CEA LITEN : Lighting enters the era of nanotechnology

Nanoluminophores developed by CEA LITEN open the way to new applications for lighting and signage sectors.

CEA LITEN's nanoluminophores*, developed for a variety of applications such as anti-counterfeit or photovoltaic systems, are once again breaking new ground. This time, they are converting primary light from the latest low-consumption LED developments for lighted sign and signalling applications. By lighting ceilings, entire walls or even windows, these applications offer greater energy efficiency and enhanced lighting quality. Another possibility is transparent indicator signs, cylindrical or spherical in shape, which display predetermined messages. 

To obtain white light with good conversion efficiency, LITEN researchers use luminophores emitting at green and red wavelengths when excited by low-energy photons with blue wavelengths. While fluorescent nanometric semiconductor crystals known as quantum dots provide good efficiency and light quality, they remain relatively fragile. 

Researchers are focusing on rare earths, which are more stable. Unlike many luminophores currently on the market that react to ultraviolet light (254 nm), rare earths can be used to produce materials activated by lower-energy blue light sources."The energy difference between the photon consumed and the photon emitted is thus smaller and the conversion efficiency better,” explained Renard. 

Direct applications in signage 

So far, the scientists have developed a rare earth system embedded in a glass plate. The luminophores emit at green and red wavelengths and are excited by blue-green light at 490 nm. "To meet our ultimate objective of white light, we are adjusting the mixture and glass compositions to make the system excitable at 460 nm." 

At the same time, the scientists have deposited organic fluorescent ink (excitable at 460 nm) on plastic films. The first tests on luminophores emitting green light were conclusive. Now the scientists need to develop inks emitting in the red region and validate the mixtures for obtaining white light. 

Custom signage applications are possible. "This nearly invisible ink makes it possible to create display areas on totally transparent objects,” noted Renard. CEA is also participating in the Luminosurf project, whose activities are part of the Axelera competitiveness cluster. Following the lead of Philips Eclairage, CEA plans to develop illuminated surfaces based mainly on luminophores excitable at 460 nm where efficiency is compatible with lighting standards. The first illuminated surface prototype should be ready in 2010. 

*Substances emitting light when excited by photons, varying in size from 1 µm to a few nanometres.

Source : CEA LITEN 

More information : CEA

Novea Energy : An innovative lamp combining solar and wind

Novéa Energy is a french company based near Anger. It was created with the assistance of the incubator Angers Technopole. Novéa Energy positions itself on the basis of products derived from its research and development efforts in the market for alternative energies of small powers. 

Novéa Energy is currently supporting its development on three activities: 

      - Lighting self-energy, 

      - The exploitation of hydropower on existing water mills, 

      - Product development for the industrial self - 

By offering quality products, designed to take into account their full life cycle (recycling, recovery), the Energy Novéa has a real ambition to meet the great expectations of all those who feel concerned by sustainable development.

Innovation

The company developed an innovative lamp named Smart Deco Avenue.

This autonomous lamp has the advantage of being applicable anywhere knowing that traditional power is absent.

It combines two energy sources: solar and wind power. 

Its patented design combines a double source of energy and a LED lamp.Using a complementary way of the sun and wind, provides a source of permanent power whatever the weather. 

It is very simple, since no cut and no wiring is required. Only earthworks for anchoring the mast is to be performed. The technical part, in an elevated position is not sensitive to floods and vandalism.

To finance its development, Novea energy raised money from Pays de la Loire Développement (Sodero Management), Oseo innovation and a business angel.

Source : Novea Energy 

More information : Novea 

ECOREN increased the yield of biomass cogeneration

Based in Lyon, ECOREN is a french engineering company focused on new energy. Its major objective is to develop a new technology for energy production from biomass, both powerful, clean and inexpensive. The company developed a process called COGEBIO based on a new thermodynamic cycle for electricity production from wood waste. 

Innovation 

COGEBIO project allows an electrical efficiency of 30% in a cogeneration from biomass.  The process used to generate electricity from biomass with a yield two to three times higher than the systems currently available in a power range of 30 to 200 kWe. 

