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00286 Economics of a coordinated biorefinery feedstock harvest system: lignocellulosic biomass harvest cost
07 Alternative energy sources (others, including development, economics) The results of the measurements showed that the rock-bed system maintained air temperature 14°C lower at maximum in the experimental greenhouse than the control one. The temperature difference seemed to increase with increasing solar radiation and outside air temperature. Relative humidity during the day remained at about 40% in the experimental greenhouse and was always higher than that in the control one. The coefficient of performance of the rock-bed system was higher than 3 in general, and it was observed that this value increased with decreasing rock-bed temperature. The average solar collection efficiency was 38%. The rock-bed system seems to have a significant potential for cooling applications in greenhouses.
05/00283 Current utilization and future prospects of emerging renewable energy applications in Canada Islam, M. et al. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2004, 8, (6), 493-519. Canada has vast renewable energy resources due to its extensive geography and traditionally they have played an important role, particularly prior to the turn of the 20th century. Public interest in new renewable energy technologies (RETs) emerged and grew during the oil shocks of the 1970s and early 1980s. Even though many Canadian provinces had been deriving most of their electricity from hydroelectric power, the first oil crises of the 1970s ignited a strong interest in all forms of renewable energy. Though Canada has huge prospects for low-impact RETs, it is falling behind most industrialized nations in the expansion of these technologies due to a lack of supporting market structures and the absence of appropriate government policies and initiatives. This review focuses on only applications of low-impact emerging RETs that refer to wind, solar, small hydro, geothermal, marine and modern biomass energy. Today, these technologies are mostly in the dissemination, demonstration and early stage of commercialization phase in Canada and currently they contribute less than 1% of the total primary energy consumption. It is evident from the past experience of Europe and Japan that environmentally benign RETs can contribute significantly toward Canada's Kyoto target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by displacing the use of conventional fossil fuels, and help Canada take an essential step toward a sustainable energy future. In this paper, the current energy utilization scenario of Canada has been analysed and an array of emerging RET applications has been presented under the category of: (i) green power technologies; (ii) green heat technologies; and (iii) green fuel technologies.
05•00284 Developing a techno entrepreneurial workforce for effective technological innovation: its necessity for the sustainable development of SSEs in India Wani, V. P. et al. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, 2003, 3, (5/6), 492-508. Due to the application of new technologies, changes in tasks and organizational structures, a shorter product lifetime cycle, changing customer requirements of product and services as well as liberalization and globalization, entrepreneurs in the small-scale sector are confronted with new qualification demands. The typical technical/scientific qualification has to be extended by interdisciplinary knowledge and skills, which enables creative problem solutions, cooperative social behaviour with leadership qualities and effective communication competencies, as well as a holistic view of technical problems.
05100285 Eco-innovations and industrial organization: a review of complementary explanations of unsustainable economic paths Hussain, S. S. International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology, 2003, 2, (3/4), 243 261. Technological 'lock-in' is a form of macrolevel 'network' externality and thus a form of market failure. What it can imply is that firms in an industry maintain (and replace) capital stock that is technologically sub-optimal because of 'quasi-irreversibilities': it is only privately optimal for one firm to shift its technological base if other firms in the industry follow suit. This form of externality is radically different to the conventional microlevel pollution externality. This research explores the possibility that production is 'locked into' practices that are unsustainable and polluting due to macrolevel quasi-irreversibilities and due to the micro (firm) process of 'searching' for social and environmental innovations. As such, the research develops an evolutionary economic conceptual model of firm behaviour and considers the implications of this model for the long-term competitiveness and sustainability of industry.
