcase project – the 50MW Mindanao 3 project in NorthCotabato – as benchmark for thegeothermal projects. WWF-Philip-pines will focus on helping reformthe energy sector in the directionof a more sustainable market thatsupports geothermal sources, saidits Vice-Chairman and CEO Mr. JoseMa. Lorenzo Tan.

Source: www.mb.com.ph


SOLAR ENERGY

PV metallization pasteincreases solar cellefficiency

DuPont, based in the United States,has introduced the Solamet PV701,a photovoltaic (PV) metallizationpaste. The paste was developed todeliver conversion efficiencies above0.4 per cent in Metal Wrap Through(MWT) technology cell designs. TheSolamet PV701 paste is used forp-contact metallization in the tab-bing interconnects on the back sideof the cell. The MWT technologyfeatures a special type of cell struc-ture where the front side bus barsare transferred to the back side ofthe cell. This reduces shading thatmay occur on the cell’s front side.The Solamet PV701 paste provideshigh-line conductivity and has lowshunting properties. It also enablesgood solderability and provides ef-fective electrical contact from theback side to the front side.

Source: www.azocleantech.com

Low-cost solar cellproduction techniqueIn the Netherlands, an engineer atthe Technical University of Delft (TUDelft) has developed a process toproduce inexpensive solar cells 10times faster than existing systems,without any detriment to their ener-gy yield. The device employs amor-phous silicon, which has a lowerenergy yield than crystalline silicon

but allows solar cells to be producedfar more cheaply. “The nature of thematerial means that much thinnerlayers can be used – around 250nm thick, compared with the 200µm-thick layers of crystalline silicon,”stated Prof. Miro Zeman of TU Delft.

Although amorphous silicon solarcells are already being produced,the usual technique used to pro-duce the cells – vaporizing silanegas to deposit the amorphous sili-con on glass – is too slow for theindustry. It takes about one secondto apply a 0.1 nm layer; so, about40 minutes are required to apply acomplete 250 nm layer. To speedup that process, Ph.D. student Mr.Michael Wank turned to a newer,expanding thermal plasma chemi-cal vapour deposition (ETP-CVD)technique, which he demonstratedcould speed up the production bya factor of 10 – to 1 nm per second– while maintaining a yield of ap-proximately 7 per cent.

However, a conventional ETP-CVDproduction technique could not beused because it requires a tempera-ture of ~350°C, which would dam-age the solar cells and affect theirenergy yield. To circumvent this,Mr. Wank applied ion bombardmentduring the production process, en-abling the production to take placeat a lower temperature of around200°C.

Source: www.theengineer.co.uk

Low-cost solar cellshold new EuropeanrecordBy combining copper, zinc, tin andsulphur or selenium, all abundantand low-cost elements, the Univer-sity of Luxembourg has produceda solar cell with 6.1 per cent effi-ciency. The university’s Laboratoryfor Photovoltaics has developed animproved preparation process for

kesterite solar cells, which resultedin a new European record efficien-cy of 6.1 per cent, certified by theFraunhofer Institute for Solar EnergySystems, Germany, one of eightlabs in the world that is authorizedto certify solar cell efficiencies.

Kesterites combine the low cost ofthin film solar cell technologies withextremely low raw material costs.Their main component consists ofcopper, zinc, tin and sulphur or se-lenium. Several laboratories havereported that the loss of tin duringthe preparation limits the ability tocontrol deposition processes. TheLaboratory for Photovoltaics there-fore developed a preparation processthat allowed controlling the tin lossand led to the record efficiency. Dr.Susanne Siebentritt, Head of theLaboratory for Photovoltaics, saysthat they have understood the limi-tations of such solar cells, whichwill help them further improve theefficiency.

Source:www.compoundsemiconductor.net

Concentrated PVgenerator with space-grade solar cellsAmonix Inc., the United States, hasintroduced its 7700 ConcentratedPhotovoltaic (CPV) Generator, dev-eloped jointly with the United StatesDepartment of Energy’s National Re-newable Energy Laboratory (NREL).The technology places advancedspace-grade solar cells, used fortheir superior strength, beneath anEarth-bound lens. The CPV cellshave been made more resistant toheat using a gallium-based triplejunction technology. The cells haveimproved efficiency because moresunlight can be concentrated onthem. Another advantage of thegenerator is that electricity can beproduced at prices competitive withnatural gas.

DuPont Solamet PV701 paste provideshigh-line conductivity


Solar Energy

The solar power generator employsFresnel lenses developed by NRELto concentrate 500 times more solarenergy. A silicon wafer used in PVpanels generates about 2.5 W ofelectricity whereas the same waferused in a CPV cell generates morethan 1,500 W of electricity. Irres-pective of the generator’s giant size,it comes with greater efficiency ata lower price compared with othergenerators. This will help lower theinstalled cost of solar energy to US$1 per watt. Contact: Ammonix Inc.,1709, Apollo Court, Seal Beach,CA 90740, United States of Ameri-ca. Tel: +1 (562) 2007 700; Fax: +1(562) 4304 774; E-mail: [email protected].


New solar cells powerartificial electronic“super skin”

In the United States, ultrasensitiveelectronic skin developed by Stan-ford University chemical engineeringprofessor Dr. Zhenan Bao can nowbe powered by a new, stretchablesolar cell that she developed in herlab. The super skin is self-powering,using polymer solar cells to gener-ate electricity. The new solar cellscan be stretched up to 30 per centbeyond their original length and snapback without any damage or lossof power. The foundation for theartificial skin is a flexible organictransistor, made with flexible poly-mers and carbon-based materials.To allow touch sensing, the transis-

tor contains a thin, highly elasticrubber layer, moulded into a grid oftiny inverted pyramids. When pres-sed, this layer changes thickness,and that changes the current flowthrough the transistor. The pyramidsnumber from several hundred thou-sands to 25 million per sq. cm, cor-responding to the desired level ofsensitivity.

To sense a biological molecule, thesurface of the transistor has to becoated with another molecule towhich the first one will bind whenit comes into contact. The coatinglayer only needs to be 1-2 nm thick.Having the sensors work on solarenergy makes generating the powerneeded simpler than using batter-ies or hooking up to the electricalgrid, allowing them to be lighter aswell as more mobile.

