If you live in this part of the world, you have to survive on desalinated water from the sea. There is no river here. There is a creek in Dubai, like river but from the sea to the inland. It is seawater.
With the increasing consumption as well as lots of wastage, the sea water desalination has impact on the environment as well as 'hairs', lots of men have become bald due to the hard water...
Desalination: Facts and procedures
1. What is desalination and brine?
The overall procedure of sea water desalination is similar in most cases. Seawater is pumped into the plant and pre-treated to meet water quality requirements. The pre-treated water enters the
desalination unit and is divided into a highly pure product (drinking water) and waste water, commonly called brine. This by-product of the desalination process is concentrated salt water containing a mixture of chemicals used during plant operation and is pumped back into the sea.
2. Desalination technologies:
More than 90 per cent of all desalinated water in the Gulf comes from thermal desalination. Large plants use steam from power plant turbines as a heat source for desalination. Thermal processes use heat to evaporate water, leaving the salt behind in the brine. More than 80 per cent of desalinated water comes from Multi Stage Flash (MSF). Membrane processes use pressure or electricity to force water through a semipermeable membrane which blocks salts and other dissolved solids. The membrane technology is Reverse Osmosis (RO) which accounts for 6 per cent of the production.
3. Daily discharge loads into the Arabian
Gulf from desalination plants in the region:
23.7 tons — chlorine
64.9 tons — antiscalants
300 kilograms — copper
4. Arabian Gulf main producers of desalinated seawater:
Saudi Arabia — 25 per cent of the worldwide seawater desalination capacity, of which 11 per cent is in the Gulf, 12 per cent is in the Red Sea, and 2 per cent is unaccounted for.
United Arab Emirates — 23 per cent
Kuwait — 6 per cent.
5. Impact: The concentrations of different pre-treatment chemicals in Multi Stage Flash and Reverse Osmosis effluents are critical for the marine environment.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Awards for Photovoltaic Technology Incubator Program
The U. S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is seeking project proposals as part of recently announced DOE funding to accelerate commercialization of solar energy technologies. NREL also announced partnerships with 13 U.S. small solar businesses, which have the capability to enter the market by 2012.
PV Technology Incubator Proposals Sought
The Photovoltaic (PV) Technology Incubator program represents a significant partnering with U.S. industry to help speed commercialization of PV research and development to meet aggressive cost and installation goals.
“The PV Incubator is focused on enabling small business in the U.S. to accelerate prototype and pre-commercial technologies toward pilot and full-scale production,” said NREL Senior Supervisor Martha Symko-Davies. “The companies are partnered with experts and capabilities at NREL, which reduces project implementation risk, quickly overcomes R&D hurdles, and increases the likelihood that the performance and reliability objectives can be achieved.”
The anticipated program funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is $9 million. The subcontracts, up to $3 million each, will be awarded as 18 month phased subcontracts. Go to http://www.nrel.gov/business_opportunities/solicitations_rfps.html for proposal information.
The primary objective of the PV Incubator program is to shorten the timeline for companies to transition prototype and pre-commercial PV technologies into pilot and full-scale manufacture. Applications are expected to focus on a limited number of high impact areas that are on the critical path to scaling-up technology. The minimum entrance criteria are demonstrated PV cells or process lab devices or modules. The successful exit criteria is for prototype modules and pilot production demonstration at greater than 3 megawatts a year.
PV Technology Pre-Incubator Awards Announced
The PV Technology Pre-Incubator program bridges the gap between the concept verification stage of a technology and the development of a commercially viable prototype. This program is aimed at small businesses that have the capability to enter the market by 2012, enabling electricity close to grid parity. The rapid research and development advancements of these innovative technology concepts will result in prototypes with projected manufacturing costs of less than $1/watt. The total anticipated subcontracts under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is $6 million. A detailed, state-by-state list of proposals selected for negotiations follows.
