Tanzania Sisal Biogas

The Food and Agriculture Organisation study on Small-Scale Bioenergy Initiatives looked at one operation in Tanzania that was using sissal waste for biogas and biofertiliser. The SISO Project benefited 1,000 families with incomes and electricity through the grid.

Lying on the Coast of Tanzania, bordering Kenya, Tanga Region has a population of around 1.7million, with a growth rate in population from 1998-2002 of 1.8% and a population density of 60 persons per square kilometre. The population of Tanga Region has been increasing since 1957, and as a result of high population density, forests have become endangered and wood scarce. The increasing need for income and food is not matched by increased economic development or food production.


Sisal is the most important cash crop, used to produce yarns, ropes, carpets, clothing and composites, and sold to the domestic and international markets. Since 1999 Katani Ltd, a sisal growing company, has developed a system of smallholder and out-grower sisal farming, on land owned by the company and in the surrounding areas. Katani has developed the first biogas plant in the world to convert sisal biomass to biogas. This is used to run electricity generators which power production machinery, with excess electricity supplied to out-growers/smallholders homes, schools and hospitals.


Organic fertiliser is produced as a by-product, process heat is used for drying fibre and could be used to dry paper made from sisal pulp. Using current production methods, only 4% of the actual plant is recovered as fibre. The residue was either burnt, producing carbon dioxide, or rotted naturally, producing methane. The use of sisal waste for bio-energy is thus environmentally beneficial. Converting the waste to biogas increases the profit to farmers, since 80% of the plant mass is suitable for biogas production.


Investment for a biogas project came from The Common Fund for Commodities (UN Body) US$ 927,712; UNIDO US$ 225,600; and the Tanzanian Government US$ 350,000, during phase one of the pilot plant. Ongoing financing is received from government and external agencies. The project is managed by UNIDO and a 16-member coordinating committee with representation from the FAO, CFC, UNIDO, TSB, Katani Limited, the Sisal Association of Tanzania (SAT) and relevant government ministries. The biogas project is profitable and Katani Ltd plans to provide local accessto low cost bioenergy via a system of mini grids from their biogas plants. Funds are being sought to undertake the work and plans are under development. 

Tanzania: Energy Deals Faulty - Ewura

Dar es Salaam — Power production agreements that are not handled transparently are the reason for the recent problems in the energy sector.

The poor outcomes, according to the Energy and Water Utility Regulatory Authority (Ewura), always result in frustrations among the general public, politicians and other stakeholders in the sector.

The revelations were made in the city yesterday as local stakeholders in the sector met with their Kenyan counterparts with the Tanzanian side wishing to draw some lessons from the neighbouring country.

According to Ewura's director general Haruna Masebu there has been an overlap of responsibilities in the government that have led to poor planning, procurement and contracting in the power sector.

"We want to achieve consensus on the best way for government entities to cooperate in power sector planning, procurement and contracting. Ewura is committed to improving the outcomes of power procurement," Mr Masebu said.

The director general said his entity was also responsible for approving the initiation of procurement of power projects and approving purchase agreements. He said guidelines were underway to ensure procurement processes were following stipulated laws.

NSSF power project on course

By ORTON KIISHWEKO,  THE 150MW National Social Security Fund (NSSF) power project is likely to get a boost of $100m (160bn/-) in the ongoing bidding process. In an interview on Sunday , the NSSF Procurement Manager, Ms Amina Abdallah, confirmed that the bids have reached advanced stages and that they would be announced before the year ends. "I cannot give details since we are in the last stages but this should come before the year ends," she said. Four companies have submitted bids for the tender including BGR Energy (Siemens Machines) $183,520,000, Megawatt (Rolls Royce machine): $155, 273,820); Megawatt (GE machine): $177,901,620; and Isolux Corsan: $143,987,200.

Jet Stream Wind Industry – To Catch The Big Wind

By Colin Houghton

Scientists are eyeing the jet stream, an energy source that rages night and day, 365 days a year, just a few miles above our heads. If they can tap into its fierce winds, the world’s entire electrical needs could be met, they say.

 

They believe that the total global energy contained in wind is 100 times the power used by everyone on the planet. If we could tap into just one per cent of that energy, they say it still wouldn’t produce a major adverse effect on the environment. The jet stream is made up of several large currents of high-speed air that rush eastward through the upper atmosphere. Six miles high, the winds have exceeded 300 mph.

Researchers in California and around the world believe huge kite-like wind-power generators could be the solution and they are continuing further work towards a complete solution.

 

By lofting generators into the upper atmosphere, scientists theorize they could capture the power of the jet stream and transmit the electricity along cables back to Earth.

