Nov. 21, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Cal Poly Professors Working On for Emerging Energy Technology
SAN LUIS OBISPO -- Amid calls for ending United States dependence on fossil fuels and foreign oil supplies, three Cal Poly professors are using a multi-pronged approach to search for alternative sources of energy.
Converting dairy waste into biodiesel fuel is the goal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Professors Yarrow Nelson and Tryg Lundquist. Producing inexpensive solar electricity and researching batteries for electric vehicles is on the agenda of Physics Professor Peter Schwartz.
Longtime advocates of using renewable resources to power automobiles, the professors’ efforts precede President George W. Bush’s call for a 20 percent reduction of gasoline usage in the United States in the next 10 years.
“No single resource can be expected to meet all energy needs. Our future needs will be met by a mixture of conventional and alternative energy sources,” says Nelson.
Nelson, Lundquist and graduate student Ian Woertz are conducting a pilot study using sewage and wastewater from the university’s dairy operations to produce biodiesel fuel.
With the help of a $10,000 Environmental Protection Agency award, the team found that nearly 2,000 gallons of biodiesel could potentially be produced annually from a one-acre algae wastewater pond – nearly 50 times the amount possible with soybeans.
Nelson and Lundquist’s biofuel work is a rare exception to normal biofuel production, says Schwartz.“They are attempting to piggyback algae biofuel production on a necessary process – wastewater treatment. The technology helps avoid the use of land that might otherwise compete with food crops, water and nutrients.”
The production of such alternative fuels as ethanol and biodiesel is controversial because it involves high inputs of agricultural chemicals and high energy inputs (in use of machines) to produce products such as corn and soybeans, according to Nelson.
“The use of palm oil for biodiesel production has resulted in deforestation and loss of wetlands in parts of Indonesia,” he cautioned.
And that’s exactly the point, according to Schwartz, an advocate of solar and wind power as renewable power sources.
“Land used to produce solar and wind power can be more efficient than land used to produce biofuels. Land also has more value as a place to live, grow food, preserve biodiversity and provide services such as natural water purification and public recreation,” Schwartz said.
With the help of seven graduate students, Schwartz is researching electric travel, specifically the challenges involving batteries and the production of renewable electricity. He is also conducting a study for Santa Barbara County that shows considerable savings by making it “fossil neutral” by 2033 (www.fossilfreeby33.org).
Whatever the research or production method, the three experts agree that energy conservation, and planning for energy-smart communities, are positive steps in reducing resource consumption, air pollution and the release of greenhouse gasses into our atmosphere.
“We need to develop communities where we don’t have to spend so much time and energy driving,” says Lundquist.
By conducting responsible research into alternative energy technologies, investigators like Schwartz, Nelson, Lundquist and their students are paving the way to a cleaner and more sustainable energy future. -- by Stacia Momburg
###