Tawanai

Government has finally come out with directives to to the State Engineering Corporation to explore manufacturing of windmills turbines locally. The ministry of industries is currently evaluating international tenders for the installation of wind mills in the coastal areas of Sindh, which have been termed as potential source of wind energy by the donor community.

Federal Minister for Industries and Production Mian Manzur Wattoo asked the chairman of State Engineering to explore the possibility of manufacturing windmill turbines at the Pakistan Machine Tool Factory in Karachi for power generation through windmills.

While the ministry was examining the technical and financial aspects of the windmill projects, Mr Wattoo directed the officials to complete review of the project expeditiously as the government was serious to promote low-cost windmill power generation in the country.

Pakistan has considerable potential of wind energy in the coastal belt of Sindh and Balochistan as well as in the desert areas of Punjab and Sindh. In view of the existing potential and the anticipated future energy needs, the government had set a target of at least five per cent of the total national power generation through renewable energy, especially wind by the year 2030.

The wind data has been collected from Pakistan Metrological Department and analysed by Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB).

The data provides that the coastal belt of Pakistan wind corridor is 60km wide (Gharo-Keti Bandar) and 180km long up to Hyderabad. This corridor has the exploitable potential of 50,000MW of electricity generation through windmills.

According to a report of Asian Development Bank on Energy Security, wind power has been a very successful technology, growing rapidly worldwide. Since 2001, installed capacity has grown by 20 to 30 per cent a year. In 2007 alone, $31 billion worth was added, bringing global capacity to 94 GW.

Today, most of the world’s wind power capacity is land-based. The size of onshore wind turbines has increased steadily over the last 25 years. Large turbines can usually deliver electricity at a lower average cost than smaller ones.

Via Dawn

Clean Technology, Energy, Wind, power

One way to wean ourselves from oil is to come up with renewable sources of transportation fuel. That means a new generation of biofuels made from nonfood crops.

Researchers are devising ways to turn lumber and crop wastes, garbage and inedible perennials like switchgrass into competitively priced fuels. But the most promising next-generation biofuel comes from algae.

Source: Saferenviroment

Algae grow by taking in CO2, solar energy and other nutrients. They produce an oil that can be extracted and added into existing refining plants to make diesel, gasoline substitutes and other products.

Algae grow fast, consume carbon dioxide and can generate more than 5,000 gallons a year per acre of biofuel, compared with 350 gallons a year for corn-based ethanol. Algae-based fuel can be added directly into existing refining and distribution systems; in theory, the U.S. could produce enough of it to meet all of the nation’s transportation needs.

But it’s early. Dozens of companies have begun pilot projects and small-scale production. But producing algae biofuels in quantity means finding reliable sources of inexpensive nutrients and water, managing pathogens that could reduce yield, and developing and cultivating the most productive algae strains.

Source WSJ

Clean Technology, Energy, Environment, Renewable Energy biofuels

Keeping coal as an abundant source of power means slashing the amount of carbon dioxide it produces. That could mean new, more efficient power plants. But trapping C02 from existing plants—about two billion tons a year—would be the real game-changer.

Source: Vattenfall

Carbon dioxide is removed from smokestack gases and compressed. It’s then pumped deep underground and stored in porous rock formations.

Techniques for modest-scale CO2 capture exist, but applying them to big power plants would reduce the plants’ output by a third and double the cost of producing power. So scientists are looking into experimental technologies that could cut emissions by 90% while limiting cost increases.

Nearly all are in the early stages, and it’s too early to tell which method will win out. One promising technique burns coal and purified oxygen in the form of a metal oxide, rather than air; this produces an easier-to-capture concentrated stream of CO2 with little loss of plant efficiency. The technology has been demonstrated in small-scale pilots, and will be tried in a one-megawatt test plant next year. But it might not be ready for commercial use until 2020.

Via WSJ

Clean Technology, Energy, Environment, Renewable Energy, coal, power

Cross Post from TelecomPk.net

Telecom companies in Pakistan are one of the major power consumers and in addition to the increasing cost of electricity, they also face the challenge of lack of access to the electricity grid in rural areas to supply power to base stations. A few pilot deployments of  solar powered base stations were luanched earlier.Now Telenor Pakistan and Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) have signed an agreement that will provide NSN’s off-grid site solutions that use solar energy to power Telenor base station sites in rural and remote areas. This is expected to result in substantial cost savings for Telenor Pakistan along with the social benefits that come with using renewable and clean energy.

