Nonfossil power moves ahead in Europe

InTech, Oct 2001 by Whetton, Cris

BY CRIS WHETTON

Nonfossil power sources continue to be a growth area in Europe, and while fuel cells continue to garner attention, solar power is also on the radar screen.

U.S.-based Astro-Power said its Spanish joint venture, AstraSolar, will supply advanced APex solar cells for a 13megawatt solar electric power plant in Murcia, Spain. When completed, the power plant will be four times larger than any photovoltaic power plant in operation and will cover an area equivalent to 57 soccer fields.

The project plan calls for a construction period of two years and a cost of $65 million.The solar power plant should generate up to 4% of the total peak load for the Murcia region, which has one of the best solar resources in Spain. A consortium formed to construct and operate the project includes Atersa (co-owner of AstraSolar), Iberdrola (a major Spanish electric utility), and a group of private investors.The consortium intends to capitalize on incentives offered by the region of Murcia, the Spanish government, and the European Union.

FRENCH FUEL CELLS

In France, IdaTech, a subsidiary of U.S.-based IdaCorp, unveiled the delivery and successful testing of a 3-kilowatt fuel cell system to the Research and Development division of Electricite de France (EDF).EDF will field test the prototype

"Fuel cells are a promising spring new source of heat and electricity that cells an be a complementary solution to traditional large-scale power generating plants in France, especially for isolated sites,"said Alain Pinget, group manager for EDF.

The system, delivered to EDF in April 2001, is similar to experimental units that IdaTech is currently testing with the Bonneville Power Administration in the Pacific Northwest and Denmark in the fall of 2000. Packaged in a ribbed metal enclosure with plastic wraparound panels, the system can supply enough electricity and clean, usable heat to power a typical single-family home. While the fuel for the first EDF unit is methanol, future models should generate electricity from natural gas, propane, kerosene, diesel, and other conventionat fuels for both stationary and portable applications.

In Turkey, P&T, a German technology investment firm adquartered in Hamburg, signed an agreement with eight Turkish partners to invest $1.2 billion in wind power. The company has already set up wind power stations in Spain, Italy, France, and Greece. Chief executive officer Jens Peters predicted that by 2050, 60% of the countries in the world will meet their energy requirements through wind power stations. He added they are currently conducting surveys in Turkey and will set up 200 wind power stations within one year.

SPECIALTY CHEMICAL MARKET ON RISE

The early summer period brought a burst of activity in the European specialty chemicals market: a round of sales, closures, mergers, and new projects.

In Finland, Kemira made more moves to boost performance levels in its lackluster Kemira Agro Nitrogen (KAN) plants in continental Europe.The KAN business restructuring should allow it to become more competitive, improve profitability,and increase business value, with an eye to the eventual sale of the nitrogen fertilizer business. Kemira also said its nitric acid plant located in Rozenburg, Holland, will relocate to its Tertre site in Belgium. The transfer will wrap up by the summer of 2002. When the new nitric acid capacity comes on online, older capacity will close.

Kemira also said it will invest about $17 million in formic acid production at Oulu, on Finland's west coast.The oldest production units will partially shut down and capacity increase by 20,000 metric tons per year. Kemira sees formic acid derivatives as a growth area, particularly in animal feed applications, where they can replace antibiotics. Formic acid is easily biodegradable, and the demand for formic acid salts should also grow significantly through their use in de-icing (a major market in northern Europe) and heat transfer. Kemira will also invest about $2 million in developing the fine chemicaIs production unit in Kokkola for the production of pharmaceutical fine chemicals.

U.S.-based Albemarle Corp. signed a deal to purchase Martinswerk GmbH, a specialty chemicals company, for '$44 million. The deal includes manufacturing facilities and headquarters in Bergheim, Germany, and Martinswerk's 50% stake in Magnifin Magnesia Produkte GmbH, which has manufacturing facilities at St.Jakobs/Breitenau, Austria. IT