Clean energy is my area of expertise but pure water is also an essential human requirement, thusly methinks that our planet will move to a deeper understanding and higher appreciation of water in coming years. I am also a singer-writer, and next week will be mastering my new song Water, a tune I've been working on for over two years.
If anyone is making a film or TV show about water, you can check the song on www.myspace.com/yuya and contact me thru here or there if desiring to utilize the track.
Peace 2 All,
Yuya
These water technology opportunities are initially from the www.water-stocks.com website run by InvestorIdeas.com, though I will add to this list in coming months:
Aalberts Industries N.V. (Amsterdam:AALB.AS) is an international industrial group with two core activities, Industrial Services and Flow Control, and occupies top positions in the market in each of these activities. Aalberts Industries operates on the basis of a decentralized structure with significant operational management responsibilities.
American Water Corp (NYSE: AWK) Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest investor-owned U.S. water and wastewater utility company. With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs nearly 7,000 dedicated professionals who provide drinking water, wastewater and other related services to approximately 15.6 million people in 32 states and Ontario, Canada
Ameron International Corporation (NYSE: AMN) Ameron International Corporation is a multinational manufacturer of highly-engineered products and materials for the chemical, industrial, energy, transportation and infrastructure markets. Ameron is a leading producer of water transmission lines
Amiad Filtration Systems Ltd. (LSE:AFS.L) is a producer and global supplier of water filters and filtration systems. The Company's key markets are the industrial and municipal market and the irrigation market
Asia Environment Holdings Ltd (SIN:A58) is an investment holding company. Through its subsidiaries, it provides integrated water and wastewater treatment solutions in the People's Republic of China. It has three segments. The turnkey projects and services segment is engaged in the provision of turnkey services involving the entire process from consultancy design, production, construction and engineering, installation and commissioning of water and wastewater treatment systems, and research and development work on water and wastewater treatment equipment and techniques. The manufacturing segment is involved in the manufacture, fabrication, sales and installation of generic or custom-manufactured specialized equipment for water and wastewater treatment systems. The build-operate-transfer projects segment is engaged in the construction and operation of water treatment facilities. In January 2008, the Company established a wholly owned subsidiary, Anqing Penyao Wastewater Treatment Pte. Ltd.
Asia Water Technology Ltd. (SIN:5GB) is an investment holding company that specializes in offering total engineering solutions for water purification and wastewater treatment systems. It operates in three business segments. The water purification treatment segment is engaged in the design, assembly, installation and commissioning of water purification treatment systems, as well as technology development of such water purification systems, and treatment of raw water drawn from underground and treatment of tap water. The wastewater treatment segment is involved in the supply and installation of equipment used in industrial and municipal wastewater treatment systems. The others segment is engaged in the trading of water treatment equipment and miscellaneous peripheral contracts, which includes coal conveying control system and chemical cleaning.
AWG Plc (AWG.L), One of the country's largest water utilities, AWG provides regulated water, wastewater, and environmental services to some 6 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers through its Anglian Water unit.
Badger Meter, Inc. (AMEX: BMI) is a marketer and manufacturer of products using flow measurement and control technologies developed both internally and with other technology companies. The Company's products are used to measure and control the flow of liquids in a variety of applications. Its product lines fall into two general categories: utility and industrial. Two product lines, residential and commercial water meters (with various meter reading technology systems) are generally sold to water utilities. Industrial sales consist of the remainder of the sales and include automotive fluid meters and systems, small precision valves, electromagnetic meters, impeller flow meters and industrial process meters (all with related accessories and instrumentation). Residential and commercial water meters and related systems provide the majority of the Company's sales.
Basin Water, Inc. (BWTR:NASDAQ) engages in the design, building, and implementation of groundwater treatment systems in the United States. It offers a proprietary ion-exchange wellhead treatment system that reduces groundwater contaminant levels. The system could be used to treat a range of contaminants, including arsenic, nitrate, and perchlorate.
Beijing Capital Co., Ltd. (SHA:600008) . is engaged in various businesses, such as the toll collection of Jingtong expressway, the operation of hotels, the leasing of assets, the treatment of wastewater, as well as the manufacture and distribution of tap water. The Company operates its businesses primarily in Beijing, Jiangsu Province, Shaanxi Province, Zhejiang Province, Anhui Province, Hebei Province and Shandong Province, the People's Republic of China. During the year ended December 31, 2006, approximately 39%, 36% and 17% of its total revenue came from its tap water business, treatment of wastewater and toll collection business, respectively. As of December 31, 2006, the Company had 14 major subsidiaries and three major associates
BioShaft (OTCBB:BSHF) - wastewater treatment technology based on Bio-Filtration utilizing sludge carriers. These plants are made using the Hans BioShaft Turbine that is at the heart of the wastewater technology. It was developed in the Netherlands in 1994 and was improved upon by Dr. Hans Badreddine and implemented as Hans BioShaft®. It is patented in the United Kingdom and the patent is pending in the United States.
Bioteq Environmental Technologi (BQE.V) BioteQ builds and operates water treatment plants providing profitable metal recovery and sustainable environmental solutions.
Calgon Carbon Corp (NYSE: CCC) offers products, services, and solutions for purification of water and air in the United States. It operates in three segments: Activated Carbon and Service, Equipment, and Consumer. Activated Carbon and Service segment manufactures granular activated carbon for use in applications to remove organic compounds from water, air and other liquids and gases. Activated carbon is a porous material that removes organic compounds from liquids and gases through adsorption process. Equipment segment designs and sells equipment which employs activated carbon and ion exchange resins for purification, separation, and concentration, as well as offers ISEP (ionic separator) continuous ion exchange units for the purification various products in the food, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries. Consumer segment primarily offers carbon cloth, which include PreZerve storage products line and AllGone odor elimination system. It offers its products primarily to potable water, industrial process, environmental water and air, food, and specialty markets.
CDS Technologies Limited (CDX.AX) storm water treatment products. Engaged in the development, manufacture and sale of water and wastewater solutions, primarily continuous deflective separation technology, which is a non-blocking screening technology that removes solids from liquids. It has three geographic segments: Australia, USA and UK. These segments are engaged in design, construction and delivery functions with sales offices servicing all states and territories in their respective countries. The USA segment offers media filtration product. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2006, under the UK segment, CDS' subsidiary, Copa Limited, offered traditional wastewater products, and established process technologies, including hybrid biological nutrient removal, CDS storm water solutions for sustainable urban drainage systems market, and the membrane bio reactors that provide near-tap water effluent quality. In October 2006, Groupe Laperriere & Verreault Inc. acquired Copa Limited and Copa Water Pty Limited from CDS
China Evergreen Environmental Corporation (OTCBB: CEEC.OB) is a leading designer, engineer and developer of waste water treatment facilities in China. With its proprietary technology resources and project management experience, the Company provides both turn-key and BOT (build-operate-transfer) services to a range of industrial companies and municipalities throughout China. The Company also makes sales of its proprietary GM Bio-carriers, a natural, chemical-free process that improves the efficiency of the waste water treatment process
Christ Water Technology AG purification desalination(WBAG:CWT) is an Austria-based company active in the provision of technologies, components and services in the field of pure and ultra pure water production, drinking water production and the treatment of wastewater and sewage. The Company is divided into four business segments.
Dakshidin Corp water pumping windmills (OTCPK:DKSC) and its wholly owned subsidiary RESTEC International Inc, manufacturers of water pumping windmills. The developments of RESTEC International Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Dakshidin Corporation, provide significant contributions to the solution of problems in obtaining safe, reliable water faster and cheaper than ever before.
Darco Water Technologies Limited (SIN:5CB) is a Singapore-based investment holding company. The Company is organized into three segments: EW Systems, WM Services and trading. EW Systems designs, fabricates, assembles, installs and commission engineered water systems for industrial applications. WM Services is engaged in services and maintains product water and wastewater systems. Trading is engaged in trades and supplies chemicals, electrical controls and related instruments used in water treatment systems.
