Green Energy News | November 12, 2000

November 12, 2000 – Vol.5 No.33

ENERGIES... week of November 12, 2000

ALTERNATIVE FUEL FOR FUEL CELL. In areas far from the end of natural gas pipelines, propane fuel is often used for heat, hot water, and cooking. Now H-Power has developed a prototype propane powered fuel cell cogeneration unit to include electricity to the mix of uses for the versatile fuel.

LTEE laboratory, a research division of Hydro Quebec, is testing the propane fuel cell cogenerator. Hydro Quebec is interested in the fuel cell as way to provide energy products to customers in remote areas subject to weather related power outages.

SOLAR-NATURAL GAS HYBRID. Unrelated power generation technologies can complement each other. CSIRO, a technology research organization in Australia, is promoting a new hybrid solar thermal-solar photovoltaic-natural gas power generation system that would work well in sunny spots such as South Australia.

While details on the natural gas portion of the hybrid are not available (at publication time) the solar portions are based on generators developed by Solar Systems of Australia. Solar Systems uses a reflector paneled parabolic dish to concentrate light on a solar cell receiver. The dish follows sunlight with a tracking mechanism, and the dish,too, becomes a heat exchanger to expel waste heat from the receiver. Purely speculating, in natural gas hybrid configuration, waste solar heat could add thermal efficiency to the natural gas combustion portion, and of course electricity from the solar generator would increase total output of the hybrid system. Visit CSIRO at http://www.csiro.au/ and Solar Systems at http://www.solarsystems.com.au/ .

WIND PROJECT - AUSTRALIA. The Australian government has granted Major Project Facilitation Status to Pacific Hydro Limited for its proposed Portland Wind Commercialization Project for southwest Victoria. Pacific Hydro sought industry and government participation in the form of power purchases for the 100-plus turbine, 140-150 megawatt project. International companies such as Alcoa and Ford, the Victorian Government and others have expressed interest in buying power from the Project.

The creation of jobs was key to achieving Major Project Status. Eighty jobs will be created during construction phase, 15 permanent jobs when complete and potentially up to 500 indirect manufacturing jobs. The Portland Wind Project will assist in the development and manufacture of wind farm components with the idea of a creating a new industry to supply Asian markets. Major Project Status streamlines government approval processes needed for various stages of Portland Wind. Visit Pacific Hydro at http://www.pacifichydro.com.au/ .

WIND PROJECT - US. SeaWest WindPower and PG&E’s National Energy Group will begin the construction of the new 44.4 megawatt Mountain View Power Partners wind project near Palm Springs, California. Power from 74 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries 600 kilowatt turbines will provide enough energy for 25,000 homes while offsetting 100,000 tons of greenhouse gases each year. Mountain View should be online by April 2001. Visit SeaWest WindPower at http://www.seawestwindpower.com/ .