Innovation Management Partners, LLC

“Problems cannot be solved by thinking within the framework in which the problems were created.”

Albert Einstein

Wind
Solar Cells
Geothermal
Biomass
Biogas and liquid BioFuels
Micro Turbines
Hydrogen and fuel cells

Renewable Energy

As global population grows, so too does the demand for power, which today is produced predominantly from coal, oil and gas. Global demand for energy is expected to rise by over 70 percent by 2020. In addition, finite reserves of fossil fuels, increasing costs of exploration and the threat to the climate from greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide all impose global constraints.

To supply the world's enormous energy requirement will require a wide mix of technologies already available today and new technologies over the entire energy chain, from extraction and production to distribution and consumption. The world needs solutions that are economical and environmentally benign and that save resources.

Renewable energy is the term used to describe any source of energy that can be used without depleting its reserves. Many countries and companies have a significant focus on identifying and leveraging renewable energy resources, such as wind, solar – photovoltaic, thermal, geothermal, biomass, biogas, micro turbines and fuel cells to reduce the world’s dependencies on fossil fuels.

The technology to utilize many renewable energy resources is currently being research or has been developed in the Universities and Federal Laboratories through the United States and the rest of the world. However capital costs, although significantly reduced over the last decade, are generally still high, making competition with fossil fuels difficult. Due to the global demand there are a number of countries where the use of fossil fuels is expensive and renewable energy is commercially competitive. Innovation Management Partners mission is to work with organizations to find these new innovative solutions that Universities and Federal Laboratories are developing or have developed and help transition these ideas and products into the marketplace.

Wind

In 2005, the United States installed more new wind capacity than any other country in the world, bringing the country to a total capacity of wind energy able to power 2.3 million households. The market is enormous, with current capacity only representing less than 1% of total energy generation resources. The U.S. Department of Energy forecasts that by 2010, at least 30 states will have 100 MW of installed capacity, growing to 100 Giga Watts by 2020. In 2006, President George Bush stated that, “if the technology is developed further…it’s possible we could generate up to 20% of our electricity needs through wind.”

To accomplish these goals, the cost of wind generated power must be made as cost effective as possible. Scientific work in the field of Wind Technology has developed new technologies that could yield a break-though which can increase efficiency of wind turbines by 10-20%, lowering energy generation costs.

Solar Cells

Photovoltaics (solar cells) are semiconductor devices that convert sunlight into direct current. They have no moving parts, require no maintenance, have zero emissions and are totally silent. They are a key component (the other being Fuel Cells) that are critical to a fully distributed Hydrogen Economy.

Recent development in solar systems involves the use of a concentrator technology where the solar energy over a large area is concentrated onto a small area of solar cells. Concentration of sunlight using a freznel lens or reflective surface can increase energy density several hundred times. This allows the use of more exotic solar cell technology that has greater efficiency. The cells used in concentrator modules are more expensive, but fewer cells are required, resulting in an overall cost per watt that is competitive with flat plate technologies.

Concentrator efficiency levels above 30% have been demonstrated in the laboratory and 20% or better efficiency units are becoming commercially available. Concentrator technologies work best in regions where sunlight is not scattered by haze or air-pollution. Concentrator technologies currently represent a small fraction of the photovoltaic market.

Geothermal

Geothermal Energy is heat (thermal) derived from the earth (geo). It is the thermal energy contained in the rock and fluid (that fills the fractures and pores within the rock) in the earth's crust.

Calculations show that the earth, originating from a completely molten state, would have cooled and become completely solid many thousands of years ago without an energy input in addition to that of the sun. It is believed that the ultimate source of geothermal energy is radioactive decay occurring deep within the earth (Burkland, 1973).

In most areas, this heat reaches the surface in a very diffuse state. However, due to a variety of geological processes, some areas, including substantial portions of many western states, are underlain by relatively shallow geothermal resources.

These resources can be classified as low temperature (less than 90°C or 194°F), moderate temperature (90°C - 150°C or 194 - 302°F), and high temperature (greater than 150°C or 302°F). The uses to which these resources are applied are also influenced by temperature. The highest temperature resources are generally used only for electric power generation. Current U.S. geothermal electric power generation totals approximately 2200 MW or about the same as four large nuclear power plants. Uses for low and moderate temperature resources can be divided into two categories: direct use and ground-source heat pumps.

Direct use, as the name implies, involves using the heat in the water directly (without a heat pump or power plant) for such things as heating of buildings, industrial processes, greenhouses, aquaculture (growing of fish) and resorts. Direct use projects generally use resource temperatures between 38°C (100°F) to 149°C (300°F). Current U.S. installed capacity of direct use systems totals 470 MW or enough to heat 40,000 average-sized houses.

Ground-source heat pumps use the earth or groundwater as a heat source in winter and a heat sink in summer. Using resource temperatures of 4°C (40°F) to 38°C (100°F), the heat pump, a device which moves heat from one place to another, transfers heat from the soil to the house in winter and from the house to the soil in summer. Accurate data is not available on the current number of these systems; however, the rate of installation is thought to be between 10,000 and 40,000 per year.

The current production of geothermal energy from all uses places third among renewables, following hydroelectricity and biomass, and ahead of solar and wind. Despite these impressive statistics, the current level of geothermal use pales in comparison to its potential.

Biomass

Biomass is organic material made from plants and animals. Biomass contains stored energy from the sun. Plants absorb the sun's energy in a process called photosynthesis. The chemical energy in plants gets passed on to animals and people that eat them. Biomass is a renewable energy source because we can always grow more trees and crops, and waste will always exist. Some examples of biomass fuels are wood, crops, manure, and some garbage.

