Additive manufacturing or 3D printing, manufacturing a product layer by layer, offers large desig... more Additive manufacturing or 3D printing, manufacturing a product layer by layer, offers large design freedom and faster product development cycles, as well as low startup cost of production, on-demand production and local production. In principle, any product could be made by additive manufacturing. Even food and living organic cells can be printed. We can create, design and manufacture what we want at the location we want. 3D printing will create a revolution in manufacturing, a real paradigm change. 3D printing holds the promise to manufacture with less waste and energy. We can print metals, ceramics, sand, synthetic materials such as plastics, food or living cells. However, the production of plastics is nowadays based on fossil fuels. And that's where we witness a paradigm change too. The production of these synthetic materials can be based also on biomaterials with biomass as feedstock. A wealth of new and innovative products are emerging when we combine these two paradigm cha...
Abstract The spatial and energy potential in The Netherlands for energy farming is assessed as we... more Abstract The spatial and energy potential in The Netherlands for energy farming is assessed as well as for a number of biomass residues. The future supply of agricultural land is based on closures of farms. Various future claims for infrastructure and nature are taken into account. The net supply of land adds up to 100,000 — 185,000 in 2000 to 245,000 and a theoretical maximum of 465,000 ha in 2015. When this potential is used for energy crops like Miscanthus this land could contribute 20 - 37 PJ in 2000 and in 2015 62-117 PJ. Secondary yields of biomass can contribute a further 32 PJ in 2000, decreasing to approx. 24 PJ in 2015 This implies 2% of the Dutch energy demand in 2000, in 2015 about 3%, provided that energy fanning is an economically feasible activity for farmers.
The potential for optimizing, in both economic and energetic terms, the final waste treatment sys... more The potential for optimizing, in both economic and energetic terms, the final waste treatment system in the Netherlands is evaluated in the light of the performance of new technologies. Projections of the final waste supply and waste treatment technologies are combined to construct several scenarios for waste treatment in the year 2010. Technologies include processes currently in the demonstration or pilot phase. It is concluded that final waste treatment could be performed at lower cost and with substantially greater energy recovery ...
For the Green Village at the campus of Delft University of Technology, an autarkic water circuit ... more For the Green Village at the campus of Delft University of Technology, an autarkic water circuit was developed. The aim was to avoid connections to the public water supply system, the sewerage, the electricity grid and cable systems. It should produce its own drinking water and electricity, and clean its organic waste streams in a sustainable way. Due to the strict Dutch drinking water regulations, only one water quality will be supplied: drinking water. Drinking water will be produced from greywater (53%) supplemented with rainwater (47%). In the treatment scheme, the multiple barrier approach will be used to comply with the Dutch drinking water quality standards. For greywater treatment, a triple barrier is suggested: ozonation – ultrafiltration – UV disinfection. For rainwater treatment a dual barrier is suggested: ultrafiltration – UV disinfection. By separating wastewater streams at the point of origin into greywater and blackwater, and by replacing conventional toilets with lo...
The technical feasibility and the economic and environmental performance of atmospheric gasificat... more The technical feasibility and the economic and environmental performance of atmospheric gasification of biomass wastes and residues integrated with a combined cycle for electricity production are investigated for Dutch conditions. The system selected for study is an atmospheric circulating fluidized bed gasifier-combined cycle (ACFBCC) plant based on the General Electric LM 2500 gas turbine and atmospheric gasification technology, including flue gas drying and low-temperature gas cleaning (similar to the Termiska Processer AB process). The performance of the system is assessed for clean wood, verge grass, organic domestic waste, demolition wood and a wood-sludge mixture as fuel input. System calculations are performed with an ASPENplus model. The composition of the fuel gas was derived by laboratory-scale fuel reactivity tests and subsequent model calculations. The net calculated efficiencies for electricity production are 35.4–40.3% (LHV) for the fuels studied, with potential for further improvement. Estimated investment costs, based on vendor quotes, for a fully commercial plant are 1500–2300 ECU per kWe installed. Electricity production costs, including logistics and in some cases negative fuel price, vary between minus 6.7 and 8.5 ECUct/kWh. Negative fuel costs are obtained if current costs for waste treatment can serve as income to the facility. Environmental performance is expected to meet strict standards for waste incineration in the Netherlands. The system seems flexible enough to process a wide variety of fuels. The kWh costs are very sensitive to the system efficiency but only slightly sensitive to transport distance; this is an argument in favour of large power-scale plants. As a waste treatment option the concept seems very promising. There seem to be no fundamental technical and economic barriers that can hamper implementation of this technology
This chapter describes a European energy system based on 50% renewable electricity and 50% green ... more This chapter describes a European energy system based on 50% renewable electricity and 50% green hydrogen, which can be achieved by 2050. The green hydrogen shall consist of hydrogen produced in Europe, complemented by hydrogen imports, especially from North Africa. Hydrogen import from North Africa will be beneficial for both Europe and North Africa. A bold energy sector strategy with an important infrastructure component is suggested, which differs from more traditional bottom-up sectoral strategies. This approach guarantees optimized use of (existing) infrastructure, has low risk and cost, improves Europe’s energy security and supports European technology leadership. In North Africa it would foster economic development, boost export, create future-oriented jobs in a high-tech sector and support social stability.