EAU Technologies, Inc (OTCBB: EAUI ) non-toxic water purification. Supplier of Electrolyzed Water Technology (EOW Technology marketed as Empowered Water(TM)) and other complementary technologies with applications in diverse industries. EAU's water-based and non-toxic (at application concentration, the solutions are non-toxic to humans and live animals) EOW Technology may replace many of the traditional methods now used to clean, disinfect, protect and nourish in large industries such as agriculture and food processing. EAU has solutions for existing bacteria, virus and mold proliferation threats. EAU continues to add innovative and efficacious products that offer a systemic approach to pathogen elimination in food processing plants and related industries, thereby producing safer foods and protecting the environment through "Green Chemistry."
Ebara Corporation (6361: Tokyo) is one of the world's principal manufacturers of fluid transfer machinery, with particularly strong positions in pumps, compressors, fans, and chillers. The Company is also a prominent contractor of environmental engineering systems, focusing on the realization of the "sustainable society." Ebara is a leading supplier of precision machinery to the semiconductor device manufacturing industry. Key products in this sector include chemical mechanical polishing systems, dry vacuum pumps, and other equipment, such as wafer plating systems, that assist the industry in meeting the demands of manufacturing the next generation of semiconductor devices. Ebara is actively engaged in developing and commercializing new energy technologies, including wind power generators, fuel cell cogeneration systems, and photovoltaic power generators.
Ecosphere Technologies, Inc., (OTCBB: ESPH) through its subsidiaries, provides patented and engineered solutions for the defense, homeland security, automotive, and global ship repair markets primarily in the United States. It offers water filtration system, which produces clean drinking water using various natural water sources, as well as heavily polluted water. The company provides an alternative method of removing coatings using an ultra-high pressure robotic water-jetting system, called the M3500 that produces minimal waste. The M3500 uses a titanium and aluminum robot that attaches to the surface of a ship using a patented air gap magnetic array, and is controlled and monitored via a remote operator.
Flexible Solutions International, Inc. (AMEX: FSI) water evaporation reduction technology. Engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of patented water technologies worldwide. It offers specialty chemicals that slow down the evaporation of water. The company’s products include WaterSavr, a water evaporation retardant that reduces evaporation in reservoirs, lakes, aqueducts, irrigation canals, ponds, and slow moving rivers; Heatsavr, a liquid blanket evaporation retardant for the commercial swimming pool and spa markets that reduces humidity and lowers water heating costs; and Ecosavr for residential swimming pools. In addition, the company’s subsidiary, NanoChem Solutions, Inc., specializes in the manufacture of water-soluble products that utilize thermal polyaspartate biopolymers. Its water evaporation control products are used to reduce water loss in arid climates, reduce energy loss from public and private swimming pools, and cause spreading of desired particles across water surfaces. The company’s bio-polymers are utilized in agricultural nutrient uptake, oil industry scale prevention, and as suspension agents in the detergent industry.
GE Osmonics (GEWT) Water & Process Technologies, a unit of GE Infrastructure, is a leading global supplier of water, wastewater and process systems solutions. Water & Process Technologies delivers customer value by improving performance and product quality and by reducing operating costs and extending equipment life in a broad range of products and services. These products and services are used to optimize total water/process system performance, safeguard customer assets from corrosion, fouling and scaling, and protect the environment through water and energy conservation.
Kurita Water Industries Ltd. (Tokyo:6370) english website is a leading manufacturer of water treatment equipment, chemicals and plant equipment.
Mueller Water Products Inc. (NYSE: MWA) Mueller Water Products, LLC engages in the manufacture and sale of water infrastructure and flow control products for use in water distribution networks, water and wastewater treatment facilities, gas distribution systems, and piping systems in North America. It produces and sells hydrants, valves, and related products to the water and gas infrastructure markets. The company also engages in the production, sourcing, and sale of pipe fittings, pipe hangers, and pipe nipples, as well as a range of related products to the piping systems market. Mueller sells its products to municipalities, publicly and privately-owned water and wastewater utilities, gas utilities, and construction contractors. Mueller Water Products, LLC is a subsidiary of Walter Industries, Inc
Pall Corp (NYSE: PLL) through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and marketing of filtration and separation products and systems worldwide. The company operates in five segments: Medical, BioPharmaceuticals, General Industrial, Aerospace, and Microelectronics. The Medical segment sells disposable blood filtration and cardiovascular filtration products primarily to blood centers and hospitals. The BioPharmaceuticals segment sells separation systems and disposable filters primarily to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. The General Industrial segment sells filters, coalescers, and separation systems for hydraulic, fuel, and lubrication systems on mechanical equipment, as well as to producers of oil, gas, electricity, chemicals, food and beverages, municipal, and industrial water and paper. The Aerospace segment offers filtration and fluid monitoring equipment to the aerospace industry for use in commercial and military aircraft. The Microelectronics segment offers disposable filtration products to producers of semiconductors, computer terminals, fiber optics, disk drives, displays, and photographic film.
Seprotech (CDNX:SET.V) water treatment systems. Provider of pre-engineered water and wastewater treatment plants to the land development, industrial and military market place, including membrane-based water treatment systems and the ROTORDISK® biological wastewater treatment systems.
TROJAN Technologies (TSE: TUV) water purification: A leader in advanced treatment solutions to safeguard the world's water. At Trojan, we are committed to reducing water stress and maximizing this invaluable resource for current and future generations. Our continued development of innovative, technology-based solutions will provide municipalities, industrial enterprises, and consumers with practical ways to solve their water-related and process problems in an environmentally responsible way.
www.wataireinternational.com/ and www.waterpureinternational.com water generation from the atmosphere!!!
Wataire International, Inc. (OTCBB: WTAR) generates water from air, distributes atmospheric water generators worldwide. It has exclusive worldwide distribution rights to sell Wataire Industries, Inc.’s branded home/office and commercial large volume water generator machines. The company was formerly known as Cimbix Corp. and changed its name to Wataire International, Inc. in October 2006.
WaterPure International (OTCBB:WPUR)water generation and purification. WaterPure International, Inc. markets water production and treatment products in the USA and abroad. The Company's principal line of products includes several models of Atmospheric Water Generators, devices that produce water from the humidity present in the air.
WorldWater and Power Corp. (OTCBB: WWAT) operates as a solar engineering and project management company. It provides solar electric technology and expertise with water and power solutions. The company offers AquaMax system, which is capable of operating pumps and motors up to 600 horse power for irrigation, refrigeration and cooling, and water utilities, consists of an electronic board that reads and translates the output of solar electric direct current from solar panels, converting the flow into alternate current (AC) for delivery to the electric grid, water pumps, and various 3-phase AC motors. Its other products include AquaDrive Controller and AquaMeter water meter. The company’s photovoltaic system generates electricity from the sun.
More fun links:
Wind Energy Stocks, windpower investing info
Geothermal Power Investments, Geothermal company website links
Atmospheric Water Generation Technology links from DMOZ Open Directory project:
* Air to H2O - Western Australia manufacturer of atmospheric water generators. Product information, FAQs, purchase and rental information, and description of the technology.
* Airwater Corporation - Manufacturer of mobile and stationary units. Product profiles, description of the process, and press releases.
* Air2Water LLC - Manufacturer of machines that extract drinking water from the air. Product information, support and contact.
* Aquair - California manufacturer. Offers product descriptions, FAQs, demographics of world consumption, water usage calculator, tips, and company profile.
* AquaMaker - Texas manufacturer of atmospheric water generator units. Company profile, product description, and searchable dealer database.
* Wataire Industries Inc. - Canadian manufacturer of atmospheric water generators. Includes company profile, product descriptions, description of the process, news and press releases.
* Water Master International - Manufactures machinery that generates pure drinking water from the air. Company profile and product information.
