Jul 17 2010 by Graham Henry, Western Mail
PLANS for the creation of an extensive offshore tidal power zone have been unveiled as part of a scheme to boost renewable energy production in North Wales.
Recommendations for the £150m tidal energy testing facility at Llanddulas, near Colwyn Bay, were put to Conwy County Council by consultants Capita Symonds and were given support in principle.
Colwyn Bay pier and a smaller pier at Rhyl, both with tidal energy-creating capabilities, would be built under the scheme, along with a new marina at Llanddulas.
A new cross-county Coastal Strategic Regeneration Area report has also recommended that seven visitor centres costing £30m should be built along the coast as part of a strategy to boost tourism.
The purpose of the Tidal Energy Storage And Release (TESAR) scheme would be to provide a test facility for turbine designers and manufacturers to develop a new generation of “low head” turbines while also assessing their impact on the environment.
Now that the council has indicated initial support, Capita will embark on a feasibility study on how the scheme would be funded and its potential impact on the environment.
The project, which would take six years to design and build, would be able to harness the power of the tide to generate some 600MW of renewable electricity a year.
Built using locally-sourced materials, it would act as a catalyst for sustainable regeneration in the area and has the potential to bring in more than 50 jobs during the construction phase.
The proposed pilot scheme would exploit tidal range technology which captures the power of the tide in “lagoons.”
It would be similar to the proposal to build a barrage or lagoon on the Severn Estuary.
There is also a scheme on Anglesey, by npower Renewables, to create special turbines to develop a tidal farm capable of powering up to 6,000 homes.
Paul Terry, of Capita Symonds, said: “Tidal power will play a key role in providing a sustainable energy source for future generations.
“The North Wales coast is an ideal place for such a scheme as it’s blessed with a good tidal range and suitable ocean depth.”
He added that he hoped the proposed test site would bring potential protection from rising sea levels and coast erosion that the area has suffered in the past – such as the Towyn floods in 1990.
He said: “It is something we have been very excited about. It is one of the means of securing renewable energy systems which we are, as yet, not tapping into in the UK to any great extent.
“The regenerative aspect of it is also bound to be an attraction for visitors and tourists and could be a catalyst for similar schemes around the UK,” he added.
The announcement of the North Wales plan comes after the Welsh Assembly Government had spoken about the potential of marine technology in Wales as part of its Marine Renewable Energy Strategic Framework.
Environment Minister Jane Davidson said: “Wales really does have a lot to offer on marine renewables.
“Our geographical position means that we are perfectly placed for an emerging marine energy industry as we have some of the best tidal stream resources in the UK, in terms of accessibility and shelter.”
Tidal flow or tidal stream technologies – essentially underwater turbines – are also being proposed for other sites in Wales as companies look to exploit a relatively under-developed area of renewables technology.
James Orme of Swansea- based Swanturbines, which has proposed using tidal stream technologies around the world, said that the stream technology, where turbines are submerged, had advantages over other types of tidal power generation technology.
“The technology they are using in that scheme is quite different to ours, in many ways, even though they are both tidal technologies,” he said.
“I believe tidal stream is better as there is no visual impact and no permanent structure to divert the flow – the water just spins the turbines and there is no civil engineering aspect to it, which limits the financial and environmental risk.”
Sunday, 18 July 2010
Shell-Covered Motorbikes The SunRed Solar Moped Features a Retractable Photovoltaic Roof
Prodigy Barcelona-based industrial designing firm Guimeraicinca has designed this unique solar powered moped called the SunRed. The SunRed moped won a special jury mention at the Barcelona International Motor Show Awards.
The SunRed moped features a retractable shell integrated with solar panels. Riders can just roll the cover back before riding and close the cover when they’ve parked. The moped has a top speed of 50 km/h with a range of 20 km.
The SunRed moped features a retractable shell integrated with solar panels. Riders can just roll the cover back before riding and close the cover when they’ve parked. The moped has a top speed of 50 km/h with a range of 20 km.