California
Banyan Energy, Inc. (Kensington) will develop a flat Aggregated Total Internal Reflection (ATIR) optic for moderate concentrating photovoltaic systems.This innovative design will result in a high optical efficiency concentrator with a uniquely low profile. $500,000
Crystal Solar, Inc.(Santa Clara) will develop thin crystal silicon solar cells on ceramic substrates. This advance aims to reduce the manufacturing cost of silicon by reducing the losses associated with wafer generation and reducing the thickness of the resulting silicon wafer. $500,000
International Solar Electric Technology, Inc. (Chatsworth) will develop low cost, monolithically integrated, printed CuInGaSe2 modules on flexible stainless steel substrates.This project is working towards the realization of high performance, flexible Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide (CuInGaSe2) with low cost manufacturing techniques and possessing the benefits of monolithic module integration. $456,006
TiSol, LLC (Pasadena) will develop a viable technology for thin film deposition in open atmosphere using a unique flame synthesis methodology. This technological development targets reducing the cost and increasing the deployment of dye sensitized solar cells through a reel-to-reel fabrication of layers within the dye cell. $499,100
Colorado
Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. (Littleton) will develop Zinc Magnesium Oxide (ZnMgO) window layers enabling high performance mid-bandgap CuInGaSe2 on polyimide modules. This offers the potential to increase the performance of the CuInGaSe2 device through an increase in the absorber bandgap.This work is also an important step towards the realization of CuInGaSe2–based tandem cells. $315,037
Illinois
EPIR Technologies, Inc. (Bolingbrook) will develop a high efficiency single-crystal Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) solar cell.The goal of the activity is to lay the foundation and determine the viability of a CdTe-based solution to high efficiency concentrating photovoltaic solar cells. $500,000
MicroLink Devices (Niles) will develop high efficiency, low-cost, multijunction solar cells based on epitaxial liftoff and wafer bonding. These approaches are combined to create innovative cell architecture with the potential to surpass the current state-of-the-art in high efficiency multijunction solar cells. $500,000
Massachusetts
1366 Technologies, Inc. (Lexington) will develop a kerfless wafering technique for the production of silicon wafers.This wafer production process aims to reduce costs through a more efficient production of silicon wafers. $500,000
Lightwave Power Inc. (Cambridge), together with Iowa State University, will develop a novel roll-to-roll photonic-enhanced thin film solar cell. This new approach will significantly raise performance levels through increased long wavelength absorption resulting in increased current collection. $450,000
Vanguard Solar, Inc. (Sudbury) will develop a novel nanostructured II/VI semiconductor-based thin-film photovoltaic cell.The outcome of this will be a manufacturable thin-film device with low cost and high efficiency. $500,000
North Carolina
Semprius, Inc. (Durham) will optimize the primary and secondary optics for a transfer-printed microcell-based concentrating photovoltaic module. This approach combines the benefits of unique-to-solar manufacturing techniques with the performance and operational benefits of microcell concentrating photovoltaics. $500,000
Oregon
SpectraWatt, Inc. (Hillsboro) will improve silicon solar cell efficiency through the use of an additive nano-structured material.This project aims to increase the performance of standard multicrystalline-Silicon solar cells solar cells through increased current collection in a way that does not require modifications to existing manufacturing process streams. $500,000
Virginia
Luna Innovations Incorporated (Danville) will investigate new acceptor molecules for the development of improved high efficiency organic photovoltaic cells.In combination with advances in donor materials, this project aims to achieve record organic photovoltaic solar cell efficiencies. $499,994
NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for DOE by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.
PV Technology Incubator Proposals Sought
The Photovoltaic (PV) Technology Incubator program represents a significant partnering with U.S. industry to help speed commercialization of PV research and development to meet aggressive cost and installation goals.
