Opportunity in Renewable Energy

Alastair Nicol BSc CEng MEI

Element Consultants Ltd

Is renewable energy real business opportunity ?

Some facts and figures

Market dilemmas

Some business opportunities

Why is energy so important

Energy for heating

Energy for Lighting

Energy for transport

Energy for manufacturing

Energy for food (fertiliser for 1 acre is the equivalent of driving a car 600miles)

Currently 2-5% of world gas production is used for food .

Existing fossil fuel consumption

Fossil Fuels

Oil 3,081,190,000 gallons/day

Natural gas 8,829,863,013 m3/day

2,042,278,575 gallons of oil equivalent/day

Coal 10,203,561 tonnes of coal/day

2,617,723,739 gallons of oil equivalent/day

Total 7,741,192,314 gallons of oil equivalent/day

Perspective

Important to have perspective.

World daily oil consumption is the equivalent of a cube

¼km

Do you really think that does not have an impact on the

environment ?

Does not stop there

Nuclear 419,510,000 gallons of oil equivalent/day

Hydro 556,326,917 gallons of oil equivalent/day

Renewables 136,920,383 gallons of oil equivalent/day

Total Hydro/Renewables 693,247,300 gallons of oil equivalent/day

Grand Total 8,853,949,614 gallons of oil equivalent/day

The UK problem

Population/km2

– UK = 260 – France = 119

Food self sufficiency– UK = 60%– France = 124%

UK has not sufficient land to give over to renewable crops or

biomass

The Business opportunities

Every conceivable energy source will be required from Chicken litter to thorium!

Solar

Wind

Biomass

Energy from Waste

Agricultural residue

Energy crop

Hydro

A/D

Tidal

The Business opportunities

Primary Spin Off

Solar Electrical design, panel design, grid management technology, Maintenance, Power storage, transmission efficiency, Battery tech, Inverter and electronics tech

Wind Electrical design, panel design, grid management technology, Maintenance, environmental impact,

Biomass Harvest, Drying Tech, Processing tech, Storage Tech, handling tech, Combustion tech, Emissions Tech – Ash processing.

Energy from Waste Waste collection, Processing, Sorting Tech, energy recovery, Storage Tech, handling tech, Combustion tech, Emissions Tech – Ash processing.

Agricultural residue Waste collection, Processing, Sorting Tech, energy recovery, Storage Tech, handling tech, Combustion tech, Emissions Tech – Ash processing.

Energy Crop Bio Tech, Bio Engineering.

A/D Bio Tech, Bio Engineering, chp, panel design, grid management technology, Maintenance, Power storage, transmission efficiency, Battery tech, Inverter and electronics tech. Gas compression, Gas injection

Second use fuels

Opportunities for gasification, pyrolysis, combustion

Forestry waste Spent grain Straw Chicken litter Waste wood

Significant Barriers to SEAP 2015

Grid connection

Inherent grid weakness

Underinvestment in protection and reinforcement

Opportunity arises

£300,000 t/o SME developing WAN based power factor

controllers, Phase balance, line reactors and paralleling

control – leading design and exportable tech.

Opportunity Fuels

Distillers’ dried spent mash Coffee grounds

Palm oil press residue

Wheat / rice / barley straws

A & B grades wood mix

Peanut shell Olive wastes

Wood chip

Vine cuttings

Rice husk

Element Consultants

Solar PV feasibility

Solar Thermal Installation

Wind Feasibility

Wind site and performance monitoring

Future fuels electrical power generation

Future fuels combined heat and power

Element Consultants

Specialist in combustion technology

Plant and product design

Future fuels industrial steam

Future fuels electrical power generation

Future fuels combined heat and power

Element Consultants

Design calculation advice

Product development support

Health and safety compliance

PUWER compliance

CE marking

Design review

Expert opinion in contemplation of legal proceedings

Business mentoring

Design and function briefing

Design advice

Marketing support

Synergistic support

Funding support

True strengths are technical

Element Consultants

DETINI - SEAP 2015

Invest NI – Significant contributors

Pleased to be a part of the programme

Around this afternoon for discussion