EU carbon rebounds from 3-month low, closes up 2 percent
LONDON (Reuters) - European Union carbon permit prices closed up over 2 percent on Friday rising 5 percent from a three-month low hit on Wednesday, but still ending a volatile week, fueled by speculative selling, lower.
EU Allowance futures for December delivery closed up 34 cents or 2.4 percent to 14.29 euros a tonne on moderate volume of 8,290 lots traded.
The benchmark contracts had traded as high as 14.39 euros before falling back in the last hour of trade.
"We've stabilized and more confidence came into the market today," said one trader.
Traders said the speculative selling that triggered stop-loss orders and pushed Dec-10 prices down to 13.61 euros on Wednesday had subsided, though most of the buying seen in the latter half of the week was done mainly by financials.
One broker said utilities, the main compliance buyers under the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme, were still conspicuously absent from the market. Some traders had expected utilities to hunt for bargains at these lows.
The benchmark contracts finished the week down 2.5 percent and are still down 6 percent in July and 15 percent below the 2010 high of 16.73 euros hit in early May.
Although they closed above their 200-day moving average, the Dec-10s failed to touch to their 100-day average at 14.55 euros, or close above a key technical resistance at 14.30 euros.
Dec-10 CERs also finished the week strong, gaining 34 cents or 2.9 percent to 12.20 euros at tonne. The Dec-11s and Dec-12s both closed up over 2 percent at 11.90 euros.
The Dec-10 EUA-CER spread ended the week at 2.09, while the Dec-12 spread closed at 3.35 euros.
U.S. crude oil slipped below $76 a barrel, dropping alongside equities as weak U.S. consumer sentiment and falling consumer prices lowered investor appetite for risk.
German Calendar 2011 baseload power trading on the EEX added 18 cents to 51.25 euros per megawatt hour while day-ahead UK gas lost 0.1 pence to 48 pence per therm.
A scaled-back U.S. climate change bill Senate Democrats are considering would achieve far less than President Barack Obama promised at a U.N. global warming conference last year -- but even this may be too much for Congress.
With little time left in a short, crowded legislative schedule this year, Senate Democratic leaders are weighing a final attempt to begin reducing CO2 emissions.
Instead of the kind of economy-wide scheme the House of Representatives approved last year, senators are trying to rally support for a narrower plan that would set pollution caps only on the electric power sector -- covering about one-third of the country's greenhouse gas emissions.
EU Allowance futures for December delivery closed up 34 cents or 2.4 percent to 14.29 euros a tonne on moderate volume of 8,290 lots traded.
The benchmark contracts had traded as high as 14.39 euros before falling back in the last hour of trade.
"We've stabilized and more confidence came into the market today," said one trader.
Traders said the speculative selling that triggered stop-loss orders and pushed Dec-10 prices down to 13.61 euros on Wednesday had subsided, though most of the buying seen in the latter half of the week was done mainly by financials.
One broker said utilities, the main compliance buyers under the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme, were still conspicuously absent from the market. Some traders had expected utilities to hunt for bargains at these lows.
The benchmark contracts finished the week down 2.5 percent and are still down 6 percent in July and 15 percent below the 2010 high of 16.73 euros hit in early May.
Although they closed above their 200-day moving average, the Dec-10s failed to touch to their 100-day average at 14.55 euros, or close above a key technical resistance at 14.30 euros.
Dec-10 CERs also finished the week strong, gaining 34 cents or 2.9 percent to 12.20 euros at tonne. The Dec-11s and Dec-12s both closed up over 2 percent at 11.90 euros.
The Dec-10 EUA-CER spread ended the week at 2.09, while the Dec-12 spread closed at 3.35 euros.
U.S. crude oil slipped below $76 a barrel, dropping alongside equities as weak U.S. consumer sentiment and falling consumer prices lowered investor appetite for risk.
