Free Energy at last!

[waltky]

Ride the wave...

Scientists tap motion in the ocean for energy
Wave power, dolphin flukes and humpback whale fins among inspirations
Mon., July. 21, 2008

A sea of potential is lurking just beneath the waves. In a sinuous rubber tube dubbed the Anaconda and in the unusual features of dolphin flukes and humpback whale fins, scientists are looking to the ocean and its inhabitants for a little alternative energy inspiration. For Frank Fish, humpback whales are inspiring new designs for more efficient windmills and industrial ceiling fans. Why humpbacks? “They actually have these very elongated flippers, about one-third the body length of the animals,” said Fish, a biomechanist at West Chester University in West Chester, Pa.

Along the leading edge of each wing-like flipper, he said, prominent bumps called tubercles modify the flow of water and keep it from stalling. A stall, in either air or water, happens when a wing (or flipper) banks at too high of an angle relative to the oncoming flow, resulting in a dramatic loss of lift. The phenomenon can be catastrophic in airplanes, dropping them from the sky like dead weight.

Humpback fins, however, show that bumpy surfaces can help establish a flow pattern that reduces the likelihood of a stall. Because of the design, the wings can be held at a much higher angle to increase the flow. Fish’s research suggests that at higher angles, the tubercles may actually reduce the drag compared to perfectly smooth wings, flipping conventional engineering theory on its head. Accordingly, Fish sees obvious applications for any lifting, wing-like surface, whether for airplanes or windmills.

Whales and wind turbines

[waltky]

The answer is blowin' in the wind...

Wind power: A reality check
July 24, 2008: Plans are afoot to prod the nation into using much more renewable energy. Can it be done, and what's the cost?

High-profile personalities have been telling the nation to ditch that dirty fossil fuel and turn to renewable energy. T. Boone Pickens, the billionaire oilman, has been hitting the airwaves, pitching a plan to use wind to replace all the natural gas that's used to produce electricity, then using that saved natural gas to fuel cars.

In addition to weaning the nation from foreign oil, Pickens' plan is not entirely altruistic. He's investing hundreds of millions of dollars on a giant wind farm in the Texas panhandle, and his hedge fund, BP Capital, is said to own stakes in several companies that equip cars to run on natural gas. If his energy efforts pan out, he could get even richer in the process.

Then there's Al Gore. The former U.S. vice president and Nobel Prize winner said last week that electricity generation should be completely fossil-fuel free in 10 years. The question is, are these plans realistic or just dreams?

"It's not out of the realm of technical feasibility," said Chris Namovicz, a renewable energy analyst at the government's Energy Information Agency. "But they come with pretty significant price tags." The order is indeed tall.

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China becoming big on wind power...

China's 'rapid renewables surge'
Friday, 1 August 2008 - China has the world's fifth largest fleet of wind turbines

China's rapid investment in low carbon technologies has catapulted the nation up the global renewable energy rankings, a report shows. The Climate Group study said China invested $12bn (£6bn) in renewables during 2007, second only to Germany. However, it was expected to top the table by the end of 2009, it added. The findings have been published as China faces criticism over its air quality ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games, which begin on 8 August.

The report, China's Clean Revolution, brings together the latest data on the country's burgeoning renewables sector in one publication. Co-author Changhua Wu, The Climate Group's China director, said the rapid rise in investment was, in part, the result of the government realising that the western model of industrialisation was unsustainable. "China has been experiencing similar problems during its industrial revolution that western nations saw during their period of rapid growth - pollution, environmental damage and resource depletion," she told BBC News.

"Domestically, we are being constrained in many ways; we do not have that many natural resources anymore. "We have to rely on the international markets, so there is a big security concern there." Uncertainty over future energy supplies has seen global fuel prices reach record levels, which has resulted in renewable technologies becoming a more attractive option. The report said China's $12bn investment in renewables during 2007 was only just behind top-of-the-table Germany, which spent $14bn.

More BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | China's 'rapid renewables surge'

[waltky]

With the amount of coastlines we have, we ought to be able to provide all the non-vehicular power we need...

Britain To Build World's Largest Tidal Power Station
August 8, 2008 - Great Britain is planning to build the world's largest tidal power station expected to generate 5 percent of the country's power requirement.

The water will come from Severn, Britain's longest river measuring 217.5 miles (350 kilometers). The 7.4 mile (16 km) dam will cover the length of the inlet between England and South Wales. Its underwater turbines are expected to produce 8.6 gigawatts, sufficient to power 1,000 homes. The project's price tag is estimated at $29 billion (15 billion pound). It has the support of both British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Conservatives leader David Cameron.