05/00286 Economics of a coordinated biorefinery feedstock harvest system: lignocellulosic biomass harvest cost Thorsell, S. et al. Biomass and Bioenergy, 2004, 27, (4), 327-337. A potential advantage of lignocellulosic biomass gasification-fermentation technology is that a variety of feedstocks, including agricultural residues, native grasses, introduced perennials, and dedicated energy
crops may be gasified by the same facility. Since harvest windows differ across species, gasification-fermentation technology would enable the use of specialized harvest and collection machinery throughout many months and reduce the fixed costs of harvest machinery per unit of feedstock. This study was conducted to determine the cost to harvest lignocellulosic biomass for use as biorefinery feedstock, and to determine the potential economies of size that might result from a coordinated structure. An agricultural machinery cost computer program was used to determine which specific type of machines would result in the lowest costs at intensive levels of use. A machinery complement estimator was used to design a coordinated set of machines and estimate costs for owning and operating the machines. The designed coordinated harvest unit includes ten labourers, nine tractors, three mowers, three rakes, three balers, and one bale transporter. The cost for mowing, raking, baling, gathering, and stacking in-field was estimated to be from $11.26 to $14.01 Mg 1 depending upon biomass yield. A biorefinery with an annual feedstock requirement of 910 Gg yr -1 would require approximately 18 harvest units and an average machinery investment of $11 million. Additional research is necessary to determine the cost to procure material from the landowner, the cost to store, storage losses, and the cost to transport feedstock from in-field stacks to a biorefinery.
05100287 Effects of turbine damping on performance of an impulse turbine for wave energy conversion under different sea conditions using numerical simulation techniques Thakker, A. et al. Renewable Energy, 2004, 29, (14), 2133-2151. This paper presents the work carried out to predict the behaviour of a 0.6 m impulse turbine with fixed guide vanes with 0.6 hub to tip (H/T) ratio under real sea conditions. This enhances the earlier work done by authors on the subject by including the effects of damping applied by the turbine. Real wave data for different wave sites were used as the input data. A typical oscillating water column (OWC) geometry has been used for this simulation. Standard numerical techniques were employed to solve the non-linear behaviour of the sea waves. Considering the quasi-steady assumption, uni-directional steady flow experimental data were used to simulate the turbine characteristics under irregular unsteady flow conditions. The test rotor used for this simulation consisted of 30 blades with elliptical profile with a set of symmetric, fixed guide vanes on both up-stream and down-stream sections of the rotor, with 26 vanes each. The results show that the performance of this type of turbine depends on the level of damping applied by the turbine and the prevailing wave site conditions. The objective of this paper is to predict the effects of applied damping on the behaviour of impulse turbine under irregular, unsteady conditions for wave power conversion using numerical simulation.
05/00288
Experimental solar water thermolysis
Baykara, S. Z. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2004, 29, (14), 1459 1469. Water thermolysis and various experimental techniques for hydrogen production by solar water thermolysis are briefly discussed and their performance levels are compared. Some results, obtained over a period of time, at the solar furnace site in Montreal, Canada are presented. Two main process types are considered here. One in which either hydrogen or oxygen is separated from the reacting gas mixture directly at reaction temperature, the other in which hydrogen is isolated after the product gas is quenched to a much lower temperature. Though processes with effusional separation of hydrogen at reaction temperature are expected to be more energy conserving, conversion rates in all processes are still quite low due to material related limitations, since thermolysis favours high temperatures exceeding 2000 K. In practice, maximum tolerable temperature in the reactor is 2500 K. Under such operating conditions catalysis is hardly an option. New reactor designs, operation schemes and materials are needed for new breakthrough in this field. Some possibilities regarding these topics are discussed.
05/00289 G-7 countries on the way to sustainable energy systems? Luukkanen, J. and Kaivo-oja, J. International Journal of Global Energy Issues, 2003, 20, (1), 58-74. This study is a comparative analysis of energy production and CO2 emission flows in the G-7 countries in the years 1960-1999. The comparative analyses are based on the complete decomposition methodology. The authors provide an analysis of dynamic changes of energy and CO2 emission flows in the G7-economies. The comparative analyses reveal that: (1) Activity effects of the different G-7 countries were quite similar. The largest increase in the activity effect has been in the US economy, due to its large size. (2) Structural effects varied considerably indicating differences in economic activities in the analysed countries. (3) Intensity effects on energy use and CO2 emissions revealed large differences between the countries. The energy intensity effects have decreased after 1970 in all the G-7 countries except France. All the G-7 countries have showed decreasing CO2 emission intensities after the year 1970.
