smart grid

BASF 2012 figures show growth in all sectors

German chemical giant BASF has released its sales figures for 2012 showing growth across the company. The chemical segment overall sales figures grew 7% on 2011, the 2012 sales increased to €13.8billion. There was however a decline in EBIT (earnings before interest and tax) due to plant shut downs and lower margins.

The tables below show the full figures for 2012 compared to the previous year across the range of the company (bottom) as well as the fourth quarter sales figures (top).

Advances in charging for smart devices mean longer run times

Chinese portable power company Powerocks has an ever growing range of mobile phone power boosting accessories. The high capacity portable batteries provide additional power for mobile and tablet devices that are compatible with USB ports.

The lithium-ion batteries can be charged form a mains power supply and then provide several re-charges for smart phones and tablet devices. The slim-line design of iPhones and the like mean the battery cannot be swapped with a spare, it must be recharged, resulting in companies coming up with novel ways to help users re-charge when travelling or away from mains charging.

The range includes the Stone series of portable batteries that offer between 5800mAh and 7800mAh capacity, which provide an additional three times power for devices; The Magicstick is the size of an AA cell and offers 2600mAH power on the go for phone devices.

The Magicstick The ultimate in portable battery is built into the phone cover. The interestingly named Cheese Crystal is a protective case for the iPhone4 that has an 1800mAH lithium-ion battery incorporated in it to double potential battery life.

When charged, Powerocks range can power up to two devices, dependant on model, two or three times. The designs are complimentary to Apple style and show these chargers can be sleek and elegant but still pack a lot of power.

Smart heating system could cut bills and increase use of renewables

An energy efficient heating system offering efficiency savings of up to 20% could be key in the transition to low-carbon energy systems in Europe. This is according to a report commissioned by SSE (UK energy generators and distributors) and Dimplex (a global heating solutions firm).

The smart electric thermal storage (SETS) system works by storing up renewably produced energy when production is high but demand is low. The report indicated SETS could provide up to 54GW of additional flexible storage capacity across Europe by 2050, enabling renewable electricity to be stored when demand is low and used to heat homes when needed.

The system, first brought to the market by SEE and Dimplex in a product called Quantum, is intended to replace out-dated night storage heaters with something more efficient and with better room temperature control as well as being designed for smart grid integration.

The report found that if all 27 EU countries replaced storage heaters with SETS, savings of 7.4TWh of electricity and three mega-tons of CO₂ could be made each year. If used in all electrically heated homes as much as 148GW could be provided by 2050.

Stuart Mackenzie, Managing Director of Dimplex, added: “Quantum offers consumers with electric storage heaters the opportunity to reduce their running costs by up to 27%. It’s also a Green Deal approved measure, so the capital cost outlay can be substantially reduced.”

Himoinsa supplies four gensets to Gibraltar

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Spanish genset OEM Himoinsa has supplied four gensets to the British overseas territory Gibraltar on the Iberian peninsular.

Himoinsa packaged four Mitsubishi engines - two 1000kVA and two 2000kVA – to generate power at a low voltage, 400V. The presence of two transformers enables the power to be stepped up to 11kV. The customer is Gibraltar Electricity Authority (Gibelec)

With an approximate population of 29,500 inhabitants, Gibraltar has a constantly increasing energy demand. The four gensets will cover both peak demand and to provide supply when other gensets experience faults or undergo maintenance checks.

Himoinsa’s two HTW-2030 gensets are housed in a 40ft container, while the HTW-1030 units are housed in 20ft containers. The gensets are controlled by means of the SCADA system, computer software that allows remote controlling and monitoring of industrial processes; all gensets feature InteliGen ComAp control units for utility paralleling.

A 30ft container contains two 11kV/400V 3000kVA transformers, while fuel is housed within three aboveground 10,000 litre storage tanks.

Rolls-Royce wins $40m contract to power Turkmenistan-China natural gas pipeline

Rolls-Royce has bagged a $40m contract to supply equipment and related services to power the flow of natural gas through the Uzbekistan section of the Turkmenistan-China natural gas pipeline.

Rolls-Royce will supply Asia Trans Gas (ATG LLC), a joint venture between Uzbekistan's Uzbekneftegaz and China’s National Petroleum Corporation, with three RB211 gas turbine driven pipeline compressor units for operation at a compressor station on the 530km Uzbekistan section of the 1,830 km Turkmenistan-China natural gas pipeline.

The Uzbekistan section of the Turkmenistan-China natural gas pipeline will transport 25 billion cubic meters per year of gas from Turkmenistan, through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, to China, helping to stabilise China’s consumption of natural gas.

Rolls-Royce will manufacture and package the equipment at its energy facilities in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and Mount Vernon, Ohio, USA.

AFC Energy ships fuel cell system to ICL

AFC Energy has delivered a fuel cell electricity generating system to Industrial Chemicals Limited (ICL), a leading UK commodity chemicals producer.

