An overview of the current trends and recent statistics of our progress towards sustainable clean energy coming from solar power and biomass.

1. Global Sustainable Energy:
Current trends and Future
Prospects
Hashem AL-ghaili
Jacobs University Bremen

2. Exploiting natural resources
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400,000-year-old shelter from Terra Amata, France

3. Industrial revolution 1700
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4. Technological explosion
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5. Current technological revolution
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6. The impact of industrial revolution on our climate
7/26/2014 6Image: http://www.st-edmunds.cam.ac.uk/CIS/houghton/images/fig4.jpg
By the year 2100, carbon dioxide concentrations will rise to 600 - 700 parts per million.

7. Switching towards clean energy
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Wind Power Hydropower Solar power
Biomass energy Geothermal energy Nuclear power

8. General overview
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Biomass energy
Solar Power

9. Switching towards clean energy
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Wind Power Hydropower Solar power
Biomass energy Geothermal energy Nuclear power

10. Global public support for
energy sources
7/26/2014 10Image via: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Global_public_support_for_energy_sources_%28Ipsos_2011%29.png

11. Global status with solar power
7/26/2014 11Image via: http://assets.inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2013/12/global-solar-energy-
generation-2012-infographic.jpg

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Germany has a goal of producing 100% of electricity
from renewable sources by 2050.
http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Germany-renewables-638x566.png
Status of Germany

13. Status of Germany with solar power
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June 6th (1pm and 2pm)
June 9th (National holiday)
24.24 GWh of electricity
http://www.thelocal.de/20140619/germany-produces-half-of-electricity-needs-with-solar-power

14. The potential of solar power
7/26/2014 14Visualization via: Nadine May
Data provided by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR)
Total surface area required to fuel the world with solar power
Europe (EU-25)
Germany (De)

15. The potential of solar energy in
reducing CO2 emissions
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The Agua Caliente Solar Project
Capacity: 290 MWh
CO2 Reduction: 324,000 tons
Arizona, United States
Solnova Solar Power Station
Capacity: 200 MWh
CO2 Reduction: 185,000 tons
Sanlúcar la Mayor, Spain
Welspun Solar MP Project
Capacity: 150 MWh
CO2 Reduction: 216,372 tons
Neemuch, India
Shams Solar Power Station
Capacity: 100 MWh
CO2 Reduction: 175,000 tons
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Ivanpah Solar Power Facility
Capacity: 354 MWh
CO2 Reduction: 400,000 tons
California, United States
Genesis Solar Energy Project
Capacity: 250 MWh
CO2 Reduction: 393,000 tons
California, United States

16. Ivanpah Solar Power Facility, U.S.
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• Ivanpah Solar Power Facility
• Location: California, United States
• Commission date: Feb, 2014
• Capacity: 354 megawatts (MWh)
• Generates power for 140,000 homes
The Ivanpah installation reduces carbon dioxide
emissions by over 400,000 tons annually.

17. Canal Solar Power Project, India
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18. A touch of innovation
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19. Solar energy trends over
the past 3 years
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• More efficient.
• Minimized environmental risks.
• Cheaper.
• Smaller.
• Flexible.
• Transparent.

20. Cost problem
7/26/2014 20Image : http://greenecon.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/cost_kwh2.jpg

21. Past prices
7/26/2014 21Image: http://www.midlandsolarapplications.com/about-solar.html

22. Long-term storage of
solar energy
7/26/2014 22Images : http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/icimages?p_imgid=130329
http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110929/images/news564-i2b.0.jpg
Artificial leaf

23. Biomass Energy
7/26/2014 23Image: http://www.williamsrenewables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/diagram.gif
Terrestrial biomes Industrial waste Marine biomass

24. Second-largest source of
renewable electricity generation
7/26/2014 24Graph: Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Energy Outlook 2009.
Biomass is the fastest growing, going from 11%
of the total in 2007, to more than 41% in 2030.

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Miscanthus Switchgrass Hemp Bamboo
Maize Sugarcane Oil palm Rice
Terrestrial biomes used for energy production
• Thermal conversion
• Chemical conversion
• Biochemical conversion
Ethanol – Bioalcohols -
Biodiesel
- Biofuel gasoline -
Bioethers - Biogas

26. Advantages of terrestrial biomes
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Advantages
• Clean and eco-friendly energy source.
• Products that are used in biomass are easily available.
• The material for biomass will surely never run out.

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Disadvantages of terrestrial biomes
• Costly sometimes (depending on the substrate).
• The clearance of large areas including forests.
• Releases methane into the air (lesser than fossil fuels).
• Sustainable under certain conditions only.
• Consumption of fresh water.
• Competition for arable land.
• Food-fuel debate.

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Second-generation biofuels from
lignocellulosic biomass
• 40 million tonnes/year
• Rich substrate of glucose
• An abundant source of biomass
Corn stoverWood shavingsWoody remains

29. Environmental impact of
second-generation biofuels
7/26/2014 29Graph: http://www.afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/images/GHG-emissions-transportation-fuels.jpg
Life-cycle energy and greenhouse gas emission impacts of different corn ethanol plant types
Michael Wang et al 2007 Environ. Res. Lett. 2 024001

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Problem with lignocellulosic biomass
Lignin

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The search for novel cellulolytic enzymes continues
Graphic by: Lignocellulose: A chewy problem, Katharine Sanderson - Nature
The gribble (Limnoria
quadripunctata)
Termites feed on dead plant
material with the help of their
intestinal bacteria
Fungus Trichoderma
reesii (Hypocrea
jecorina)

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In practice
• The world's largest cellulosic ethanol plant
• 50 million liters of cellulosic ethanol a year
• Location: Crescentino, Italy

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Marine macroalgae
Image: http://innovatedevelopment.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/seaweed_biofuel.gif

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Advantages of macroalgae as a biomass
for energy production
• No fresh water required.
• Very abundant.
• Plays an important role in carbon capture and
CO2 storage (0.7 million tons/year).
• Nitrogen and phosphorus are provided by fish.
• Can be collected from industrial waste.

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Marine macroalgae as a biomass
for the production of biofuels
Image: http://innovatedevelopment.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/seaweed_biofuel.gif

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Productivity of Biofuels by Different Plants
Image: http://www.asiabiomass.jp/english/topics/images/1009_2_2.jpg
Source: “Prospect of Biomass Energy of Sea
Algae”, Prof. Shin Watanabe, Tsukuba University
50-60 % carbohydrates
1–3 % lipids
7–38 % minerals
10–47 % proteins

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Simulation models and prediction
of growth conditions
Maps: NASA’s Earth Observatory / Hughes et al.

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Natural distribution of shallow water
macroalgae across the globe
The potential coastal areas to culture macroalgae for biogas are
indicated in red line.
Map: NASA’s Earth Observatory

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Production cost of ethanol obtained
from different sources of biomass
Graph : http://www.algenol.com/sites/default/files/production_graph.png
Algae Biofuel Process by Algenol Yields 8000
Gallons per Acre at $1.27 per Gallon
Aims to produce 20 billion gallons per year of
low cost ethanol by 2033
1 gallon = 3.78541 liters

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Summary
Sustainability
InnovationConsistency

41. T H A N K Y O U !
FOR YOUR ATTENTION