Nokia Siemens Networks will design the sites, taking into account local solar mapping, site landscape and other factors to maximize the use of an abundant, clean, and natural energy source. Nokia Siemens Networks’ Green Energy Control will help deliver a sustainable solution while optimizing operating costs.

The solar-powered sites will be implemented using Universal Services Fund (USF) that was awarded to Telenor Pakistan in 2009. USF-based contracts aim to provide access to mobile services for underserved and unserved areas of Pakistan. Telenor Pakistan, till now, has been awarded three USF contracts for Mirpurkhas, Malakand and Bahawalpur region.

“It’s important that we connect the world in such a way that not only maximizes benefits for consumers and businesses, but also ensures the welfare of our planet,” said Saad Waraich, the Pakistan country director for Nokia Siemens Networks. “Providing communications to rural areas will become increasingly important and we believe renewable energy will be the first choice for such installations. In fact, the majority of base station sites installed by us by 2011 will use this form of energy. We are especially proud to partner with Telenor – a definite trend setter for the use of environmental technologies in network expansion.”

The GSMA has estimated that more than 75,000 new off-grid sites will be built each year through 2012 in developing countries. About 80% of the energy in a typical mobile telecommunication network is consumed by base stations. Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power offer a reliable alternative to sites with limited or non-existent electrical grid access. Nokia Siemens Networks has already deployed more than 360 sites that exploit renewable energy and has over 25 years of experience in implementing solar-powered sites.

Source: Nokia Siemens Press Release

Clean Technology, Consumers, Electricity, Energy, Pakistan, Solar, power base stations, nokia siemens network, off-grid, telenor

Fool’s gold, also called pyrite or iron sulfide, can be unearthed just about anywhere, from the hills of California to the villages of Yunnan Province in China. But instead of digging pyrite up, researcher Cyrus Wadia is making pure nano particles of the compound from iron and sulfur salts in his lab at the University of California, Berkeley. His ultimate goal is to turn fool’s gold into real treasure: an inexpensive solar cell.

Today, most solar cells are made of silicon, but they are expensive: though silicon is abundant, turning it into photovoltaics requires extensive, energy-intensive processing. Materials such as cadmium telluride and copper indium gallium diselenide are simpler to process, yielding thin-film cells that cost less to produce. But the elements needed to make these compounds, such as tellurium and gallium, are too rare to meet global energy demands.

So Wadia did a study of possible solar-cell materials, examining not only their chemistry and physics but also their availability. One of the standouts was fool’s gold: it is abundant and cheap, and it has optical properties that allow it to efficiently convert sunlight into electricity. “The theoretical efficiency of iron sulfide is 31 percent. That’s as good as silicon,” says Wadia. What’s more, 20 nanometers of pyrite can absorb as much light as 300 micro meters of silicon. Because it absorbs so much more light, it can be made into thinner cells, which require less raw material.

Via Technology Review

Clean Technology, Energy, Environment, Innovation, Solar

Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. (NYSE: STP), the world’s largest crystalline silicon
photovoltaic (PV) module manufacturer, announced today that it has entered
into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Pakistan’s Alternative Energy
Development Board (AEDB) to work towards the widespread use of solar energy
technologies to meet the energy shortage in Pakistan.

The objective of the MOU is to facilitate cooperation between Suntech and
the public sector and private companies in Pakistan to help implement solar
programs including the AEDB’s Rural Electrification Program; the development
of Solar Power Pumping Systems with the AEDB and the World Bank; and Solar
Power Telecom Projects in collaboration with Pakistani telecom companies.
“We are proud to collaborate with the Alternative Energy Development Board
to bring the latest in crystalline silicon solar technology to Pakistan,” said
Dr. Zhengrong Shi, Suntech’s Chairman and CEO. “This is a clear example of the
promise of solar energy in meeting growing demands for electricity in the
developing world in an environmentally friendly way. With rapid improvements
in solar energy technology and operational efficiency, solar energy is
establishing itself as a crucial, cost-competitive part of the global energy
mix.”

