Gregoire's CleanTech Blog

Wave Energy News: USA, UK and South Africa

There are multiple ways to tap the energy of the ocean, including its tides, thermal features, and salinity. But wave energy appears to be the most promising and closest to commercial production.

A new report from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) suggests that generation of electricity from wave energy may be economically feasible in the near future. The study was carried out by EPRI in collaboration with the DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and energy agencies and utilities from six states.

Conceptual designs for 300,000 megawatt-hour (MWh) plants (nominally 120 MW plants operating at 40% capacity factor) were performed for five sites in the United States: Waimanalo Beach, Oahu, Hawaii; Old Orchard Beach, Cumberland County, Maine; WellFleet, Cape Cod, Massachusetts; Gardiner, Douglas County, Oregon; and Ocean Beach, San Francisco County, California.

The study determined that wave energy conversion may be economically feasible within the territorial waters of the United States as soon as investments are made to enable wave technology to reach a cumulative production volume of 10,000 - 20,000 MW.(For comparison land-based wind turbines currently generate 40,000 MW.)

'Wave energy will first become commercially competitive with land-based wind technology at a cumulative production volume of 10,000 or fewer MW in Hawaii and northern California, about 20,000 MW in Oregon and about 40, 000 MW in Massachusetts,' said Roger Bedard, ocean energy project manager. This forecast was based on the output of a 90 MW Pelamis wave energy conversion plant design and application of technology learning curves that will enable cost savings.

The forecast results have convinced the project team of the rationale for investment in wave energy technology research and development, including demonstration projects to prove the feasibility of wave energy conversion technology in actual sea environments.

Bedard explained that there are several compelling arguments for investing in offshore wave energy technology. First, with proper siting, conversion of ocean wave energy to electricity is believed to be one of the most environmentally benign ways to generate electricity. Second, offshore wave energy offers a way to minimize the 'Not in my backyard' (NIMBY) issues that plague many energy infrastructure projects. Wave energy conversion devices have a very low profile and are located far enough away from the shore that they are generally not visible. Third, wave energy is more predictable than solar and wind energy.

A characteristic of wave energy that suggests that it may be one of the lowest cost renewable energy sources is its high power density. Solar and wind energy is concerntrated into ocean waves, making it easier and cheaper to harvest. Experts estimate that 0.2% of the ocean's untapped energy could power the entire world.

Wave power was delivered to the electrical grid for first time in August 2004. The electricity was generated by a full-scale preproduction Pelamis prototype in Orkney, Scotland by Ocean Power Delivery Corporation.

The new EPRI study indicates that a site off the central Oregon coast is probably the best place in the country to establish a United States Ocean Energy Research and Demonstration Center. Electrical engineers at Oregon State University (OSU) have already created three prototypes of devices that could harness wave energy: A permanent magnet linear generator, a permanent magnet rack and pinion gearbox, and a contactless direct drive generator buoy.

Meanwhile in a British company hopes to harness South Africa's wave energy and establish three wavepower farms. The South African government has set targets to introduce renewable energy over the next decade, but there are no commercial renewable energy power plants in the country.

And in more wave energy news, UK Energy Minister Mike O'Brien recently announced a $78 million support scheme for wave power. The new scheme will allocate up to GBP £42 million towards supporting a number of larger scale pre-commercial demonstration wave and tidal farms.

'One of the other extremely promising possibilities with wave energy is the ability to scale these systems either up or down in size, whatever you need to fit the electrical demand,' OSU professor of electrical engineering - Annette von Jouanne said. 'Small systems could even be used with individual boats at anchor to generate their own electricity.'

The development of wave energy right now is probably 15-20 years behind wind power, which is just starting to achieve some optimal production technologies

EPRI Offshore Wave Energy Reports

Eskom Press Release on Wave Energy"

(Via ALTERNATIVE ENERGY BLOG - Solar-Energy-Wind-Power.com.)

Solar Energy Nanotechnology: Carbon Nanotubes Used to Improve Efficiency

Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) scientists have demonstrated an ability to precisely grow skyscraper like 'towers' composed of carbon nanotubes atop photovoltaic cells to extract more power from the sun.

The nanometer-scale scale towers, which would be coated by the special p-type and n-type semiconductor (p/n) junction materials used to generate electrical current, would increase the surface area available to produce electricity.

Reflections off the towers would provide more opportunity for each photon of sunlight to interact with the p/n junction of the cell. That would increase the power output from PV cells of a given size, or allow cells to be made smaller while producing the same amount of power.

Because their cells will be more efficient, it is believed they can use older and more mature p/n-type material technologies and less costly silicon wafers to hold down costs and rapidly advance the project into commercial products.

