Day: December 14, 2017

There’s a huge source of carbon-based fuel still largely untapped. Efforts to collect this resource are still in an experimental stage, but the technology has proven to be feasible. Called “flammable ice,” it is frozen methane hydrate trapped in ice inside permafrost (frozen rock, soil, or sediment) under the deep ocean.

The United States Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates the frozen methane gas hydrate is up to 2,800 trillion cubic meters. The estimated total volume is larger than all other carbon-based fuel source combined.

Japan’s Interests

Not blessed with any natural carbon-based fuel, Japan imported 90% of its total energy needs in 2014. Globally, it ranks third most abundant in oil and coal imports. It also ranks first in liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports. The country has more than 50 nuclear reactors, now mostly idle after the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The shutdown of the nuclear power plants made the search for new fuel sources an imperative.

Well before the Fukushima disaster, the Japanese Ministry of Energy, Trade, and Industry (METI) have spent close to $1 billion from 2002 and 2017 researching methane gas hydrates. The results of the research can unlock methane as an energy source. Besides, natural gas releases only half the carbon-based fuel. Due to this, Japan wants to replace imported coal with LNG.

The gas hydrates could be found under the oceans surrounding Japan. They have abundant reserves within the country’s exclusive economic zone, both along the western Pacific Ocean and the Japan Sea. About 50 kilometers (31 miles) off the coast of Japan is the Nankai Trough, a long narrow trench which has been long studied, including surveying, core sample extraction, and seismic data collection. According to Ryo Matsumoto, a professor of geology at Tokyo’s Meiji University who works at the Gas Hydrate Laboratory, studies show that there are more than 1.1 trillion cubic meters of methane in reserves at the bottom of the Nankai Trough.

Gas Extraction

Methane gas hydrates look like regular ice. However, it holds a large amount of natural methane gas. The frozen methane gas hydrate does not escape from the ice, but it ignites when close to an open flame. Estimates show that a cubic meter of frozen methane gas hydrate has 164 cubic meters of methane.

In 2013, the Japanese government-funded the Research Consortium for Methane Hydrate Resources (MH21), a research group composed of experts, scientists, and government policymakers, conducted tests to extract flammable ice. It positioned a drillship over the Daini-Atsumi Knoll, a natural formation under 1,000 meters of water located south of Nagoya. According to Dr. Koju Yamamoto, the MH21 field development technology research group leader, the hydrate melts and separates to gas and water.

The natural environment for hydrates is a combination of low temperatures and high pressure. Hydrates melt by either raising the temperature or lowering the pressure. However, extraction by heating the water is more expensive than the latter option. In turn, the MH21 project chose depressurization by using a submersible pump to suck water, separating it from the sediments, and freeing the gas. The released gas is pumped to the surface for collection.

The Japanese team was the first ever to extract gas from flammable ice. However, sediments filled the pump after a few days, which halted the on-site research.

There are still other challenges before the bold idea and cutting edge technology becomes mainstream. Shale oil extraction took more than 40 years before the cost and the necessary technology caught up with the need. It may take a while longer before hydrate extraction becomes accepted.

Electric Vehicles are using electrical induction go as far back as the late 19^th century and early 20^th century. A lot of advancements have been made, but its popularity skyrocketed when developers added the feature of wireless charging.

Now, the invention that captured the attention of different industries will go through another milestone. With help from Qualcomm Technologies, a manufacturer of digital wireless services and products, the electric vehicle may soon charge while moving from one place to another.

Electric vehicles are required to stop over a technologically-engineered pad to have wireless charging, but thanks to tech from Qualcomm and a test run by VEDECOM, electric cars have the chance to recharge even while in transit.

Stepping into the Next Level

Qualcomm just started testing their new system for electric vehicles this year. The system, called Halo Dynamic Electric Vehicle Charging (Halo DEVC), is installed into the FABRIC, a 100-meter (328-foot) unique track that cuts out the need for the electric vehicle to pause or stop at charging stations.

VEDECOM, an institute in France, committed to sustainable, carbon-free, and individual mobility, developed FABRIC technology. Their tests are currently on a preliminary trial stage at Satory Military Vehicles in Versailles, France.

According to Luc Marbach, the CEO of VEDECOM, “The installation of one of the world’s first DEVC test platforms has provided us with a unique test facility, and we look forward to expanding our expertise with the future testing.”

The European Commission mostly funded the trial for 9 million Euros. Qualcomm and VEDECOM used two Renault Kangoo electric vehicles for the test that also involved 25 partners across Europe.

Where Did It Start?

The hunger for an upgrade all started with electrical induction, which is the underlying principle behind the method of wireless charging. Michael Faraday, a famous English scientist, discovered the electromagnetic induction or most commonly known as electrical induction.

Wireless Charging is using plugs and cables, which is why electrical induction was presented as an alternative. For the method of wireless charging, there should be a flat case containing a copper wire that is wrapped around a ferrite, which can then increase the magnetic field, and then a suitable pickup coil is placed under an Electric Vehicle.

Every time a pickup-installed electric vehicle stops or pauses above the pad, an alternating current is fed into the pad and induced in the pickup. A rectifier will then convert the current that is used to recharge the car’s battery.

