shows warming world

January 21, 2011 – 2:12PM

Last year tied for the hottest year on record, confirming a long-term warming trend which will continue unless greenhouse gas emissions are cut, the World Meteorological Organisation says.

The first 10 years of the millennium proved to be the hottest decade since records began in the 19th century, it said.

“The main signal is that the warming trend continues and is being strengthened year after year,” WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud told a news conference on Thursday.

“The trend, unfortunately, will continue for a number of years but the amplitude will depend on the amount of greenhouse gases released,” the Frenchman added. “It will depend on action taken to minimise the release of greenhouse gases.”

Mr Jarraud said the latest data should convince doubters about the growing evidence for man-made climate change.

“If they look at it in an unbiased way, it should convince them, or hopefully a few of them, that the sceptical position is untenable.”

2010 was also marked by further melting of Arctic ice – in December its extent was at its lowest on record, the WMO said – and by extreme weather, including Russia’s heatwave and devastating floods in Pakistan.

Rising temperatures, already about 0.8 degree Celsius above pre-industrial times, mean the world will struggle to limit warming to below 2 degrees Celsius, a target agreed by almost 200 nations at UN talks in Mexico last month.

Many experts see 2 degrees as a threshold for dangerous climate change, such as more heatwaves, droughts, floods and rising seas.

“We have to act very fast and strongly [to limit emissions],” said Bob Ward, of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

He noted that many sceptics say global warming has stopped because of no new records since 1998, when temperatures were boosted by a strong El Nino event that warms the Pacific.

“But they cannot explain away the fact that nine of the 10 warmest years have occurred since 2000,” he said.

“Data received by the WMO show no statistically significant difference between global temperatures in 2010, 2005 and 1998,” the United Nations body, which compiles its ranking from data provided by British and US agencies, said in a statement.

Data from British institutes on Wednesday showed last year was the world’s second warmest behind 1998, while the other two main groups tracking global warming, based in the United States, said 2010 was tied for the hottest on record.

Over the 10 years from 2001 to 2010, global temperatures have averaged 0.45 degrees Celsius above the 1961-1990 average and are the highest ever recorded for a 10-year period since climate records began, WMO said.

The difference between the three hottest years was less than the margin of uncertainty in comparing the data, according to WMO, whose assessment is based on climate data from land-based weather and climate stations, ships, buoys and satellites.

The fight against global warming suffered a setback in the wake of the financial crisis, slowing funding for renewable energy projects and knocking momentum from international efforts to agree on a climate deal to succeed the Kyoto Protocol in 2013.

Reuters

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

Presenter: Nick Weinert

Office of Climate Change
Listen to Presentation

Nick delivered information surrounding the development of the discussion paper “Electric Vehicle Roadmap”

Received & published by Henry Sapiecha

PALO ALTO, Calif. (UPI) — A cloud-seeding scheme proposed to combat global warming could change global rainfall patterns and result in water shortages, researchers say.

Whitening clouds over the world’s oceans to reflect more sunlight and reduce global warming could in fact increase monsoonal rains over oceans while causing the world’s continents to become drier on average, a Carnegie Institute study released Monday said.

Seeding could make clouds whiter by reducing the size of water droplets making up the clouds, a researcher says.

“Rain clouds, which have big droplets, tend to be gray and absorb sunlight, whereas clouds with smaller droplets tend to be white and fluffy and reflect more sunlight to space,” says study co-author Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Global Ecology.

In computer simulations, whiter clouds reflected more solar radiation and offset the warming effect of the high carbon dioxide levels, Caldeira said.

But in the simulations, the reflective oceanic clouds preferentially cooled the air over the oceans relative to land, setting up a monsoonal air flow which changed existing rainfall patterns, the study said.

“Our basic result calls into question previous assumptions about the impact of this geoengineering scheme,” Caldeira said. “It merits further investigation.”

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

Boilers – a power plant’s heart Fluidised -bed boiler installation.

www.doosanheavy.com Internet link

Korea South East Power runs an eco-friendly power plant armed with state-of-the-art, high- efficiency environmental facilities – including a DeSOx & DeNOx System, and electrical dust collectors- but a new fluidised bed boiler is key to the operation.