The stretchable solar cells open upother applications. The cells can bedesigned to stretch along two axes.The microstructure of these cells iswavy and extends on stretching. Aliquid metal electrode conforms tothe wavy surface of the device inboth relaxed and stretched states.The solar cells continue to generateelectricity while they are stretchedout, producing a continuous flow ofelectricity for data transmission fromthe sensors.

Source: news.stanford.edu

Solar floats on waterSolaris Synergy, Israel, has devel-oped a new kind of solar array thatfloats on water and improves the effi-ciency of silicon cells in hot weather.The technology concentrates sun-light onto an array of solar cells anduses the water to keep them cool,increasing the amount of electricitythey produce.

The efficiency of silicon solar cellsbecome less as their temperatureincreases. Concentrating sunlight

onto the cells in hot conditions canraise their temperature to as muchas 200°C. “Our core technology isa very efficient cooling system toallow the silicon solar cells to stillprovide superior efficiency,” said Dr.Elyakim Kassel, Solaris’ BusinessDevelopment Manager. As the cellscan float on industrial water reser-voirs, the arrays can be deployedwithout impacting on public spaceor the environment. The water isused to cool solar cells by meansof a submerged closed-loop heatexchanger.

The solar array is positioned facingdown above a series of mirrors thatfloat on the water and reflect andconcentrate sunlight back up to thesilicon cells. The concentration sys-tem adds up to 2 per cent efficiencyto the monocrystalline cells, whichoperate at a standard efficiency of17 per cent. Each module producesa standard amount of 200 kW ofelectricity. The cells’ efficiency fallsby approximately 0.5 per cent forevery degree above 25°C by whichtheir temperature increases. Evenwithout the concentrators, the celltemperature can rise up to around80°C. The heat exchanger maintainsa steady temperature of ~35°C, eli-minating fatigue caused by changesin temperature.

Source: www.istockanalyst.com

Super skin powered by stretchablesolar cell

Fund Links Database onRenewable Energy

Fund Links Database of NewNet is avaluable tool for all those interested inresearching investors in key companiesin global renewable energy and cleantechnology industries, with links to thesites of these investing companies.

For more information, contact:

New Energy World Network LtdTel: +44 (20) 7845 7595

E-mail:[email protected]

Website:www.newenergyworldnetwork.com


WIND ENERGY

An innovativeapproach to large-scale wind power

SkyMill Energy, the United States,has developed an innovative con-cept that could potentially delivermassive amounts of clean, reliablepower to the Middle East and Asiaby harvesting the Asian jet stream.At its heart, SkyMill’s core innova-tion involves a remote-controlled,rotary lift, unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV) that is kept aloft in the upperatmosphere on a strong tether. Toproduce power, the UAV is allowedto increase in altitude. In doing so,its tether is pulled through a spoolattached to a generator stationedon the ground. In response to theground command, the UAV’s lift isdramatically reduced, permitting alow-power rewind. A full cycle takesabout 20 minutes.

While power generation is only dur-ing the rising stroke, a field of suchunits can be managed in such a waythat power is generated continu-ously. The key components of thissystem have been tested and arepatent pending. The system is fly-ing successfully in sub-scale proto-types and high-fidelity simulations.Experts in the field have confirmedthe essential performance capabili-ties of the system.

A 40 m diameter SkyMill systemcan take off in wind speeds as littleas 12 kmph and generate power in

relative wind speeds of over 320kmph. One potential design chal-lenge is the management of tetherwear. SkyMill selected a durable,high-strength, low-weight line thathas an outstanding track record intugboat and oil industry deep watermooring applications. After consi-dering all potential wear factors, aconservative 4-year tether replace-ment schedule has been estimatedfor commercially operating units.Importantly, in the event of a tetherbreak, the SkyMill would be able todescend in a controlled manner,thanks to a patent-pending systemthat would allow ground control toalter its centre of gravity to providethree axis controls. Together witha GPS, this would allow a descend-ing SkyMill to be steered towardsa safe landing area.

Source: www.ifandp.com

Direct-drive windturbine passescritical grid testChina’s largest direct-drive windturbine recently passed a criticalinternational test on its capacity towithstand power dips in the nation-al grid. The permanent magnetic,2.5 MW wind turbine, developed byGuangxi Yinhe Avantis Wind PowerCo. Ltd. (GYAW), passed the low-voltage ride through (LVRT) test.The test measures the capacity ofa turbine to maintain continuouson-line operations when the voltageof the grid dips. On 5 March 2011,the wind turbine, located on a testsite in Beihai, Guangxi, success-fully passed two-phase and three-phase LVRT tests, carried out bythe China Electric Power ResearchInstitute (CEPRI). On 7 March, theprototype successfully passed theLVRT test based on the InternationalElectrotechnical Commission (IEC)standard. The wind turbine had beenearlier connected to the national

grid for a trial operation in June 2009,making it the first grid-connected2.5 MW wind turbine in China.

Source:english.peopledaily.com.cn

New offshore turbineGE, based in the United States, hasintroduced its 4.1-113 wind turbine,a 4 MW class turbine optimized foroffshore use and designed to bringmore reliability to the offshore windindustry. With fewer moving parts,the simple and reliable design hasbuilt-in redundancy and partial op-eration for major components forreliable operation at sea. The direct-drive technology eliminates costlygearbox parts, lowering operatingexpenses and relying on a modularapproach to maximize on site repairand reduce the need for large repairvessels.

The blade design of 4.1-113 is opti-mized for maximum energy capture.The base design has been opera-ting since 2005 on a coastal sitein Norway in a harsh environmentwith high wind speeds and turbu-lence. The lessons learned are builtinto the 4.1-113 design, making itthe most mature and reliable direct-drive design for offshore applica-tions. The design also draws fromthe solutions developed for GE’sonshore fleet, including GE’s Ad-vanced Loads Control solution thathelps reduce forces being passedto the machine and lower founda-tion costs.

Source: www.newdesignworld.com

Small wind turbinesThe Dutch company EverkinetIQInternational has developed its firstsmall wind turbine series in closecollaboration with Pekago and AlbisBenelux BV, the Netherlands, andBASF, Germany. The PIQO seriesmicro wind turbines are intended for

Artistic rendering of SkyMill’s conceptof rotary lift unmanned vehicle


Wind Energy

installation on industrial facilities,high-rise buildings, hospitals andother municipal buildings as well asresidences.

