Projects
Algae to Biofuels
In 2008, Enegis LLC teamed with Bebout and Associates to develop an algae to biofuels project. Enegis and the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) signed a collaborative research agreement to build a series of ponds to research algae for the production of biofuels. Enegis and Bebout were responsible for the design and building of heated, open ponds while UNR concentrated on identifying and culturing high lipid/starch producing species which were hardy enough to survive outdoors.
Enegis and Bebout designed and constructed a series of four 20,000 liter ponds which would permit multiple simultaneous experiments. Four 3,000 gallon tanks were provided for water storage, chemical mixing and algae settling. Heat for the ponds is provided by a simulated geothermal/industrial waste heat water heat exchanger. Water movement is accomplished with a proprietary Bernoulli water jet system.
In November 2008, the ponds were seeded with algae. Despite sub-freezing temperatures and major wind events, the algae flourished and were harvested in December. Current plans call for monthly to bi-monthly algae crops as various factors affecting productivity are tested and quantified.
Ultimately, Enegis envisions an industrial-scale algae to biofuels process taking advantage of waste or geothermal heat, creating a renewable, readily used, carbon-neutral fuel, and providing the secondary benefit of removing heavy metals from untreated waters.
Carbon Capture & Sequestration
Given the importance of coal to power generation in the United States, where coal-fired power plants supply almost 50 percent of the Nation’s electricity needs, examination of the costs and practicability for retrofit of existing pulverized coal power plants with CO2 capture technology is a essential. To help elucidate this issue, Enegis is currently working with the National Energy Technology Laboratory to individually examine the population of pulverized coal-fired power plants to determine costs and estimate space availability for retrofit. The effort is designed to assess coal-fired power plants in the U.S. relative to the cost and feasibility for retrofit with CO2 capture technology.
The on-going effort comprised the development of a database and geographic information systems (GIS) modeling analysis of coal-fired power plants in the U.S. to conduct the assessment. The viable population for the analysis was defined as those active plants with a combined unit generation capacity greater than 100 MW, an average heatrate below 12,500 Btu/kWh, and a location within 25 miles of a potential carbon sequestration opportunity. Each plant in the viable population is being examined individually to develop cost curves for a levelized cost of electricity, carbon capture costs, and avoided CO2 cost. This work sponsored by the DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL).
*Link to NETL Publication*
Quantitative GIS Biomass Energy Analytical Model
Enegis is currently constructing a national United States biomass energy model for DOE/NETL. Over 40 biomass species will be studied, including varieties of agricultural, forest, and industrial residues, and livestock and municipal waste. This massive GIS model will quantitify the available biomass resource and select candidate regional and local biomass storage locations to supply co-firing plants, biomass boilers, or ethanol plants with biomass fuel. The GIS model will balance biomass supply, economics, and demand through dynamic feedback algorithms. The work is being sponsored by DOE NETL and being performed under the guidance of a Federal steering committee.
Energy Policy Act (EPAct) Geothermal Royalties Streamlining for Federal Leases
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) required that the Secretary of the Interior issue final regulations concerning geothermal leasing, “to achieve the same level of royalty revenues over a 10-year period as the regulation in effect on the date of enactment of this subsection [2005].” For this effort, the staff of Enegis performed an economic analysis of electricity royalties of geothermal resources and power generation in the western U.S. relative to federal royalty revenues. The analysis is based upon a Bureau of Land Management-reviewed specialized resource and economic model, which was developed for this analysis. Numerous scenarios were run incorporating proximity to critical infrastructure such as roads and powerlines, variable electricity prices and demands, and the proximity and suitable geologic geothermal resources. Given the demands of the rulemaking period, this effort was conducted in a short time frame and was used to help establish the basis for the federal government’s geothermal royalty rate. The effort was sponsored by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
Energy Policy Act (EPAct) Coal Inventory
Enegis conducted this analysis to assess accessibility to coal resources in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana. The effort involved creating a GIS-based model to integrate and analyze data representing coal thickness and depth, land use planning management decisions, and federal surface and coal mineral estate. This analysis was complex due to the three-dimensional nature of coal resources, the technology available to the coal industry, and the large number of complex environmental impacts of coal mining. The study assists federal land managers to better address access to coal resources relative to protecting sensitive environmental values. The analysis was conducted under a severe deadline and resulted in a report to Congress.
Energy Policy & Conservation Act (EPCA) Inventory
Enegis staff performed this multi-year effort to quantitatively inventory all federal onshore oil and gas resources and qualitatively assess restrictions and impediments to their development. In the course of our effort, we interacted with over one hundred and twenty five BLM and Forest Service (FS) offices and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to interview field experts for input into parameters for the analysis and collect resource, land, geographic information systems (GIS) and other data. We built a complex, GIS-based model to conduct the analysis involving many thousand feature classes representing Federal surface and mineral estate, land use plan leasing stipulations, and oil and gas resources. Using our model, Federal land managers are able to more clearly balance environmental concerns relative to access to resources thereby streamlining U.S. energy policy. The Inventory was conducted in three phases over a multi-year period and has resulted in multiple reports to Congress. The work was sponsored by DOE NETL.
The Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) Phase III Inventory, released in May 2008, presents an assessment of the access issues for the development of oil and gas resources on Federal lands. The release is an update of the EPCA Phase II Inventory, released in November 2006, which examined 99.2 million acres of Federal land in 11 basins from Alaska to Florida. In addition to a reevaluation of Phase II basins, Phase III examines an additional 7 basins for a total 279 million acres of Federal land.
Using a complex GIS model that examines over 13 million discrete polygons, the inventory examined the approximately 3,000 different lease stipulations being applied by the land managing agencies in the areas analyzed. This analysis of constraints to development centers on two factors that affect access to oil and gas resources on Federal lands:(1) whether the lands are “open” or “closed” to leasing, and (2) the degree of access afforded by lease stipulations and other conditions on “open” lands. The model addresses the issues of overlapping stipulation geometries, exceptions, waivers, and modifications granted to stipulations, the ability of industry to directionally drill under areas prohibiting surface occupancy, and the application of Conditions of Approval.
Aerial Imaging and Remote Sensing for Precision Agriculture and Environmental Stewardship (AIRSPACES)
The AIRSPACES program funded by the Maryland Space Grant Consortium worked in conjunction with the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s Aero-Science Training Institute (ASTI) and the USDA funded Environmental Conscious Precision Agriculture (ECPA) program to establish a precision agriculture program at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. The AIRSPACES project performed multi spectral aerial imaging and analysis on the University’s agricultural fields. These results were then used to evaluate UAV/UAS data collected by the ASTI project and to inform the agricultural practices. Environmental impact was monitored using a robotic colorimetry system located downstream of the farm.