Korea’s latest and largest coal-fired, eco-friendly,high-efficiency powerfacility – officially titled the Yonghung Thermal Power Plant Units 3and 4 – has been operating at optimal levels recently. This is all thanks to thenew core facilities and boiler equipment.

Run by Korea South East Power, the units are now part of an 870MW-class coal-fired power plantwhich uses ultra super criticaltechnology.

Moreover, the facility is aneco-friendly power plant armed with
state-of-the-art, high- efficiency environmentalfacilities (including desulfurisation, DeSOx & DeNOx System, and electrical dust collectors).
A company spokesman told IPA: “The completion of the Yonghung Thermal Power Plant Units 1 and 2 has contributed
to easing the imbalance between power supply and demand in the Seoul metropolitan region, and has helped
stabilise the nation’s electricity supplynetwork.

Generators 3 and 4 at the plantmake a significant contribution tostabilising the power supply during the peak power demand season in summer.” Power output
The Yonghung Thermal Power Plant Units 3 and 4 generate 13.6 billion kWh of electricity per year, enough to supply 4 million households.

In 2004 Doosan an initial contract for the supply of boilers for the site in an international bid hosted by KoreaSouth-East Power in 2004, beating out Japanese rivals.
Hard on the heels of this successful project, Doosna was recently contracted to supply equipment worth 100 billion won (£50m) for a project involving the supplyof Korea’s largest 340MW- class Fluidised- Bed Boiler for Yeosu Thermal Power Plant No. 2 operated by Korea South EastPower.
Doosan President & CEO Geewon Park commented: “The contract involved the supply of a 340 MW-class Circulating
Fluidised-Bed Boiler and supplementary facilities.

Unlike a Pulverized Coal Boiler, which is used in most conventional power plants, the Circulating Fluidised-Bed
Boiler is an eco-friendly boiler product which significantly reduces the emission of pollutants such as nitrogen oxide and
sulphur oxide.

Another advantage is that it can use low-grade coal as fuel, effectively cutting fuel costs.” Cutting fuel costs with a Circulating Fluidised-Bed Boiler at Yeosu replacing the use of heavy oil, the plant will not only cut down fuel cost significantly, but also reduce pollutant emissions. Hence the utility facilities, once revamped, will transform into an
economical, eco-friendly power plant.
Under the contract, Doosan plans to design and produce the Circulating Fluidised- Bed Boiler and supplementary equipment at its Changwon Plant, and deliver them by December 2011. Doosan has also signed a licensing agreement with Foster Wheeler, a global market leader in Circulating Fluidised-Bed Boiler technology, in 2006.
Executive Vice President Dongsoo Suh said, “With the acquisition of the new project, Doosan has set a precedent in
the supply of a 340 MW-class Circulating Fluidised-Bed boiler, the largest scale of its kind in Korea and among the largest in
the world.”
He added: “As the use of low-grade coal is steadily increasing, Doosan will continue to win more orders for Circulating Fluidised- Bed Boilers not only in Korea but also in overseas markets in the future.” Doosan also won projects for
the construction of coal-powered thermal power plants adopting Circulating Fluidised-Bed Boilers in Thailand and the
Philippines in 2007.
On June 14th, 2009, Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction signed a contract worth 74 million euros (US$102
million) with MAPNA Boiler of Iran for the overall supply of eight heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs) for four combined cycle thermal power plants in the Middle Eastern country. “The project entails the supply of two HRSGs to each of the four combined cycle thermal power plants located in Kahnooj, Iran.

Doosan plans to begin designing the equipment
based on its own technology in June, and is scheduled to supply them in phasesfrom April to December of 2010,” a
spokesman told IPA.
Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction secured the top spot in terms of global market share in 2003 thanks to the acquisition of HRSG orders worth 240 million euros(US$ 331 million) for the MFPNA combined cycle thermal
power plant, the world’s largest singlesuch project.