* WaterMaker India - Mumbai manufacturer. Offers product comparison chart and descriptions, downloadable brochure, description of technology, and FAQs.
* White Buffalo Nation Inc - A science cooperative with custom industrial air-to-water bottling solutions and pure water manufacturing systems for the home and office.
* Wikipedia web page on Atmospheric Water Generators - Online encyclopedia article about this technology.
* Wired News article Making Water From Thin Air - Audrey Hudson describes the process and profiles the company contracted to provide water to the troops in Iraq using this process. (October 6, 2006)
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Clean Geen Power Mutual Funds and Investments
Find Green Energy Funds, Renewable Energy Stocks, Clean Power Investments
Search Green Energy Stocks Investing Network:
CAUTION: Investing in common stocks of publicly-listed companies is a high risk (and high potential reward) activity. Owning investments in individual renewable energy technology companies is for high risk investors only, and medium risk investors should consider green mutual funds, closed-end clean energy funds, alternative energy index funds and other clean energy sector investments. Even then, these funds should be owned as part of a widely diversified portfolio, and always be considered as longer term investments.
Alternative energy stocks and other renewable power investments are a core component of ethical investing portfolios. Find info on Alternative Energy websites, research solar power, locate renewable power information and solar energy companies online. Links to info on clean fuels, solar power as a peace technology, solar energy stocks and clean power mutual funds.
Clean Energy Website Information Network
Find green power alternative energy solutions, clean energy stocks, water technology stocks, water purification companies, water desalination technology and photovoltaic solar electric power company websites:
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Search Green Energy Stocks Investing Network:
Custom Search
Alternative energy stocks and other renewable power investments are a core component of ethical investing portfolios. Find info on Alternative Energy websites, research solar power, locate renewable power information and solar energy companies online. Links to info on clean fuels, solar power as a peace technology, solar energy stocks and clean power mutual funds.
Clean Energy Website Information Network
Find green power alternative energy solutions, clean energy stocks, water technology stocks, water purification companies, water desalination technology and photovoltaic solar electric power company websites:
Custom Search
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Alternative Energy Investing, Renewable Power Websites
Renewable Energy Investing Websites and Green Power Links
Here are some renewable energy investing and clean power fund websites, important resources for researching alternative power technology and renewable energy companies. Resources for clean energy information, green power investment funds and green investments globally:
5N Plus Inc. official english website
American Solar Energy Society
Directory of Solar Power Info Online
DOE Energy-Efficiency and Renewable Power Website
EcoWorld.com - Nature and Technology In Harmony
Energy Conversion Devices page at Yahoo Finance
Environmental Realty and Ecological Property Website
Evergreen Solar company website ESLR
First Solar company information, FSLR
Geothermal.info Geothermal Power website
Green-Energy-News.com
Hawaii Green Homes Land
Home Power Magazine - Official Website
OyNot.com Solar Energy and Batteries
PanTerra Clean Energy Business Parks
PBD - Info on PowerShares Global Clean Energy Fund
Renewable Energy Access Website
Renewable Energy Focus
RenewableEnergyStocks.com Global Stock List
Science Daily Solar Energy Information
SolarBuzz.com Best Solar Energy Website
Solar Energy Investment Blog
Spire Solar company info at Yahoo Finance; SPIR
SunPoweredDreams.com Green Energy Blog
Wind Energy Company websites; Windpower Info online
Wind Energy Investing Links
* Acciona Wind Energy (ANA.MC)
* Babcock and Brown Wind Partners (ASX: BBW BBWPF.PK)
* Boralex Wind Energy info
* Clipper Windpower (CWPR.L) Wind Turbine Manufacturing
* Gamesa Corp (GAM.MC) alternative energy website
* Naikun Windpower company information
* SkyPower Windpower Investment Fund
* Sky Power - Canadian windpower firm
* Suzlon Energy (SUZL) Indian wind power stock
* Vestas Wind Systems (VWSYF) Danish windpower company
* Western Wind Energy (WND: TSX.V) publicly-listed stock
* Xantrex Technology (XTX) solar energy inverters
Alternative Energy Investing; Clean Power Stocks
* Green Realtor Website
* Bees Trees Frogs Elephants Nature Website
* Calvert Global Alternative Energy Investment Fund (CGAEX)
* Canadian Hydro (KHD) windpower developments
* Canada Windpower Atlas
* Geothermal Energy Investing Info
* Directory of Top Alternative Energy Websites
* Naikun Wind Energy British Columbia development
* Net Metering information
* Ormat Tech (ORA) geothermal power leading company
* Renewable Power Investing website
* Solar Buzz Renewable Energy Investments
* The Solar Intelligence Blog
Environmental Blogs and Nature Websites
* Geotherma.info Geothermal Energy Stock Investing
* Water Partners International
* Official Website of Greenpeace International
* Nature.com - Animals and Ecology Nature Website
* Nature.ca - Canadian Natural World and Ecology Site
* SolarIntell.com - Guide to Clean Energy Websites and Renewable Power Blogs
* Solar Energy on Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia
* Bees Trees Frogs Elephants Nature and Ecology Blog
* Geotherma.info Geothermal Energy Investing
Here are some renewable energy investing and clean power fund websites, important resources for researching alternative power technology and renewable energy companies. Resources for clean energy information, green power investment funds and green investments globally:
5N Plus Inc. official english website
American Solar Energy Society
Directory of Solar Power Info Online
DOE Energy-Efficiency and Renewable Power Website
EcoWorld.com - Nature and Technology In Harmony
Energy Conversion Devices page at Yahoo Finance
Environmental Realty and Ecological Property Website
Evergreen Solar company website ESLR
First Solar company information, FSLR
Geothermal.info Geothermal Power website
Green-Energy-News.com
Hawaii Green Homes Land
Home Power Magazine - Official Website
OyNot.com Solar Energy and Batteries
PanTerra Clean Energy Business Parks
PBD - Info on PowerShares Global Clean Energy Fund
Renewable Energy Access Website
Renewable Energy Focus
RenewableEnergyStocks.com Global Stock List
Science Daily Solar Energy Information
SolarBuzz.com Best Solar Energy Website
Solar Energy Investment Blog
Spire Solar company info at Yahoo Finance; SPIR
SunPoweredDreams.com Green Energy Blog
Wind Energy Company websites; Windpower Info online
Wind Energy Investing Links
* Acciona Wind Energy (ANA.MC)
* Babcock and Brown Wind Partners (ASX: BBW BBWPF.PK)
* Boralex Wind Energy info
* Clipper Windpower (CWPR.L) Wind Turbine Manufacturing
* Gamesa Corp (GAM.MC) alternative energy website
* Naikun Windpower company information
* SkyPower Windpower Investment Fund
* Sky Power - Canadian windpower firm
* Suzlon Energy (SUZL) Indian wind power stock
* Vestas Wind Systems (VWSYF) Danish windpower company
* Western Wind Energy (WND: TSX.V) publicly-listed stock
* Xantrex Technology (XTX) solar energy inverters
Alternative Energy Investing; Clean Power Stocks
* Green Realtor Website
* Bees Trees Frogs Elephants Nature Website
* Calvert Global Alternative Energy Investment Fund (CGAEX)
* Canadian Hydro (KHD) windpower developments
* Canada Windpower Atlas
* Geothermal Energy Investing Info
* Directory of Top Alternative Energy Websites
* Naikun Wind Energy British Columbia development
* Net Metering information
* Ormat Tech (ORA) geothermal power leading company
* Renewable Power Investing website
* Solar Buzz Renewable Energy Investments
* The Solar Intelligence Blog
Environmental Blogs and Nature Websites
* Geotherma.info Geothermal Energy Stock Investing
* Water Partners International
* Official Website of Greenpeace International
* Nature.com - Animals and Ecology Nature Website
* Nature.ca - Canadian Natural World and Ecology Site
* SolarIntell.com - Guide to Clean Energy Websites and Renewable Power Blogs
* Solar Energy on Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia
* Bees Trees Frogs Elephants Nature and Ecology Blog
* Geotherma.info Geothermal Energy Investing
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Biofuel from agricultural waste gets funding boost in Ontario Canada
Ontario targets $7.5M for biofuel
TheStar.com - Toronto, Canada
Program will fund research focused on using agricultural waste, not food, to generate energy
July 03, 2008
Rob Ferguson
Queen's Park Bureau
The Ontario government is pouring another $7.5 million into research for biofuels that can be made from agricultural waste such as corn husks and manure instead of food crops.
