Alupola Hydro Power Plant

Location	Ratnapura, Ratnapura district, Sri Lanka
Design Parameters
Type of Plant	Run off the river
Design Plant Capacity	2.5 MW
Design Head	112 meters
Design flow	2.2 m3/ second
Annual Energy	10.5 GWh
Electro mechanical equipment
Type of turbine	Turgo Impulse
Number of turbines	01
Manufacturer	German

Affordable All-Electric Car-Nissan LEAF

The Nissan LEAF is by far the most popular EV in the world. It is a well-equipped, all-electric hatchback that seats five adults and commonly travels about 80 miles on a single charge. The LEAF is available to test-drive and purchase at Nissan dealerships throughout the United States.

Styling

When it comes to the Nissan LEAF’s visual design, people usually either love it or hate it. Although many LEAF owners look past its Japanese gizmo aesthetic to what its impressive technology can achieve in terms of brisk acceleration and zero-emissions driving, the design of Nissan’s popular electric car is certainly polarizing.

Among the most striking styling features of the Nissan LEAF are its protruding LED headlights, which Nissan says use less energy than traditional headlights. They are specially designed to redirect airflow away from the side mirrors to reduce wind noise and drag. Its other prominent aero feature is a wide rear-end. From the inside, the car feels wide from side-to-side.

Nissan wanted the LEAF to convey a Buck Rogers feel without being so strange as to alienate mainstream buyers. It is adorable, in a geeky way, as long as you’re willing to toss out stereotypical notions of sleek and sexy performance machines. While the LEAF is not as bland as Japan’s most popular mainstream gas-powered sedans, it also doesn’t turn heads the way splashy EVs like the Tesla Model S and BMW i3 do.
Standard infotainment features of the futuristic yet user-friendly LEAF include Bluetooth phone connectivity, automatic climate control, a four-speaker stereo, satellite radio and a USB port. Optional features include navigation, a seven-speaker Bose stereo, Pandora Internet radio capability, a backup camera and Nissan’s Around View Monitor.

Performance

All electric cars are known for high-torque from zero rpm—a gear-head way to say that pulling away from a stoplight is a lot of fun. The combination of quietness and quick lift-off make the LEAF a zippy good time in urban driving.
For official LEAF numbers, the EV is powered by an 80-kilowatt electric motor—107 horsepower and 187 pound-feet of torque—that according to Edmunds.com provides acceleration from zero to 60 mph in 10.2 seconds. That’s plenty of oomph for easy highway merges, but again, it’s zero-to-40 mph performance where the LEAF shines.

The LEAF's battery pack is located under the floor beneath the seats, which helps it to feel stable and steady when taking corners. Overall, the excellent performance and handling of the LEAF—and its high-tech interior—give the Nissan EV a premium feel.

Efficiency & Range

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Nissan LEAF provides 75 miles of driving range on a single charge of its 24 kilowatt-hour battery pack. That’s easily achievable by everyday drivers based on our rule of thumb that a single kWh yields about 3.5 miles of range—but obviously well short of the 100 miles advertised by Nissan when the LEAF first came out in late 2010.
The not-so-useful MPGe (or miles per gallon equivalent) stat offered by the EPA pegs combined city-highway fuel efficiency at 115 MPGe—right in line with competing similarly sized EVs.

If you drive in a Zen-like manner, in moderate weather, on flat ground, mostly around 45 miles per hour, you could see your range approach 90 miles or even reach 100 miles on a single charge. But if you’re in a rush, or climb a lot of hills, the 75-mile bogey indicated by the EPA is a good basis for planning usual routes.
Be warned the LEAF does not offer an active liquid-based thermal management system (found in many competing EVs). As a result, range and overall battery capacity in very hot and cold weather can be compromised. As with other cars, regardless of powertrain, running a heater or AC at full blast, and speeding along above legal highway speeds, could mean 10 to 20 percent less range.
Nonetheless, for the average 35 to 40 miles of daily driving by Americans, the LEAF’s 24-kWh battery pack goes the distance, with enough energy in reserve for a second day of traveling before needing to recharge.

