Robert Volpe DTI Renewable Energy Blog

Setting the Record Straight on Solyndra

2011-10-01T11:02:00.001-06:00

Very good article by Matt Feinstein on the many true and false conclusions regarding the failure of Solyndra. Was it the unexpected drop in polysilicon prices? Is it the Chinese government support of solar manufacturing in China that dooms the US? Matt addresses several of the claims and presents the reality.

Read the article here.

Japanese Wind Breakthrough Cheaper than Nuclear

2011-10-01T10:53:00.001-06:00

An aerodynamic innovation in wind turbine design called the 'wind lens' could triple the output of a typical wind turbine, making it less costly than nuclear power.

Watch video below or read more here:

US Battery Firm Moves to China for $$$

2011-09-26T11:01:00.001-06:00

“Battery maker Boston Power is shifting its operations to China to capitalize on the electric-vehicle market.

The Westborough, Mass.-based company today announced that it has raised $125 million from Chinese venture capital firm GSR Ventures as part of an expansion into China. In addition to the private equity, the company is receiving grants, low-interest loans, and other incentives from the Chinese government, which will lead to construction of a large-scale battery manufacturing plant.”

Boston Power Web Site

Radiometrics Expands Systems for Wind Energy & Utilities

2011-09-26T08:05:00.001-06:00

Radiometrics Corporation in Boulder, Colorado is growing its business with successful deployments of its MP-3000A microwave radiometer system for wind energy and utility load forecasting applications. In addition, the company recently announced that an MP-3000A was recently deployed with the U.S. National Weather Service to provide crucial real-time weather data for aviation weather forecasting.

'Inexhaustible' Source of Hydrogen may be Unlocked by Salt Water

2011-09-26T07:59:00.001-06:00

Monday, September 19, 2011

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- A grain of salt or two may be all that microbial electrolysis cells need to produce hydrogen from wastewater or organic byproducts, without adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere or using grid electricity, according to Penn State engineers.

"This system could produce hydrogen anyplace that there is wastewater near sea water," said Bruce E. Logan, Kappe Professor of Environmental Engineering. "It uses no grid electricity and is completely carbon neutral. It is an inexhaustible source of energy."

Microbial electrolysis cells that produce hydrogen are the basis of this recent work, but previously, to produce hydrogen, the fuel cells required some electrical input. Now, Logan, working with postdoctoral fellow Younggy Kim, is using the difference between river water and seawater to add the extra energy needed to produce hydrogen.

Their results, published in the Sept. 19 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, "show that pure hydrogen gas can efficiently be produced from virtually limitless supplies of seawater and river water and biodegradable organic matter."

Logan's cells were between 58 and 64 percent efficient and produced between 0.8 to 1.6 cubic meters of hydrogen for every cubic meter of liquid through the cell each day. The researchers estimated that only about 1 percent of the energy produced in the cell was needed to pump water through the system.

The key to these microbial electrolysis cells is reverse-electrodialysis or RED that extracts energy from the ionic differences between salt water and fresh water. A RED stack consists of alternating ion exchange membranes -- positive and negative -- with each RED contributing additively to the electrical output.

"People have proposed making electricity out of RED stacks," said Logan. "But you need so many membrane pairs and are trying to drive an unfavorable reaction."
For RED technology to hydrolyze water -- split it into hydrogen and oxygen -- requires 1.8 volts, which would in practice require about 25 pairs of membranes and increase pumping resistance. However, combining RED technology with exoelectrogenic bacteria -- bacteria that consume organic material and produce an electric current -- reduced the number of RED stacks to five membrane pairs.
Previous work with microbial electrolysis cells showed that they could, by themselves, produce about 0.3 volts of electricity, but not the 0.414 volts needed to generate hydrogen in these fuel cells. Adding less than 0.2 volts of outside electricity released the hydrogen. Now, by incorporating 11 membranes -- five membrane pairs that produce about 0.5 volts -- the cells produce hydrogen.

