THIN FILM SOLAR PANELS

Archive for January, 2011

Ever wanted to know all about the energy history of Sweden? Probably not, but it is actually a pretty interesting history. Additionally, as you can see in the graph above, Sweden is an energy leader when it comes to CO2 emissions per GDP and CO2 emissions per capita.

Evan Mills of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories recently gave us quite an introduction of Sweden’s energy history, situation today, and plans for the future over on Climate Progress. You can read the full piece, Evolving energy systems: The Swedish story, over there if you want to read the whole thing. If you just want a snapshot, I’ve pulled out some especially interesting points.

1. Stemming from a public referendum in 1980 triggered by the Three Mile Island disaster in 1979, Sweden decided to phase out and put a ban on new construction of nuclear reactors. This was one of only 6 referendums in Sweden’s history. (Other referendums refer to which side of the road to drive on, prohibition, the country’s pension system, and joining the EU and the Economic and Monetary Union of the EU.) Sweden didn’t meet its deadline of shutting down all of its remaining nuclear reactors by January 1, 2011, but a moratorium on nuclear expansion remains and one would expect that the country will phase out nuclear sooner or later.
2. Sweden put a cap on CO2 in 1988! CO2 taxes of 105 oere/kgCO₂ (US$150/ton!) have brought in about $4 billion/year in revenues since 1991. “This is almost as much as is generated by regular energy taxes.”
3. National greenhouse gas emissions were about 18% lower in 2009 than 1991, exceeding its Kyoto requirement. “Emissions of SO_x are down 70% and NO_x down 50%.”
4. Electricity demand has remained steady since 1991 despite economic growth of 60%. (In other words, energy efficiency is the name of the game in Sweden.)
5. “Heating energy fuel choices in buildings have been managed very aggressively. Oil’s share has dropped from 25% to about less than 10%.   Electric heating’s share of energy in the household sector has been trimmed by 30%. District heating, fueled primarily with biomass has picked up most of the slack.  Between 1980 and 2010 district heating went from essentially 100% oil to essentially 0% oil.”
6. 1/3 of Sweden’s energy supply is from renewable sources (if you include hydro). That’s more than any other EU country.
7. Sweden plans to get 50% of its energy supply from renewable sources by 2020 and plans to have vehicles completely free of fossil fuels by 2030.
8. “Overall energy intensity (presumably energy per GDP) shall be reduced by 20% between 2008 and 2020.”
9. In 2020, it plans to emit 40% of the greenhouse gases it emitted in 1990.
10. It plans to have zero net emissions (i.e. be carbon neutral) by 2050.

Related Stories:

1. Europe’s Largest Wind Farm Gets Approval in Sweden
2. 250,000 Swedes Heat a Building with Their Bodies
3. EU Exceeds Target for 20% Renewable Energy by 2020

Wind turbines on hillside in Romania

Wind turbine manufacturing giant Vestas is expecting a boom in wind energy growth in Romania and is locating its new Eastern European hub in its capital city, Bucharest.

Vestas cut the ribbon on its new office last week. With Romania’s government recently setting ambitious wind energy targets, Vestas is hopeful that the country will be building a lot more wind farms in the years to come and is putting its money on it.

As of last June, Vestas had installed 22 wind turbines in Romania, the total capacity of which comes to 43.66 MW. It plans to install 450 MW more by the end of this year.

Hans Jörn Rieks, President of Vestas Central Europe, believes that Romania could produce up to 14 GW of wind energy in total.

“Vestas is the world leader in wind energy, and so we feel we have a responsibility to share our 30 years of experience and knowledge with customers, government, communities and others – as they work to fulfil Romania’s commitment to a clean energy future,” Rieks says. ”As a wind energy solutions provider, we want to bring the best turbines and the best business case to our customers here, but we also want to build strong and constructive partnerships to shape a sustainable wind industry.”

Romania is currently expected to get about 24% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.

Currently, 41,000 Vestas wind turbines are generating power around the world in 65 countries, creating approximately 20,000 jobs and cutting CO2 emissions about 40 million tons every year.

Related Stories:

1. Life as a Wind Turbine Technician [VIDEOS]
2. iPhone Wind Energy App from Vestas

Photo Credit: Raoul Pop

General Electric (GE) seems to be in the news almost everyday lately. The latest news regarding this cleantech leader is that it, ConocoPhilips and NRG Energy Inc. are putting $300 million into a joint venture investing in “next-generation energy technologies.”

Energy Technology Ventures is the name of the investment company. It will financially back approximately 30 startups in the next four years.

In addition to financial investment in these startups, it will also offer “commercial collaboration opportunities.”

Working in coordination with ConocoPhilips and NRG Energy, large energy companies, “enables us to pool our financial resources and technological expertise – - along with our extensive relationships — to provide more than money to emerging energy technology companies,” said Kevin Skillern, managing director and leader of venture capital at GE Energy Financial Services.

Energy Technology Ventures will mostly support companies in North America, Europe, and Israel.

