Vancouver-based Nexterra has announced the successful completion of testing of biosolids as a potential new fuel source for its proprietary gasification technology. The first phase of testing took place last month at Nexterra’s product development centre in Kamloops B.C., using biosolids from Metro Vancouver.
Nexterra is actively developing a new application of its proprietary gasification technology to convert biosolids into renewable heat for use in sludge dryers at municipal wastewater treatment plants. This new application can displace fossil fuels currently used for drying and will provide a long-term, renewable energy solution for sludge disposal that will lower fuel costs and greenhouse gas emissions for municipalities.
Nexterra’s biosolids gasification solution is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 4,000 - 15,000 tonnes annually per facility, the equivalent of taking over 1,000 - 3,700 cars off the road.
"We are excited to be part of this industry-leading initiative, working with Nexterra to convert biosolids into renewable energy," said Paul Kadota, Program Manager with the Residuals Management Division of Metro Vancouver. "This puts gasification on the radar of opportunities for the management of biosolids. The potential for savings on fuel costs is evident, but there’s also the option of creating biosolids pellets which in itself is an alternative fuel or fertilizer."
Results from this energy recovery demonstration have been highly successful. Nexterra’s gasification technology produced significant high quality thermal energy from the Metro Vancouver biosolids without requiring any major equipment modifications. In addition, third-party commissioned field tests confirmed emission results that were well below the guidelines set by British Columbia’s Ministry of Environment.
"The use of biosolids as a fuel for gasification truly falls within the definition of conservation and innovation for the future. The ability to turn a costly management issue into an on-site valuable resource using gasification technology allows us to develop a renewable energy source which can result in energy independence for the wastewater treatment community" said Jeanette Brown, Vice-President of the Water Environment Federation (WEF).According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there are more than 16,000 wastewater treatment facilities in the United States, with many of these plants owned and operated by municipalities. Biological sludge is a residual product of the wastewater treatment process. Traditional biosolids management methods include trucking to landfills or using as a fertilizer. Many municipalities would like to discontinue this practice due to rising fuel and management costs, greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, and diminishing landfill capacity. "This represents a major advancement for the wastewater treatment industry and Nexterra," said Jonathan Rhone, President and CEO of Nexterra. "And we believe this is just the tip of the iceberg. Leveraging wastewater residuals as a valuable renewable energy resource with our expertise in gasification technology has the potential to provide municipalities with a compelling economic renewable energy solution for drying, heating and even power generation applications." Nexterra plans to commercialize its biosolids gasification solution, with the objective of completing fuel testing and selecting a commercial demonstration site before the end of 2009. Nexterra continues to evaluate and test additional feedstock alternatives for their customers to use to offset fossil fuel consumption.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Building the Smart Grid - The New Energy Frontier
’Smart Grid’ - It’s a term used often these days to describe a range of technologies that can help solve the many problems of our aging electricity distribution system. It has a multitude of dimensions, but collectively it is becoming the hottest investment opportunity in the electrical energy sector.
At the consumer level, smartening the grid means providing technologies such as sophisticated metering devices that allow consumers to monitor and control their energy use. At the distributor level, smartening the grid means applying advanced technologies that help manage power loading and distribution to better match demand patterns; that minimize energy loss or wastage; or the deployment of advanced technologies and strategies that can be used to turn the high voltage transmission system into what some have termed a "smart self-healing grid."
Once looked on indifferently by many utilities, advances in energy management technologies have made smartening the electrical distribution grid the next big play in the energy market.
While four years ago Microsoft had no interest in playing a direct role in smart-grid technology development, things have changed dramatically. After the U.S. Department of Energy set aside $4 billion to fund smart grid development and demonstration projects, Microsoft has launched its own web-based home energy management application dubbed Hohm See GLOBE-Net article Microsoft launches home energy monitoring tool.
In his latest column, Hamilton describes the Microsoft application as "an easy - to-use tool that helps consumers lower their energy bill and reduce their impact on the environment."
Other systems heavyweights are also entering the field. IBM Corp., Cisco Systems Inc., and Google all have signaled their intent to pursue technologies designed to improve the efficiency of various components of the electrical grid.
It’s not just big utilities and software developers that are players in this new market. Smaller entrepreneurs have made some real gains also.
Ottawa-based Lixar SRS for example, quietly made a name for itself as one of the top energy management software providers in North America.
A web technology services company, Lixar developed an extremely user-friendly, web-based interface to allow consumers to map their energy use and to lower their electricity consumption.
In a pilot project in Milton, Ontario, Lixar SRS worked with Milton Hydro, Direct Energy, and Bell Canada on an experiment to test different technologies designed to allow households to monitor energy use through the Internet or through smart-phone devices.
