Sustainable Energy – The Future

Third-generation technologies are not yet widely demonstrated or commercialized. They are on the horizon and may have potential comparable to other renewable energy technologies, but still depend on attracting sufficient attention and R&D funding.

These newest technologies include advanced Biomass gasification, biorefinery technologies, solar thermal power stations, hot dry rock Geothermal Energy, and ocean energy.

According to the IEA, new bioenergy or biofuel technologies being developed today, notably cellulosic ethanol biorefineries, could allow biofuels to play a much bigger role in the future than previously thought.

Cellulosic ethanol can be made from plant matter composed primarily of inedible cellulose fibers that form the stems and branches of most plants. Crop residues, such as corn stalks, wheat straw and rice straw, wood waste, and municipal solid waste are potential sources of cellulosic biomass.

Dedicated energy crops, such as switchgrass, are also promising cellulose sources that can be sustainably produced in many regions of the United States.

In terms of Ocean energy, another third-generation technology, Portugal has the world's first commercial wave farm, the Aguçadora Wave Park, which began construction in 2007 to initially produce 2.25MW from 3 generators and then a further 28 generators to increase capacity to around 525MW.

In 2007, the world's first turbine to create commercial amounts of energy using tidal power was installed in the narrows of Strangford Lough in Ireland. The 1.2 MW underwater tidal electricity generator takes advantage of the fast tidal flow in the lough which can be up to 12ft/s. Although the generator is powerful enough to power up to a thousand homes, the turbine has a minimal environmental impact, as it is almost entirely submerged, and the rotors turn slowly enough that they pose no danger to wildlife.

Solar Power panels that use nanotechnology, which can create circuits out of individual silicon molecules, may cost half as much as traditional Photovoltaic cells, according to executives and investors involved in developing the products. Commercial production started and first panels were shipped to customers in late 2007.