The first prototypes of these microwind turbines have been installedon buildings in the Netherlands forextensive field trials. EverkinetIQhas recently carried out optimiza-tion steps and is preparing for theproduct launch. PIQO series windturbines are rugged, compact andgenerate little noise. EverkinetIQanticipates that, following the testphase, a relatively favourable priceper kilowatt-hour will be achieved.

For the wind turbine’s rotor, the newBASF subsidiary Styrolution and itsdistribution partner Albis Beneluxare using a 15 per cent glass fibre-reinforced material from the familyof acrylic ester-styrene-acrylonitrile(ASA) polymers. The Luran® S 797S offers notably good resistance toweathering, ultraviolet radiation andageing, together with chemical res-istance. The unfilled, and thus lessrigid grade, material is suitable forthe round frame, which measuresabout 1.5 m in diameter.

Source: www.evwind.es

Upgrade for 3 MWonshore wind turbineplatformAlstom, a major power generationequipment and services companybased in France, has announcedthe upgrade of its 3 MW onshoreECO 100 platform. Alstom’s robustECO 100 wind turbine platform thatcomprises the ECO 100 and ECO110 turbines is among the mostproven multi-megawatt platforms inthe marketplace with over 150,000cumulative operating hours since2008, and more than 300 MW in-stalled or under construction. BothECO 100 and ECO 110 wind turbinesare fully type certified.

To optimize available wind resourcesand further reduce wind power gen-eration cost, Alstom is upgradingboth existing turbines of the plat-form and will also introduce a newmachine to specifically address lowwind speed sites across the globe.The medium to high wind ECO 100turbine is being upgraded to a highwind (IEC Class I-A) turbine that willhave one of the leading capacity fac-tors for turbines in this wind class.

The Class III ECO 110 turbine is get-ting upgraded to a medium wind (IECClass II-A) turbine. Its 110 m rotordiameter is one of the largest avail-able for Class II sites and maxim-izes the energy yield of the turbine.Longer blades capture more powermore effectively. This means fewerturbines could generate the sameamount of power – more megawattsgenerated per square metre of land.Hub heights of the platform are 75m, 90 m and 100 m. Both turbinesare being offered now for deliveriesfrom mid-2012. Alstom will completethe range with a new high capacitylow-wind (IEC Class III-A) turbine,named ECO 11X, with a rotor dia-meter in the range of 115-125 m.

Source: www.pennenergy.com

Hybrid drive windturbineThe 3 MW FL 3000 wind turbine fromFuhrländer AG, Germany, will fea-ture the HybridDrive geared driveconcept developed by Winergy AG,also from Germany. The HybridDrivecombines a two-stage planetarygearbox and a medium-speed syn-chronous generator in one unit, andis supplemented by a frequencyconverter. The FL 3000 wind turbineuses the same drive train conceptas the earlier model FL 2500, andwill have a rotor diameter of 120 m.It will be suitable for use up to windclass IEC 2a. The first prototype ofthe wind turbine is expected within

a year. Contact: Fuhrländer Aktien-gesellschaft, Graf-Zeppelin-Str. 11,56479 Liebenscheid, Germany. Tel:+49 (26) 649 966-0; Fax: +49 (26)649 9633.


Gearless windturbine for low tomoderate windsThe SWT-2.3-113 is a new direct-drive gearless wind turbine launchedby Siemens Energy, Germany, forsites that have low to moderate windspeeds. The core feature of the newwind turbine is an innovative driveconcept with a compact permanentmagnet generator. This type of gen-erator is characterized by its simpleand robust design that does not re-quire excitation power, slip rings orexcitation control systems. This isclaimed to offer high efficiency evenat low loads. With a capacity of 2.3MW and a rotor diameter of 113 m,the new wind turbine is designed tomaximize power production at siteswith low to moderate wind speeds.Like the SWT-3.0-101, the 3 MWdirect-drive wind turbine launched inApril 2010, the SWT-2.3-113 hasonly half of the parts that a conven-tional geared wind turbine has anda less number of moving parts.

The SWT-2.3-113 is fitted with thenew Siemens B55 Quantum blades,which boosts efficiency and optim-izes performance. The blade is 55m long and features a redesignedtip and root section. The root sectionuses “flatback” profiles to minimizeroot leakage and offer greater lift.The redesigned blade tip minimizesloads and reduces noise levels to105 dB – one of the quietest windturbines on the market. Siemens hasalready commissioned five gearlessSWT-3.0-101 wind turbines.

Source: www.ifandp.com


WAVE/TIDAL ENERGY

Research to improvetidal turbine design

The University of Washington, theUnited States, is stepping up its in-volvement in tidal energy research,as university scientists engage ina pilot tidal energy project at PugetSound as well as in the develop-ment of numerical models to studythe environmental effects of tidalturbines. The Snohomish CountyPublic Utility District will deploy twotidal turbines developed by the Irishcompany OpenHydro in AdmiraltyInlet, the entrance of Puget Sound.The 30 ft wide turbines will generatean average of 100 kW of electricity,enough to power up to 100 homes.This would be the first tidal energyproject on the West Coast and thefirst array of large-scale turbines togenerate power from ocean tidesinto an electrical grid.

Dr. Brian Polagye, a research assis-tant professor of mechanical engi-neering, and colleagues monitorthe project in order to devise waysto best site tidal turbines. For twoyears, they have been measuringcurrents continuously at the site,using a monitoring tripod that trackswater quality, ambient noise, cur-rents, temperature and salinity. Theresearchers will monitor the envi-ronmental effects of the turbinesonce they are in the water.

Source: www.ecoseed.org

New wave energybuoy that works likeself-winding watchIn the United States, Oregon StateUniversity (OSU) is helping a privatecompany, Neptune Wave Power,test the latest in wave energy tech-nology by taking something old andmaking it new again. The companytested its newest prototype insideOSU’s wave research laboratory.“Our goal is to deploy our first life-sized buoy this year,” said the CEOof Neptune, Mr. Rene Larrave. Theprototype is about one-tenth thesize of the actual device.

The highly specialized buoy feedelectricity back to the grid by har-nessing wave power in a uniqueway. Instead of relying on the up anddown motion of the waves, it usesa horizontal pendulum that actuallyrotates with the wave motion, saysMr. Larrave. It is based on the sametechnology used in a self-windingwatch, but uses wave movementsin place of wrist motion to generatepower. “That motion actually drivesthe electric generator which is in-side the buoy,” Mr. Larrave explains.A data system displays the amountof power that the buoy is genera-ting. Researchers hope to have awave energy test site establishedoff the coast of Newport by the endof 2011.

