Green Energy News | November 19, 2000

November 19, 2000 – Vol.5 No.34

ENERGIES... week of November 19, 2000

THE ENERGETIC OCEANS. With two-thirds of our planet covered with constantly moving oceans, ocean power could some day become a major energy contributor to the world’s economies.

On the Scottish Island of Islay, a wave energy converter known as LIMPET (Land Installed Marine Powered Energy Transformer) built by Wavegen and Queen’s University Belfast, is now providing 500 kilowatts of power to the local grid.

LIMPET is an oscillating water column wave generator. In operation wave action forces water up an inclined concrete tube whose mouth opens below the surface. As waves cause water level in a collector tube to oscillate, air is forced up or pulled down through a pair of turbines on top of the collector. Each turbine drives a 250 kilowatt induction generator.

With all of the mechanical parts above water, little maintenance and a long life - up to 60 years - is expected according to Wavegen. LIMPET generators are designed to be built on the shoreline, in rubble mounds or into existing breakwaters. Visit Wavegen at http://www.wavegen.co.uk/ .

CONSIDERING HYDROPOWER. On a project by project basis, if all environmental, economic and local concerns could be solved, shouldn’t hydropower be given more attention in the growing demand for renewable energy?

A new report - Hydropower and the World’s Energy Future - claims that hydropower now supplies nearly 20% of the world’s electricity. And, according to the report drawn up by the Canadian Hydropower Association (CHA) and others, the world could technically, environmentally and economically support an additional 8000 teraWatt hours of hydropower each year. Just half of that additional output could reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by more than 12 percent.

Among many points, the report makes recommendations as to how hydropower projects can be built and managed within a framework of sustainable development. The report is available from the CHA at http://www.canhydropower.org/ .

ELECTRIC VEHICLES - HAWAII. The State of Hawaii will become the introductory site for Hyundai Motor Corporation’s Santa Fe EV. Through the Hawaii Electric Vehicle Demonstration Project (HEVDP) 15 battery-electric sport utility vehicles will be tested at four sites for a two year period.

The Santa Fe is driven by a propulsion system developed by Enova Systems. The versatile Santa Fe is also being developed in California with a fuel cell powerplant and as an electric-gas turbine hybrid. Visit Enova at http://www.enovasystems.com/, and Hyundai at http://www.hyundaiusa.com/ .

JOINT STATIONARY FUEL CELL PROJECT. Fuel Cell Technologies Corporation (FCT) and Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation (SWPC) will jointly develop and demonstrate a 5 kilowatt solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) combined heat and power generator aimed at remote and residential markets. SWPC will develop and test the SOFC stacks. FCT will build, test, and demonstrate the remainder of the generator including the heat recovery system which could supply heat and hot water to homes or businesses. The project should be ready for demonstration by 2002.