Japan Deploys a Solar Sail in Space
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has successfully deployed a solar sail in outer space. While solar energy has successfully powered small cars and airplanes, nobody has yet managed to use it to propel a spacecraft – that goal is now within reach.
JAXA’s Small Solar Power Sail Demonstrator, or IKAROS (Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation of the Sun), was launched on May 10 and on June 10, JAXA confirmed it was successfully expanded.
The concept of a solar sail, which could use the pressure of sunlight to propel a spacecraft, has been a dream of both scientists and science fiction writers. Though the concept is roughly 100 years old, IKAROS will be the first practical demonstration of the technology.
The sail is made of an extremely thin, flexible plastic and includes thin-film solar cells on part of its surface to generate electricity.
The sail was deployed by spinning its cylindrical launch vehicle to 25 rotations per minute, then allowing angular momentum to spread the sail out from that central hub to form a square measuring about 35 feet on each side. Over the next five months or so, JAXA will attempt to prove the technology by accelerating the craft and steering it toward Venus. See the JAXA press release and JAXA’s IKAROS Web site.
Meanwhile, European engineers are aiming at another first – flying a piloted solar-powered airplane through one day and one night. The Solar Impulse HB-SIA is scheduled to take off on the morning of July 1 and land the morning of July 2.
The airplane is essentially a flying wing, with solar cells covering the entire 207-foot wingspan. The craft is made from carbon fiber composites and is powered by four propellers, each driven by a 7 kW motor.
During the day, the aircraft will charge its lithium-polymer batteries, then increase the amount of available energy by climbing to an elevation of nearly 28,000 feet. During the night, the craft will run on battery power while slowly descending, greeting the morning at an elevation of just under 5,000 feet.
The solar-powered aircraft will test the flight characteristics and performance of the technology in preparation for a future craft that will attempt to fly around the world on solar power. See the Solar Impulse blog, the Web site, and a fact sheet on the Solar Impulse HB-SIA (PDF 1.3 MB).
DOE Awards $24 Million for Algal Biofuels Research
DOE announced on June 28 its selection of three research consortiums to receive up to $24 million to tackle commercialization of algae-based biofuels. The consortia include partners from academia, national labs, and private industries and projects are expected to continue for three years.
The Sustainable Algal Biofuels Consortium, led by Arizona State University, will focus on testing the acceptability of algal biofuels as replacements for petroleum-based fuels. Up to $6 million will be dedicated to investigating biochemical conversion of algae to fuels and products as well as to analyzing physical chemistry properties of algal fuels and fuel intermediates.
The Consortium for Algal Biofuels Commercialization, led by the University of California, San Diego, will concentrate on developing algae as a robust biofuels feedstock. Up to $9 million will aid the search for new approaches to algal crop protection, algal nutrient utilization, and genetic tools.
The Cellana, LLC Consortium, led by Cellana, LLC, of Hawaii, will examine large-scale production of fuels and feed from microalgae grown in seawater. Up to $9 million will be used to integrate new algal harvesting technologies with pilot-scale cultivation test beds, and to develop marine microalgae as animal feed for the aquaculture industry.
The groups will follow the path outlined by the National Algal Biofuels Technology Roadmap which DOE released on June 28. The document synthesizes public comments on a draft version published in June 2009, which summarized the work of more than 200 experts and stakeholders who took part in DOE’s National Algal Biofuels Technology Roadmap Workshop. The final National Algal Biofuels Technology Roadmap is intended to guide future work and investments in algal biofuels. See the DOE press release, the National Algal Biofuels Technology Roadmap (PDF 7.5 MB), and DOE’s Biomass Program Web site.
USDA Report Provides Roadmap for U.S. Biofuel Energy Goals
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a report on June 23 detailing regional strategies to increase biofuels production to meet the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) mandate for U.S. consumers to use 36 billion gallons of biofuel per year by 2022.
Authors of the USDA’s Biofuels Strategic Production Report conclude that meeting RFS2 targets will require a rapid build-up in production capabilities and a substantial investment in biorefineries. The RFS2 implementation provisions are detailed in EPA’s final rule for the RFS2, which takes effect on July 1.
USDA’s report identifies numerous biomass feedstocks to be used in the development of biofuels and calls for funding of further investments in research and development of various feedstocks; sustainable production and management systems; efficient conversion technologies and high-value bioproducts; and decision support and policy analysis tools.
To create green jobs where they’re most needed, the USDA plans to site biorefineries in economically distressed areas by leveraging regional resources for transportation, labor, and feedstocks.