When tidal energy firm Marine Current Turbines installed the trial turbine called SeaGen, it generated 150 kilowatts of electricity. Martin Wright, managing director of MCT, explained to Guardian Unlimited, "The best way to think of it is an underwater windmill... There are big masses of water moving on the Earth's surface as a result of the gravitational attraction of the moon. Therefore you have streams occurring where you have accelerated flow."

British Secretary of State for Business John Hutton said once the tidal powered plant is operational, it will reduce U.K.'s dependence on fossil fuel and secure its future energy supply.

Britain To Build World's Largest Tidal Power Station | AHN | August 8, 2008

[waltky]

Cheap hydrogen...

Scientists find new ways to convert ethanol into hydrogen
Thursday 21st August, 2008 - Scientists have found a way to convert ethanol and other biofuels into hydrogen very efficiently, by using a new catalyst that makes hydrogen from ethanol with 90 percent yield, at a workable temperature, and using inexpensive ingredients.

According to Umit Ozkan, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Ohio State University in the US, the new catalyst is much less expensive than others being developed around the world, because it does not contain precious metals, such as platinum or rhodium. 'Rhodium is used most often for this kind of catalyst, and it costs around 9,000 dollars an ounce,' said Ozkan. 'Our catalyst costs around 9 dollars a kilogram,' she added. The Ohio State catalyst could help make the use of hydrogen-powered cars more practical in the future, said Ozkan.

'There are many practical issues that need to be resolved before we can use hydrogen as fuel -- how to make it, how to transport it, how to create the infrastructure for people to fill their cars with it,' she explained. 'Our research lends itself to what's called a 'distributed production' strategy. Instead of making hydrogen from biofuel at a centralized facility and transporting it to gas stations, we could use our catalyst inside reactors that are actually located at the gas stations,' said Ozkan. 'So we wouldn't have to transport or store the hydrogen - we could store the biofuel, and make hydrogen on the spot,' she added.

The catalyst is inexpensive to make and to use compared to others under investigation worldwide. Those others are often made from precious metals, or only work at very high temperatures. Precious metals have high catalytic activity and - in most cases - high stability, but they're also very expensive. 'So our goal from the outset was to come up with a precious-metal-free catalyst, one that was based on metals that are readily available and inexpensive, but still highly active and stable. So that sets us apart from most of the other groups in the world,' said Ozkan.

The new dark gray powder is made from tiny granules of cerium oxide - a common ingredient in ceramics - and calcium, covered with even smaller particles of cobalt. It produces hydrogen with 90 percent efficiency at 660 degrees Fahrenheit (around 350 degrees Celsius) - a low temperature by industrial standards. According to Ozkan, whenever a process works at a lower temperature, that brings energy savings and cost savings. 'Also, if the catalyst is highly active and can achieve high hydrogen yields, we don't need as much of it. That will bring down the size of the reactor, and its cost,' he said.

Scientists find new ways to convert ethanol into hydrogen

[waltky]

Geothermal comin' to the forefront...

Geothermal Energy Gathering Steam
Oct. 7, 2008 - Economic, Environmental Forces Favorable To Developing Renewable Power From Below Ground

An unusual combination of economic and environmental forces have created a "perfect storm" that could help geothermal shed its back-seat status to its renewable cousins wind and solar energy, experts said at an international conference Monday. One after another, state and federal regulators, oil company executives, investor-owned utility officials and private developers recited the conditions in play to an overflow crowd of more than 1,000.

The financial meltdown on Wall Street, soaring oil prices, the volatility of the natural gas market, concern about global warming and a new administration assuming the White House are driving increasing demand for the energy produced by harnessing heat from beneath the earth's surface, they said. "There is not going to be another opportunity like there is now," said Rebecca Wagner, a former manager at a geothermal development company who serves on the state Public Utilities Commission in Nevada, which has the most potential geothermal power in the country.

"This is the perfect storm of events to prove the geothermal industry is going to help address and possibly solve a lot of our energy issues," she said. Steve Chalk, deputy assistant U.S. energy secretary for renewable energy, said the nation is "at the cusp of an historic movement in renewable energy." "We're going through a renaissance now with geothermal - a rebirth," he said.

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Cheap gas killin' alternative energies...

Will Alternative Energy Run Out Of Gas?
Oct. 24, 2008 : Clean-Energy Field Getting Bit By Credit Crisis, But Long-Term Trends Point In Its Favor

People in the alternative energy business have said repeatedly there are "great fundamentals" driving their businesses, namely high fossil fuel prices, supportive government policies, and growing environmental awareness. Now some of the pillars underpinning green technologies are wobbling. Oil prices have plummeted more than 50 percent since the summer, making traditional energy sources look a lot more affordable than they did six months ago for businesses and consumers alike. And the global credit crisis that has sucked the wind out of the economy has done damage to the funding of alternative energy projects as well.

