Air Products Joins AERI in CO2 Capture Study 2009.02 Air Products is collaborating with the Alberta Energy Research Institute (AERI) on a study that will further AP’s work with advanced carbon dioxide capture technology for use with gasification. (For more on AP’s work on this, see CGI, Industry News, January 2009, p. 22.) Air Products’ advanced carbon capture technology could reduce the cost of carbon dioxide (CO2) capture by up to 25 percent compared to current technologies. The study, titled “Advanced Hydrogen and CO2 Capture Technology for Sour Syngas,” is expected to be completed by October 2010.
The project will do a technological and economic assessment of Air Products’ development of an alternative CO2 capture option that uses its decades of experience in the design and operation of hydrogen pressure swing adsorption (PSA) systems associated with steam methane reforming.
The overall objectives of the project also include experimental validation testing on differing feedstocks and process conditions to enable the pre-front-end engineering design of the pilot facility. The scope of this work also includes assessing, selecting and engaging candidate sites as first adopters.
Clean Energy Fuels to Supply CNG 2009.02 Yellow Cab Cooperative, San Francisco’s largest taxicab operator, has awarded Clean Energy Fuels Corp. a 10-year contract to supply compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel, and provide operations and maintenance for a newly expanded Clean Energy CNG station located south of the city center. In addition to serving Yellow Cab’s growing CNG fleet, the station is now open for full public use, 24/7. It joins the growing network of eight public Clean Energy fueling stations located in the San Francisco Bay area. (For more on CNG, see CGI, “Compressed Natural Gas — A Bridge to Alternative Fuels,” December 2008, p. 50.)
Yellow Cab Co-Op’s taxis currently use more than 350,000 gallons of CNG fuel annually. Most cabs return for fill-ups twice a day, and the new Clean Energy CNG station is equipped to dispense 1,000 gallons of fuel per hour — the largest US CNG taxi station of its kind.
CO2-to-Fuel Draws Interest 2009.02 Carbon Sciences Inc., which developed technology to transform CO2 emissions into gasoline and other fuels, has had a very positive response to its technology in recent weeks. (For more on Carbon Sciences see "CO2 Transformation Technology", CGI, July 2008, p. 20.)
Dr. Naveed Aslam, the company’s Chief Technology Advisor, commented on the source of hydrogen and energy efficiency of its unique CO2-to-Fuel technology, saying, “Unlike other CO2 to fuel approaches, Carbon Sciences’ technology does not use molecular hydrogen (H2) because the creation and reaction of H2 is very energy intensive. Rather, the company’s approach is based on a low energy biocatalytic hydrolysis process where water molecules (H2O) are split into hydrogen atoms (H) and hydroxide ions (OH) using a biocatalyst. The hydrogen atoms are immediately used in the production of hydrocarbons and the free electrons in OH are used to power the various biocatalytic processes.”
Derek McLeish, the company’s CEO and a featured speaker at the Conference, commented, “Our breakthrough technology for transforming CO2 to hydrocarbons fits refineries’ needs in today’s environmentally conscious world. Instead of emitting hundreds of millions of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere and face potential legal and economic penalties, oil refineries can use our technology to transform their CO2 streams directly into fuel building blocks. These building blocks can then be used in their existing refinery processes to produce gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel and other portable fuels — without using additional crude oil.”
Oil refineries, power plants, manufacturers and other large CO2 emitters have been targeted by various political initiatives. On December 11, 2008, California regulators adopted the nation’s first comprehensive plan to slash greenhouse gases and characterized it as a model for President-elect Barack Obama, who has pledged an aggressive national and international effort to combat global warming. The ambitious blueprint by the world’s eighth-largest economy would cut the state’s emissions by 15 percent from today’s level over the next 12 years, bringing them down to 1990 levels.
The financial community has not ignored these efforts. Investors have poured $2.5 billion into California clean-tech companies in the first nine months of the year, up from $1.8 billion for all of 2007, a level that eclipsed the software industry.
Combustion Modification Market 2009.02 Fuel Tech, Inc. has agreed to acquire substantially all of the assets of Advanced Combustion Technology, Inc. (ACT) of Hooksett, NH, a leading provider of nitrogen oxide (NOx) control systems, including low NOx burners and over-fire air systems, for approximately $22 million in cash plus performance- based contingent payments.
Combustion modification reduces the formation of NOx by altering the combustion process, typically by upgrading existing burners to low NOx burners; replacing existing low NOx burners with new ultra low NOx burners; and/or installing overfire air (OFA) systems.