The roadmap cites sources of existing or planned biofuels capacity. For example, EPA’s analysis projects that 15 billion gallons of conventional biofuels could come from current or already planned production capacity of corn starch ethanol. Of the remaining 21 billion gallons of advanced biofuels needed to achieve the RFS2 targets, 16 billion gallons must come from advanced cellulosic biofuels that reduce GHG emissions by at least 60% relative to gasoline.
USDA recognizes that some regions have an advantage over others. The Southeast and Central-Eastern portions of the country could together produce more than 93% of the biofuels needed to meet the RFS2 targets. The Southeast, with its extended growing season, could produce nearly half of the biofuels needed. It and the Central-Eastern region, which stretches from North Dakota and Wisconsin south to Delaware and Virginia, have abundant resources of biofuels crops such as perennial grasses, biomass sorghum, crop residues, soy beans and woody biomass.
Using models designed by DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that $12 billion in infrastructure improvements, particularly rail expansions, would be needed to sustain the growth in biofuels. See the USDA press release, the USDA biofuels report (PDF 799 KB), and the EPA’s final rule (PDF 1.75 MB).
MIT Study: Natural Gas to Help Reduce GHG Emissions
Growing U.S. supplies of natural gas will help reduce GHG emissions over the next several decades, according to researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
An interim report on a two-year study of the future of natural gas concludes that highly efficient combined-cycle natural gas plants will replace older, inefficient coal plants.
There are still significant conventional global supplies of natural gas and unconventional sources, such as gas shales, are rapidly expanding the resource base. Gas shales alone have boosted US natural gas resources by an amount equal to 92 years of consumption at current rates of use, according to the study.
The MIT study estimates global recoverable natural gas resources at 16,200 trillion cubic feet, enough to last more than 160 years at current consumption rates. Assuming that industrialized countries and large emerging economies adopt GHG emissions limits, natural gas will largely displace coal in the power-generation sector by 2050, according to the report. See the MIT press release and the interim report (4.9 MB).
Honda Announces Pricing for CR-Z Hybrid Coupe
Honda announced the 2011 Honda CR-Z sport hybrid coupe will be in U.S. dealers’ showrooms on August 24 at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $19,200, plus a $750 destination charge.
The two-passenger hybrid has a 1.5-liter i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine with a 10 kW Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system to supply power and efficiency.
The CR-Z is the sixth version of Honda’s original IMA technology since the launch of the 2000 Insight, the first hybrid vehicle commercially available in North America.
The electric motor assists in acceleration and acts as a generator during braking or coasting to capture kinetic energy that can recharge the 100.8-volt IMA nickel-metal hydride battery pack. The i-VTEC system controls the opening and closing of one intake valve per cylinder to enhance combustion at low engine speeds.
The CR-Z’s 6-speed manual transmission is a first for a mass-produced hybrid vehicle, according to Honda. The car’s 3-mode drive system allows for Sport, Normal or Econ (Economy) driving modes. The Econ mode is designed to smooth throttle inputs, reduce the air conditioning system’s impact on fuel consumption, and potentially activate idle stop sooner when coming to a stop, which is helpful in stop-and-go city driving. See the Honda press release and the CR-Z Web site.
University of Michigan Wins American Solar Challenge
On June 26, the University of Michigan won, for the sixth time, the 1,200-mile 2010 American Solar Challenge, which ran from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma to Naperville, Illinois. They crossed the finish line in 28 hours and 14 minutes.
17 teams, including two teams from Canada and Taiwan, competed. Students designed and built the solar-powered vehicles, which included battery backup for cloudy days. Michigan’s car weighs 700 pounds – its carbon fiber body is covered by Emcore solar cells and the solar-generated electricity is stored in A123 lithium-ion-phosphate batteries to help power an in-wheel electric motor.
Previously known as Sunrayce, the American Solar Challenge is sponsored by the Innovators Educational Foundation, a non-profit organization formed in the fall of 2009 to continue the solar car racing tradition begun in 1993. IEF also hosts the Formula Sun Grand Prix, a solar car track event. See the American Solar Challenge Web site and the Michigan solar car team Web site.
There’s also a high-profile race for high school teams. The Hunt-Winston School Solar Car Challenge runs from July 18-25 starting in Fort Worth, Texas and ending in Boulder, Colorado. See the Hunt-Winston School Solar Car Challenge Web site.
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EREE Network News is a weekly publication of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
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