The hardest hit by a freeze or reluctant lending are renewable energies which are already commercial, or on the cusp of getting there. These aren’t cheap little startups we’re talking about: Constructing a biofuels plant costs upwards of a $100 million while connecting a solar power plant, capable of powering tens of thousands of homes, is in the range of $500 million and $800 million, depending on the size. In the current credit market, it’s tough to come up with that money.

But don’t write off clean tech as another casualty of the souring economy quite yet. Today's clean energy field is a lot more resilient than in the days of the 1970s oil price shock for one simple reason - society's priorities have changed since then. Climate change and energy security are front-page issues that still command the attention of consumers, businesses, and politicians, regardless of the economy. Industry is also catching up to the demand for greener and energy-efficient goods, everything from non-toxic cleaning products to small wind turbines. The solar industry projects that cost reductions from technology and manufacturing scale will make solar power match the retail cost of electricity in some areas within a few years.

Nonetheless, the ballyhooed clean tech revolution is being slowed. The length of that delay hinges on the economy, of course, and government policy. Federal incentives to stimulate the transition to more diverse energy sources could serve as a backstop to keep the alternative energy movement on track for both economic and environmental reasons, according to Mark Fulton, the global head of climate change investment research at Deutsche Bank. That is, if there aren’t other spending priorities, like bailing out Wall Street. "The current debate in the next year will include arguments around energy security, which will be combined with the climate change issue, in order to get people focused on the fact that it's a necessity and an opportunity," Fulton said.

Business fundamentals

[waltky]

T. Boone plays Mr. Answer Man...

10 Questions for T. Boone Pickens
1 Nov. `08 - Do you envision an energy plan that will eventually lead to the U.S. no longer being dependent on fossil fuels? Paul Frost, IONIA, MICH.

That'll be a long time off. What I envision is we're going to have to use every resource we have. I want to get off of foreign oil. When I say off foreign oil, I'm O.K. with Canadian oil. I'm O.K. with oil from Mexico. In 10 years, if I was running the operation, I think I could have us where we had reduced oil by 50%.

If you believe that we need cleaner, more independent sources of energy, how will you help convince those who will still profit from oil? Andrew Rowley SPOKANE, WASH.

The profit from oil--we peaked in America in 1970 with 10 million bbl. a day. We're down to 5 [million bbl.] now. There will always be a place for oil, but we have to get over to the renewables, which are wind and solar, first. Those are assets that we have done nothing with in America.

In light of President Bush's record on the environment, do you think supporting the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth was a good choice, insofar as it contributed to his re-election? Brian Checco, BALTIMORE

Have I been disappointed Bush didn't make any meaningful move toward cleaner, domestic natural gas as an alternative to foreign oil? Probably. But did that weigh into my Swift Boat support? Not at all. I had serious questions about [John Kerry's] military service, and he never would answer them.

Do you believe it will be more difficult to mobilize a bipartisan environmental effort due to your past political affiliations? Kevin Buselmeier, BROOKLYN, N.Y.

I don't think my past political affiliations will have anything to do with it. I've worked very well on the Pickens Plan with the Democrat side and the Republican side. I've talked to both Senator McCain and Obama. And I've talked to Governor Palin. They took some of the things we talked about, and they use them in their speeches now.

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Credit crunch delays Pickens wind energy plan...

Pickens' wind plan hits a snag
November 12, 2008: Credit crunch and falling natural gas prices delay plans for giant Texas farm.

Billionaire oilman T. Boone Pickens is delaying his massive Texas wind project, citing a drop in natural gas prices and the tightening credit market. "With natural gas prices where they are, you can't kick off a wind project, you're not economical." Pickens said Tuesday at a news conference in Arizona. But Pickens, who has spent millions over the last few months promoting his "Pickens Plan" to wean the United States off foreign oil by switching to wind and natural gas, said natural gas and oil prices will rise again in less than a year, and characterized the setback as temporary.

A spokesman for Mesa Power, Pickens' company that is building the Texas wind farm, laid the blame more on the credit markets. "The capital markets are problematic for everyone and...may lead us to scale back a bit," Jay Rosser, a spokesman for Mesa, said in a statement. "But we are still going forward with our wind business." Pickens' wind farm in Texas, known as the Pampa Wind Project, was slated to be the largest wind farm in the world, generating 4,000 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 1.3 million homes. A spokesman for Pickens said turbines for the first phase of the project, 1,000 megawatts of power, are still being purchased. The first phase was slated to come online in 2011. Although now it is no longer clear when it will come on line.