Charging

In its first two model years—2011 and 2012—the LEAF had a big drawback when it came to charging. Its onboard charger was rated at a 3.3-kW maximum, which limited the amount of range you could add in one hour to about 10 to 12 miles. Fortunately, starting with the 2013 model, the upper-level trims come with a 6.6-kW charger that essentially doubles the amount of range added in an hour to about 20 to 25.
That means a full charge from empty to full takes about four hours instead of eight hours with the older models. (In practice, EV drivers almost never need to charge all the way from empty to full.)
Keep in mind that the base-level 2014 $28,900 S model (minus the “Charger Package) is still offered with the 3.3-kW charger. The Charger Package adds $1,300 to the price.
To use the public DC quick chargers that are becoming increasingly prevalent throughout the United States, you’ll need to purchase the LEAF with an SV trim and “Quick Charge Package,” or the top-of-the-line SL trim—either one of which will push the purchase price to the mid- or high-$30,000 range before incentives.
Nearly every public quick charger uses the CHAdeMO standard, which is the same standard found in the LEAF’s fast-charging port. Very few drivers rely on quick charging on a regular basis, but it’s good to know that in a pinch on longer trips you could recharge to about 80-percent from empty in about 25 minutes.

Passenger & Cargo Room

The LEAF comfortably seats five adults. Passengers in the back seat sit slightly higher than those in the front. Given its range, the LEAF is not intended as a long-distance highway cruiser—so the level of space and comfort is quite good for short and mid-distance trips, even when loaded with five passengers. Seats come standard with eco-friendly cloth upholstery, or in leather on the high-end SL package.
The LEAF has a decent 24 cubic feet of cargo space. Fold down the rear seats to increase room to 30 cubic feet. This cargo capacity is similar to the Ford Focus Electric or smaller hybrids like the Honda Insight or Toyota Prius C, although not nearly what is offered in the Prius Liftback. Still, the cabin storage spaces, door pockets, center console and glove box are well designed and generous.

Safety

The Nissan LEAF has side airbags; front and rear head curtain airbags; and front seat-mounted torso airbags—as well as electronic stability control and antilock brakes.
It earned a respectable four stars for the four major scores given by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: overall rating, frontal crash, side crash, and rollover. 

In its similar tests, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the Nissan LEAF a “Good” rating, its top score. IIHS named the Nissan LEAF a “Top Safety Pick.”

Price

On. Jan. 8, 2014, Nissan announced a modest $180 increase in the starting price of the 2014 all-electric LEAF, compared to the 2013 model. The entry-level S trim is now priced at $28,900. The only change in features is the inclusion of the RearView Monitor as standard equipment on all models, where it was previously part of the “Charge Package.” There is also one new exterior color—Gun Metallic—bringing the total number of available colors to seven. (A voice command navigation system and text message reader is also now available.)
The LEAF’s SV and SL trim choices will also be offered in 2014 with a $180 increase. The LEAF SV is now priced at $32,000, and the SL at $35,020.
U.S. sales of the LEAF set records in 2013—largely due to a hefty $6,400 drop in price in January 2013. Apparently, with the drop in price last year, and the establishment of very attractive $199 monthly lease packages, Nissan discovered the right market price for sales growth of its popular electric car. The base-level model can now be had for even less than $199 a month. It makes sense to shop around, based on reports that some Nissan dealerships are keener to make deals on EVs than others.
The Nissan LEAF qualifies for a $7,500 federal tax credit, and a $2,500 rebate in California (which also grants a white HOV sticker, allowing solo-driving in carpool lanes.)

Comparisons of Similar Cars

In 2013, Nissan sold 22,610 LEAFs—trouncing the nearest competing similarly-sized and priced fully electric models. The Ford Focus Electric came in a distant second place with 1,738 sales in 2013 across the United States. This sales statistic makes the emphatic point that—in terms of price, capabilities and availability—the Nissan LEAF is in a category of its own for pure battery-electric vehicles. 

Buyers wanting a pure EV, but entirely turned off by the LEAF’s looks, can consider competing electric cars that are based on gas-powered designs: the Ford Focus Electric, Chevrolet Spark EV, Honda Fit EV, or Fiat 500e. The Chevy Spark is perhaps the standout in this pack, specifically based on a compelling lease price and its 400 pound-feet of torque, more than a Ferrari 458 Italian supercar. (Although, the Spark is also not exactly a looker.) It’s too early to tell how the Volkswagen E-Golf, due later in 2014, will stack up.

