[P2P-F] Fwd: Powering Our Future

Sat Jan 12 11:35:45 CET 2019

renewable tech dev's

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Katerva <Bettina at katerva.net>
Date: Fri, Jan 11, 2019 at 4:30 PM
Subject: Powering Our Future
To: <michel at p2pfoundation.net>

“The global energy equation is one quite damaging to the atmosphere and
environment. Carbon emissions are perhaps the largest problem to result
from current energy systems. This category covers new technologies and
innovations in energy production, storage, and delivery. It also includes
technologies and initiatives focused on cleaning up current power systems.”
This is how we at Katerva set out the stall for our *Energy & Power*
<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=566e246b66&e=a5e1e169bb>
 category.

The flow of electric currents is what underlies the functioning of
everything.  Be it the human body, plants - or the economy.

Bioelectronics  - electricity on prescription next?
Scientists suggest stimulating the body's nervous system using electric
currents might help with many things including arthritis and alcoholism. It
has already proven successful with  drug-resistant epilepsy patients and
plans are under way  to use electric currents to restore bladder control to
patients with spinal injuries.
The Independent
<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=0fb54a314c&e=a5e1e169bb>,
6th November 2018

In our search of energy to support our needs we seem to have come full
circle: before the industrial age and the start of a dramatic increase in
consumption of fossil fuels, humans have relied on what we consider
renewable energy today: wind, water, geothermal energy.

While fossil fuels had been used to a very limited extent since 1,000 BC,
it was the industrial revolution that made us humans realise the full
potential of fossil fuels, and we have been relying on it heavily ever
since.  As you can see from the graph
<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=369ab42696&e=a5e1e169bb>,
what has taken millions of years to create, we’ll have finished off in the
blink of evolution’s eye.

<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=577b8200ce&e=a5e1e169bb>

*A quick history lesson*

When we humans started off deliberately accessing energy to keep warm,
process food, protect ourselves about 400,000 years ago, we used wood.  It
took us quite a while to figure out how to make use of another source for
energy production: wind.  Originally we used wind to propel ships - the
oldest images of sailing boots are from 5,500BC and can be found on discs
from ancient Mesopotamia.  It was the Persians who around 500-900AD figured
out how to use wind to power grain mills and water pumps; the Chinese got
there around 1,200AD.

The first time water was used to generate power was in the Greek colony of
Byzantium around 300BC where the horizontal-wheeled watermill was invented,
followed by the vertical one about half a century later in Ptolemaic
Alexandria.

Geothermal energy has been used by the Romans, Chinese, and Native
Americans for cooking and later for heating their houses and baths for much
longer than either.

*Where to next*

Realising not only the finality of fossil fuel - it is anticipated that we
will run out in 50-100 years - but also the damage its consumption causes
for the environment, the hunt for alternatives is on. The graph
<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=962dc31d2e&e=a5e1e169bb>
below from the World Economic Forum shows the anticipated shift over the
next twenty odd years.

<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=0627a0a563&e=a5e1e169bb>

The graph also shows the extent to which renewable energy is already been
used, it seems we have almost reached the point where the scales tip.
According to a report
<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=5d142a6cf4&e=a5e1e169bb>
published by the UN, the proportion of world electricity generated by wind,
solar, biomass and waste-to-energy, geothermal, marine and small hydro rose
from 11% in 2016 to 12.1% in 2017, an increase of 10%.

Looking at another graph
<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=dfaefc0066&e=a5e1e169bb>
from the World Economic Forum (see below),  it is not only about replacing
the sources for the energy we currently use, it is also about finding ways
to generate more, much more.  By the way, if you think that the digital
economy means that we need less energy, think again: each individual
bitcoin transaction uses almost 300KWh of electricity – enough to boil
around 36,000 kettles full of water.  In the 24 hours hours to 3pm UK time
on the 19th January 2019,  272,428 bitcoin transactions were conducted…

<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=d63af108a1&e=a5e1e169bb>

While China is clearly the biggest consumer of electricity, it is also
making a great effort to improve the proportion that comes from renewable
energies.  In 2017 alone China invested $126.6 billion - which is 45% of
the total global investment in renewable energy. An interesting example how
China aims to cure (rather than prevent) pollution, is a
100-metre-tall smog-sucking
tower
<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=85421cbbda&e=a5e1e169bb>
in the city of Xian. It sucks polluted air into the glasshouses that
surround the tower where the is heated (by solar energy) so it rises
through the tower, passing through multiple layers of cleaning filters.