ACT enjoys an extensive customer base, principally in the US, with systems installed on over 70 units burning a variety of fuels, including coal, fuel oil and natural gas. In addition to system installations, ACT provides combustion optimization services, including: airflow testing, to improve burner stability and combustion efficiency; coal flow testing, to ensure optimal coal mill settings and uniform coal flow to the burners; and boiler tuning and consulting services. ACT had 2007 revenues of approximately $21 million and as of December 1, 2008, an order backlog of approximately $11 million.
John F. Norris Jr., Fuel Tech President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “As one of the acknowledged leaders in the field of combustion modification, ACT provides the requisite experience and know-how to extend Fuel Tech’s NOx reduction expertise into the furnace’s burner region, a capability we have long sought. In addition, ACT’s strong domestic customer base should offer new opportunities for marketing Fuel Tech’s full suite of technologies.”
Mr. Norris continued, “ACT not only provides Fuel Tech with an immediate presence in the fast-growing combustion modification market, but also broadens our product portfolio with a total technical solution for NOx control, from the burner to the stack. Equally important, this acquisition will provide a natural conduit for potential follow-on business from those clients requiring deeper emission reductions that can only be satisfied with post-combustion NOx controls. Our customers should particularly benefit from the added flexibility afforded by ACT’s HERT system, which will complement Fuel Tech’s suite of post-combustion technical solutions based on our NOxOUT® technologies.”
Peter Marx, President of ACT, stated, “We are excited to be joining … Fuel Tech. With the financial, technical, and marketing strengths that Fuel Tech has to offer, particularly in international markets such as China, we believe the potential to grow our businesses is enormous, particularly as the need for cleaner and more cost-efficient fuel combustion takes center stage in global power generation markets.”
Hydrogenics Sells On-sites 2009.02 Hydrogenics has received orders from customers in Asia, Eastern Europe, and South America for its HySTAT hydrogen generation systems. These are used to deliver high purity hydrogen on-site for metallurgical processing, glass manufacturing, and generator cooling. These orders, with an aggregate value of $6.8 million, are anticipated to be delivered within a twelve-month period.
Inventux Technologies Using Oerlikon Solar’s Micromorph® Technology 2009.02 Oerlikon Solar, the world’s leading supplier of thin-film silicon photovoltaic (PV), announced that Inventux Technologies AG is the world’s first manufacturer to implement Oerlikon’s micromorph® technology for the mass-production of thin-film silicon solar modules. Oerlikon and Inventux ramped up the Berlin facility, which was officially opened by Major Klaus Wowereit, in just seven months. Oerlikon’s tandem-junction micromorph® process will enable Inventux to produce up to 33 MWp of highly efficient, cost-effective thin-film silicon PV solar modules per year.
“We are extremely happy to have reached this significant breakthrough for the thin-film PV industry with our ‘best-in-class’ partner Oerlikon Solar,” said Volko Loewenstein, chairman of Inventux. “This experience gives us a great deal of confidence in our plans to expand our micromorph® manufacturing capacity in the near future.”
Oerlikon Solar’s micromorph® process significantly boosts solar cell efficiency by adding a second microcrystalline absorber to the amorphous silicon (a-Si) layer. This layer converts the energy of the red- and near-infrared spectrum, facilitating efficiency increases of up to 50 percent. The micromorph® technology also bolsters overall module power, enabling Inventux and other manufacturers to produce cost-effective thin-film silicon solar modules.
“We are dedicated to helping make solar an economically viable alternative energy option,” said Jeanine Sargent, CEO of Oerlikon Solar, “and the joined effort between Oerlikon and Inventux to quickly ramp up the world’s first micromorph® fab in Berlin illustrates this commitment.”
Another important feature of Oerlikon’s micromorph® cell structure is its compatibility in the production facilities, which enables a modular upgrade path from amorphous to higher module efficiencies. This patented, proprietary technology and the option to upgrade an a-Si production line to a micromorph® fab facilities is an efficient, cost-effective process for upgrading production capabilities.
New Technological Steps in Oxy-Combustion 2009.02 Oxy-combustion is a promising solution for reducing CO2 emissions from heavy industries including coal-fired power plants, blast furnaces, and cement plants. Using oxygen instead of air for the combustion of coal or other fuels results in exhaust gases of relatively pure CO2 that can be captured, stored or directly used (e.g. for enhanced oil recovery).