Well-heeled buyers can always upgrade to a Tesla Model S, which is a much larger, capable and more expensive EV. Those willing to mix in a little internal combustion with electric propulsion—or wanting to break the boundaries of electric driving range—could consider one of the many excellent plug-in hybrids on the market, starting with the Chevy Volt.

Purchase Process

As of mid-2012, the LEAF is available at Nissan dealerships in all 50 states. That makes it the only pure EV available throughout the United States. Many, but not all, dealerships will have models available to test drive and purchase on the spot.
In the most EV popular markets, consumers are advised to comparison shop between competing dealership to look for the best purchase price and/or lease terms.

Free SimCity DLC

 

Source: www.plugincars.com

Google Launches World’s Largest Solar Power Project

Ivanpah solar plant will look to power more than 140,000 California homes

 By: Michael Moore

Google has revealed its latest foray into renewable energy sources by unveiling what it believes to be the world’s largest solar power project.

The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating Station plant on the California-Nevada border uses 347,000 sun-facing mirrors to produce 392 megawatts of electricity, which will be enough to power more than for more than 140,000 California homes.

The search engine giant has invested $168 million (£101m) into the plant, the latest in a series of 15 investments Google has made in renewable energy in just under a year. The deal takes the company past the $1 billion (£599m) amount for its total investment in wind and solar energy.

Feeling the power

“We’ve invested over a billion dollars in 15 projects that have the capacity to produce two gigawatts of power around the world, mostly in the US, but that’s the equivalent of Hoover’s Dam worth of power generation,” Rick Needham, Google’s director of energy and sustainability, told CNBC.

“The fact is that all of these things, procuring power for ourselves, investing in power plants, renewable power plants, they all make business sense, they make sense for us as a company to do. We rely on power for our business.”

The Ivanpah plant cost $2.2 billion (£1.31bn) to build overall, with a $1.6 billion (£957m) of this coming from federal loans, and is jointly owned by NRG Energy and BrightSource Energy alongside Google. Mirror panels reflect sunlight onto boilers on three towers, heating water into steam that drives power generators. It is estimated that the plant will save around 400,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, equal to removing 72,000 vehicles from the road.

According to Needham, about 34 percent of Google’s operations are powered by renewable sources.

Despite its green intentions, the Ivanpah plant has come under fire concerning its relationship with the local wildlife. The facility has been accused of killing birds due to the thousand degree heat it projects into the air, whilst also threatening local species such as desert tortoises and bighorn sheep by tapping scarce local water sources.

Google has long been attempting to promote the company’s green credentials, and gained the top spot in Greenpeace’s ‘Green IT’ league table of environmentally friendly technology companies last year. The company won praise for its investment in renewable energy, as well as for pushing deals such as the green tariff it has with Duke Energy in California that result in new solar and wind capacity.

Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Systems

Nowadays BIPV means more than just solar panels mounted on a roof. It is about creating inherent element of the shell structure of the building which works with general design concept whilst increases efficiency of the whole structure. Unlike other building materials, BIPV generates electricity thus produce a profit throughout its life. In this manner BIPV adds value not only to economic model of the building but also to its architectural image.

It is now possible for architects, designers, developers and householders to integrate photovoltaic systems into buildings in an aesthetic manner, and to use them as architectural components.

Unlike standard modules, BIPV modules are tailor-made to architectural requirements, with individual design in terms of shape, color and optical structure. BIPV modules can be integrated into the building at any part of its envelope and can perform the same functions as conventional materials which make them cost-effective for commercial and industrial usage.

followings are samples for BIPV solutions in particular projects.

+ Roof systems

+ Facade systems

+ Shades systems

Power Crisis in Sri Lanka - An Overview

We live in a generation where power has become one of the key necessities in life. Today's  day to day life depends a lot on various power sources. If one day goes by without electricity, many businesses would be hurt, and domestics will experience highly uncomfortable situations. In Sri Lanka, We depend mostly on thermal and hydro power. Hydro Power is a source which depends on a highly volatile external factor, rain. Every time when there is a drought  people worry  about curtailing electricity. The country has gone through a number of power disruptions for several hours affecting people's day to day life.

