Sustainable Energy and Storage Technologies

© 2004 - 2007© 2004 - 20109000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com© 2004 – 2010

Sustainable Energy and Storage Solutions for the Future

Randy Schueller, Ph.D.

[email protected]

© 2004 - 2007© 2004 - 20109000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com

o The greatest shortcoming of man is our tendency to think linearly while many things grow exponentially

o An exponential function is used to describe the size of anything that is growing steadily, for example 7% per year

o The rule of 70 states that a doubling occurs in 70/7% = 10 years

Exponential Growth

Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it ... he who doesn't ... pays it.”

― Albert Einstein


o In 10 doubles, the size of something has grown 1000 times

Exponential Growth


o Legend of the chess board and grain of wheat example

o By square 64 the amount of wheat is 400x the world harvest in year 1990

Exponential Growth

Mind Blowing Realization: Each time we double, the amount added is greater than all that were added up to that point


o Chess board and grain of wheat example


Exponential Growth



o Chess board and grain of wheat example


Exponential Growth



o If one drop of water is added to a stadium and doubled each minute, how long until you are drown in the top seat?

Exponential Growth Example

You


o If one drop of water is added to a stadium and doubled each minute, how long until you are drown in the top seat?

o A: 49 minutes

Exponential Growth Example

But how long do you have

after you see water just

covering the field (7% full)?

A: 4 minutes!!

With governments and companies operating on a quarter to quarter basis, who is planning for the long term future?


o In 1986 we hit 5 billion people

o Growth Rate of 1.7% per year

o Doubling time 41 years (70/1.7)

o 10 billion expected by 2027 (right on track to hit it)

Population Growth

Since the Water Gate Scandal, we have added more people to the planet than have ever lived on it previously.

We add 130,000,000 more people every year


o A longer time horizon illustrates the exponential growth a little more clearly

Population Growth Example


o Doubles every 40 years (1.7% growth rate)

o All the fresh water humans have ever used up to this point in time will be needed in the next 40 years

o Aquifers are becoming depleted

Growth Rate in Water Usage


o World consumption of oil today is 89 million barrels/day (32 billion/year) - 20 million/day for the US alone

Exponential Growth Rate in Energy Consumption

Fossil Fue

ls


o Again, we are doubling every 40 years (with 85% of energy coming from fossil fuels)

o At this rate we must find and burn in the next 40 years more oil, coal, and gas than we have used from the beginning of time until now

o How about the next 40 years?

World Energy Consumption

Fossil Fuels are a finite resource


o The ratio of the Energy Return to The Energy required to produce it

o Early oil drilling on land had a ratio of 100 : 1

o In 1950 the ratio was 20:1 for oil drilling

o Today the ratio for oil drilling is 9:1

o Tar Sands 5 : 1 (with steam injection 3:1)

o Shale Gas 6.5 : 1

o Corn Ethanol 1.2 : 1

o When the ratio gets close to 1:1 then we have effectively run out of fossil fuels

Energy Return on Investment (EROI)

http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20130219/oil-sands-mining-tar-sands-alberta-canada-energy-return-on-investment-eroi-natural-gas-in-situ-dilbit-bitumen


Oil and Natural Gas EROI Trend

http://8020vision.com/2011/10/17/energy-return-on-investment-eroi-for-u-s-oil-and-gas-discovery-and-production/


o What about the impact on the environment?

Global Emissions – growing at 2%/year


o Up to 500,000 people die prematurely in China alone from air pollution

o Lung cancer is leading cancer deaths

o They added 1 billion tons of coal production in past 8 years (it took the US 150 years to do this) – 1 billion more planned for next 6 years

Pollution Deaths

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/10555816/Chinas-airpocalypse-kills-350000-to-500000-each-year.html

69% of China’s Energy comes from coal


Energy Use is Directly Correlated with Standard of Living


An Increase in Energy Consumption Allows a

Country to Improve the Life of its Citizens


o Fossil fuel use can not be sustained forever

o Sources are harder to find

o Energy required to extract is increasing

o CO2 and pollution impacts are hurting our planet

o A significant reduction in energy availability would be devastating to society

o Food production

o Water desalination

o Transportation

o Factories

So Can We Agree That:


o Higher energy consumption allows people to escape poverty (which is followed by lower birth rates)

o Fossil fuels are harder to find and extract and contaminate our environment

o Energy conservation only buys us a little time

o Solution: We need to develop low cost high capacity energy sources that do not damage our environment

So what’s the Answer?So what’s the Answer?So what’s the Answer?So what’s the Answer?

