NextEnergy in Detroit's TechTown

The NextEnergy Center in Detroit's TechTown was the setting for the first day of "Tomorrow's Energy Today" on Oct. 23, the international alternative event sponsored by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers and NextEnergy, the state of Michigan's alternative energy industry accelerator. The event is intended to bring together early adopters, niche markets, manufacturers and the supply chain. The day began with an invitation-only meeting between alternative energy executives and Canadian consulate officials, as well as the dedication of a BP hydrogen fueling station at NextEnergy. After lunch, Robert Fletcher, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Lawrence Technological University, got the formal event started with a lecture on "Alternative Energy Foundations: What Are These New Energy Opportunities?"

Fletcher's whirlwind talk covered wind, solar-thermal, solar-photovoltaic, tidal and wave, geothermal, biomass, fuel cell and hydrogen energy technologies. He pointed out that all renewable energy sources provide just 6 percent of the nation's energy consumption -- and that older forms provide most of that, with hydroelectric tops at 45 percent of that 6 percent, and wood at 31 percent of that 6 percent. Solar is a mere 1 percent of that 6 percent, or a minuscule 0.06 percent of the nation's overall energy sources. "There are a lot of opportunities to grow, but a lot of reasons why it's not happening," Fletcher said of alternative energy. The biggest reason -- price.

In terms of wind power, Fletcher said one key move is taking the turbine systems offshore, and that the general trend of the technologies is to make bigger and bigger turbines. And interestingly, the most promising places for wind power in Michigan -- the places where average winds are highest -- is on the open waters of the Great Lakes. He also covered a couple of little-known solar technologies, including black-lined solar ponds and huge "solar furnaces" that concentrate sunlight. As for photovoltaics, the problem has always been efficiency -- they convert as little as 7 percent of the sun's energy to power.

Fletcher also covered forms of alternative energy that aren't frequently considered in places like Michigan, including tidal, wave and deep ocean thermal energies. Other forms of thermal energy, like geothermal heat pumps, are more commonly used here -- including at Lawrence Tech. As for biomass, Fletcher said it offers the advantage of adding little additional carbon to the atmosphere, and a wide variety of processes to bring energy to market, including reuse of waste materials, from municipal solid waste to farm waste -- even discarded peanut shells. Fletcher also covered biodiesel, including providing information on the top crops in terms of oil per acre, and the environmental advantages, including zero sulfur emissions and huge reductions in hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide emissions.

The hydrogen economy also received some attention, including a basic primer on how fuel cells work and the issues of reliability, durability and cost that still dog them. Fletcher also noted that only 2 percent of hydrogen produced in the U.S. comes from renewable energy -- the rest is based on cracking the hydrogen out of fossil fuels.

And something had better be done quickly, Fletcher said. Projected oil reserves have been falling in recent years and today stand at about 41 years' supply, meaning scarcity and higher prices ahead. And greenhouse gas production from human activities continues to rise. Overall, Fletcher said, a "mosaic" of new energy technologies will rise, led by wind, geothermal and biomass. Photovoltaics and fuel cells remain dogged by high costs.

After Fletcher's talk, Harold J. Schock, professor of mechanical engineering "Energy Usage, Alternatives and Transportation in the U.S. and How the U.S. Science Community can Contribute to Energy Security." Schock also said that global peak oil production isn't far away, so alternatives must be found soon. He predicted that currently understood methods of converting coal to gasoline and diesel fuel would become more prevalent, as will conversion of heavy oil sands in Canada and Venezuela and oil shales in the United States.

Schock said nuclear power isn't much of an option, since it would take 3,400 more U.S. nuclear plants to replace oil used in transportation. There are significant barriers to hydrogen as well, since generating and transporting it is so difficult -- at least at a reasonable cost. And fuel cells won't be practical for another 25-40 years, research shows.

So what's the good news? Schock said there are huge efficiency improvements much more easily achievable with plain old gasoline internal combustion engines. Today's cars waste tons of energy overcoming aerodynamic drag and the rolling resistance of tires, and everything but hybrids wastes huge quantities of braking energy. Hybrid vehicles hold the promise of making cars much more efficient in the near term, Schock said. And there are far  greater efficiencies to be wrung out of internal combustion engines themselves.