Power Generation in Sri Lanka

In addition to the number of hydro power plants we have in Sri Lanka, there are five main thermal power plants owned by CEB. These five power stations have a capacity of 750MW, and out of them the Lakvijaya power station has a 285 MW of capacity.  If the power station properly functions, it could provide 20% from the annual demand of the country. There are nine power stations owned by the private sector with a capacity of 710 MW.

However, malfunctioning of these five power plants with the shortage of hydropower generation can create a serious power crisis. In the recent past, raining pattern of the country changed drastically. This was a massive hit on the hydro power generation.  The inevitable result was the electricity system failing to meet the demand. As a side effect, CEB was also compelled to increase the tariff, to limit the power consumption.

Your Social Responsibility

In the process of facing the power crisis, the general public also has a due responsibility in 

saving electricity. Especially during the peak hours, 6.00pm-10 pm, avoiding the use of appliances like washing machines, water pumps, irons and ovens and using them at less peak hours would help the grid immensely. As the refrigerator is the main consumer of electricity in a house, switching it off for few hours would be a great way to save electricity and money without affecting the food.  As Air conditioners consume a huge amount of electricity, their economical use is essential. Limiting the street lamps of municipal councils, and Pradesiya Sabhas from 7.00 p.m. – 5.00 a.m. and restricting the use of electricity to light up advertisements would also be a great help.

Alternative Power Generation Methods

In order to find a solution to this universal problem, many developed countries have shifted from conventional mechanisms to alternative power generation methods while countries like us, still primarily depend on these traditional means like hydro and thermal power. Sri Lanka already has three wind power plants and solar power panels in a small scale. The future world would burn with issues like floods and droughts and the shortage of oil, coal and gas.  If Sri Lanka is not well prepared for this situation, the future of the country would be bleak even if it has many power stations. Looking at the future, a country as wells as individuals we need to take all the possible steps to save the limited amount of power generated and also move towards renewable energy solutions. 

Source: http://solarenergysrilanka.blogspot.com/

Is Biomass About To Go Bang in 2014 ?

Traditional biomass accounts for some 9 percent of the world’s total energy requirements, still more than is provided by modern renewables collectively. Nonetheless, modern renewables, and modern biomass with it, is catching up fast. The share of traditional biomass fuels has remained fairly static over the last decade or two, while modern renewables have soared. 

 Renewable energy is the fastest growing source of electricity generation, according to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) International Energy Outlook 2013 Reference case, projecting an average 2.8 percent per year growth from 2010 to 2040. For example, the U.S. Energy Information Agency (EIA) projects renewable energy consumption for electricity and heat generation in all sectors of the U.S. to increase by 2.2 percent in 2014, compared with 3.6 percent growth in 2013. 

However, while traditional biomass use remains static, this sets the context for a significant increase in bioenergy demand for modern applications. Widely anticipated in the coming years, it’s being driven by high oil prices, climate change and renewable energy policy action and security of energy supply concerns. Since bioenergy spans a vast range of resources from wood and pellets through to energy crops and waste streams it offers a diverse and often readily available energy resource.

Bioenergy also presents an opportunity for rural development and for the agricultural sector in particular, potentially helping to meet key social development goals. Indeed, bioenergy signals a significant new market for agricultural producers.

As with any fledgling market, there are inevitably issues to be overcome if bioenergy is to truly thrive. For instance production of agricultural products such as maize when used for bioenergy have become an issue of contention for some – think of the food versus fuel debates of years past– while others have questioned the sustainability and greenhouse gas balance of some energy crops, for instance poorly sited palm oil plantations. Sustainability issues aside, there is also a requirement for the further development of a flexible international trading market for biomass and related products, such as pellets, to securely match supply and demand in various global markets.

Along with hydropower and geothermal, biomass power and heat is, nonetheless, among the most mature renewable energy technologies, with large potential markets for second generation biofuels from agricultural and forestry waste streams and from energy crops grown on otherwise unproductive land.

