CLEANTECH BUZZ: Siemens' Crystal vision

Just in case anyone thought Siemens wasn't committed enough to the advancement of clean technology, the German engineering and technology giant is building a monument to it in the heart of London. Officially named the "Crystal" in a ceremony last week, the £30 million structure will be built in East London as part of Siemens' sustainable cities initiative. Green Bang reports that, when it opens to the public in the summer of 2012 (just in time for city's hosting of the 2012 Olympic Games), "it will provide a real-life working example of some of the latest technologies available to help urban areas conserve energy, reduce waste and use natural resources more efficiently."

Such technologies will include: an advanced building management system controlling temperatures, lighting and ventilation to maximise comfort levels and minimise energy use; natural and “smart” lighting to keep artificial lighting at a minimum; low-energy ventilation to make the most of free, natural cooling and a ground-source heat pump for heating on cold days; rooftop solar panels and solar thermal panels for hot water; electric cars recharging (using renewable power sources); rainwater harvesting and “black water” recycling; sustainable urban drainage technology to minimise use of the city's sewer system; external glazing and insulated roofing to keep heat in during winter and heat out during summer; and drought tolerant tree and plant species in a community garden designed for cultivation and education.

As well as serving as a paragon of modern urban energy efficiency and sustainability, the Crystal, which Siemens hopes will become London's newest landmark, will have conference and education facilities, as well as a restaurant, cafe and shop. It is also being fitted with space for experts and academics to get together and brainstorm, to promote “independent dialogue and collaboration as key components of urban innovation and the creation of successful, sustainable cities,” says Siemens. “(W)e aim to develop solutions to cope with the massive growth of cities and make them livable centers of business and culture,” said Siemens' CEO for Infrastructure & Cities Sector, Roland Busch. “The Crystal will play a vital role in these endeavors.”

Fusion hots up in BC

From London to Vancouver now, where there's another building that's attracting interest from both locals and cleantech wonks, but not for its eye-catching, crystalline architecture. Here we have more of your cluster of unassuming warehouses, but it's what's going on inside them that has people intrigued, says MarketWatch's Bill Mann: "especially since ... (they) are working on technology that could produce heat 10 times greater than that of the sun. Oops. Boom! There goes the neighbourhood?"

The warehouses are the property of Gereral Fusion – a British Columbia-based start-up whose particular line of research is in "hot fusion," which is, apparently, a much 'hotter' technology in the clean energy stakes, these days, than cold fusion. And as well as attracting the attention of various concerned subruban citizens, Mann points out that General Fusion "has also attracted the attention, and cash, of some major investors, including Amazon.com's Jeff Bezos and – get this – an oil-sands company, which would seem to be counter-intuitive."

But while these are some impressive names to have backing your technology, hot fusion is yet to shed its pie-in-the sky status, says Mann – a point that even the company's founders are prepared to concede. Engineer and General Fusion CEO Doug Richardson, told the CBC that the odds of success for his company were long: “less than 50 per cent, for sure,” he said, when asked how likely it was they would create a hot-fusion reaction. “We're going down … a path that's not well explored,” he said. “I would put 20- to 30-per-cent chance of success.” And the investors are similarly realistic: ”Fusion is a long shot," says Dave Hassan, who oversees the eco-fund for the Calgary-based oil sands company Cenovus Energy. "But it's a game changer if it works – carbon-free energy, essentially, forever.”

On the technical side, the company aims to build a three-meter-diameter steel sphere filled with spinning molten lead and lithium, says Mann. Super-heated radioactive "plasma" (gas) would be injected into the vortex, while the outside of the sphere would be pounded with 200 computer-synchronised pistons. The resulting shock waves are, theoretically, supposed to compress the plasma and spark a fusion reaction for a few microseconds, generating enough heat in that brief time span as to be 10 times hotter than the core of the sun. Then repeat the process once every second without breaking the containment vessel. And while the investors might well fret about the likelihood of all this coming together, Richardson says that concerned local residents can rest easy. “Fusion is fundamentally, inherently failsafe," says Richardson. "I plan to be standing right next to it, so I'm not worried about that whatsoever.”