Consumers were able see the energy use of particular appliances, monitor historical trends of their energy consumption, and control their energy use remotely. The project showed that a network-centric power grid allowed consumers to reduce their energy consumption by 16%-18%.
As happens all too frequently investment opportunities in Canada were limited. But Lixar SRS caught the attention of American investors and last week sold its energy business to Arlington, Virginia-based GridPoint Inc.
Through its relationship with GridPoint, Lixar SRS could secure substantial contracts with major U.S. utilitiy companies like XCEL Energy and Progress Energy. Industry sources suggest Duke Energy has also expressed interest in Lixar’s technology.
Smartening the grid will not be an overnight process, and many technologies likely will be put in play to re-invent North America’s electricity transmission system.
For companies like Lixar SRS, a smart grid system presents one of most exciting and potentially profitable business opportunities in North America for the next few decades
At the consumer level, smartening the grid means providing technologies such as sophisticated metering devices that allow consumers to monitor and control their energy use. At the distributor level, smartening the grid means applying advanced technologies that help manage power loading and distribution to better match demand patterns; that minimize energy loss or wastage; or the deployment of advanced technologies and strategies that can be used to turn the high voltage transmission system into what some have termed a "smart self-healing grid."
Once looked on indifferently by many utilities, advances in energy management technologies have made smartening the electrical distribution grid the next big play in the energy market.
While four years ago Microsoft had no interest in playing a direct role in smart-grid technology development, things have changed dramatically. After the U.S. Department of Energy set aside $4 billion to fund smart grid development and demonstration projects, Microsoft has launched its own web-based home energy management application dubbed Hohm See GLOBE-Net article Microsoft launches home energy monitoring tool.
In his latest column, Hamilton describes the Microsoft application as "an easy - to-use tool that helps consumers lower their energy bill and reduce their impact on the environment."
Other systems heavyweights are also entering the field. IBM Corp., Cisco Systems Inc., and Google all have signaled their intent to pursue technologies designed to improve the efficiency of various components of the electrical grid.
It’s not just big utilities and software developers that are players in this new market. Smaller entrepreneurs have made some real gains also.
Ottawa-based Lixar SRS for example, quietly made a name for itself as one of the top energy management software providers in North America.
A web technology services company, Lixar developed an extremely user-friendly, web-based interface to allow consumers to map their energy use and to lower their electricity consumption.
In a pilot project in Milton, Ontario, Lixar SRS worked with Milton Hydro, Direct Energy, and Bell Canada on an experiment to test different technologies designed to allow households to monitor energy use through the Internet or through smart-phone devices.
Consumers were able see the energy use of particular appliances, monitor historical trends of their energy consumption, and control their energy use remotely. The project showed that a network-centric power grid allowed consumers to reduce their energy consumption by 16%-18%.
As happens all too frequently investment opportunities in Canada were limited. But Lixar SRS caught the attention of American investors and last week sold its energy business to Arlington, Virginia-based GridPoint Inc.
Through its relationship with GridPoint, Lixar SRS could secure substantial contracts with major U.S. utilitiy companies like XCEL Energy and Progress Energy. Industry sources suggest Duke Energy has also expressed interest in Lixar’s technology.
Smartening the grid will not be an overnight process, and many technologies likely will be put in play to re-invent North America’s electricity transmission system.
For companies like Lixar SRS, a smart grid system presents one of most exciting and potentially profitable business opportunities in North America for the next few decades
First Fuel Cell Flight
The world's first piloted aircraft capable of taking off using only power from fuel cells, Antares DLR-H2, took off from Hamburg airport at 13.00 on July 7th, 2009. The Antares DLR-H2, developed by the German Aerospace Center, flies with zero CO2 emissions and has a much lower noise footprint than other motor gliders.
The Antares DLR-H2 motor glider has set the bar for new standards in zero-emission energy conversion and demonstrates the progress made in fuel cell technology.
"We have improved the performance capabilities and efficiency of the fuel cell to such an extent that a piloted aircraft is now able to take off using it," explained Professor Johann-Dietrich Wörner, Chairman of the Executive Board at DLR. "This enables us to demonstrate the true potential of this technology, also and perhaps specifically for applications in the aerospace sector."
The Antares DLR-H2 is based on the Antares 20E motor glider with a wingspan of 20 meters (66ft), constructed by Lange Aviation, a company based in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany. With its fuel cell propulsion system, Antares has a cruising range of 750 kilometers (466 miles), achieved in a flying time of five hours. The existing propulsion and aerodynamics limits the top speed to 170kph (106 mph), but future designs may reach 300 kph (186mph).