Bij de presentatie van de Europese Waterstofstrategie in juli 2020, vroeg een journalist of deze ... more Bij de presentatie van de Europese Waterstofstrategie in juli 2020, vroeg een journalist of deze technologie niet ‘besmet’ was, wijzend op wat er gebeurde toen de mens de vorige keer probeerde dit gas te benutten. Het is duidelijk dat de technologie ver is gekomen sinds de ramp met de Hindenburg. Waterstof heeft nu een groeiende schare aan fans – en terecht. Een groot deel van de energietransitie is gericht op directe elektrificatie. Maar voor sommige sectoren, zoals staal, cement, zwaar transport of scheepvaart, is elektrificatie geen oplossing. Hernieuwbare waterstof als brandstof en grondstof kan helpen deze puzzel op te lossen. Bovendien kan waterstof als energieopslag het potentieel van wind- en zonne-energie maximaliseren door een back-up te bieden voor seizoensgebonden schommelingen in duurzame energieproductie en door productielocaties met verder gelegen vraagcentra te verbinden. Waterstof is dus hard op weg de rockster van de energiewereld te worden. De nieuw ontdekte kanse...
To keep global warming below 1.5 °C, our energy systems need to be carbon emission free latest by... more To keep global warming below 1.5 °C, our energy systems need to be carbon emission free latest by 2050, and many countries have pledged to do so. A high-level model was built for a fictitious economy called Utopia to assess three pathways towards a zero-carbon economy by 2050: a gradual (linear) replacement of fossil fuels by clean energy, an accelerated pathway leading to a carbon free system by 2035, and a delayed pathway, in which replacement takes place from 2035 onwards. The model yields very clear results. The accelerated pathway is not only 21% cheaper than a gradual phasing out of fossil fuels, with accumulated savings of $4 trillion over a period of 30 years, but also the climate wins, with emissions reducing from 32.7 GT to 13.1 GT over the same period. On the other end of the spectrum, the delayed transition is 20% more expensive than the gradual transition, and a whopping $7.7 trillion more expensive than the accelerated pathway, with 4 times higher emissions of CO2. It should be noted that the main driver of the cost difference of the three pathways is the price of carbon. Running the model without a price on carbon yields a level playing field regarding overall cost for the three pathways. Of course, in the accelerated pathway, CO2 emissions are much lower than the gradual or delayed pathway, which should be an incentive in its own right.
Additive manufacturing or 3D printing, manufacturing a product layer by layer, offers large desig... more Additive manufacturing or 3D printing, manufacturing a product layer by layer, offers large design freedom and faster product development cycles, as well as low startup cost of production, on-demand production and local production. In principle, any product could be made by additive manufacturing. Even food and living organic cells can be printed. We can create, design and manufacture what we want at the location we want. 3D printing will create a revolution in manufacturing, a real paradigm change. 3D printing holds the promise to manufacture with less waste and energy. We can print metals, ceramics, sand, synthetic materials such as plastics, food or living cells. However, the production of plastics is nowadays based on fossil fuels. And that's where we witness a paradigm change too. The production of these synthetic materials can be based also on biomaterials with biomass as feedstock. A wealth of new and innovative products are emerging when we combine these two paradigm cha...
Abstract The spatial and energy potential in The Netherlands for energy farming is assessed as we... more Abstract The spatial and energy potential in The Netherlands for energy farming is assessed as well as for a number of biomass residues. The future supply of agricultural land is based on closures of farms. Various future claims for infrastructure and nature are taken into account. The net supply of land adds up to 100,000 — 185,000 in 2000 to 245,000 and a theoretical maximum of 465,000 ha in 2015. When this potential is used for energy crops like Miscanthus this land could contribute 20 - 37 PJ in 2000 and in 2015 62-117 PJ. Secondary yields of biomass can contribute a further 32 PJ in 2000, decreasing to approx. 24 PJ in 2015 This implies 2% of the Dutch energy demand in 2000, in 2015 about 3%, provided that energy fanning is an economically feasible activity for farmers.
The potential for optimizing, in both economic and energetic terms, the final waste treatment sys... more The potential for optimizing, in both economic and energetic terms, the final waste treatment system in the Netherlands is evaluated in the light of the performance of new technologies. Projections of the final waste supply and waste treatment technologies are combined to construct several scenarios for waste treatment in the year 2010. Technologies include processes currently in the demonstration or pilot phase. It is concluded that final waste treatment could be performed at lower cost and with substantially greater energy recovery ...
For the Green Village at the campus of Delft University of Technology, an autarkic water circuit ... more For the Green Village at the campus of Delft University of Technology, an autarkic water circuit was developed. The aim was to avoid connections to the public water supply system, the sewerage, the electricity grid and cable systems. It should produce its own drinking water and electricity, and clean its organic waste streams in a sustainable way. Due to the strict Dutch drinking water regulations, only one water quality will be supplied: drinking water. Drinking water will be produced from greywater (53%) supplemented with rainwater (47%). In the treatment scheme, the multiple barrier approach will be used to comply with the Dutch drinking water quality standards. For greywater treatment, a triple barrier is suggested: ozonation – ultrafiltration – UV disinfection. For rainwater treatment a dual barrier is suggested: ultrafiltration – UV disinfection. By separating wastewater streams at the point of origin into greywater and blackwater, and by replacing conventional toilets with lo...