German Calendar 2011 baseload power trading on the EEX added 18 cents to 51.25 euros per megawatt hour while day-ahead UK gas lost 0.1 pence to 48 pence per therm.
A scaled-back U.S. climate change bill Senate Democrats are considering would achieve far less than President Barack Obama promised at a U.N. global warming conference last year -- but even this may be too much for Congress.
With little time left in a short, crowded legislative schedule this year, Senate Democratic leaders are weighing a final attempt to begin reducing CO2 emissions.
Instead of the kind of economy-wide scheme the House of Representatives approved last year, senators are trying to rally support for a narrower plan that would set pollution caps only on the electric power sector -- covering about one-third of the country's greenhouse gas emissions.
Piedmont Biofuels, Novozymes will turn sludge to fuel
BY JOHN MURAWSKI - Staff Writer
Tags: biodiesel
PITTSBORO -- A partnership between two Triangle companies to turn sludge into fuel could boost the fortunes of the nation's struggling biodiesel industry.
Their success hinges on a new process for refining the thick grease that's flushed out of restaurant kitchen drains - long deemed too corroded to be converted into vehicle fuel.
On Friday, Piedmont Biofuels in Pittsboro unveiled a new processor that use enzymes supplied by Novozymes, a Danish biochemical company with its U.S. headquarters in nearby Franklinton, to chemically convert the gunk. It's the first time the process has been tried on a commercial scale.
Piedmont Biofuels will test the device for a year to make sure there are no glitches. If it works as planned, Piedmont Biofuels could manufacture its enzymatic processor for other biodiesel companies. It already manufactures other equipment used in the processing of biofuels.
The experiment also presents a potential business opportunity for Novozymes. If enzymatic processing takes off, Novozymes could sell its enzymes to a host of biodiesel producers, said Hans Christian Holm, the company's senior manager for oils and fats.
"It could be a substantial deal," said W. Steven Burke, president of the N.C. Biofuels Center. "It's an enormously promising technological step."
Biofuels - ethanol and biodiesel - have been touted as a promising energy resource that can offset imported petroleum-based fuels. But the industry has been hobbled by high production costs associated with converting corn or other crops into ethanol, and vegetable oils into biodiesel.
In 2008, Piedmont Biofuels produced a record 1.2 million gallons of biodiesel but expects to produce only about one-third that amount this year. A major reason for the production drop is the expiration of a federal incentive that paid biodiesel producers $1 a gallon for biodiesel output.
About half the state's biofuels producers have gone out of business or idled production because of the expired subsidy, said Leif Forer, Piedmont Biodiesel's chief of engineering and a founding board member of the N.C. Biodiesel Association.
Piedmont Biofuels, which sells to a commercial distributor and a local cooperative, survived, but shrank from 30 to 14 employees.
Grease too costly
Without the subsidy, Piedmont Biofuels can't afford to buy restaurant grease, which costs about 16 cents a gallon on the open market. Instead, it can only use the grease it gets for free from more than 100 restaurants within a 100-mile radius of its Pittsboro office. A gallon of fryer oil produces about a gallon of biodiesel.
Sludge price is right
But trapped drain sludge costs about 5 cents a gallon and would be economically feasible. Restaurants in the state produce about 8 million gallons of the gunk.. That's why the enzymes represent a potential breakthrough for the industry.
Tags: biodiesel
PITTSBORO -- A partnership between two Triangle companies to turn sludge into fuel could boost the fortunes of the nation's struggling biodiesel industry.
Their success hinges on a new process for refining the thick grease that's flushed out of restaurant kitchen drains - long deemed too corroded to be converted into vehicle fuel.
On Friday, Piedmont Biofuels in Pittsboro unveiled a new processor that use enzymes supplied by Novozymes, a Danish biochemical company with its U.S. headquarters in nearby Franklinton, to chemically convert the gunk. It's the first time the process has been tried on a commercial scale.
Piedmont Biofuels will test the device for a year to make sure there are no glitches. If it works as planned, Piedmont Biofuels could manufacture its enzymatic processor for other biodiesel companies. It already manufactures other equipment used in the processing of biofuels.