The company also won successive orders in the Middle East in
2007 and 2008. Dong Kyu Lee, head of the HRSG BU at
Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction, told IPA: “Doosan was able to win the project thanks to the strong engineering
capacity we have demonstrated during the execution of our other projects in Iran.” IPA

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 16th July 2009

India to Focus on Electric Vehicles

A number of lectures on the policies and current states of electric vehicle (EV) development in China and India were delivered at the 24th International Battery, Hybrid and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Symposium & Exhibition (EVS24), which took place in Norway from May 13 to 16, 2009.

China is planning to allot half the total transportation energy consumption to EVs and fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) that primarily use energy other than petroleum by 2020. In India, on the other hand, the diffusion of EVs has become an important issue due to its environmental problems and transportation conditions.

Gasoline cars, EVs to co-exist for some time in China

Automotive sales are growing extremely fast in China. They reached about 9.3 million units in 2008 and are likely to surpass 10 million units, the largest sales volume in the world, in 2010. The number of vehicles owned in China is currently 40 million and is forecast to reach 150 million in 2020.

C. C. Chan, president of the Electric Vehicle Association of Asia Pacific China, and Duan Ruichun, executive president of Chinese Electro-technical Society China, reported data on automotive development including EVs in China.

China is planning to reduce gasoline cars and hybrids, which are powered primarily by oil, and allot half the total energy consumption in the transportation segment to EVs and FCVs, which are powered by energies other than oil, Chan said.

As half of the existing cars will remain, China will (1) maintain the infrastructure for gasoline and other liquid fuels, (2) make its mileage regulation for gasoline cars etc, meet international standards and (3) give priority to high-efficiency direct-injection engine cars and hybrids until 2020.

Ruichun said China is conducting 863 projects concerning EV and FCV development to meet this goal. As a result of those projects, EVs and hybrids are currently running in 13 cities in China. And the Chinese government is planning to increase the number of those vehicles to more than 1,000 units within three years.

At first, EVs and FCVs will be diffused as means of public transportation. To accomplish this goal, the government will increase the subsidies for purchasers of electric buses, etc. For example, for the purchase of a hybrid, electric or fuel-cell bus with a total length of 10m or more, a subsidy of up to Rmb420,000 (about ¥5.88 million or US$61,600), 500,000 (¥7 million) or 600,000 (¥8.4 million) will be paid, respectively.

As for the purchase of a general EV, a subsidy of up to Rmb50,000 (¥700,000), 60,000 (840,000) and 250,000 (3.5 million) will be granted to the purchaser of a hybrid, EV and FCV, respectively.

Aided by those stimulative policies, China is already at a state where it can start producing core technologies for EVs and automotive platforms, Ruichun said.

“We have already achieved 2,000W/kg output density of a Li-ion secondary battery with a current capacity of 6 to 100Ah and mounted a 1,300W/kg output motor with more than 93% efficiency on a car,” he said, emphasizing the fact that EV development is making smooth progress in China.

EVs are suited for India

Meanwhile, Indian population will outnumber the world’s largest Chinese population, exceeding 1.4 billion in about 2030. The Indian automotive market has been growing at an annual rate of more than 15% as well. The market will maintain the same scale as in the preceding year even during the global recession of 2008 to 2009.

The diffusion of EVs seems to have become a pressing challenge in India.

“Considering environmental issues, we will face a serious trouble if we do not start spreading more EVs in priority to gasoline cars,” said Chetan Maini, deputy chairman and CTO of Reva Electric Company of India.

“In large cities, the degree of atmospheric pollution due to auto emission is by far worse than our safety standards,” said Shanta Chatterji, chairman and managing director of Chattelec Vehicles India Ltd of India. “And the number of deaths caused by diseases from air pollution has already outpaced that of deaths in traffic accidents.”

EVs are suited not only for environmental reasons but also for transportation conditions in India. Behind this is the fact that “long-distance driving is difficult in India because of heavy traffic congestion in urban areas,” Maini said. He revealed that 95% or more of automobiles in India are estimated to travel 80km or less per trip, with 80% traveling 25km or less.