With concerns mounting that biofuels are taking food out of people's mouths and pushing prices higher, the government will today announce $5 million for a new biofuels institute at the University of Western Ontario in London, sources told the Toronto Star.
Another $2.5 million will go toward a demonstration project on a farm outside of London that is turning manure and waste water into biogas, producing enough to power about 800 homes.
"There is a huge demand now for more sustainable biofuels," said a source familiar with the announcement, to be made this morning by Research and Innovation Minister John Wilkinson in London.
"There are researchers and labs all across the province that are already working on this."
One scientist active in the field said the first generation of biofuels, such as ethanol based on the sugar in kernels of corn, has been relatively easy to develop, but the goal is to find a more efficient way of developing fuels from waste, such as corn husks and stalks, which aren't used as food.
"It's a whole lot trickier," said University of Guelph professor Anthony Clarke, noting it is more difficult to isolate the energy in cellulose – the material in stalks and husks that gives the plant its strength – than it is to extract the energy contained within the sugars of the kernel.
He calls that process the "Holy Grail" for researchers in the quest for new fuels to replace fossil-based fuels.
"We need to boost the efficiency and make it cost effective ... a breakthrough could come tomorrow, or it could take another five years," he added.
The biogas project, located at Stanton Farms near the hamlet of Ilderton, is a collaboration between UWO, the University of Guelph and the University of Waterloo.
It uses a biodigester system that turns manure and waste water into a gas that can be used as an energy source.
Aside from working on fuels, the new Institute for Chemicals and Fuels from Alternate Resources at UWO's experimental field station will look at ways to use a process called pyrolysis for turning agricultural waste such as corn husks into organic insecticides, fertilizers and pesticides.
The institute is working with a company from nearby Dorchester called Agri-Therm Ltd., which is a spinoff of UWO's engineering faculty that has developed and patented a pyrolysis machine.
The company is taking it on a demonstration tour for potential customers this summer.
There is a huge potential for biofuels using tonnes and tonnes of plant material that is otherwise going to waste, said Clarke, who is working on a $600,000, three-year study on how to break down cellulose in plants into fuel, funded in part by the Ontario government.
Garbage dumps, he adds, are full of materials containing cellulose that have the potential to generate energy if the right technologies can be developed.
But Clarke said such biofuels are a "stopgap measure" to replace oil, gasoline and natural gas for the time being.
"They're just supplementing our dependence on fossil fuels," he added, noting hydrogen, solar and other renewable fuels remain better long-term options.
Explore the web:
Green Energy Investing, Clean Power Company Websites
Renewable Power Stocks, Windpower Investing Blog
Geothermal Power and Green Energy Company Investing
The Green Realtor Blog - Environmentally-friendly Realty Links
BeesTreesFrogsElephants.com - Nature and Ecology Blog
New Independent Canadian Singer-Songwriter Yuya Joe
The Toronto Sound - New Canadian Modern Alt-Rock Music
TheStar.com - Toronto, Canada
Program will fund research focused on using agricultural waste, not food, to generate energy
July 03, 2008
Rob Ferguson
Queen's Park Bureau
The Ontario government is pouring another $7.5 million into research for biofuels that can be made from agricultural waste such as corn husks and manure instead of food crops.
With concerns mounting that biofuels are taking food out of people's mouths and pushing prices higher, the government will today announce $5 million for a new biofuels institute at the University of Western Ontario in London, sources told the Toronto Star.
Another $2.5 million will go toward a demonstration project on a farm outside of London that is turning manure and waste water into biogas, producing enough to power about 800 homes.
"There is a huge demand now for more sustainable biofuels," said a source familiar with the announcement, to be made this morning by Research and Innovation Minister John Wilkinson in London.
"There are researchers and labs all across the province that are already working on this."
One scientist active in the field said the first generation of biofuels, such as ethanol based on the sugar in kernels of corn, has been relatively easy to develop, but the goal is to find a more efficient way of developing fuels from waste, such as corn husks and stalks, which aren't used as food.
"It's a whole lot trickier," said University of Guelph professor Anthony Clarke, noting it is more difficult to isolate the energy in cellulose – the material in stalks and husks that gives the plant its strength – than it is to extract the energy contained within the sugars of the kernel.
He calls that process the "Holy Grail" for researchers in the quest for new fuels to replace fossil-based fuels.
"We need to boost the efficiency and make it cost effective ... a breakthrough could come tomorrow, or it could take another five years," he added.
The biogas project, located at Stanton Farms near the hamlet of Ilderton, is a collaboration between UWO, the University of Guelph and the University of Waterloo.
It uses a biodigester system that turns manure and waste water into a gas that can be used as an energy source.
Aside from working on fuels, the new Institute for Chemicals and Fuels from Alternate Resources at UWO's experimental field station will look at ways to use a process called pyrolysis for turning agricultural waste such as corn husks into organic insecticides, fertilizers and pesticides.
The institute is working with a company from nearby Dorchester called Agri-Therm Ltd., which is a spinoff of UWO's engineering faculty that has developed and patented a pyrolysis machine.
The company is taking it on a demonstration tour for potential customers this summer.
There is a huge potential for biofuels using tonnes and tonnes of plant material that is otherwise going to waste, said Clarke, who is working on a $600,000, three-year study on how to break down cellulose in plants into fuel, funded in part by the Ontario government.
Garbage dumps, he adds, are full of materials containing cellulose that have the potential to generate energy if the right technologies can be developed.
But Clarke said such biofuels are a "stopgap measure" to replace oil, gasoline and natural gas for the time being.
"They're just supplementing our dependence on fossil fuels," he added, noting hydrogen, solar and other renewable fuels remain better long-term options.
Explore the web:
Green Energy Investing, Clean Power Company Websites
Renewable Power Stocks, Windpower Investing Blog
Geothermal Power and Green Energy Company Investing
The Green Realtor Blog - Environmentally-friendly Realty Links
BeesTreesFrogsElephants.com - Nature and Ecology Blog
New Independent Canadian Singer-Songwriter Yuya Joe
The Toronto Sound - New Canadian Modern Alt-Rock Music
Offshore Windpower from Lake Ontario may be best alternative to nuclear and coal
Wind power a dilemma for Ontario
TheStar.com - Business - Wind power a dilemma for Ontario
COMPARING WIND AND NUCLEAR
So how does offshore wind stack up to nuclear? Moody's Investors Service, commenting in May about the rising cost of atomic power, said the potential cost of a new plant being proposed today is more than $7,000 per kilowatt of capacity. This equates to about $5.3 billion for every 750 megawatts of nuclear capacity added to the grid.
Helimax estimates that the average cost of offshore wind development in Ontario is about $3,800 per kilowatt, or $2.9 billion for 750 megawatts of offshore wind capacity – that is, a project the size of what Trillium has proposed.
Such a comparison, however, is misleading. The lifetime "capacity factor" of Candu nuclear reactors around the world is about 80 per cent, a figure some would call generous in the Ontario context. This means the reactors have produced energy on average that amounts to 80 per cent of potential capacity. Helimax said offshore wind turbines have a capacity factor ranging from 35 to 40 per cent.