“The PV Incubator is focused on enabling small business in the U.S. to accelerate prototype and pre-commercial technologies toward pilot and full-scale production,” said NREL Senior Supervisor Martha Symko-Davies. “The companies are partnered with experts and capabilities at NREL, which reduces project implementation risk, quickly overcomes R&D hurdles, and increases the likelihood that the performance and reliability objectives can be achieved.”
The anticipated program funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is $9 million. The subcontracts, up to $3 million each, will be awarded as 18 month phased subcontracts. Go to http://www.nrel.gov/business_opportunities/solicitations_rfps.html for proposal information.
The primary objective of the PV Incubator program is to shorten the timeline for companies to transition prototype and pre-commercial PV technologies into pilot and full-scale manufacture. Applications are expected to focus on a limited number of high impact areas that are on the critical path to scaling-up technology. The minimum entrance criteria are demonstrated PV cells or process lab devices or modules. The successful exit criteria is for prototype modules and pilot production demonstration at greater than 3 megawatts a year.
PV Technology Pre-Incubator Awards Announced
The PV Technology Pre-Incubator program bridges the gap between the concept verification stage of a technology and the development of a commercially viable prototype. This program is aimed at small businesses that have the capability to enter the market by 2012, enabling electricity close to grid parity. The rapid research and development advancements of these innovative technology concepts will result in prototypes with projected manufacturing costs of less than $1/watt. The total anticipated subcontracts under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is $6 million. A detailed, state-by-state list of proposals selected for negotiations follows.
California
Banyan Energy, Inc. (Kensington) will develop a flat Aggregated Total Internal Reflection (ATIR) optic for moderate concentrating photovoltaic systems.This innovative design will result in a high optical efficiency concentrator with a uniquely low profile. $500,000
Crystal Solar, Inc.(Santa Clara) will develop thin crystal silicon solar cells on ceramic substrates. This advance aims to reduce the manufacturing cost of silicon by reducing the losses associated with wafer generation and reducing the thickness of the resulting silicon wafer. $500,000
International Solar Electric Technology, Inc. (Chatsworth) will develop low cost, monolithically integrated, printed CuInGaSe2 modules on flexible stainless steel substrates.This project is working towards the realization of high performance, flexible Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide (CuInGaSe2) with low cost manufacturing techniques and possessing the benefits of monolithic module integration. $456,006
TiSol, LLC (Pasadena) will develop a viable technology for thin film deposition in open atmosphere using a unique flame synthesis methodology. This technological development targets reducing the cost and increasing the deployment of dye sensitized solar cells through a reel-to-reel fabrication of layers within the dye cell. $499,100
Colorado
Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. (Littleton) will develop Zinc Magnesium Oxide (ZnMgO) window layers enabling high performance mid-bandgap CuInGaSe2 on polyimide modules. This offers the potential to increase the performance of the CuInGaSe2 device through an increase in the absorber bandgap.This work is also an important step towards the realization of CuInGaSe2–based tandem cells. $315,037
Illinois
EPIR Technologies, Inc. (Bolingbrook) will develop a high efficiency single-crystal Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) solar cell.The goal of the activity is to lay the foundation and determine the viability of a CdTe-based solution to high efficiency concentrating photovoltaic solar cells. $500,000
MicroLink Devices (Niles) will develop high efficiency, low-cost, multijunction solar cells based on epitaxial liftoff and wafer bonding. These approaches are combined to create innovative cell architecture with the potential to surpass the current state-of-the-art in high efficiency multijunction solar cells. $500,000
Massachusetts
1366 Technologies, Inc. (Lexington) will develop a kerfless wafering technique for the production of silicon wafers.This wafer production process aims to reduce costs through a more efficient production of silicon wafers. $500,000
Lightwave Power Inc. (Cambridge), together with Iowa State University, will develop a novel roll-to-roll photonic-enhanced thin film solar cell. This new approach will significantly raise performance levels through increased long wavelength absorption resulting in increased current collection. $450,000
Vanguard Solar, Inc. (Sudbury) will develop a novel nanostructured II/VI semiconductor-based thin-film photovoltaic cell.The outcome of this will be a manufacturable thin-film device with low cost and high efficiency. $500,000
North Carolina
Semprius, Inc. (Durham) will optimize the primary and secondary optics for a transfer-printed microcell-based concentrating photovoltaic module. This approach combines the benefits of unique-to-solar manufacturing techniques with the performance and operational benefits of microcell concentrating photovoltaics. $500,000
Oregon
SpectraWatt, Inc. (Hillsboro) will improve silicon solar cell efficiency through the use of an additive nano-structured material.This project aims to increase the performance of standard multicrystalline-Silicon solar cells solar cells through increased current collection in a way that does not require modifications to existing manufacturing process streams. $500,000
Virginia
Luna Innovations Incorporated (Danville) will investigate new acceptor molecules for the development of improved high efficiency organic photovoltaic cells.In combination with advances in donor materials, this project aims to achieve record organic photovoltaic solar cell efficiencies. $499,994
NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for DOE by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Hot City or Global Warming?