“We are very pleased to be working with Suntech towards developing clean
renewable energy in our country,” said Mr. Masood Khan, Pakistan’s Ambassador
to China. “Pakistan is committed to using solar power as a way to solve
Pakistan’s energy shortage, and we are confident in Suntech’s reputation as a
global industry leader to bring reliable environmentally sustainable solutions
to Pakistan’s growing energy needs.”
The MOU sets forth the agreement in principle of the parties concerning
the project and related activities. Final agreement between the parties is
subject to the negotiation and execution of definitive agreements among the
parties.

Read more…

Clean Technology, Pakistan, Renewable Energy, Solar, power

As reported by WSJ, India is poised for a big increase in its civilian nuclear capabilities.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday stressed the importance of nuclear energy in bridging the country’s yawning energy gap, as Indian and international companies line up to enter a market opened by last year’s U.S.-India nuclear deal.

Addressing a function in New Delhi to honor Mohamed ElBaradei, director-general of International Atomic Energy Agency, Mr. Singh said India is geared up for a major expansion of its nuclear program “in which international cooperation will be an important component.”

“Nuclear energy is vital to meeting our energy and developmental needs, particularly those of large, developing countries like India,” Mr. Singh said.

Of India’s total installed generating capacity of 152,000 megawatts, nuclear energy makes up some 2.7% of that capacity, or 4,100 megawatts, says India’s ministry of power. India currently has 17 nuclear power plants and is building an additional six.

The global Nuclear Suppliers Group in 2008 lifted its ban on selling nuclear fuel to India, and, as a result, nuclear power is expected to rise to 40,000 megawatts of installed generating capacity by 2020.

The lifting of the ban was part of the negotiations undertaken by the U.S. and India to reach a new deal on the transfer of civilian nuclear technology. The deal, signed in October 2008, ended a 34-year U.S. moratorium on nuclear trade with India following India’s first nuclear tests in 1974.

These developments have opened the door for overseas companies such as GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Westinghouse Electric Co. and Areva SA to sell reactor technology and fuel to India at a time when the country is fast increasing its power-generation capacity to meet a huge gap in supply and demand. (GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy is a joint venture between General Electric Co. and Hitachi Ltd.)

Mr. Singh said at a conference in New Delhi on Tuesday that the Indian government’s nuclear strategy could potentially yield 470,000 megawatts of power by the year 2050. “This will sharply reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and will be a major contribution to global efforts to combat climate change,” he said .

On Wednesday, India’s Hindustan Construction Co. and Amec PLC, a U.K.-based engineering and project-management company, signed an initial agreement for taking on nuclear power projects in India. The venture with AMEC will focus on consulting services and subcontracting operations, said Vinayak Deshpande, president of Hindustan Construction. He said the company expects to eventually employ as many as 500 engineers.

Also, “we expect six nuclear reactors to come up for bidding in the next 15 months, and we hope to get a sizable portion of orders from these projects,” Mr. Deshpande added.

Indian engineering and construction companies such as Larsen & Toubro Ltd. and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. also are eager to tap into nuclear power projects.

Clean Technology, Consumers, Electricity, Energy, Nuclear, power India

Via WSJ article.

Energy from renewable sources come and go at nature’s whim. Wind tends to blow hardest at night — a problem, since people use electricity mostly during the day. Sunshine can lose its intensity in seconds if eclipsed by a cloud — inconvenient for people who like their air conditioners to run steadily on summer days.

Many states and countries are pledging to produce 20% or more of their electricity from renewable sources within about a decade. That will be a major stretch. The recession has severely crimped renewable-energy investment. Proposals to turn over large swaths of desert and coastline to renewable-energy generation are encountering angry opposition. And the drop in fossil-fuel prices has removed much of the public appetite for a big renewable-energy bid. Yet those very pressures are pushing renewable-energy proponents to pursue their goal as efficiently as possible. And so the search for ways to accommodate the vicissitudes of wind and sun continues to shape up as one of today’s great technological quests.