So to get the same energy over the course of a year from an offshore wind farm you'd have to build twice as much. This makes offshore wind slightly more expensive than what Moody's is predicting for the cost of nuclear. But is it really? Offshore proponents are quick to point out that with wind power you don't need a lifetime supply of uranium fuel, don't produce toxic waste products, don't have to pay for long-term storage of those waste products, and have lower ongoing staffing and maintenance costs.
They acknowledge offshore wind isn't baseload power like nuclear. Then again, there's no risk of a 1,500-megawatt reactor shutting down for a month or two in the summer because of unscheduled maintenance, like we saw last summer at Pickering generating station.
Timing is also an important consideration. Ontario's first lake-based wind farms, should the province choose to go down the offshore path, could be built and operating by 2013 – a year before the last coal plant is scheduled for shutdown in Ontario. The new nuclear plant at Darlington, as much as the province may need it for baseload power, won't go live until 2018.
–Tyler Hamilton
June 30, 2008
Tyler Hamilton
KINGSTON–The sun was shining, the wind was gentle, and the water calm as a boatload of visitors to Kingston, guests of budding offshore wind developer Trillium Power, embarked last week on a three-hour tour of Lake Ontario.
The cruise was timed to coincide with a global wind power conference at St. Lawrence College.
Trillium's goal was simple: Show people, rather than just tell, how much stronger and consistent the wind is when venturing offshore.
About 30 minutes into the ride the mission was accomplished. What was a relatively smooth cruise became a stomach-churning experience as the wind-battered Catamaran, big enough to hold 180 people, began shifting back and forth in the water. Staff ran to keep bottles of wine from smashing on to the floor, while guests were urged to stay seated.
"The wind here is three times more powerful," said John Kourtoff, chief executive of Trillium, as he compared the potential wind energy from his project to existing onshore wind farms scattered around southern Ontario.
Kourtoff wants to build a 750-megawatt offshore wind farm in these waters, about 15 kilometres off the shore of Prince Edward County. That works out to about 150 wind turbines, seen as specks from the shoreline. And there's potential to double that.
Earlier this month, he announced the creation of Tai Wind, a consortium of North American offshore wind developers who hope, by combining their collective needs, to attract a turbine manufacturer to Ontario.
Already, Germany's Multibrid is seriously considering the invitation and, sources say, has begun high-level discussions between its executives and Ontario government officials.
Multibrid's interest is understandable. A recent report from energy consultancy Helimax concluded there were 64 sites on the Ontario side of the Great Lakes representing up to 34,500 megawatts of offshore wind capacity. This means the Trillium project is just scratching the surface.
Last week, for example, Toronto Hydro said it was renewing its efforts to establish an 80-turbine offshore wind farm near the Scarborough Bluffs.
"Offshore wind will be a driver of growth for the wind industry in the years to come," concluded investment firm Kyoto Planet Asset Management in a research report issued last week.
Also understandable is the government's interest. Embracing offshore wind is more than just adding more renewable energy to the grid, it could form the basis of a new "green" industrial strategy aimed at creating green-collar jobs. Multibrid is potentially the seed for that strategy, as it would need to develop a supply chain to support its Ontario growth plan. More than that, it sees Ontario as a manufacturing hub as it seeks to expand sales across North America and beyond.
It's welcome news at a time when production lines and plants are being shut down at Ontario automotive manufacturers. The idea makes so much sense that some unlikely alliances are being formed. When Trillium announced the Tai Wind consortium earlier this month, representatives from environmental groups WWF Canada and the David Suzuki Foundation shared the stage with the Canadian Auto Workers union, which fully backs the consortium's goals.
Natural Resources Minister Donna Cansfield told the Star that Ontario is "open for business" when it comes to offshore wind. George Smitherman, now minister of energy and infrastructure, wanted so much to express his support for wind industry growth in Ontario that just days after his appointment he made an unscheduled speech at the Kingston wind conference.
There's a sense of urgency, and a recognition that if Ontario doesn't act on the opportunity, other jurisdictions will.
But a big question remains: How much does offshore wind cost?
The Ontario Power Authority, the government agency that effectively determines which large power projects live or die, says offshore wind costs too much to be considered in its 20-year power system plan. It acknowledges that the technology provides more power than onshore projects, but not enough to justify the higher cost of building offshore wind farms.
"It should be borne in mind that there is currently no experience in Ontario with offshore wind resources, and it may be that additional information may become available over time that would justify further review of this issue," the power authority concluded in a recent amendment to its 20-year plan.
Herein lies a classic chicken-and-egg dilemma. How can the province get a true sense of development costs without forging ahead on at least one project?
We can point to ocean-based offshore projects in Europe and make comparisons, but there are major differences to consider that may work in Ontario's favour. For one, planting a big wind turbine in relatively shallow and calm lake waters would seem to be an advantage in terms of costs. And since we're talking fresh water, there's no risk of salt degrading the mechanical performance of turbines. Also important to consider is the degree to which local manufacturing could reduce turbine and component costs.
It's unclear whether the power authority has taken this into account. Nor has the agency considered larger economic considerations, such as job creation. Technically, it doesn't have that mandate. It exists to get what it perceives to be the cheapest, most reliable power it can for consumers and industry. Power authority executives, mostly former Ontario Hydro engineers who are smart and well intentioned, aren't naturally inclined to include wind, solar and other intermittent sources of renewable energy in their big-picture plans. They reluctantly do so under direction from the government.
The power authority, said one cruise guest, "has its hands full with nuclear" (see "Comparing").
Clearly, the government has some strategic decisions to make. Sooner, it would appear, than later.
Browsing Ideas:
The Toronto Sound - Canadian Alternative Rock Music
New Independent Canadian Singer Yuya
Alternative Energy Funds, Solar Power Websites
Renewable Energy Investing, Wind Power Company Stocks
Geothermal Power Investing Blog, Geothermal Energy Websites
Green Realtor Blog - Ecological Realty Website Links
Nature and Ecology Blog
TheStar.com - Business - Wind power a dilemma for Ontario
COMPARING WIND AND NUCLEAR
So how does offshore wind stack up to nuclear? Moody's Investors Service, commenting in May about the rising cost of atomic power, said the potential cost of a new plant being proposed today is more than $7,000 per kilowatt of capacity. This equates to about $5.3 billion for every 750 megawatts of nuclear capacity added to the grid.
Helimax estimates that the average cost of offshore wind development in Ontario is about $3,800 per kilowatt, or $2.9 billion for 750 megawatts of offshore wind capacity – that is, a project the size of what Trillium has proposed.
Such a comparison, however, is misleading. The lifetime "capacity factor" of Candu nuclear reactors around the world is about 80 per cent, a figure some would call generous in the Ontario context. This means the reactors have produced energy on average that amounts to 80 per cent of potential capacity. Helimax said offshore wind turbines have a capacity factor ranging from 35 to 40 per cent.
So to get the same energy over the course of a year from an offshore wind farm you'd have to build twice as much. This makes offshore wind slightly more expensive than what Moody's is predicting for the cost of nuclear. But is it really? Offshore proponents are quick to point out that with wind power you don't need a lifetime supply of uranium fuel, don't produce toxic waste products, don't have to pay for long-term storage of those waste products, and have lower ongoing staffing and maintenance costs.
They acknowledge offshore wind isn't baseload power like nuclear. Then again, there's no risk of a 1,500-megawatt reactor shutting down for a month or two in the summer because of unscheduled maintenance, like we saw last summer at Pickering generating station.
Timing is also an important consideration. Ontario's first lake-based wind farms, should the province choose to go down the offshore path, could be built and operating by 2013 – a year before the last coal plant is scheduled for shutdown in Ontario. The new nuclear plant at Darlington, as much as the province may need it for baseload power, won't go live until 2018.
–Tyler Hamilton
June 30, 2008
Tyler Hamilton
KINGSTON–The sun was shining, the wind was gentle, and the water calm as a boatload of visitors to Kingston, guests of budding offshore wind developer Trillium Power, embarked last week on a three-hour tour of Lake Ontario.
