Renewable ENERGY

According to the data of Joint German Bremen and Bremerhaven Ports Authority, they are currently focusing on the service of the new design of wind farms at sea. North Sea has a number of wind farms now. Thus, approximately 25 percent of investments are assigned for the wind park service facilities. In Germany now three ports – Emden, Kukshafen and Bremen-Bremerhaven are struggling in which of these ports wind farms service infrastructure will be installed.

Recently, Bremen-Bremerhaven has signed a contract with the German energy concern. It will then be allowed to use part of the Bremerhaven container terminal. There the wind power plant maintenance services will be equipped.

It is likely that wind power service for 10 years will be a real challenge for logistics professionals – not only in Germany but also in Great Britain and Holland. This is a topical issue for the Baltic countries. In the near future wind farms should be set up in the Baltic Sea. Then their base of support will be set up on the coast.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) USA

NREL main research area is solar energy, wind energy and biofuels. Attention is also dedicated to heat-efficient building materials and electric cars. Currently, a very modern building is being built in the laboratory area. It will not only secure energy for itself, but also provide.New ultra-thin photovoltaic films are being developed and tested in Solar Energy Division.

In 2009 the company”””’’s professionals have managed to patent the technology, enabling a smooth transfer of information. Let us analyze what it means. Circulation of information is created by adding electric communication wires. In the past having started a signal at one point, it did not go far because of the catch of transformers or other equipment.

To better understand the information exchange, let us provide an example: imagine three rivers, which flow in at one place. Let’s check each of the waters in different colors. Having mixed the river waters of different colors, the color becomes dark, but after taking a test and measuring its components we can determine the extent of each color in this mixture. It is the same with grid – at each individual point in the network one can measure how much energy comes from whatever source, for example, how much wind power, solar energy, nuclear or thermal energy is produced. This energy is called “selected”.

Power Tagging Technologies began work understanding the need to create a network map managing energy demand. After creating such a network, there is the possibility, if necessary, to switch off and on certain equipment to avoid excessive electricity demand. According to energy experts, it allows not to build additional power plants.

Given the fact that nowadays to build one coal-fired power plant in U.S. costs 1, 8 billion U.S. dollars, the economic positive impact of the map of the grid on the country is incontrovertible. This network map is a great “smart network” model.

Knowing the fact that there is worldwide promotion of renewable energy development, there is no doubt that the term “Smart Networks” will feature more often.

U.S. utility company “Domination” last year invested 3 million dollars in the new entrant”””’’s Power Tagging Technologies.

Please note that in February 2009 U.S. President Barrack Obama signed a 787 billion dollar economic stimulus package. A significant part of it is intended to be used for development of renewable energy sources.

Researchers from the University of Zaragoza (UNIZAR) have calculated the energy and economic potential of urban solid waste, sludge from water treatment plants and livestock slurry for generating electricity in Spain. These residues are alternative sources of renewable energy, which are more environmentally friendly and, in the case of solid urban waste, more cost effective.

Using waste to generate electricity has economic and environmental advantages. “It gives added value to waste, because it can be seen as a type of fuel with zero cost, or even a negative cost if taxes are paid to collect it,” says Norberto Fueyo, lead author of the study and a researcher at the Fluid Mechanics Group of the UNIZAR.

According to the researcher, generating electricity from waste avoids “pernicious” impacts. Waste in landfill sites releases methane and other polluting gases, so incinerating solid urban waste will reduce the volume of waste that reaches the landfill sites in the first places, as well as the implicit risks of landfills themselves (possible emission of methane into the atmosphere).

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The study, published in the latest issue of the journal Renewable Energy, has shown that waste in Spain could generate between 8.13 and 20.95 TWh (terawatt hours). “This electricity generation was 7.2% of electricity demand in 2008,” says Fueyo.

The researchers stress that the amount of methane generated from different kinds of residues is equivalent to 7.6% of gas consumption in 2008.

In terms of the economic cost, “solid urban waste is the most cost-effective,” according to the researcher, because local authorities carry out the waste collection and local inhabitants pay for it. Since the waste is transported to large landfill sites or waste treatment plants, installing electricity generation systems “could take advantage of economies of scale due to the large volumes involved.”