Full Azonano Article

(Via ALTERNATIVE ENERGY BLOG - Solar-Energy-Wind-Power.com.)

Record d'efficacité pour une cellule photovoltaique

Le département de l'énergie américain vient de battre un record, en présentant une nouvelle cellule photovoltaïque. Cette cellule dépasse la barre des 40% d'efficacité (rendement). Une bonne nouvelle pour les panneaux solaires.

La plupart des cellules photovoltaïques du marché utilisent directement les rayons du soleil et ne permettent de récupérer que 12 à 18% de l'énergie. En utilisant un concentrateur optique, on peut grandement améliorer les résultats. Le tout est de mettre au point des nouveaux procédés de fabrication.

La technique consiste à créer des cellules multi jonctions. Le but est de capter un plus grand spectre de la lumière. La cellule est constituée de plusieurs couches, chacun spécialisée dans une gamme de fréquences. En utilisant une telle technique, le département à l'énergie américain atteignait les 16% dans les années 1980, puis dépassa les 30% en 1994. Aujourd'hui, la plupart des satellites utilisent pour leurs panneaux solaires ces cellules multi jonctions à 30% de rendement.

La nouvelle cellule présentée a été mise au point par Boeing-Spectrolab, elle a atteint 40,7% de rendement. Cela permet de diviser la surface des panneaux solaires par deux. Mais il faudra attendre un peu pour voir ces cellules débarquer dans votre magasin de bricolage.

(Via Record d'efficacité pour une cellule photovoltaique)

Plug-In Hybrids car : when A123 Systems' CEO makes his show with G. Bush

Plug-in hybrid vehicles, which can be recharged using a standard wall outlet, are becoming increasingly practical because of advances in battery technology. And now the technology is also gaining support in Washington, with the promise that it could soon receive the type of federal tax incentives that have helped fuel the sales of conventional hybrid vehicles over the past several years.

Like conventional hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrids can run on gasoline and electricity. But plug-in hybrids have bigger battery packs that can be easily recharged. As a result, they can run longer on electric power, saving much more gas than an ordinary hybrid can. Depending on the configuration of the vehicle, people who drive less than 40 miles a day could use no gasoline at all, while the average U.S. driver could see fuel economy of 150 miles per gallon. Although the vehicles consume electricity, the power will come at a fraction of the cost of gasoline, and it promises to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.

Although no major automaker currently sells a plug-in hybrid, a handful of companies provide aftermarket conversion kits. Indeed, at the White House last Friday, President Bush viewed one example of a Toyota Prius, a conventional hybrid car, that had been converted into a plug-in hybrid using a battery pack that fits in the car's spare-tire compartment.

President Bush called the plug-in hybrid and an all-electric-powered pickup "living proof" that his ambitious goal of reducing gasoline consumption by 20 percent in 10 years is possible. He also renewed his request for research money for alternative energies. The administration's proposed fiscal-year 2008 budget, which was released February 5, includes $41.8 million for battery- and energy-storage research and development.

Interest in plug-in cars extends to Congress. In January, a bill was proposed in the Senate that would provide an up to $4,200 tax credit to offset the expense of plug-in hybrids, which can cost about $10,000 more than a conventional hybrid.

At the White House event, David Vieau, CEO of A123 Systems, a startup based in Watertown, MA, whose batteries are used in the plug-in hybrid, proposed to President Bush that the government offer $2 to $3 billion in tax incentives over the next seven years and provide $300 to $400 million in research dollars over the next few years. Such incentives, Vieau said, could help plug-in hybrid conversions grow from a few hundred now to thousands later, starting in as soon as 12 months.

Deron Lovaas, who heads the vehicle campaign at the National Resources Defense Council, says that several such tax-incentive bills will likely be submitted this year. "There are sure to be others, because there's a lot of enthusiasm about this in D.C. right now," he says.

Lovaas says that tax credits could have a significant impact on plug-in hybrid sales. He cites the success of tax credits for conventional hybrids, whose sales have doubled every year since 2001. (See a summary of current tax credits here.)

Automakers have recently expressed increased interest in developing plug-in hybrids. Late last year, General Motors (GM) announced an upcoming plug-in version of its Saturn Vue. (See "GM's Plug-In Hybrid.") A123 Systems announced an agreement with GM to help develop a prototype battery pack for the Vue. The packs are scheduled to be ready for testing in vehicles by the end of the year. In January, GM also revealed its Volt concept car. The vehicle takes plug-in hybrids a step further by using an all-electric drive train. The battery pack can be recharged by an onboard gas-powered generator or by plugging it into the wall. (See "Powering GM's Electric Vehicles.")

