By HDK / Published on Mon, 2009-09-21 14:04
This paper extends a broad functional category approach for the study of technological capability progress recently developed and applied to information technology to a second key case—that of energy based technologies. The approach is applied to the same three functional operations—storage, transportation and transformation—that were used for information technology by first building a 100 plus year database for each of the three energy-based functional categories.
Read full story
By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Tue, 2009-05-19 05:30
Electronic management system controls temperature
Last March, the Société de Véhicules Electriques (SVE) presented its new battery system for electric vehicles (EVs).
SVE is a joint venture of the Dassault Group and the Heuliez Company. Dassault is known for the design and manufacture of military and civilian aerospace equipment. Heuliez is specialised in car design, engineering, and OEM manufacturing. The mission of SVE is the development of electric and plug-in electric hybrid vehicles, EV drives, and equipment.
The new system combines the Cleanbat modular battery set, containing one or more lithium-ion units with a capacity of 7 kWh, with the Digital Vehicle Management System (DVMS) control unit. The DVMS controls the charging, discharging, and temperature of each battery unit and the battery system as a whole for optimal performance and safety.
Temperature control is one of the key issues in a battery-powered electric vehicle drive system. If the battery cells become too cold, the autonomy of the vehicle drops. If they become too hot, the battery thermal controls may fail, creating a safety problem. Moreover, both too much cold and too much heat have a negative influence on the life expectancy of the system.
Read full story
By Hans Nilsson / Published on Mon, 2008-06-02 05:00
Why is the price of oil rocketing and how far can it rise? The Economist says that, in the search for scapegoats, there will be many candidates, but the most likely explanation is that there is a shortage in refining capacity and the process to find and exploit new sources is a long and expensive one. Others support this explanation, but is this all there is to it? Finding a scapegoat might be tempting, but how do we get a grip on the problem - wrestling in oil?
Read full story
By Hans Nilsson / Published on Tue, 2007-08-14 07:00
The Lumina project, which is engaged in development of LED-lighting equipment, primarily for use in developing countries and in applications where people do not have access to conventional power, has studied the quality of White LEDs (WLED). The results are remarkable! In 26 batches studied, there is a huge variation in efficacy (Lumens/Watt) by a factor of 5! Even within the batches, there are enormous variations. So, quality management and assurance is of major importance for WLEDs before they can compete for any applications.
But that is not all!
Read full story
By Hans De Keulenaer / Published on Thu, 2007-05-24 15:18
In Japan about 16 million units of distribution transformers are in service. These transformers are expending a huge amount of energy in the form of no load loss and load loss. Among these losses, no load loss is major. No load loss can be saved dramatically by changing these transformers to amorphous transformers (i.e., amorphous metal-based transformers).
Read full story
By Hans Nilsson / Published on Thu, 2007-05-24 07:00
The cost of CCS-technology is high (as with all new technologies for that matter) and may have drawbacks. Standard and Poor, more known for credit-rating, has announced figures between 450 and 900 USD/kW to be added to the plant cost in the area of 2500-3000 USD/kW. On top of that, there will be a power loss of 15-25% per annum for the operation. Furthermore, there are legal risks for the storage leakage.
Read full story
By Hans Nilsson / Published on Fri, 2007-05-18 07:00
There is a growing impatience among world leaders that existing structures and institutions are not responding to the climate issues as they should. Only this week, the Danish minister for transport and energy, Fleming Hansen, called for a more effective IEA to deal with a comprehensive analysis as a foundation for implementation of measures. He mentioned the World Energy Outlook, but the Energy Technology Perspectives is probably more to the point.
At the same time, the EU energy commissioner, Andris Piebalgs, called for an International Agreement on Energy Efficiency, but was rather vague on what such an agreement could accomplish. He asked for an "executive body charged with studies and monitoring of its implementation" and also pointed to the IEA as a resource.
Read full story
By Sergio Ferreira / Published on Thu, 2007-05-10 16:22
The Energy Technology Essentials series from the IEA has recently been extended with three new issues on Nuclear Energy, Hydrogen Production and Distribution and Fuel Cells.
The issue on Nuclear energy portrays a very good characterisation of the nuclear power production facilities, including fourth generation reactors and adressing costs, barries and potential. It also includes coverage of waste reprocessing and disposal.
Read full story
By Hans De Keulenaer / Published on Thu, 2007-04-12 11:26
EnergyTech is an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Traffic, Innovation and Technology (Department for Energy and Environmental Technologies) and the Austrian Energy Agency.
Read full story
By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Wed, 2007-04-11 07:30
Deutsche Telekom and NTT test sites
Telecommunication operators Deutsche Telekom AG (Germany) and NTT Facilities (Japan) are both gearing up to install new DFC(R) power plants in order to evaluate their potential for supplying 24/7 base load power.