Cost depends on the heat generated

According to the study, incineration of waste and degasification of landfill sites are the electricity generation technologies with lowest financial cost. Producing electric energy through anaerobic digestion (a biological process in which organic matter decomposes into biogas in the absence of oxygen and through the action of a group of specific bacteria) is much more expensive.

“However, its profitability relies on being able to get value out of the heat generated during the process,” explains Fueyo, who says this technique is “not competitive, but makes use of the heat to offset the costs of generation.” However, the researchers point out that “directly applying this waste to agricultural land as fertiliser could contaminate groundwater with nitrates.”

In order to evaluate the potential and the cost of generating electricity, the researchers applied the methodology in municipal areas (in the case of solid urban waste and sludge from water treatment plants) and regional areas (for livestock slurry) throughout the whole of Spain.

The work shows that the centre and south of the Iberian Peninsula, the Balearic and Canary Islands have the “greatest interest” in putting technologies into place to use solid urban waste.

In terms of using water treatment plant sludge, the coastal areas of Galicia. Valencia and Alicante, as well as central and southern Spain, were also areas of interest. The study also shows that certain areas of Aragon, Castilla-La-Mancha, Castilla-y-León, Extremadura, Galicia and Andalusia “would be effective” for using livestock slurry.

The EU 20-20-20 package

The research into electricity generation comes in response to the European Union (EU) objective to fulfil the 20-20-20 package for the year 2020, in other words to substitute 20% of the total energy consumed in Spain for energy from renewable resources, reduce CO2 emissions by 20% in comparison with 1990 figures, increase biofuels used in transport by 10%, and achieve energy savings of 20%. “For Spain, each one of these targets alone is a challenge, which becomes much bigger when they are all taken together,” underscores the scientist.

Norberto Fueyo says the most problematic objective is that relating to increasing the amount of biofuels used in transport by 10%. “It is not achievable and is socially and environmentally questionable, because of the amount of land it requires and because it means using foodstuffs to produce fuel.”

Even if the figure of 10% of biofuels in transport is achieved, the expert says “there will need to be an increase of around 45% in the contribution of renewables (including hydroelectric energy) to electricity generation in order to achieve a figure of 20% of renewable energy within total consumption”. The scientist adds that, in order to achieve the objective, it will be “essential” to promote energy saving and efficiency “and consider all possible sources of renewable energy, including waste.”

Almost all activities on the surface of the earth are ultimately powered by the sun,whether by today’’s sunshine or by fossil fuels formed millions of years ago. What if it were possible to harness the physical process at work in a Star here on the earth to develop an environmentally attractive and sustainable energy source available to all nations and modeled on the fusion process in a Star?

fusion reactor

The main objective of the international fusion research project,”ITER” (which in Latin means “the way “),is to develop and demonstrate the science and technology of fusion power for peaceful purposes. If successful, “ITER” would produce 500 megawatts of fusion power for 500 seconds or longer during each “shot” of the fusion experiment,with a repetition period of roughly 2000 seconds.In contrast,the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor at the “Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory”, one of “ITER”””’’s” predecessors that shut down in 1997, produced a maximum of 11 MW for only one-third of a second. With global energy consumption increasing yearly,the sources remain primarily fossil fuel resources such as oil,coal and natural gas,with some contribution from nuclear power.Fossil fuels have a significant impact on the environment in the form of greenhouse gases,as well as the ways in which they are extracted from the earth.Limited and localized resources are also a source of geopolitical instability,making alternative energy sources more attractive. These factors led President Bush to announce on January 30,2003 that the United States would join negotiations for the construction and operation of “ITER”.In his statement, Bush said,”The results of “ITER” will advance the effort to produce clean,safe,renewable,and commercially- available fusion energy by the middle of the century…We welcome this opportunity to work with our partners to make fusion energy a reality.”

