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Green Tech Week in Review
Green Technology Featured Articles
May 25, 2013

Green Tech Week in Review

By Cheryl Kaften
TMCnet Contributor

This week, we’ve seen a willingness to push the renewable energy envelope—with development, funding and recognition for emerging, and even somewhat eccentric, technologies worldwide.

The tide is, literally, turning in energy production: researchers now estimate that the potential for tidal energy could exceed 450 terawatts (TW) annually. The majority of the locations suited for tidal energy generation are in Asia and North America, with few currently in operation. As a matter of fact, the first U.S.-based tidal energy project was put in place off the coast of Eastport, Maine, just last year.


Although municipalities and private companies have been slow to adopt this technology, the pace is picking up worldwide–and tidal energy production is now being accepted for renewable energy credits. Tocardo Tidal Turbines, a Dutch hydropower turbine manufacturer, and Climex, a carbon credit trading and energy contracting firm, have entered into an agreement to sell the energy Tocardo produces on the Climex green energy trading platform. This will be one more option for organizations in need of green power to reduce their carbon footprints.

A group of Norwegian scientists has just unveiled a breakthrough that is described as being a hydroelectric power plant on the sea bed that will generate and store electricity to be used on the mainland. Rayner Schramm is the founder of Subhydro As, and his company has teamed with SINTEF, the largest independent research organization in Scandinavia, to share their expertise in underwater technology, as well as energy generation. They know that their group was not the first to “think deep,” so to speak; however, with their technology awaiting a patent, it is clear they believe their project is the best.

How does it work? At a depth of only 400 meters (1,300 feet) to 800 meters (2,600 feet) on the seabed, water is pumped at high pressure into a reservoir, from which it is shot through a turbine. When the turbine spins, it drives a generator. The undersea pumped hydroelectric power plant is envisioned as a back-up source of sorts when connected to other lines of electricity along the shore.  

And continuing with the curious, the surprising, and the just plain out-of-the-ordinary developments of the week, Google is in the midst of acquiring yet another startup. This time it’s Makani Power— a company that is looking to solve energy-generation problems with self-piloting flying wings tethered to a base station. They take off like helicopters— using rotors that become electrical power generators when the wing reaches an altitude somewhere between 800 feet and 2,000 feet. The wing flies in vertical circles, much like a kite. It achieves motion at high and consistent wind speeds, and when wind speeds drop, the wing goes back into a hover mode and returns to its base station.

So far, Makani has tested a wing that can generate 30 kilowatts (kW) of power, but that is just for starters. The company anticipates building production models that can create 600 kW. That's far less than a wind turbine tower, which can generate up to 3,000 kW, but Makani's technology requires far fewer materials and resources to construct. Google (News - Alert) is looking to leverage Makani Power's technology within its Google X “moonshots” section. Google X is among the company's most under-the-radar divisions – its cutting-edge research lab.

Goldman Sachs has announced plans to invest in Japanese solar and wind projects. Renewable energy has been gaining more attention from investors as of late—and Japan is likely to soon become the world’s second-largest solar market, just behind China. Solar installations are expected to reach a range from 6.1 gigawatts (GW) to 9.4 GW in 2013, making it a prime location for solar energy investment and research. As such, Goldman Sachs has decided to invest up to ¥50 billion (approximately US$495 million) over the next five years, with an additional ¥250 billion ($2.5 trillion) of bank loans and project financing to further assist. Furthermore, Goldman Sachs has formed the Japan Renewable Energy Co. unit, which is created to plan, design, and operate power plants that use alternative and traditional energy sources. This includes solar and wind power, as well as fuel cells and biomass fuels.

And, never content to be left in the dust, Germany also announced funding for renewable energy R&D this week. On May 22, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) announced that it would provide up to an extra €50 million ($64.6 million) for research and development for innovative photovoltaic projects. The funds will augment the €100 million ($128.4 million) already made available by Berlin.

The new capital was made available under the auspices of Germany’s Photovoltaics Innovation Alliance, an umbrella organization formed in April under which 26 separate research and development projects are being carried out to advance photovoltaic innovation. Specifically, the new funding will support research focusing on the identification of fully optimized energy supply systems for economical photovoltaic operation, innovative manufacturing techniques and cost-effective PV production. In addition, the researchers will work on the development of high-quality PV modules positioned for international competition.





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