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Green Power: Technology to Meet Our Energy Needs

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Green Power: Technology to Meet Our Energy Needs AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF TECHNOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING (ATSE) NUMBER 152 OCTOBER 2008 GREEN POWER Technology to meet our energy needs Contributors discuss the various technologies available to generate energy for Australia that generate fewer emissions – and discuss nanotechnologies, biosecurity, minerals processing and ‘grey’ buildings FOCUS www.atse.org.au Arup creates a slice of paradise … no ordinary walk in the rainforest Arup is proud to have been a part of creating a slice of paradise in North Queensland. The Mamu Rainforest Canopy Walkway near Innisfail in Wooroonooran National Park offers a unique experience with spectacular canopy-level views of highland rainforest, wild rivers, mountains, gorges and rapids. Visitors from around the world will enjoy sweeping vistas of World Heritage listed landscapes. Arup was involved in this stunning Queensland Government project from inception to completion, designing the steel walkway and supporting infrastructure for the 370m elevated walkway, 8m long cantilever and 36m high observation deck. In a constantly changing world, our commitment to the environment, our clients and our community remains steadfast. We shape a better world | www.arup.com Images courtesy of Hutchinson Builders CONTENTS 13 Photovoltaics: an elegant technology for electricity 14 Responding to climate change 5 with accelerated energy Carboncaptureand technology storagebarriersnot insurmountable 17 Hot rock energy likely source of By Peter Cook baseload power 19 Sustainable electricity think-tank established 20 Wind power can do it now 22 Ocean power reaching a fork in 7 the road Solarenergy–the punter’schoice, 24 Harnessing biomass to fuel butisitrealistic? Australia’s growth By John Wright 26 Energy nanotechnology strategy would benefit Australia 28 Converging technologies for biosecurity 10 30 ATSE leads Australia–China Nuclearoptions:many minerals push countrieshavefaced thesameissues 32 Green light for grey buildings: By Ziggy Switkowski new hope for old offices 34 Policy changes necessary for a vibrant higher education system Cover:ThemirrorarrayoftheNationalSolarEnergyCentrein Newcastle. Photo:StefanMoore 39 ATSE in Focus ATSE is an independent body of eminent Australian engineers and scientists established to promote the application of scientific and engineering knowledge to practical purposes. ATSE Focus is produced to serve this goal. Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of ATSE. Material published in Focus may be reproduced provided ATSE Focus is produced to stimulate discussion and appropriate acknowledgement is given to the author and the Academy. public policy initiatives on key topics of interest Editor: Bill Mackey to the Academy and the nation. Many articles are Technical Consultant: Dr Vaughan Beck FTSE contributed by ATSE Fellows with expertise in these AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF TECHNOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERINg (ATSE) areas. Opinion pieces on topics of national interest, Address: Ian McLennan House, 197 Royal Parade, Parkville Victoria 3052 particularly the Academy’s key interest areas – climate Postal Address: PO Box 355, Parkville Victoria 3052 change, water, energy and education – will be Telephone: 03 9340 1200 considered for publication. Items between 800 and Facsimile: 03 9347 8237 1500 words are preferred. Please address comments, Email: [email protected] suggested topics and article for publication to ACN 008 520 394 ABN 58 008 520 394 [email protected]. Print Post Publication No 341403/0025 ISSN 1326-8708 Deadline for the receipt of copy for next edition of Focus is 3 November2008 Design and production: Coretext 03 9670 1168 www.coretext.com.au FOCUS www.atse.org.au BEHIND EVERY LEADING ECONOMY, THERE’S A LEADING UNIVERSITY. BC+Y UNWG00239 BC+Y The University of Western Australia consistently ranks among the top universities in Australia for teaching, learning and research. Our focus continues to be on performing at international standards of excellence and attracting and retaining the very finest teachers, researchers, students and strategic partners. For almost 100 years, UWA has contributed to Western Australia’s powerhouse economy and enviable lifestyle. If you would enjoy a world-class education and lifestyle experience that will enrich your social and professional life, consider UWA. Our attitude, staff and resources have produced Government Ministers, Nobel Laureates, global business leaders and successful diplomats. For more details on studying at UWA, please visit us at www.uwa.edu.au CRICOS Provider No. 00126G GREEN POWER Carbon capture and storage barriers not insurmountable CCS is certainly not the total answer … but it is an essential part of the answer, along with energy efficiency, greater use of renewable energy and lower-carbon fuels By Peter Cook provide industry with CO2 for use in dry cleaning or [email