An analysis of the historical temperature data for the state of Victoria in Australia, including the city of Melbourne, suggests an Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect but no general warming trend.
Urban Heat Island versus Global Warming – A Study of One Region
By Michael Hammer
CITIES represent concentrations of commerce and energy use. This energy release raises the temperatures in the immediate vicinity. Cities are also areas where there is intense development with extensive masonry constructions, skyscrapers, paved surfaces and little vegetation.
Large masses of masonry and paving store heat during the day and release it at night keeping the night time minimum temperatures significantly higher than they would otherwise be. As a result, cities are usually significantly warmer than nearby rural areas, especially at night. This is termed the urban heat island effect or UHI and it can be very large. For large cities such as New York or Tokyo, the UHI has been reported as raising minimum temperatures by up to 6-8C. Even more modest cities like Melbourne show very significant UHI temperature increases.
More significantly, UHI increases as the size of the city increases and as the level of development rises. Both typically increase with time which means the UHI increases with time. This is exactly similar to the claimed global warming signature.
People comment that they have experienced global warming for themselves. That it is now warmer than it used to be and cite examples such as ice covered puddles in the past which they no longer see today. If you live in a city (as the majority of people do) that is quite probably true. However, what you are experiencing is not necessarily global warming but rather the impact of UHI in your immediate environment. As already stated, the impact can be extremely large – several degrees in large cities. Nor is it necessarily limited to just the city area. If there is a prevailing wind and you are living down wind of the city centre then you will be enveloped in the spreading plume of warmth. So, if we see signs of warming in cities is it UHI or is it evidence of global warming?
UHI has minimal impact on global temperatures because the cities represent such a small fraction of the total area of the total planet. However, it can have a large impact on the estimation of global temperatures because so many of the measuring stations are in cities. These stations will show a temperature rise with time which is the sum of any global heating plus the local UHI heating. If the impact of UHI is not allowed for, the result will be an inflated estimate of global warming. Even worse, many measurement stations which were originally sited in very reasonable locations are, through later developments, now severely impacted by nearby heat source such as an air conditioner waste heat vent or on top of bitumen paving. This is yet another factor in addition to UHI adding to the warming bias.
It is not reasonable to assume that this is allowed for by amalgamating data from a very large number of stations worldwide because many of these sites will be tainted by the same problem. Even worse, tainted city sites will probably have the most comprehensive records. Rural sites are more likely to have incomplete records due to the poorer infrastructure. It is natural to place the greatest reliance on those sites with the most nearly complete data.
The IPCC claimed in the past that one of their corrections to the raw temperature data allows for UHI by applying a linear correction with time amounting to 0.06C per century. However, in the latest revision to the historical global temperature record even this minimal correction has apparently been eliminated.
