SBI Energy: Market Insights, Opportunities &Trends

Thermal and Digestion Waste-to-Energy Technologies Worldwide from leading energy industry market research publisher SBI Energy gives you the tools to:

• Assess the state of your industry and the trends that are impacting it
• Identify exciting new opportunities and evaluate growth potential
• Review potential partners or acquisition targets

Each year the world generates more than 2.1 billion tons of waste, disposes of most of that waste it in landfills, and allows it to decay and release methane, carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds, odors, groundwater quality pollutants, and a host of other air, water, and soil pollutants. In developing nations, landfills can pose major public health concerns. Waste-to-energy technologies – incineration, gasification, plasma gasification, pyrolysis, and anaerobic digestion – provide a convenient solution to many of these waste management issues. Many countries around the world, including Iran, Pakistan and the UK are looking to build new waste-to-energy facilities.

Thermal and Digestion Waste-to-Energy Technologies Worldwide from leading energy industry market research publisher SBI Energy covers:

• Technologies: Incineration, Gasification, Plasma Gasification, Pyrolysis, and Anaerobic Digestion
• Total market and growth history for waste to energy systems and appurtenances (feedstock storage and handling, emission control, grid tie-ins, etc) between 2006 and 2010
• Projected market growth figures for waste to energy systems and appurtenances, between 2011 and 2021
• Market breakdowns for each waste to energy technology
• Evaluation of potential for job creation
• Detailed cost information for each technology and appurtenances
• Industry trends and opportunities.
• Overview of current marketing, promotion, and distribution.

(Source: sbienergy.com)

Why aren’t alternative fuels taking off more quickly? It’s a valid question given the large quantity of proposals for massive solar and wind turbine installations in the U.S and around the globe this year.  Meanwhile, we hear little news of new alternative fuels projects.  The answer, according to a new market study, Specialty Pipelines for Renewable and Alternative Energy Substances, lies in the transportation logistics.

Crude oil, finished fuels, and natural gas pipelines crisscross the United States and the globe. But in many cases, these existing pipelines are not suitable for the transport of sensitive biofuels. The chemical disposition of biofuels is substantially different from conventional fossil fuels.  For example, the corrosiveness and water solubility of ethanol makes it incompatible with most existing pipelines. 

Industry concerns also persist regarding the contamination of jet fuel, which has strict quality control, by residual biodiesel left in the pipeline. Current pipeline deliveries of biodiesel remain limited to B5 blends through pipelines that do not traffic jet fuel. 

An additional inhibiter to immediate alternative fuel success resides in the lack of existing pipelines in remote regions where Biomethane and biogas are produced. As a result, biofuels are largely transport by truck or rail, which drives up costs and limits how effectively biofuels can be brought to market.

In order to support current and future alternative fuels development, producers and investors are looking towards specialty pipelines for their distribution needs. As a result research publisher SBI Energy forecasts that the market for specialty pipelines is expected to increase nearly 4-fold between 2010 and 2015.   Substances carried in specialty pipelines - carbon dioxide, ethanol, biodiesel, and biomethane/biogas - have found market growth due to high petroleum prices, the development of enhanced oil recovery methods using carbon dioxide injection, carbon capture and sequestration system development, the presence or potential for carbon emissions penalties in several world markets.  The fastest growing segment, Ethanol, will expand significantly as construction proceeds on dedicated ethanol pipelines, creating a market in excess of $1,000 million by 2014. The projected 2011-2015 CAGR for this market is 27.2%.

(Source: sbienergy.com)

Market drivers for fuel cells include a desire for energy independence and security, and a commitment to global climate change and air quality. But, durability and performance standards must be met first to compete with common technologies such as batteries and internal combustion engines. Next, the infrastructure for the fuel of choice must be in place to support wide-spread implementation of fuel cell technology. Finally, there must be a critical level of public acceptance and demand for the technology.

SBI research indicates that the fuel cell market will reach $598 million in 2010, then grow to $1.22 billion by 2014, a CAGR of 20%. At the same time, unit sales will increase by a CAGR of 37%.

More on Fuel Cell Technologies Worldwide»

Industry experts offer a wide range of predictions about which sectors will win the lion’s share of the fuel cell market in the coming years, but stationary applications has been mentioned as one of the most promising options.

SBI Energy estimates that the small stationary sector has historically been the leader in the industry since 2005. But niche transport (forklifts and other materials handling vehicles) was a break-out market in 2008 and 2009, and portable electronics are expected to gain momentum in the coming years, as well.

These experts are less certain about the future of stationary applications in residential and small commercial settings. Because the electric grid reaches practically everyone and electricity is cheap, there is little that seems to compel residential users to make the switch to fuel cell power.