The package is designed as a module mounted in the factory, easily transportable and quick installation. It accepts all types of biomass: forest wood chips, bark, sawdust, waste plants, etc.. It is intended primarily for industrial farmers with biomass resources and rural communities. 

A project led by Etienne Lebas 

The project led by Etienne Lebas, a researcher at the French Institute of Petroleum. A prototype will be done in a commune in the Loire. The latter will mainly be marketed to manufacturers of timber, farmers and public.

Etienne Lebas is a research engineer with the Institut François du Petrole (IFP). He has been associated with IFP since 1995, first in the field of natural gas treatment processes and then in the thermal engineering department. In 2001 Dr. Lebas became project leader in the field of gas turbine combustion. Dr. Lebas earned a Ph.D. in process engineering from the Institut Nationale Polytechnique de Lorraine in 1995. He has filed 18 patents and authored more than 15 publications and congress communications.

Source :  IFP, ECOREN

OLMIX presents Morgane - A green refinery project

Founded in 1995 by Hervé Balusson, the Olmix company is a specialist in “green” chemicals. Based in Bréhan in the Morbihan département (Brittany), it has sales of 52 million euros, 250 employees, seven factories in Europe and offices in 80 countries worldwide. 

OLMIX leads the way. At a time of heightened environmental awareness stemming from the Grenelle Environment Forum (meeting of political leaders and NGOs held in Paris to debate and negotiate environmental issues) and just weeks away from the Salon International de l’Agriculture, where industry leaders will discuss agriculture and sustainable development, the company presents “Morgane”, a green refinery project that is the first of its kind in Europe.

For the first time, a “green” chemicals unit is capable of combining animal and vegetable waste with green algae and transforming them into renewable energies and natural products for agriculture.

The pilot site of “Morgane” will be located in Ploërmel (Morbihan département), in the heart of Brittany, the international group’s home territory and an area rich in raw materials resources. Morgane will offer a next-generation response to two of the region’s major environmental concerns: nitrate pollution and the proliferation of green algae along the coastline.

The Morgane initiative is already backed by leading organisations: the Caisse des Dépôts (France’s state-owned financial group), the Ploërmel municipal community, various agricultural cooperatives and the Centre d’Enseignement Agricole de la Touche, an agricultural learning and research facility. The commitment of these actors is evidence of the convergence of public-private interests in the roll-out of this sustainable development project.

In launching Morgane, Olmix takes a step further in its commitment to sustainable development. A specialist in innovating high-technology products that respect the environment, Olmix develops and produces natural additives to replace synthetic ones and markets its solutions to industrial enterprises all over the world.

Source : Olmix 

French Shamash Project focuses on Microalgae

In France, micro-algae are the subject of attention of researchers. Among their benefits, compared with current biofuels, micro-algae photosynthetic performance promise a much higher metabolic plasticity and a much larger makes it easier to steer bioproduction to certain fatty acids. The control of nutrient recycling allows for control of the cycle of nitrogen and phosphorus. They do not require input of plant health and provide many valuable by-products and technologies used in developing countries.  

Since late 2006, a French project named Shamash aims to produce biofuel from microalgae autotrophs. The primary objective is to assess the technical and economic feasibility of a production of methyl ester. 

Microalgae can accumulate up to 50% of their dry weight fatty acids, to consider yield per hectare 30 times greater than for biofuels derived from crop land. They can provide 20 to 75 m3 of oil per hectare per year, according to sources. This project includes researchers from several research organizations, INRIA, CNRS, IFREMER, CEA, CIRAD, and universities in Nantes and Aix en Provence, and two companies, Valcobio and Alphabiotech. The project includes both specialists in the culture, physiology and use of micro-algae, as specialists in the optimization of biotechnological processes, biofuels and extraction and purification of lipids. 

Among them, the team COMORE from INRIA Sophia Antipolis, associated with the Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, seeks to understand and quantify the physiological mechanisms underlying order to define the optimal conditions for production of oil, while maintaining a strong growth of algae. 