A study released last week suggests that over time, plug-in hybrids could cut overall vehicle emissions of carbon dioxide in half, while saving owners about $450 a year in fuel costs. According to a press release announcing the study, which was done by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, in Golden, CO, and the utility company Xcel Energy, based in Minneapolis, although plug-in hybrids would draw power from the electricity grid, they would not necessarily increase the need for electrical infrastructure. That's because they could be recharged at night when much of the capacity of power plants isn't being used. Another study, by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, also suggests that plug-in hybrids could be charged using existing power plants, at least in most of the country. (See "How Plug-In Hybrids Will Save the Grid.")

Source : Technology Review

Le premier Gigawatt d'énergie géothermique est atteint en Allemagne

En 2006, 24.000 systèmes exploitants l'énergie géothermique ont été installés dans les bâtiments résidentiels et tertiaires, soit deux fois plus qu'en 2005. 'Il y a encore quelques années nous ne nous serions jamais attendu à de tels résultats', a souligné Simone Probst, présidente de la fédération de Géothermie allemande (GtV-BV).

Toutefois, les résultats auraient pu être encore meilleurs. Les entreprises spécialisées dans les activités de forage accusent un manque cruel de main d'oeuvre. Rien que pour la construction de sondes géothermiques, des milliers de travailleurs supplémentaires seraient nécessaires. La branche doit par ailleurs investir davantage dans les nouveaux outils de forage pour satisfaire la demande de la population allemande.

Les systèmes géothermiques sont pratiques et requièrent peu d'entretien. L'efficacité globale des systèmes a été nettement améliorée ces dernières années. Concernant leur montage, les clients doivent toutefois faire particulièrement attention et faire appel au service d'entreprises sérieuses qui ont recours aux techniques les plus récentes.

Selon la GtV-BV, on dénombre aujourd'hui en Allemagne plus de 100.000 équipements qui exploitent la géothermie de surface. 2.000 équipements supplémentaires sont installés chaque mois. La géothermie alimente également des réseaux de chauffage urbain totalisant une puissance de près de 80MW. En 2007, trois nouvelles centrales électriques seront mises en service (Bruchsal, Landau/Pfalz et Unterhaching) utilisant la ressource géothermique et produisant probablement aussi de la chaleur. Les capacités de la centrale de production de chaleur d'origine géothermique à Erding devront être doublées pour faire face à la demande.

La montée des prix de l'énergie et la nécessité de garantir la sécurité d'approvisionnement font de la géothermie profonde une ressource de plus en plus intéressante.

(source : bulletins électroniques)

Le fabricant de compteurs Itron rachète Actaris à LBO France

L'Américain Itron (NASDAQ:ITRI) a annoncé le 4 mars 2007 l'acquisition d'Actaris pour 1,657 milliard de dollars, donnant ainsi naissance à l'un des plus grands fabricants de compteurs au monde avec un chiffre d'affaires 2006 cumulé des deux entités de plus de 1,6 milliard de dollars.

Le rapprochement doit encore obtenir l'aval des autorités de régulation.

Actaris a dégagé un chiffre d'affaires de plus de 700 millions d'euros en 2006 et emploie 6.000 salariés.

Actaris était une participation des fonds gérés par LBO France.

La Corse à la pointe des énergies renouvelables

Le pôle de compétitivité PACA-Corse, dédié aux énergies non génératrices de gaz à effet de serre, a lancé à Ajaccio un projet de plate-forme technologique destinée à devenir une "première mondiale" combinant énergie solaire et pile à hydrogène pour fabriquer de l'électricité à grande échelle.

La plate-forme technologique solaire de Vignola (Corse-du-Sud) doit voir le jour par étapes entre 2007 et 2013, en bordure de mer sur le site magnifique des Sanguinaires, à Ajaccio. L'investissement total devrait dépasser 32 millions d'euros répartis entre partenaires publics et privés, ont annoncé devant la presse le président de la Collectivité territoriale de Corse (CTC) Ange Santini, le préfet de Corse Michel Delpuech et le directeur du pôle Capenergies, Jean-Christophe Delvallet.
A terme, la plate-forme de Vignola prévoit de produire 3,5 MW, selon le groupe corse Raffalli, principal partenaire du projet.
Rappelons que l'île tire près de 25% de sa consommation énergétique des énergies renouvelables (essentiellement l'hydraulique et l'éolien), contre une moyenne nationale de 11%, et la CTC a fixé pour objectif de dépasser les 30% à l'horizon 2013-2015.

Konarka gets White House backing

President George W. Bush's program to help solar energy compete with conventional electricity sources will help fund Konarka Technologies' development of flexible plastic solar cell strips -- material that could be embedded into the casings of laptop computers and even woven into power-producing clothing to energize digital media players or other electronics.