A wind machine, floated into such a high power wind, would transmit electricity on aluminum or copper cables- or  perhaps even through invisible microwave beams- down to power grids, where it would be distributed to homes and businesses. Unlike ground-based wind generators, the high-altitude devices would be too high to be heard and barely visible against the blue sky. That would mean no complaints about the sound of conventional wind turbines, and no visible impact on the environment. Science fantasy or fact?

South Africa’s first commercial wind farm

South Africa’s first commercial wind farm, the Darling wind farm, began generating in May 2008 with four turbines, each producing 1.3 MW

By Colin Houghton

A study by Frost & Sullivan:  ”Mega Trends in Africa: A bright vision for the growing continent” was released at an African growth, innovation and leadership conference in Cape Town last month (August).  According to this Africa Infrastructure Country Diagnostic, chronic power problems impede growth and productivity in more than 30 African countries. Inadequate generation capacity, limited electrification, low demand for power, unreliable service, and skyrocketing prices cause serious problems in the sector. Countries would have to spend $40-billion annually over 10 years and take decisive steps to improve the efficiency of power utilities in order to remove these challenges.

But these very challenges present massive potential for renewable energy development, primarily driven by the need to provide electrification to remote communities. The analysis notes that over the next ten years, renewable energy initiatives will be dominated by wind powerprojects, such as the Ashegoda wind farm in Ethiopia  and Tanzania’s Singida wind farm.

A wind farm in the Ngong hills on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya

It is ironic that Africa is endowed with both fossil and renewable energy resources that could more than adequately cover its energy needs, yet remains the most poorly electrified continent in the world. The report said “The proportion of people without electricity in Africa is higher than anywhere else on the planet, with as little as 5% of the population having direct access to electricity in some countries.”
 

Things are already happening. In West Africa a wind farm that will supply a quarter of the electricity needs of the Cape Verde islands started operations this August.  

The 25.5MW Cabeolica wind farm will provide power to four islands in the archipelago, which is 570km off the coast of West Africa. The islands have a population of around 500,000 with just under 400,000 tourists visiting annually.

The Cape Verde project

The islands have world-class wind resources of 10m/s, as they lie in the Trade Winds belt, although that also means they can be subject to hurricanes. More than one fifth of the population of the former Portuguese colony is desperately poor, living on less than a pound a day. The development of wind projects will reduce reliance on expensive imported diesel and fuel oil.

Location of Cape Verde islands

LoopWing wind turbine

This Japanese design, the LoopWing wind turbine, was unveiled at the 2006 Japanese Eco-Products Exhibition. At that time, it was said that the turbine was aimed at homeowners, and featured a unique wing design that operated with low vibration and as wind speeds as low as 1.6 m/sec.

Efficiency specifications were less detailed. It is claimed that the turbine rotates at wind speeds as low as 2m/s while achieving over 40% co-efficiency at around 8m/s in wind tunnel experiments. A year later LoopWing won the Tokyo Technical Venture Award 2007, a prize given by Tokyo Metropolitan Government to those venture businesses attempting to bring about innovative technologies and products with the aim of vitalizing Tokyo and creating employment in the city.

The LoopWing uses  loop-shaped blades – helping to overcome problems suffered by conventional wind turbines, such as the noises created by tip vortex, vibration, relatively short life span, and the heavy weight of the turbine. As the turbine’s blade is looped, it has no pointed tip to create a vortex, reducing noise and drag force. The technology uses waterproof oil-bath bearings and a sealing system from marine engineering, achieving what the manufacturer’s say is 20-year design life.

Each blade and the main shaft are connected at two ends; with the tip, they form a three-point truss structure where each point is supported against two others to produce an increased tolerance to vibration.  It’s also claimed that because some people have an aversion to the rotating knife-like blades of traditional wind turbines, the LoopWing’s slow-rotation and unusual appearance goes some way towards mitigating this.

Installation at Gala Aoi Umi Corporation in Okinawa

 At the Renewable Energy World event last year, one of the models of LoopWing type wind powergenerator called the TRONC was shown. It features a hybrid solar and wind energy generator and it doesn’t need extra source of energy. The TRONC has a small windmill and sunlight panel mounted on top plus the familiar LoopWing style blade, 1.5 meters in diameter.  The South Korean company LoopWing Korea, is planning to create and market this hybrid renewable energy generator.     

                                                              

Unusually, LoopWing and the world famous craft kit manufacturer Tamiya came together to produce a craft model that lets you see the LoopWing in miniature action and see how it works.

The turbine drives a generator that then charges a little model car that plugs onto the top of the generator body. The energy is collected in a super capacitor that can then run the car for about 3 minutes on a full charge.

