ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit 2015 Recap

New DuPont Biorefinery

From the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy:

This new DuPont biorefinery in #Iowa is the largest in the world, equipped to produce 30 million gallons of#ethanol each year from leftover corn stalks and leaves (corn stover) and is the fourth cellulosic ethanol biorefinery in the United States. It recently opened and is using technology resulting from years of Energy Department research. The ethanol that it will produce can be blended with gasoline for use as motor fuel and can help #America reduce #energy imports and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Jonathan Male, who heads up our Bioenergy Technologies Office, details the importance of this new biorefinery in an EERE Blog:http://go.usa.gov/cTHSk.

Layer of Nanocrystals

From the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy:

This looks like a work of #art to many. But in reality, it’s a thin layer of nanocrystals evaporated on a silicon surface that has the potential to generate #solar#energy. It’s an example of nanotechnology research conducted at Argonne National Laboratory in #Illinoisthat could revolutionize renewable energy generation. This Energy Department laboratory recently announced two new collaborative centers. One will advance nanotechnology, while the other is expected to play a major role in improving battery storage so renewable energy such as solar and wind can contribute to the power grid when the sun is not shining and the wind is not blowing. Learn more: http://go.usa.gov/cT9JR.

ORNL microscopy captures real-time view of evolving fuel cell catalysts | ORNL

OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Nov. 19, 2015—Atomic-level imaging of catalysts by scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory could help manufacturers lower the cost and improve the performance of emission-free fuel cell technologies.

Fuel cells rely on costly platinum catalysts to enable the reactions that convert chemical energy into electricity. Alloying platinum with noble metals such as cobalt reduces the overall cost, but such alloyed catalysts vary in performance based on their atomic structure and processing history.

ORNL microscopy captures real-time view of evolving fuel cell catalysts | ORNL

From GE:

GE’s Enhanced Input/Output Device Packs Industry-Leading Features into Smallest Footprint Available Today

November 12, 2015

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• Combination of Reduced Size, Improved Performance and Diagnostic Capabilities Makes New RSTi-EP I/O Device Compatible with Industrial Internet-Enabled Applications
• Device’s Hot-Swappable Design and Single Row of Connections Simplify Installation and Maintenance

DALLAS — November 12, 2015 — GE’s Automation & Controls solutions (NYSE: GE) today launched its new, enhanced RSTi-EP input/output (I/O) device, providing a new combination of performance and maintainability in a minimal footprint. The modular, flexible, high-density solution offers industry-leading I/O connectivity and usability in a footprint smaller than any other I/O device available today.

The RSTi-EP device features I/O slices that are just 11.5 millimeters wide, the narrowest available in the industry today, enabling it to fit into the most compact layouts while remaining easy to access and use. The device features improved performance and response time with its high-speed system bus reading up to 256 discrete I/O points in 20 microseconds. It also features an increased capacity of up to 1024 I/O points per drop.

In addition, the modular RSTi-EP unit provides performance and diagnostics capabilities akin to GE’s popular VersaMax Modular product line. The RSTi-EP I/O device allows a connected controller to know and affect the current state of the process or application being controlled by providing a networked interface for control systems to connect to the real world via sensors and actuators. With it, failures in systems can be identified at the control center as opposed to the operator having to go out to the factory floor for problem diagnosis. Its built-in Web server enables the operator to look at diagnostic faults, test I/O points and upgrade firmware over the Web. This simplifies start up, streamlines maintenance processes and increases uptime.

LEDs on the module and on each channel enable operators to quickly see where and when an error in the system has occurred, helping them to easily determine statuses and diagnoses. These LEDs also help to show clearly when the problem or error has been resolved.

Combining this diagnostics functionality with the unit’s reduced footprint creates a device that is easily usable for Industrial Internet-enabled applications and for applications where I/O can be difficult to reach — for example, in a wind turbine, where I/O can be located hundreds of feet off the ground.

“Sending someone to diagnose a problem in an application like a wind turbine can be dangerous, expensive and time consuming,” said Vibhoosh Gupta, product management leader, GE’s Automation & Controls solutions. “With our modular RSTi-EP I/O’s advanced diagnostics, operators can detect when there is an issue remotely and in real time, eliminating the need to send someone up the tower to check. Because of this, operators can quickly and cost-effectively determine if a problem needs to be fixed immediately or if it can wait until the next scheduled maintenance takes place.”

GE’s RSTi-EP I/O device has been designed for easy installation and maintenance. Its featured single-row connection level facilitates faster wiring, installation and service and its hot-swappable design enables operators to replace failed electronic components quickly and conveniently while the system continues to operate. The RSTi-EP I/O device also features an extended operating temperature range and high channel density to simplify machine design and maintenance.