A 250kW HotModule will be installed at a Deutsche Telekom Server Computer Centre in Munich. It will be supplied by CFC Solutions GmbH. The unit will provide a permanent and secure supply of electrical energy to the centre, along with thermal energy for cooling the server rooms. Despite running on natural gas from the local distribution network, the installation will be CO2 neutral. For each unit of natural gas consumed, biogas (96 per cent methane) will be bought from a nearby biogas production plant and fed to the natural gas network after undergoing a cleaning process.
Read full story
By Hans Nilsson / Published on Tue, 2007-04-10 07:00
There is a lot of hope for CCS as a solution to especially coal-fired power, but are these hopes in vain? There is evidence from experiments of CO2-injection that so-called rapid mineral dissolution could create pathways for the CO2 to escape back into atmosphere. And worse, on its way create toxic chemical reactions that could even affect ground-water. Certainly these experiments show that there is a risk that should not be under-estimated and that not all underground sites are useful.
Read full story
By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Fri, 2007-03-30 07:30
Running with the heat of your hand
The American Stirling Company manufacturers Stirling engine gadgets and models for educational and demonstration purposes. Their newest model is the MM-7, powered by the heat from your hand. It needs only a 4 °C temperature differential to run. The FAQ page of their Web site presents a very clear explanation of the working principle of the Stirling engine, as well as comprehensive facts on its history and applications.
Stirling engines hardly qualify as new technology. Robert Stirling received a patent for his first air engine all the way back in 1816. At that time however, the only readily available metal was cast iron, which oxidizes rapidly when left in a very hot flame. So Stirling engines started life with a metallurgical if not technological disadvantage.
Read full story
By Sergio Ferreira / Published on Tue, 2007-03-20 13:33
The Energy Technology Essentials series from the IEA has recently been extended with a second issue on Biofuel Production and a third issue on Biomass for Power Generation.
These two briefings offer a succinct profile of these two energy solutions and give consistent information regarding the different technologies, typical costs, energy input and emissions, as well as the potential in the global scale.
The coming editions of these briefings will add in issues like hydrogen, fuel cells and nuclear.
Read full story
By Sergio Ferreira / Published on Tue, 2007-03-20 13:16
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has recently initiated a series of “Energy Technology Essentials”. Regularly published, these four-page briefings offer concise updates on the different technologies for producing, transporting and using energy.
Read full story
By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Wed, 2007-03-14 08:30
Non-Proliferation Treaty impedes widespread use of generation III nuclear reactors
One example of a generation III nuclear reactor is the Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR). The ESBWR rectifies a few important disadvantages of previous reactor generations. It incorporates improved fuel technology as well as passive safety systems. The reactor shuts down safely in any emergency without operator action or electronic feedback.
The ESBWR design reduces capital cost by 25 to 40 percent, a vitally important consideration in cash-strapped developing countries. This cost reduction has been made possible by simpler design of the circuits to incorporate natural circulatory forces and to modern computer-aided manufacturing technologies. The latter enables a modular approach to the nuclear plant construction.
Proliferation threads
The primary impediment to the use of generation III reactors in developing countries is the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Read full story
By Sergio Ferreira / Published on Fri, 2007-03-09 16:03
Konarka stands for the ancient Indian temple dedicated to the sun god Surya, but it’s actually the name of the company that is behind a possible breakthrough in solar power technology.
Konarka is developing plastic solar cell strips (see picture) that can be manufactured like rolls of photographic film. Conducting polymers and nano-engineered materials that can be coated or printed onto a surface and that will enable systems and structures to have their own low-cost embedded source of renewable power.
Read full story
By Hans De Keulenaer / Published on Sun, 2007-03-04 08:44
Since 1987, the Energy Technology Data Exchange has provided access to a wide range of references on energy technology, use, environment and climate issues, policy, economic factors, alternative energy and conservation. At present, 4 million references are available through the internet, including an advanced search facility. Many recent reports are available in full text. The database has a world-wide scope, and contains references in multiple languages.
Read full story
By Hans Nilsson / Published on Mon, 2007-02-19 08:00
The January issue of African Business has a section on sustainable energy from an African perspective that could be useful to consider also for Europe. Especially so since Europe wants to be the leader of the postindustrial revolution, according to Mr Barroso. In the article they are considering several options including fancy large scale technologies and come to the conclusion that decentralised renewable resources must be the more realistic one. Both for Africa and for sustainability.
This is also a chance for the rest of us! Consider the study made by Stuart Hart and C.K. Prahalad "The fortune at the bottom of the pyramid" in which they show the enormous market power to supply needed goods to low-income household (see figure below).
This power could drive a technology development that is much more useful, in all senses of the word, than some of the large scale that are portrayed in the EU energy package. African business rules them out easily because they will require an economic power and an infrastructure that few African countries can provide.
Then there is the moral aspect. As they ask "Why should we pay for the sins of the industrialised world?" Or in other words why should the African people be deprived from the blessings of the industry goods just because we have already exhausted the resources? We (together) just have to find a better solution.
Read full story