"The added voltage that we need is a lot less than the 1.8 volts necessary to hydrolyze water," said Logan. "Biodegradable liquids and cellulose waste are abundant and with no energy in and hydrogen out we can get rid of wastewater and by-products. This could be an inexhaustible source of energy."

Logan and Kim's research used platinum as a catalyst on the cathode, but subsequent experimentation showed that a non-precious metal catalyst, molybdenum sulfide, had 51 percent energy efficiency.

The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology supported this work.

Growth of Small Wind Turbine Market

2011-09-26T07:51:00.001-06:00

U.S. small wind added 25.6 megawatts of new capacity in 2010, according to numbers just released at the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) Small and Community Windpower Conference, which is very impressive growth in a very challenging economy.

The industry estimated that there were 144,000 small wind systems in place in the U.S. at the end of 2010 generating 179 megawatts.

Read full article here.

Growth of Small Wind Turbine Market

2011-09-26T07:50:00.001-06:00

The industry estimated that there were 144,000 small wind systems in place in the U.S. at the end of 2010 generating 179 megawatts.

Read full article here.

Anheuser-Busch: Largest Operator of Anaerobic Digesters in World

2011-09-26T07:44:00.001-06:00

“Anheuser-Busch is the largest operator of anaerobic digesters in the world. Anaerobic digestion is a natural fit for breweries and has become a proven and energy-efficient way to clean brewery wastewater. Low energy use, a small reactor surface area, lower chemical usage and minimal sludge handling costs are advantages of this technology over aerobic alternatives. The technology does not require blowers and mixers like an aerobic system, and the anaerobic reactor produces biogas (methane) that can be used within breweries to fuel boilers or combined-heat-and-power units. In addition, anaerobic reactors are sealed, so no odor escapes. This is a special advantage for A-B facilities that provide daily tours, such as the company’s brewery in Merrimack, N.H. “

Read full article at Biomass Magazine.

BioGas Technology for the Beer Market

2011-09-26T05:44:00.000-06:00

PurposeEnergy Inc.’s Biphase Orbicular Biodigester is ideal for waste streams with more solids than traditional anaerobic digesters and the company is focusing on the brewery market.

The first commercial system is currently operating at Magic Hat Brewery in Burlington, Vt., processing 500,000 gallons, Fitch says. It began in July of 2010, shutdown when the brewery shut down over the holiday season, and started up again in June.

Is Now the Time for Geothermal?

2011-09-25T05:37:00.001-06:00

According to a recent article at Renewable Energy World, Developers Warm to Small-Scale Geothermal, it appears developers are seeing the appeal to this maturing technology.

“The potential for geothermal heat pumps is high, according to industry analyst Mackinnon Lawrence, but installations currently represent just one percent of the heating and cooling market overall. However, growing electricity demand, rising energy prices and increasing regulation around emissions and efficiency are all expected to push demand higher. In the US, analyst Global Information expects geothermal heat pump shipments to double in volume to 326,000 units annually by 2017.”

Read the full article here.

Solar PV Commoditization & What to do About It

2011-09-18T09:10:00.001-06:00

With the bankruptcies of Solyndra and Evergreen Solar, two innovative solar photovoltaic companies, the market has spoken.

Alt Energy Stocks offers 5 solutions in the age of solar commoditization:

The only innovation anyone cares about now is low price.
Added values matter, but only if they’re included in the same competitive price.
American made panels may now be competitive—but only at the same price.
New government policies may make or break you. Get political.
Build a trusted brand.

Read the entire article here.

Energy Efficiency Around the World

2011-09-14T11:51:00.000-06:00

A fun infographic shows the widespread support for energy efficiency around the world, as well as some other interesting facts. Click graphic to enlarge in new window.

Peter Thiel: Clean technology is a “disaster”

2011-09-14T09:49:00.000-06:00

Early Facebook investor and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel has something to say about clean technology companies.