Bill Gates Quote: “We have 20 years to invent and 20

years to deploy” energy solutions that eliminate use of

fossil fuels. He feels this is the most pressing issue of our time.


o I’ll discuss theseo Solaro Windo Hydroelectrico Geothermalo Nuclear Fission (light water or fast reactor)o Thorium Reactoro Nuclear Fusion

Then I’ll discuss storage solutions

Possible Clean Energy Solutions


o Turning free sunlight into electricity is a great long term solution

o The costs are declining rapidly

Solar (Photo-Voltaic)


o By 2030 solar energy will have the capacity to meet all of our energy needs. The production of food and clean water will also be revolutionized.

o If we could capture one part in ten thousand (0.01%) of the sunlight that falls on the Earth we could meet 100% of our energy needs, using this renewable and environmentally friendly source.

o As we apply new molecular scale technologies to solar panels, the cost per watt is coming down rapidly. Already Deutsche Bank, in a recent report, wrote "The cost of unsubsidized solar power is about the same as the cost of electricity from the grid in India and Italy. By 2014 even more countries will achieve solar 'grid parity.'"

o The total number of watts of electricity produced by solar energy is growing exponentially, doubling every two years. It is now less than seven doublings from 100%.

Ray Kurzweil – Google CTO

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/10/business/ray-kurzweil-future-of-human-life/


o Cost of 6.7 kw panels = $40,000

o Estimated yearly production = 8,800 kWh/yr

o Xcel charges $0.17 kWh at peak

o Panels save $1500/yr (26 years to pay off)

o However, Xcel buys the energy for $0.32/kWh ($2800/yr) – 14 years to pay off

o AND, there are federal and MN rebates that make it cost neutral in 8 years

o Plus it increases the home value by $20,000

o So effective payoff is 4 years

Solar Cost – Example for my house


o 5.1 tWh vs. USA with 0.76 tWh

o 400 W/person of solar capacity in Germany

o 25 W/person in US

o Solar represents 1.1% of US electrical capacity

o However, from 2010 to 2014 we have increased capacity 418% (from 2.3 GW to 12 GW)

o A double every 18 months

Germany Leads the World in Solar

http://cleantechnica.com/2014/04/24/us-solar-energy-capacity-grew-an-astounding-418-from-2010-2014/


o High Energy Return

o Great for low populated areas

But:

o Noisy

o Unsightly

o Must move power long distance

o No power when wind isn’t blowing

Wind Power

Residential Windmill


o 4 doubles in 12 years

o 23% Growth Rate

US Wind Power

AWEA Quarterly Report, Q1, 2013


o The EROI of Sustainable Energies are similar to fossil fuels

o However, they are trending up while fossil fuels are down

Energy Return on Energy Invested

Newer thin film PV can reach 19 –38 EROI


o Perhaps biggest setback is that these sources do not always work when they are needed

o They require backup (probably by gas or coal)

o They require capital intensive power line redundancy

o They require land mass

o They are not practical in all areas of the country

o Great if you want to go off-grid

o But maybe not so great for running industry

Wind and Solar are Variable Power Sources


o Clean and Cheap (3-5 cents/kWhr)

o Only makes up 6% of US electricity

o Norway and Brazil get almost all their electricity from hydroelectric

o However very location dependent and pretty much tapped out

Hydroelectric Power

Very Low Growth Rate


o Iceland makes the best use of geothermal due to their location – over a volcano

o Produces 26% of nations electrical power

o Provides heat and hot water for 87% of the buildings

o Hydropower makes up the remaining 74% of electrical power (0.1% is fossil fuel)

Geothermal Power


Hydrothermal Power

o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X47GTkq9Nnk


o Liquid water cools the rods at very high pressure

o 0.7% of U is U235 – then only 5% of this is burned (the rest is waste that must be stored for 250,000 years)

o Currently 8% of our power capacity

o Low probability of failure, BUT cost of failure is VERY high

Nuclear Fission

FukushimaChernobyl


o 250 Tons of nuclear waste per 1000 MW reactor

o 150,000 cubic meters per year world wide (300 Olympic swimming pools full)

o There is still no long term storage solution (250,000 years)