Recently, in Queensland, Australia, Air Liquide signed a contract to provide an Air Separation Unit (ASU) with an oxygen production capacity of 660 tons per day and a CO2 Cryogenic Purification Unit. This contract is part of a technological partnership with the Australian joint venture Callide Oxyfuel Services, an electricity producer, and involves the refurbishment of the power station of 100 MWth nominal capacity, so as to test the technologies of the CO2 capture and storage process. Design and construction of the Purification Unit will be carried out from 2009–2010 and commissioning will take place in early 2011. Under the terms of this technological partnership, Air Liquide will carry out a series of tests on the Purification Unit pilot, under real operating conditions. This unit is the validation step of this technology before its large scale commercialization.
François Darchis, Senior Vice President Air Liquide Group, in charge of R&D, Advanced Technologies and Engineering & Construction, commented: “This technological partnership and this industrial pilot in Australia demonstrate our commitment to make cleaner energy a reality. In the near future, oxy-combustion will become a key technology globally for reducing CO2 emissions from the combustion of coal and other heavy fuels.”
Program Advancing for Olympic Fuel Cell Bus Fleet 2009.02 Ballard Power Systems announced that the preproduction fuel cell bus, manufactured by the New Flyer Industries Canada ULC, ISE Corporation and Ballard consortium, successfully completed its field trial and Notice to Proceed has now been authorized for manufacture of 20 fuel cell buses for BC Transit’s hydrogen fuel cell demonstration fleet. Ballard was expected to begin delivering its HD6 fuel cell bus modules in December 2008 with the remaining modules delivered through mid-2009.
During the evaluation period, the pre-production bus operated up to 16 hours per day in Victoria and Whistler, and accumulated over 575 hours of on-road testing. The fuel cell buses have a driving range of approximately 450 kilometers along with an electrical efficiency of 57 percent at rated power, more than double the efficiency of an internal combustion engine.
Fuel cell buses are zero emission vehicles, with no greenhouse gases, particulates, or harmful emissions released during operation; the only byproduct is water. The bus power train is based on a hybrid fuel cell / battery architecture with an electric drive, which enables higher vehicle efficiency and improved fuel cell durability. This is the first time that Ballard’s bus fuel cell products have been integrated into a hybrid drive. The 150kW HD6 fuel cell bus module is designed to be robust and durable in harsh motive conditions. The HD6 fuel cell bus module is comprised of two stack modules connected in series to provide a gross power output of 150kW.
These buses will be delivered to BC Transit by the end of 2009 and will be in use during and after the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in the Resort Municipality of Whistler. The BC Transit fleet of 20 buses will be the largest fleet of fuel cell buses in the world.
Reducing CO2 Output in Poland 2009.02 Alstom and PGE Elektrownia Belchatow S.A. have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop and implement carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology at the Belchatow power plant in Poland.
The project will have two phases. In the first, Alstom will design and construct a pilot carbon capture plant at the existing unit 12 of the Belchatow power plant, which would capture approximately 100,000 tons per year of CO2 using Alstom’s advanced amines technology. The pilot will be jointly operated by Alstom and Elektrownia Belchatow and is expected to be in operation by mid 2011. In collaboration with The Dow Chemical Company, a global gas treating technology leader, Alstom is currently developing an advanced amine-based scrubbing technology for the power industry and for similar industrial sources that produce exhaust or flue gases with high oxygen content. This new advanced amine process will offer significant reductions in the amount of energy required for CO2 separation and capture compared to using standard amines.
During the second phase, Alstom and PGE plan to build a larger CCS project to capture CO2 produced by the new 858 MW lignitefired unit currently being built by Alstom for Elektrownia Be?chatow. This CCS plant will be in operation by 2015.
Lignite and hard coal are the mainstays of the Polish power generation sector; the reduction in CO2 emissions resulting from the Belchatow CCS project would be higher than 1 million tons per year. The Belchatow CCS initiative is one of the candidate projects to the EU Flagship Program for Carbon Capture and Storage.
Alstom is at the forefront of carbon capture technology development. In 2007, as part of its multi-product strategy, Alstom announced agreements with AEP, Statoil, Vattenfall and E.ON to test CO2 capture technologies in the US and Europe. By the end of 2008, Alstom will have started operation at three CO2 capture pilot projects, with EPRI and We Energies in Wisconsin, US, E.ON in Sweden and Vattenfall in Germany.
Philippe Joubert, Alstom Executive Vice President and President, Power Systems, states: “This MoU has enabled Alstom and its partners to play a key role in reducing Poland’s carbon emissions. The agreement is integral to Alstom’s global CO2 strategy, with the large-scale capture plant at Belchatow providing the last step to full commercialization of our amine-based CO2 capture technology.”