While the industry watchers may differ in their predictions of the market size and winning applications, most agree that in 2010, we are on the cusp of a breakthrough in the fuel cells sector.

SBI research indicates that the fuel cell market will reach $598 million in 2010, then grow to $1.22 billion by 2014, a CAGR of 20%. At the same time, unit sales will increase by a CAGR of 37%.

Looks like ‘fuel cell’ will become a household phrase over the next few years.

More on Fuel Cell Technologies Worldwide»

Fuel cells represent an innovative and exciting source of energy for everything from power plants and homes to cars and cell phones and are viewed as a favored “green” technology due to their quiet operation, high efficiency and low emissions. Although it is a relatively young industry, fuel cells have shown vigorous growth in the past few years, growing from $353 million in 2005 to $498 million in 2009.  But SBI Energy reports that the future of this market is contingent on the U.S. government.

Government support can be shown initially through research and development funding, through policies about the environment and national security, and through tax incentives, subsidies and purchasing power. The role of the government as a customer is key to the industry’s survival in the U.S. If the federal government uses its vast buying power, it helps prices come down more quickly, making the products accessible to average Americans. It also goes a long way to make the public feel knowledgeable and confident about fuel cells, thereby boosting demand.

The largest demand for fuel cells currently resides in the power generation unit sector, which promises a greener energy source and a reduced dependence on foreign oil. Commercial and public entities will likely lead the way in adopting fuel cell power sources, as these bodies are evermore aware of the economic and political advantages of adopting renewable energy sources.

More on Fuel Cell Technologies Worldwide»

The energy storage market is benefitting from the convergence of several macro trends and is experiencing rapid growth. Nations around the world are actively investing in the expansion and upgrade of electric grids to meet current and future demand. Technologies such as distributed and renewable generation, microgrids, and smart grid technologies are further highlighting the necessity for and benefits of energy storage systems in the utility sector. Concurrently, significant investments are being made to improve the cost/performance and commercial viability of constituent technologies. The market for several energy storage technologies is expected to experience dramatic growth over the next several years.

Role of Energy Storage in Renewables Integration

Globally, the percentage of electricity generated through the use of renewables is expected to increase from 17% in 2007 to over 23% by 2035. The share of renewable power generation in the US is also expected to rise over the period. Much of the electricity produced from these renewable sources will be generated by non-utilities and even individuals. Furthermore, the power generated from renewable energy sources is highly variable and subject to intermittent operation due to the inherent vagaries of sources such as wind and solar. Thus, energy storage solutions are necessary to maximize the generation of electricity from these sources and to transmit it to where it is needed, when it is needed.

Due to these factors, it is estimated that only about 15% of US power needs can be supplied by renewable energy sources unless the electricity produced from these sources can be stored for later use. It has also been estimated that more than $340 billion will need to be invested in power storage capabilities to raise the supply of power from renewable sources by just another 5 percentage points from 15% to 20%.[1] As adoption of wind and other intermittent and variable renewable energy generation increases in nations around the world and exceeds the 15% of total electricity generation threshold, the use of energy storage solutions will become a pre-requisite to further integration of renewable energy.

Energy Storage in Microgrids

Maintaining, expanding and upgrading the electric grids to meet the growing demand for electricity is expected to cost trillions of dollars over the next twenty years. This assumes, of course, that the manner in which electricity is produced and delivered will remain basically the same as it has for over one hundred years, i.e. large centralized generation in remote areas, connected to distant population centers through hundreds of miles of transmission and distribution infrastructure. An alternative solution gaining traction is the microgrid.

Microgrids function in a manner similar to the large electric grid but on a much smaller and localized scale. Microgrids are electric grids for small areas or even single buildings. Given their emerging nature, and the fact that microgrids are often custom designed for specific end-user requirements, several varying definitions and implementations exist. There is, however, growing agreement that microgrids must minimally incorporate distributed generation and energy storage solutions that are proximal to the point-of-use. While most microgrids are expected remain connected to the larger grid, they are also designed to be self-sufficient and thus capable of disconnecting or “islanding”.

The ability of microgrids to incorporate distributed renewable energy generation and to avoid the cost and poor reliability of long distance transmission infrastructure is a significant driver of microgrid adoption. Since most microgrids leverage storage as an essential component, growth in microgrids is also expected to drive further growth in energy storage systems, and vice versa.

[1] Clayton, Mark, “How Enormous Batteries Could Safeguard The Power Grid”, The Christian Science Monitor, March 22, 2009

Energy Storage Technologies in Utility Markets Worldwide