What to do with the Nuclear Waste?


o Originally developed at Oak Ridge National Lab by Alvin Weinberg (he earlier invented the fission reactor)

o One was built and operated from 1965- 1969

o It was abandoned in favor of fast reactor nuclear fission – many say because fission produced the plutonium needed for nuclear warheads

o 1 ton of thorium can produce as much energy as 200 tons of uranium or 3.5 million tons of coal

o Nixon fired Alvin due to his persistence

Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor (LFTR)


o Thorium decay is significantly responsible for keeping the earth’s core hot

o Safe to handle

o 1 ton of Th would produce 1 GW and produce 1 ton of waste (that is radioactive for 10 years) – 2.7 kg/per day

o 929 tons would be required to produce all the energy needed in the US (3 shipping containers full)

o U233 is used to start the reaction and U233 results from the reaction (so it is self replenishing)

LFTR Facts


LFTR Process

The half-life of Th232 is 14 billion years (very stable)

Cambridge scientists published a tantalizing study in the Annals of Nuclear Energy in February showing that it is possible to "achieve near complete transuranic waste incineration" by throwing the old nuclear waste residue into the reactor with thorium.


o 1 ton of Th would produce 1 GW and produce 1 ton of waste (that is radioactive for 10 years) –2.7 kg/per day

o 929 tons would be required to produce all the energy needed in the US (3 shipping containers full)

o U233 is used to start the reaction and U233 results from the reaction (so it is self replenishing)

Thorium Efficiency



Kirk Sorenson on Thorium vs Nuclear LWR (5 min)

o Watch Video at:

o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK367T7h6ZY


o China began R&D to develop a LFTR in 2011 – largest national effort in the world

o ORNL is assisting them, but China is expecting to obtain full intellectual property rights

o They expect working unit in 10 yearso Their main incentive is smog reductiono India is working to build a prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR) by 2016, with hopes to build 62 PFBR and eventually become energy independent

o We have enough thorium to power the planet for over 1000 years – some say 30,000 years

o Small bus-sized reactors have been designed that could bring power to local areas (and do away with long transmission lines)

Thorium Power Development

The USA has no development plans for ThoriumBut TerraPower is beginning to look at it


o TerraPower leading development efforts in the US (India also researching it)

o Over $100B has been invested in this technology since the 1950’s

o Demonstration reactors in France & Japan had high power cost (>$4000/kW) and had many reliability issues (shut down 93% of the time + sodium leaks and fires)

Traveling Wave Reactor (Fast Breeder Reactor)

http://www.energymanagertoday.com/twr-095117/


o Produce energy the same way the sun does

o Hydrogen is plentiful

o Creating the reaction can be done easily with lasers

o The challenge is confining the energy and sustaining it

o 1 kg of fuel is equivalent to 10,000 tons of coal

Nuclear Fusion


o ITER, based at Cadarache in southern France, was set up by the EU, which has a 45 percent share, China, India, South Korea, Japan, Russia and the US to research a clean and limitless alternative to dwindling fossil fuel reserves

o Conceived in 1985, experiments to begin in 2020

o Power Generation by 2027

o $20 Billion expected cost

o Huge investment, but not realistically feasible for 30-50 years

ITERInternational Thermonuclear Energy Reactor


o A strong magnetic field will hold the plasma

o The hope is to sustain the plasma for a few minutes

o Smaller version of the reactor has worked for almost 1 sec (16 MW of power)

ITER


o We have been the first to achieve EROI > 1

o Lasers vaporize the shell of a pellet which compresses the inside and allows fusion

Meanwhile in The USA


o Storage means converting power into something that can be used later to return the power

o We typically think of batteries

o However other options exist

o Creating H2 from water (for fuel cells)

o Using CO2 and H2 to create liquid fuel

o Charging super capacitors

Sustainable Storage


o Solar and wind are unreliable

o You can’t run a city on these sources without some way to store the surplus and use it when needed

o If fission is main power source then we need to use the power to create liquid fuels for transportation