“Cleantech is an increasingly large disaster that people in Silicon Valley aren’t even talking about any more,” Thiel said. “The failure in energy and transportation points to a larger failure in clean energy — we aren’t moving any faster, literally, than we were when modern airplanes first came out.”

Fact Check: Fred Udo’s Bogus Numbers on Wind and Emissions Savings

2011-09-13T09:47:00.001-06:00

A new report (calling it a “study” would be giving it too much credence) on wind power and emissions is circulating in the anti-windosphere. Authored by Fred Udo, it makes the seemingly–and actually–goofy claim that emission reductions from wind, a zero-emissions energy source, are small.

Read article here.

Nontoxic Energy Storage: Aquion Energy

2011-09-13T09:40:00.001-06:00

The Pittsburgh, Penn. start-up, which grew from a Carnegie Mellon University research project, has been developing grid-scale energy storage without the use of "hazardous materials, corrosive acids, or noxious fumes," according to Aquion. Last week, Aquion raised $30 million from Foundation Capital, TriplePoint Capital, Advanced Technology Ventures, and Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers.

Aquion Energy has developed a method for producing sodium ion battery-packs.

"The electrochemical couple that has emerged from this process is one that combines a high capacity carbon anode with a sodium intercalation cathode capable of thousands of complete discharge cycles over extended periods of time."

U.S. Solar Industry a Net Exporter

2011-09-09T11:28:00.000-06:00

The Solar Energy Industry Association commissioned a report done by GTM Research, which analyzes where money is spent in the solar industry, from raw materials to final installation.

Its two main conclusions are:

U.S.-based companies in the solar supply chain earn more revenue than Chinese manufacturers, which now dominate production of solar panels.
For every dollar spent to install solar panels in the U.S., about 75 cents worth of economic value accrued to the U.S.

World's Largest Tidal Power Plant – S. Korea

2011-09-08T15:03:00.001-06:00

The Shihwa station will be the biggest tidal power plant in the world with a generation capacity of 254,000 kilowatts. The capacity of the Rance Tidal Power Station in France, currently the world's largest, is 240,000 kilowatts.

The plant can provide enough electricity to a city with a population of 500,000.

Revolutionary Alloy Will Generate Cheap Hydrogen

2011-08-22T14:49:00.000-06:00

“The finding shows that an alloy formed by a two percent substitution of antimony (Sb) in gallium nitride (GaN) has the right electrical properties to enable solar energy to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. "When the alloy is immersed in water and exposed to sunlight, the chemical bond between the hydrogen and oxygen molecules in water is broken. The hydrogen can then be collected," reported the Science Daily.”
Read full article at: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/206395/20110831/new-alloy-to-revolutionize-clean-energy-by-generating-hydrogen-on-the-cheap-hydrogen-water-sunlight.htm

“It's Time to Kill the Electric Car”

2011-08-15T11:35:00.000-06:00

A very interesting article:
Excerpt:
“Let's face it folks, it's time to kill the electric car, drive a stake through its heart and burn the corpse.
Companies like Tesla Motors (TSLA) are doomed because their vanity products can't possibly make a difference and have all the environmental and economic relevance of pet rocks. The only companies that stand a chance of long term survival are manufacturers of efficiency technologies that reduce aggregate resource consumption. If lithium-ion battery manufacturers like A123 Systems, Altair Nanotechnologies (ALTI) and Valence Technologies (VLNC) can stop chasing rainbows and focus on sensible applications like electric two-wheeled vehicles that reduce natural resource waste, they may have long and prosperous futures. Manufacturers of fundamentally cheap energy efficiency technologies like Johnson Controls (JCI) and Exide Technologies (XIDE) are certain to thrive in any event. The surprise winners in a resource constrained world will most likely be disruptive innovations like the PbC® battery from Axion Power International (AXPW.OB) which uses a third less metal while promising a ten-fold improvement in battery cycle life to optimize the performance of efficiency technologies like stop-start systems, stationary applications and hybrid drive for everything from passenger cars to freight trains.”
Full article: http://www.altenergystocks.com/archives/2011/08/its_time_to_kill_the_electric_car_drive_a_stake_through_its_heart_and_burn_the_corpse_1.html