What Will Energy Technology Ventures Focus On?

This joint venture is reportedly going to put its focus on companies working on renewable energy, smart grid, energy efficiency, biofuels, oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear, emission controls, and water technologies. Hmm, doesn’t leave much out.

Its first investments are officially in:

Alta Devices, Santa Clara, CA, improving the production economics of advanced materials for high-efficiency, low-cost solar energy.

Ciris Energy, Inc., Centennial, CO, developing technology to biochemically convert coal to methane at large scale and low cost.

CoolPlanetBiofuels, Camarillo, CA, developing technology that converts low-grade biomass into high-grade fuel and carbon that can be sequestered.

Related Stories:

1. GE Hates US Energy Policy Too
2. Green Sparks Fly as GE and GM Boost Energy Efficiency
3. China Clean Tech Industry Gets $2 Billion More from GE

Photo Credit: @mjb

Biofuels have a clear advantage over petroleum products when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but skyrocketing biofuel production has created a problem of its own: a worldwide glut of crude glycerol, also known as glycerin or glycerine. The thick, gooey liquid is difficult and expensive to dispose of, which places a huge burden on biofuel manufacturers. Say, if only somebody could figure out some way to use all that stuff…

Glycerol, Pure and Crude

In its pure form, glycerol is used in hundreds of food products, pharmaceuticals and soaps. Unfortunately, the glycerol that’s left over from biofuel production isn’t pure enough for these uses. It’s a crude form that can be purified, but the cost of the process is prohibitive.

Bacteria and Glycerol

One solution is under development by a graduate student at the University of Alabama, who has identified a glycerol-loving bacteria called Clostidium pasteurianum. This little bug occurs naturally in soil and is known for its nitrogen-fixing abilities, and the researcher found that it has other talents, too. When it digests glycerol, it generates at least five valuable byproducts: butanol (which can sub directly for gasoline) , propanediol, ethanol, acetic acid and butyric acid. The next step is to develop more efficient strains of the bacteria.

More Solutions for Crude Glycerol

Researchers at Rice University are also working with glycerol-eating bacteria, focusing on tweaking the process to make it more energy efficient. Approaching the problem from another angle, researchers elsewhere are developing other uses for crude glycerol including growing microalgae and producing methane, or using it as a cattle feed or even a non-toxic antifreeze. Looks like it won’t be long before crude glycerol turns the corner from a major liability to a valuable asset for the biofuel industry.

Image (altered): Glycerin bubbles by circax on flickr.com.

A lot of people are passionate about solar power, but not too many of us are in the position of risking our lives to prove that solar power can work in combat conditions. That’s exactly what is going on at an experimental forward operating base in Afghanistan, where the members of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines have been using portable solar panels and other green tech to carry out their mission.

The U.S. Military and Green Tech

It’s no secret that the U.S. military has been dying – literally – to ditch high risk fossil fuels in favor of safer, cheaper, and more reliable forms of energy. Military bases across the U.S. have been installing solar power, geothermal and other renewables hand over fist, testing biofuels, and ramping up energy efficiency projects. The big question has been whether or not sustainable energy can get the job done in a danger zone. The 3/5 Marines have one word for you: yes.

A Sustainable Forward Operating Bases

Last year, the 3/5 started quietly testing sustainable energy tech at a forward operating base in Afghanistan, with the goal of cutting down on fuel resupply convoys. It includes the aforementioned portable solar panels that pack into a suitcase, small flexible solar panels that can be used to recharge batteries in the field (which cuts down on the growing logistical nightmare of battery resupply for patrols), solar trailers, and solar shades. Energy efficient lighting in the form of LEDs is also part of the package.

The Few, the Proud, the Green

The project is overseen by the Marines’ “Green Baron,” Col. Bob Charette, who heads the Expeditionary Energy Office. When the experiment began, he expressed cautious optimism. That prediction proved true and the project has been deemed a success. Charette credits preparation and training (the equipment was first tested at U.S. facilities), and something just as important: new generations of Marines are coming into the corps with a built-in comfort zone regarding new sustainable tech. “I believe our young Marines are more accepting of renewable energy technology,” Charette related in an Office of Naval Research press release, “Because of all the discussion in the media and society regarding ‘green’ energy.”

Support Our Troops

That brings us right back around to the political situation in the U.S. regarding domestic renewable energy policy. The Obama administration has been pushing hard to ensure that the U.S. provides its military with a vigorous research, technology, and domestic manufacturing platform that supports the goal of reducing costs – and reducing casualties – by transitioning out of fossil fuels and into renewables. Meanwhile, some members of Congress are pushing back against renewables just as vigorously in the opposite direction. So the real question is this: while the 3/5 is out there in the line of fire, do your representatives in Congress continue to promote more oil drilling, or do they support our troops? There’s an easy way to find out: send an email to your U.S. Senators and your U.S. Representative.

Image: 3/5 Marines in Afghanistan by DVIDSHUB on flickr.com.