Importance of Storage


o Gates has said we need more battery innovation: “All the batteries we make now store less than 10 min of all the energy (in world) ..we need a big breakthrough,” (via @CNN).

o Batteries are an extremely expensive way to store energy today (not practical for storing energy for the grid)

o However, they are great for many types of ground transportation (automobiles, buses, etc)

Batteries


o Rapid progress is being made with increasing the storage capacity of batteries

o 85kW Tesla – 260 mile range

o Save $260/mo in gas

o No gas station stops, no oil changes, no fluids to manage – just plug and play

Li Ion Batteries

• Consumer Reports Best overall: Tesla Model S. Sure, you can talk about this electric luxury car’s blistering acceleration, razor-sharp handling, compliant ride and versatile cabin, which can fit a small third-row seat. But that just scratches the surface of this technological tour de force.The Tesla is brimming with innovation. Its massive, easy-to-use 17-inch touch screen controls most functions. And with its totally keyless operation, full internet access and ultra-quiet, zero-emission driving experience, the Tesla is a glimpse into a future where cars and computers coexist in seamless harmony.


o 85kW – 7000 battery cells – 1325 lbs

o They make up the base of the vehicle

o About $25,000 for the batteries alone

Li Battery – Tesla Design

motor


o " Alex MNJust passed 10,000 miles in our first electric car (Tesla). It burned 3.8MWh of electricity which costs $72 at our local off-peak rate. Our other car would have burned approximately $3,100 of premium gasoline to cover that distance.

o So, $3,000 saved in gas in less than 9 months. Compared to our other car, 100,000 miles in the Tesla will save over $30,000 in gasoline at today's prices. I can't even imagine the benefits of having these things in countries like Norway where there are no taxes on electric cars and gasoline costs thrice as much. We are literally talking about offsetting the cost of the car's purchase price by savings on gasoline over the lifetime of the vehicle. Not to mention there is no maintenance expenses like oil changes, coolants, timing belts, transmission fluids, etc. There is almost nothing to service in an electric car...

o It gets better... the solar panels on our roof produced 8.02MWh of electricity in 2013. That is enough to go way over 20,000 miles on solar energy alone.

o So... sustainable transport (at least personal transport) is officially a reality. Once the economies of scale drive the cost of batteries and solar power systems down; once high-speed charging networks are live and in operation to mediate early adopter's possible range anxiety; these industries will explode beyond anyone's imagination.

o I have a strong feeling that kids that are born these days will look at today's cars the same way we look at rotary phones and TVs with adjustable antennas.

Blog from Tesla Group


http://theoatmeal.com/comics/tesla_model_s



o Hold 4 times more charge than standard Li –ion

o Sulfur dissolves into the electrolyte and coats onto the anode –reducing the life

o New graphite shield prevents the sulfur from coating the anode

o Lifetime increased 4x – 400 cycles

Li – Sulfur Battery

http://powerelectronics.com/blog/lithium-sulfur-batteries-show-potential-extend-electric-vehicle-range?NL=PET-01&Issue=PET-01_20140305_PET-01_46&[email protected]&YM_MID=1453165&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_1


o Si can store 10x the energy of graphite anodes currently used

o Si swells and falls apart

o But when Si nanoparticles are used they are too small to break

o They are encased in clusters

Li – Si Battery


o More than doubles the anode capacity

o Ge falls apart when charged

o However, when nanowires of Ge are used they remain intact

o Can recharge 1000 times without losing capacity

Li - Germanium

http://nanoresearchul.org/nano-letters-just-accepted-kennedy-et-al-high-performance-germanium-nanowire-based-lithium-ion-battery-anodes-extending-1000-cycles-situ-formation-continuous-porous-network/


o Many people think of H Fuel Cells as a source of energy

o THEY ARE NOT

o They are a mechanism of transferring energy

o This is because it required energy to create H2 used for the fuel

o This is typically done by splitting water, which is difficult

o You need to take 4 electrons away from 2 water molecules to make hydrogen

o You then must separate the H2 from the O2

Hydrogen Fuel Cells


o US gov’t has spent over $1B on development so far

o Companies leading the charge (get it)o FuelCell Energy

o Plug Power

o Ballard Power

o H2 is stored as a high pressure gas (difficult to make a liquid)