Iron 'Veins' Promising Hydrogen Storage Material

2011-08-08T11:23:00.000-06:00

“With a nod to biology, scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have a new approach to the problem of safely storing hydrogen in future fuel-cell-powered cars. Their idea: molecular scale "veins" of iron permeating grains of magnesium like a network of capillaries. The iron veins may transform magnesium from a promising candidate for hydrogen storage into a real-world winner.”
Read more at: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110831115812.htm

Particles of pure magnesium (left) can only collect a limited amount of hydrogen on their outer surfaces, and the process is slow. But when the magnesium is doped with iron (right), far more hydrogen is delivered through the iron layers, which also results in much faster charging. (Credit: NIST)

New Chemical Process to Store Solar Energy

2011-07-19T08:55:00.000-06:00

MIT Professors have combined carbon nanotubes with the compound azobenzene with the result being a chemical that is less expensive than fulvalene diruthenium, a previously discovered and rare chemical, and that has about 10,000 times the volumetric energy density. in other words, it can store more energy in less space.

MIT Creates Printable Solar Cells

2011-07-17T08:49:00.001-06:00

Researchers at MIT have developed a new, less-expensive method for producing solar cells by printing them directly onto paper or fabric, which can lead to solar cells as wallpaper or as window blinds.

Better Place Battery Switching Station Demo

2011-07-01T20:55:00.000-06:00

Better Place offers a subscription service where drivers of electric cars have their depleted car batteries swapped for a fully recharged one at any member station, which is a much better model compared to waiting 15-30 minutes for a partial charge, or hours to fully recharge at a charging station.

Denver–5th Greenest City

2011-07-01T20:46:00.000-06:00

According to a new study commissioned by Siemens Corp, Denver is ranked the fifth greenest city in the US and Canada. San Francisco finished first with an index score of 83.8, followed by Vancouver, New York, Seattle and Denver. Denver scored 73.5 points in the index.

The report may be found here.

Clean Energy Innovation Pays Off

2011-06-30T20:37:00.001-06:00

Google.org released an analysis on the impact of clean-energy innovation and its study found that technology breakthroughs, coupled with policies to encourage clean energy have a positive economic and environmental impact,

Here are just some of the most compelling findings:

Energy innovation pays off big: We compared “business as usual” (BAU) to scenarios with breakthroughs in clean energy technologies. On top of those, we layered a series of possible clean energy policies (more details in the report). We found that by 2030, when compared to BAU, breakthroughs could help the U.S.:
- Grow GDP by over $155 billion/year ($244 billion in our Clean Policy scenario)
- Create over 1.1 million new full-time jobs/year (1.9 million with Clean Policy)
- Reduce household energy costs by over $942/year ($995 with Clean Policy)
- Reduce U.S. oil consumption by over 1.1 billion barrels/year
- Reduce U.S. total carbon emissions by 13% in 2030 (21% with Clean Policy)
Speed matters and delay is costly: Our model found a mere five year delay (2010-2015) in accelerating technology innovation led to $2.3-3.2 trillion in unrealized GDP, an aggregate 1.2-1.4 million net unrealized jobs and 8-28 more gigatons of potential GHG emissions by 2050.
Policy and innovation can enhance each other: Combining clean energy policies with technological breakthroughs increased the economic, security and pollution benefits for either innovation or policy alone. Take GHG emissions: the model showed that combining policy and innovation led to 59% GHG reductions by 2050 (vs. 2005 levels), while maintaining economic growth.

Analysis and Data

Google Blog