The shipment is in advance of a 1 MW commercial-scale project to install the world’s largest alkaline fuel cell energy generation system at ICL’s chlor-alkali plant in Essex, UK. The project is being supported with a European Union grant of €6.1m ($8m), from this April.

The first delivery was for a skid-mounted (mobile) Beta fuel cell system which is expected to be installed and to commence supplying small quantities of power to the chemicals works from April 2013. It will use waste hydrogen, produced as a by-product at the chemicals works, as fuel to generate clean energy.

The system will test and qualify the hydrogen supply and site infrastructure ahead of the installation of the larger system in stages later this year. By harnessing the waste hydrogen, AFC Energy’s fuel cell system will eventually provide up to 1 MW at point of consumption, reducing reliance on grid-supplied electricity by up to 20%.

As part of the project AFC Energy is to provide electrical power to ICL under its first ESCO (Energy Supply Company) arrangement whereby ICL will provide its hydrogen and purchase power under long-term contracts. AFC Energy will own, operate and maintain the fuel cell systems.

Aggreko appoints director for Europe, Middle East and Africa

Aggreko has announced the appointment of David Taylor-Smith as its new director for Europe, Middle East and Africa, with effect from 11 March 2013.

Former British Army officer Taylor-Smith has spent most of his career in the security industry. The 51 year-old worked for G4S between 1998 and 2012, most recently in the role of Chief Operating Officer and Regional Chief Executive of UK, Ireland and Africa.

Taylor-Smith resigned from G4S last September after the company failed to provide an adequate number of security staff for the London Olympic Games, forcing British police and the British Army to intervene. The company eventually booked a loss of $108m on the project.

The appointment follows the management reorganisation announced by Aggreko last September, with the group being split into three regional units for the Americas; Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA); and Asia, Pacific and Australia (APAC), each managed by a main board director.

The Americas and APAC posts were filled by internal candidates - Asterios Satrazemis and Debajit Das, respectively.

Supply deal worth $2.4 million for military experts

Arotech Corporation is to supply the US Army with over 1500 Soldier Wearable Integrated Power Equipment System, or SWIPES, from its battery and power systems division.

SWIPES integrates force protection electronics and communication equipment, with a zinc-air battery into an army issue load-carrying vest. The system uses a modular power distribution system powered by BA-8180/U, BA-8140/U zinc-air batteries or LI-145, BB2590 rechargeable batteries for providing direct power to equipment.

The high energy density means soldiers can work for longer in the field without recharging or swapping battery packs. This enables longer missions as well as reducing the pack weight by 30%. The batteries continuously charge the secondary batteries inside various devices, such as two-way radios, GPS units and shot detection systems. SWIPES can be adapted to individual’s needs, to allow soldiers to accept new applications when they become available.

"Reducing the load on a soldier and simplifying the supply logistics promoted SWIPES to be awarded the accolade of a Top-Ten Best Army Inventions in 2011," declared Arotech's Chairman and CEO, Robert Ehrlich. "This follow-on order from the US army is testament to the effectiveness of our product and reflects its increasing acceptance among US Ground Forces."

Award for remotely controlled battery device

The Tethercell battery adaptor was named the overall winner for Breakthrough Prototype in the Bluetooth SIG Breakthrough Awards competition.

With Tethercell any battery operated device can be controlled from a smart device. It is the size of an AA battery and is inserted into an applicance in place of one of the batteries. It is then remotely connected to a smart device such as a phone or tablet via an app, which allows the battery-operated device to be controlled remotely.

Devices continue to function with one AA cell substituted for the AAA Tethercell. The electronics contained in the casing also contain a temperature sensor, channel switcher and a boost for converting 1.5 to 3V.

Operating on a radio frequency, Tethercell has a range of 100feet in open space or 60feet through a wall. It costs from US$35 and lasts six to twelve months dependant on usage.

The Bluetooth SIG Awards celebrate inventions that utilise Bluetooth technology to interact ordinary devices with smart phones and tablets.

MEMS Power Generation to keep power running at London Uni

A major London university contracted MEMS Power Generation to provide temporary power for the continuation of medical research and experiments during maintenance work.

MEMS supplied a total of 4100kVA to six buildings on the university site that house 20 years of experiments that cannot be affected by ongoing site maintenance.

Engineers installed two 800kVA generators, that will work in parallel redundancy, and 2600kg of cabling for total resilience. This was followed by two 1250kVA generators, which will work in parallel to power the site’s main building.

MEMS Power Generation, commented: “The University is renowned for carrying out a vast amount of medical research, so the temporary power we supplied needed to ensure that experiments and testing could carry on as normal during the maintenance period. If power had been lost, potentially 20 yeas of experiments could have been lost.

"Our aim was to ensure that the buildings never lost power for more than 15 minutes on installation of the temporary equipment and on reinstatement of the mains supply.”

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