The president”””’’s decision to enter negotiations was based on an extensive process that included the 2002 Snowmass Fusion Summer Study of major next steps, a Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee study of strategies 2003 for the study of burning plasmas,the interim report of an on-going study by the National Research Council,and a cost assessment by the DOE Office of Science.

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Developing new energy sources will also mean developing new methods of collaboration and cost-sharing.The current estimated cost for the construction project is $5 billion,requiring an international collaboration to shoulder all of the responsibilities.”ITER” proposes to form an inter- national collaboration of nearly-equal partners. If successful,the “ITER” model could pave the way for future global science collaborations, such as the Global Linear Collider.

Canada,the European Union,Japan and the Russian Federation were the members of the “ITER” collaboration immediately prior to the U.S. joining (or re-joining;the U.S.was a partner until the late-90”””’’s when Congress withdrew from “ITER” for budgetary reasons). The U.S.and China are the newest members,and South Korea has recently expressed an interest in joining. With such a large international collaboration,the U.S.must first prepare for negotiations by conducting cost estimates for a range of possible in-kind contributions;then,identify the U.S.mission and objectives,compile the U.S.interests,and seek to find scenarios mutually beneficial for all the partners. In early March, Dr.N.Anne Davies, Department of Energy Associate Director of Science for Fusion Energy Sciences, named Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory”””’’s (PPPL) Ned Sauthoff as “U.S.ITER” Planning Officer, and Charles Baker of the University of California at San Diego as deputy.Davies cited Sauthoff”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””’’s background in international collaborations and project management. Baker is the director of the U.S.fusion program”””’’s Virtual Laboratory for Technology.

To foster effective participation by the fusion community, Sauthoff formed the Burning Plasma Program Advisory Committee (BPPAC).This advisory committee consists of physicists from institutions across the nation who will examine the components the U.S.would be interested in contributing,and the roles the U.S.sees for itself in the “ITER” project,as well as other tasks. “BPPAC” is evaluating current successful models of international collaboration,such as the Large Hadron Collider located at “CERN”.

On April 29-30,”BPPAC” met with the “LHC” group at Fermilab to learn from their management experi- ence as part of one of the largest international collaborations at “CERN”.Although the groups come from different scientific communities,the challenge of working in a large global collaboration is common.

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“The future of high-energy physics depends on the success of such large global collaborations as the “LHC” and “ITER”,”he said.”The LHC group is happy to help because we have experiences that are relevant.In large projects,you encounter issues of international relations,but the bottom line is that scientists want to do science.Scientists will do whatever it takes to extend the field of research.”

Speakers at the meeting included Deputy Director Ken Stanfield,US-CMS Research Program Manager Dan Green,”USLHC” Accelerator Project Manager Jim Strait,and the Head of Fermilab”””’’s Office of Project Management Oversight,Ed Temple.Yeck noted that “a consistent message from the “LHC” people is the importance of strong central management.”

“BPPAC” plans to examine other models of international collaboration and does not expect to complete its analysis until the end of the summer. The “ITER” project hopes to begin construction in 2006 and become operational in 2014.Canada, France,Spain and Japan have all submitted offers to host “ITER”,but further negotiations are necessary to reach a consensus.Sauthoff cited the importance of contact with the “LHC” project.

“We have had a very fruitful interaction with the “LHC” group,”Sauthoff said.”Both “LHC” and “ITER” are big science adventures and we have not had enough opportunities to share our experiences. I””””m looking forward to more beneficial interactions.”

reactor scheme

Fusion is a theoretically simple physical process: the binding of the nuclei of two similar atoms. For example,the nuclei of deuterium (one proton and one neutron)and tritium (one proton and two neutrons)can be forced to bind together.The result will then split into a neutron and a helium nucleus, with two neutrons and two protons -otherwise known as an alpha particle –plus another particle that does not carry much energy.The mass of the two incoming nuclei is greater than the mass of the product.This loss of mass translates into energy, which can both heat the plasma and provide power for useful work.

The fusion reaction is sustained in what is called a “burning plasma,” a nearly fully-ionized gas in which the fusion power captured by the plasma keeps the plasma hot.A burning plasma is dominated by this self-heating; however,this condition has not yet been achieved in a laboratory. The dynamics of the self-heating will be a funda- mentally new and key feature studied in “ITER”.