Source: www.nwcn.com

Tidal energy – realworld performanceanalysesTidal Generation Ltd. of the UnitedKingdom has developed an impel-ler tidal turbine to produce electri-cal energy from tidal currents. TidalGeneration contacted Nortek whenit wanted to analyse the relation-ship between incoming currents andproduced energy, to understand the

effect of waves, and possibly in thefuture to control the pitch of the tur-bine blades.

Tidal Generation wanted to meas-ure the wave height right in front ofits newly developed impeller tidalturbine, with the current profile tobe reported 35 m in front of the tur-bine. Furthermore, it did not wantanything to be mounted on the sea-floor and wanted data to be avail-able online. The ingenious solutiondesigned at Nortek uses the acous-tic wave and current meter (AWAC)electronics, but not the standardmechanical design. An odd-lookingtransducer head along with someextra data processing utilizes twobeams tilted 73º from the verticalto take the measurements and thengenerate the full current profile. Thevertical beam measures the distan-ce to the surface and this data isused to calculate the wave heightusing Nortek’s Acoustic SurfaceTracking (AST) algorithms.

Source: www.nortekusa.com

DeltaStream conceptTidal Energy Ltd., the United King-dom, offers a new concept for energygeneration from tidal waves. TheDeltaStream device is a nominal1.2 MW unit that sits on the seabedwithout the need for a positive an-choring system, generating electri-city from three separate horizontalaxis turbines mounted on a commonframe. The use of three turbines ona single, circa 30 m wide, triangularframe produces a low centre of gra-vity enabling the device to satisfyits structural stability requirementsincluding the avoidance of slidingand overturning.

DeltaStream concept was develop-ed by Marine Engineer Mr. RichardAyre. Experts from Cranfield Uni-versity in England then undertookdetailed design and optimization ofthe blade design. DeltaStream uses

University of Washington researcherslower the monitoring tripod into the sea


the same concept as a wind turbinetogether with ship propeller tech-nology. The benefits of this designinclude: ease of manufacture, de-ployment and recovery, as well asmaintenance; lightweight gravityfoundation; low cost and environ-mental impact; and operation invaried water depths and velocities.

DeltaStream will save substantialamounts of carbon dioxide by thedirect replacement of electrical en-ergy from fossil fuels or the growthrequirement from a renewable re-source. Contact: Tidal Energy Ltd.,Vision House, Oak Tree Court, Mul-berry Drive, Cardiff Gate BusinessPark, Cardiff CF23 8RS, UnitedKingdom. E-mail: [email protected].

Source: www.tidalenergyltd.com

Power generationfrom tidal currents

Minesto, a developer of tidal energysystems based in Sweden, will per-form trials on Deep Green, a uniquetechnology for generating electricityfrom tidal currents. The new con-cept deploys deepwater structuresresembling kites that can functioneven in slow water currents. Thekites feature turbines and they “fly”in a group of eight, attached by atether to a fixed point on the oceanbed and directed by a rudder. The

speed of the water moving inside theturbine gets accelerated by around10 times, generating more electri-city. Deep Green could reportedlyminimize cost overheads, therebysignificantly expanding the size ofthe global marine energy market.

The trials will be performed off theNorthern Ireland coast. Followingsuccessful trials, the company willemploy several deepwater struc-tures around the seashore of theUnited Kingdom. It is expected thatthese devices will produce around530 GWh/y of electricity by 2020.This output is sufficient to meet theyearly domestic power requirementsof a city measuring the size of New-castle.

Mr. Benj Sykes, Director of Innova-tions at Carbon Trust, the UnitedKingdom, said that the Deep Greentechnology could enable cost re-duction and enfold new methods ofproducing tidal energy. Tidal cur-rents can potentially generate over18 terawatt hours of power, whichis equal to more than 5 per cent ofthe United Kingdom’s total powerutilization, he added. The CarbonTrust R&D funding will help Minestoobtain site licenses for constructinginstallations, examining enduranceof the installation in real ocean en-vironment, and also for building andanalysing a model for determiningthe cost of energy generated by thedevice. Contact: Minesto AB, Vitagavelns väg 6, 426 71 Västra Frö-lunda, Sverige, Sweden. E-mail:[email protected].


Utility-scale waveenergy converterOcean Power Technologies (OPT),with bases in the United Kingdomand the United States, has comple-ted the PowerBuoy PB150, its firstnew utility-scale wave energy con-

verter. The 135 ft long device, witha peak-rated power output of 150kW, is designed for use in arraysfor grid-connected power-generationprojects. The PB150’s steel struc-ture was fabricated in Scotland, andthe power take-off and control sys-tem was built and tested at OPT’sfacilities in Warwick and Penning-ton in New Jersey.

The rising and falling of the wavesoffshore causes the buoy to moveup and down. The resultant mecha-nical stroking is converted via powertake-off to drive an electrical gen-erator. An underwater power cableis used to transmit the generatedpower ashore. Currently, the deviceis being prepared for ocean trials,which would test the response ofthe buoy’s structure and mooringsystem to waves, and the power pro-duced by the on-board generator.An on-board simulator will mimicgrid-connection conditions to ensurethe buoy’s electrical systems aresubject to full commercial testing.Data collected during the trials willbe transmitted in real time for ana-lysis by OPT’s engineers.

Source: www.theengineer.co.uk

Wave/Tidal Energy

Artist’s rendition of Deep Green device

Clean Energy Scheme

The Asian Development Bank (ADB)and The Energy and ResourcesInstitute (TERI) have announced a“Lighting for All” platform to helpprovide clean and affordable elec-tricity to 50 million people who cur-rently rely on expensive and highlypollutant fuels for lighting needs.The platform will encourage thereplication and expansion of pro-ven business models that supplylow-cost solar products. For moreinformation, contact:

ADB: Mr. Philip WoodTel: +639189399058

E-mail: [email protected]: Mr. Rajiv Chhibber

Tel: +919810426698E-mail: [email protected]


FUEL CELLS

New type ofLi-metal air fuel cellIn Japan, the Energy TechnologyResearch Institute, has developeda new type of lithium-copper air fuelcell using hybrid electrolyte (organicelectrolyte/solid electrolyte/aque-ous electrolyte). A copper positiveelectrode is placed in the aqueouselectrolyte and metallic lithium isused as a negative electrode in theorganic electrolyte. The copper elec-trode is oxidized by oxygen in theair to generate copper oxide (Cu2O).Upon discharge, lithium atoms ofthe negative electrode supply elec-trons to the wire and dissolve aslithium ions, which go through thesolid electrolyte towards the aque-ous electrolyte.