The experiment also presents a potential business opportunity for Novozymes. If enzymatic processing takes off, Novozymes could sell its enzymes to a host of biodiesel producers, said Hans Christian Holm, the company's senior manager for oils and fats.
"It could be a substantial deal," said W. Steven Burke, president of the N.C. Biofuels Center. "It's an enormously promising technological step."
Biofuels - ethanol and biodiesel - have been touted as a promising energy resource that can offset imported petroleum-based fuels. But the industry has been hobbled by high production costs associated with converting corn or other crops into ethanol, and vegetable oils into biodiesel.
In 2008, Piedmont Biofuels produced a record 1.2 million gallons of biodiesel but expects to produce only about one-third that amount this year. A major reason for the production drop is the expiration of a federal incentive that paid biodiesel producers $1 a gallon for biodiesel output.
About half the state's biofuels producers have gone out of business or idled production because of the expired subsidy, said Leif Forer, Piedmont Biodiesel's chief of engineering and a founding board member of the N.C. Biodiesel Association.
Piedmont Biofuels, which sells to a commercial distributor and a local cooperative, survived, but shrank from 30 to 14 employees.
Grease too costly
Without the subsidy, Piedmont Biofuels can't afford to buy restaurant grease, which costs about 16 cents a gallon on the open market. Instead, it can only use the grease it gets for free from more than 100 restaurants within a 100-mile radius of its Pittsboro office. A gallon of fryer oil produces about a gallon of biodiesel.
Sludge price is right
But trapped drain sludge costs about 5 cents a gallon and would be economically feasible. Restaurants in the state produce about 8 million gallons of the gunk.. That's why the enzymes represent a potential breakthrough for the industry.
Steam regeneration for carbon-capture materials
16 July 2010
Solid materials containing amines are being studied as part of potential CO2 sequestration programmes designed to reduce the impact of the greenhouse gas.
Although these adsorbent materials do a good job of trapping the carbon dioxide, commonly used techniques for separating the CO2from the amine materials − thereby regenerating them for reuse − seem unlikely to be suitable for high-volume industrial applications.
Now, researchers have demonstrated a relatively simple regeneration technique that could use the waste steam generated by many facilities that burn fossil fuels. This steam-stripping technique could produce concentrated carbon dioxide ready for sequestration in the ocean or deep-earth locations − while readying the amine materials for further use.
.’We have demonstrated an approach to developing a practical adsorption process for capturing carbon dioxide and then releasing it in a form suitable for sequestration,’ said Christopher Jones, a professor in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
The work was supported by New York-based Global Thermostat, a company that is developing and commercialising technology for the direct capture of carbon dioxide from the air.
Amine sorbents are often regenerated through a process that involves a change in temperature to supply the energy required to break the amine-carbon-dioxide chemical bonds.
For convenience, researchers commonly remove the CO2 by heating the amine material in the presence of a flowing gas, such as nitrogen or helium. That removes the carbon dioxide, but mixes it with the flowing gas − regenerating the material, but leaving the CO2 mixed with nitrogen or helium.
Another approach is to heat the material in a carbon-dioxide stream, but that is less efficient and can lead to fouling of the amine.
Jones and his team from Georgia Tech, SRI and Global Thermostat took a different approach, heating sorbent amines in steam at a temperature of approximately 105°C, causing the carbon dioxide to separate from the material. The steam can then be compressed, condensing the water and leaving a concentrated flow of carbon dioxide suitable for sequestration or other use − such as a nutrient for algae growth.
Because most coal-burning facilities generate steam, some of that might be bled off to achieve the separation and regeneration without a significant energy penalty. ’In many facilities, steam at this temperature would have no other application, so using it for this purpose would not have a significant cost to the plant,’ Jones noted.
’Steam stripping is widely used in other separation processes, but has never been reported for use with supported amine materials, perhaps due to concerns about sorbent stability,’ Jones said.
