The Obama Administration has made finding alternative sources of green energy one of its key goals. Recent developments in wind, solar, hydrogen, and geothermal energy have highlighted the many innovative projects working towards this goal. Four standout projects, partially funded by the U.S. government, in particular the Department of Energy, have made significant strides in shaping the future of American energy consumption.
CATCH THE SOLAR WAVE
In the realm of solar power, Sandia National Laboratories has highlighted its partnership with Stirling Energy Systems (SES) and Tessera Solar in the enhancement of its SunCatcher power system, which will appear for the first time at the National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF). The four revamped solar power collection dishes feature an updated design suitable for commercial use in 2010.
According to Chuck Andraka, Sandia’s head project engineer, “the four new dishes are the next-generation model of the original SunCatcher system. Six first-generation SunCatchers built over the past several years at the NSTTF have been producing up to 150 kilowatts of grid-ready electrical power during the day. Every part of the new system has been upgraded to allow for a high rate of production and cost reduction.”
For the past five years, Sandia’s concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP) team has partnered with SES in the hopes of enhancing the system design and operation, says Sandia. With the CSP system, the SunCatcher’s precision mirrors are connected to a parabolic dish and attract sunlight onto the receiver, which conducts the heat to an engine made by Stirling. A sealed system packed with hydrogen, the engine’s piston is driven by the change in pressure produced by temperature changes in the gas. This piston generates mechanical power, which runs a generator and creates electricity.
The improved SunCatcher weighs 5000 lb less than the original model, is round instead of rectangular, has better optics, and has 60% fewer engine parts. It also has pared down the number of mirrors by half, and the remaining mirrors are parabolas with stamped sheet metal comparable to that of a car’s hood. In fact, these mirrors have been created with automobile manufacturing techniques.
Sandia says that high-volume production, cost reductions, and easier maintenance will occur as a result of the changes. The lab also developed a device measuring the mirrors’ quality that takes less than 10 seconds, in contrast with the original model’s hour-long procedure.
Steve Cowman, CEO of SES, added that “the new design of the SunCatcher represents more than a decade of innovative engineering and validation testing, making it ready for commercialization. By utilizing the automotive supply chain to manufacture the SunCatcher, we’re leveraging the talents of an industry that has refined high-volume production through an assembly line process. More than 90% of the SunCatcher components will be manufactured in North America.”
The improved SunCatcher, according to Andraka, not only reduces cost and land use but also is more environmentally friendly. In addition, he said that the SunCatchers “have the lowest water use of any thermal electric generating technology, require minimal grading and trenching, require no excavation for foundations, and will not produce greenhouse gas emissions while converting sunlight into electricity.”
Another partner, Tessera Solar, is in the midst of constructing a 60-unit plant that has a 1.5-MW-producing ability by the end of 2009 in either Arizona or California. For perspective, 1 MW can power roughly 800 homes, says Sandia. Afterwards, this solar dish technology will be utilized in the development of solar generating plants in Southern California with San Diego Gas & Electric in the Imperial Valley, Southern California Edison in the Mojave Desert, and CPS Energy in West Texas. 1000 MW of electrical-power generation is predicted by the end of 2012 for these plants. Sandia reports that as of 2008, an original-model SunCatcher set a record with a 31.25% net efficiency rate, which surpassed the 1984 record of 29.4%.
FOLLOW THE HYDROGEN ROAD
Facing the same problem as other alternative energies, hydrogen has been considered as a substitute fuel for cars, but has not been feasible until the arrival of new technology. In the case of hydrogen, which is the most abundant element in the universe, nanotechnology has renewed hope in this alternative green energy.
By utilizing hydrogen to fuel cars, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (sponsored by the Department of Energy) hopes that our consumption of carbon-based energy will decrease. Storage continues to be one of the greatest obstacles to hydrogen gas use, but new research has increased its hypothetical chance of success. To be safe for passenger cars, hydrogen must be contained in a low-pressure tank that is leak-proof, with a storage capacity and weight that strike a balance between safety and efficiency. SLAC hopes to achieve this balance, as industrial containers cannot be used for passenger cars.
To solve this problem, researchers are considering carbon nanotubes, which are miniscule tubes comprising carbon molecules, for hydrogen tanks. They are currently being chemically produced on silicon plates, with their walls reaching one atom thick. Considering the fact that carbon and hydrogen can form chemical bonds, the structure of the nanotube also is beneficial as each carbon atom, at surface level in the one-walled nanotube, can bind with a hydrogen atom. Coined 100% absorption, SLAC states that this idea has finally moved beyond the hypothetical to be a viable real-world option.
Although a few years are needed to further develop this technology, discovering the potential of 100% absorption has surpassed the U.S. Department of Energy’s plans for the technology. The importance of this development lies in the hope that scientists and engineers will be able to use this information in the move towards hydrogen-fueled cars.
All well and good, but all of these projects have been in place for years and started under not this, but a previous administration. Giving all the credit to Obama is ludicrous. Like the rest of the markets, if there is a need, then private and commercial ventures will get the job done. You need some oversight to make sure the public will not be harmed, but other than that and policies/regulations that encourage this type of development, it should be government hands off.
Anonymous -July 29, 2009
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