More top-flight alternative energy info from SME, NextEnergy event

Oct. 24 was the first full day of "Tomorrow's Energy ... Today!", a program drawing hundreds of alternative energy experts to presentations in Detroit and Dearborn.

Tuesday, it was the Ford Conference and Events Center adjacent to Greenfield Village in the spotlight, and programs on international alternative energy opportunities, supplier opportunities, portable power systems and transportation applications.

Air Force Capt. Jim Muldoon kicked off the transportation session with a presentation on the USAF Advanced Power Technology Office, of which he is lead engineer. He said the military is engaged in alternative energy research for a variety of reasons, both directly related to national security, such as boosting the cruising range of tanks and planes, and for financial reasons -- turns out being good stewards of energy resources is easier on the taxpayer. Hybrid technology is being widely adopted for military vehicles, he said. Also, Muldoon said, Selfridge Air National Guard base is being developed as a national testbed for alternative energy technologies. Between Selfridge and the National Automotive Center in Warren, the services are working on a wide variety of hybrid, battery, fuel cell, biofuel and hydrogen technologies.

Nancy L. Gioia, director of sustainable mobility technologies and hybrid vehicle programs at Ford Motor Co., spoke of the No. 2 United States automaker's efforts to develop alternative energy vehicles. She said global warming is driving Ford's efforts in this regard, with evidence mounting that rising global temperatures go beyond natural fluctuations. Ford is working on biofuel, diesel, hybrid, methanol and hydrogen vehicles. But she said battery technology now limits the feasibility of plug-in hybrids, which would be plugged into the power grid when not in use and would make less use of their gasoline engine than today's hybrids. And, she said, the use of hydrogen as a vehicle fuel is still 15-20 years out -- with problems such as safety codes and the fact that it still takes more energy to generate a given amount of hydrogen than that amount of hydrogen generates.

Joel Gouker, principal electrical engineer at John Deere Advanced Energy Systems, spoke of adding alternative fuel technologies, fuel cells and electric power to Deere equipment and off-road vehicles, including tests of six-wheeled utility vehicles powered by fuel cells.

Thomas R. Vencill, director of engineering for Albuquerque, N.M.-based Intelligent Energy Inc., spoke about his company's technology, involved in fuel cell and ultra-pure hydrogen generation. Vencill said the company's smaller fuel cells offer ruggedness, durability and light weight for applications up to one kilowatt. The company is shopping larger fuel cells to the military and for other portable power applications. The company's fuel cells are also being eyed for propelling unmanned aerial vehicles and airships.

Martin Klein, engineering director at Compact Power Inc. of Troy, spoke of his company's work in lithium ion batteries for hybrid vehicles. He said lithium-ion batteries offer higher power density for hybrids and electric vehicles, as well as environmentally friendly chemistry, compared to current technologies. He spoke of the challenges of battery designs for the transportation market.

Then, James A. O'Brien, founder, CEO and chief technology officer at Deerfield's Hybra-Drive Systems LLC, talked about his company's fascinating work with hydraulic hybrids, vehicles driven by a small motor that pressurizes hydraulic fluid that actually makes the car go. Hybra-Drive demonstrated the technology in a cute little refitted Volkswagen Beetle that gets up to 25 mph using only a 16-hp two-stroke gasoline engine. Its next prototype, a big full-size Hummer, is nearly complete, O'Brien said. The company's developing the technology for the construction equipment, delivery vehicle and military markets. O'Brien said hydraulic hybrids offer significant benefits over electric hybrids in safety, fuel economy and cargo capacity. He said a complete hybrid drive system has 40 percent fewer parts than a hydraulic transmission.

Larry Stone, product marketing director for Valence Technology Inc. in Austin, Texas, wrapped up the afternoon with information on his company's lithium-ion battery technologies. Valence's lithium ferro-phosphate technology offers improved safety over conventional lithium-ion batteries -- which have been in the news in an unwelcome way in recent weeks, with massive battery recalls in the laptop computer industry -- as well as other advantages. Its energy density isn't quite as high as traditional lithium-ion batteries, however. The batteries also offer much-improved fuel economy in hybrid vehicle applications. Valence also supplies batteries to the Segway personal transportation device, as well as for hybrid vehicles, buses, delivery vehicles and scooters. He said the batteries offer longer run times and vehicle ranges, and greater cargo capacities.