Because most vehicle manufacturers have not yet installed such pickups for their Electric Vehicle, it is currently a do-it-yourself (DIY) business. The following companies are the ones that embraced the process of fitting pickup coils under electric vehicles:

• Evatran Group – Evatran, commonly known as Plugless, is a firm that manufactures and designs wireless charging stations for EVs. Rebecca Hough heads the Virginia-based company as the CEO. For just between $2,500 and $4,000, people can already purchase kits comprised of both the pickup and pad.
• HEVO – The New York-based company develops sustainable wireless charging system for EVs. They can install pickups for only $3,000. HEVO envisions wireless charging utilizing creating networks of pads in different cities.
• WiTricity Corporation – Alex Gruzen is the CEO of the Massachusetts-based company. Since 2007, the firm builds wireless charging components to enable wireless power transfer over a distance with just using magnetic resonance. The pickup designs of WiTricity was also licensed to car companies such as Toyota, TDK, and Delphi.

Companies that are helping the industry of electric vehicles doesn’t just cater to cars because they also ventured into monster vehicles and buses.

Things do not have to stay the same, considering that innovation is continuous. The fact that earlier practice of wireless charging is no different from the plug-in method, electrical induction can change the game of wireless charging to an electric vehicle.

Together, Qualcomm and VEDECOM show what the future of charging electric vehicles would look like. If successful, the trial could make a bold impact on creating more roads that are capable of charging electric cars.

According to researchers from Carnegie Science, the North Atlantic Ocean has the ideal conditions for the development of Offshore wind farms are capable of providing enough power to service the whole world.

The demand for global energy has a projected increase at a compound annual growth rate of 21% per year until 2021. At the same time, demand for energy is increasing; developed countries are pushing for the reduction and eventual elimination of the use of fossil fuels. In this worldwide quest for renewable energy sources, offshore wind energy is experiencing an exponential rise in interest and development.

Offshore wind energy holds several advantages over onshore wind farms, including abundant sitting space and higher, consistent wind resources.  However, offshore wind infrastructure is more expensive than that of land-based wind plants. On top of that, there are additional costs incurred by the submarine cables needed to get the power to land. Despite the higher prices, both the European Union (EU) and China are making significant investments in offshore wind power plants.

The United States (US) has lagged in the development of offshore wind power, primarily due to the availability of lower-cost generating sources such as natural gas. Electricity prices in most European countries are very steep—residential electricity prices are triple the prices we see in the US. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the generating cost of offshore wind turbines anticipated to come online in 2022 will be 15.7 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in 2016 dollars. This cost per kWh is almost three times higher than that of a natural gas plant and more than twice as much as onshore wind.

US Interest Grows

Things are beginning to change in the US as more states are committed to providing clean energy in their portfolios. One player, in particular, is taking bold action to dominate the field – Deepwater Wind promotes itself as America’s leading offshore wind farm developer.  The company’s “path-breaking” 30 MW Block Island Wind Farm located three miles off the coast of Rhode Island is the first in the nation.

Headquartered in Providence, RI, Deepwater Wind is actively planning offshore wind farm projects to serve multiple East Coast markets including New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland, and New Jersey.

In addition to high construction costs, offshore wind farms face the impediment of NOMBYD (Not on My Beach You Don’t) syndrome. When proposing a wind farm project off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland faced resistance from residents of the state’s Eastern Shore region who were worried about the wind farms’ 600-foot towers obstructing views, suppressing property values, and negatively impacting tourism. Ocean City council member and secretary Mary Knight voiced typical resistance perfectly. As reported in a news story, Knight said, “I’ve expressed again and again that I am all for sustainable energy and understand how important it is for us to move to more renewable technology, but as I said at the council meeting, we just don’t want to see it.”

In a move to appease Maryland and other East Coast residents, Deepwater Wind’s project plans to locate the 15 offshore wind farms.

As more projects come online across the globe, developers are bringing the costs down. A study published in Nature Energy analyzed the opinions of 163 wind power experts from around the world. Based on advances in turbine technology, these experts expect the cost of wind energy to fall 24 to 30 percent by 2030.

We’re bringing down the cost of American offshore wind energy in a big way,” said Deepwater Wind CEO Jeffrey Grybowski. “Ratepayers in Maryland will benefit from the energy that is both clean and affordable. The Skipjack Offshore Wind Farm is the right clean energy solution for Maryland, and we’re ready to get to work.”

Higher wind speeds provide the main advantage of developing offshore wind farms. Theoretically, those speeds mean five times more energy blows over water than overland. Using computer models, the Carnegie Science team used compared the output of existing land-based wind farms in Kansas to huge, theoretical facilities in the open ocean. Results indicated ocean wind farm turbines could generate three times as much electricity as land-based farms.

Is Deepwater Wind offering the silver bullet – the clean energy technology capable of supplanting fossil fuels? Theoretically, the Carnegie Science study says yes. The study found that North Atlantic wind productivity would vary by the season. In the summer, a large, theoretical offshore wind farm could provide power to the entire United States or Europe, but in winter, the team says North Atlantic Offshore wind farms could power the whole world.