The district heating net is a pipe network that supplies heating and hot water for connected consumers from a central power plant. It is a more efficient way to provide heat and power compared to localized boilers. District cooling is the cooling equivalent of district heating. Working in accordance to similar principles, district cooling delivers chilled water to buildings like offices and factories. Trigeneration is when electricity, heating and cooling are combined in the same plant.
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Windiga Energy Inc. is a private sector institution established in 2010 with the mission to develop assets in West Africa by establishing power generation facilities that will benefit the public and the government. It is an independent power producer focused on developing, owning and operating renewable energy facilities on the African continent. The company combines its knowledge, expertise and collaboration with local governments and stakeholders to form consortiums and become a principle player in the region’s energy sector.
IIGE is a research institute that promotes development, innovation and transmission of technology focused on energy efficiency and renewable energy. The institute aims to contribute to the sustainable development of the Ecuadorian society, through the implementation of energy efficient and energy renewable policies and projects.
There are various types of fuel cells each classified according to the type of electrolyte used in the cell. IN the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) the electrolyte consists of a solid nonporous metal oxide. A major advantage of the SOFC over other types of fuel cells is its high exhaust temperature. Current SOFC’s operate near 1000° C with recent developments moving that figure towards 700° C.
Background: The efficiency of a fuel cell depends very much on the surface area of catalyst exposed. Present cells use expensive metal catalysts plated onto membranes. The hydrogen-oxygen reaction in the cell is limited to the surface and scales only according to the two-dimensional geometry of the membranes. If the catalyst is poisoned there is no means for reactants to enter the metal layer rendering large amounts of expensive material effectively and permanently useless.
Conducting polymers are used in applications such as photovoltaic cells sensors and similar devices. The standard organic solar cells contain such polymers mixed with an organic or inorganic electron conducting phase along with metal oxides and a low work function metal. The commonly used polymers are polyacetylenes polyphenyleneethynylenes (PPE) polyphenylenevinylenes (PPV) polythiophenes and polyanilines. The polymers have different properties based on their organic structures and substituent groups.
Background: In 2008 coal-fired power plants generated 49 percent of electricity consumed in the U.S. more than twice that of any other energy resource. Coal is an important fossil fuel because world coal reserves are expected to last about 200 years much longer than other fossil fuels. However coal also is a major contributor to atmospheric pollution. The emissions per unit energy produced from coal-fired power plants are reduced when the efficiency is increased because more energy is captured per unit of coal burned.
Silicon is the most common semiconductor used in applications such as photovoltaic power generation and nanoelectronics (e.g. computer chips). These applications require a high level of material purity. Conventional refining techniques for producing high-purity silicon are highly energy intensive requiring significant electrical and/or thermal energy inputs. For example the Siemens method is accomplished at greater than 1000°C and consumes up to 200 kWh of electricity for each kilogram of silicon produced.
Researchers at Santa Clara University have designed and tested a Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) device on a residential scale can generate electricity and use rejected heat for many applications including domestic hot water space heating/cooling and absorption refrigeration. This system uses a combined thermoelectric and heat system with a proprietary low-profile solar tracker described in docket 12-S01.