Will hydrogen be a winner at Le Mans?
A new electric racing car, the Green GT H2, powered only by hydrogen fuel cells, is set to compete in the annual classic 24-hour endurance race at Le Mans in June this year. Racing against the usual range of supercharged petrol and diesel vehicles, its performance will be closely watched.
The H2 uses fuel cells that pump out power, while keeping weight to a minimum. The hydrogen provides electrons while oxygen in the air acts as the acceptor, so the only waste product is water vapour. The two 200 kw electric engines apply force to the rear wheels. The car’s speed limit is around 180 mph (300 kph), but this is beyond what is practically possible on the track at Le Mans.
Smart electricity grids put to the test
Worldwide investment in ‘smart grid’ technology is on the rise, allowing for sophisticated computer-controlled systems to make the most efficient possible use of highly variable and weather-related energy sources.
Full-scale tests into a smart grid in Denmark have delivered positive results, with full integration of wind turbines and combined heat and power systems in a 1,000 sq km area, reports the renewable energy newsletter Renew. However, the wide variety of energy sources and of energy storage projects being developed across the world will continue to pose challenges for system designers seeking to achieve efficient integration.
The USA, China and Europe currently lead the way in investment in smart grids, with more than US$10 billion invested in 2012, according to the Worldwatch Institute. China is being driven to adopt the latest technologies by the need to update its outdated and inefficient transmission systems, while incorporating a surge in renewable, nuclear and conventional electricity generation systems. The State Grid Corporation of China plans to invest around US$100 billion in smart grid technology to improve its national transmission infrastructure by 2020. Technologies for energy storage across national grids are still being developed in different countries, and new technologies will evolve as further advances in energy storage markets are made.
Meanwhile, smart meters for household consumers are being systematically installed in several countries, including in the USA and the UK. These gather data on energy usage and provide two-way communication with the utility provider for accurate billing and allowing time-of-use pricing.
Geothermal revolution gradually gathers pace
Latest reports suggest that after much patient exploratory and scientific preparation, a new era of geothermal projects is getting underway in many different parts of the world. Although many existing plants are conventional ‘hydrothermal’ power, using pockets of steam or hot water occurring close to the surface, the latest projects are moving deeper into rift zones and volcanically active parts of the globe.
Over the last year alone, the USA doubled its number of geothermal projects to a total of 14, as output rose by 147 mw. The US Geothermal Energy Association says that the next three years will see even more expansion. Worldwide, some 454 geothermal power projects are under active development, according to consultants Pike Research, and the number of countries involved has more than doubled from 30 to 64 over the last decade.
Sweden takes a lead in clean energy
Sweden’s electricity supply is already very nearly carbon-free and the country has achieved a very low share of fossil fuels in its energy mix, according to a new report by the International Energy Agency (IEA).
However, it still faces challenges in identifying means and technologies to build on these successes. Coal is extensively used in industry and oil remains heavily used for transport, although the country hopes to achieve a vehicle fleet that uses no fossil fuels by 2030.
Sweden has developed both smart grids and second-generation biofuels, and it has been working to develop the northern European energy market.
No getting away from old king coal
Over the next five years, the increasing use of coal around the world will put the fuel close to overtaking oil in the global energy mix, according to the annual Medium-Term Coal Market Report issued by the IEA.
“Thanks to abundant supplies and insatiable demand for power from emerging markets, coal met nearly half the rise in global energy demand during the first decade of the 21st century,” said IEA executive director Maria van der Hoeven, pointing out that the trend was continuing. “The world will burn around 1.2 billion more tonnes of coal per year by 2017 compared to today – equivalent to the current coal consumption of Russia and the United States combined.”
China and India will lead the growth in coal consumption over the next five years.
Mozambique – Africa’s new coal and gas frontier
After recent discoveries, Mozambique seems to be set not only to become one of the world’s top ten coal producers but also one of the top 20 natural gas producers – and Africa’s third largest gas producer after Algeria and Nigeria.
Italy’s Eni has expressed interest in making multi-billion dollar investments to develop its share of Mozambique’s offshore gas fields, which it currently estimates at 75 trillion cubic metres. Anadarko of the US has also made large discoveries and has expressed a willingness to cooperate with Eni in building a large liquefied natural gas export project.