The technology, which received its first Pentagon funding three years ago, offers a lightweight, flexible alternative to conventional rigid photovoltaic cells on glass panels.

Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman is scheduled Thursday afternoon to tour Konarka's headquarters in a former textile mill in Lowell, where he's expected to announce funding from Bush's Solar America Initiative.

The award amount and other details were to be announced in a news conference at Konarka, a six-year-old private company that has attracted nearly $60 million (euro46 million) in venture capital funding.

Konarka's nearly $10 million (euro7.6 million) in grant money to date from U.S. and European governments includes funding from the Pentagon to supply lightweight portable battery chargers and material for tents to draw power from sunlight.

Chief Executive Howard Berke said the new White House support is a milestone for Konarka.

The first commercial product using Konarka's technology is not expected to hit the market until next year, and the company is not saying what that product might be. Konarka expects to provide prototypes in the second half of this year to commercial partners that would bring the technology to market.

Konarka's approach ''is potentially a great breakthrough technology, but like all breakthroughs, they don't happen instantaneously,'' Berke said in a phone interview.

Observers say Konarka has a good chance of becoming a leader in solar power, an industry enjoying a recent surge in initial public stock offerings by startup companies as well as growing investments from traditional energy companies -- for example, one of Konarka's financial backers is Chevron Corp.

Konarka's development of plastic solar cell strips that can be manufactured like rolls of photographic film ''has the promise of becoming a low-cost manufacturing technique,'' said Jeffrey Bencik, a Jefferies & Co. analyst who follows the solar industry. ''Some of their laboratory production has worked as advertised. But can they mass-produce it and get the same result? That's the biggest question.''

Among developers of solar technology for small-scale uses, Konarka is ''definitely doing the best job at developing what ultimately will have to be a mass-manufactured material,'' said Dan Nocera, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology chemistry professor.

However, Nocera said it remains to be seen whether Konarka's so-called ''Power Plastic'' is sufficiently chemically stable to convert energy efficiently both when light is dim and when it's bright.

Konarka, which takes its name from an ancient temple in India dedicated to the sun god Surya, was founded by Berke and Alan Heeger, who shared the 2000 Nobel Chemistry prize for showing that certain plastics can be made to conduct electricity.

The discovery about polymers -- long considered to be useful only as electrical insulators -- led to the development of new types of plastics to create flexible and lightweight alternatives to traditional solar cells on heavy glass panels.

Konarka developed low-cost plastics that could be used as the top and bottom surfaces of the photovoltaic cell. The 50-employee company says it has more than 280 patents and patent applications for materials, manufacturing and other processes and devices.

The company says its solar cells are efficient across a much broader spectrum of light than traditional cells, allowing them to draw energy from both the sun and indoor lighting.

Konarka says its material is lightweight and flexible so that it can be colored, patterned and cut to fit almost any device. The firm envisions embedding its material in cell phones, laptops and toys to provide power on the go. Clothing could be woven with the material to supply power for handheld electronics, and signboards, traffic lights and rooftops could be fitted with solar strips.

Berke foresees wide use of such technology in the developing world and areas off the electrical grid.

To that end, Berke said Konarka has held confidential discussions with the manufacturer of an inexpensive portable computer developed for the nonprofit One Laptop Per Child project, which seeks to provide computers to young students in the developing world. The project's current design features a hand crank for charging batteries.

''In the developing world, great demand exists for off-the-grid support of electronic devices,'' Berke said.

First Trust Launches New Exchange Traded Fund Based on NASDAQ Clean Energy Index

First Trust Launches New Exchange Traded Fund Based on NASDAQ Clean Energy Index: "The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. (NASDAQ: NDAQ) and First Trust Advisors L.P. have announced the launch of the new exchange traded fund (ETF) - the First Trust NASDAQ® Clean Edge® U.S. Liquid Series Index Fund (NASDAQ: QCLN). It is based on the NASDAQ® Clean Edge® U.S. Liquid Series Index (Symbol: CELS). The ETF is managed by First Trust Advisors L.P. and listed on NASDAQ®."

(Via Clean Edge - The Clean-Tech Market Authority.)

First Solar to Supply Modules for 40 MW Solar Plant

First Solar to Supply Modules for 40 MW Solar Plant: "First Solar, Inc. announced that it will supply solar modules for a 40-megawatt solar power plant that will be constructed in the Saxon region of Germany in the municipality of Brandis by juwi solar GmbH. Upon completion, the project will be one of the largest photovoltaic projects ever constructed. Project construction is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2007 and is expected to be completed within 30 months.

(Via Clean Edge - The Clean-Tech Market Authority.)