Second Generation Biofuels 2009.02 As part of its policy targeting the reduction of greenhouse gases, the European Union requires that the proportion of biogenic motor fuels should be increased to 5.75 percent by the year 2010. In Germany, the Federal Government is aiming for a significantly higher quota of fuels generated from renewable resources by year 2020. Second generation biofuels, as they do not use the edible part of the plant, will help accomplish this objective.
Lurgi, a 100 percent subsidiary of the Air Liquide Group, will build a second generation biofuel plant at Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Germany in a joint project with the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT). This pilot plant will demonstrate the viability of the threestage bioliq® process. The first stage of the pilot plant completed in 2007 was successful, so it is now entering the second stage.
In this second stage, the bioliqSynCrude® generated from straw in the first step is processed to become synthesis gas. The project covers the engineering, construction, supply, installation and commissioning by Lurgi. Commissioning of the gasifier is planned for autumn 2011. This unit is substantially sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Nutrition, Agriculture and Consumer Protection under the program for renewable biological resources.
François Darchis, Senior Vice President Air Liquide Group, in charge of R&D, Advanced Technologies and Engineering & Construction, commented: “We are very proud that the bioliq® project by Lurgi in Germany is being continued. In a world where energy and environmental issues take on greater importance every day, Air Liquide intends to play an active role in creating viable alternative energy solutions. Energy and the Environment remain two of the Group’s growth drivers.”
Solar Power in Phoenix 2009.02 Abengoa Solar received a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility from the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC), one of several key permits necessary to begin construction on its Solana Generating Station solar power plant in Gila Bend, 80 miles southwest of Phoenix. "We are very pleased with the affirmation of Solana’s environmental certificate by the Arizona Corporation Commission,” said Kate Maracas, Vice President of Arizona Operations for Abengoa Solar. "This landmark ruling has opened a significant door for further development of this commercial-scale solar project that will power tens of thousands of homes and businesses in Arizona."
Abengoa Solar has a Power Purchase Agreement with the Arizona utility APS for the electricity generated by Solana. The plant will have a capacity of 280 Megawatts, which would make it the largest solar plant in the world at the time of the December 2008 announcement.
"Today's site approval, coupled with the renewal of the federal Investment Tax Credit in October, brings us a big step closer to beginning construction on Solana," said Santiago Seage, CEO of Abengoa Solar. "Nevertheless, we still have lots of work ahead of us. We need until the summer of 2009 to obtain the remaining permits and shortly before that we should be ready to finance Solana, once financial markets improve. Solana is a very strong project with financially stable and experienced development partners, but efforts to make the investment tax credit refundable and the current rate case APS is going through are both important for Solana." (For further discussion of solar tax credits see CGI, “Energy Initiatives,” January 2009, p. 50.)
The Solana Generating Station, when built, will generate enough electricity to power 70,000 homes while avoiding over 475,000 tons a year of greenhouse gases that would otherwise contribute to climate change. The plant will employ a proprietary Concentrating Solar Power trough technology developed by Abengoa Solar, and will cover a surface of approximately 1,900 acres. The construction of the Solana Generating Station will create around 1,500 construction jobs and employ approximately 85 skilled full-time workers once completed.
Solar Power, Inc. Sells Modules to German Solar Integrator 2009.02 Solar Power, Inc. (SPI) has completed its first sale to a prominent German solar integrator of its photovoltaic solar modules for use in the integrator’s Germany-based installation projects. An initial supply of SPI’s 200-watt panels was shipped to the integrator at the end of December 2008. The transaction follows IEC certification in early December 2008 of SPI’s family of solar modules by VDE laboratories located in Main, Germany. The IEC certification, similar to a UL listing in the US, affirms the solar modules’ quality and performance characteristics for use in Europe for commercial and residential applications.
“This arrangement is further validation of SPI’s global sales and marketing strategy,” said Bradley Ferrell, President of SPI’s commercial sales division. “Our recent IEC certification and this transaction mark what we believe to be the beginning of important new opportunities for SPI in European markets. Germany is the largest market in the world for solar and we view these two events as major milestones for our company. Through continuous leveraging of our China-based manufacturing operation, which produces high-quality, competitively priced solar modules and balanceof- system components, SPI is strategically positioned to continue to further penetrate new markets and build global market share.”
