Green Car Congress

Researchers Find that CO2 Forcing Alone Doesnt Explain Magnitude of Ancient Global Warming Episode

2009-07-15T11:22:51-07:00

By analyzing data from deep-sea sediment cores to study an ancient global warming episode (the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, PETM), researchers found a less-than two-fold increase (70%) in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels corresponding to the 5–9 °C (9-16 °F) warming of the PETM. Based on current knowledge and models of the Earth’s climate system, they had expected to find a three- to eight-fold increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels to drive that amount of warming.

In a paper published online in the journal Nature Geoscience, the team, led by Richard Zeebe of the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, suggests that in addition to direct CO₂ forcing, other processes and/or feedbacks that are hitherto unknown must have caused a substantial portion of the warming during the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum.

We were pretty surprised that the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide turned out to be so small. To explain the entire warming, you would need a whole lot more carbon.
—Richard Zeebe

The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum warming event occurred about 55 million years ago, and was marked by an increase in global temperature of 5-9 °C over about 10,000 years. A key feature of the event was the release of a large mass of ¹³C-depleted carbon into the atmosphere, possibly from the dissociation of oceanic methane hydrates, although the source remains an open issue.

Zeebe and his colleagues used data from the sediment cores and a carbon cycle model to calculate that the initial carbon pulse in the PETM was some 3,000 Pg C or less.

As a result, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations increased during the main event by less than about 70% compared with pre-event levels. At accepted values for the climate sensitivity to a doubling of the atmospheric CO₂ concentration, this rise in CO₂ can explain only between 1 and 3.5 °C of the warming inferred from proxy records.
—Zeebe et al. (2009)

[From the pre-industrial value of 280 ppm (parts per million), the current atmospheric concentration of CO₂ is more than 380 ppm—about a 36% increase. (Earlier post.)]

Once these other processes have been identified, the authors wrote, their potential effect on future climate change needs to be taken into account.

In a nutshell, theoretical models cannot explain what we observe in the geological record. There appears to be something fundamentally wrong with the way temperature and carbon are linked in climate models...Some feedback loop or other processes that aren’t accounted for in these models—the same ones used by the IPCC for current best estimates of 21^st Century warming—caused a substantial portion of the warming that occurred during the PETM.
—Gerald Dickens, co-author and professor of Earth science at Rice University

There are a few ideas what may have contributed to the additional warming. But I don’t think we fully understand these events of intense and rapid global warming. By continuing to put these huge amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, we’re gambling with climate and the outcome is still uncertain.
—Richard Zeebe

Resources

Zeebe, R. E., Zachos, J. C., and Dickens, G. R. (2009) Carbon dioxide forcing alone insufficient to explain Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum warming. Nature Geoscience, Advance Online Publication, doi: 10.1038/ngeo578

Ontario Announces Rebates of Up to C$10,000 for Plug-in Electric Drive Vehicles

2009-07-15T08:51:29-07:00

The government of Ontario (Canada) is targeting a vehicle parc with one out of every 20 vehicles (5%) having electric drive by the year 2020 (“1 in 20 by 2020”).

Ontario (Canada) Premier Dalton McGuinty announced several measures in support of that goal, including rebates of between C$4,000 and C$10,000 (US$3,575 to US$8,938) for plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles purchased after 1 July 2010, based on the vehicle’s battery capacity. The high-end of the rebate would be the highest in Canada and amongst the highest in the world.

“Electric vehicles are the way to go in Ontario. This plan helps get more people behind the wheel of a green vehicle to create jobs, reduce smog and equip Ontario for the 21^st century.”

—Dalton McGuinty
Premier of Ontario.

The government will also provide Green Vehicle Licence Plates for plug-in vehicles. The green plate will enable drivers to use Ontario’s High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes for a limited time (5 years starting 2010), even if there is just one person in the vehicle. Vehicles with green plates will also be allowed access to public recharging facilities at select Ontario government and GO Transit parking lots. The University of Toronto and private companies such as Walmart Canada will designate priority parking spots for vehicles with green plates.

The provincial government will also integration electric vehicles into the Ontario Public Service (OPS) vehicle fleet. Twenty per cent of eligible new Ontario Public Sector passenger vehicle purchases will be electric by 2020.

Ontario intends to build infrastructure for charging electric vehicles through a combination of private sector companies and Ontario’s existing electricity utilities. The government will ensure recharging capacity is integrated in parking facilities owned by the Ontario government and GO Transit parking facilities for public to use. Ontario is also working with the private sector and electricity organizations to develop business models for recharging facilities that will work within Ontario’s regulated electricity market.

In January, Better Place entered a partnership with the government of Ontario to help bring an electric car network to the province and create a model for the adoption of electric cars in Canada. (Earlier post.)

New US-China Clean Energy Research Center to Focus on Buildings, Coal and Vehicles

2009-07-15T08:15:02-07:00

US Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Chinese Minister of Science Wan Gang, and Administrator of National Energy Administration Zhang Guo Bao announced plans to develop a US-China Clean Energy Research Center. Priority topics to be addressed will initially include building energy efficiency, lower-emitting coal technologies including carbon capture and storage, and clean vehicles.

The Center would facilitate joint research and development by teams of scientists and engineers from the US and China, as well as serve as a clearinghouse to help researchers in each country. The US and China together pledged $15 million to support initial activities.

The Center will have one headquarters in each country, at locations to be determined. US and Chinese officials will discuss elements of the Center in the months ahead, with the objective of launching initial operations by year end.

Collaboration on science and technology (S&T) has been a component of US-China cooperation since 1979. Cooperation under the S&T framework focuses on policy, research and development, and innovation in all fields where there is mutual S&T interest. Under the framework, several million dollars are dedicated each year through agency-to-agency agreements, involving 16 US government agencies.

The US DOE currently manages 12 agreements with China under the S&T framework on a wide variety of energy sciences and technologies including: building and industrial energy efficiency, clean vehicles, renewable energy, nuclear energy and science, and biological and environmental research.

DOE Takes Another Step Toward $2.4B FutureGen Project

2009-07-15T07:56:38-07:00

The US Department of Energy (DOE) issued a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Record of Decision to move forward toward the first commercial scale, fully integrated, carbon capture and sequestration project in the country. (Earlier post.)

The Record of Decision and a cooperative agreement signed by DOE and the FutureGen Alliance allow the Alliance to proceed with site-specific activities for the project. Over the next eight to ten months, the Alliance will complete a preliminary design, refine its cost estimate, develop a funding plan, expand the sponsorship group, and, if needed, conduct additional subsurface characterization.

Following these activities, which will be completed in early 2010, the Department and the Alliance will decide whether to continue the project through construction and operation. Both DOE and the FutureGen Alliance agree that a decision to move forward is the preferred outcome and anticipate reaching a new cooperative agreement for the full project. Funding will be phased and conditioned based on completion of necessary NEPA reviews.

The Department of Energy’s total anticipated financial contribution for the project is $1.073 billion, $1 billion of which would come from Recovery Act funds for carbon capture and sequestration research. The FutureGen Alliance’s total anticipated financial contribution is $400 million to $600 million.

The total cost estimate of the project is $2.4 billion, consequently, the Alliance, with support from DOE, will pursue options to raise additional non-federal funds needed to build and operate the facility, including options for capturing the value of the facility that will remain after conclusion of the research project, potentially through an auction of the residual interests in the late fall.

When fully operational, the facility will use integrated gasification combined cycle technology with carbon capture and sequestration into a deep saline geologic formation. It will be designed to capture 90% of the carbon emissions by the third year of operations but may be operated at 60% capture in the early years to validate plant integration and sequestration capability. This technology should sequester one million tons of CO₂ annually when it reaches full commercial operations.

New Molecule Could Lead to New CO2 Capture Methods

2009-07-15T07:45:45-07:00

An unusual bowl-shaped molecule that pulls carbon dioxide out of the air may provide new possibilities for dealing with global warming. The CO₃^-2 group is shown in the center. Credit: ACS. Click to enlarge.