When burned, the chemical energy in biomass is released as heat. If you have a fireplace, the wood you burn in it is a biomass fuel. Wood waste or garbage can be burned to produce steam for making electricity, or to provide heat to industries and homes.

Biogas and liquid BioFuels

Biomass residues can also be converted into various non-solid fuel forms. These fuels are referred to as biogas and liquid biofuels. The aim of this conversion process is to improve the quality, specific energy content, transportability, etc., of the raw biomass source or to capture gases which are naturally produced as biomass is micro biologically degraded or when biomass is partially combusted. Biogas is a well-established fuel for cooking and lighting in a number of countries, whilst a major motivating factor in the development of liquid biofuels has been the drive to replace petroleum fuels. In this fact sheet we will be looking at some of these fuels, their applications and the conversion technologies used to derive them.

In Europe and the United States, as well as in several developing countries, there is a move toward cultivating energy crops specifically for the production of biomass as a fuel. The potential for energy production from biomass throughout the world is enormous and as fossil based fuels become scarcer and more expensive, as carbon emission levels are becoming of greater concern and as people realize the benefits of developing integrated energy supply options, then biomass could begin to realize its full potential as an energy source.

Biogas

Biogas is produced by means of a process known as anaerobic digestion. It is a process whereby organic matter is broken down by microbiological activity and, as the name suggests, it is a process which takes place in the absence of air. It is a phenomenon that occurs naturally at the bottom of ponds and marshes and gives rise to marsh gas or methane, which is a combustible gas.

Liquid BioFuels

Biogas & Liquid Fuels Intermediate Technology Development Group Liquid biofuels, as their name suggests, are fuels derived from biomass and processed to produce a combustible liquid fuel. There are two main categories:

Alcohol Fuels - these include ethanol and methanol
Vegetable oils - derived from plant seeds, such as sunflower, sesame, linseed and oilseed rape.

Alcohol Fuels Ethanol is the most widely used liquid biofuel. It is an alcohol and is fermented from sugars, starches or from cellulosic biomass. Most commercial production of ethanol is from sugar cane or sugar beet, as starches and cellulosic biomass usually require expensive pretreatment. It is used as a renewable energy fuel source as well as being used for manufacture of cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and also for the production of alcoholic beverages.

Methanol is produced by a process of chemical conversion. It can be produced from any biomass with a moisture content of less than 60%; potential feed stocks include forest and agricultural residues, wood and various energy crops. As with ethanol it can either be blended with gasoline to improve the octane rating of the fuel or used in its neat form. Both ethanol and methanol are often preferred fuels for racing cars.

Vegetable Oils A further method of extracting energy from biomass is the production of vegetable oils as fuel. The process of oil extraction is carried out the same way as for extraction of edible oil from plants. There are many crops grown in rural areas of the developing world which are suitable for oil production - coconut, cotton seed, groundnut, palm, rapeseed, soy bean, and more.

Micro Turbines

Micro turbines are small combustion turbines that produce between 25 kW and 500 kW of power. Micro turbines were derived from turbocharger technologies found in large trucks or the turbines in aircraft auxiliary power units (APUs). Most micro turbines are single-stage, radial flow devices with high rotating speeds of 90,000 to 120,000 revolutions per minute. However, a few manufacturers have developed alternative systems with multiple stages and/or lower rotation speeds.

Extensive field test data collected from units currently in use at commercial and industrial facilities will provide manufacturers with the ability to improve the micro turbine design, lowering costs and increasing performance, in order to produce a competitive distributed generation product. Utilities, government agencies, and other organizations are involved in collaborative research and field testing. In addition, manufacturers are moving toward packaging micro turbine generators with integrated heat recovery equipment to lower both the cost of installation and operation.

Development is ongoing in a variety of areas:

Heat recovery/cogeneration
Fuel flexibility
Vehicles
Hybrid systems (e.g., fuel cell/micro turbine, flywheel/micro turbine)

Hydrogen and fuel cells

Hydrogen and fuel cells have the potential to solve several major challenges facing America today: dependence on petroleum imports, poor air quality, and greenhouse gas emissions. The Hydrogen, Fuel Cells & Infrastructure Technologies Program is working with partners to accelerate the development and successful market introduction of these technologies.

Hydrogen

Hydrogen can be produced using diverse, domestic resources including fossil fuels, such as natural gas and coal (with carbon sequestration); nuclear; and biomass and other renewable energy technologies, such as wind, solar, geothermal, and hydro-electric power.

The overall challenge to hydrogen production is cost reduction. For transportation, a key driver for energy independence and therefore the hydrogen economy, hydrogen must be cost-competitive with conventional fuels and technologies on a per-mile basis in order to succeed in the commercial marketplace.

Fuel Cells

A fuel cell is an electrochemical energy conversation device. It converts hydrogen and oxygen into water, producing electricity and heat in the process. Fuel cells are silent, efficient, and compact and can be used for many different power applications. There are many different types of fuel cells and each has its optimal uses.

Fuel cells are an important enabling technology for the hydrogen economy and have the potential to revolutionize the way we power our nation, offering cleaner, more-efficient alternatives to the combustion of gasoline and other fossil fuels. Fuel cells have the potential to replace the internal combustion engine in vehicles and provide power in stationary and portable power applications because they are energy-efficient, clean, and fuel-flexible. Hydrogen or any hydrogen-rich fuel can be used by this emerging technology.