The cruise was timed to coincide with a global wind power conference at St. Lawrence College.
Trillium's goal was simple: Show people, rather than just tell, how much stronger and consistent the wind is when venturing offshore.
About 30 minutes into the ride the mission was accomplished. What was a relatively smooth cruise became a stomach-churning experience as the wind-battered Catamaran, big enough to hold 180 people, began shifting back and forth in the water. Staff ran to keep bottles of wine from smashing on to the floor, while guests were urged to stay seated.
"The wind here is three times more powerful," said John Kourtoff, chief executive of Trillium, as he compared the potential wind energy from his project to existing onshore wind farms scattered around southern Ontario.
Kourtoff wants to build a 750-megawatt offshore wind farm in these waters, about 15 kilometres off the shore of Prince Edward County. That works out to about 150 wind turbines, seen as specks from the shoreline. And there's potential to double that.
Earlier this month, he announced the creation of Tai Wind, a consortium of North American offshore wind developers who hope, by combining their collective needs, to attract a turbine manufacturer to Ontario.
Already, Germany's Multibrid is seriously considering the invitation and, sources say, has begun high-level discussions between its executives and Ontario government officials.
Multibrid's interest is understandable. A recent report from energy consultancy Helimax concluded there were 64 sites on the Ontario side of the Great Lakes representing up to 34,500 megawatts of offshore wind capacity. This means the Trillium project is just scratching the surface.
Last week, for example, Toronto Hydro said it was renewing its efforts to establish an 80-turbine offshore wind farm near the Scarborough Bluffs.
"Offshore wind will be a driver of growth for the wind industry in the years to come," concluded investment firm Kyoto Planet Asset Management in a research report issued last week.
Also understandable is the government's interest. Embracing offshore wind is more than just adding more renewable energy to the grid, it could form the basis of a new "green" industrial strategy aimed at creating green-collar jobs. Multibrid is potentially the seed for that strategy, as it would need to develop a supply chain to support its Ontario growth plan. More than that, it sees Ontario as a manufacturing hub as it seeks to expand sales across North America and beyond.
It's welcome news at a time when production lines and plants are being shut down at Ontario automotive manufacturers. The idea makes so much sense that some unlikely alliances are being formed. When Trillium announced the Tai Wind consortium earlier this month, representatives from environmental groups WWF Canada and the David Suzuki Foundation shared the stage with the Canadian Auto Workers union, which fully backs the consortium's goals.
Natural Resources Minister Donna Cansfield told the Star that Ontario is "open for business" when it comes to offshore wind. George Smitherman, now minister of energy and infrastructure, wanted so much to express his support for wind industry growth in Ontario that just days after his appointment he made an unscheduled speech at the Kingston wind conference.
There's a sense of urgency, and a recognition that if Ontario doesn't act on the opportunity, other jurisdictions will.
But a big question remains: How much does offshore wind cost?
The Ontario Power Authority, the government agency that effectively determines which large power projects live or die, says offshore wind costs too much to be considered in its 20-year power system plan. It acknowledges that the technology provides more power than onshore projects, but not enough to justify the higher cost of building offshore wind farms.
"It should be borne in mind that there is currently no experience in Ontario with offshore wind resources, and it may be that additional information may become available over time that would justify further review of this issue," the power authority concluded in a recent amendment to its 20-year plan.
Herein lies a classic chicken-and-egg dilemma. How can the province get a true sense of development costs without forging ahead on at least one project?
We can point to ocean-based offshore projects in Europe and make comparisons, but there are major differences to consider that may work in Ontario's favour. For one, planting a big wind turbine in relatively shallow and calm lake waters would seem to be an advantage in terms of costs. And since we're talking fresh water, there's no risk of salt degrading the mechanical performance of turbines. Also important to consider is the degree to which local manufacturing could reduce turbine and component costs.
It's unclear whether the power authority has taken this into account. Nor has the agency considered larger economic considerations, such as job creation. Technically, it doesn't have that mandate. It exists to get what it perceives to be the cheapest, most reliable power it can for consumers and industry. Power authority executives, mostly former Ontario Hydro engineers who are smart and well intentioned, aren't naturally inclined to include wind, solar and other intermittent sources of renewable energy in their big-picture plans. They reluctantly do so under direction from the government.
The power authority, said one cruise guest, "has its hands full with nuclear" (see "Comparing").
Clearly, the government has some strategic decisions to make. Sooner, it would appear, than later.
Browsing Ideas:
The Toronto Sound - Canadian Alternative Rock Music
New Independent Canadian Singer Yuya
Alternative Energy Funds, Solar Power Websites
Renewable Energy Investing, Wind Power Company Stocks
Geothermal Power Investing Blog, Geothermal Energy Websites
Green Realtor Blog - Ecological Realty Website Links
Nature and Ecology Blog
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Space-based Solar Energy gets 2nd look ; CNN story
Forty years ago Peter Glaser proposed harvesting solar power in space and beaming the sun's energy back to earth. Groups such as the Space Power Association and companies such as California's Space Island Group believe the next wave of solar will be extra-terrestrial.
CNN Story on space-based satellites beaming solar power to earth:
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Jyoti is the Hindi word for light. It's something Pranav Mehta has never had to live without. And he is lucky. Near where he lives in Gujarat, one of the most prosperous states in India, thousands of rural villages lack electricity or struggle with an intermittent supply at best.
art.solar.na.jpg
Massive solar satellites would beam power back to ground-based receivers on Earth.
more photos »
"We need to empower these villages, and for empowerment, energy is a must," Mehta said. "Rural India is suffering a lot because of a lack of energy."
By 2030, India's Planning Commission estimates that the country will have to generate at least 700,000 megawatts of additional power to meet the demands of its expanding economy and growing population.
Much of that electricity will come from coal-fired power plants, like the $4 billion so-called ultra mega complex scheduled to be built south of Tunda Wand, a tiny village near the Gulf of Kutch, an inlet of the Arabian Sea on India's west coast. Dozens of other such projects are already or soon will be under way.
Yet Mehta has another solution for India's chronic electricity shortage, one that does not involve power plants on the ground but instead massive sun-gathering satellites in geosynchronous orbits 22,000 miles in the sky.
The satellites would electromagnetically beam gigawatts of solar energy back to ground-based receivers, where it would then be converted to electricity and transferred to power grids. And because in high Earth orbit, satellites are unaffected by the earth's shadow virtually 365 days a year, the floating power plants could provide round-the-clock clean, renewable electricity.
Don't Miss
* Just Imagine: 2020
* Gardening in space
* Who owns the moon?
* Interview: Iain M. Banks
"This will be kind of a leap frog action instead of just crawling," said Mehta, who is the director of India operations for Space Island Group, a California-based company working to develop solar satellites. "It is a win-win situation."
American scientist Peter Glaser introduced the idea of space solar power in 1968.
NASA and the United States Department of Energy studied the concept throughout the 1970s, concluding that although the technology was feasible, the price of putting it all together and sending it to outer space was not.
Full CNN story on satellite solar power system.
Suggested Browsing:
Wind Power Investing, Renewable Energy Stocks
Geothermal Energy Stocks, Geothermal Power Companies
CNN Story on space-based satellites beaming solar power to earth:
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Jyoti is the Hindi word for light. It's something Pranav Mehta has never had to live without. And he is lucky. Near where he lives in Gujarat, one of the most prosperous states in India, thousands of rural villages lack electricity or struggle with an intermittent supply at best.
art.solar.na.jpg
Massive solar satellites would beam power back to ground-based receivers on Earth.
more photos »
"We need to empower these villages, and for empowerment, energy is a must," Mehta said. "Rural India is suffering a lot because of a lack of energy."