The accidental discovery of a bowl-shaped molecule that pulls carbon dioxide out of the air suggests new possibilities for dealing with global warming, including genetically engineering microbes to manufacture those CO₂ “catchers,” according to a report scheduled for the 3 August issue of the ACS journal Inorganic Chemistry.

J. A. Tossell of the University of Maryland notes in the new study that other researchers (Brooks 2006) discovered the molecule—a macrocyclic amidourea—while doing work unrelated to global climate change.

Recently, slow evaporation from a DMSO solution containing tetrabutyl ammonium fluoride and a complex macrocycle formed from ureas and pyridines yielded a complex with a CO₃ group trapped in the middle of a bowl shaped cavity. The source of the CO₃ group was apparently CO₂ from the atmosphere of the laboratory. The ready formation of this compound suggests a high stability. Thus, it may be a candidate as a receptor or absorber for atmospheric CO₂.
—Tossell (2009)

Tossell’s new computer modeling studies found that the molecule might be well-suited for removing carbon dioxide directly from ambient air, in addition to its previously described potential use as an absorbent for CO₂ from electric power plant and other smokestacks.

Tossell suggests that the simplest approach to using the new molecule to capture CO₂ would be to dissolve the atmospheric CO₂ in a solution of the molecule and a tetraalkyl ammonium fluoride in a solvent of low dielectric constant and to then recover the CO₂ from the CO₃ complex by changing to a more polar solvent and/or by heating the complex.

It is also conceivable that living organisms may be developed which are capable of emplacing structurally ion receptors within their cell membranes.
—Tossell (2009)

Resources

J. A. Tossell (2009) Catching CO₂ in a Bowl. Inorg. Chem., Article ASAP doi: 10.1021/ic802454w
Simon J. Brooks, Philip A. Gale and Mark E. Light (2006) Anion-binding modes in a macrocyclic amidourea. Chem. Commun., 2006, 4344 - 4346, doi: 10.1039/b610938a

Kia Motors Introduces its Version of LPI Hybrid

2009-07-15T06:33:31-07:00

Kia Motors unveiled its first commercialized hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), the Forte Liquid Petroleum Injection (LPI) Hybrid in Seoul, Korea. (Earlier post.)

The Forte LPI Hybrid. Click to enlarge.

The new car, as does the Hyundai LPI hybrid, utilizes a 1.6-liter Gamma LPI engine with an independently developed Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) and hybrid system, comprising an electric motor, inverter, converter and 180V lithium-ion polymer battery.

The hybrid Forte offers fuel economy of 17.8 km/L (5.6 L/100km or 42 mpg US); gasoline-equivalent fuel economy is 22.2 km/l (4.5 L/100km, 51 mpg US) and CO₂ emissions of 99 g/km.

Kia says that although no plans to market this vehicle outside of Korea have been finalized, it is conducting feasibility studies to assess consumer interest and potential demand in markets that possess liquid petroleum refueling infrastructure.

UK Publishes Strategy for Low Carbon Transport

2009-07-15T06:20:40-07:00

The UK’s Department for Transport has published a strategy designed to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide from the transport sector by around 14% (17.7 million tonnes) by 2020 compared to 2008.

The document, entitled “Low carbon transport: a greener future”, also frames the debate for a longer-term decarbonization of transport to give people and businesses more low-carbon choices about when, where and how to travel or transport goods. Transport currently makes up 21% of all UK domestic carbon emissions. The Carbon Reduction Strategy for Transport is based on three main themes:

Supporting a shift to new technologies and lower-carbon transport fuels;
Promoting lower carbon transport choices; and
Using market-based measures to encourage a shift to lower carbon transport.

Transport accounts for a significant amount of our domestic emissions. Therefore decarbonizing this sector has to be front and centre of efforts to meet our obligations and commitments to tackle climate change. Our strategy sets out a long-term vision for a fundamentally different transport system in our country, where carbon reduction is a central consideration in the way we do business. If we are to safeguard the future of transport then we must also safeguard the environment that it impacts upon – I am determined to do that.
—Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis

Key elements in the strategy include:

A new steering group for the freight and logistics industry to find effective ways of measuring, reporting and reducing emissions across the logistics sector;
A commitment to work with European partners to develop a robust mechanism for regulating CO₂ from new vans, including clear targets for the medium and long-term and a mechanism to encourage the development of the ultra-low carbon van market whilst respecting the diversity of the van market;
Proposed eligibility criteria for the £2-5,000 consumer incentives for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, expected to apply from 2011. This includes the requirement for the vehicle to have maximum tailpipe emissions of 75g CO₂/km.

The strategy builds on a number of ongoing initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transport and is part of a wider government plan for decarbonizing the UK and maximizing the economic benefits presented by low-carbon industries.

Resources

Low Carbon Transport: A Greener Future
Carbon reduction Impact Assessment

Oil and Gas Drilling in US in 2Q09 Fell 46% from Year Before

2009-07-15T05:38:13-07:00

Oil and gas drilling in the US in the second quarter of 2009 fell 46% year-on-year to an estimated 8,038 oil wells, natural gas wells and dry holes, according to the American Petroleum Institute’s (API) Quarterly Well Completion Report: Second Quarter.

This activity corresponds to levels in 2003-2004.

The estimated number of second-quarter exploratory oil and gas wells drilled plunged 63% from 2008 to 336 wells, while the number of second-quarter development oil and gas wells slipped 46% to 6,761 wells in 2009, the report found.

While natural gas continues to be the primary target for domestic drilling, with an estimated 4,225 natural gas wells completed in the second quarter of 2009, activity was down 43% from 2008’s second quarter, the most severe quarterly decline this decade.

Oil well completion activity, meanwhile, continued to subside, with total estimated oil well completions in second-quarter 2009 falling 53% below year-ago levels.

API also reported total estimated footage of 48.1 million feet drilled in the second quarter of 2009, a 53% decline from second-quarter 2008.

The US drilling decline that began last quarter in connection with the current downturn in economic activity has continued in earnest in the second quarter of 2009 as companies proceed with caution in an uncertain year.
—Hazem Arafa, director of API’s statistics department

Euro Auto Production Down 35% in First Quarter 2009; Second Half Production May be Down 25%; Small Cars Hit New Record Share

2009-07-15T03:00:00-07:00

The small car segment has increased its share. Source: ACEA. Click to enlarge.

In the first quarter of 2009, automotive production in Europe fell by 35% to 3.4 million vehicles, according to the latest Economic Report from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA). While fleet renewal schemes (vehicle scrappage) have helped segments of the passenger car market in some countries, overall vehicle demand in Europe went further down as well.

Van (-57%) and truck production (-56%) dropped even more than the manufacture of passenger cars (-31%). With a drop of 57.4%, the UK was the worst affected of the five largest European producers, followed by France (-46.0%), Spain (-40.2%), Italy (-38.6%) and Germany (-32.3%). In Austria, production went down by 69.2%.

As the European economy stayed in recession, market demand for vehicles continued to suffer: over the first quarter, new passenger car registrations dropped by 17.2%, new commercial vehicle registrations by 35.7%; five months into the year, the decrease was 13.9% for passenger cars and 37.6% for commercial vehicles.

Reflecting consumer concerns about the general economy, small cars reached a market share of 44.9% in the first five months of 2009, surpassing the record of 38.8% over the whole year 2008. At the same time, average engine size and power fell from 1,706cc (whole year 2008) to 1,635cc, and 86kW (whole year 2008) to 82 kW. These trends were accompanied by a drop of diesel cars market penetration to 46.1%, and that of 4x4s to 8.4%.

While the outlook for the second half of 2009 remains uncertain, current developments imply that production may fall as much as 25% over the whole of 2009 for passenger cars, and at least 50% for commercial vehicles.

Demand. Fleet renewal incentives are now in place in 13 Member States of the EU to stimulate demand and replace older vehicles with cleaner and safer ones. While mainly affecting the segments of small and medium-sized cars, they have had some positive effects in the first five months of 2009, when car registrations were down 13.9%, compared to -19.6% in the last quarter of 2008. Notably, the drop in May registrations was limited to 4.9%, helped by registrations going up 4.8% in Austria, 5.1% in Greece, 11.8% in France and 39.7% in Germany, all of which have fleet renewal schemes in place.