The fuel cell system uses hydrogen as its fuel, and this is converted into electrical energy in a direct electrochemical reaction with oxygen in the ambient air, without any combustion occurring. The only by-product of the zero-particulate reaction is water.
The Antares DLR-H2 motor glider has set the bar for new standards in zero-emission energy conversion and demonstrates the progress made in fuel cell technology.
"We have improved the performance capabilities and efficiency of the fuel cell to such an extent that a piloted aircraft is now able to take off using it," explained Professor Johann-Dietrich Wörner, Chairman of the Executive Board at DLR. "This enables us to demonstrate the true potential of this technology, also and perhaps specifically for applications in the aerospace sector."
The Antares DLR-H2 is based on the Antares 20E motor glider with a wingspan of 20 meters (66ft), constructed by Lange Aviation, a company based in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany. With its fuel cell propulsion system, Antares has a cruising range of 750 kilometers (466 miles), achieved in a flying time of five hours. The existing propulsion and aerodynamics limits the top speed to 170kph (106 mph), but future designs may reach 300 kph (186mph).
The fuel cell system uses hydrogen as its fuel, and this is converted into electrical energy in a direct electrochemical reaction with oxygen in the ambient air, without any combustion occurring. The only by-product of the zero-particulate reaction is water.
Canada Agrees To 2°C
The Government of Canada, on July 8th 2009, made a statement that "Canada recognizes the broad scientific view that the increase in global average temperature above pre-industrial levels ought not to exceed 2°C".
This is a major step forward for Canada and prompted praise from Clare Demerse, Associate Director of the Pembina Institute, a not-for-profit think tank focused on developing innovative sustainable energy solutions; "This is a welcome statement from Canada. The impacts of climate change beyond the 2°C threshold are projected to be catastrophic, especially for some of the world's poorest people. Until today, Canada had never taken a position on what level of global warming is too dangerous. Thanks to pressure from its G8 peers, Canada has now accepted what scientists and leading countries have been saying for years.”
In a December 2008 study -Deep Reductions, Strong Growth An Economic Analysis Showing Canada can Prosper Economically While Doing its Share to Prevent Dangerous Climate Change by M.K. Jaccard and Associates - demonstrated that governments cannot argue that fighting climate change means job losses and declining standards of living, a position held by many governments including Ottawa.
The study, commissioned by the Pembina Institute and the David Suzuki Foundation, found that the Canada's economy could grow by almost 2% per year over the next decade while the country reduces its greenhouse gas pollution to 25% below the 1990 level. This will help meet the 2020 target that is aligned with a 2°C degree limit (a 25% reduction in net emissions by 2020, relative to the 1990 level) while still adding over a million net new jobs from 2010 to 2020.
Meeting the 25% reduction target requires a significant price on carbon pollution as well as targeted regulations and investments to expand the use of clean technology. By 2020 Canadians will save more than $5.5 billion each year at the gas pump because of more efficient vehicles, more public transit and shorter commutes
This is a major step forward for Canada and prompted praise from Clare Demerse, Associate Director of the Pembina Institute, a not-for-profit think tank focused on developing innovative sustainable energy solutions; "This is a welcome statement from Canada. The impacts of climate change beyond the 2°C threshold are projected to be catastrophic, especially for some of the world's poorest people. Until today, Canada had never taken a position on what level of global warming is too dangerous. Thanks to pressure from its G8 peers, Canada has now accepted what scientists and leading countries have been saying for years.”
In a December 2008 study -Deep Reductions, Strong Growth An Economic Analysis Showing Canada can Prosper Economically While Doing its Share to Prevent Dangerous Climate Change by M.K. Jaccard and Associates - demonstrated that governments cannot argue that fighting climate change means job losses and declining standards of living, a position held by many governments including Ottawa.
The study, commissioned by the Pembina Institute and the David Suzuki Foundation, found that the Canada's economy could grow by almost 2% per year over the next decade while the country reduces its greenhouse gas pollution to 25% below the 1990 level. This will help meet the 2020 target that is aligned with a 2°C degree limit (a 25% reduction in net emissions by 2020, relative to the 1990 level) while still adding over a million net new jobs from 2010 to 2020.
Meeting the 25% reduction target requires a significant price on carbon pollution as well as targeted regulations and investments to expand the use of clean technology. By 2020 Canadians will save more than $5.5 billion each year at the gas pump because of more efficient vehicles, more public transit and shorter commutes
Canada Agrees To 2°C
The Government of Canada, on July 8th 2009, made a statement that "Canada recognizes the broad scientific view that the increase in global average temperature above pre-industrial levels ought not to exceed 2°C".