protected] the manufacture of carbonated drinks. hile the increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) The search is now on for new solvents, as well as in the atmosphere from burning fossil fuel adapting other current technologies that can be applied is contributing to climate change, CO2 to separating CO2 from flue gases, such as using mem- makes up only a very small proportion of branes, which act as nano-sized sieves, or minerals that Wthe atmosphere (0.038 per cent). attract CO (like washing powder attracts dirt), or by 2 Trees can easily extract CO2 from the atmosphere, freezing the CO2. In addition to the separation mate- but there is no technology that can effectively do this. rial, there is a need to develop more energy-efficient What we can use technology for is to stop the CO2 get- methods for the whole process, in order to maximise ting into the atmosphere in the first place. The most energy use. practical way do this is to capture it at large, stationary One process being further developed is the gasifica- sources, such as power stations or industrial plants. tion of coal, which has the dual benefit of being energy Carbon capture and geological storage (CCS) has efficient and enabling easier capture of CO2. It also pro- been under way for more than a decade as part of pe- vides a pathway for the production of hydrogen for use troleum operations, yet many people are only just be- as a clean fuel. coming aware of it and the opportunity it offers to sub- Once we have the separated CO2, it is compressed stantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions from major into a fairly dense liquid form and then transported to stationary sources of CO2, such as power stations. a storage site by pipeline. Millions of tonnes of CO2 are CCS involves separating CO2 from other gases, compressing it until it becomes a fluid, Figure 1 Carbon cycle schematic transporting it to a suitable site and injecting 5.5 750 Atmosphere it into suitable deep geological formation for 60 Respiration 60 long-term storage. Re-vegetation Decomposition 1.6 This is being done at various places Photosynthesis Fossil fuel combustion 90 around the world, but we are not doing it at & industrial processes anywhere near the scale that is required to make the necessary deep cuts in emissions. 610 Vegetation This is partly because of the cost of capturing 0.5 4,000 121.3 the CO . A great deal of research is under way Fossil fuels Deforestation 2 & land-use change Diusion to quickly develop cheaper and more efficient 1580 ways to capture the CO2. Soils 92 At the moment CO2 is captured com- 1020 100 38,100 KEY 100,000,000 Surface ocean Sedimentary rocks Deep ocean mercially using liquid solvents. The CO2 is Circulation Carbon uxes Sedimentation absorbed in the liquid and then removed in – into the atmosphere, 916 100 gigatonnes carbon per year – out of the atomosphere, concentrated form by changing the tempera- 60 gigatonnes carbon per year 150 ture or pressure of the liquid. This technique – ocean circulation, Sediments 0.2 100 gigatonnes carbon per year is used in Australia and around the world to 38,100 Gigatonnes carbon stored FOCUS www.atse.org.au 5 GREEN POWER already transported by pipeline every year in the US good seal (a very impermeable rock) is necessary to and the technology is well known. What is missing in hold in the CO2. Rocks of this type are found in many Australia and most other countries is the pipeline infra- parts of Australia, although not always near to the ma- structure to transport the CO2. jor sources of CO2. Some of the best areas are likely to At the storage site the liquid CO2 is injected into be offshore, which is why the Federal Government’s re- the ground at a depth of about a kilometre or more. Vast cent legislation to allow offshore storage of CO2 could amounts of CO2 are trapped naturally in the ground be very important to the uptake of this technology. through normal geological processes for millions of CCS is certainly not the total answer to greenhouse years. This CO2 is used in the food industry in various concerns, but it is an essential part of the answer, along industrial processes and in enhanced oil recovery. with energy efficiency, greater use of renewable energy Over the past 30 years, several hundred million and lower carbon fuels. tonnes of CO2 have been injected underground as a CCS is also of global significance. For example, means of extracting more oil. Also, about 20 million each year China puts in more new coal-fired power sta- tonnes of CO2 have been geologically stored as part tions than we have in the whole of Australia now – and of natural gas and petroleum production in Norway, those power stations will be emitting CO2 for the next Canada and Algeria since 1996. 40 or 50 years. This means that not only do we need to In Australia we recently started the first CO2 stor- start deploying CCS in new-build power stations, but age project – the CO2CRC Otway Project – in west- we also need to be able to retrofit CCS to many of the ern Victoria and have already injected 15,000 tonnes of existing power stations.
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