Pictures of the Future    Spring 2004

Even in 2010, fossil fuels will continue to meet most of our energy needs. However, thanks to companies like "Energy for Us," power-plant efficiency will be higher and the use of renewable energy sources will be on the rise.

Wow! That’s a strong wind!" Arthur Canning is totally immersed in the 3D simulation on his interactive touchscreen. In just a few months—before the end of 2010—a series of wind parks are to go into operation not far from the Atlas range of mountains in Morocco. The facility will produce more electrical power than all the offshore parks that have been built to date in the North and Baltic Seas. Moreover, thanks to the recent expansion of the "Union for the Co-ordination of Transmission of Electricity" (UCTE) power network to North Africa via Gibraltar, it will be possible to transmit the electricity generated in Morocco to nearly all European countries. Russia will also soon be linked up, as will the Middle East via a connection through Turkey. Arthur, who is a UCTE representative, enjoys working with Energy for Us. The company’s share price skyrocketed in 2008, when more stringent regulations governing greenhouse gases went into effect.

Not a surprising development, given that Energy for Us not only provides consulting for operators of conventional power plants who wish to upgrade their facilities, but also develops and implements its own concepts for emission-free power plants. In other words, it is involved in everything from coal-fired Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) units with CO2 separation and storage capability all the way to wind, solar and geothermal facilities and solar-chimney power plants.

Syria will also soon be joining the UCTE, which coordinates the interests of power-network operators in the regions where it is active. "It would be a great idea to build a new solar-chimney power plant near Ar Raqqah," says Energy for Us Managing Director Christine Paul. She uses her index finger to zoom in on the area surrounding Ar Raqqah. "Our simulation shows that such a facility could continually provide the network with about 200 MW of power," she reports.

"It would have to be huge!" Arthur exclaims. "Well, the tower would be 1,000 m high, and the glass-covered surface would be 7 km in diameter," says Christine. "We’ve already calculated the facility’s stability, efficiency and profitability using data from a 200-MW solar-chimney plant in Australia. That plant’s been running without a hitch since some months. Our calculations incorporated all the parameters, including total hours of sunlight, wind speed, risk of severe weather and earthquakes, surface conditions, pollution level and surrounding infrastructure."

"Great," says Arthur. "And what about the geothermics? What were the results of the test drilling in Turkey?" "Most of the tests were very successful," says Christine, "which means we’ll soon start construction. Unfortunately, however, one of the projects revealed that the bedrock properties aren’t suitable." "Can you stay within budget?" "Definitely. In fact, we even originally figured in the possibility of two unsuccessful test bores. Besides, drilling costs are now 50 % lower than they were for the geothermal co-generation plant in Basel in 2004, so there’s no possibility of a financial bottleneck here. By the way, the Basel power plant produces enough energy for 5,000 homes: 30 MW of thermal power and 3 MW of electrical power. The newest geothermal power plants will be even more powerful."

"Good," says Arthur. "We discussed a solar unit in southern Spain last week, so that leaves the IGCC units. Is anything new going on at the German pilot facility with CO₂ separation capability?" Christine zooms in on Germany. "We’ve recently been able to reduce the electricity-generation price using some technical innovations. But when it comes to efficiency ratings, the hard-coal-fired pilot unit doesn’t measure up to conventional steam power plants. We don’t expect emission-free IGCC power plants to become competitive until 2020, but we’ll keep moving ahead with construction of clean coal-fired plants, and we hope that the UCTE will continue to provide funding."

Arthur pauses to consider this. "The member states are currently discussing this issue," he says. "And the initial signals are very positive, especially now that China has expressed strong interest in our research results and the UCTE is very interested in close cooperation with Asia. The coal reserves there are enormous." "And what about Russia, with its natural gas fields?" Christine inquires. "Does the UCTE plan to take it on as a new member soon?" "Yes, before the year is out," Arthur replies. "We’ve been planning this for a long time, but we’ve had to postpone it because of fears that it could result in fluctuations in our huge power network. But now new technologies, especially in the area of active dampening elements, have enabled us to deal with such a contingency. Our motto, Unlimited Power, is becoming more and more of a reality," Arthur concludes with a confident smile.
                                                                                                         Ulrike Zechbauer

                                           Natural Resources Highlights

Trading in greenhouse gases
Starting in 2005, it will be possible to buy and sell emission certificates in the EU. While creating a new commercial playing field, this will also open up new business opportunities  ^more

Alternative power generation
Facilities that use geothermal power to produce electricity are environmentally friendly. A new technology makes them universally practical    ^more

Protection against blackouts
Intelligent sensors and software can improve the transmission capacity of power networks—and therefore help to prevent large-scale blackouts  ^more

Less is more
Energy consumption in industrialized countries could theoretically be cut in half, thereby generating huge savings  ^more