POWER October 2016 - 13

4. River monster. Brazilian power regulator ANEEL gave a consortium
comprised of Neoenergia, Eletrobras-Eletrosul, Eletrobras Furnas,
and Odebrecht the green light to start commercial operations at its
1.82-GW Teles Pires hydropower plant on the Teles Pires River, a major
tributary of the Tapajós. The plant on the border of the states of Pará
and Mato Grosso consists of five 364-MW Francis turbines, supplied by
Alstom (now General Electric). A wide range of hydropower equipment
for the project was provided by Voith Hydro. Courtesy: ANEEL
assisted aluminum/carbon dioxide power cell that uses electrochemical
reactions to capture carbon dioxide (CO2
) and produce
power in the process.
The cell developed by Lynden Archer, the James A. Friend
Family Distinguished Professor of Engineering, and doctoral
student Wajdi Al Sadat would use aluminum as the anode and
mixed streams of CO2
the cathode (Figure 5). The electrochemical reactions between
the anode and the cathode would sequester the greenhouse gas
into carbon-rich compounds while also producing electricity and
a valuable oxalate as a byproduct, the university explained in a
press release.
The findings in the study (published on July 20 in the journal
Science Advances and funded by a grant from the Saudi Arabian
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Global Research
Partnership program) represent a possible paradigm shift,
Archer said. Most current carbon capture models capture the carbon
in fluids or solids. These are then heated or depressurized
to release the CO2
, but the concentrated gas must be compressed
and transported for reuse or storage.
" One of the roadblocks to adopting current carbon dioxide
capture technology in electric power plants is that the
regeneration of the fluids used for capturing carbon dioxide
utilize as much as 25% of the energy output of the plant, "
Archer said. " This seriously limits commercial viability of
such technology. "
The electrochemical cell generated 13 ampere-hours per
gram of porous carbon (as the cathode) at a discharge potential
of around 1.4 V. " The energy produced by the cell is
comparable to that produced by the highest energy-density
off in Rio earlier this summer, human rights groups and environmentalists-including
Greenpeace, Amazon Watch, and International
Rivers-urged the agency to reconsider the project's
permits, saying it would harm the environment and the indigenous
population of Munduruku Indians.
IBAMA had already suspended the licensing process on April 19
after a study released by Brazil's Federal Indian Agency showed
that the dam's 279-square-mile reservoir would partially flood
a reservation of the Munduruku tribe, which has about 13,000
members, and force their relocation.
On August 4, IBAMA effectively canceled the project, saying
an environmental impact assessment (EIA) did not show social
and environmental viability. The EIA revealed the " extraordinary
wealth " of the basin, which is characterized by its high biological
diversity, IBAMA said. Reduced flow of the river could also affect
tributary rivers and impact rare or endangered flora species and
affect populations of turtles, crocodilians, and aquatic and semiaquatic
mammals, among others. In the order, IBAMA's president
also mentioned legal and constitutional impediments related to
the Munduruku tribe's relocation.
Along with São Luiz do Tapajós, two other large hydroelectric
dams have been proposed for the main stream of the Tapajós
River in the state of Pará: Jatobá and Chacorão. The 1.82-GW
Teles Pires run-of-the-river project (Figure 4) on the Teles Pires
River, a major tributary of the Tapajós, started commercial operations
on August 3. According to International Rivers, three other
large dams have already been initiated on the Teles Pires River:
Sinop, Colider, and São Manoel.
Prototype Power Cell Captures CO2 and
Produces Power
Researchers from Cornell University have developed an oxygenOctober
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POWER October 2016

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