Forecasts are still very uncertain and subject to constant adjustment, notes ACEA. If trends seen in the first five months of 2009 continue, passenger car production could decline by a quarter and commercial vehicle production by half over the whole year. Most manufacturers do not expect the situation to improve until 2010. However, passenger car demand might drop very abruptly at the beginning of next year if fleet renewal schemes are not phased out gradually, the association concluded.

Resources

ACEA Economic Report, 1Q 2009

Panasonic Providing Batteries for Mazda i-stop Stop/Start System; Moving to Mass Production

2009-07-15T02:30:00-07:00

Panasonic Storage Battery Co. is providing the new lead-acid battery (the N55) used in conjunction with Mazda’s i-stop stop-start system deployed on the Axela and Biante. (Earlier post.)

The battery was developed to satisfy the characteristics required by stop-start system, and features a different internal configuration and a proprietary thin plate to reduce the resistance, provide superior charge acceptance (regenerative properties) and the durability.

According to a report in the Nikkei, Panasonic aims to produce enough batteries for 1 million stop-start vehicles a year by fiscal 2015. It estimates that of all passenger vehicles produced in Japan in fiscal 2015, roughly 2 million will have stop-start capabilities.

Cosan in 3-Year Ethanol Supply Agreement with Mitsubishi

2009-07-15T01:25:00-07:00

Brazilian ethanol producer Cosan has signed a three-year contract with Mitsubishi to supply ethanol to Japan.

Up to 80 million liters (21 million gallons US) of ethanol per year will be exported to Japan, where it will be used in the production of ETBE.

ETBE (C₆H₁₄O) is an oxygenated gasoline biofuel component and ether, and is derived from ethanol (47% v/v) and isobutylene (53% v/v). Isobutylene sources include cracked stocks from refineries and steam crackers, or from chemical plants via dehydrogenation or dehydration processes.

ETBE’s properties of high octane, low boiling point and low vapor pressure make it a versatile gasoline blending component, allowing refiners to address both their octane and bio-component incorporation needs.

IMEC Launches New Industrial Affiliation Program on GaN-on-Si Technology for Power Electronics and Lighting

2009-07-14T11:39:39-07:00

IMEC launched a new industrial affiliation program (IIAP) to develop high-voltage, low-loss, high-power switching devices based on large-diameter (up to 200mm) GaN-on-Si (gallium-nitride on silicon ) technology. Potential applications include high-power switching in solar converters, motor drives, hybrid electrical vehicles or switch mode power supplies.

An important goal of the program is to lower GaN technology cost by using large-diameter GaN-on-Si and hence by leveraging on the Si scale of economics.

High-voltage power devices are conventionally based on Si MOSFET structures. However, for a number of applications, they are reaching intrinsic material limits. GaN-based devices can overcome these limits due to a unique combination of excellent transport properties and high electrical field operation capability.

The few GaN devices today on the market are based on AlGaN/GaN high-electron mobility transistor (HEMT) structures and are normally-on devices, designed for RF applications, e.g. in wireless communication. Within the IIAP, the next-generation of power electronics components is envisaged, requiring the development of normally-off devices (for safety reasons) with high-voltage breakdown (600-1000V) and low on-resistance, operating in enhancement mode.

A second sub-program will exploit GaN-on-Si technology for the development of high-efficiency high-power white LEDs.

A common challenge for power electronics and optoelectronics is cost reduction.

GaN on large-diameter Si wafers (from 100mm and 150mm towards 200mm) in combination with CMOS compatible processes offers the best perspective to create economically viable solutions. While very few players can today process GaN on large-diameter Si wafers, IMEC has recently shown in collaboration with AIXTRON crack-free GaN growth on 200mm wafers. Also for other challenges, the IIAP can build on IMEC’s 10 years’ experience in GaN technology, including unique skills in epi-layer growth, new device concept, device integration and a thin-film textured LED technology for high-efficiency III-nitride LEDs.
—Marianne Germain, GaN program director

IMEC is inviting both integrated device manufacturers and companies in the compound semiconductor industry to join the program.

IMEC is an independent research center in nanoelectronics and nanotechnology. IMEC vzw is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, has a sister company in the Netherlands, IMEC-NL, offices in the US, China and Taiwan, and representatives in Japan.

Corsa Ginetta-Zytek to Race as Hybrid at Lime Rock

2009-07-14T10:56:51-07:00

Corsa Motorsports’ Ginetta-Zytek 09HS prototype will compete for the first time in hybrid configuration this weekend at Lime Rock Park for the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix. (Earlier post.)

Corsa’s Ginetta-Zytek has been officially homologated as a hybrid. Click to enlarge.

Officials with the FIA were more than satisfied with the performance and stability of the prototype’s battery pack. The move officially makes the Ginetta-Zytek the first hybrid entry to compete in the American Le Mans Series.

The car is homologated—fully legal to race as a hybrid—and is no longer running as a conventional race car come Lime Rock. This has been a long time coming. We are excited to show people what we’ve been working on all these months.
—Corsa crew chief Adrian Lindsey

Hybrid components. Source: Corsa. Click to enlarge.

The 09HS is powered through a combination of a new ethanol-fueled (E10) internal combustion engine and the hybrid system, consisting of a 45 kW (peak) electric motor with a 35 kW, 120V Li-ion battery pack for energy storage. Zytek supplied the electric motor; Continental supplied both the Li-ion pack and the power electronics.

The asynchronous electric motor is oil-cooled and mounted in the bellhousing and geared to the input shaft of the gearbox. During braking the motor serves as a generator and under acceleration serves as a drive assist.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) along with US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and SAE International have recognized the Series as the first and only motorsports body to meet the criteria for “green racing.” All Series entries compete on street-legal alternative fuels: low-sulfur diesel; E10; cellulosic E85; and hybrid power.

The American Le Mans Series, Michelin, DOE, EPA and SAE also have jointly created the MICHELIN Green X Challenge, a competition at all 2009 Series events which ranks all cars on overall performance, fuel efficiency and environmental impact.

The American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn., is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. EDT on Saturday, July 18. The race also will mark the fifth round of the MICHELIN Green X Challenge.

Shell Opening First Cluster of Hydrogen Filling Stations in NYC Area

2009-07-14T10:22:55-07:00

Shell has opened its second hydrogen filling station in the greater New York City area. With a third due to open in the area later this month and one already operating there for more than a year, this is Shell’s first cluster of hydrogen filling stations.

The newly-opened station at JFK international airport is the result of a partnership between Shell, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the US Department of Energy and General Motors. A third station in the Bronx, due to open late in July, has been developed with the New York City Department of Sanitation. A station has been operating in the City of White Plains, New York, since April 2008.

The prospects for hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles are strong in the longer-term. This first cluster is an important step as we continue to build capability in retailing hydrogen fuel, in line with the auto makers’ plans to develop hydrogen vehicles.
—Duncan Macleod, Shell Vice President of Hydrogen

The three hydrogen stations in New York are within approximately 30 miles (50 km) of each other.

The overall CO₂ footprint of a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle depends on how the hydrogen has been produced and its journey to the vehicle. Today most hydrogen is made from natural gas; there is the potential for very low or zero-carbon hydrogen to be produced at scale, according to Shell.

Shell buys the majority of hydrogen for its filling stations from third parties. However, Shell does produce hydrogen from electricity on site (via electrolysis) in three of its stations (Santa Monica, CA; White Plains, New York; and Reykjavik, Iceland). Shell is conducting research into lower CO₂ hydrogen.

Shell currently provides six filling stations, in collaboration with auto makers, local authorities and universities. These are in Tokyo, Reykjavik, Shanghai, Washington DC, Los Angeles and New York.

Some stations are specialized sites, used by agreed vehicles only. Others, namely Washington DC and Los Angeles, are on every-day filling stations at busy intersections, where drivers can also buy gasoline and diesel.

The dispensers at the JFK international airport station will provide hydrogen at both 350 bar and 700 bar pressure. The Bronx station will provide hydrogen at 700 bar pressure.