Fuel and Energy Abstracts
January 2005
39
05/00283 Current utilization and future prospects of emerging renewable energy applications in Canada Islam, M. et al. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2004, 8, (6), 493-519. Canada has vast renewable energy resources due to its extensive geography and traditionally they have played an important role, particularly prior to the turn of the 20th century. Public interest in new renewable energy technologies (RETs) emerged and grew during the oil shocks of the 1970s and early 1980s. Even though many Canadian provinces had been deriving most of their electricity from hydroelectric power, the first oil crises of the 1970s ignited a strong interest in all forms of renewable energy. Though Canada has huge prospects for low-impact RETs, it is falling behind most industrialized nations in the expansion of these technologies due to a lack of supporting market structures and the absence of appropriate government policies and initiatives. This review focuses on only applications of low-impact emerging RETs that refer to wind, solar, small hydro, geothermal, marine and modern biomass energy. Today, these technologies are mostly in the dissemination, demonstration and early stage of commercialization phase in Canada and currently they contribute less than 1% of the total primary energy consumption. It is evident from the past experience of Europe and Japan that environmentally benign RETs can contribute significantly toward Canada's Kyoto target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by displacing the use of conventional fossil fuels, and help Canada take an essential step toward a sustainable energy future. In this paper, the current energy utilization scenario of Canada has been analysed and an array of emerging RET applications has been presented under the category of: (i) green power technologies; (ii) green heat technologies; and (iii) green fuel technologies.
05•00284 Developing a techno entrepreneurial workforce for effective technological innovation: its necessity for the sustainable development of SSEs in India Wani, V. P. et al. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, 2003, 3, (5/6), 492-508. Due to the application of new technologies, changes in tasks and organizational structures, a shorter product lifetime cycle, changing customer requirements of product and services as well as liberalization and globalization, entrepreneurs in the small-scale sector are confronted with new qualification demands. The typical technical/scientific qualification has to be extended by interdisciplinary knowledge and skills, which enables creative problem solutions, cooperative social behaviour with leadership qualities and effective communication competencies, as well as a holistic view of technical problems.
05100285 Eco-innovations and industrial organization: a review of complementary explanations of unsustainable economic paths Hussain, S. S. International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology, 2003, 2, (3/4), 243 261. Technological 'lock-in' is a form of macrolevel 'network' externality and thus a form of market failure. What it can imply is that firms in an industry maintain (and replace) capital stock that is technologically sub-optimal because of 'quasi-irreversibilities': it is only privately optimal for one firm to shift its technological base if other firms in the industry follow suit. This form of externality is radically different to the conventional microlevel pollution externality. This research explores the possibility that production is 'locked into' practices that are unsustainable and polluting due to macrolevel quasi-irreversibilities and due to the micro (firm) process of 'searching' for social and environmental innovations. As such, the research develops an evolutionary economic conceptual model of firm behaviour and considers the implications of this model for the long-term competitiveness and sustainability of industry.
