TESBiC: Techno-Economic Study of Biomass To CCS

Although biomass and carbon capture & storage (CCS) are frequently quoted as being "carbon-neutral" technologies, neither, in practice, can quite match that claim. But combine them, and you have something which surpasses carbon-neutral, a carbon-negative technology whereby the CO2 released from the combustion of biomass is captured and sequestered, providing a net sink of CO2 which can overcome the inefficiencies of the individual technologies.

The TESBiC (Techno-Economic Study of Biomass To CCS) consortium is looking to turn that pipe dream into a genuine part of the future U.K. energy mix. Commissioned and funded by ETI, the consortium's partners are a mix of key academic institutions (Cambridge, Imperial College, Leeds), big industrial players (EDF, Drax Power, Doosan Babcock) and innovative energy consultancies and software engineers (E4tech, cmcl innovations). The project's aims are to investigate and compare several combinations of CCS technologies with biomass with a state-of-the-art review, thus providing a greater understanding of how they might be deployed within the U.K., the compatibility between different technologies and different forms of biomass, and the challenges, both technical and economical, which must be overcome. This will provide the necessary insight to carry out parametric modelling studies of the most promising technology combinations, helping to address for some of the remaining unknowns, and underline the true potential of biomass with CCS.

Further details can be found on the TESBIC project webpage.

U.K.'s First Marine Energy Park Announced in South West

Climate Change Minister Greg Barker announced in Bristol today that the South West is to be the location of U.K.'s first Marine Energy Park, and will encompass an area stretching between Bristol and Cornwall, and as far out as the Isles of Scilly. The announcement marks a big step forward in the U.K.'s pledge to become world leaders in marine energy, and to tap its huge potential which, at around 27GW, is equivalent to 8 coal-fired power stations. On making the announcement, Barker said that "the south west can build on its existing unique mix of renewable energy resource and home-grown academic, technical and industrial expertise" and will support "thousands of jobs in a sector worth a possible £15bn to the economy to 2050". The initiative is partnered by the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, as well as Local Enterprise Partners and Cornwall's Wave Hub.

Full article on DECC website.

Algae to power the fleets of tomorrow?

A major step towards a greener shipping and marine industry has potentially been made with the introduction of algae-based fuel to both the world's biggest navy and shipping company. Maersk, who have a global fleet of some 1,300 ships, along with the U.S Navy, have been trialling algal oil as a potential replacement for diesel and "bunker" fuel. Maersk tested the fuel, both in its pure form and mixed with conventional fuel, on one of their vessels travelling between Europe and Asia. The fuel was sourced from the U.S. Navy, who have tested 20,000 gallons of it on a decomissioned destroyer. Testing is in its early stages, but early signs are highly promising, with the transition appearing to cause little problems for existing vessels.

The algae-based fuel is synthesised at Solazyme, who are also working on the development of fuels for a number of commercial airlines. The fuel is produced in giant fermentation tanks at their plant in Riverside, Pennsylvania, whereby other non-food forms of biomass are fed to the algae to promote the production of oil. Algae is in fact a collective term for a large group of largely single-cell organisms, the individual characteristics of which can be used to produce fuels of varying properties.

It's hard to argue with the case for their introduction into the shipping and marine industry, which alone is responsible for 3-4 % of greenhouse gas emissions and consumes 350 million barrels of oil annually, when the potential benefits are an 80 % reduction in CO2. The question, which seems to be a perennial one for all forms of biomass, is one of scale-up. The company has recently purchased a new plant in Brazil, capable of producing 50 millions gallons of fuel annually. But whilst Solazyme's favoured tank-based method of producing algal fuel is currently substantially cheaper than growing algae in ponds, the overwhelming demands for cleaner, more sustainable fuels in shipping and marine applications (the U.S navy is targeting a 50 % reduction in the use of conventional fuels by 2020) are surely only achievable by handing large areas of the sea and other large bodies of water over to algae growth, the scale-up of which should see a dramatic drop in the cost of fuel production using this method, and make it highly competitive with fermentation tanks. Nonetheless, with the backing of a major shipping firm, a navy, not to mention oil giants Chevron, the endeavours of Solazyme will potentially oversee a huge step forward for the wider acceptance of cleaner, algal-based fuels.

Reference articles:

Dynamic Fuels and Solazyme Partner to supply fuel for U.S. Navy. Solazyme (link)

Cargo boat and US navy ship powered by algal oil in marine trials. The Guardian 13/01/12 (link)

Andasol: the glowing beacon in the fading dreams of Solar?

With 600,000 parabolic mirrors generating 150 MW, Andasol, located (as the name would suggest) in the heart of the Guadix plateau in Andalucia, is the largest solar power plant in the world. On its original commissioning in 2009, it also became the first plant of its kind in Europe, a parabolic trough plant, whereby the mirrors focus the sun's energy onto absorption pipes containing oil, which is heated and in turn is used to heat water to form steam for power generation. Energy is generated day and night by storage of the excess thermal energy using molten salts, thus bypassing one of the core obstacles opposing more the conventional solar PV technologies.

Andasol3 went online late last year, expanding the already-huge facility to the size of 210 football pitches; a good example of Prof David Mackay's notion that if you want renewables to play a big role in the energy mix you have to build big. The plant is a joint-venture with ownership split between several german companies (Solar Millennium, MAN Ferrostaal AG, Stadtwerke Munchen and RWE Innogy & RheinEnergie AG), a €900m investment which is made ultimately affordable to the end consumer by Spain's feed-in tariffs, a fixed government subsidy which is guaranteed for 25 years. Future builds, however, are unlikely to receive such charity.

In the UK, the government has just proposed plans to slash feed-in tariffs given to small-scale solar in half, and countries such as Spain, who are feeling the squeeze of the economic recession even more, are likely to follow suit. The likely result of present and future cuts will be an ever-growing disparity between investment and subsidies, with a predicted shortfall by 2015 of $5bn in the UK, and $6bn. These are troubling times for the renewable energy industry and, in Europe at least, threaten to push solar firmly into the shade.

Reference article: World's largest solar plant powers up. The Independent 01/01/12 (link)

Canals offer cleaner passage for UK biomass

It is hoped that the UK's 18th century network of canals may be revitalised, by playing a pivotal role in the transportation of biomass for power generation. The concept stems from the energy services company Dalkia, which uses the Aire and Calder canal systems in Yorkshire to transport timber used in power generation, and has experience with 200 biomass facilities across Europe.

With the UK targeting 20% of its energy to be generated from renewables by 2020, biomass is likely to play a key role, but its green credentials can be significantly offset by transportation issues. It is hoped that the shift from road to rail will provide a cleaner mode of transport.

Last year, 1.8m tonnes of freight were carried along the UK's canal network, well down on its 40m peak in the days prior to automobiles, but there is great hope that this figure will rise significantly if the scheme is adopted more widely.

Full story is available on the Guardian website.

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