Griffith Hack client NEP Solar, has won the prestigious Innovation Award at Intersolar 2009, guaranteeing the Sydney-based company a great deal of exposure at the world’s largest trade show for solar technology being held in Munich, Germany, from 27-29 May.
Intersolar’s 2009 Award was made to NEP Solar for its new solar process heat collector, the PolyTrough 1200, which is now being manufactured in Sydney for local and export markets. The award was presented to NEP Solar’s Chief Financial Officer Antoine Millioud and General Manager Projects, Stefan Minder, at a special ceremony held at Intersolar 2009 in Munich today. “We are very pleased with the award and we believe through innovation, quality design, life cycle approach and customer focus we will contribute to the uptake of solar thermal in the industrial and commercial sectors,” NEP Solar’s CEO Johan Dreyer said.
Intersolar 2009 is the most important platform in the world for showcasing groundbreaking technologies and innovations in solar thermal technology and photovoltaics.
This year there are 1,400 exhibitors presenting their products to over 60,000 visitors, in an area covering 100,000 square metres.
The Intersolar Award is being awarded in the “Solar Thermal Technology”and “Photovoltaic” categories, with winners being selected by two independent juries made up of experts from the fields of photovoltaics and solar thermal technology.
Centred on a proprietary polymeric reflector, the new PolyTrough 1200 deploys various design features which will lead to lower life cycle costs for NEP Solar’s clients. The parabolic trough collector is designed to generate heat at 120°C to 220°C for industrial processes as well as commercial solar cooling, large scale water heating and distributed power generation. It can deliver cooling and heating solutions for facilities such as shopping malls, factories, plants, warehouses and other big buildings at a competitive cost to other systems.
“Solar process heat is the sleeping giant of solar thermal,” said NEP’s CFO Antoine Millioud. “As a significant part of primary energy consumption stems from medium temperature industrial applications, it is essential that solar process heat experiences a similar uptake in this sector as seen for solar domestic water heating in the residential area.”
NEP Solar’s prototype PolyTrough 1200 was successfully developed with assistance from a grant under the Australian Government Renewable Energy Development Initiative and was tested at the CSIRO Energy Centre in Newcastle.
In the US, billions of dollars are being spent on smart meters, much of it backed by US government funds.
But this area is so promising that many companies, such as Xcel Energy are spending their own money, not government funds. This article is an interesting, if lengthy, discussion on Xcel Energy’s project.
While I was looking at Xcel Energy’s web site, I found this great idea of their’s called saver’s switch. Here is an article about it. In short, a remote control switch is installed that can turn off an air conditioner at peak times when electricity is at its most expensive.
Filed under: News | Tags: ANZSES, clean and sustainable technology, cleantech, photovoltaic, PV, solar energy, technology
In this article, John Grimes, the CEO of the Australian & New Zealand Solar Energy Society (ANZSES) stated:
Australian scientists and research and development are at the leading edge of the world … what we lack is government support to commercialise and capitalise on that research
It is his opinion that unless Australia introduces a solar feed in tariff Australia will miss out on the opportunities of harnessing solar energy to solve our energy problems, and all of the business opportunities associated with it.
Filed under: Feature
KeepCup have just launched the world’s first barista standard reusable coffee cup. It fits under the group heads of espresso machines and replicates the internal volumes of standard service – so having a coffee in a reusable cup need no longer be a compromise to speed and quality of service. Designed, tooled and manufactured in Melbourne the KeepCup is recyclable at the end of its life (estimated 1000 uses). Companies with a sustainability agenda, among them NAB, Energy Australia, Worksafe and Australia Post are purchasing them for their staff to reduce Scope 3 emissions under the GHG inventory.
For more information or to purchase a KeepCup please visit http://www.keepcup.com.au/
Filed under: Feature
The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), a leader in industrial biotechnology is pleased to announce the fourth annual Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy. This meeting will continue and expand the essential exchange between industry, academia and government that has been so successful at the World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing. This meeting will address the latest issues in industrial biotechnology including algae for fuels, marine bio-resources, advanced biofuels, renewable hydrocarbons, biopolymers and bioplastics, dedicated energy crops, and much more.
For more information please visit http://www.bio.org/pacrim/
Filed under: News | Tags: cleantech, climate change, intellectual property, IP, patent, technology
The issue of patents and climate change are rapidly rising up the political agenda.
I came across this interesting article written by Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., the ranking Republican on the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.
Mr Sensenbrenner argues very strongly for strong IP protection to protect innovators from from those that would take clean and sustainable technologies – such as clean and renewable energy sources – without any suitable consideration in return. He believes that:
Now that international climate treaty negotiations are gaining momentum, China is leading the assault on the patent protections that are central in promoting the ingenuity, innovation and creativity that drive the economies of America and other developed countries.