The unit utilizes separate power supplies for inputs and outputs, reducing the number of power-feed modules needed while also saving space. With this design and due to the independence of the inputs and outputs, specific sections can be activated or deactivated without affecting production.

The new RSTi-EP I/O device can be used as part of stand-alone or networked unit controls, for control applications that require a higher performance capability and for those that operate in stringent environmental conditions. Examples include process and discrete manufacturing operations — both OEM and end users — such as skid-mounted equipment control, basic machine safety systems, pump and compressor control, conveyance and material handling systems.

About GE’s Automation & Controls solutions

GE is a leading provider of automation and controls technology and services for power generation, distribution and adjacent applications across industry. Our differentiated Industrial Internet solutions enable customers to optimize equipment performance and ensure reliable and efficient operations by connecting their machines, data, insights and people. Our dedicated team includes some of the best minds in automation capable of solving our customers’ toughest challenges.

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) is the world’s Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the "GE Store," through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry. www.ge.com

From GE:

GE Launches Its Automation & Controls Solution Platform to Bring the Benefits of the Industrial Internet to Power Industries

November 10, 2015

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• Industrial Internet Solutions Enable Customers to Optimize Equipment Performance and Ensure Reliable and Efficient Operations
• Applications in Power Generation, Distribution and Adjacent Industries
• GE's Automation & Controls Solution Platform Unites GE Intelligent Platforms and Alstom Power Automation & Controls, Creating a New Organization of 2,400 Employees in 30 Countries 

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Nov. 10, 2015 — With the acquisition of Alstom, GE (NYSE: GE) strategically paired its rich legacy in technology leadership with Alstom’s 40 years of domain expertise to form its new Automation & Controls solution platform. GE's Automation & Controls solutions, which was unveiled today, enables customers to connect their machines, data and people for better, faster, safer and more reliable performance. The comprehensive portfolio of automation and controls solutions provides the foundation to enable the collection of data from assets and processes and helps customers leverage that data to derive actionable insights.

“Our single focus is to connect our customers’ data to amazing analytics, helping them solve their most complicated business challenges,” explained Jim Walsh, general manager, GE's Automation & Controls solutions. “The deployment of our automation and controls solutions has helped our industrial customers achieve significant results, such as 98 percent online availability, 25 percent increased fleet efficiency and $5 million to $10 million in savings every year. With these levels of productivity and efficiency gains, they are able to provide more accessible, affordable and sustainable power and services to consumers worldwide.”

The products included in GE's Automation & Controls solution platform — industrial software, distributed control systems and process safety systems — control, automate and optimize the processes that power the world. GE’s Automation & Controls technology controls and monitors thousands of assets worldwide, every day. In fact, GE receives more than 20,000 signals every minute. Examples of these deployments include:

• Automating the processes that generate half of the world’s power.
• Keeping oil production safe by controlling a quarter of the world’s blowout preventers.
• Getting people where the need to go, safely and on time in a third of the world’s major metro systems.

In addition to high-performance products, GE's Automation & Controls solutions provide customers with best-in-class support services including a global network of professionals with application and industry-specific expertise, 24/7 emergency support, online case management and more. Customers can tap into the collective expertise of GE engineers, solution architects, consultants, domain experts and third-party partners to seamlessly integrate, deploy and maintain advanced technology solutions in their business environment.

“By combining our technologies, services and domain expertise, we are able to provide a total plant solution to deliver an integrated system experience,” said Walsh. “As such, customers can leverage a complete, modular solution from a single partner — something we know they are clamoring for in today’s operational environment.”

To learn more about GE’s Automation & Controls solutions, visit us at www.geautomation.com or follow up on Twitter at @GEAutomation.

About GE’s Industrial Solutions Business

Industrial Solutions, a part of GE Energy Management, empowers smarter business operations by connecting equipment, software and services to protect, control and optimize assets within electrical infrastructures. The business provides customers, across various industries, with end-to-end product and service solutions that help ensure the reliability and protection of their electrical infrastructure. Industrial Solutions’ product and service solutions add to GE’s broader portfolio of leading technology solutions for the delivery, management, conversion and optimization of electrical power for customers across multiple energy-intensive industries.

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) is the world’s Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the "GE Store," through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry. www.ge.com

NREL Visualization Work

From the National Renewable Energy Laboratory:

NREL visualization work is being featured at the U.S. Department of Energy booth at SC Conference #SC15this week.

An exploratory visualization of electric vehicle thermal management systems. 

Climate control can reduce an electric vehicle's (EV) range by more than 50%. NREL is investigating highly optimized thermal management systems for load reduction. The visualization shows streamlines depicting airflow and temperature from a computational fluid dynamics simulation of an EV cabin zonal cooling strategy.

Learn more about NREL's Scientific Visualization capabilities http://1.usa.gov/1HHlpa9