A Future Market for Biomass

Even a casual analysis suggests that renewable energy markets are projected to grow strongly in the coming decade and beyond, led by policies such as European Commission 2020 Directives to Member States, which are expected to accelerate the development of renewable heating for example.

Energy policy will remain a key influence in the future development of bioenergy markets. In particular, analysis such as REN-21’s latest Global Financial Report (GFR), highlights a range of future policies to support renewable heating and cooling in buildings as well those addressing the integration of variable output renewables. Measures include the possible development of new market rules for balancing services, demand response and other grid reliability services, which would favor the development of controllable thermal generation, such as biomass.

Biomass also offers a key mechanism for the use of renewable energy in industrial applications and has largely dominated the sector to date as far as renewables are concerned. Though most often seen in applications where there is both a ready stream of process waste materials and a considerable demand for heat and process steam - such as bagasse from sugar mills or wood residues from the pulp and paper industries – there is evidence that technological developments are set to expand the use of bioenergy in industrial settings. There are also opportunities for the chemical industry to utilise solid biomass and liquid biofuels as industrial feedstocks for organic chemistry in the future. 

As a result, the IEA’s 2012 World Energy Outlook, for example, projects that, by 2035, bioenergy use for heating could grow by more than 60 percent.

Outlook on Biomass

The EU is by far the biggest pellet consumer worldwide, burning some 15 million tonnes in 2012. According the latest available figures from Aebiom, the European biomass energy association, biomass accounted for 8.4 percent of the total final energy consumption in Europe in 2011, while in some Baltic countries, such as Estonia, Latvia, Finland and Sweden, the figure is above 25 percent. The trade group adds that EU pellet consumption for heating has grown by more than one million tonnes per year since 2010.

Looking ahead, in a recent Aebiom forecast scenario, in 2020 the overall share of renewable energy in Europe will have reached 20.7 percent, with biomass, including transport, covering 56.5 percent of total energy. 

Their analysis of the European Member State National Renewable Energy Action Plans (NREAPs) concludes that the total contribution of bioenergy in 2020 will be 138.3 Mtoe, with heating by far the most important sector - accounting for 65 percent of the total while transport accounts for 21 percent and electricity 14 percent.

Another perspective on the future for the European bioenergy supply chain comes in a new report from Rabobank. It concludes that increasing competition for solid biomass, such as wood pellets, will create space for relatively novel biomass sources to enter the market. They argue that the practical challenges of using agricultural residues such as straw and stover will be overcome because their supply costs will be among the lowest. Consequently Rabobank believes that agricultural residues will have an increasing role in the use and potentially trade of biomass for energy by 2020.

"The importance of bioenergy will continue to grow in Europe as it is one of the cheapest renewable energy options, and one of few to supply continuous renewable heat and power on a large scale," explains Rabobank analyst Paul Bosch.  "However, as the price of solid biomass increases, the search for non-forestry alternative biomass options will continue to rise." 

Their analysis finds the business case for agricultural residues compelling, concluding that compared with wood pellet co-firing, dedicated agricultural residue-fired plants could save between EUR 15 million and EUR 63 million, before taking subsidies into account.

Bosch continues: "Supply chain issues, which can arise from sourcing from a large number of suppliers, have so far prevented the widespread exploitation of agricultural residues, but with demand for bioenergy on the rise globally and a slow supply response, the question is whether bioenergy producers can afford not to tackle these issues." 

Signaling an opportunity for a positive outlook he concluded: "Initiatives in the UK and Denmark are showing that the business case for agricultural residues in bioenergy projects can work, on a relatively large scale, indicating the potential to replicate similar projects across Europe."

In considering a global forecast for bioenergy in the coming years, a recent study from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the German Biomass Research Centre (DBFZ) “Biomass Potential in Africa,” is perhaps instructive.

At IRENA’s behest, the DBFZ collected recent studies assessing bioenergy potential in Africa, compared their various methodologies, benchmarked the results, and identified the key elements. The organization concluded that the studies show an enormous range of calculated biomass potentials, for example representing a productive area range of 1.5 million to 150 million ha. Similarly, the various assessments indicate a potential for energy crops from 0 PJ/yr to 13,900 PJ/yr, between 0 PJ/yr and 5400 PJ/yr for forestry biomass, and 10 PJ/yr to 5254 PJ/yr for residues and waste in Africa by 2020.