A convenient solution would be to overcome wind and sun’s intermittence by storing the energy and then dispensing it later, on windless or overcast days. But storage technology is still embryonic.

So the power industry is having to change the way it operates. To adapt its fossil-fuel-dependent infrastructure to renewable energy’s ebbs and flows, it is trying to forecast them better. Knowing how nature is likely to behave will help the industry better balance different sources of renewable energy, scientists and utility executives say. The goal: maximizing wind, sun and other natural sources when each is at its peak.

Currently, every wind farm and solar installation has to be backed up by a nearly equivalent amount of conventional fuel to keep the power grid running. That raises costs.

“We’re putting renewables into a system that wasn’t designed for renewables,” says Paul Denholm, an analyst for the federal government’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, in Golden, Colo.

Wind power is the fastest-growing renewable source of electricity. Buoyed by government mandates and subsidies, wind farms accounted for more than half of all net electricity-generating capacity added in the U.S. in 2008, according to the Department of Energy.

But capacity to produce is not actual production. Largely due to wind’s unpredictability, the thousands of wind turbines installed across the country collectively produced only 1.3% of actual U.S. electricity in 2008, the department’s figures show.

The Bonneville Power Administration, a government-owned utility based in Portland, Ore., taps one of the biggest collections of wind farms in the country. Between January and August, average wind-power production accounted for 12% of average electricity consumption in Bonneville’s service area.

From hour to hour, though, wind power swings wildly depending on how things blow at the Columbia River Gorge, where most of the wind turbines in Bonneville’s service area are located.

This Tuesday was typically erratic. At 1 a.m., wind farms in the Bonneville service area were cranking out about 1,550 megawatts of power. By 7 a.m., that fell to about 800 megawatts, just as people were waking up and turning on their lights and toasters. That night, once most people were asleep, the wind picked up again. By 11:45 p.m., wind power topped 2,000 megawatts.

Most of the electricity in Bonneville’s service area comes from hydroelectric power. To compensate for the volatility of wind, Bonneville tweaks the amount of water it lets through the dams. But that doesn’t work for the most extreme shifts in wind. Sometimes, when the wind is blowing hard, Bonneville releases extra water over the tops of dams without using it to generate electricity. Otherwise, electrical wires might get overloaded. And when the wind is so strong that Bonneville can’t ditch enough water, the utility orders wind turbines shut off.

Read more…

Clean Technology, Energy, Solar, Wind

Clean Technology, Energy, Innovation, Solar, Wind

Could this new technology lead the way to a new and cleaner coal? Here’s Technology Review’s article about this.

The industrial boomtown of Dongguan in southeast China’s Pearl River Delta could soon host one of the country’s most sophisticated power plants, one that uses an unconventional coal-gasification technology to make the dirtiest coal behave like clean-burning natural gas. Its developers, Atlanta-based utility Southern Company and Houston-based engineering firmKBR, announced the licensing deal with Dongguan Power and Chemical Company this month.

Dongguan Power plans to implement the gasification scheme at an existing 120-megawatt natural-gas-fired power plant, turning it into an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plant that uses cheap, moisture-laden lignite coal. The retrofit should be operating in 2011. That will provide its developers with a demonstration to determine whether technology will work in larger IGCC plants and whether it is a process suitable to integrate carbon capture and storage technology, according to John Thompson, director of the Coal Transition Program for the Clean Air Task Force, a nonprofit environmental consulting firm based in Boston. “They want to show that this works,” says Thompson.

Southern and KBR’s gasification design can use dirty coal because, compared to other gasification reactors, it uses a relatively slow, low-temperature process. Conventional gasifiers, such as General Electric’s and Shell’s, rely on temperatures around 1,500 ºC to turn finely ground coal into a combustible mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen known as syngas. Unfortunately, such temperatures melt ash and other mineral contaminants in the coal, forming a glassy slag that eventually eats through the ceramic tiles that protect the reactors’ steel walls. Even reactors using high-quality coal have to be taken out of service for installation of new tiles at least every three years. They are thus ill-adapted for lower-quality coals that would produce several times more slag.

Clean Technology, Environment, Infrastructure, Innovation, coal