At the same time, measuring stations that have moved from the city to the airport show lower temperatures at their new location and it is claimed that this needs to be compensated for by elevating the airport readings. This would seem to be clear evidence of bias. The airport readings are lower because the station has moved away from the city UHI. Raising the airport readings, while not adding downwards compensation for UHI, results in an overstatement of the amount of warming. It would be more accurate to lower the city readings to match the airport readings rather than vice versa.
It is interesting to explore this issue by looking at the temperature record for the state I live in – Victoria, Australia. The data presented below comes from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology data base published on their website www.bom.gov.au . The annual average maximum and minimum temperatures have been used and it is worth noting that all these numbers are averages over 30 years so they reasonably reflect climate rather than weather.
Urban Heat Island versus Global Warming – A Study of One Region
By Michael Hammer
CITIES represent concentrations of commerce and energy use. This energy release raises the temperatures in the immediate vicinity. Cities are also areas where there is intense development with extensive masonry constructions, skyscrapers, paved surfaces and little vegetation.
Large masses of masonry and paving store heat during the day and release it at night keeping the night time minimum temperatures significantly higher than they would otherwise be. As a result, cities are usually significantly warmer than nearby rural areas, especially at night. This is termed the urban heat island effect or UHI and it can be very large. For large cities such as New York or Tokyo, the UHI has been reported as raising minimum temperatures by up to 6-8C. Even more modest cities like Melbourne show very significant UHI temperature increases.
More significantly, UHI increases as the size of the city increases and as the level of development rises. Both typically increase with time which means the UHI increases with time. This is exactly similar to the claimed global warming signature.
People comment that they have experienced global warming for themselves. That it is now warmer than it used to be and cite examples such as ice covered puddles in the past which they no longer see today. If you live in a city (as the majority of people do) that is quite probably true. However, what you are experiencing is not necessarily global warming but rather the impact of UHI in your immediate environment. As already stated, the impact can be extremely large – several degrees in large cities. Nor is it necessarily limited to just the city area. If there is a prevailing wind and you are living down wind of the city centre then you will be enveloped in the spreading plume of warmth. So, if we see signs of warming in cities is it UHI or is it evidence of global warming?
UHI has minimal impact on global temperatures because the cities represent such a small fraction of the total area of the total planet. However, it can have a large impact on the estimation of global temperatures because so many of the measuring stations are in cities. These stations will show a temperature rise with time which is the sum of any global heating plus the local UHI heating. If the impact of UHI is not allowed for, the result will be an inflated estimate of global warming. Even worse, many measurement stations which were originally sited in very reasonable locations are, through later developments, now severely impacted by nearby heat source such as an air conditioner waste heat vent or on top of bitumen paving. This is yet another factor in addition to UHI adding to the warming bias.
It is not reasonable to assume that this is allowed for by amalgamating data from a very large number of stations worldwide because many of these sites will be tainted by the same problem. Even worse, tainted city sites will probably have the most comprehensive records. Rural sites are more likely to have incomplete records due to the poorer infrastructure. It is natural to place the greatest reliance on those sites with the most nearly complete data.
The IPCC claimed in the past that one of their corrections to the raw temperature data allows for UHI by applying a linear correction with time amounting to 0.06C per century. However, in the latest revision to the historical global temperature record even this minimal correction has apparently been eliminated.
At the same time, measuring stations that have moved from the city to the airport show lower temperatures at their new location and it is claimed that this needs to be compensated for by elevating the airport readings. This would seem to be clear evidence of bias. The airport readings are lower because the station has moved away from the city UHI. Raising the airport readings, while not adding downwards compensation for UHI, results in an overstatement of the amount of warming. It would be more accurate to lower the city readings to match the airport readings rather than vice versa.
It is interesting to explore this issue by looking at the temperature record for the state I live in – Victoria, Australia. The data presented below comes from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology data base published on their website www.bom.gov.au . The annual average maximum and minimum temperatures have been used and it is worth noting that all these numbers are averages over 30 years so they reasonably reflect climate rather than weather.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Are Wind Farms Hazardous to Human Health?