 

Leadership Changes in Zambia, Chinese Meaning

Leadership Changes in Zambia, Chinese Meaning
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
New leadership in Zambia could have a direct impact on one of its major investors and renewable energy proponent: China. Zambian opposition leader Michael Sata was sworn in as president on September 23, winning the majority of the votes with 45% compared to incumbent Rupiah Banda’s 35%, but his stance on China has many speculations rising to the forefront. And one of the major platforms that helped Sata’s campaign drive was his promise to share the country’s mineral wealth – particularly from its copper mines – with the public within 90 days. Mining firms and investors are concerned with the new leader’s promises which will force them to handover 25% interests to local firms, similar to Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe’s indigenization plan. Bloomberg quoted a Citigroup Inc. sub-Saharan Africa strategist that predicted a Sata administration will likely lead to higher taxes for mining companies. During Banda’s three-decade tenure, favorable taxes and regulations were implemented to entice copper mining companies and boost production to more than 700,000 metric tons just in the past year.

South Africa’s Green Coca Cola Plant

IBC Solar’s South African partner Lapp Group has successfully installed a solar PV system in Coca Cola’s Valpré plant at Heidelberg, South Africa. The system, helping to cut carbon emissions by 29.5 tons, is expected to generate about 50,000 kWh per year.

IBC supplied 132 IBC PolySol modules and two inverters with Lapp completing the installation and will be responsible for maintenance of the facility. “The company is setting a good example by building this PV facility”, said Alexander Müller, who is responsible for the Off-Grid Power Supply business at IBC Solar

Portable Solar Energy Hits Rwanda

Rwandan company Hasty Energy Ltd. and Taiwanese firm Nanowin Technology are shedding light in the East African country via portable solar energy.

The equipment available to residents in Kigali include portable solar generators that produce between 150 watts and 300 watts per day with three lights, power supply for two mobile phones, and an additional power outlet. The controller has built-in protection to combat over charging with a six-year warranty battery.

While the price of the system is still being negotiated, an executive said that the entire package should not exceed $4,400.

Tanzania, Uganda Join for Hydropower

East African countries are moving forward with increasing their electricity generation capacity with the most current coming from Uganda and Tanzania. The two countries have signed an agreement to build a 16-MW hydropower plant that will generate electricity as early as 2012.

The Kikagati/Murongo hydropower project will be constructed on the Kagera River on the Uganda/Tanzania border, according to a statement released by the East African Community (EAC).

Goldwind to build 200m$ Wind Farm in Illinois, United States

By Colin Houghton

While on an economic trade mission to China, US Governor for Illinois, Pat Quinn (centre, above), visited Beijing and announced plans for Goldwind to build a major wind farm in Shady Oaks, Lee County, Illinois, US. Work will begin later this year.

Goldwind USA Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co, LTD, based in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China. Goldwind USA established its headquarters in Chicago in 2010 to oversee operations in North and South America.
The Shady Oaks wind farm project, will provide 106.5 megawatts (MW) of power, and create more than 100 construction and a dozen permanent maintenance jobs in Illinois. The 71 permanent magnet direct drive 1.5MW Goldwind turbines will be manufactured in China, while some other components, such as the bearings for the turbines, will be manufactured by a US company in Ohio. Once operational, the project will provide enough energy to power 30,000 homes on the community.  The blades will be manufactured at LM Windpower’s facility in Grand Forks, South Dakota, a move that will help that company save 60-80 jobs which were slated to be laid off.

The cost of the project is estimated to be 200m$ and the energy produced will be sold to Commonwealth Edison under a 20 year power purchase agreement. Commonwealth Edison (commonly known as ComEd) is the largest electric utility in Illinois, serving the Chicago and Northern Illinois area.
“We intend to begin construction of the project in 2011,” Tim Rosenzweig, chief executive of Goldwind USA Inc., said in a recent interview. “We have a number of pending customers and expect to have significant orders in 2011.”

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Geothermal Energy The Power From Below!

"Geothermal" is from two Greek words – "geo" meaning the earth and "therme" meaning heat.

"Energy" stems from the Greek word "ergon" - meaning work.

Literally translated, geothermal energy is "the work of earth's heat".

So what is geo-energy and how does it work? Follow the link for detailed information - simply stated however, geothermal power is derived from the earth's super-heated water and rock. We use this source of energy to produce practical power such as electricity.

It is an enormous, underused heat and power resource that is clean (emits little or no greenhouse gases) and reliable.

Geothermal resources range from shallow surface pools, to hot water and rock several miles below the Earth's surface, and even further down to the extremely hot molten rock called magma.

Mile-or-more-deep wells can be drilled into underground reservoirs and tap steam and very hot water that can then be brought to the surface for use in a variety of applications.