Mr Sensenbrenner also states that China and other developing nations want developed nations to contribute 1% of their GDP to them so that they can buy clean and sustainable technologies at a price that they themselves set.
While the two sides are highly polarised on the issue of IP rights relating to climate change mitigation and adaption technologies, it appears that everyone agrees that patents are a powerful and flexible tool that can be used for the interests of innovators or alternatively the developing nations, depending on the policy framework in which they are used.
This is a great example of how patents provide a strong legal basis to the problem of technology transfer, no matter what mechanism used. Without patenting the clean technology in the first place its hard to see how it can be effectively transfered in any senario.
Let’s hope both sides find a mutually agreeable solution so that we can get on with the real problem of tackling climate change.
Filed under: Feature
Brett Janissen, Director, Allen Consulting Group
Allen Consulting Group has recently released a report on growth opportunities in a carbon constrained world. At a recent Griffith Hack Clean and Sustainable Technologies Seminar Brett discussed the growth opportunities identified in this report, and the implications of these opportunities to businesses both in Victoria and elsewhere in Australia.
Brett is an Executive Manager of the Asia Pacific Emissions Trading Forum, and leader in the Climate Change practice of the Allen Consulting Group. He is a specialist in climate policy and emissions trading design; with over 20 years of experience as an economist and policy analyst in a range of Commonwealth agencies, and as a senior consultant.
He led the emissions trading work within the Australian Greenhouse Office from 1999 to 2004 and was principal author of key policy documents in this area including the AGO’s emissions trading discussion paper series and the Commonwealth’s ‘credit for early action’ proposal. As a senior consultant, Brett has continued to advise in the climate area for a range of Commonwealth, State and private sector organisations.
To view Brett’s presentation Click Here
Filed under: Feature
Professor Frank Larkins, Chief Scientist, Energy (Department of Primary Industries) and Professor Emeritus in the School of Chemisty, University of Melbourne.
At a recent Griffith Hack Clean and Sustainable Technologies seminar Professor Larkins discussed why meeting Australia’s future energy demand in a clean and sustainable manner will be a significant challenge. He looked at some of the key uncertainties facing energy planners.
In considered: demand projections, resource availability, regulatory environment, infrastructure investment, climate impacts, technological advances, community attitudes and international developments.
Professor Larkins has published more than 200 papers in the fields of theoretical chemical physics, catalysis, coal chemistry, materials and fuel science.
He holds a wealth of experience in the science and energy sector with previous appointments at Melbourne University having included: Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Dean of Science and Dean of Land and Food Resources. He is a graduate of the University of Melbourne and of Oxford University as well as being a Victorian Rhodes Scholar, Wadham College Senior Scholar, Queen Elizabeth II Fellow and Fulbright Senior Scholar. He has held academic appointments at Battelle Institute, Columbus, USA, Monash, Tasmania, Oregon and Melbourne Universities.
To view slides from Professor Larkins’ presentation Click Here
Filed under: News | Tags: ACF, ACCC, CPRS, Trade Practices, carbon credits, carbon offsets, cap and trade
According to this news item, the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) has accused six companies of making misleading statements about the impact of the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) and is thus allegedly contravening the Trade Practices Act of Australia.
This highlights the risks of making statements about the emerging market for carbon credits and carbon offsets that often accompanied marketing claims.
The ACCC has released the report Carbon Offset Claims: Trade Practices Issues and Other Key Concerns. The ACCC is concerned that with the emergence of carbon offsets and carbon pollution reduction schemes that some potentially misleading and deceptive claims have been made. Generally, the ACCC is concerned about claims made in regard to a particular product or service in a commercial sense. The ACF”s allegation, are thus from a different angle.
In a later report entitled Green Marketing and the Trade Practices Act, the ACCC suggested:
- avoid using names like safe and friendly and unqualified pictures of graphics. At best they are unhelpful and encourage scepticism; at worst they are misleading;
- spell out exactly what is about the product that makes it green and claim language that consumers can understand;
- link the environmental benefit to a specific part of the product or its production process, such as extraction, transportation, manufacture, use package or disposal;
- make sure any claims you make about the product can be substantiated. Think about how you would answer a query regarding the environmental benefits you are claiming about your product. For example, what scientific authority could you use to justify the basis of the claim;
- explain how a products characteristic is beneficial to the environment. For example, explain that phosphate free product is the most damaging in river systems because phosphate promotes algal growth, which can clog up rivers;
- don’t give the impression that your product is completely environmentally benign if it is not;
- use the claim only in an appropriate context or setting. For example, do not claim that a product is not tested on animals if it is product that would better be tested on animals anyway.