SME, NextEnergy event wraps up: Oct. 25 was the final day of the "Tomorrow's Energy ... Today!" alternative event in Dearborn, and drew another nice-sized crowd to hear presentations on microgrids, biofuels, wind and more. I attended a presentation on the rapid growth of wind power from Nordic Windpower LLC, an up-and-coming wind turbine builder based in Carson City, Nev. The company said its two-bladed turbines offer significant advantages over three-bladed systems. Also presenting: McKenzie Bay International Ltd., the Farmington Hills company with the vertical-bladed, "eggbeater" wind turbine design, and Dennis Corrigan of Ovonic Fuel Cell Co., a subsidiary of Energy Conversion Devices Inc. in Rochester Hills. The company's fuel cells use a metal hydride rather than platinum, which allows them unique capabilities to be both a battery and a fuel cell, and improved low-temperature performance. The company is also recruiting engineers.

The event ended with a panel on venture funding of alternative energy companies. Presenting were Chris Rizik of Ardesta LLC, a small-tech industry accelerator and investor in Ann Arbor, who spoke about new batteries that "power scavenge," creating power from the vibration of objects, and other technologies that boost efficiency of energy systems. David Parsigian of Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone spoke on legal considerations in funding alternative energy startups, including advice to keep corporate structure simple. Lauren Bigelow, program director of the Cleantech Venture Network, spoke on her organization's funding alternative energy technologies. (More at www.cleantech.com.) Overall, this was a terrific event... and if you couldn't attend, the conference slides should be posted shortly at www.sme.org/aet.

NextEnergy announces alternative energy lab competition: NextEnergy is providing advanced energy technology companies the opportunity to receive more than $100,000 in funding and services through a new Alternative Energy Lab Competition. NextEnergy, Michigan's alternative energy accelerator, is accepting applications from promising alternative energy technology companies seeking funding and facilities to support the further development of their technology, as well as services and support to move their business forward. Companies currently located in Michigan, as well as those located elsewhere but willing to establish a significant presence in Michigan, are encouraged to apply. The winning company will receive a wide variety of physical assets and funding support, business, technology, and market development services valued at more than $100,000. The award will include 2,251 square feet of space in the NextEnergy Center, build-out funds and $25,000 in seed investment. The winner will also receive business strategy and technology development services from NextEnergy's Technical Advisory Panel and staff. These services encompass up to 50 hours consulting on technology and business development, finance and market strategy, and 30 hours of grant writing and management support, including strategic advice in accessing Michigan's $2 Billion 21st Century Jobs Fund. The deadline for applications is Nov. 24, after which all qualifying applicants will be reviewed and formally interviewed. For more information, visit www.nextenergy.org or contact Dan Radomski at (313) 833-0100 ext.150 or danr@nextenergy.org.

NCMS to evaluate nanoparticles in diesel fuel: The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences in Ann Arbor announced it had received funding from the United States Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to help evaluate improvements in fuel economy and emissions when nanoparticles are added to heavy vehicle diesel fuel. NCMS will also assess the commercial viability of the additives. The main tasks of the program will be to screen new nanoparticle materials for further evaluation, quantify the potential improvement in fuel economy, assess the resultant emissions compared to a standard and finally, evaluate the viability of commercially producing nanoparticle material for use as an additive in diesel fuel via a cost/benefit analysis. While the focus is on heavy vehicles, the potential benefits are expected to impact diesel- powered passenger vehicles and stationary diesel power plants as well. More at www.ncms.org.

GM, DCX, BMW formally open hybrid development center: The Hybrid Development Center, a joint effort of General Motors Corp., DaimlerChrysler AG and BMW, officially opened this month in Troy. The 150,000-square-foot center includes offices, garages and laboratories -- and about 500 engineers and technicians from the three automotive giants. They'll work together to develop advanced hybrid gasoline-electric automotive powertrains. Tim Grewe, chief engineer at GM Powertrain, promised the hybrid vehicles produced through the joint effort -- the first scheduled, the Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon large SUVs next year -- would produce a 25 percent better fuel economy, while not giving up performance or towing power.