UC Berkeley Study Concludes Battery Switching Model Would Accelerate Mass-Market Adoption of Electric Cars; Baseline Scenario Projects EVs Reaching 64% of New LDV Sales in 2030

2009-07-14T08:39:15-07:00

EV penetration with a battery swap model in three scenarios. Becker (2009). Click to enlarge.

A new study from the University of California, Berkeley, Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology projects that, given a battery switching model and pay-per-mile contracts such as proposed by Better Place (earlier post), electric cars would account, in the baseline scenario, for 64% of US light-duty vehicle sales by 2030 and comprise 24% of the US light-duty fleet by then.

In two other scenarios considered, a high oil price scenario (using EIA projections) and a battery swap operator-subsidzied scenario, EV new vehicle sales penetration reaches 85% and 86% respectively by 2030.

“Electric Cars in the United States: A New Model with Forecasts to 2030” was written by Thomas Becker, a Ph.D. candidate in economics with a specialization in international finance and environmental economics.

The analysis in the paper relies on a network externality model focusing on relative prices, operating costs, and the network effects of battery switching stations. The high rate of adoption is driven by the low purchase price and operating costs of electric cars with switchable batteries. The estimates include the cost of installing charging and battery switching infrastructure to extend the range of electric vehicles.

In Becker’s analysis, eliminating the need for the consumer to purchase the large battery pack upfront makes the purchase price of an electric car competitive with that of an internal combustion vehicle. Given expected battery prices, and the federal tax incentives for the purchase of electric cars, switchable battery vehicles are expected to be $7,500 less expensive than a similar gasoline-powered car when introduced to the market in 2012. The total cost of ownership of these vehicles is expected to be between $0.10 and $0.13 lower on a per-mile basis than gasoline-powered cars, depending on the future price of oil.

Becker calculates that the baseline scenario would require networks of more than 800 overlapping regional charging infrastructure cells, each supporting 100,000 electric car drivers supporting roughly 81 million electric car drivers by 2030. Estimated capital expenditures to deploy this network would be nearly $321 billion over the next two decades.

Under the operator-subsidized scenario, the resulting 151 million electric car drivers by 2030 would require nearly twice as much infrastructure investment.

By 2030, the annual capital investment in charging infrastructure is estimated to account for between 1% and 1.5% of total US investment.
—Becker (2009)

Becker suggests that EV adoption will occur first in the West Coast states and Hawaii, and uses these for the modeled initial market for electric cars between 2012 and 2014. He projects networks of switchable electric cars being deployed across the remainder of the United States beginning in 2014. By 2020, 700,000 (26%) of the 2.7 million electric cars sold in the United States are forecast to be sold in the four West Coast States.

Electric vehicles will overhaul the US light-vehicle transportation network over the next two decades. An electric personal transportation network that combines switchable Lithium-ion batteries with network operators offering pay-per-mile contracts will provide consumers with a more affordable alternative to efficient internal combustion-powered vehicles and will overcome the range limits inherent to fixed-battery electric cars. It will also lower health-impairing and greenhouse gas emissions, provide new sources of domestic employment and investment, lower the nation’s dependence on imported oil, and improve the trade balance.
—Becker (2009)

This most recent study is fundamental because it shows that the economics of electric cars with today’s technology favor a paradigm shift in the automotive industry.
—Ikhlaq Sidhu, Director of Berkeley’s Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology

Resources

Thomas Becker, Electric Vehicles in the United States A New Model with Forecasts to 2030 (CET 2009.1.v.1.0)

Nissan Introduces New Dual Injector System for Improved Fuel Efficiency in Small-Displacement PFI Engines

2009-07-14T07:10:06-07:00

Nissan’s Dual Injector. Click to enlarge.

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. has developed a Dual Injector system designed to improve fuel efficiency in small-displacement gasoline engines using port fuel injection (PFI).

While most current port fuel injected gasoline engines utilize one injector per cylinder (furnishing fuel to two intake ports), the new Nissan Dual Injector system uses an injector for each intake port—i.e., doubling the number of injectors per cylinder.

Fuel Injection Comparison (Left: One port of the Dual Injector Right: Conventional system injecting to both ports) Click to enlarge.

The novel fuel delivery system, the first for a series-production passenger car according to Nissan, reduces the diameter of the fuel droplets by about 60%. This speeds up fuel vaporization, reducing the amount of unburned fuel and reducing hydrocarbon emissions.

Nissan says it will introduce the new system in production vehicles starting early in fiscal 2010.

The system also adds continuous valve timing control on the exhaust side to conventional intake-side control, improving heat efficiency, reducing pumping losses and raising fuel efficiency by up to 4% (compared with Nissan gasoline-powered engines in the same class) in sync with the dual injectors.

Direct-injection systems, which inject fuel directly into cylinders with and provide fuel economy and emissions benefits, are difficult to use on small-displacement engines because they require a high-pressure pump that complicates system design, making component layout less cost-efficient.

In contrast, the Nissan Dual Injector system is lighter and structurally simpler because it furnishes fuel at normal pressures, reducing cost by about 60% compared to direct-injection engines of similar displacement.

The new Dual Injector system also uses half the amount of rare metals in the catalyzer while maintaining the efficiency of the catalytic conversion system. That number could potentially be reduced to 75% in combination with the ultralow-rare-metal catalysts that were introduced in 2008.

We consider it important to further improve the fuel efficiency of gasoline engines as demand for gasoline and other internal-combustion systems continues to increase around the world. By widely applying the Dual Injector system on small-displacement engines, we hope to help reduce CO2 emissions and conserve rare metals.
—Shuichi Nishimura, Corporate Vice President, Nissan Powertrain Engineering Division

ExxonMobil Launches Major Advanced Algal Biofuel Research and Development Program With Synthetic Genomics; More than $600M Targeted

2009-07-14T06:21:34-07:00

ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company (EMRE) has launched what it calls a “significant” new program to research and develop advanced biofuels from photosynthetic algae that are compatible with today’s gasoline and diesel fuels. As part of the program, ExxonMobil has formed a strategic research and development alliance with Synthetic Genomics Inc., a privately held company focused on developing genomic-driven solutions and founded by genome pioneer, Dr. J. Craig Venter.

Under the program, if research and development milestones are successfully met, ExxonMobil expects to spend more than $600 million, which includes $300 million in internal costs. As part of the multi-faceted agreement, SGI will receive milestone payments for achievements in developing technology related to algal-based biofuels and related products. Total funding for SGI in research and development activities and milestone payments could amount to more than $300 million with the potential for additional income from licensing to third parties.

The majority of the research performed by SGI will take place in its facilities located in La Jolla, CA. EMRE will conduct its research primarily at its Clinton, NJ and Fairfax, VA facilities. The sites for scale-up activities will be determined at a later date. As part of the agreement SGI will be building a new greenhouse and test facilities, as well as hiring a substantial number of new employees.

Photosynthetic algae, which include microalgae (single-celled algae) and cyanobacteria (most commonly known as blue-green algae) are very efficient at utilizing the energy from sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into cellular oils (lipids) and even some types of long-chain hydrocarbons that can be further processed into fuels and chemicals. Such bio-oils from photosynthetic algae could be used to manufacture a full range of fuels including gasoline, diesel fuel and jet fuel that meet the same specifications as today’s products.

EMRE estimates that algae could yield more than 2,000 gallons of fuel per acre of production per year. (Earlier post.) Approximate yields for other biofuel sources are far lower:

Palm: 650 gallons per acre per year
Sugar cane: 450 gallons per acre per year
Corn: 250 gallons per acre per year
Soy: 50 gallons per acre per year

However, naturally-occurring algae do not carry out this process at the efficiencies or rates necessary for commercial-scale production of biofuels.

Using SGI’s scientific expertise and proprietary tools and technologies in genomics, metagenomics, synthetic genomics, and genome engineering as a platform, SGI and EMRE believe that biology can now be harnessed to produce sufficient quantities of biofuels.

Under the terms of the agreement, SGI will work in a systematic approach to find, optimize, and/or engineer superior strains of algae. The teams will also look to define and develop the best production systems—open (ponds), and/or closed (e.g. tubular) photobioreactors—for large-scale cultivation of algae and conversion of their products into useful biofuels.

