Weekend Australian
Saturday 3/4/2010 Page: 4
IN the world of clean energy, it seems some researchers are working on a new generation of products even before their predecessors can establish a commercial foothold. Solar photovoltaic technology is a classic point. Australia has been the source of some of the best research and development in the world, particularly in the area of silicon panels and efficiency ratings. But just as new technology in the form of thin film solar is laying down a challenge for market dominance, a new and even cheaper form of solar PV, organic solar is being researched and developed in universities here and abroad.
The idea is to use organic compounds to capture the energy from the sun, using inexpensive and environmentally friendly materials that are portable and low cost. These can be used on flexible installations such as shade cloth, or painted on roof sheeting and window panels. Several research programs are being funded by state and federal governments in Australia and overseas.
Biofuels are also leaping to the third generation before the first can prove its commercial bona fides. While much is written about the potential effect on food sources of using corn-based ethanol for fuel, much research has been put into so-called second generation biofuels. These include agricultural waste and specialty crops such as Jatropha, while a new generation in the form of algae-based fuels is also being developed. MBD Energy, working with James Cook University, is confident it can develop algae technology that will absorb much of the CO2 emitted by coal and gas-fired power stations, as well as create valuable by-products such as animal feedstock and oils.
One of the themes of the cleantech industry this year will be the development and rollout of electric vehicles, not just producing new models with longer range batteries but the creation of networks that challenge the business conventions that prevail in the multi-trillion-dollar industry. Allied to this is the development of smart grids. These will allow individual users to monitor usage and revolutionise the use and sourcing of energy and allow the grid to reuse energy stored in EV batteries, for example, at times of peak demand. Energy efficiency is also expected to be a focus. The University of Melbourne is part of a global project that aims to reduce the amount of emissions used in telephony and the internet across the world by 99.5%, by introducing smarter data coding.
Another focus will be on the use of waste heat as a secondary power source and of deep-lying geothermal heat as a source for industrial, commercial, and even residential heating and cooling. Energy storage technology for intermittent providers such as solar and wind are also a focus, along with the development of relatively simply storage concepts such as using little-needed night-time energy to make ice, which can then be used during peak periods. A similar concept is being developed in India, where solar energy is used to pump water uphill, where it is stored and used to drive hydro energy installations at times of greater need.
Some of the more mind boggling technology developments contemplated revolve around geo-engineering, defined by the Royal Society as the "deliberate large-scale manipulation of the planetary environment to counteract anthropogenic climate change". In short, it means that if a clean energy revolution and the decarbonisation of the economy don't do the job, then dramatic measures will be needed to reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere or reflect heat away from the planet.
Among those technologies canvassed by a year-long Royal Society investigation released late last year are the development of artificial trees, shooting tiny particles into the atmosphere to deflect sunlight, The Royal Society is somewhat sceptical about the potential success of geo-engineering, and the concept is a contentious one in environmental and scientific circles because many of the proposals have unknown side effects.
There are two broad strands to the idea. One is solar radiation management, such as the particles idea, painting lots of human structures white, covering deserts with reflective material and placing shields or deflectors into space. These measures could potentially act quickly, although they do not address the root cause of climate change. But the Royal Society says they could be useful in an emergency to avoid reaching a climate tipping point.
The Royal Society says CO2 removal methods, such as artificial trees, ocean fertilisation, and land use management of the type being championed by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and many scientists, could be preferable because they are likelier to return the climate system to its natural state, and so involve fewer uncertainties and risks. But it notes that none of these technologies has proven effective at an affordable cost and with acceptable side effects.
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