Numerical modeling plays a crucial role to predict the amount of carbon stored by the algae in the form of oil, according to conditions of stress and environment. We need to find a compromise between the strong growth of microalgae and production of oil related to a nutritional stress. 

Shamash project has a total budget of 2.8 million euros. The National Program of Research on Bioenergy (PNRB) of the ANR contributes to the tune of 0.8 million euros. The project is coordinated by O. Bernard (INRIA Sophia-Antipolis).

Source : Shamash

More information on Algae :  Algae World in Rotterdam  

Algae World 2009

27-28 Apr, 2009 - Rotterdam

 Algae World 2009 dives into the following sessions :

-Managing an efficient value chain - multiple output & revenues
-Full utilization of algae's potential - markets and technology of converting to Biodiesel, Bioethanol, Carbon Sequestration, Water Remediation, Biogas, Biochemicals, Animal Feed
-Capabilities and limitations of Open System vs. Closed System / Hybrid 
-Algae Productivity and Photosynthetic Efficiency
-How to achieve target production cost? 
-Innovations & breakthroughs in algal harvesting
-Best practices in algal biomass processing
-Impact of difficult credit markets on clean-tech private equity investment

       

KAPLAN ENERGY : A french innovation in solar water heaters

As partners with the CNRS and CETHIL, this young company is specialized in solar water heaters. 

KAPLAN ENERGY has a strong competitive advantage: an innovative solution (E-Store) to provide the energy, including days without sun, through thermal batteries to an accumulation of over-solar and the restitution days where the sun does not go "explains Yann Kaplan, the project of the structure. 

 

KAPLAN ENERGY allows your solar water heater to increase storage capacity without increasing the volume of the balloon. 
Furthermore it allows to accumulate continuous overproduction of certain solar days for the return day without sunshine. 

The patented E-Store is the result of a long collaboration between CETHIL / CNRS and the team of innovation and technological development of society KAPLAN ENERGY. The E-store technology uses many small thermal batteries High performance modular based system requirements. Particular attention was paid to the design of these batteries ensuring optimum return of heat energy solar balloons. Three people are working in the company and KAPLAN ENERGY plans to recruit new staff in 2009.

Source : Kaplan Energy

Cleantuesday Rhone Alpes

Created by CleanTuesday (www.cleantuesday.com) and proposed by InnovaFonds (www.innovafonds.com) in partnership with KPMG (www.kpmg.fr), the first CleanTuesday Rhône-Alpes be held on Tuesday 24 March 2009, 18:30 21H at Grenoble Ecole de Management (12, rue Pierre Sémard Grenoble). 

To illustrate the strong involvement of the Rhone Alpes region in CleanTech Cleantuesday invited Richard Collins, professor, director of the Institut Entreprise 2.0 Grenoble Ecole de Management, who will present the cluster Green & Connected Cities. 

Frédéric Carré founder of start-up Elena Energy will present the development of wind carénées increasing the annual overall efficiency and range of use while minimizing wind noise. 

Nicolas Kis-Series PhotoMe present its project to develop business solutions for residential wind power. 

The 3 short presentations will be followed by a moment of friendly networking over a drink with more than one hundred Cleantech professionals, entrepreneurs, policy makers, investors, experts. The CleanTuesday takes place March 24 from 18:30 to 21H in the School of Management of Technology and Innovation (Grenoble EM, 12, rue Pierre Sémard - 38000 Grenoble)

BIO-UV : Ultraviolet Water treatment

BIO-UV, France's leading manufacturer of ultraviolet water treatment equipment and European leader in the private and public swimming pool and spa market, is a limited company created in May 2000.

On its production sites in Lunel (France) and Los Angeles (USA), the BIO-UV Group designs, manufactures and markets ultraviolet (UV-C) disinfection systems and concepts.

