Renewable Resources:
Biological Emphasis
SLATE Winter 2006
Max D. Lechtman
Energy Policy Act - 2005
Energy Efficiency
• New Federal Efficiency Standards for
household appliances
• 50,000 MW saved by 2020
• Consumers tax credits
• Energy Efficient Homes-business tax
credits
• Businesses tax deductions
• Home Products-manufacturers tax credits
Electricity
• Reliability-new mandatory rules
• Market Manipulation-strengthens
protections
• PUHCA Repeal-streamlines 1935 law,
encourages investment in infrastructure
• Mergers-improved oversight
Hydropower
• Relicensing Reforms
Easing paperwork will continue cheap
electricity
Coal
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Clean Coal production-tax credits
Clean Coal Facilities-tax credits
Transportation Fuel-$1billion for research
Reducing Reliance on Foreign Oil & Gas
– by 2025 need less oil and gas
• Creating New Jobs-55,000 coal miners
Oil
• Increased Domestic Production
– improved production from existing sites
• Increasing Western States Production
– streamline permitting process
• Innovative Technologies
– encourage carbon sequestration
Natural Gas
• Developing More Natural Gas
– Western States Pilot Program
– Eliminates paperwork delays
– 7 trillion cubic feet of new gas by 2020
Nuclear
• New Nuclear Plants
– anticipate up to 19
• Increased Generation
– 20,000 to 25,000 megawatts between 2015
and 2020
• Creation of New Jobs
– 40,000 to 45,000 in construction
– 10,000 high tech plant operations
Wind
• New Wind Production
– extends tax credit
• Increased Capacity
– 2,500 megawatts this year
– 14,000 megawatts by 2007
• Environmental Issues
– Offset 7 billion pounds of Carbon Dioxide
Solar
• More Solar Energy Generation
– tax incentives
• Encourages Consumers
– 30% tax credit for homeowners until 1 Jan.’08
Clean Fuels and Vehicles
• Environmental Issues
– require ethanol to replace MTBE
• Lower Prices
– decrease special fuels
• Hybrid Cars Tax Credit
– replaces tax deduction with more generous
credit
Ethanol
• Economic Gains
– Offset 2 billion barrels of oil
– Improve farm economy
• New Ethanol Plants
– More than 150 in the works
• Creation of New Jobs
+234,840 by 2012
The Rainbow’s End
Anaerobic Process
Selected Biogas Projects
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The Cow Train-whole animal & manure
Canadian Municipal Power-cow manure
Antelope Valley-sewage
GM-landfill gas
Direct Fuel Cell-sewage
UC Davis/Garbage
Cow Train
Cow Train
• Svensk Biogas Company
• Linkoping, Sweden
• 30 cows to get the 75 miles from Linkoping
to Vastervik
• Chop animals into slurry, anaerobic
digester produces biogas
• Can also use manure and other organic
waste
Discover, May 2006
Canadian Municipal Power
• Ontario Provincial Government
• Annual manure production from 5500
cattle will yield sufficient gas to produce:
7000 megawatts
9000 tons of fertilizer
Antelope Valley
• Sewage Gas-methane and hydrogen
Fuel cell-250 kilowatts
Microturbine-250 kilowatts
General Motors
• As of Feb. 2005, seven GM Plants use
landfill gas for steam operations
• Annual savings of $500,000/plant
Direct Fuel Cell
• Japanese Industry Group Tests
• Biogas/Wastewater Treatment
• Evaluated electrical efficiency, exhaust
heat recovery, and ability to reduce
particulates,nitrogen oxides, and sulfur
oxides
• Exceeded Japan’s strict environmental
requirements
UC Davis
• New Anaerobic Digester Design
• Three tons/day of Municipal Garbage:
– 600 kilowatts for Campus use
– Fertilizer
– Materials to make fiberboard
Ethanol
Ethanol
• Supplies expected to be tight this summer
• 155,000 barrels of MTBE to be replaced
per day-but only 25,000 barrels of ethanol
available
• Spot price $2.60/gallon; more than double
last spring
• Industry expanding and expects to meet
need for E10------what about E85??
Anything Into Oil
Anything Into Oil
• Feedstock can be:
– Auto Residual Debris
– Medical Waste
– Municipal Solid Waste
– Plastic Bottles
– Sewage Sludge
– Turkey Offal
Thermal Conversion Process
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Feedstock ground into small chunks
Mixed with water
250 C + 600 pounds/square inch
Release pressure & boil off water
Separate crude hydrocarbons
500 C
Distill
Can destroy prions
Products
Oil
Turkey
Plastic
Sewage
Medical
Waste
39
70
26
65
% Products
Biogas Carbon
Solids
6
5
16
6
9
8
10
5
Water
50
8
57
20
Products
One ton of Turkey Offal yields
approximately:
600 pounds of oils
100 pounds of butane/methane
60 pounds of activated carbon-type
material
plus good quality liquid plant fertilizer
Anything Into Oil
Changing World Technologies Plant
Carthage, MO.
400 barrels/day of crude oil, refined to:
No. 2—diesel and gasoline
No. 4—industrial heating
They expect to make a profit with the new Energy
Policy Law tax credit.
Biodiesel
Process
Good News
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85% vegetable oil
Standard diesel engine
Non-toxic, biodegradable
Flammable at 350 F
Good lubricant
Cleaner emissions
Bad News
• Dissolves paint
– will need to wipe spills ASAP
• Degrades rubber fuel lines/gaskets
• Good solvent
– therefore may clog filter
• Gels at about 32 F
– will need auxiliary heater for cold weather
Bibliography
• General Background
www.energyjustice.net
• Energy Policy Law-2005
www.e85fuel.com/legislation/energy07270
5.pdf
• Ethanolwww.e85fuel.com/e85101/faqs/e85
.php?topic=E85101
Bibliography
• Biodiesel,
www.biofuelsoasis.com/html/basics.html
www.biodieselcommunity.org/howitsmade
• Anything Into Oil; Lemley, B., Discover April
2006; page 46-51.
• All Aboard The Cow Train, Carey, B., Discover
May 2006, page 18.