At the positive electrode, suppliedelectrons reduce Cu2O moleculesto copper atoms that precipitate onthe electrode. After the discharge,copper is oxidized again throughcopper corrosion reaction. In thisway, copper catalyses the electro-chemical reduction of oxygen. Thelithium-copper air fuel cell based onthe copper corrosion reaction hasshown stable discharge. Contact:Mr. Haoshen Zhou, Energy Tech-nology Research Institute, Japan.E-mail: [email protected].

Source: www.aist.go.jp

Fuel-cell generatorachieves milestoneLockheed Martin, the United States,recently operated a fuel cell gener-ator for 1,001 hours consecutivelyfor the first time with JP-8 fuel, themilitary’s standard diesel fuel, thusvalidating potential in-theatre usefor the military. Fuel-cell genera-tors can reduce fuel consumptionby 50 per cent or more comparedwith conventional internal combus-tion generators. Similar to a battery,fuel cells generate electricity using

a chemical reaction, unlike the com-bustion engines utilized in militarygenerators and vehicles. LockheedMartin is working with TMI, Ohio’soldest fuel-cell company, and StarkState College to mature the fuel-cell technology.

Source: www.upi.com

High power densityPEM fuel cellITM Power, an energy storage andclean fuel company based in theUnited Kingdom, has announcedan early technical result from theinitial phase of the high power den-sity fuel cell membrane testing, anambitious technology developmentproject supported with £108,000 ofresearch funding from Carbon Trust,the United Kingdom. ITM Power hasdemonstrated exceptionally highpower densities by developing itsproprietary hydrocarbon membranematerials for hydrogen/oxygen fuelcells. From the current state of theart, a step change has been attain-ed, with what is believed to be thehighest power density ever recordedfor a proton exchange membrane(PEM) fuel cell (5.5 W/cm2 and 10A/cm2) using pure oxygen. The com-pany has successfully demonstratedthe performance of the membranein a hydrogen/air fuel cell devel-oping over 2.1 W/cm2 and 4 A/cm2,

more than doubling the power den-sity performance presently availableon the market.

While ITM Power’s initial investiga-tions have focused on fuel cells fedwith hydrogen and oxygen, a com-mercial fuel cell system meant fora vehicle requires air to be used asthe oxidant. This early result withair exceeds the ambitious target of1.5 W/cm2 that was defined as partof the Carbon Trust project and isfurther evidence of the potential forITM Power’s materials to offer a stepchange in performance.

Source: evworld.com

Low-temperatureSOFCs with zirconia-based electrolyteAt Japan’s Advanced ManufacturingResearch Institute, scientists haveinvestigated a correlation betweenthe microstructure of the anode of atubular solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC)and its electrochemical property. Itwas found that the electrochemicalproperty of the cell was extensivelyimproved when the size of consti-tuent particles were reduced in ahighly porous microstructure. Basedon the results, an improved tubularSOFC was prepared using a con-ventional zirconia-based electrolyte,Ni cermet and (La, Sr)(Co, Fe) O3for anode and cathode materials,respectively. The SOFC has shownoutstanding power density of over1 W/cm2 at as low as 600°C opera-ting temperature. Thus, a zirconia-based cell could be utilized for low-temperature SOFC systems under600°C just by optimizing the micro-structure of the anode as well asoperating conditions. Contact: Dr.Toshio Suzuki, Senior Researcher,Advanced Manufacturing ResearchInstitute, Japan. E-mail: [email protected].

Source: www.aist.go.jp

Lockheed Martin staff test thecompany’s fuel cell-powered generator


Pioneering microbialfuel cellIn the United Kingdom, Arla Foods,Lindhurst Engineering and the Uni-versity of Nottingham have unveileda novel microbial fuel cell (MFC) thatthey predict will “revolutionize ener-gy generation on farms and withinthe dairy industry by converting farmeffluent and dairy by-products intoelectricity and biogas”. The pilotplant with 1 m3 capacity convertsfarm slurry and dairy wastes intoelectricity, and also produces hydro-gen gas to create more renewableenergy. A larger production-scale-sized cell has been calculated tobe able to either supply a farm withall its annual energy needs if fedwith slurry from 200 cows or provide10 per cent of a large dairy’s an-nual energy requirement if fed by-products from a large dairy process-ing site. Neither use would requirethe need for any additives.

Source: www.foodbev.com

Research couldadvance fuel celltechnologyIn the United States, University ofAlabama chemistry professor Dr.David Dixon and fellow researchersfrom Los Alamos National Labora-tory report a process for recyclingammonia borane, a material usedto store hydrogen in fuel cell vehi-cles. To create ammonia borane,hydrogen is produced first by mixingnatural gas or oil with water at ahigh temperature. The hydrogen isthen combined with boron and nitro-gen compounds to form ammoniaborane, a colourless solid material.In a vehicle equipped with a hydro-gen fuel cell, think of the block ofammonia borane as the gas tank.The hydrogen inside the ammoniaborane stays put until the vehicleheats it up. Once the compound is

heated, the hydrogen flows into thevehicle’s fuel cell, and powers thevehicle by combining with oxygento produce electricity.

Once hydrogen leaves ammoniaborane, the rest of the block staysbehind as waste. Prof. Dixon saidthat hydrogen is regenerated withinthat waste by combining it with thecompound hydrazine. Until now, thatprocess has been so expensive thatit hurt the technology’s economicfeasibility in powering cars. In thenewly released findings, Prof. Dixonand his colleagues have made theammonia borane recycling processmuch cheaper. They have simplifiedthe process to two reactors: in one,hydrazine is made and in the other,it is combined with the ammoniaborane waste.

Prof. Dixon said the process of re-fuelling could look very similar to howit does today. “The first way wouldbe pulling up to a service station andpopping off a bolted-on container ofammonia borane in back and pop-ping a new one in,” he said. “But weare also trying to make ammoniumborane liquid, which would allow usto use the same pump infrastruc-ture.” Drivers would pull up, pumpout the ammonium borane wasteand pump in recycled ammoniumborane. Using that existing pumpinfrastructure with service stationswould keep the capital cost down.