<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=9351addd4f&e=a5e1e169bb>

*What are they key sources for renewable energy*
It seems that in the past we have predominantly relied on one of the four
elements: fire.  Now it is time to start drawing more on the other three:
earth (geothermal energy), air (wind energy), and water (hydro energy).
Below a little more on each, all examples are from our pool of nominees.

Solar Power
<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=46f9227617&e=a5e1e169bb>

Solar power is probably the first that comes to mind when thinking about
renewable energy.  Not surprising, as the potential is huge: sun has the
power to provide planet earth with 1,800 times the energy we currently
need. Capturing the sun’s energy is relatively easy and there are two
different types of solar panels: photovoltaic and thermal. The former
capture the energy from the sun’s light and convert it into usable
electricity whereas the latter use the sun’s energy to heat water which can
then be used for direct use, or indirect, ie for heating. In 2016 solar
capacity installed amounted to 227 GW globally.

Here some exciting developments:

   - The Sungrow Huainan Solar Farm
   <https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=7fceb5b977&e=a5e1e169bb>
   in Huainan, China, which can produce 40 megawatts, is the world's largest
   floating solar power plant . It produces enough power for about 15,000
   homes for a year. Floating solar arrays have several advantages: they don't
   take up valuable space on land, and the water has a cooling effect, making
   the panels more efficient. The floating panels can also help to mitigate
   the evaporation of water for drinking or irrigation by intercepting
   sunlight before it hits a reservoir's surface. Supervision and  monitoring
   happens via drones.
   - Australia based CSIRO
   <https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=cff972d405&e=a5e1e169bb>
   has developed new materials and processes to produce thin, flexible and
   semi-transparent solar cells based on printable ‘solar inks
   <https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=11552d23c6&e=a5e1e169bb>’.
   These inks are deposited onto flexible plastic films using a range of
   processes including, reverse gravure coating, slot-die coating and screen
   printing.

<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=1878062374&e=a5e1e169bb>

Wind Power
<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=dc443c71f9&e=a5e1e169bb>

The winds that cross the earth can satisfy our energy needs 200 times over,
and wind farms are springing up everywhere. China is leading the pack: in
2017 alone they installed 19.7 GW of capacity and this source of energy is
expected to deliver as much as 20% of global electricity production by
2030. In 2016 wind power capacity installed amounted to 432 GW globally.

   - As with other renewable resources, storage can be a problem - which is
   a challenge tackled by Nominee Temporal Power
   <https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=07b50c5659&e=a5e1e169bb>,
   collaborating with  Hydro One Networks
   <https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=0c8d6fd455&e=a5e1e169bb>.
   Using a novel low loss flywheel generator combination their array has the
   capacity to absorb real power for up to six minutes, and release it back to
   the Hydro One distribution network for the same duration.  It may not sound
   much but certainly helps with the spikes and troughs of the system.
   - Another exciting development is VORTEX
   <https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=ff23c421ae&e=a5e1e169bb>,
   a blade-less wind turbine. While the argument that wind turbines kill birds
   is true only under certain circumstances - generally only if the turbines
   are on breeding grounds or in migration paths - blade-less wind turbines
   are more versatile, take up less space, and avoid the problem altogether.

<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=873532bd12&e=a5e1e169bb>

Hydro Power
<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=a919639587&e=a5e1e169bb>
& Marine Power
<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=08c7894b8d&e=a5e1e169bb>

Hydro power, harnessed from the flow and movement of water is currently the
biggest contributor to renewal energy.  While the flow of rivers is most
commonly associated with hydro power, it is the rise and fall of the tides
that has much greater potential. The World Energy Council has estimated
that if the planet’s wave power were harnessed, we could generate double
the amount of electricity currently produced worldwide. In 2016 hydro power
capacity installed amounted to 1,210 GW globally (even excluding marine
power / tidal energy).

   - Aqua Power Technologies
   <https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=e45452a274&e=a5e1e169bb>'
invention
   sits on the surface of the water and, unlike other wave power systems,
   works on a multi-axis basis; it can generate power no matter what direction
   the waves come from.
   - CETO
   <https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=8e0fa171ce&e=a5e1e169bb>,
   based off the coast of Western Australia and named after the primordial sea
   goddess in Greek mythology, converts ocean wave energy into zero-emission
   electricity and desalinated water, using fully submerged buoys . From the
   first concept in 1999, the CETO 1 prototype started generating around 1
   kW as well as freshwater. The latest generation, CETO 6, has a diameter of
   20m and is expected to exceed the capacity of 1000kW.

