Protecting the environment together

Environment News

Power to the People

Electricity & potable water: sustainable production from sustainable sources

If you have read our news item on ethanol, the extension of sustainable ethanol production to hydrogen gas and fuel cells has probably interested you intensely. You can be assured that this was no ordinary news item and the information on that page should have got you on the phone to MPCEE!

This is not just about ethanol and its production, as MPCEE has been involved with its development since the late 1970’s in Brazil. In fact, one of our contracted partners discovered the process to extract ethanol from wood, but now you should be interested, as we can produce ethanol from solid waste also. Together we have new crop types of biomass for feedstock; in fact we can produce 3 harvests per year, in arid zones as well. What we are saying is that we can convert all your waste in to ethanol. We are going to give you sustainable production from sustainable sources – no more taking from the food chain. The production of ethanol requires water of a certain quality, that’s for sure; but the filtration and purification process is simple.

MPCEE and its combined technical partners are now able to give you a product that is both needed and affordable. We are working to give you a package of all your power requirements and the facility to produce potable water of a quality in even the remotest of regions. We can create for you local economies from the manufacture of ethanol to the supply of power in a totally carbon free environment.

Producing ethanol is just one part of the process. A major breakthrough has been achieved with our technical partners and that is to produce hydrogen gas in commercial quantities from the conversion of ethanol. The hydrogen gas can now be used with the fuel cell, which in turn will give you your power source. The power source can be designed to meet any specific power output requirement to give electricity to run appliances, give hot water from harnessing the natural heat that is produced from the fuel cell and we can supply whole communities. Surplus power can even be fed in to the present electricity supply grids. This is not just protecting the environment and our fragile natural resources, but providing the ability to supply “power to the people” that really need it and in an affordable and sustainable way.

While this is just the beginning, the same can be applied to rural communities in developed countries and, what’s more, we can set the real process going for carbon free cities. While we do have the flex-engine that can run on ethanol alone and with a blend of hydrocarbon fuels, the conversion of hydrogen gas from ethanol to power the fuel cell is now a commercial reality and a matter of time before others come to us for the technology that we are now able to supply.

Where do you go from here? For example, we want you to identify projects where power is needed and where a local economy could be established. Land turned over for the sustainable production of ethanol, which can then be used for producing power to supply their particular requirements. You should be talking to both the public and private sectors to identify manageable projects, which can then be undertaken as joint ventures. A number of projects in South America have already been identified, particularly in the Amazon Basin, where the environment is very fragile and pollution in any form must be eliminated. We are introducing the most advanced technology to take water from the rivers and lakes to purify and filtrate to potable standards. These units have been designed in two forms; 1) a portable version constructed in a 20ft container and capable of producing up to 150m3 per day capacity and 2) two types of static unit, one for towns from 5,000-10,000 inhabitants and the other for up to 150,000 inhabitants. The technical proposal offers two alternatives, one running from a diesel generator and the other from the fuel cell, as explained above. Which would you select? While the fuel cell option is slightly more expensive, this has to be offset against the economy of producing ethanol etc, no contamination and pollution etc, no noise and the facilities of hot and cold water and electricity for communities. We have already commenced advanced discussion with specific South American countries and this now looks set to expand throughout central and South America.

We are already discussing the different possibilities to reduce demand on any electricity supply power grid; we have packages from individual houses to whole towns and more.

The above examples may sound interesting and exciting, but it does not stop there. We are now in dialogue with North African countries to open up the same for desert communities. What seemed a long way away yesterday is here today and for our future. The next step is in your hands and if you really want to help those that cannot help themselves, you will achieve more by presenting what their needs are, as well as finding the partners that we can develop this opportunity with in a joint venture. All we need is to know that they have a water supply and biomass.

The emerging and developing countries have the most to gain from this initiative at the outset, because they may well have infrastructures that do not match up with the more developed nations. Developed nations also have their remote areas where power supply may be limited and the local economy needs a boost. If you have a housing development, we can make it carbon free.

We have the solutions to make it happen and above all there are those out there that will want to make it happen financially,

without exploitation of those that really need it. What’s more, R&D funds are available as well as project funding.

You first call is to MPCEE and the wheels will begin turning.

Martin Parr