SPI made significant strides in 2008 pursuing its international sales strategy with sales of its modules into Asia. Moreover, US commercial sales of its turnkey systems were robust and included high-profile commercial projects such as the STAPLES Center and Nokia Theatre Live in Los Angeles. In September 2008, SPI was named the Sacramento, California region’s fastest growing company by the Sacramento Business Journal.
Suniva Opens the South’s First Solar Cell Factory 2009.02 Suniva Inc., a manufacturer of high value crystalline silicon solar cells, officially opened the first solar factory in the southeastern US with the help of Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue. Located in the Atlanta metro area, Suniva’s manufacturing facility will create over 100 high-paying, permanent green jobs by year-end 2009 and even more as it ramps to full production capacity in 2010.
Governor Perdue spoke at the event about the company’s importance to the state economy and Georgia’s presence on the national energy stage. “With patents developed in the laboratories of Georgia Tech, Suniva’s story is a prime example of how Georgia can lead the nation by teaming the strengths of public and private institutions,” said Governor Perdue. “Georgia made a strong commitment to the clean energy industry through its Energy Innovation Center and Bioenergy Corridor, and Suniva’s new facility makes us one of the first states in the nation manufacturing solar cell technology.”
In October — less than six months after announcing plans to build a manufacturing facility — Suniva completed installation of its first production line in this new facility and began shipping its proprietary ARTisun™ solar cells. Suniva’s solar cells are delivered to solar module manufacturers around the world under existing contracts worth over $1 billion.
Unveiling the First Hydrogen Class 8 Semi Trucks 2009.02 Hydrogen Hybrid, Corp., in conjunction with The Queen Mary of Long Beach, CA, recently displayed for the media a class 8 semi truck modified with an 8x Mega Fuel Cell System. The 8x Mega Fuel Cell System can be installed on any class 8 semi truck and produces enough hydrogen on board to cut the semi truck’s emissions by 30–95 percent, increase its fuel mileage from 30–50 percent, and extend its engine’s life.
The 8x Mega Fuel Cell System measures 24x18x18 inches and works with the semi truck’s engine to produce over 2,500 liters of hydrogen per hour. The 8x Mega Fuel Cell System was tested over several thousand miles on a new Series 60 Detroit, 14- liter engine, running 65 miles per hour in routes from Ohio to Texas, Texas to New Mexico, New Mexico to California and back to Ohio.
The system converts water into a hydrogen fuel using resonant electrolysis. The engine is treated with patented, SEMA certified coating, which reduces friction and thermo-heat loss, and eliminates hydrogen embrittlement. The system also utilizes patented fuel additives to increase engine lubrication, resulting in reduced engine pits and performance loss. A series of heat exchangers raises the diesel fuel to maximize compression combustion in the engine.
The average miles per gallon increased from 5.45 mpg to 8.9 mpg on the best run. The minimum increase was 5.45 mpg to 8.17 mpg. Idle gallons per hour were decreased from 1 gallon per hour to .1 gallons per hour. For owner operators and large trucking companies, this could mean an increase in annual profits by as much as 50 percent, 70 percent lower maintenance costs, decreased pollution, and a lower dependency on foreign oil.
Wisconsin Weighs Biomass Energy Project 2009.02 The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) will begin evaluating Xcel Energy’s request to install biomass gasification technology at the Bay Front Power Plant in Ashland, WI. This represents the first step in the regulatory review process for the innovative project that, if approved, would transform Bay Front into the largest biomass-fueled power plant in the Midwest, and one of the largest in the nation.
Currently, two of the three operating units at Bay Front use biomass as their primary fuel to generate electricity. When completed, the project will convert the plant’s remaining coal-fired unit to biomass gasification technology, allowing it to use 100 percent biomass in all three boilers.
This is the first time biomass gasification technology will be used to convert a coalfired boiler at an existing base-load power plant. The project will require new biomass receiving and handling facilities, an external gasifier, modifications to the plant’s remaining coal-fired boiler and an enhanced air quality control system and is expected to cost $55–70 million.
In biomass gasification, biomass reacts with a controlled amount of oxygen at high temperatures to create a gas mixture called synthetic gas (“syngas”) that is then used as a fuel in the boiler. By converting biomass to gas, the resulting fuel is much cleaner and has far fewer emissions than fossil fuels.
When complete and operational, the project will reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides by more than 60 percent, sulfur dioxides by more than 80 percent and particulate matter by more than 80 percent. In addition, displacing coal with sustainably harvested biomass will also reduce net carbon dioxide emissions, contributing to the state of Wisconsin’s carbon management goals.