Over the last few years, the wind energy sector has been experiencing tremendous growth as governments and utilities around the world seek sources of energy that generate reduced greenhouse gas emissions. In Ontario, the province has plans to increase the wind component of its electricity generation from the current 1 percent to 15 percent by 2025.
For the most part the wind energy industry has coasted along with favorable press and public opinion. The industry has had to weather some resistance, particularly pertaining to wildlife impacts (primarily birds and bats) and the consistency and reliability of wind power. Yet these criticisms have not gained enough traction to have a noticeable effect on the growth of the industry, which is being hailed as a source of tens of thousands of potential new jobs in the evolving green economy.
Wind turbines emit inaudible sound waves in the low end of the sound spectrum and rhythmic vibrations caused by the spinning blades. These are suspected to cause a host of adverse health effects in some people that live in close proximity to the turbines, including:
insomnia,
headaches,
acute hypertensive episodes,
cardiac arrhythmia,
heart palpitations,
high blood pressure,
the sensation of bugs crawling on the skin,
humming in the head,
continuous ringing in the ears,
dizziness
The condition has been given a name: “Wind Turbine Syndrome”, coined by Dr. Nina Pierpont, the subject of her recently published 150-page book. Wind Concerns Ontario is a coalition of 32 individual anti-wind citizens’ groups that have joined together from across the province of Ontario; they have named Wind Turbine Syndrome as one of their key focus areas. Both Dr. Pierpont and Wind Concerns Ontario recommend a minimum 2 kilometer setback for wind turbines from residential homes, along the lines with what is recommended by the World Health Organization (1.5 kilometers).
The assignment of setback distances in Ontario is currently governed by municipalities (the province will be taking control under its new Green Energy Act) with most setbacks being under 500 meters. Given the mounting evidence indicating adverse effects that wind turbines can have on human health, it is critical that more research be conducted into adequate setback distances. With the emphasis that the world is placing on wind energy as a critical piece of our future energy puzzle, setback distance research would be time and money well spent to ensure that wind power grows in harmony with the environment and its citizens.
For the most part the wind energy industry has coasted along with favorable press and public opinion. The industry has had to weather some resistance, particularly pertaining to wildlife impacts (primarily birds and bats) and the consistency and reliability of wind power. Yet these criticisms have not gained enough traction to have a noticeable effect on the growth of the industry, which is being hailed as a source of tens of thousands of potential new jobs in the evolving green economy.
Wind turbines emit inaudible sound waves in the low end of the sound spectrum and rhythmic vibrations caused by the spinning blades. These are suspected to cause a host of adverse health effects in some people that live in close proximity to the turbines, including:
insomnia,
headaches,
acute hypertensive episodes,
cardiac arrhythmia,
heart palpitations,
high blood pressure,
the sensation of bugs crawling on the skin,
humming in the head,
continuous ringing in the ears,
dizziness
The condition has been given a name: “Wind Turbine Syndrome”, coined by Dr. Nina Pierpont, the subject of her recently published 150-page book. Wind Concerns Ontario is a coalition of 32 individual anti-wind citizens’ groups that have joined together from across the province of Ontario; they have named Wind Turbine Syndrome as one of their key focus areas. Both Dr. Pierpont and Wind Concerns Ontario recommend a minimum 2 kilometer setback for wind turbines from residential homes, along the lines with what is recommended by the World Health Organization (1.5 kilometers).
The assignment of setback distances in Ontario is currently governed by municipalities (the province will be taking control under its new Green Energy Act) with most setbacks being under 500 meters. Given the mounting evidence indicating adverse effects that wind turbines can have on human health, it is critical that more research be conducted into adequate setback distances. With the emphasis that the world is placing on wind energy as a critical piece of our future energy puzzle, setback distance research would be time and money well spent to ensure that wind power grows in harmony with the environment and its citizens.
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