By 2030, India's Planning Commission estimates that the country will have to generate at least 700,000 megawatts of additional power to meet the demands of its expanding economy and growing population.
Much of that electricity will come from coal-fired power plants, like the $4 billion so-called ultra mega complex scheduled to be built south of Tunda Wand, a tiny village near the Gulf of Kutch, an inlet of the Arabian Sea on India's west coast. Dozens of other such projects are already or soon will be under way.
Yet Mehta has another solution for India's chronic electricity shortage, one that does not involve power plants on the ground but instead massive sun-gathering satellites in geosynchronous orbits 22,000 miles in the sky.
The satellites would electromagnetically beam gigawatts of solar energy back to ground-based receivers, where it would then be converted to electricity and transferred to power grids. And because in high Earth orbit, satellites are unaffected by the earth's shadow virtually 365 days a year, the floating power plants could provide round-the-clock clean, renewable electricity.
Don't Miss
* Just Imagine: 2020
* Gardening in space
* Who owns the moon?
* Interview: Iain M. Banks
"This will be kind of a leap frog action instead of just crawling," said Mehta, who is the director of India operations for Space Island Group, a California-based company working to develop solar satellites. "It is a win-win situation."
American scientist Peter Glaser introduced the idea of space solar power in 1968.
NASA and the United States Department of Energy studied the concept throughout the 1970s, concluding that although the technology was feasible, the price of putting it all together and sending it to outer space was not.
Full CNN story on satellite solar power system.
Suggested Browsing:
Wind Power Investing, Renewable Energy Stocks
Geothermal Energy Stocks, Geothermal Power Companies
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Ontario advised to consider geothermal energy investments
It's time we started warming to geothermal
From TheStar.com - Geothermal Energy Business
by Tyler Hamilton
Industry and government in Canada's western parts are poised to spend billions of dollars over the coming decade trying to capture carbon dioxide from oil-sands operations and coal plants. They'll then compress and inject that CO2 underground for what we hope, but don't know for certain, is permanent storage.
The idea is that Canada – to be specific, western Canadian oil companies and power plant operators – will over time become experts in carbon capture and sequestration and a new industry will be born, creating exports to overseas markets like China.
This doesn't do much for Ontario and its struggling economy. We don't have oil-sands projects. Our coal plants are targeted to shut down. And even if we did keep the coal plants, the province's geology limits where huge volumes of liquefied CO2 could be stored.
But what if Ontario could develop the expertise, skills and technologies to develop a form of emission-free power generation that would displace the need for coal, and help move the world away from petroleum and toward grid-supplied electric transportation?
Why doesn't Ontario try to get into the geothermal power game? Not the kind of geothermal that uses heat pumps and provides heating and cooling in our homes; rather, the kind of geothermal where high heat found kilometres under the earth's surface can be used to generate electricity.
Done laughing?
Susan Petty, president of Altarock Energy Inc. in Seattle, says it's not as crazy as some people might think. As a comprehensive study out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology concluded last year, there is useable heat everywhere we walk on this planet and more of it should be tapped. It's all a matter of how deep you drill, and how you go about bringing that heat to the surface using so-called enhanced geothermal systems, or EGS technologies.
Petty was part of the panel that conducted the study. After its release, she formed Altarock to practice what the study preached. "It's serious," says the 25-year veteran of the geothermal industry. "Our goal is to get to where we can do it anywhere, but that's going to require that we bring the cost down."
She looks at a map of Ontario and singles out a few potential spots. "In southern Ontario, near Lake Erie, they show some higher temperatures at depth." There are also locations just west of Ottawa and north of Peterborough, she adds.
In Landau, Germany, the world's first commercial EGS plant began operation last October. It's tapping temperatures of 155 degrees C about 4.5 kilometres below ground. Petty says the Landau project is dealing with depths and temperatures very similar to those found in parts of Ontario.
If that's the case, why aren't we giving this a shot? Lack of awareness, and the general belief it can't be done in Ontario, is one reason.
Policy is another. Germany, for example, has a renewable energy act that pays a fixed, long-term premium for all kinds of clean energy and encourages industry to experiment.
Another barrier is lack of data. "We can't know these things unless we get the data, and the only way to get the data is to drill deep holes," explains Petty. "We've got to get more holes in the ground."
Some data must exist somewhere. Talisman Energy, for example, does lots of natural gas drilling in Lake Erie. Union Gas is building underground natural gas storage in southwestern Ontario. Sarnia and neighbouring Petrolia, the birthplace of North America's commercial oil industry, would also have data on well temperatures. Likewise, anywhere there's deep mining in Ontario there would also be depth and temperature data.
All that should be aggregated by the government and analyzed, and new test holes need to be drilled where gaps in data exist. At the same time, the Ontario Power Authority could easily add geothermal power to its standard offer contract, offering a premium price for the power to anyone who can make it work.
"To do geothermal in Ontario the utility would need to pay something like 17 or 18 cents per kilowatt hour," says Petty. Others with their eye on the market estimate up to 30 cents would do the trick.
It's not outlandish. We're already paying 42 cents per kilowatt-hour for solar electricity, and that's for power that only flows when the sun is shining. Surely, the province could cough up 30 cents under long-term contract to help stimulate a handful of geothermal pilot projects. What's the harm in putting it out there and letting the market decide?
ENHANCED GEOTHERMAL
Conventional geothermal plants, widely found in jurisdictions including Iceland, California, Italy and Indonesia, are low-hanging fruit. They are located in areas where one need not drill more than three kilometres, and where cracks and pores in the rock occur naturally.
This "porosity" is important, because you access the heat by pumping water into deep boreholes. The water spreads through the pores and cracks in the rock, absorbing as much of the heat as possible. It's then pumped back to the surface to create steam that turns a turbine that generates clean electricity 24 hours a day.
Conventional geothermal power is already competitive with the cost of grid electricity in most places, particularly in Europe where prices are generally higher than in North America.
What Altarock hopes to do is improve the economics of what's called "enhanced geothermal system," or EGS — basically geothermal power plants that get heat from greater depths and from non-porous rock. It's more expensive because the further down you drill the costlier it becomes. You also have to artificially fracture the rock under a carefully controlled process to achieve ideal porosity, another added expense and a tricky procedure using current technologies and methods.
"Right now it's probably not economic to drill for geothermal using today's technology any deeper than 4.5 to five kilometres," says Petty, adding that temperatures of 225 C to 250 degrees C are needed. "You can do that in the west. But if you want to go east, you're looking at having to drill 6.5 to seven kilometres to get those temperatures."
These depths are quite common when it comes to oil and gas exploration. Altarock (Altarock Energy Inc., a company formed to develop “enhanced geothermal” generating stations using new technology primarily coming from the oil drilling industry), aims to apply the same skills to geothermal, and come up with a reliable and economical way of fracturing rock so geothermal power could be explored where it was once thought impossible, or too expensive.
Further geothermal energy and renewable power research:
Geothermal Power Stocks Investments
Renewable Power Stocks; Wind Energy Investing
From TheStar.com - Geothermal Energy Business
by Tyler Hamilton
Industry and government in Canada's western parts are poised to spend billions of dollars over the coming decade trying to capture carbon dioxide from oil-sands operations and coal plants. They'll then compress and inject that CO2 underground for what we hope, but don't know for certain, is permanent storage.
The idea is that Canada – to be specific, western Canadian oil companies and power plant operators – will over time become experts in carbon capture and sequestration and a new industry will be born, creating exports to overseas markets like China.
This doesn't do much for Ontario and its struggling economy. We don't have oil-sands projects. Our coal plants are targeted to shut down. And even if we did keep the coal plants, the province's geology limits where huge volumes of liquefied CO2 could be stored.
But what if Ontario could develop the expertise, skills and technologies to develop a form of emission-free power generation that would displace the need for coal, and help move the world away from petroleum and toward grid-supplied electric transportation?