Filed under: Feature
At a recent Griffith Hack Clean and Sustainable Technologies seminar Brett Janissen discussed the growth opportunities identified in the Allen Consulting Group report, and the implications of these opportunities to businesses both in Victoria and elsewhere in Australia.
Brett is an Executive Manager of the Asia Pacific Emissions Trading Forum, and leader in the Climate Change practice of the Allen Consulting Group. He is a specialist in climate policy and emissions trading design; with over 20 years of experience as an economist and policy analyst in a range of Commonwealth agencies, and as a senior consultant.
He led the emissions trading work within the Australian Greenhouse Office from 1999 to 2004 and was principal author of key policy documents in this area including the AGO’s emissions trading discussion paper series and the Commonwealth’s ‘credit for early action’ proposal. As a senior consultant, Brett has continued to advise in the climate area for a range of Commonwealth, State and private sector organisations.
Filed under: News | Tags: hybrid, India, lithium battery, patent, technology
According to this news item, patented lithium ion battery technology has brought low costs manufacturers and companies which hold lithium ion patents to the negotiating table.
The article cites that multiple patents appear to be a major hurdle to clear before domestic Indian companies could start manufacturing lithium batteries. This shows that filing patents in the emerging economies such as India and China can be highly effective in securing commercial advantage and joint ventures in these countries.
Filed under: News | Tags: Desertiec, Deutsche Bank, Siemens, solar thermal power, technology
According to this report a consortium of German companies including Siemens & Deutsche Bank are considering a US$555.3 billion solar energy project.
The project would involve solar thermal power generation in the deserts of North Africa with high voltage DC transmission lines linking the power plant to Europe.
I note that the organisation Desertiec is involved, which also has an Australian branch.
Munmorah Carbon Capture Plant
In this year’s budget, the New South Wales Government announced a significant investment in clean coal. Apparently, a key focus of the mineral resources budget is the $16.5 million investment in clean coal technology designed to accelerate the work for clean coal in New South Wales. New South Wales has a $100 million clean coal fund.
On the Central Coast of New South Wales, there is the $5 million Munmorah pilot carbon capture plant which is designed to capture 3,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. Apparently, the state is searching for sequestration sites.
Last night I attended an Australian Institute of Energy (AIE), Young Energy Professionals meeting hosted by AGL.
The CEO of AGL opened the evening and said that AGL has AU$1B of clean energy projects ready to go but on hold because of legislative uncertainty, for example, the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme.
Ben McNeil– Senior Fellow, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW, gave an interesting presentation about the opportunities for innovative companies in the changing energy landscape and the move to cleaner energy. He’s written a book which is all about this opportunity – The Clean Industrial Revolution.
The future of carbon capture and storage
Nick Otter, CEO the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute, Canberra
Nick discusses carbon capture and storage in Australia, with an emphasis on power generation, distribution and transport. The Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute (GCCSI) is being established at the specific behest of the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, to accelerate the global deployment of carbon capture and storage at coal fired power stations. The Prime Minister has pledged a budget for the GCCSI of up to A$100m/year. The initial focus of the GCCSI is, through the provision of international policy and management oversight, to facilitate the development worldwide of more than 20 commercial-scale carbon capture and storage demonstration projects by 2020, in line with policy adoptions by the G8.
The economic drivers for clean and sustainable technologies
Peter Jones, OBE
Peter talks about the future of sustainable technologies, such as renewable energy and waste recycling and processing, from an overarching economic perspective. Peter draws on his experiences in the UK and Europe. Peter was until May 2008 a Director of Biffa Waste Services Limited with specific responsibilities in external affairs and strategy development. He qualified from Nottingham University as an Industrial Economist in 1969, and in July 2007 received an Honorary Degree from the University of Southampton as a Doctor of the University. In recognition of his wide involvement in the economic, technological and socio-political trends impacting on society in the waste and resources economy, Peter Jones was awarded the OBE in 2007. Peter is the Mayor of London’s Special Advisor on waste on the London Waste Advisory Board. Additionally he is a strategic advisor for a number of UK Blue Chips examining the issues around Distributed Energy and the impact of low carbon policies.
Filed under: News | Tags: carbon dioxide, carbon recycling, CCS, CO2, Mantra Energy
Recently a lot of attention has been paid to capture carbon and storage (CCS). One of the drawbacks of this approach is that the capture and storage for carbon from, for example, a coal fired power station costs money and there is no direct financial benefit from doing so.