ExxonMobil’s engineering and scientific expertise will be utilized throughout the program, from the development of systems to increase the scale of algae production through to the manufacturing of finished fuels.

Main identified activities of the program include:

Identifying and/or developing algal strains that can achieve high bio-oil yields at lower cost.
Determining the best production systems to use for growing algal strains, either in open (ponds) or closed (e.g. tubular) photobioreactors, or both.
Determining how to supply large amounts of carbon dioxide needed to grow algae, which could provide benefits for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.
Developing the large, integrated systems required for full scale, economic production, upgrading and commercialization of biofuels.

The SGI/EMRE biofuel advancement from photosynthetic algae will proceed through six phases, each representing an essential step in the production chain:

Phase One: Algae development and growth
Phase Two: Algae harvesting
Phase Three: Recovery of bio-oil produced by the algae
Phase Four: Transport and storage of bio-oil
Phase Five: Conversion of bio-oil to biofuel
Phase Six: Production of commercial products

Primary Roles in the EMRE and SGI Strategic Alliance
EMRE	SGI
Leadership role in engineering, process development and scale up. Key role in determining which type of production systems to utilize to grow the algae. Key role in upgrading bio-oil produced by photosynthetic algae into finished products, and total process integration for development and commercial applications.	Leadership role in biological research for algae strain development, growth and harvesting. Key role in determining which type of production systems to use to grow the algae. Key role in bio-oil recovery research and development.

Scientists at SGI have been working internally for several years to develop more efficient means to harvest the oils that photosynthetic algae produce. Traditionally, algae have been treated like a crop to be grown and harvested in a process that can be expensive and time consuming. One of SGI’s achievements has been in engineering algal strains that produce lipids in a continuous process that is currently more efficient and cost-effective.

This investment comes after several years of planning and study and is an important addition to ExxonMobil’s ongoing efforts to advance breakthrough technologies to help meet the world’s energy challenges. Meeting the world’s growing energy demands will require a multitude of technologies and energy sources. We believe that biofuel produced by algae could be a meaningful part of the solution in the future if our efforts result in an economically viable, low net carbon emission transportation fuel.
—Dr. Emil Jacobs, vice president of research and development at ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company

The real challenge to creating a viable next generation biofuel is the ability to produce it in large volumes which will require significant advances in both science and engineering. The alliance between SGI and ExxonMobil will bring together the complementary capabilities and expertise of both companies to develop innovative solutions that could lead to the large scale production of biofuel from algae.
—Craig Venter, CEO of SGI

In 2007, SGI and BP entered a long-term research and development deal focused first on gaining a better understanding of the natural microbial communities in various hydrocarbon formations such as oil, natural gas, coal and shale. Such an understanding would enable the enhancement or increased production of the subsurface hydrocarbons. (Earlier post.)

The second phase of the BP/Synthetic Genomics program will be a series of field pilot studies of the most promising bioconversion approaches. BP and Synthetic Genomics will then seek to jointly commercialize the bioconversion of subsurface hydrocarbons into cleaner energy products.

Worlds Coral Reefs Began Decline At 320 ppm Atmospheric CO2

2009-07-14T03:30:00-07:00

A technical workshop conducted last week by marine scientists and hosted by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (IPSO), and the Royal Society concluded that temperature-induced mass coral bleaching began killing many of the world’s coral reefs and their ecosystems when global atmospheric CO₂ exceeded 320ppm (parts per million), about 20% below today’s levels.

360ppm is the level at which reefs “cease to be viable in the long term,” according to coral reef specialist Professor John E.N. Veron of the Center for Marine Studies, University of Queensland. Atmospheric concentrations of CO₂ currently stand at approximately 385ppm, depending on the part of the world in which the atmosphere is sampled.

In addition to temperature-induced bleaching, coral reefs in many parts of the world are under stress from overfishing, destructive fishing, coastal pollution, and sedimentation.

A joint statement issued by conference participants declared:

To ensure the long-term viability of coral reefs, atmospheric carbon dioxide level must be reduced significantly below 350ppm... In addition to major reductions in CO₂ emissions, achieving this safe level will require the active removal of CO₂ from the atmosphere.

The Earth’s atmospheric concentrations of CO2 reached 320 ppm in the mid-1960s, and 360ppm in the mid-1990s. The joint statement will be submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) ahead of December's climate policy negotiations in Copenhagen.

—Jack Rosebro

DOE, RTI to Design and Build Coal Syngas Cleanup System for IGCC Power Plants to Reduce Cost of Removing Contaminants, Capturing CO2; Potential for Synthetic Chemicals and Fuels

2009-07-14T03:00:00-07:00

The RTI/Eastman syngas cleanup technology platform. Click to enlarge.

Extending a relationship of more than a decade, the US Department of Energy (DOE) and Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International will collaborate on a project designed to advance the development of coal power plants with near-zero emissions by reducing the cost and improving the efficiency of capturing CO₂ and removing contaminants from syngas derived from coal.

The system also holds the potential to reduce the cost of producing chemicals, transportation fuels, and substitute natural gas from gasified coal.

DOE and RTI will design, build, and test a warm gas cleanup system—based on RTI’s high-temperature syngas cleanup technology—to remove multiple contaminants from coal-derived syngas. The 50-MWe system will include technologies to remove trace elements such as mercury and arsenic, capture the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO₂), and extract more than 99.9% of the sulfur from the syngas.

A novel process to convert the extracted sulfur to a pure elemental sulfur product will also be tested.

In integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plants, coal-derived syngas—a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen—is used to fuel a combustion turbine for the production of electricity. Reacting the carbon monoxide in syngas with steam to produce hydrogen and CO₂ allows for the capture and sequestration of the CO₂, preventing it from being released into the atmosphere.

RTI’s syngas cleanup technologies will be tested at Tampa Electric Company’s 250-MW IGCC power plant, using up to 20% of the syngas produced by the coal gasifier. Data on thermal efficiency, emissions, and cost benefits will be gathered during more than 5,000 hours of testing the warm syngas cleaning system. This information will help refine the integration strategy in an IGCC plant and mitigate technical risks associated with commercial deployment of this technology.

Because of the benefits of IGCC power plants, high-temperature syngas cleaning technologies have been the subject of intense investigation for more than two decades. This project will be the world’s first large-scale testing of such a technology.

The Office of Fossil Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory will manage the 5-year project. With successful completion of the project, the RTI warm gas cleanup system will be ready for full-scale commercial demonstration and deployment.

Background. In 2008, RTI International and Eastman Chemical Company agreed to develop and commercialize jointly developed syngas cleanup technology. The novel high-temperature technology package provided a modular approach to the removal of various contaminants contained in syngas derived from coal and petroleum coke, leading to significantly higher thermal efficiency and reduced capital and operating costs.

A DOE-funded system study predicts a 2-3% point increase in overall IGCC thermal efficiency and a 6% reduction in the cost of electricity by using the RTI contaminant removal process for an IGCC plant.

Components of the technology package included a high-temperature desulfurization process that uses transport reactors; an attrition-resistant regenerable zinc oxide based sorbent; a fixed-bed catalytic process for converting sulfur dioxide produced during the sorbent regeneration into elemental sulfur; and fixed-bed reactor processes for removal of other syngas contaminants.

The technology was developed by RTI at laboratory and bench-scale over more than a decade with funding from the US Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy/National Energy Technology Laboratory.

One of the key processes targeted for on-going work at that time was development of a high-temperature process for removal of CO₂ from syngas to produce a sequestration-ready CO₂ stream, with a goal of seamless integration of CO₂ removal in the high-temperature syngas cleanup system.