This is a major step forward for Canada and prompted praise from Clare Demerse, Associate Director of the Pembina Institute, a not-for-profit think tank focused on developing innovative sustainable energy solutions; "This is a welcome statement from Canada. The impacts of climate change beyond the 2°C threshold are projected to be catastrophic, especially for some of the world's poorest people. Until today, Canada had never taken a position on what level of global warming is too dangerous. Thanks to pressure from its G8 peers, Canada has now accepted what scientists and leading countries have been saying for years.”
In a December 2008 study -Deep Reductions, Strong Growth An Economic Analysis Showing Canada can Prosper Economically While Doing its Share to Prevent Dangerous Climate Change by M.K. Jaccard and Associates - demonstrated that governments cannot argue that fighting climate change means job losses and declining standards of living, a position held by many governments including Ottawa.
The study, commissioned by the Pembina Institute and the David Suzuki Foundation, found that the Canada's economy could grow by almost 2% per year over the next decade while the country reduces its greenhouse gas pollution to 25% below the 1990 level. This will help meet the 2020 target that is aligned with a 2°C degree limit (a 25% reduction in net emissions by 2020, relative to the 1990 level) while still adding over a million net new jobs from 2010 to 2020.
Meeting the 25% reduction target requires a significant price on carbon pollution as well as targeted regulations and investments to expand the use of clean technology. By 2020 Canadians will save more than $5.5 billion each year at the gas pump because of more efficient vehicles, more public transit and shorter commutes
This is a major step forward for Canada and prompted praise from Clare Demerse, Associate Director of the Pembina Institute, a not-for-profit think tank focused on developing innovative sustainable energy solutions; "This is a welcome statement from Canada. The impacts of climate change beyond the 2°C threshold are projected to be catastrophic, especially for some of the world's poorest people. Until today, Canada had never taken a position on what level of global warming is too dangerous. Thanks to pressure from its G8 peers, Canada has now accepted what scientists and leading countries have been saying for years.”
In a December 2008 study -Deep Reductions, Strong Growth An Economic Analysis Showing Canada can Prosper Economically While Doing its Share to Prevent Dangerous Climate Change by M.K. Jaccard and Associates - demonstrated that governments cannot argue that fighting climate change means job losses and declining standards of living, a position held by many governments including Ottawa.
The study, commissioned by the Pembina Institute and the David Suzuki Foundation, found that the Canada's economy could grow by almost 2% per year over the next decade while the country reduces its greenhouse gas pollution to 25% below the 1990 level. This will help meet the 2020 target that is aligned with a 2°C degree limit (a 25% reduction in net emissions by 2020, relative to the 1990 level) while still adding over a million net new jobs from 2010 to 2020.
Meeting the 25% reduction target requires a significant price on carbon pollution as well as targeted regulations and investments to expand the use of clean technology. By 2020 Canadians will save more than $5.5 billion each year at the gas pump because of more efficient vehicles, more public transit and shorter commutes
Canada Agrees To 2°C
The Government of Canada, on July 8th 2009, made a statement that "Canada recognizes the broad scientific view that the increase in global average temperature above pre-industrial levels ought not to exceed 2°C".
This is a major step forward for Canada and prompted praise from Clare Demerse, Associate Director of the Pembina Institute, a not-for-profit think tank focused on developing innovative sustainable energy solutions; "This is a welcome statement from Canada. The impacts of climate change beyond the 2°C threshold are projected to be catastrophic, especially for some of the world's poorest people. Until today, Canada had never taken a position on what level of global warming is too dangerous. Thanks to pressure from its G8 peers, Canada has now accepted what scientists and leading countries have been saying for years.”
In a December 2008 study -Deep Reductions, Strong Growth An Economic Analysis Showing Canada can Prosper Economically While Doing its Share to Prevent Dangerous Climate Change by M.K. Jaccard and Associates - demonstrated that governments cannot argue that fighting climate change means job losses and declining standards of living, a position held by many governments including Ottawa.
The study, commissioned by the Pembina Institute and the David Suzuki Foundation, found that the Canada's economy could grow by almost 2% per year over the next decade while the country reduces its greenhouse gas pollution to 25% below the 1990 level. This will help meet the 2020 target that is aligned with a 2°C degree limit (a 25% reduction in net emissions by 2020, relative to the 1990 level) while still adding over a million net new jobs from 2010 to 2020.