The technical feasibility and the economic and environmental performance of atmospheric gasificat... more The technical feasibility and the economic and environmental performance of atmospheric gasification of biomass wastes and residues integrated with a combined cycle for electricity production are investigated for Dutch conditions. The system selected for study is an atmospheric circulating fluidized bed gasifier-combined cycle (ACFBCC) plant based on the General Electric LM 2500 gas turbine and atmospheric gasification technology, including flue gas drying and low-temperature gas cleaning (similar to the Termiska Processer AB process). The performance of the system is assessed for clean wood, verge grass, organic domestic waste, demolition wood and a wood-sludge mixture as fuel input. System calculations are performed with an ASPENplus model. The composition of the fuel gas was derived by laboratory-scale fuel reactivity tests and subsequent model calculations. The net calculated efficiencies for electricity production are 35.4–40.3% (LHV) for the fuels studied, with potential for further improvement. Estimated investment costs, based on vendor quotes, for a fully commercial plant are 1500–2300 ECU per kWe installed. Electricity production costs, including logistics and in some cases negative fuel price, vary between minus 6.7 and 8.5 ECUct/kWh. Negative fuel costs are obtained if current costs for waste treatment can serve as income to the facility. Environmental performance is expected to meet strict standards for waste incineration in the Netherlands. The system seems flexible enough to process a wide variety of fuels. The kWh costs are very sensitive to the system efficiency but only slightly sensitive to transport distance; this is an argument in favour of large power-scale plants. As a waste treatment option the concept seems very promising. There seem to be no fundamental technical and economic barriers that can hamper implementation of this technology
This chapter describes a European energy system based on 50% renewable electricity and 50% green ... more This chapter describes a European energy system based on 50% renewable electricity and 50% green hydrogen, which can be achieved by 2050. The green hydrogen shall consist of hydrogen produced in Europe, complemented by hydrogen imports, especially from North Africa. Hydrogen import from North Africa will be beneficial for both Europe and North Africa. A bold energy sector strategy with an important infrastructure component is suggested, which differs from more traditional bottom-up sectoral strategies. This approach guarantees optimized use of (existing) infrastructure, has low risk and cost, improves Europe’s energy security and supports European technology leadership. In North Africa it would foster economic development, boost export, create future-oriented jobs in a high-tech sector and support social stability.
Bij de presentatie van de Europese Waterstofstrategie in juli 2020, vroeg een journalist of deze ... more Bij de presentatie van de Europese Waterstofstrategie in juli 2020, vroeg een journalist of deze technologie niet ‘besmet’ was, wijzend op wat er gebeurde toen de mens de vorige keer probeerde dit gas te benutten. Het is duidelijk dat de technologie ver is gekomen sinds de ramp met de Hindenburg. Waterstof heeft nu een groeiende schare aan fans – en terecht. Een groot deel van de energietransitie is gericht op directe elektrificatie. Maar voor sommige sectoren, zoals staal, cement, zwaar transport of scheepvaart, is elektrificatie geen oplossing. Hernieuwbare waterstof als brandstof en grondstof kan helpen deze puzzel op te lossen. Bovendien kan waterstof als energieopslag het potentieel van wind- en zonne-energie maximaliseren door een back-up te bieden voor seizoensgebonden schommelingen in duurzame energieproductie en door productielocaties met verder gelegen vraagcentra te verbinden. Waterstof is dus hard op weg de rockster van de energiewereld te worden. De nieuw ontdekte kanse...
To keep global warming below 1.5 °C, our energy systems need to be carbon emission free latest by... more To keep global warming below 1.5 °C, our energy systems need to be carbon emission free latest by 2050, and many countries have pledged to do so. A high-level model was built for a fictitious economy called Utopia to assess three pathways towards a zero-carbon economy by 2050: a gradual (linear) replacement of fossil fuels by clean energy, an accelerated pathway leading to a carbon free system by 2035, and a delayed pathway, in which replacement takes place from 2035 onwards. The model yields very clear results. The accelerated pathway is not only 21% cheaper than a gradual phasing out of fossil fuels, with accumulated savings of $4 trillion over a period of 30 years, but also the climate wins, with emissions reducing from 32.7 GT to 13.1 GT over the same period. On the other end of the spectrum, the delayed transition is 20% more expensive than the gradual transition, and a whopping $7.7 trillion more expensive than the accelerated pathway, with 4 times higher emissions of CO2. It should be noted that the main driver of the cost difference of the three pathways is the price of carbon. Running the model without a price on carbon yields a level playing field regarding overall cost for the three pathways. Of course, in the accelerated pathway, CO2 emissions are much lower than the gradual or delayed pathway, which should be an incentive in its own right.
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