Smart test

It's no understatement to say that energy efficiency will play a huge part in the global effort to reduce carbon emissions. And in the effort to make buidlings, utilities and power grids more energy efficient, smart software will be key. So news that software that enabled a utility in Washington to cut power consumption by up to 50 per cent is set to get a much bigger test is worth noting. As Technology Review reports, this small demonstration is part of a $178 million project – which is run by several companies and institutions, including IBM – that aims to knit together aging, fragmented grid infrastructure across five states and 11 utilities to make way for electric cars and renewable energy." It will also involve "95 smaller efforts" to integrate wind energy, store power from the grid, accommodate EV charging, and set up 'microgrids' that can survive on their own in the event of a power outage. 

It works by keeping electricity rates flat, but giving customers rebates on their power bills in exchange for them installing thermostats and other smart devices in their households that communicate with the utility. The utility sends signals to a household's smart thermostats and appliances about electricity prices and – based on the consumers' preferences – the household's smart systems send signals back to the utility about how much power they will use. When tested on Washington's Olympic Peninsula, says TR, the system reduced electricity demand during peak times by 15 per cent, on average. During one period of particularly tight supply, consumption dropped 50 per cent. Consumers saved about 10 per cent on their power bills.

But the system still needs to be tested on a larger scale, with concerns that there is potential for the development of feedback loops that can make the system unstable – that is, smart devices in 60,000 homes over five large states could cause unexpected fluctuations in demand that power generators might not be able to keep up with. All going well, hoewever, the smart grid project could help utilities save billions through better use of their existing equipment, while also reducing the need to build more transmission lines to meet peak demand.

United forces of green

There's no shortage of lists in the world of cleantech, especially as we approach the pointy end of the year, but National Defense magazine has this month published a list that offers something a bit different from your average 'best of.' The NDIA has complied a list of "10 Technologies the US Military Will Need For the Next War." Not, perhaps, the most positive goal, but quite possibly a realistic one, considering predictions that the effects of climate change will increase the amount of conflicts around the globe.

Ranking high on the wishlist is renewable energy that reduces the military's dependence on fuel supplies. "Transporting fuel to war zones has become one of the most dangerous missions because enemies know that it is the lifeblood of the US military machine," says the magazine. "Any company that can come up with a fuel cheaper than what the US military currently uses, JP-8, will have the world's largest consumer of petroleum waiting with open arms to purchase it."

According to the report, the Air Force wants to run 50 per cent of its aircraft using alternative energy sources by 2016, while the Navy and Marine Corps have similar goals, but by 2020. The Army, meanwhile, is under an executive order to increase the use of non-petroleum fuels in ground vehicles by 10 per cent per year. But, as the magazine points out, if the world's largest liquid fossil fuels customer can't drive the market, who can? 

“I can't go to the new market until the market exists,” said General Ray Johns Jr, commander of Air Force Mobility Command. “The Air Force has taken the time and expense to qualify its aircraft on alternative fuels. When and if a supplier can come up with a product that is cheaper than JP-8, Air Mobility Command will be a major customer," he said. “We're ready to go. We're qualified to go. And as it becomes available, we will surely use it."

Also making the wishlist is technology to help lighten a soldier's load. Batteries to power radios and other electronic gadgets account for a fifth of the total weight carried by soldiers in theater, says the report. And soldiers on a three-day mission can carry up to seven different types of batteries that can add 20 pounds to their load. "The Army would like to create wearable power systems and higher-voltage batteries that would require less recharging. Scientists also are investigating the concept of clothing materials that can act as an electrical bus shifting power around the uniform as needed. These innovations could free troops from carrying so many batteries."