05/00286 Economics of a coordinated biorefinery feedstock harvest system: lignocellulosic biomass harvest cost Thorsell, S. et al. Biomass and Bioenergy, 2004, 27, (4), 327-337. A potential advantage of lignocellulosic biomass gasification-fermentation technology is that a variety of feedstocks, including agricultural residues, native grasses, introduced perennials, and dedicated energy
crops may be gasified by the same facility. Since harvest windows differ across species, gasification-fermentation technology would enable the use of specialized harvest and collection machinery throughout many months and reduce the fixed costs of harvest machinery per unit of feedstock. This study was conducted to determine the cost to harvest lignocellulosic biomass for use as biorefinery feedstock, and to determine the potential economies of size that might result from a coordinated structure. An agricultural machinery cost computer program was used to determine which specific type of machines would result in the lowest costs at intensive levels of use. A machinery complement estimator was used to design a coordinated set of machines and estimate costs for owning and operating the machines. The designed coordinated harvest unit includes ten labourers, nine tractors, three mowers, three rakes, three balers, and one bale transporter. The cost for mowing, raking, baling, gathering, and stacking in-field was estimated to be from $11.26 to $14.01 Mg 1 depending upon biomass yield. A biorefinery with an annual feedstock requirement of 910 Gg yr -1 would require approximately 18 harvest units and an average machinery investment of $11 million. Additional research is necessary to determine the cost to procure material from the landowner, the cost to store, storage losses, and the cost to transport feedstock from in-field stacks to a biorefinery.
05100287 Effects of turbine damping on performance of an impulse turbine for wave energy conversion under different sea conditions using numerical simulation techniques Thakker, A. et al. Renewable Energy, 2004, 29, (14), 2133-2151. This paper presents the work carried out to predict the behaviour of a 0.6 m impulse turbine with fixed guide vanes with 0.6 hub to tip (H/T) ratio under real sea conditions. This enhances the earlier work done by authors on the subject by including the effects of damping applied by the turbine. Real wave data for different wave sites were used as the input data. A typical oscillating water column (OWC) geometry has been used for this simulation. Standard numerical techniques were employed to solve the non-linear behaviour of the sea waves. Considering the quasi-steady assumption, uni-directional steady flow experimental data were used to simulate the turbine characteristics under irregular unsteady flow conditions. The test rotor used for this simulation consisted of 30 blades with elliptical profile with a set of symmetric, fixed guide vanes on both up-stream and down-stream sections of the rotor, with 26 vanes each. The results show that the performance of this type of turbine depends on the level of damping applied by the turbine and the prevailing wave site conditions. The objective of this paper is to predict the effects of applied damping on the behaviour of impulse turbine under irregular, unsteady conditions for wave power conversion using numerical simulation.
05/00288
Experimental solar water thermolysis
Baykara, S. Z. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2004, 29, (14), 1459 1469. Water thermolysis and various experimental techniques for hydrogen production by solar water thermolysis are briefly discussed and their performance levels are compared. Some results, obtained over a period of time, at the solar furnace site in Montreal, Canada are presented. Two main process types are considered here. One in which either hydrogen or oxygen is separated from the reacting gas mixture directly at reaction temperature, the other in which hydrogen is isolated after the product gas is quenched to a much lower temperature. Though processes with effusional separation of hydrogen at reaction temperature are expected to be more energy conserving, conversion rates in all processes are still quite low due to material related limitations, since thermolysis favours high temperatures exceeding 2000 K. In practice, maximum tolerable temperature in the reactor is 2500 K. Under such operating conditions catalysis is hardly an option. New reactor designs, operation schemes and materials are needed for new breakthrough in this field. Some possibilities regarding these topics are discussed.
05/00289 G-7 countries on the way to sustainable energy systems? Luukkanen, J. and Kaivo-oja, J. International Journal of Global Energy Issues, 2003, 20, (1), 58-74. This study is a comparative analysis of energy production and CO2 emission flows in the G-7 countries in the years 1960-1999. The comparative analyses are based on the complete decomposition methodology. The authors provide an analysis of dynamic changes of energy and CO2 emission flows in the G7-economies. The comparative analyses reveal that: (1) Activity effects of the different G-7 countries were quite similar. The largest increase in the activity effect has been in the US economy, due to its large size. (2) Structural effects varied considerably indicating differences in economic activities in the analysed countries. (3) Intensity effects on energy use and CO2 emissions revealed large differences between the countries. The energy intensity effects have decreased after 1970 in all the G-7 countries except France. All the G-7 countries have showed decreasing CO2 emission intensities after the year 1970.
Fuel and Energy Abstracts
January 2005
39