Though much remains to be done before solid amine materials can be used in large-scale applications, Jones believes his study demonstrates that such materials could be developed with properties tailored for the steam-regeneration process.
’We believe there is potential for development of materials that will be stable for long-term use during regeneration using this technique,’ he said.
Solid materials containing amines are being studied as part of potential CO2 sequestration programmes designed to reduce the impact of the greenhouse gas.
Although these adsorbent materials do a good job of trapping the carbon dioxide, commonly used techniques for separating the CO2from the amine materials − thereby regenerating them for reuse − seem unlikely to be suitable for high-volume industrial applications.
Now, researchers have demonstrated a relatively simple regeneration technique that could use the waste steam generated by many facilities that burn fossil fuels. This steam-stripping technique could produce concentrated carbon dioxide ready for sequestration in the ocean or deep-earth locations − while readying the amine materials for further use.
.’We have demonstrated an approach to developing a practical adsorption process for capturing carbon dioxide and then releasing it in a form suitable for sequestration,’ said Christopher Jones, a professor in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
The work was supported by New York-based Global Thermostat, a company that is developing and commercialising technology for the direct capture of carbon dioxide from the air.
Amine sorbents are often regenerated through a process that involves a change in temperature to supply the energy required to break the amine-carbon-dioxide chemical bonds.
For convenience, researchers commonly remove the CO2 by heating the amine material in the presence of a flowing gas, such as nitrogen or helium. That removes the carbon dioxide, but mixes it with the flowing gas − regenerating the material, but leaving the CO2 mixed with nitrogen or helium.
Another approach is to heat the material in a carbon-dioxide stream, but that is less efficient and can lead to fouling of the amine.
Jones and his team from Georgia Tech, SRI and Global Thermostat took a different approach, heating sorbent amines in steam at a temperature of approximately 105°C, causing the carbon dioxide to separate from the material. The steam can then be compressed, condensing the water and leaving a concentrated flow of carbon dioxide suitable for sequestration or other use − such as a nutrient for algae growth.
Because most coal-burning facilities generate steam, some of that might be bled off to achieve the separation and regeneration without a significant energy penalty. ’In many facilities, steam at this temperature would have no other application, so using it for this purpose would not have a significant cost to the plant,’ Jones noted.
’Steam stripping is widely used in other separation processes, but has never been reported for use with supported amine materials, perhaps due to concerns about sorbent stability,’ Jones said.
Though much remains to be done before solid amine materials can be used in large-scale applications, Jones believes his study demonstrates that such materials could be developed with properties tailored for the steam-regeneration process.
’We believe there is potential for development of materials that will be stable for long-term use during regeneration using this technique,’ he said.
Boeing's Dreamliner lands in Britain for the first time
The 250-seater aircraft with Rolls-Royce and General Electric engines emits 20% less carbon dioxide than similar-sized planes
Dan Milmo guardian.co.uk, Sunday 18 July 2010 19.15 BST
Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, the aircraft maker's riposte to the Airbus A380 super jumbo, landed in Britain for the first time today at the Farnborough airshow.
Although it does not match the A380 for sheer scale, the Dreamliner claims to herald a step-change in engineering and efficiency by virtue of a hi-tech fuselage constructed from carbon fibre rather than riveted metal sheets. The 250-seater aircraft is trumpeted as being lighter and less fuel-thirsty than its peers, with Boeing claiming that its Rolls-Royce and General Electric engines will emit 20% less carbon dioxide than similar-sized planes.
Bleary-eyed long-haul passengers will probably be more excited by Boeing's claim that jet lag will be reduced by a new onboard filtration system that will pump cleaner air into cabins, as well as lighting that replicates sunrise and sunset.
However, just like the Airbus-owned A380, the Dreamliner project has endured a bumpy trajectory. It completed its first trip outside the US but is not expected to make its first delivery, to Japan's All Nippon Airways, until the end of the year – two years behind schedule amid production problems.