The plasma, in this case an ionized gas of deuterium and tritium nuclei, will be heated by an external source to a temperature of at least 100 million degrees centigrade.Once this temperature is reached,the deuterium and tritium nuclei will begin to fuse,forming helium nuclei and neutrons. These magnetically-confined helium nuclei will then collide with deuterium nuclei in the gas,transferring some of their energy to the deuterium nuclei and heating the gas further.The plasma becomes self- heating -like a star -and a strong external energy source is no longer necessary.

“ITER” would be the first magnetic confinement fusion experiment to produce burning plasma. The reaction would produce ten times the amount of external power injected into it.

U.S.Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham said: “By the time our young children reach middle age, fusion may begin to deliver energy independence and energy abundance to all nations rich and poor, Fusion is a promise for the future we must not ignore.”

Green electricity from worthless wastewater

New technology will be presented at World Bioenergy in Jönköping, Sweden on 25–27 May 2010m. The new product is a container filled with technology which uses the heat from 55 °C water to generate electricity. The unit is called the “Opcon Powerbox” and was developed by the Swedish firm of “Opcon”.

open powerbox

The first commercial “Opcon Powerbox” was installed last year at two pulp mills in Sweden, StoraEnso’s mill at Skutskär and Munksjö’s Aspa mill. In operation, the technology more than delivers what its developer promises.

Niklas Johansson, vice president Opcon, explains: “The mills generate electricity from wastewater and the process also helps to meet cooling needs,”

Aspa Mill should be able to produce even more. With the Opcon Powerbox, StoraEnso will produce more than 4 GWh of carbon dioxidefree electricity annually.

Johansson says: “We’re talking about as much electricity as from a wind power plant, but at a far lower investment cost”

powerbox 2010

This is just the beginning of electricity generation with far greater potential. A pilot study has been done at a gas-fuelled, 105 MW power plant in Australia. With 12 Opcon Powerboxes installed, another 9 MW could be produced from the waste heat under current operating conditions.

The “Opcon Powerbox” is based on technology from Opcon’s subsidiary Svenska Rotor Maskiner (developers of the screw compressor) and the Swedish firm of Ljungströms (air preheaters, etc.). The technology is fuel neutral and works with hot water or steam. The technology is highly interesting in combination with biofuel, because electricity generation that requires little investment makes green energy even more efficient and competitive.

In recent years Opcon has developed into a major Swedish player in the bioenergy field, with brands like Saxlund International and Svensk Rökgasenergi,SRE. The company is one of a number of manufacturers to present new technology at World Bioenergy 2010 in Jönköping, Sweden. As well as the trade fair, there will also be a worldclass conference with field trips to nearby bioenergy facilities.

Energy and government officials from Eastern Europe toured the wind farm Friday at the Atlantic County Utilities Authority.

The group from Kazakhstan, Moldova, Ukraine and other former Soviet countries donned hardhats to get a close look at one of America’s most accessible wind projects.

ACUA President Rick Dovey said: “They asked more questions about electric rates than any other group”

Jim Black, of the Clean Air Council said: “They’re all looking at getting into solar, wind, biomass and other renewable energy”

The five-turbine project off the White Horse Pike is a popular destination for foreign dignitaries because of its proximity to Philadelphia and New York and its accessibility just a few steps from the road. The authority has hosted delegations from Sri Lanka, Japan, India, South Africa and the Baltic states.

world renewable energy

Many countries in Eastern Europe, including Kazakhstan, rely on coal plants. But that country is under increasing pressure to go green, said Nurlan N. Jiyenbayev, director of ND & Co. Solar Energy based in Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan officials want to provide 5 percent of the nation’s energy needs through renewable resources by 2024. By comparison, New Jersey wants to provide 20 percent through renewable energy by 2020.

Eastern Europe has many options to meet this goal — from hydroelectric power to solar. But one is drawing particular attention.