Source: www.tuscaloosanews.com

Innovative fuel cellpower generatorsTropical S.A., a fast-growing Greekenterprise manufacturing fuel cellsystems, has introduced TB-1000and TB-5000, two portable fuel cellpower generators, providing 1,000W and 5,000 W of electric power,respectively, at 12/24/48V DC andat 110/230V AC. Tropical’s fuel cellsystems are lightweight and smallin size, have zero emission and re-quire minimum maintenance. BothTB-1000 and TB-5000 are poweredwith stacks made by Ballard PowerSystems of Canada – FCgen 1020ACS (air-cooled) and FCgen 1300(water-cooled) – that provide highpower efficiency, enhanced runtime,reliability and noiseless operation.Mr. George Kaplanis, Chief Tech-nical Officer of Tropical, said: “Theintelligent controller, developed byour R&D team, is behaving tremen-dously well in all field trials. Our newproduct line is on the right time forthis growing market.”

TB-1000 and TB-5000 can supplyback-up power for telecom systems,seismographs, research centres,metro stations, schools and infor-mation kiosks, function as powerchargers for motor yachts and boats,caravans, as well as supply powerfor demonstration projects, renew-able energy hybrid systems andmilitary applications. Tropical S.A.produces more than one hundredproducts integrating its technologyinto two main product lines: coolingsystems for various mobile units,and fuel cell power systems that usevarious fuels such as natural gas,hydrogen and methanol. Contact:Mr. George Kaplanis, Chief Tech-nical Officer, Tropical S.A., H2R&D Centre - A/C Unit, 17 KrokeonStr., 10442, Athens, Greece. Tel:+30 (210) 578 5455; Fax: +30 (210)578 5457; E-mail: [email protected].

Source: www.prnewswire.com

Fuel Cells

Prof. David Dixon in his laboratory


HYDROGEN ENERGY

Hydrogen fromnatural gas, sansCO2 emissions

The effort to produce hydrogen fromnatural gas has had the negativeimpact of producing carbon dioxide(CO2) during the process. Now, atEindhoven University of Technologyin the Netherlands, Mr. MohamedHalabi has demonstrated in his doc-toral work the production of hydro-gen fuel from natural gas, withoutproducing CO2. The improved tech-nology named “sorption enhancedcatalytic reforming of methane” usesnovel catalyst/sorbent materials.Mr. Halabi has demonstrated thefeasibility of producing hydrogenthrough this process at tempera-tures much lower than those forconventional processes.

The process takes place in a packedbed reactor, and uses a rhodium-based catalyst and a hydrotalcite-based sorbent. When hydrogen isproduced on the active catalyst,the cogenerated CO2 is adsorbedon the sorbent, thus preventing anyCO2 emissions to the atmosphere.“Direct production of high purity hy-drogen and fuel conversion greaterthan 99.5 per cent is experiment-ally achieved at a low temperaturerange of 400-500°C and at a pres-sure of 4.5 bar with a low level ofcarbon oxides impurities: less than100 ppm,” explains Mr. Halabi. Thestandard hydrogen production pro-cess using natural gas, known assteam reforming, requires very high

pressures (25 bar) and high tem-peratures of up to 850°C, and post-process, large amounts of CO2 haveto be dealt with or released into theatmosphere.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Wastewater to yieldhydrogen fuelScientists believe that wastewatercan one day be utilized to producehydrogen for powering motor vehi-cles. Dr. Georgina Botte from OhioUniversity, the United States, hasdevised an effective system wherewastewater can be converted intofuel. Dr. Botte says that the scopeto produce energy is great becauseanimal waste can also be utilized.Urine from 1,000 cows can create40-50 kW of power, which will bedoubly beneficial because environ-mentally harmful ammonia wouldalso be eradicated. Ds. Botte alsosuggested that areas receiving highvolumes of people, such as footballstadiums, could reap the advanta-ges of the process that works likethe electrolysis of water.

Source: www.envirotech-online.com

Hydrogen fromwaste processingBallard Power Systems, Canada,is partnering with GS Platech in theRepublic of Korea to demonstratewaste-to-energy power generationusing fuel cell technology with hy-drogen produced from processingof municipal solid waste. The GSPlatech pilot plant can treat 5 t/d oforganic solid waste using plasmagasification technology, producingsufficient high-purity hydrogen togenerate 50 kW of clean power.Ballard Power will supply a protonexchange membrane (PEM) fuel cellgenerator, based on its DanthermPower DBX5000 fuel cell technology,that will be fuelled by this hydrogen.

This will be the first demonstrationof a waste-to-energy solution thatcombines these two technologies.


Nanocompositematerial forhydrogen storageResearchers have earlier tried tolock hydrogen into small volumes ofsolids having low reactivity, in orderto keep this explosive gas stable.However, these solids can hold onlya small amount of hydrogen andneed more cooling or heating to en-hance their energy efficiency. Sci-entists at the Lawrence BerkeleyNational Laboratory (Berkeley Lab)of the United States Department ofEnergy (DOE) have developed acomposite substance to store hy-drogen comprising nanoparticles ofmagnesium splattered through apolymethyl methacrylate matrix, apolymer resembling Plexiglas. Thismalleable nanocomposite quicklysoaks and emits hydrogen at lowtemperatures. Moreover, it does notoxidize the metal after cycling.

The development will solve thermo-dynamic and kinetic problems tofind the perfect material combina-tion, states Dr. Jeff Urban, DeputyDirector, Inorganic NanostructuresFacility at the Molecular Foundry.It might also offer a better energysolution. The team verified presenceof hydrogen in the composite ma-terial through spectroscopic test-ing with the Transmission ElectronAberration-correcting Microscope(TEAM) 0.5. The experiments thatthe researchers conducted using theEnergy and Environmental Technol-ogies Division at Berkeley Lab haveshown that the TEAM could help inthe capture of the gas directly in thematerials.