Nonetheless, the promise of greater fuel efficiency – jet fuel accounts for about a third of airline costs – has seen the Dreamliner secure 866 orders from airlines including Virgin Atlantic and British Airways.
Ian Godden, chairman of ADS, the UK's aerospace, defence and security trade organisation, said: "The Dreamliner is a terrific aircraft and the British aerospace industry is proud of its major contribution to the programme.
"With Rolls-Royce engines alongside contributions from other world-leading UK-based companies, 25% of the plane by value is made in Britain.
"The UK is number one in Europe and second only to the US globally in civil aerospace. Our technical expertise in manufacturing and services in aerospace is known throughout the world and this is endorsed by the key roles being played in the 787 Dreamliner programme by a number of leading UK companies.
"We are delighted to welcome the Dreamliner to the UK for the first time and we are certain that our colleagues from Boeing and their suppliers will enjoy a successful Farnborough International Airshow 2010."
Jonathan Counsell, British Airways' head of environment, said: "We are committed to addressing our impact on climate change. Adopting new technology is one of the ways in which we are reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.
"The 787s we have ordered are not only more fuel efficient but they also produce nearly half the amount of nitrogen dioxide emissions," he said.
The Dreamliner's first UK customer is Thomson Airways, which will receive its first delivery in January 2012. Chris Browne, managing director, said: "The Dreamliner will transform long-haul travel, opening up new destinations and making it affordable for everyone."
Dan Milmo guardian.co.uk, Sunday 18 July 2010 19.15 BST
Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, the aircraft maker's riposte to the Airbus A380 super jumbo, landed in Britain for the first time today at the Farnborough airshow.
Although it does not match the A380 for sheer scale, the Dreamliner claims to herald a step-change in engineering and efficiency by virtue of a hi-tech fuselage constructed from carbon fibre rather than riveted metal sheets. The 250-seater aircraft is trumpeted as being lighter and less fuel-thirsty than its peers, with Boeing claiming that its Rolls-Royce and General Electric engines will emit 20% less carbon dioxide than similar-sized planes.
Bleary-eyed long-haul passengers will probably be more excited by Boeing's claim that jet lag will be reduced by a new onboard filtration system that will pump cleaner air into cabins, as well as lighting that replicates sunrise and sunset.
However, just like the Airbus-owned A380, the Dreamliner project has endured a bumpy trajectory. It completed its first trip outside the US but is not expected to make its first delivery, to Japan's All Nippon Airways, until the end of the year – two years behind schedule amid production problems.
Nonetheless, the promise of greater fuel efficiency – jet fuel accounts for about a third of airline costs – has seen the Dreamliner secure 866 orders from airlines including Virgin Atlantic and British Airways.
Ian Godden, chairman of ADS, the UK's aerospace, defence and security trade organisation, said: "The Dreamliner is a terrific aircraft and the British aerospace industry is proud of its major contribution to the programme.
"With Rolls-Royce engines alongside contributions from other world-leading UK-based companies, 25% of the plane by value is made in Britain.
"The UK is number one in Europe and second only to the US globally in civil aerospace. Our technical expertise in manufacturing and services in aerospace is known throughout the world and this is endorsed by the key roles being played in the 787 Dreamliner programme by a number of leading UK companies.
"We are delighted to welcome the Dreamliner to the UK for the first time and we are certain that our colleagues from Boeing and their suppliers will enjoy a successful Farnborough International Airshow 2010."
Jonathan Counsell, British Airways' head of environment, said: "We are committed to addressing our impact on climate change. Adopting new technology is one of the ways in which we are reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.
"The 787s we have ordered are not only more fuel efficient but they also produce nearly half the amount of nitrogen dioxide emissions," he said.
The Dreamliner's first UK customer is Thomson Airways, which will receive its first delivery in January 2012. Chris Browne, managing director, said: "The Dreamliner will transform long-haul travel, opening up new destinations and making it affordable for everyone."