The Pickens Plan, which the billionaire has been pushing in TV commercials, media appearances and lobbying efforts since last summer, calls for the country to use wind to generate 20% of its electricity, displacing some of the natural gas that's currently used to generate power. The natural gas, an abundant domestic resource, could then be used to power vehicles, thus reducing oil imports. But natural gas prices have fallen from over $12 per million British thermal units last summer to current levels of around $6. The fall in natural gas prices makes switching to wind power a less certain bet, as utilities would be reluctant to replace natural gas with wind now that natural gas prices are so low.

Pickens said Tuesday that natural gas prices need to be about $9/Btu in order for wind power to be competitive. He remained confident the dip in prices would not effect his overall Pickens Plan. "We will get the plan," he said. Pickens, who made his money in oil production and trading, has been saying for years that the United States is too dependent on foreign oil, and that oil prices will continue to rise over the long term as demand outstrips supply.

Pickens' wind plan hits snag - Nov. 12, 2008

See also:

What a New Energy Economy Might Look Like
Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008 - Except for the soft hydraulic whir of expectations being raised, the first week of the Obama transition was a quiet one.

Indeed, the big news came from neither Chicago nor Washington but from Detroit and Beijing. In Detroit, General Motors — the stupendously clueless — automaker — begged for a bailout lest it go bankrupt, thereby raising the question: If our resources are limited, why should we invest in the failed corporate past rather than in the technologies of the future? The obvious answer was to protect jobs. But how long would those jobs last without a significant overhaul of the company's management and priorities? Was it even possible that the Federal Government could demand or supervise such a radical makeover?

There was even bigger news from China, where the government announced a $586 billion stimulus package in an attempt to soften the blow of the coming recession. The China package was big and bold — and a tacit challenge to the Obama Administration. It represented 18% of the Chinese gross domestic product, the equivalent of a $2.4 trillion program in the U.S. Of course, China has bigger problems to solve than we do. Its social safety net is made of tissue; vast sums will be needed to establish a proper health-care and pension system. But much of the $586 billion will also be spent on investments to jump-start China's next economic expansion — investments in transportation, education, communications and energy.

And that's where the challenge is: if we don't want to be left behind, we will have to do something similar. Obama has said building an alternative-energy economy will be his top priority. The question is, How bold is he willing to be about that? Actually, there are a lot of questions: How much of the stimulus plan he proposes in January will be devoted to immediate middle-class tax relief, and how much to investing in the future? What would a plausible — alternative-energy plan look like?

For answers, I decided to check in with the Center for American Progress (CAP) — the think tank run by Obama's transition chief, John Podesta — which has drafted a green-energy stimulus plan of its own. "We identified $50 billion in programs that are ready to go immediately," says Bracken Hendricks of CAP. "The package would create 2 million jobs across the skill spectrum, from blue collar to high tech, and in almost every area of the country. There was huge congressional appetite for this even before the economic crisis hit."

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Only 52 houses, but at least its a start...

Canadians set up first solar powered community In North America
Washington, Dec 30,`09 : The Canadians have set up the first solar powered community in North America.

According to a report in ENN (Environmental News Network), the community, named the Drake Landing Solar Community (DLSC) is located in the town of Okotoks, Alberta, and consists of 52 houses all powered by solar energy. The system that links the community together is ingenious. It stores the summer months' excess energy underground for it to be put to use in the extremely cold winter months that Alberta is notorious for. A total of 800 solar panels located on garage roofs throughout the community generate 1.5 megawatts of thermal power during a typical summer day, according to the project's organizers.

The engineers have said that in five years' time, they'll be able to capture enough summer energy to provide more than 90 percent of the space heating needs of the homes during the winter months. DLSC's underground energy storage system is unique in the world. Dubbed the Borehole Thermal Energy Storage(BTES), the unit links all the newly built, single detached homes together.

The rest of the building efforts have been as green as possible and the entire community has been awarded gold-certified status under the Built Green Alberta program. That program in turn is modeled on NRCan's EnerGuide for New Houses Program. All of them have rear garages separated from the houses via a breezeway. The best news is of course the low carbon footprint of the people that occupy the houses. A typical household will generate only 1 to 2 tonnes of greenhouse gas annually, compared to an average Canadian footprint of around 6 to 7 tonnes per home a year.

Canadians set up first solar powered community In North America