Meeting the 25% reduction target requires a significant price on carbon pollution as well as targeted regulations and investments to expand the use of clean technology. By 2020 Canadians will save more than $5.5 billion each year at the gas pump because of more efficient vehicles, more public transit and shorter commutes
This is a major step forward for Canada and prompted praise from Clare Demerse, Associate Director of the Pembina Institute, a not-for-profit think tank focused on developing innovative sustainable energy solutions; "This is a welcome statement from Canada. The impacts of climate change beyond the 2°C threshold are projected to be catastrophic, especially for some of the world's poorest people. Until today, Canada had never taken a position on what level of global warming is too dangerous. Thanks to pressure from its G8 peers, Canada has now accepted what scientists and leading countries have been saying for years.”
In a December 2008 study -Deep Reductions, Strong Growth An Economic Analysis Showing Canada can Prosper Economically While Doing its Share to Prevent Dangerous Climate Change by M.K. Jaccard and Associates - demonstrated that governments cannot argue that fighting climate change means job losses and declining standards of living, a position held by many governments including Ottawa.
The study, commissioned by the Pembina Institute and the David Suzuki Foundation, found that the Canada's economy could grow by almost 2% per year over the next decade while the country reduces its greenhouse gas pollution to 25% below the 1990 level. This will help meet the 2020 target that is aligned with a 2°C degree limit (a 25% reduction in net emissions by 2020, relative to the 1990 level) while still adding over a million net new jobs from 2010 to 2020.
Meeting the 25% reduction target requires a significant price on carbon pollution as well as targeted regulations and investments to expand the use of clean technology. By 2020 Canadians will save more than $5.5 billion each year at the gas pump because of more efficient vehicles, more public transit and shorter commutes
G8 Summit Progress
In a good day for the environment, the G8 countries agreed on new targets for fighting climate change that will be presented to the G5 emerging economy countries on July 9th in L’Aquila, Italy. “Europe and the United States are in favour of cutting carbon dioxide emissions and will adopt a united stance vis-à-vis the emerging economies with a view to arriving at a pledge into which everyone must enter,” said Mr. Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister and G8 summit chairman.
The G8 major industrial countries agreed to limit global warming to just 2°C (3.6F) above pre-industrial levels by 2050, with new low carbon emission reduction targets of 80% by 2050 for developed nations, to help achieve a 50% global reduction. This target will need the co-operation of the major emerging industrial economies of China and India.
The devil is in the details though, as tough negotiations between all countries on which dates to use as a reference and how to achieve the targets are now urgently required. However, it now looks more likely that progress will now be made at the United Nations conference in Copenhagen this December.
The UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown was quoted in the BBC as saying that, "I hope tomorrow when we meet other countries we'll follow that through and this is a very significant development, the first time it's ever been done."
In a sign of the times, today, July 8th 2009, the Government of Canada made a statement that, "Canada recognizes the broad scientific view that the increase in global average temperature above pre-industrial levels ought not to exceed 2°C".
This is a major step forward for Canada and prompted praise from Clare Demerse, Associate Director of the Pembina Institute, a not-for-profit think tank focused on developing innovative sustainable energy solutions; "This is a welcome statement from Canada. The impacts of climate change beyond the 2°C threshold are projected to be catastrophic, especially for some of the world's poorest people. Until today, Canada had never taken a position on what level of global warming is too dangerous. Thanks to pressure from its G8 peers, Canada has now accepted what scientists and leading countries have been saying for years.”
The G8 major industrial countries agreed to limit global warming to just 2°C (3.6F) above pre-industrial levels by 2050, with new low carbon emission reduction targets of 80% by 2050 for developed nations, to help achieve a 50% global reduction. This target will need the co-operation of the major emerging industrial economies of China and India.
The devil is in the details though, as tough negotiations between all countries on which dates to use as a reference and how to achieve the targets are now urgently required. However, it now looks more likely that progress will now be made at the United Nations conference in Copenhagen this December.
The UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown was quoted in the BBC as saying that, "I hope tomorrow when we meet other countries we'll follow that through and this is a very significant development, the first time it's ever been done."
In a sign of the times, today, July 8th 2009, the Government of Canada made a statement that, "Canada recognizes the broad scientific view that the increase in global average temperature above pre-industrial levels ought not to exceed 2°C".
This is a major step forward for Canada and prompted praise from Clare Demerse, Associate Director of the Pembina Institute, a not-for-profit think tank focused on developing innovative sustainable energy solutions; "This is a welcome statement from Canada. The impacts of climate change beyond the 2°C threshold are projected to be catastrophic, especially for some of the world's poorest people. Until today, Canada had never taken a position on what level of global warming is too dangerous. Thanks to pressure from its G8 peers, Canada has now accepted what scientists and leading countries have been saying for years.”
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