Resources

Status of RTI/Eastman Warm Gas Clean-up Technology and Commercialization Plan (Gasification Technologies Conference, 2008)

DOT Awards for Transit Improvements Include Support for Purchase of 81 Hybrid Buses

2009-07-14T02:30:00-07:00

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) on 9 July announced that $961.3 million in Recovery Act funds will go to improve state and local transit systems in the United States. The 9 July awards will support the purchase of 81 hybrid transit buses, among other projects:

City of Santa Rosa, CA: $4.2 million for paratransit services, solar bus shelters and partial funding of a 40-foot hybrid electric bus.
Santa Clara Valley (CA) Transportation Authority: $47.5 million to purchase seventy-five 40-foot hybrid replacement buses and for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) bus stop improvements.
Lansing, MI: $7.1 Million will be used to purchase five 40-foot hybrid electric buses, four 29-foot diesel buses, two articulated diesel buses, and to rehabilitate fifteen 40-foot diesel buses. Some of the funds will also rehabilitate the CATA facility including repaving certain areas on the site and making locations more accessible for people with mobility impairments.

Denbury Undertakes Midwest CO2 Pipeline Feasibility Study

2009-07-14T02:00:00-07:00

Denbury Resources Inc. has initiated a comprehensive feasibility study of a possible long-term CO₂ pipeline project which would connect proposed gasification plants in the Midwest to Denbury’s existing CO₂ pipeline infrastructure in Mississippi or Louisiana.

The feasibility study is expected to determine the most likely pipeline route, the estimated costs of constructing such a pipeline, and review regulatory, legal and permitting requirements. It is estimated that the study will be completed in the fourth quarter of 2009, following which Denbury will evaluate external market conditions, the state of financing and construction of the proposed gasification projects, and make a decision as to whether or not they will take initial steps to build such a pipeline.

In related developments, two proposed Midwestern gasification plants with which Denbury has CO₂ purchase contracts, one in Illinois and one in Indiana, have been selected to proceed to the term sheet negotiation phase under the US Department of Energy Loan Guarantee Program.

This program, instituted in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, is designed to spur technological innovation in fossil fuel development. Governmental guarantees of debt financing for these plants is not assured, and building of these plants is subject to the normal financing due diligence, term sheet negotiations, loan documentation and various approvals, including state legislative approval.

The feasibility study will investigate multiple routes, scenarios and combinations of the various proposed gasification sites within the area. Thus, the final pipeline system, estimated cost, total miles and diameter of pipeline(s) could vary significantly. Denbury’s preliminary internal estimates suggest this would be a 500 to 700 mile pipeline system with a preliminary cost estimate of approximately $1.0 billion, based on the cost of other pipelines recently built or under construction.

As building such a pipeline is still in the preliminary stages, the Company has not yet evaluated its financing options, but they could include third party financing, project financing, bank financing, joint venture development and potential governmental support. The potential pipeline project would likely take from four to five years to complete.

A third proposed gasification plant with which Denbury has a CO2 purchase contract, was also selected by the loan guarantee program. Denbury plans to commence a pipeline study for this plant proposed to be built along the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, which would likely be a 110-mile pipeline that connects to the existing Free State Pipeline.

Denbury Resources Inc. is the largest oil and natural gas operator in Mississippi, owns the largest reserves of CO₂ used for tertiary oil recovery east of the Mississippi River, and holds operating acreage in the Barnett Shale play near Fort Worth, Texas, onshore Louisiana and Alabama, and properties in Southeast Texas.

Five More Airlines Join Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group

2009-07-13T11:43:42-07:00

Five new airlines have been accepted as members of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group (SAFUG), an airline-led industry working group focused on accelerating the development and commercialization of sustainable aviation fuels: Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, TUIfly and Virgin Blue.

Current airline members include Air France, Air New Zealand, ANA (All Nippon Airways), Cargolux, Gulf Air, Japan Airlines, KLM, SAS and Virgin Atlantic Airways. Boeing and Honeywell’s UOP, a refining technology developer, are associate members.

SAFUG defines sustainable aviation fuels as ones meeting set sustainability criteria that can be processed to yield a fuel that can be a drop in replacement for, or blended with, existing jet fuel. Sustainable fuels will utilize existing distribution, storage, and fueling systems, and will not require any changes to existing commercial jet engines. Examples of possible sources for sustainable aviation fuel are: algae, camelina, halophytes, jatropha, and non-food cellulose.

Since its launch in the fall of 2008, SAFUG has established a foundation of airlines, environmental organizations, research projects and practices and principles.

In addition to previously announced research projects on algae and jatropha curcas, the group will also launch a sustainability assessment of halophytes, a class of plants that thrive in saltwater habitat, later this year. That effort will assess lifecycle CO₂ emissions and socio-economic impacts. Additional details will be announced closer to the project launch date.

User Group members have pledged to work through the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB), a global multi-stakeholder initiative, consisting of leading environmental organizations, financiers, biofuel developers, biofuel-interested petroleum companies, the transportation sector, developing-world poverty alleviation associations, research entities, and governments.

Working through User Group representatives, aviation industry input is being included in Version 1 RSB principles and standards, which will be the first widely reviewed and accepted set of international standards for sustainable biofuel production. These standards will be tested, improved and tailored via future User Group and RSB stakeholder efforts and verified through peer-reviewed research and development collaboration.

For example, the sustainability assessments of algae, jatropha and halophyte fuels will be subject to scientific peer review and used by the RSB process to guide improvements to Version 1.

Tremendous technical progress has been demonstrated over the past several years, and as we move closer to approval to use these advanced generation fuels, we are rapidly developing sustainability practices and conducting ongoing research to ensure we remain on the right path.
—Billy Glover, managing director, Environmental Strategy for Boeing Commercial Airplanes

In June, Boeing and a team from across the aviation industry released high-level elements of a study showing that Bio-Derived Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene (Bio-SPK) test fuels performed as well as or better than typical petroleum-based Jet A. The testing included several commercial airplane engine types using blends of up to 50% petroleum-based Jet A/Jet A-1 fuel and 50% sustainable biofuels. (Earlier post.)

To be eligible for membership, SAFUG members must subscribe to sustainability criteria that stipulate the following:

Jet fuel plant sources should be developed in a manner that is non-competitive with food and where biodiversity impacts are minimized; in addition, the cultivation of those plant sources should not jeopardize drinking water supplies.
Total lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from plant growth, harvesting, processing and end-use should be significantly reduced compared to those associated with jet fuels from fossil sources.
In developing economies, development projects should include provisions or outcomes that improve socio-economic conditions for small-scale farmers who rely on agriculture to feed them and their families and that do not require the involuntary displacement of local populations.
High conservation value areas and native eco-systems should not be cleared and converted for jet fuel plant source development.

Shell Begins Production at Parque das Conchas Offshore Brazil; Deep Water and Heavy Oil Required New Technologies

2009-07-13T11:19:09-07:00

Shell began production at its multi-field Parque das Conchas (BC-10) project 110 kilometers (68 miles) off Brazil’s south-east coast, where heavy oil resources lie beneath waters nearly two kilometers deep in the Campos Basin. Shell developed and deployed a number of new and advanced technologies to meet the project’s many challenges, among them water depth and oil viscosity.

Parque das Conchas is a two-phase project with initial production drawn from three fields: Abalone, Ostra and Argonauta B-West. The depth between the seabed and the top of the reservoirs can reach 2,500 meters, and the distance between fields can reach 20 km.

“This marks a major milestone in delivering oil from Brazil’s deep water.”

—Marvin Odum
Shell Upstream Americas Director

The three fields are being developed with subsea wells and manifolds, with each field tied back to a centrally located Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel moored in ~1,780m of water. Ostra, the first field to go into production, is being drilled with horizontal wells which can reach the length of 1 km inside the reservoir.

The first phase, now on-stream, involves nine producing wells and one gas injector well. The second phase will focus on the Argonauta O-North field.

Among the new technologies applied in the BC-10 project are:

Parque das Conchas is the first full-field development using subsea oil and gas separation and subsea pumping.
To avoid flaring and reduce CO₂ emissions, natural gas produced with the oil will be separated and pumped back into the Ostra field until a gas export pipeline system is complete.
The water depth required weight reduction and the development of buoyant steel risers—flexible steel pipes several kilometers long that anchor the floating, production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) in place.
The field geology with its scattered formations demanded extended horizontal drilling for better production.
To keep the heavy oil (API 16-42) flowing, the FPSO, with 68 MW of power generation capacity, feeds power to the deep-water separation and high pressure pumping systems through huge electrical umbilical cables.