The analysis drily observes: “Due to the large range in results presented by the reviewed studies, no definite figures regarding the availability of biomass in Africa can be provided.”

But then, as much in Africa as anywhere else, with resources, demand, markets and technology, like nature itself, bioenergy really is a world of possibilities.

David Appleyard, Contributing Editor 

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com

99 MW Cape Scott Wind project begins commercial operation

GDF SUEZ Canada Inc. has announced the 99 MW Cape Scott wind power project on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, entered commercial operation under a 20-year power purchase agreement with BC Hydro. Located about 40 kilometers west of Port Hardy within the traditional territories of the Kwakiutl, Quatsino, and Tlatlasikwala First Nations and outside of Cape Scott Provincial Park, the CDN $325 million wind project has the capacity to generate over 290 gigawatt-hours of clean, renewable energy annually, enough to meet the electricity needs of approximately 100,000 British Columbians. The Cape Scott project created more than 300 construction jobs during peak construction and 12 permanent operating and maintenance positions. Since the start of construction in the summer of 2011, the project infused more than $51 million into the local economy. With the addition of the Cape Scott Wind Project, GDF SUEZ Canada and partners Mitsui & Co., Ltd. and Fiera Axium Infrastructure currently operate 660 MW of wind-powered generation facilities in the Canadian Maritimes, Ontario, and British Columbia and have a growing solar portfolio. Cape Scott is the joint venture's tenth wind installation in Canada. GDF SUEZ Canada's President Mike Crawley, remarked, "The Cape Scott Wind Project represents a significant engineering feat and strengthens our position as one of the leading renewable energy generators in Canada.  We're proud to continue demonstrating our commitment to environmentally sound power generation within a province that shares this priority." Named "Project of the Year" by Clean Energy British Columbia in late 2013, the Cape Scott wind site features 55 Vestas V100 turbines each with 1.8MW of capacity. 3 Nations Construction Ltd., a joint venture created by the Kwakiutl, Quatsino, and Tlatlasikwala First Nations, and Lemare Group, constructed a large part of the project's roads and earthworks. By PennEnergy Editorial Staff Source: GDF SUEZ

Can We Turn Unwanted Carbon Dioxide Into Electricity?

Researchers are developing a new kind of geothermal power plant that will lock away unwanted carbon dioxide (CO2) underground – and use it as a tool to boost electric power generation by at least 10 times compared to existing geothermal energy approaches.

The technology to implement this design already exists in different industries, so the researchers are optimistic that their new approach could expand the use of geothermal energy in the U.S. far beyond the handful of states that can take advantage of it now.

At the American Geophysical Union meeting on Friday, Dec. 13, the research team debuted an expanded version of the design, along with a computer animated movie that merges advances in science with design and cognitive learning techniques to explain the role that energy technologies can have in addressing climate change.

The new power plant design resembles a cross between a typical geothermal power plant and the Large Hadron Collider: It features a series of concentric rings of horizontal wells deep underground. Inside those rings, CO2, nitrogen and water circulate separately to draw heat from below ground up to the surface, where the heat can be used to turn turbines and generate electricity.

“Typical geothermal power plants tap into hot water that is deep under ground, pull the heat off the hot water, use that heat to generate electricity, and then return the cooler water back to the deep subsurface. Here the water is partly replaced with CO2 or another fluid — or a combination of fluids,” he said.The design contrasts with conventional geothermal plants, explained study co-author Jeffrey Bielicki, assistant professor of energy policy in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering and the John Glenn School of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University.

CO2 extracts heat more efficiently than water, he added.

This approach — using concentric rings that circulate multiple fluids — builds upon the idea to use CO2 originally developed by Martin Saar and others at the University of Minnesota, and can be at least twice as efficient as conventional geothermal approaches, according to computer simulations.

“When we began to develop the idea to use CO2 to produce geothermal energy, we wanted to find a way to make CO2 storage cost-effective while expanding the use of geothermal energy,” said Jimmy Randolph, postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Minnesota.