People are starting to wonder whether they can make money from the captured carbon. Is the answer carbon recycling?
According to this article, people are starting to ask this question. Some of the possible uses of captured carbon dioxide is to convert it to formate salts or formic acid which are both valuable chemicals used in industry. One company doing this is Mantra Energy.
Another use for captured CO2 is as a feedstock for the growth of algae which can be then turned into useful biofuel. Alternatively, chemical conversion of the carbon dioxide into methanol or another fuel may be possible. These ideas certainly make sense from an economic perspective provided they can be made to work and may be the answer to the economic barriers associated with reducing carbon emissions.
Filed under: News | Tags: DRCV, Electronic Engine Temperature Control Systems, engine temperature management
According to this report, a significant obstacle to the efficient operation of an internal combustion engine is the maintenance of a ideal operating temperature to keep the correct engine oil viscosity. Apparently, the ideal temperature is between 110°C and 120°C.
One company, Electronic Engine Temperature Control Systems, has developed a way to regulate the bypass coolant circuit around the engine to always provide an optimal engine oil temperature - irrespective of either ambient temperature or engine load conditions.
The system, a new digital rotary control valve (DRCV) system significantly boosts engine efficiencies. In cold climates, such as winter driving in Ontario, the system provides an 8% fuel economy saving. This is purely based on the thermal management of engine oil, however more savings are possible by regulating transmission fluid temperatures.
The company has a strong intellectual property position with 19 US patents, many covering controlled technology. Some of the patent applications are linked here.
According to this blog, the US is to establish new policy that will oppose any global climate change treaty that weakens the IP rights (particularly patents) of American “green technology.” This is, apparently, in preparation of the Copenhagen meeting in December as part of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Developing nations have argued that IP rights should be weakened to encourage transfer of clean technology to them, however, clean technology companies in developed nations have argued that this approach is misguided and will actually stifle innovation and technology transfer.
This previous blog puts discusses the debate in more detail.
Justin Blows.
According to this UN report, Global investments in renewable energy overtook those in carbon-based fuels for the first time in 2008, attracting a record 155 billion dollars, a UN report said Wednesday.
Filed under: Articles | Tags: clean coal, climate change, patent, solar energy, technolgy
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Breaking News: Griffith Hack successful in petitioning the Australian Patent Office to fast track “green” patents. See here for more information
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Australia desperately needs a fast track system for the examination of patent applications for climate change mitigation technologies, such as clean coal and solar energy.
In our recent clean coal and solar energy reports, we discussed how Australian’s filed a minority of Australian clean coal and solar energy patent applications. The graphs below are extracted from these reports and show the number of patent applications filed per year by Australian and foreign applicants.
Because of the relatively low patent filing rates by Australians, Australia is set to miss out on business opportunities that will arise from innovating in the cleantech space and then protecting that innovation for commercial advantage. As international pressure increases for Australia to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions more cleantech will be bought and used, but it looks likely that most of the technology will be imported. We will not have much to export either. This is bad for just about every economic measure you can think of: Green jobs; government revenue; and the price of technological adaption & mitigation of climate change. It is also bad for the environment if adoption of these technologies are hindered as a result.
The commercialisation of climate change mitigation technology is essential to tackling climate change. Patents facilitate the transfer and diffusion of these technologies in the market. The faster patents can be issued the faster the technology will reach the market. Patents should be an integral part of Australia’s response to climate change. Strangely, as far as I know there has been discussion of this issue by neither Australian government nor industry.
Australian's filed a minority of Australian clean coal patents
Australian's filed a minority of Australian solar patents
One opportunity to turn the situation around is to fast track patent applications for green and particularly climate change mitigation technologies. This would allow Australian innovators to rapidly increase their patent counts and regain commercial competitiveness in an area that patents really do matter.
So how fast should an Australian patent fast track system be? The highly influential leading climatologist from NASA, Jim Hansen, recently said we have only four years left to act if we want to avoid catastrophic climate change. But the delay in the issuance of examination reports is well over 1 year which is too long given the window of opportunity.
The UK has introduced a fast track system for green patents (here is the official UK press release). They promise that a green patent can be prosecuted to grant in 9 months. That is much more consistant with the window of opportunity available to us.
I do note that under Patent Regulation 3.17(2)(a) that The Comissioner of Patents may expedite examination of a patent if it is in the public interest to do so. Surely, there is no greater public interest then the fast tracking of climate change mitigation technology and I look forward to hearing from the Patent Office that they too will fast track green patent applications, perhaps under the public interest leg of this regulation.