The Espírito Santo. Click to enlarge.

Electric pumps of 1,500 horsepower drive the oil 1,800 meters up to the surface for processing in the FPSO, Espírito Santo, which is more than 330 metres long. It can process 100 thousand barrels of oil and 50 million cubic feet of natural gas per day and store nearly 1.5 million barrels of oil for shipment to shore by transport tankers.

Shell Brasil Ltda., the operator of the projects, owns 50; other partners include Petrobras with 35% and ONGC Campos Ltda. with 15%. Shell has produced oil in Brazil since 2003, in the Bijupirá and Salema fields.

Daimler Sells 40% of Its Stake in Tesla Motors to Aabar Investments

2009-07-13T07:47:20-07:00

Daimler AG has sold 40% of its equity interest in Tesla Motors to its new major shareholder Aabar Investments PJSC (Aabar), of Abu Dhabi, in their first joint strategic project. The investment allows Daimler and Aabar to leverage their shared interest in the development of low-CO₂ drive systems, according to a statement issued by Daimler.

In May, Daimler AG acquired an equity interest of just under 10% in Tesla Motors Inc. for about $50 million (€36 million). (Earlier post.) Already at that time, Daimler and Aabar both wanted to invest jointly in Tesla. After the clarification of contractual details, they are now implementing that plan.

When we acquired our stake in Daimler in March we identified a number of potential areas for cooperation between our two businesses. One of these was a desire to focus on the development of electric vehicles and projects aiming at the reduction of CO2-emissions. Our joint involvement with Daimler in Tesla is completely in line with this strategy, and marks an important step in the continuing development of our partnership.
—His Excellency Khadem Al Qubaisi, Chairman of Aabar Investments PJSC

On March 22 of this year, Aabar acquired 9.1% of the share capital of Daimler AG with a total investment of €1.95 billion (US$2.72 billion). In connection with Aabar’s entry as a major Daimler shareholder, the two companies issued a letter of intent stating that in addition to the equity investment, other joint strategic projects would be initiated, including:

Electric vehicles with a particular focus on projects aiming at the reduction of CO₂-emissions
Development and/or production of innovative compound materials to be used in automotive manufacturing
Social projects such as the establishment of a training centre in Abu Dhabi to educate young talent for positions in the automotive industry

Aabar is an investment company headquartered in Abu Dhabi and is listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange. It directly invests in various sectors including energy, infrastructure, real estate, automotive and financial services companies. Its largest stakeholder is the International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC), which in turn is wholly owned by the Government of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Shrimp Shell Catalyst for Biodiesel

2009-07-13T06:41:11-07:00

Researchers in China have developed a high-performance and environmentally friendly shrimp shell catalyst for biodiesel production. A report on the work was published online 13 July in the ACS journal Energy & Fuels.

Shrimp shell is an excellent raw material for the preparation of catalyst, due to its wide source, low price, favorable biodegradability, and environment-friendly property. Chitin as the main component of shrimp shell can be transformed into saccharides under certain conditions. Recently, a new class of sulfonated carbons derived through incomplete carbonization of saccharides has been reported to have relatively high catalytic performance for biodiesel production, exhibiting interesting acid catalytic properties. In this study, a novel tristep synthetic strategy was devised to prepare shrimp shell catalyst.
——Yang et al. (2009)

To prepare the catalyst, the researchers incompletely carbonized shrimp shell at 450 °C, loaded KF on the resultant at 25 wt%, and activated it at 250 °C.

When the reaction was carried out at 65 °C with a catalyst amount of 2.5 wt%, a methanol/rapeseed oil molar ratio of 9:1, and a reaction time of 3 h, the highest conversion of 89.1% can be achieved. This finding provides opportunities for obtaining a novel environmentally friendly catalyst for biodiesel production.
—Yang et al. (2009)

Resources

Linguo Yang, Aiqing Zhang and Xinsheng Zhe (2009) Shrimp Shell Catalyst for Biodiesel Production. Energy Fuels, Article ASAP doi: 10.1021/ef900273y

Honda to Begin Sales of CR-Z and Fit Hybrids in Japan in 2010

2009-07-13T05:35:15-07:00

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. confirmed plans to begin sales in Japan of the CR-Z sporty hybrid model in February 2010 and Fit Hybrid before the end of 2010. The CR-Z concept car made its world debut at the 40^th Tokyo Motor Show in 2007.

The Fit was Japan’s top-selling model from January-June this year, with 65,589 units sold. The Prius is in second place for the same period in Japan, with 51,410 units, according to data from the Japan Automobile Dealers Association.

In addition, Honda said it is currently developing a new hybrid system intended to be installed on mid- to large-size vehicles.

The CR-Z hybrid has featured consistently in statements from Honda’s management as a key element in reaching its increased hybrid sales targets. (Earlier post.)

Honda also announced that, in addition to the No. 1 line at its Suzuka Factory, the production of Insight also began on Suzuka’s No. 3 line in mid-June 2009, leveraging Honda’s flexible production system. Honda has so far sold 36,457 Insight hybrids in the Japan through June since its introduction in February.

Ener1 to Provide Lithium-Ion Packs for Volvo Cars V70 PHEV Demonstration

2009-07-13T04:31:00-07:00

Volvo Car Corporation has selected lithium-ion battery systems designed and produced by Ener1, Inc. to power a pair of plug-in diesel-electric hybrid (PHEV) V70 demonstration cars being put through their paces across Europe this fall as part of a development program leading up to the planned 2012 commercial launch of a production plug-in model.

The PHEV demo project is a joint venture between Volvo and Vattenfall, one of Europe’s largest electric utility companies and a leading proponent of electric vehicle infrastructure build-out. (Earlier post.)

The V70 PHEVs can run up to 31 miles (50 kilometers) on a single charge using only battery electric power. The cars will combine a front-wheel drive diesel engine with a rear-wheel drive electric motor, powered by an 11.3 kWh Li-ion battery pack, of which 8 kWh is usable. The car will support both residential charging (approx. five hours) as well as a 32A fast charge.

The battery packs, produced by Ener1’s manufacturing arm EnerDel, were custom built for this test program. EnerDel leveraged the technology they had developed for the Think platform, enhancing the cell design for improved power capability. The project was embarked upon last summer, and the battery packs successfully delivered on schedule in February 2009.

The diesel engine will eventually run on biodiesel as well as standard blends.

The cars will be used to gather information and experience about the driving habits and performance expectations of everyday motorists using the new technology, as well as their actual charging needs. Vattenfall will test different concepts for high-speed home charging, as well as charging stations in public places, where owners pay to fuel with electricity instead of liquid fossil fuels.

The partnership between Volvo and Vattenfall began in January, 2007, and has been advancing on a fast track. With the current project, both companies say cooperation is now being taken to the next level. The goal is to produce plug-in hybrid vehicles and introducing them on the market as early as 2012.

Leeds Researchers Working on More Energy-Efficient Steam Reforming Process for Hydrogen from Waste Materials

2009-07-13T04:00:00-07:00

Researchers at the University of Leeds (UK) investigating a more energy-efficient steam-reforming process for hydrogen production from waste materials, including vegetable oil and the glycerol by-product from biodiesel production (earlier post), recently reported optimal H₂ production from the steam reforming of glycerol at 500 °C, with in situ CO₂ removal using calcined dolomite as the sorbent. The results appeared in the journal Bioresource Technology.

The system being developed at Leeds—Unmixed and Sorption-Enhanced Steam Reforming—relies on the cyclic oxidation of a bed of nickel-based material and on the simultaneous regeneration of a CO₂-sorbent under airflow to provide the heat necessary for the steam reforming reaction. The latter occurs subsequently under a fuel/steam flow while the airflow is interrupted.

The novelty of the approach is the use of in-situ removal of CO₂ and ex-situ regeneration of CO₂ adsorbent, thus enabling a continuous operation of the reactor, direct delivery of hydrogen at the reactor pressure, the use of relatively low capacity adsorbent, introduction of more physical heat to the reactor, and intensification of heat transfer within the reactor.