"We hope that we can expand the reach of geothermal energy in the United States to include most states west of the Mississippi River," Bielicki said.

The current research team includes Ohio State, the University of Minnesota and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where geoscientist Tom Buscheck came up with the idea to add nitrogen to the mix.

He and his colleagues believe that the resulting multifluid design will enable geothermal power plants to store energy away – perhaps hundreds of gigawatt hours – for days or even months, so that it is available when the electricity grid needs it. The underground geothermal formation could store hot, pressurized CO2 and nitrogen, and release the heat to the surface power plant when electricity demand is greatest. The plant could also suspend heat extraction from the subsurface during times of low power demand, or when there is already a surplus of renewable power on the grid.

“What makes this concept transformational is that we can deliver renewable energy to customers when it is needed, rather than when the wind happens to be blowing, or when spring thaw causes the greatest runoff,” Buscheck said.

In computer simulations, a 10-mile-wide system of concentric rings of horizontal wells situated about three miles below ground produced as much as half a gigawatt of electrical power – an amount comparable to a medium-sized coal-fired power plant — and more than 10 times bigger than the 38 megawatts produced by the average geothermal plant in the United States.

The simulations also revealed that a plant of this design might sequester as much as 15 million tons of CO2 per year, which is roughly equivalent to the amount produced by three medium-sized coal-fired power plants in that time.

Bielicki noted the possibility of expanding the use of geothermal energy around the country. Right now, most geothermal power plants are in California and Nevada, where very hot water is relatively close to the surface. But the new design is so much more efficient at both storing energy and extracting heat that even smaller-scale “hotspots” throughout the western U.S. could generate power.

The eastern U.S. is mostly devoid of even small hotspots, so geothermal power would still be limited to a few particularly active areas such as West Virginia, he said.

Another caveat: The geothermal plant would probably have to be connected to a large CO2 source, such as a coal-fired power plant that is scrubbing the CO2 from its own emissions. That connection would likely be made by pipeline.

Buscheck added, however, that the study showed that this design could work effectively with or without CO2, and said a pilot plant based on this design could initially be powered solely by nitrogen injection to prove the economic viability of using CO2. The research team is currently working on more detailed computer model simulations and economic analyses for specific geologic settings in the U.S.

The project is unusual in part because, as they were refining their ideas, the engineers joined with Shannon Gilley, then a master of fine arts student at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Bielicki worked with Gilley for more than a year to create the computer animated video titled “Geothermal Energy: Enhancing our Future.” Part of Gilley’s task was to communicate the more complex details of climate change, CO2 storage and geothermal energy to the general public.

“We built this concept of public outreach into our efforts not just to communicate our work, but also to explore new ways for scientists, engineers, economists and artists to work together,” Bielicki said.

Co-authors on the presentation also included Mingjie Chen, Yue Hao and Yunwei Sun, all of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Work at the University of Minnesota and Ohio State has been funded by the National Science Foundation, while work at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has been funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Heat Mining Co. LLC, a startup company spun off from the University of Minnesota, expects to have an operational project, based on an earlier form of the approach, in 2016.