Why doesn't Ontario try to get into the geothermal power game? Not the kind of geothermal that uses heat pumps and provides heating and cooling in our homes; rather, the kind of geothermal where high heat found kilometres under the earth's surface can be used to generate electricity.
Done laughing?
Susan Petty, president of Altarock Energy Inc. in Seattle, says it's not as crazy as some people might think. As a comprehensive study out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology concluded last year, there is useable heat everywhere we walk on this planet and more of it should be tapped. It's all a matter of how deep you drill, and how you go about bringing that heat to the surface using so-called enhanced geothermal systems, or EGS technologies.
Petty was part of the panel that conducted the study. After its release, she formed Altarock to practice what the study preached. "It's serious," says the 25-year veteran of the geothermal industry. "Our goal is to get to where we can do it anywhere, but that's going to require that we bring the cost down."
She looks at a map of Ontario and singles out a few potential spots. "In southern Ontario, near Lake Erie, they show some higher temperatures at depth." There are also locations just west of Ottawa and north of Peterborough, she adds.
In Landau, Germany, the world's first commercial EGS plant began operation last October. It's tapping temperatures of 155 degrees C about 4.5 kilometres below ground. Petty says the Landau project is dealing with depths and temperatures very similar to those found in parts of Ontario.
If that's the case, why aren't we giving this a shot? Lack of awareness, and the general belief it can't be done in Ontario, is one reason.
Policy is another. Germany, for example, has a renewable energy act that pays a fixed, long-term premium for all kinds of clean energy and encourages industry to experiment.
Another barrier is lack of data. "We can't know these things unless we get the data, and the only way to get the data is to drill deep holes," explains Petty. "We've got to get more holes in the ground."
Some data must exist somewhere. Talisman Energy, for example, does lots of natural gas drilling in Lake Erie. Union Gas is building underground natural gas storage in southwestern Ontario. Sarnia and neighbouring Petrolia, the birthplace of North America's commercial oil industry, would also have data on well temperatures. Likewise, anywhere there's deep mining in Ontario there would also be depth and temperature data.
All that should be aggregated by the government and analyzed, and new test holes need to be drilled where gaps in data exist. At the same time, the Ontario Power Authority could easily add geothermal power to its standard offer contract, offering a premium price for the power to anyone who can make it work.
"To do geothermal in Ontario the utility would need to pay something like 17 or 18 cents per kilowatt hour," says Petty. Others with their eye on the market estimate up to 30 cents would do the trick.
It's not outlandish. We're already paying 42 cents per kilowatt-hour for solar electricity, and that's for power that only flows when the sun is shining. Surely, the province could cough up 30 cents under long-term contract to help stimulate a handful of geothermal pilot projects. What's the harm in putting it out there and letting the market decide?
ENHANCED GEOTHERMAL
Conventional geothermal plants, widely found in jurisdictions including Iceland, California, Italy and Indonesia, are low-hanging fruit. They are located in areas where one need not drill more than three kilometres, and where cracks and pores in the rock occur naturally.
This "porosity" is important, because you access the heat by pumping water into deep boreholes. The water spreads through the pores and cracks in the rock, absorbing as much of the heat as possible. It's then pumped back to the surface to create steam that turns a turbine that generates clean electricity 24 hours a day.
Conventional geothermal power is already competitive with the cost of grid electricity in most places, particularly in Europe where prices are generally higher than in North America.
What Altarock hopes to do is improve the economics of what's called "enhanced geothermal system," or EGS — basically geothermal power plants that get heat from greater depths and from non-porous rock. It's more expensive because the further down you drill the costlier it becomes. You also have to artificially fracture the rock under a carefully controlled process to achieve ideal porosity, another added expense and a tricky procedure using current technologies and methods.
"Right now it's probably not economic to drill for geothermal using today's technology any deeper than 4.5 to five kilometres," says Petty, adding that temperatures of 225 C to 250 degrees C are needed. "You can do that in the west. But if you want to go east, you're looking at having to drill 6.5 to seven kilometres to get those temperatures."
These depths are quite common when it comes to oil and gas exploration. Altarock (Altarock Energy Inc., a company formed to develop “enhanced geothermal” generating stations using new technology primarily coming from the oil drilling industry), aims to apply the same skills to geothermal, and come up with a reliable and economical way of fracturing rock so geothermal power could be explored where it was once thought impossible, or too expensive.
Further geothermal energy and renewable power research:
Geothermal Power Stocks Investments
Renewable Power Stocks; Wind Energy Investing
Friday, April 18, 2008
solar energy websites and renewable power blogs
UPDATED Best Renewable Energy Websites 2008; Links to Green Energy Companies
Here is an alphabetical list of renewable power and clean energy websites that I find can be valuable resources for those researching alternative power technologies and renewable energy stocks. Great resources for green energy company info, clean power mutual funds and green investing worldwide!!!
5N Plus Inc. official english website
American Solar Energy Society
Directory of Solar Power Info Online
DOE Energy-Efficiency and Renewable Power Website
EcoWorld.com - Nature and Technology In Harmony
Energy Conversion Devices page at Yahoo Finance
Environmental Realty and Ecological Property Website
Evergreen Solar company website ESLR
First Solar company information, FSLR
Geothermal.info Geothermal Power website
Green-Energy-News.com
Hawaii Green Homes Land
Home Power Magazine - Official Website
OyNot.com Solar Energy and Batteries
PanTerra Clean Energy Business Parks
PBD - Info on PowerShares Global Clean Energy Fund
Renewable Energy Access Website
Renewable Energy Focus
RenewableEnergyStocks.com Global Stock List
Science Daily Solar Energy Information
SolarBuzz.com Best Solar Energy Website
Solar Energy Investment Blog
Spire Solar company info at Yahoo Finance; SPIR
SunPoweredDreams.com Green Energy Blog
Wind Energy Company websites; Windpower Info online
Here is an alphabetical list of renewable power and clean energy websites that I find can be valuable resources for those researching alternative power technologies and renewable energy stocks. Great resources for green energy company info, clean power mutual funds and green investing worldwide!!!
5N Plus Inc. official english website
American Solar Energy Society
Directory of Solar Power Info Online
DOE Energy-Efficiency and Renewable Power Website
EcoWorld.com - Nature and Technology In Harmony
Energy Conversion Devices page at Yahoo Finance
Environmental Realty and Ecological Property Website
Evergreen Solar company website ESLR
First Solar company information, FSLR
Geothermal.info Geothermal Power website
Green-Energy-News.com
Hawaii Green Homes Land
Home Power Magazine - Official Website
OyNot.com Solar Energy and Batteries
PanTerra Clean Energy Business Parks
PBD - Info on PowerShares Global Clean Energy Fund
Renewable Energy Access Website
Renewable Energy Focus
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WARNING: Investing in common equity of public companies is a high risk, high potential reward activity. Owning investments in individual alternative energy companies is for high risk investors only, and medium risk investors should consider green mutual funds, clean energy funds, renewable power index funds and other sector plays. Even then, these should be owned as part of a widely diversified portfolio. There is a gathering mania for investing in publicly-traded alternative energy companies, similar to the computer, technology, internet and banking / real estate booms of the past two decades. There will be some nasty corrections along the way, and some years from now when they come crashing down en masse, the world will still benefit from all the amazingly advanced clean and efficient energy technology created during the bull run. (Above note re-written March 2009 as my earlier prediction of a market top and a crash in the sector starting in August '09 was hastened by the credit markets collapse and began in August 2008, before the bubble had fully formed. Of all the sectors in the equity markets, clean energy has the best prospects to assume market leadership and public favour; we are bouncing aong the bottom still, and those who have followed our guidance to begin including (in a judiciously blended portfolio of cash, bonds, stocks and yes, um... real estate) green energy investment funds dollar-cost-averaging programs in Winter and Spring of 2009 are well positioned for longterm capital growth.)
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