European leader for designing, manufacturing and marketing of systems and concepts for ultraviolet (UV-C) water disinfection:

- private pools

- dechlorination of commercial pools and spas

- drinking water

- industrial process water

- waste water

- legionella prevention

- aquarium and zoo water treatment solutions

The company signed with the IFP (French Petroleum Institute) on March 16 a partnership agreement aimed at improving the technology of UV reactors. 

Objective: Improving the energy efficiency of processes for wastewater treatment by UV.

As part of its tool for technology to support innovative SMEs, the IFP will use its expertise in the field of hydraulic modeling technology for water treatment. This partnership should enable and accelerate the development of reliable performance of UV reactors. 

A new range for mid-2009 

BIO-UV relies on this partnership to develop a new line of disinfecting wastewater UV less energy and more efficient. 

Planned from the second half of 2009, the marketing of this new offer is made for the development of business opportunities to the processing of industrial and drinking water in France and abroad. An activity that is under Xavier Bayle, CTO of BIO-UV, 45% of the turnover of the company.

Source : Bio-uv

ALGIEPLUS : From the sea to the hearth

AlgiePlus is french company created in April 2007 to exploit the results of research undertaken over several years at the Center for study and development of algae (CEVA) Pleubian and the Technical Center for Agricultural Syntec Pleumeur-Gautier. AlgiePlus was accompanied by regional Emergys incubator from December 2006 to December 2007 and by the Industrial Development Agency of Trégor. 

Through collaboration with Ceva, AlgiePlus has developed and patented bread culture assets for above ground crops (flowers, tomatoes and strawberries), it will be marketed. It operates for the outcome of this research on active principles contained in the marine plants, mainly zoster present mainly in the Arcachon basin. 

These assets and biodegradable substrates replace rockwool and coir currently used by producers, but which are not biodegradable and can present problems related to bacteria. These substrates stimulate the natural defense system of the plant and reduce the adhesion and the development of pathogenic microorganisms in the soil-less cultures. 

AlgiePlus also leads a research plant on the use of active molecules of algae in other applications such as the fight against the attacks of fungi. To accelerate its development, AlgiePlus conducted in March 2008 a waiver of 300 000 euros from Ouest Ventures. This first round of financing package will enable it to market its first product and continue its program innovations.

Source : Algieplus

SP3H : Smart on-board fuel sensor

Car manufacturers today face the dual challenge of addressing the impact of automotive emissions on the environment while remaining competitive in a geographic enlargement growing automotive market. Solutions based on new combustion modes or downsizing technology are constrained by the variability of fuels qualities. This variability due to worldwide as well as local distinct specifications, is impacted by the coming proliferation of new fuels like biofuels (1st generation) and synthetics (2ndgeneration). For a given specification, quality variations are explained first by the crude oil disparity, then by the various existing refining process tools and finally by the large range of blending recipes used to adjust the final product.

Regarding this issue, accounting for quality fluctuation provides the solution that would adjust engine tuning based on the fuel engine combination, in order to optimize consumption, emissions and performances.

SP3H, patented system offers the only existing solution to manage variability, through real time dertermination of fuel quality.

SP3H is a French startup developing a smart on-board fuel sensor that analyzes the molecular structure of a fuel and transmits the information to the engine ECU to allow real-time optimization of injection, combustion and post-treatment for a wide range of liquid fuels. The variability of existing fuels poses a problem for automakers as they try to minimize emissions and fuel consumption. Exacerbating this problem is the coming proliferation of new fuels (biofuels, synthetics) that create even more variability, combined with the push for new combustion modes that, while offering emissions. A microanalyzer has been developed by SP3H and its capability was successfully proven. This smart fuel sensor is based on combination of infrared technology and specific data treatment software.

A new breakthrough

This system uses the patented HydroCarbon Profiler technology (HCP) which measures the molecular structure of the fuel. This method allows an innovative way to determine fuel components. Compared to current methods of analyses, HCP give accurate information matching more the chemistry aspect of combustion.

This information, transmitted to the engine ECU, allows real time optimization of injection strategies, combustion and post treatment for all possible diesel and gasoline fuels.

Source : SP3H