“Wind — unequivocally wind,” said Andrey Khokhlov, deputy director of EuroUkr Wind, based in Kiev, Ukraine.

His company works on wind farms about 17 times the size of the Atlantic City project.

“Our investors are not interested in stations less than 100 megawatts,” he said. The five ACUA windmills produce a total of 7.5 megawatts.

Like in New Jersey, Ukraine offers government incentives to companies that generate renewable energy, said Oleh Dudkin, head of the secretariat for an energy panel in Ukraine.

Dudkin said he was impressed by the windmills’ automation and the authority’s efforts to capture renewable energy, such as its solar array and methane system.

The officials took photos and video of the authority’s presentation with handheld cameras and chatted quietly among themselves.

The authority’s operations room has a bank of 30-year-old electrical boards with dozens of colored lights that serve as a backup to the modern computers that track the plant systems, including solar and wind.

General Electric and the plant’s operator monitor the turbines remotely from California and Pennsylvania.

One plasma screen graphically illustrated the energy output from both systems and even tracked the sun’s position as it inched across the sky. The five windmills are named after the spouses of authority employees: Carol, K.C., Mary, Kathy and Diedre.

“Have you considered storing energy in the form of hydrogen fuel cells?” asked Vahe Odabashian, vice president of Armenian company H2 Economy.

Dovey said: “The way we do things, we want someone else to pay for it”

A private company built the windmills on ACUA property in 2006 for about $13 million. A partner firm sells the energy back to the authority at a discounted rate.

“That’s a very good approach,” Odabashian replied. “If someone comes up with the money, give me a call. I’ll bring the fuel cells.”

The tour was organized by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

If UAVs starts running on the solar system, then it will save lots of expensive fossil fuel and the add-ons in the form of greenhouse effects. Researchers at the Queensland University of Technology are working on a model of a solar-powered unmanned flight system for round-the-clock surveillance. They have christened their baby as the Green Falcon. This solar UAV aspires not only to save lives but millions of dollars too by using the most up-to-date green technology. Queensland University of Technology is aiming to make the services of this unmanned air vehicle commercially available within 24 months following successful flight tests.

Green Falcon Solar Powered

The Green Falcon is outfitted with a next generation warning system complete with remote sensing and visual data capabilities. Both of these facilities enable this UAV to detect bush fires in Australia that have caused huge damage in terms of lives, money and property. Another possibility is monitoring fires. The university’s aerospace avionics engineer Dr Felipe Gonzalez states, “Bush fires in Australia have killed many people and caused millions of dollars in damage. The Green Falcon is a next-generation warning system with remote sensing and visual data capability.”

The best thing about this UAV is it consumes solar energy during the day and stores it in an onboard battery pack. This battery powers the aircraft after dark. It is also fitted with infrared cameras. These cameras will be handy during search operations in locating distressed people and relay the information to emergency services on the ground. Another advantage of this UAV according to Dr. Gonzalez is “Unlike manned aircraft, which have restricted air time, unmanned aerial vehicles could provide 24 hours surveillance and coverage of disaster areas.”

Green Falcon has a wingspan of 2.5m and weighs 4kg (8.8lb) without a payload. This UAV contains 28 advanced highly efficient monocrystalline solar cells. Green Falcon also boasts of a maximum power point tracker, a purpose-built energy management system and a proficient lithium-ion battery. This UAV also requires minimum maintenance cost. It can be hand-launched for easy operation. Operator on the ground can obtain and react to images and videos sent by the plane.

This UAV can also be utilized for coastal scrutiny, atmospheric and weather research and prediction, environmental, forestry, agricultural, and oceanic monitoring and imaging for the media and real-estate industries. Gonzalez shares his opinion, “The Green Falcon is lightweight, it can be hand-launched and costs are low compared with other UAVs available today.”

The design supports improved swarming capabilities compared with other UAVs, says Gonzalez, which will allow the Green Falcon to provide coverage over large areas in as short a time possible, particularly useful in rescue or fire monitoring missions.

The first test flight of the Green Falcon was performed in June. To perform further experiments fund of A $50,000-80,000 ($45,000-75,000) is needed.