Source: www.azonano.com

Mr. Mohamed Halabi with his hydrogenproduction unit


BIOMASS ENERGY

More efficientprocess to makebiodiesel fuelAt the University of Connecticut, theUnited States, researchers report anew process for making biodieselfuel more efficiently. A professor ofchemical, materials and biomolecu-lar engineering, Dr. Richard Parnas,has patented a biodiesel reactor thatis unique both in its simplicity andefficiency. Dr. Parnas’ reactor usesgravity, heat and natural chemicalreactions to make the biodiesel andseparate the glycerol in one step,unlike the conventional process thatuses one step to convert vegetableoil into biodiesel fuel and glycerol,and then mechanically separatesthe glycerol from the diesel fuel inanother step.

As chemical reactions take placeinside a giant tube, temperaturesreach more than 38°C. The glycerolstarts to coagulate inside the tubeand because the glycerol dropletsare heavier than the biodiesel fuel,they gradually sink to the bottom,where they are siphoned off. At thesame time, the biodiesel fuel floatsto the top of the tube and is pumpedinto a holding tank, where it under-goes refinement before being mixedwith petroleum-based diesel fuel.

Source: www.physorg.com

Biodiesel extractionfrom inedible foodIn the United Kingdom, GreenergyInternational Ltd. has begun manu-facturing biodiesel from food wastein partnership with the edible oil re-cycling company Brocklesby Ltd.,resulting in a method that divertsunsaleable food products and foodwaste from landfills and compostfacilities. According to Greenergy,the company’s initiative will help toreduce the environmental impact of

the fuel it produces while creatinga new feedstock base for biodieselproduction.

Greenergy’s biodiesel plant at Im-mingham, England, is now able toprocess biodiesel utilizing as feed-stock high-fat solid foods – such aspies, sausage rolls, pastries andchips – that are unsaleable becausethey were overcooked or expired.These food products typically con-tain 25-30 per cent oil and fat. Thefats and oils in these foods are ex-tracted by Greenergy via a processdeveloped by Brocklesby and fur-ther purified by Greenergy.

“The quantities of biodiesel that weare currently producing from solidfood waste are small, but we areexpecting to scale up so that thissoon becomes a significant propor-tion of our biodiesel... With multipleplants, the potential for this kind oftechnology to reduce fuel emissionsis considerable,” said Greenergy’sChief Executive Mr. Andrew Owens.Solid food items that remain afteroil extraction are currently dried andcomposted or introduced into anaer-obic digestion systems. However,

Greenergy notes that in the futurethis waste could be used as a feed-stock for ethanol production, and tomake biomass fuel briquettes andpellets. The company has formedScarab Distributed Energy Ltd. todevelop novel ways to produce fueland power from these forms of solidwaste. Scarab plans to build wasteand biomass processing facilitiesall around the country. These faci-lities will be capable of processingany form of industrial food waste,including those containing sugar,starch, fat, protein and cellulose.

Source:www.biodieselmagazine.com

Mobile indirectbiomass liquefactionsystemIn the United States, the Universityof North Dakota Energy & Environ-mental Research Centre (EERC) isbuilding a mobile system for con-verting cellulosic waste into liquidproducts. Parametric testing of thesystem will be carried out duringthe summer and fall. In the EERCprogramme, the technology will bedemonstrated by building and test-ing a 90.7 kg/h fixed-bed downdraftbiomass gasifier, air-blown and withspecialized gas cleaning to pro-duce syngas. The system will beintegrated with a 3 m long packed-bed catalytic reactor for producingthe liquid fuels and highly automa-ted to minimize labour requirement.A design review has confirmed thefixed-bed biomass gasifier selectionas the lowest capital cost systemfor indirectly producing methanol.IdaTech LLC will test the methanolproduced to determine whether it issufficiently pure to power a fuel cellused to produce electric power andheat.

A strong advantage of the EERCgasification system is that it can beused with both green and wet wood.

Greenergy's biodiesel production plantat Immingham, the United Kingdom


Biomass Energy

This reduces the need for drying thewood before gasification, resultingin substantial energy and process-ing savings. In fact, the moisturecontent creates syngas with a sig-nificantly higher hydrogen contentthan if the moisture were not pre-sent. A high hydrogen content isespecially useful when making aliquid fuel from the gas stream, asthe hydrogen-to-carbon ratio in aliquid fuel is much greater than thatof the wood itself. By increasingthe hydrogen content in the gasstream, higher carbon conversionefficiencies could be reached. Byproducing a liquid fuel for electricitygeneration elsewhere, the overallbiomass-to-electric power conver-sion efficiency is reduced relativeto firing the syngas directly in a gen-erator. However, by making a liquidfuel, the site at which the power isrequired can be decoupled from thebiomass resource site. Contact: Dr.John P. Hurley, Senior ResearchAdvisor, Energy & EnvironmentalResearch Centre, University of NorthDakota, United States of America.Tel: +1 (701) 7775 159.

Source: biomassmagazine.com

New biofuel toreplace petroleumA team of researchers headed bythe BioEnergy Science Centre ofthe United States Department ofEnergy (DOE) has developed a newmethod for the conversion of woodyplants directly into isobutanol, whichcan be used in place of petrol in con-ventional car engines. A key aspectof the cost-effective isobutanol pro-cess is that it does not necessarilyrely on new agricultural productionof biofuel crops: it can use almostany woody waste, including cornstover and wheat and rice straw.

Scientists at the BioEnergy Scien-ce Centre (an offshoot of DOE’s OakRidge National Laboratory) worked

with researchers from the Universityof California, the United States, todevelop a new strain of the microbeClostridium celluloyticum, which isa bacterium that breaks down cellu-lose. The problem is that differentspecies can only produce certainaspects of the process. But the newstrain combines all those talents inone microbe. The result is a processthat breaks down plant matter andproduces isobutanol in one relati-vely inexpensive step, in contrast tothe multi-stage process demandedof conventional biofuel production.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Proteins used forbiofuel productionIn the United States, researchersat the University of California-LosAngeles have studied the feasibi-lity of using proteins for biofuel pro-duction, creating a new alternativefor biomass materials. The studyat the university’s Henry SamueliSchool of Engineering and AppliedScience regarding proteins is thefirst to demonstrate the feasibilityof using protein as a carbon sourcefor energy production. Up until re-cently, proteins were not viewed aspotential biomaterial for biofuel pro-duction, with current use limited tocarbohydrates and lipids. In addi-tion, organisms use proteins to buildtheir own proteins instead of con-verting them to other compounds.