by: Pam Frost Gorder, The Ohio State University

Solar May Reach 49 Gigawatts in 2014

by Chris Meehan

It’s begining of the year, and businesspeople are looking forward to 2014. Among them is the solar industry, which is anticipating continued growth into the new year as international markets continue to expand.
At least one company, NPD Solarbuzz has taken a bullish approach anticipating that the global level of solar installations could reach 49 gigawatts by the end of 2014. However, other companies like Mercom anticipate that the world will have 43 gigawatts of solar installed by the end of 2014. Either way both companies are showing strong and stable growth for the industry.
Solarbuzz’s more bullish stance sees larger growth. “The solar PV industry has reached a critical tipping point, with end-market demand hitting record levels almost every quarter,” said NPD Solarbuzz Vice President Finlay Colville. “This growth is being driven by leading module suppliers and project developers that returned to profitability during 2013, and which have now established highly-effective global sales and marketing networks,” he added.
Market conditions have stabilized for the solar industry over the past few years, following a period of wild growth, which led first to undersupply then oversupply by photovoltaic manufacturers in particular. "Manufacturing over-capacity and pricing erosion within the PV industry was previously a key factor in limiting annual growth to 10 percent to 20 percent between 2011 and 2013,” Colville said. “With a more stable pricing environment and the prospects of increased end-market globalization, NPD Solarbuzz forecasts a return to annual growth above 30 percent for the PV industry in 2014.”
Mercom largely agreed with Solarbuzz. “Helped by strong demand, the module oversupply situation has improved. Prices are stable, and manufacturers are reporting shipment growth and ramping up capacity,” said CEO Raj Prabhu.
One of the factors that’s likely leading to some of the discrepancy between the two projections is Japan. “At the moment, Japan is a ‘wild card,’” Prabhu said. “Though forecast to be the second largest market in 2014 with 7 gigawatts installed, there are some mixed signals coming out of Japan.”
Apparently there is already a large gap in the country between projects approved under the country’s feed-in tariff and the amount actually installed, according to Mercom. The company said that the country’s government is exploring the issue. Another potential roadblock to higher installations in 2014 is what the Shinzo Abe policy position towards solar and renewables will be.
NPD Solarbuzz anticipated record growth for the last quarter of 2013 and first quarter of 2014. “Q4’13 will be another record quarter for the solar PV industry, exceeding the 12 gigawatt barrier for the first time ever,” the company said. “Furthermore, demand in Q1’14 will also achieve record-breaking status, as the strongest first-quarter ever seen by the PV industry,” it added. It anticipated that during that six-month period 22 gigawatts of solar PV will be installed.
Both companies anticipated a shift in the market from Europe as countries like Germany and Italy no longer dominate new installations. “The record solar PV demand in Q4’13 is heavily weighted towards the three leading countries….Two-thirds of all solar panels installed in Q4 will be located in China, Japan, and the US,” NPD Solarbuzz said.
The original article was posted on SolarReviews.

GLOBAL Renewable Energy Resources: Bio Energy

Worldwide Fuelwood Production
The maps show the fuelwood production in the different countries. The values are expressed in (metric) tonnes per capita. The energy equivalent of one tonne of wood is roughly 3.8 MWh.

The values are based on the Survey of Energy Resources 2004, published by the World Energy Council WEC (forest area: Survey 2001). They have been used with permission of the editor Elsevier, Oxford.

Worldwide Sugarcane Baggasse Availability

The maps show the availability of sugar cane bagasse in the different countries. The values are expressed in (metric) tonnes per capita.
The energy equivalent of one tonne of bagasse is roughly 2.5 MWh. The energy potential reaches an interesting level in the sugar producing countries.

The values are based on the Survey of Energy Resources 2004, published by the World Energy Council WEC. They have been used with permission of the editor Elsevier, Oxford.

 

 

 

Solar industry in China

China has 80% of the world market for solar water heating, but very little installed PV capacity, despite a strong module exports industry. It is already a global powerhouse for cells and modules, but is currently dependent on imported feedstock. This will change by 2015, due to intense investment in silicon refining capacity in 2006-2012, and the country will become a net exporter of every element of the PV value chain by 2020.

Investment in Chinese solar companies totalled $4.1 billion in 2012, consisting of $2638 million of Venture Capital & Private Equity, plus $1466 million of public market fund raising. While silicon shortages persist, inexpensive labour gives China an edge in that it is economically viable for it to manually recover and recycle silicon. However, this situation will change as new silicon production within the country comes on stream and the bottleneck eases.

Foreign demand for Chinese PV products drives production, with domestic demand expected to remain a small proportion of revenue (currently around 10%). Exports will continue to dominate the mix.

Even though China is expected to become a net PV exporter, this will not be at the expense of its domestic

industry: China is likely to more than meet its target of 500MW installed by 2015, and to easily outstrip its 2020 target of 2GW – which will require total investment of more than $40 billion in domestic solar thermal and PV installations over the next 15 years. While PV remains relatively expensive as a form of generation, China will continue to focus on capitalising on other countries’ generous feed-in tariffs (it has done particularly well on Germany’s), rather than building out its own solar capacity.

Source: New Energy Finance