“An EV equipped with a Li-ion secondary battery can travel about 120km per charge,” Maini said. “In other words, more than 95% of cars in India can be covered. Even when traveling 240km, the EV can travel the distance with a quick charge for about 1.5 hours. So, there will be no problem if more than 99% of cars in India are EVs.”

Moreover, there is little chance that traffic congestions will improve in India, where urban population is expected to increase about 50% in 20 years.

Nevertheless, the current hottest car in India is the low-priced gasoline car, “Nano,” which Tata Motors Ltd of India is planning to release. Reportedly, nearly 200,000 units of the Nano have already been ordered.

“The diffusion of the Nano is likely to worsen the current transportation conditions and environmental issues,” Maini said, commenting on the Nano.

The Nano can be used as the second car in urban areas or a convenient car for people in rural areas. In India, the number of cars purchased as the second car has reportedly surpassed that of first car purchases since 2005.

EVs recently started to penetrate India. The total sales of electric motorcycles and EVs were about 10,000 units in 2007 to 2008, but the sales are expected to sharply soar to about 110,000 units in 2008 to 2009. However, electric motorcycles are making up the majority of the sales.

Although there are more than 15 manufacturers of electric motorcycles in India, only few Indian manufacturers deal with EVs or hybrids. At this moment, Reva is the only EV manufacturer and Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd is the only hybrid manufacturer in India. Tata, on the other hand, is planning to market EVs in Europe as a starter.

The Indian government is currently devising policies with three pillars, “ecology,” “economy” and “social equity,” to diffuse EVs. Of these three pillars, EVs hold the key to both ecology and economy, Chatterji said.

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 1st July 2009

Mitsubishi Heavy to Test CO2

Recovery from Coal-fired Flue Gas

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd (MHI) and Southern Company, a major US power company, will jointly launch a field test in 2011 to recover high-purity carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal-fired flue gas.

The two companies will set up a CO₂ recovery demonstration plant, which is designed to be built at a medium-scale thermal power station in Alabama, the US. Based on the results of this demonstration plant, they will aim to commercialize the recovery plant in the future.

The field test will be subsidized by the US government. The demonstration plant will be constructed in Plant Barry, a coal-fired power station owned by Southern’s subsidiary Alabama Power. Recovered CO₂ will be compressed and stored in an aquifer deep underground.

The demonstration plant is composed of various facilities such as those for pre-processing, CO₂ absorption/reclamation (absorption and reclamation towers) and CO₂ injection. The plant will recover 500t of CO₂ per day (equivalent to that produced when 25,000kW electricity is generated). The recovery rate is 90% or higher. The purity of recovered CO₂ is expected to be 99.9%.

The recovery process is as follows. Coal-fired flue gas contains not only CO₂ but also ‘impurities’ such as SOx, NOx, heavy metals and halogen compounds. These impurities are removed as much as possible in the pre-processing facilities, and the flue gas is cooled to near room temperature.

Flue gas with most impurities removed is taken into the absorption tower. Inside the tower, the gas is brought into contact with an absorbing solution so that only CO₂ is absorbed into the solution. The solvent, “KS-1,” is an amine-based material co-developed by MHI and Kansai Electric Power Co Inc.

Next, the solution containing CO₂ is sent to the reclamation tower, where CO₂ and the solution are separated from each other by heating. Then, CO₂ is recovered, and the solution is recycled.

MHI has already commercialized a system to recover CO₂ from natural gas-fired flue gas. But, in order to apply this system to coal-fired flue gas, an additional process is required to remove heavy metals and halogen compounds because the impurities contained in natural gas-fired flue gas are only SOx and NOx.

Electric Power Development Co Ltd is also testing a CO₂ recovery plant for coal-fired flue gas at its Matsushima Thermal Power Plant. However, the amount of CO₂ recovered at the plant is only 10t per day. Therefore, a field test needs to be carried out using a larger scale plant for commercialization.

In addition to the field test announced this time, MHI is planning to construct a demonstration plant with a recovery capacity of 3,000t per day in the UK and intends to start trial operations in 2015.

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 1st July 2009