Hydrogen Fuel Cell

heat

Ballard – 5 large H tanks provide 35 hours of 5kV power


o The Toyota Rav4 electric vehicle was unsuccessful (range was only 80 miles on a charge and Cost was 2x ICE)

o Toyota said on Monday (May 12th, 2014) that it would allow a battery-supply deal with TeslaMotors to expire this year and would focus instead on building cars running on hydrogen fuel cells, a next-generation technology that rivals Tesla’s all-electric systems.

o The Japanese automaker said its focus this year would instead be on its four-door sedan powered by hydrogen fuel cells, which it plans to introduce in California next year.

o The automaker will also focus on developing hydrogen refueling stations to support fuel cell technology

Fuel Cells for Automotive Applications

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/13/business/energy-environment/seeing-future-in-fuel-cells-toyota-ends-tesla-deal.html?_r=0


o Operates at 700-1000C

o Efficient (40-50%) – gas turbine 25%

o Can use a variety of gases (NG, biofuels, swamp gas, coal gas, etc.)

o Great distributed power option

o Can go off grid with continuous power

o Small factories, shopping centers, etc

o Waste heat can be used

Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

Fuel Cell Energy


o The Bloom Box is a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

o It uses natural gas as fuel and emits CO2 and water

o The Bloom Box releases 773 pounds of CO2 when producing 1 megawatt-hour of electricity

o Average emissions rates in the U.S., according to the EPA:

o Natural-gas-fired generators emit 1,135 pounds of CO2 per megawatt-hour (new generators are 730 pounds)

o Coal-fired generators emit 2,249 pounds of CO2 per megawatt-hour

o Oil-fired generators emit 1,672 pounds of CO2 per megawatt-hour

o So is this really renewable or green? (though it is better than coal or oil)

Bloom Energy - Bloom Box

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/Blooms-Fuel-Cells-Just-How-Green-is-a-Bloom-Box

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/the-bloom-energy-rip-off


o Dye-sensitized photoelectrosynthesis cell

o Work done at Energy Frontier Research Center at UNC

o A molecule is designed to absorb sunlight and starts to rip electrons from water with use of a catalyst

o Nanoparticle catalysts typically consist of TiO2 or Co3O4

Sun - Gas


o How about making liquid fuels?

o Electrical energy (or sunlight) is used to combine CO2 and H2O to produce liquid fuel

o Cobalt oxide nanoparticle catalysts are used (coated with TiO2)

o Produces renewable and carbon neutral energy that can be used for transportation

Artificial Photosynthesis

http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2009/03/10/turning-sunlight-into-liquid-fuels-berkeley-lab-researchers-create-a-nano-sized-photocatalyst-for-artificial-photosynthesis/



How about both – Depending on the

application

Batteries or Liquid Fuel?

Tom Meyer at the Energy Frontier Research

Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill


o It doesn’t matter if you’re a Greenie or not – exponential growth helps us understand that fossil fuels will eventually be depleted (and the pollution only gets worse)

o Sustainable energy sources are required for the continued evolution of mankind – unless our ultimate goal is to consume everything on the planet and then die

o There are multiple sources of sustainable energy (I’m personally biased toward Thorium)

o I believe they will each play their part depending on the application

o How do we invest properly and make the changes necessary to make this happen? o That’s another talk

Conclusion


o Communities install small thorium power plants that meet their needs (thus minimizing power line infrastructure)

o However some locations could use hydro or geothermal if that is available

o Batteries are used to power ground vehicles

o Liquid fuel produced from CO2 and water are used for flight and heavy equipment (farms/construction/ etc.)

o People who live outside town would go off-grid by using solar, wind, and/or fuel cells

o Remaining fossil fuels would be used to produce materials and chemicals (plastics and so forth)

My Vision of the Future

© 2004 - 2007© 2004 - 20109000 Virginia Manor Rd Ste 290, Beltsville MD 20705 | 301-474-0607 | www.dfrsolutions.com© 2004 – 2010

Thank You

As Engineers, Let’s Educate People on the Importance of This Stuff for Our Future

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Sustainable Energy and Storage Technologies