<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=c261a1139b&e=a5e1e169bb>

   - A different way to use water to address the energy challenge is a
   technology developed by Israeli-Australian startup Electriq~Global
   <https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=10a61c4e03&e=a5e1e169bb>:
   fuel that is to 60% made up of water. Their technology extracts hydrogen
   from liquid fuel which is en used to create electricity to power.

Geothermal
<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=5372b25e4e&e=a5e1e169bb>

Our planet contains a lot of heat - about 1.4 x 106 terawatt-years of heat
energy flows to the Earth's surface every year, which equates to roughly
three times the world's annual consumption of all types of energy.
Countries that can easily access geothermal energy include Iceland and
Indonesia where magma conduits and hot springs are easily accessible, able
to drive turbines for electricity generation or provide natural heating.
Geothermal capacity currently installed amounts to 83 GW globally.

   - ENERTUN
   <https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=c54d20fcfc&e=a5e1e169bb>
is
   a system developed by the Italy-based Politecnico di Torino that allows
   transforming a tunnel lining into a low enthalpy geothermal system
   (enthalpy is similar to energy, but not the same. When a substance grows or
   shrinks, energy is used up or released). It is integrated with pipes
   containing a fluid that exchanges the heat with the surrounding soil and
   can transport it to the surface.

<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=331060cb4b&e=a5e1e169bb>

Biomass
<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=f0435a95b3&e=a5e1e169bb>

While the generation of fossil fuels takes millions of years, biomass draws
its raw material generally from agricultural products such as corn, or
other organic waste products. Problems with biomass emerge when it starts
to complete with food production for arable land.

   - 2018 nominee Waffco
   <https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=0f3cfc47db&e=a5e1e169bb>
   for example has developed a cooking stove that is fired with the
   agricultural waste generated as well as domestic and packaging waste
   material.
   - G4 Insights
   <https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=ac665fc67d&e=a5e1e169bb>
   have come up with a way to generate biogas. Rather than using gasification
   of biomass which requires temperatures of over 7000C, they use pyrolysis
   which occurs at 3100C to 5400C.

The graph
<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=8d2dfa4b21&e=a5e1e169bb>
below illustrates the potential if renewable (and traditional) sources of
energy.

<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=8847379764&e=a5e1e169bb>

As already mentioned, a key challenge for many sources of renewable energy
is the storage of the energy generated.  Here some exciting developments
our researchers have spotted:

   - H2GO Power
   <https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=72db1317c1&e=a5e1e169bb>,
   one of this year’s discoveries, has developed an approach to storing excess
   power from renewables in the form of solid state hydrogen.
   - Solar Reserve
   <https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=2ec7dbcd42&e=a5e1e169bb>,
   our 2018 Category Winner for the Energy & Power category, has developed
   some patented technology to capture and store solar energy in molten salt,
   providing power utilities and energy intensive entities with 24/7 reliable,
   non-intermittent renewable energy.

Heat loss is another challenge, particularly when it comes to the already
power hungry IT industry - the power consumption of bitcoin transaction has
already been mentioned. Scientists at Osaka
<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=41cb5212b3&e=a5e1e169bb>
university have developer an inexpensive material that significantly
improves recovery of heat waste and feed it as usable energy back into the
system.

*Who is leading the way*

If asked which countries relied 100% on renewables for their energy in
2016, would you have named the following
<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=12dd6402de&e=a5e1e169bb>:
Albania, Congo, Iceland, Paraguay, Uruguay; Costa Rica (which in the source
we used was still at just under 98% has moved up to 100% in 2018
<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=9add15185d&e=a5e1e169bb>).
And would you have guessed that the following are almost there (already
above 95%): Namibia, Costa Rica, Tajikistan, Norway and Zambia?

A bit embarrassing to see that the UK (where I live) was at 28% - but still
better than the US with just under 15%.

A recent study by Stanford University
<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=64afbc57f7&e=a5e1e169bb>
researchers predicted that the world could be powered entirely by renewable
energy in just 20 to 40 years from now, so let's get on with it!

It is not a question of what is possible, but what we decide to do. As the
author of the study points out, "But it (it = a transfer to renewable
energy) is possible, without even having to go to new technologies,"
Jacobson said.  "We really need to just decide collectively that this is
the direction we want to head as a society."

What exciting sustainable disruptive innovations have crossed your path?  Let
us know
<info at katerva.net?subject=I%20found%20this%20exciting%20sustainable%20disruptive%20innovation%20>
!
<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=9dc6590399&e=a5e1e169bb>
<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=a4ed251c87&e=a5e1e169bb>
<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=77624edb6b&e=a5e1e169bb>
<https://katerva.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6e2787de471dfbd83405ba124&id=0e5db5a942&e=a5e1e169bb>
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