The researchers created an artificialmetabolic system to dump reducednitrogen out of cells and essentiallytrick the organisms into degradingproteins instead of using them forgrowth. In a second part of the pro-cess, the ammonia in protein wastaken away and recycled back tostimulate algae growth. The algae,fertilized by the ammonia, grew veryquickly. The algae were then usedas carriers to assimilate carbon di-oxide and produce protein, resulting

in more carbon dioxide fixation andgrowth. The team pointed out thata benefit of using protein instead ofother raw materials is that its ac-cumulation rate is much faster. Inaddition, protein biomass is moreeasily digested. The researchers didnot specify how the biomass wouldbe transformed into biofuel. Theyestimate that 1.9 per cent of theagricultural land in the United Stateswould be adequate to meet 30 percent of the country’s current trans-portation fuel needs (227 billion litresper year) based on their technology.

Source: www.ecoseed.org

A novel process forbiodiesel productionJoule Unlimited, a biotech companybased in the United States, reportsto have found a way to create bio-diesel using a bacterium, sunlight,water and carbon dioxide. However,some engineering challenges needto be overcome before the processbecomes practical. The process uti-lizes a cyanobacterium that is saidto be capable of producing 56,781litres of biodiesel per acre, usingvery little biomass that has to begrown and then disposed of. Onsuch a scale, biofuel can be usedfor sports cars, long-haul trucksand airplanes. Indeed, the factoriesfor biodiesel fuel production couldbe co-located at coal-fired powerplants, utilizing the carbon dioxidethat is emitted from those plants.However, there is an engineeringchallenge to be solved: how to ex-tract biodiesel from the water wherethe cyanobacterium will be. Therewill be a relatively small amount ofbiodiesel in a large amount of water.To create useable biodiesel on anindustrial scale, Joule Unlimitedwill have to show it can extract theproduct from the water easily andcheaply.

Source: news.yahoo.com


RECENT PUBLICATIONS

01-04 Jun Renewable Energy Thailand 2011Bangkok Contact: UBM ASIA (Thailand) Co Ltd.,Thailand 503/23 K.S.L. Tower,

14th Floor Sri Ayuthaya Road,Kwaeng Thanon Phayathai,Khet Rajathewee,Bangkok 10400Thailand.Tel: +66 (2) 642 6911;Fax: +66 (2) 642 6919-20;E-mail: [email protected].

16-18 Jun RE POWER SRI LANKA 2011Colombo Contact: CEMS Bangladesh,Sri Lanka House # 119, Unit- A3, Road-1,

Banani Block-F, Dhaka 1213,Bangladesh.Tel: +880 (2) 8812713;Fax: +880 (2) 9894573;E-mail: [email protected].

22-24 Jun Clean Energy Expo China 2011Beijing Contact: Koelnmesse Pte. Ltd.,China 152 Beach Road,

#25-05 Gateway East,Singapore 189721.Tel: +65 6500 6700;Fax: +65 6294 8403.

22-24 Jun Wind Power Asia 2011Beijing Contact: Koelnmesse Pte. Ltd.,China 152 Beach Road,

#25-05 Gateway East,Singapore 189721.Tel: +65 6500 6700;Fax: +65 6294 8403.

10-12 Aug Renewable Energy India 2011New Delhi Contact: Exhibitions India Group Ltd.,India 217-B, Okhla Industrial Area,

Phase-III, New Delhi 110 020,India.Tel: +91 (11) 4279 5000;Fax: +91 (11) 4279 5098;E-mail: [email protected].

21-23 Sep SOLARCON KOREA 2011Seoul Contact: Semi North America,Rep. of Korea 3081 Zanker Road, San Jose

California, CA 95314United States of America.Tel: +1 (408) 943 6900;Fax: +1 (408) 428 9600E-mail: [email protected].

21-24 Sep Renewable Energy Indonesia 2011Jakarta Contact: PT. Pamerindo Buana Abadi,Indonesia Deutsche Bank Building,

13th Floor, Jl. Imam Bonjol No. 80,Jakarta 10310,Indonesia.Tel: +62 (21) 316 2001;Fax: +62 (21) 316 1981.

TECH EVENTS

Renewable EnergySystem DesignThis guidebook provides engineers and students witha complete and practical guide to the characteristics,principles of operation and power potential of the mostdominant renewable energy systems. It focuses onthe engineering design of alternative energy systems,avoiding math-heavy treatments of underlying scien-tific background. Topics covered include photovoltaic,wind energy and hybrid wind/PV systems; renewableenergy storage devices, with emphasis on batteriesand fuel cells; biomass, wave/tidal and geothermalpower; and ocean thermal energy conversion.

Renewable Energy Systems: TheChoice and Modelling of 100%Renewable SolutionsIn this book, globally recognized renewable energyresearcher Prof. Henrik Lund describes the modellingand simulation techniques that can be utilized to en-sure at the outset of any renewable energy projectthat the resources available will meet the supplydemands. A clear, comprehensive methodology is setforth for comparing the abilities of different energy sys-tems to integrate fluctuating and intermittent renewableenergy sources. Prof. Lund also offers EnergyPLAN,a freely available software tool that automates andsimplifies the calculations supporting such detailedcomparative analysis. The book also presents concretedesign examples derived from successfully imple-mented renewable energy systems around the globe.

Solar Cell Device PhysicsThis new edition of Dr. Stephen Fonash’s definitivetextbook points the way towards greater efficiencyand cheaper production of solar cell devices by add-ing coverage of cutting-edge topics in plasmonics,multi-exiton generation processes, nanostructures andnanomaterials such as quantum dots. The book ismore readable, as many detailed equations are nowshifted to appendices and the semiconductor cover-age is balanced with an emphasis on thin films. Inaddition, it now demonstrates physical principles withsimulations in the well-known AMPS computer code.

For the above three books, contact: Elsevier B.V.,Customer Service Department, 3 Killiney Road #08-01, Winsland House I, Singapore 239519. Tel: +656349 0222; Fax: +65 6733 1510; E-mail: [email protected].


PUBLICATIONS from APCTT

PERIODICALS(Free access at www.techmonitor.net)

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

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

Indian Rupees* US Dollars*BOOKS (India, Bhutan

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 by cheque/demand draft/UNESCO coupon in favour of the Asian & Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology, payableat New Delhi.# Print version supported by the Ozone Cell, Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India, for distribution toa select target group.* Amount to be sent to APCTT with the order for covering costs and handling charges.

Documents

VATIS UPDATE: Non-conventional Energy -