Researchers at the University of Newcastle in NSW have developed a new sustainable energy technology which could help solve the global challenge of rural electrification in developing countries.
The project is being developed by Dr Kalpit Shah and Professor Behdad Moghtaderi at the university’s Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources (NIER), a multi-disciplinary group looking at resource sustainability, productivity and competitiveness in the energy and resources sector.
The $1.1 million project is being funded by Industry partner VTara Energy Group and is aimed at solving a missing link in the gasification of biomass – using agricultural waste and by-product to generate heat and electricity.
The demonstration plant, due for implementation in 2017, will initially generate power and heat for a village district in the state of Karnataka and is being supported by the University’s Priority Research Centre for Frontier Energy Technology and Utilisation, NIER and Newcastle Innovation.
Shah said the demonstration plant will address key issues including fuel flexibility, tar removal and heat recovery in the gasifier.
Professor Moghtaderi, a chemical engineer, said the technology could have implications for almost two billion people globally who do not have access to modern fuels such as oil and gas. He says he is driven by a desire to reduce greenhouse gases.
His 30-strong research team is working on a range of projects including Granex, an emission-free engine that turns heat from low-grade sources such as geothermal and industrial waste heat into electricity, and was featured on the ABC TV program The New Inventors in 2011.
"I always enter my first lecture with a hot cup of coffee, which I place under a scaled model of a sterling engine connected to a propeller. The heat from my coffee powers the propeller blades of the model. It is a simple example of how waste heat can be used. I have been using that demonstration for ten years now and will never grow tired of seeing how excited it makes my students," said Moghtaderi.
The technology delivers higher thermal efficiencies than conventional power plants, improving cycle efficiency and increasing the net electrical output from a given heat source by around 40 per cent.
"We recently installed Granex technology to heat a local swimming pool. This is now a recreational resource for the community that can be used all year round, instead of just the warmer months," he said.
Granex was created after Granite Power approached the University' commercial arm, Newcastle Innovation, looking for help to solve a problem they were having regarding developing commercially attractive geothermal energy technology.
"The spirit of research here at the University of Newcastle is that we have a strong solutions-focused approach and want to see this research applied to the real world – we aim to be pragmatic and practical," said Professor Moghtaderi.
Dr Kalpit Shah (left) and Professor Behdad Moghtaderi at the University of Newcastle.