Michigan Tech acquires Altarum research division: Michigan Technological University has entered into an agreement with the Altarum Institute of Ann Arbor to purchase its Environmental and Emerging Technologies Division. Altarum, which recently set its strategic course on becoming the nation's preeminent provider of objective health systems research, has been looking for a buyer for its Environmental and Emerging Technologies Division. Altarum had sought to keep the division and its 26 high-tech jobs in Michigan. The purchase is funded by a gift from the House Family Foundation, established by retired president of Nortel Networks and former Intel executive Dave House, a Michigan Tech alumnus. Michigan Tech said the arrangement was attractive in part because the division's strengths in sensors and signal processing and in earth sciences dovetail with some of the university's most active research programs. EETD senior vice president Robert Shuchman, who will co-direct the new institute, calls joining Michigan Tech "a wonderful opportunity." House, who earned his electrical engineering degree from Michigan Tech in 1965, has been committed to programs that improve the national ranking of both the university and its Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The division has annual research revenues of $4 million, and it has additional potential to ratchet up programs already in place at the university. Net revenues from the research division will be set aside until $1 million is accumulated to establish an endowed professorship to be named by the House Family Foundation. More www.mtu.edu.

Southeast Michigan high school students showcase electric vehicles: Four high school teams showcased electric vehicles this month during a performance test day hosted by Siemens VDO in Auburn Hills. The Huron Intermediate School District in Bad Axe, Summit Academy High School in Flat Rock, University High School in Ferndale and the William D. Ford Career Technical Center in the Wayne-Westland schools participated in the Innovative Vehicle Design program, in which high school students work with corporate partners to build one-person electric vehicles. The IVD program, an initiative of the Convergence Education Foundation, is built as an innovation, not a racing competition. Each team received $5,000 from a corporate partner matched by $5,000 from the foundation, a 10-month build window, and the leadership for all portions of the planning and development for the vehicle. The test day, phase one of the judging process, evaluated each team's vehicle performance. Teams were evaluated on the distance traveled during two 30-minute windows on two different track configurations. The second phase of judging will take place at Convergence 2006 next week, where teams will be further evaluated in the areas of engineering, presentation, ambassadorship and innovation. The winning team will be announced at the Convergence Education Foundation's Convergence 2006 booth Oct. 18 at Cobo Center. More at www.cef-trek.org.

Ford, BP open hydrogen station in Taylor: Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F), BP and the city of Taylor marked opened a new hydrogen station that will fuel a fleet of Ford Focus fuel cell vehicles. The four vehicles being used in Taylor are part of a 30-car Ford Focus fuel cell demonstration fleet on the road in the United States, Canada and Germany. Ford will also begin deliveries of the nation's first hydrogen-powered buses later this year. More at www.bp.com/hydrogen or www.fordvehicles.com.

NextEnergy announces event lineup: NextEnergy, Michigan's alternative energy accelerator, announced its 2007 conference schedule that focuses on the emerging alternative energy industry. Through these events, NextEnergy's goal is to bring all stakeholders of advanced energy systems together to share experiences and explore new market opportunities. These events will provide meaningful connections between early adopters, technology providers, suppliers, researchers, funding organizations and government agencies, that will help facilitate partnerships and accelerate products to market in a number of industries. NextEnergy strategically partnered with alternative energy industry leaders including Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Montreux Energy and Cleantech Venture Network to offer a variety of events that enable the commercialization of energy technologies. The schedule includes "Driving Future Energy Markets: Stationary and Mobile MicroGrids, Challenges and Opportunities," Jan. 26 at the NextEnergy Center; the "Michigan Clean Fleet Conference," an event for fleet operators March 22 at the NextEnergy Center; the "Sustainable Mobility Executive Roundtable" during National Transportation Week May 15-16 at the NextEnergy Center; and the "Midwest Clean Energy Venture Forum," an event highlighting venture-stage clean energy companies June 6-8 at the Detroit Marriott. More at www.nextenergy.org/events.

All contents copyright 2006, Infinity Broadcasting Corp. All Rights Reserved. Written and edited by Matt Roush, Technology Editor, WWJ Newsradio 950, Detroit. For coverage comments or news tips, e-mail Matt Roush at mnroush@cbs.com or call (248) 455-7380. For marketing and advertising queries, contact Dan Keelan at dkeelan@cbs.com or (248) 455-7252.