The effluent gas of the fuel/steam step is much higher in hydrogen than the single reactor equivalent conventional process, and the oxidized catalyst is regenerated by reduction from exposure to the fuel. Because the carbon produced during the steam reforming step is subsequently burned under the airflow, the process is not sensitive to the gradual loss of conversion efficiency exhibited by the conventional process.

Furthermore, in the unmixed steam reforming process, sulfur in the fuel is claimed to also undergo oxidation under the airflow rather than irreversibly poisoning the reforming catalyst.

When using a suitable CO₂-sorbent in the reformer, the dry hydrogen content in the reformate gas reaches above 80% (90+% when using methane fuel). In this case, most of the produced CO₂ and the N₂ from the airflow effluent leave the reactor separately to the H₂-rich reformate gas, and can potentially be easily filtered and stored.

The work, led by Dr. Valerie DuPont, is based on an earlier Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)-funded project showing the sequence via which the various reactions involved in the cycle proceeded. In that project, they found clear evidence of the insensitivity of the process to coking. The improved process under development thus opens up opportunities for the use of a whole range of fuels with coking tendencies and/or sulphur content, such as the combustible liquid mixtures derived from biomass or specific industrial / transportation waste.

The Leeds researchers, led by Dr. Valerie DuPont, claim that this process can be economical at small scale, unlike the conventional steam reforming process, and could thus be used in distributed power generation.

It’s becoming increasingly necessary for scientists devising new technologies to limit the amount of carbon dioxide they release. This project takes us one step closer to these goals—once we have technologies that enable us to produce hydrogen sustainably, the infrastructure to support its use will grow.

We firmly believe that these advanced steam reforming processes have great potential for helping to build the hydrogen economy. Our primary focus now is to ensure the materials we rely on—both to catalyze the desired reaction and to capture the carbon dioxide—can be used over and over again without losing their efficacy
—Valerie DuPont

A grant of more than £400,000 (US$645,000) has been awarded to the University by the EPSRC within a consortium of 12 institutions known as SUPERGEN Sustainable Hydrogen Delivery.

EPSRC and SUPERGEN. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the UK’s main agency for funding research in engineering and the physical sciences. The EPSRC invests more than £800 million a year in research and postgraduate training.

The SUPERGEN initiative is the primary delivery mechanism for sustainable energy research funded by EPSRC as part of the Research Councils’ Energy Programme.

In 2011 the current round of SUPERGEN will begin to come to an end, with the final projects ending in 2013. EPSRC is reviewing the strengths and weaknesses of the current structure, and is consulting with the academic and user community to elicit views on possible structures that could take SUPERGEN to the next phase and to assess the research themes that should be covered by SUPERGEN in the future.

Accordingly, EPSRC is holding two meetings to discuss the future shape and direction of the SUPERGEN program: 27 August 2009 in Manchester and 8 September 2009 in London.

Resources

EP/D078199/1: Unmixed Steam Reforming of Liquid Fuels From Biomass and Waste for Hydrogen Production
Binlin Dou, Valerie Dupont, Gavin Rickett, Neil Blakeman, Paul T. Williams, Haisheng Chen, Yulong Ding and Mojtaba Ghadiri (2009) Hydrogen production by sorption-enhanced steam reforming of glycerol. Bioresource Technology 100 (14) Pages 3540-3547 doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2009.02.036
EP/F027389/1: Hydrogen generation from biomass derived glycerol using sorption enhanced reaction processes
GR/R50677/01: Unmixed Reforming of Vegetable Oil for Hydrogen Production

AutoAlliance Thailand Inaugurates New Mazda-Ford Passenger Car Plant

2009-07-13T03:52:00-07:00

Mazda Motor Corporation and Ford Motor Company inaugurated their new joint venture manufacturing passenger car plant at AutoAlliance Thailand (AAT).

The completed passenger car plant increases the total annual production capacity at AAT to 275,000 units (including CKD units). The new plant will produce the Mazda2 and Ford Fiesta compact cars for sale in Thailand and export throughout the Asia-Pacific region. AAT already exports Mazda and Ford pickup trucks to more than 130 markets around the world.

The new, highly flexible passenger car plant features a new stamping line and body shop, trim and final process areas.

The completed paint shop can now accommodate both pickup trucks and passenger cars, and uses the environmentally-friendly Three Layer Wet Paint system, which reduces volatile organic compound (VOC) and CO₂ emissions, and improves vehicle painting quality.

GAO Preliminary Observations on Links Between Water, Biofuels and Electricity; Calls for More Research

2009-07-13T02:23:00-07:00

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) last week provided preliminary observations as testimony to the House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, Committee on Science and Technology on the water-energy nexus related to biofuels and water and thermoelectric power plants and water.

The subcommittee had requested GAO undertake three studies related to (1) biofuels and water, (2) thermoelectric power plants and water, and (3) oil shale and water.

In the testimony, GAO provided key themes that emerged from its work to date on the research and development and data needs with regard to the production of biofuels and electricity and their linkage with water. GAO said that its work on oil shale is in its preliminary stages and further information will be available on this aspect of the energy-water nexus later this year.

Water and energy are inexorably linked: energy is needed to pump, treat, and transport water and large quantities of water are needed to support the development of energy. However, both water and energy may face serious constraints as demand for these vital resources continues to rise, the GAO report said.

Two examples that demonstrate the link between water and energy are the cultivation and conversion of feedstocks, such as corn, switchgrass, and algae, into biofuels; and the production of electricity by thermoelectric power plants, which rely on large quantities of water for cooling during electricity generation.

While the effects of producing corn-based ethanol on water supply and water quality are fairly well understood, less is known about the effects of the next generation of biofuel feedstocks. Corn cultivation for ethanol production can require from 7 to 321 gallons of water per gallon of ethanol produced, depending on where it is grown and how much irrigation is needed. Corn is also a relatively resource-intensive crop, requiring higher rates of fertilizer and pesticides than many other crops.

In contrast, little is known about the effects of large-scale cultivation of next generation feedstocks, such as cellulosic crops. Since these feedstocks have not been grown commercially to date, there are little data on the cumulative water, nutrient, and pesticide needs of these crops and on the amount of these crops that could be harvested as a biofuel feedstock without compromising soil and water quality. Uncertainty also exists regarding the water supply impacts of converting cellulosic feedstocks into biofuels.

Water usage in the corn-based ethanol conversion process has been declining and is currently estimated at 3 gallons of water per gallon of ethanol, according to the GAO. However, the amount of water consumed in the conversion of cellulosic feedstocks is less defined and will depend on the process and on technological advancements that improve the efficiency with which water is used.

...Our work also indicates that even less is known about newer biofuels feedstocks such as algae. Algae have the added advantage of being able to use lower-quality water for cultivation, according to experts. However, the impact on water supply and water quality will ultimately depend on which cultivation methods are determined to be the most viable. Therefore, research is needed on how best to cultivate this feedstock in order to maximize its potential as a biofuel feedstock and limit its potential impacts on water resources.

The GAO said that other areas that relate to water and algae cultivation in need of additional research include:

Oil extraction. Additional research is needed on how to extract the oil from the algal cell in such a way as to preserve the water contained in the cell along with the oil, thereby allowing some of that water to be recycled back into the cultivation process.
Contaminants. Information is needed on how to manage the contaminants that are found in the algal cultivation water and how any resulting wastewater should be handled.

Finally, additional research is needed on the storage and distribution of biofuels, GAO said. For example, to overcome incompatibility issues between the ethanol and the current fueling and distribution infrastructure, research is needed on conversion technologies that can be used to produce renewable fuels capable of being used in the existing infrastructure.

...While we recognize that DOE currently has a number of ongoing research efforts to develop information and technologies that will address various aspects of the energy-water nexus, our work indicates that there are a number of areas to focus future research and development efforts. Investments in these areas will provide information to help ensure that we are balancing energy independence and security with effective management of our freshwater resources.

Resources

Energy and Water: Preliminary Observations on the Links between Water and Biofuels and Electricity Production (GAO-09-862T)