30. June 2008 by Mykel Pereira.

Skyonic Corporation

Mark Clayton
Vice President, Corporate Relations
Tel: (512) 436-9276
Fax: (512) 436-9779
mark@skyonic.com

About
Skyonic is a for-profit Intellectual Property corporation dedicated to the proliferation of the internationally patented SkyMine™ process. SkyMine™ was developed with the intent to reduce global CO2 emissions and halt the advancement of global climate change without impacting development. Skyonic is based in Austin, Texas, with laboratory and field operations throughout the state.

THE HISTORY OF SKYONIC:
Like many great ideas, SkyMine™ began as an idea scribbled on a cocktail napkin and experiments conducted in the garage. The inventor of the SkyMine™ process, Joe Jones, founded Skyonic in 2005, incorporating it on January 7 of that year, in order to gain the funding and resources required to refine and proliferate this technology. Skyonic also filed a technology-defining method patent on the SkyMine™ process in 2005 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Skyonic performed research and laboratory-scale testing on the process at Southwest Research Institute in 2005 and 2006, and began field testing the process at a coal-burning power plant in Texas later that year. Currently, Skyonic is performing pilot-scale demonstration plant work at Luminant’s Big Brown Steam Electric Station in Fairfield, Texas, in real-world conditions.

Technology

The Skyonic SkyMine™ process addresses the significant issue of climate change through the mineralization of CO2 as carbonate compounds. SkyMine™ is a post-combustion carbon capture and sequestration technology that works with any large-scale stationary CO2 emitter (e.g.- coal, natural gas or oil fired power plant). The process is effective, ecologically and thermodynamically sound, and can be done profitably. Since the technology can be retrofitted to existing facilities or designed into new ones, it addresses both the current problem of climate change, and the future demand for cleaner energy to support development.

The SkyMine™ process removes heavy metals, acid gasses, and carbon dioxide from conditioned at-temperature flue gas. SkyMine™ stores the carbon emissions as stable sodium bicarbonate (better-than-food-grade baking soda) for long-term storage as land or mine fill and returns the flue gas to the plants stack for release. This means that the SkyMine™ process is a non-emitter.

The feed chemical for the reaction to remove the carbon is sodium hydroxide, which is produced on site as a part of the SkyMine™ process. This reaction to produce sodium hydroxide also produces hydrogen and chlorine as byproducts. These can be sold to market at a profit, not only defraying the cost of CO2 removal, but even generating a profit for the SkyMine™ operators. These chemicals are also “green”; they are produced at low energy and without emitting CO2 (since the heat to drive the process is captured from the heat in the flue gas.

THE BENEFITS OF SKYMINE™:

• The SkyMine™ process turns gaseous CO2 emissions into solid, stable carbonates (primarily sodium bicarbonate).
• The SkyMine™ technology does this with a competitively low energy penalty.
• The SkyMine™ process also removes mercury and heavy metals, as well as acid-rain gasses from the flue stream.
• The SkyMine™ technology produces clean (non-methane-based) hydrogen and low-energy chlorine.

A SkyMine™ plant can be operated at a profit, because the hydrogen produced (as well as the chlorine and bicarbonates) have commercial value.

Posted in Air Capture Techs, Texas, USA | No Comments »

30. June 2008 by Mykel Pereira.

Carbon Sciences, Inc.

50 Castilian Drive, Suite C
Carbon Sciences, Inc.
Santa Barbara CA 93117, USA

tel: (805) 690-9090
fax: (805) 879-9892

About

Carbon Sciences, Inc. is developing a breakthrough technology to transform harmful carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from human created sources, such as power plants and industrial factories, into high value, earth-friendly products.
The initial application of their patent-pending technology is targeted at a multi-billion dollar market. They are developing a proprietary process to transform CO2 emissions into a high value chemical compound (PCC), currently used in the manufacture of paper, pharmaceuticals and plastics. Unlike existing methods of production, their process will be carbon neutral, use less energy and result in a lower cost product.

Carbon Sciences’, business strategy is to transform CO2 emissions into various high value products for existing markets. This strategy allows them to achieve business success without waiting for effective governmental legislation limiting CO2 emissions. As CO2 emissions become more heavily regulated in the future, they will be well-positioned to capitalize on other business opportunities in the massive global CO2 mitigation market.

Technology

The Need for a Breakthrough Technology Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a major greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. In 2005 there were 25 billion metric tons of CO2 released into the atmosphere. Existing strategies to deal with CO2 emissions include capturing the CO2 and storing them in underground geological formations and the ocean floor. Carbon Sciences believes that these are potentially dangerous solutions. Instead, a simple and safe solution must be applied at the source to transform the carbon dioxide into useful products.  They believe that their patent-pending GreenCarbon Technology can be the solution.
GreenCarbon Advantages Stability over the long term - The production of mineral carbonates insures a permanent fix rather than tempo­rary storage of the CO2, thereby ensuring no legacy issues for future generations; Immense Capacity - Raw materials for binding CO2 exist in vast quantities across the globe in amounts that far exceed even the most optimistic estimates of coal reserves (~10,000 × 10 9 tons); (1) Economic Viability – The sale of value-added products created during the carbonation process has the potential to offset carbon sequestration costs.		GreenCarbon™ Technology Using their patent-pending technology, mineral feedstocks are transformed into a highly stable and useful mineral carbonate product for use industrial products such as building materials, paper, plastics and fertilizers.

Posted in Air Capture Techs, California, Chemistry Techs, USA | No Comments »

30. June 2008 by Mykel Pereira.

Xunlight Corporation

3145 Nebraska Avenue
Toledo, OH 43607
t: 419-469-8600
f: 419-469-8601

About

Xunlight Corporation, a technology spin-off from the University of Toledo, engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of photovoltaic modules that convert sunlight into electricity. The company develops thin-film silicon based photovoltaic products and manufacturing equipment for high-throughput production of flexible and lightweight photovoltaic modules at low cost.

Xunlight Corporation is headquartered at 3145 Nebraska Avenue in Toledo, Ohio, and works closely with the Thin Film Silicon Photovoltaic Laboratory at the University of Toledo.

Product

Xunlight Corporation products are thin-film silicon based solar cells and PV modules. These products utilize various thin film Si based alloys, including amorphous silicon (a-Si), amorphous silicon germanium (a-SiGe), and nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si). Products with two different device structures are produced. These include:

• a-SiGe based single-junction (SJ) solar cells
• a-Si/a-SiGe/nc-Si triple-junction (TJ) solar cells

Xunlight Corporation’s academic partner, Dr. Xunming Deng’s Thin Film Silicon Photovoltaic Laboratory at the University of Toledo (UT), maintains the world record for efficiency of single-junction a-Si based solar cells. This is an important world record since it is a record for the most inexpensive type of silicon-based solar cells. Dr. Deng and his associates (students, postdoctoral researchers, and visiting scholars) at UT utilize a low-germanium content a-SiGe material and a specially designed p-type semiconductor layer for its solar cells; achieving single-junction solar cells with ~13% initial efficiency and 10.4% stabilized efficiency. Figure 4 illustrates the structure of this a-SiGe solar cell.

Xunlight/UT also fabricates triple-junction solar cells with a-Si, a-SiGe, a-SiGe having bandgaps of 1.8 eV, 1.6eV and 1.4 eV as the semiconductor absorber layers. The solar cells were measured at UT and at National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Below: photos showing single and triple junction cells structures, and the current-voltage performance of UT’s triple-junction solar cell measured at NREL, showing 11.8% total-area efficiency, corresponding to a 12.5% active-area efficiency.

Xunlight Corporation’s principal PV products are flexible and lightweight. These modules are made with flexible lamination, deposited on thin stainless steel substrates. These modules can be rolled during stowage and transport. Different product sizes, at rated peak power output of 200W, 100W, 20W, and 7.5W, will be offered.

Technology

Xunlight Corporation and its academic partner, the University of Toledo, have been leaders in tf-Si photovoltaic technologies. UT has granted XUNLIGHT CORPORATION a worldwide, exclusive license for all of thin film silicon based photovoltaic and related technologies developed by Dr. Deng and Dr. Deng’s group at the University. Xunlight Corporation/UT currently operates a 100KW pilot production line. The Xunlight Corporation/UT tf-Si PV technologies were developed over the past decade using various resources, including major grants from US Department of Energy and NREL, Air Force Research Laboratory, National Science Foundation, and Ohio Department of Development. The photos below show the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition systems for the deposition of thin-film silicon based semiconductor layers and the magnetron sputter deposition system for all of the non-semiconductor layers, Al, Ag, ZnO and ITO, required for the solar cells.

Posted in Ohio, Solar Techs, USA | No Comments »

30. June 2008 by Mykel Pereira.

BioPower Systems Pty. Ltd.

About

BioPower Systems is a renewable energy technology company based in Sydney Australia. We are developing systems for both wave and tidal power conversion. The company is currently working on ocean-based pilot projects and follow-on market opportunities for its products and services.

Technology

BioWave

The wave power system, bioWAVE™, is based on the swaying motion of sea plants in the presence of ocean waves.

The hydrodynamic interaction of the buoyant blades with the oscillating flow field is designed for maximum energy absorption. In extreme wave conditions the bioWAVE™ automatically ceases operating and assumes a safe position lying flat against the seabed. This eliminates exposure to extreme forces, allowing for lighter designs and substantial cost savings.

Systems are being developed for 250kW, 500kW, 1000kW capacities to match conditions in various locations.

BioStream

The tidal power conversion system, bioSTREAM™, is based on the highly efficient propulsion of Thunniform mode swimming species, such as shark, tuna, and mackerel.

The bioSTREAM™ mimics the shape and motion characteristics of these species but is a fixed device in a moving stream. In this configuration the propulsion mechanism is reversed and the energy in the passing flow is used to drive the device motion against the resisting torque of an electrical generator.

Due to the single point of rotation, this device can align with the flow in any direction, and can assume a streamlined configuration to avoid excess loading in extreme conditions. Systems are being developed for 250kW, 500kW, and 1000kW capacities to match conditions in various locations.

BioBase

BioPower Systems has developed a novel singular mounting system called bioBASE™. This system is modeled on the seabed holdfast mechanism used by large sea plants, such as the giant kelp. In such systems, the vertical and lateral loads that are translated to the seabed by the main shaft are re-distributed into many smaller elements that engage with the bottom strata. This mechanism serves to distribute the forces and alleviate excess loads.

The bioBASE™ utilises rockbolting technology for the multiple ‘roots’ of the system, and does not require large specialised vessels or drill rigs due to the small gauge of each bolt.

Once the bioBASE™ has been installed, the surmounting device (either the bioWAVE™ or the bioSTREAM™) is easily attached and secured with the assistance of a single surface vessel. Other applications of the bioBASE™ technology are offshore wind turbines and deepwater foundations.

Posted in Australia, Wave Techs, Tidal Techs | No Comments »