Leading Innovations across the Energy Value Chain

World energy consumption is forecast to triple by 2050 -
never has the need to find a new generation of power and energy been greater. New materials science must also rise to the challenges of the new era of energy and power generation says Thierry Perchet, Energy Marketing Manager at Huntsman Advanced Materials.

Huntsman Advanced Materials has been providing composites, adhesives and insulating resins  to the industry for over 60 years. Perchet gives an overview of how Huntsman is responding to the changes that are taking place  as we move into the next era of energy and power generation.

Background
President Barrack Obama has set his administration a challenging environmental agenda that includes:

• Ensuring that 10% of US electricity supply comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25% by 2025
• Introducing a cap-and-trade programme to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050
• The creation of 5m new jobs by investing in $150bn in green technology companies over the next 10 years
• Have 1m plug-in hybrid cars on the road by 2015.

Fuel Cells: Automotive and Generation
To achieve environmental targets, President Obama has enlisted a number of  eminent scientists such as Steve Chu, the Nobel prize winning physicist as Energy Secretary.

Widely renown for his enthusiasm for renewables, on taking office, Chu announced US$41.9 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding for fuel cell technology. He declared that his aim was to "accelerate the commercialisation and deployment of fuel cells" and thereby create jobs within the industry. This is an area where Huntsman is very active.

Recently Huntsman won a major award for two new resin systems for graphite composite Fuel Cells for large scale production of automotive and stationary power applications which will be available in late 2009/2010.

Two new resin systems from Huntsman Advanced Materials meeting the most stringent requirements for graphite composite fuel cells for large scale production of automotive and stationary power applications have won the JEC Innovation Award for raw materials. 

Thierry said: "Every major automotive, stationary power and back-up power manufacturer in the world is considering how best to utilise fuel cell technology to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and the reliance on fossil fuels, making the fuel cell component market a potential boom market. Working with our partners this is a technology breakthrough that represents major long term opportunities. It's also very much in line with Huntsman 60 years experience in structural composites. Vehicle weight reduction will take a large part of fuel cell success".

Since the conversion of fuel to energy takes place via an electrochemical process, the process is much cleaner, quieter and up to three times more efficient than burning fuel. The fuel cell's bipolar plates have superior corrosion resistance, lower contact resistance, higher thermal conductivity and a longer operating life at higher temperatures. 

For the automotive sector Huntsman Advanced Materials has developed a benzoxazine resin suitable for high temperature PEM fuel cells. The resin which operates at a continuous temperature of 120 ^oC has a phenolic-like backbone which gives it very good flame retardant properties together with excellent  glass transition temperatures and mechanical properties.  In particular there is a very high modulus, low water absorption and near zero shrinkage as well as good electrical properties.

For stationary power and back-up power applications, a bismaleimide resin has been developed for fuel cells operating at temperatures of up to 180 ^oC in concentrated phosphoric acid. The resin is flame resistant and provides the fuel cells with excellent thermal and electrical conductivity, a low ionic content and can be applied in continuous high volume manufacturing processes using conventional prepregging techniques.

The resins have been developed in conjunction with GrafTech International Holdings Inc. and forms part of a U.S. Department of Energy sponsored program. The cells have already undergone extensive testing and are expected to be available commercially in late 2009 / early 2010.

Two new award winning resin systems meeting the most stringent requirements for graphite composite fuel cells for large scale production of automotive and stationary power applications.

Wind Energy

Since the start of 'modern' wind energy' technology, Huntsman has been the preferred partner of all key players with a product offer that covers every aspect of the blade production chain.

Governments and energy utilities across the world are embracing wind power not only because it is environmentally friendly, but also because it can compete with conventional energy sources such as oil and gas – not just in terms of the environment, but also on the grounds of cost.

As the supply of fossil fuels diminishes we will be forced to turn to wind energy. The World Energy Council estimates that by exploiting as little as 10 per cent of the technical potential of global wind resources, the world's energy consumption could be covered many times over.  In total, global wind energy capacity has increased by over 28 per cent. The USA passed Germany to become the number one in wind power, and China's total capacity doubled for the fourth year in a row.

Europe is already embracing wind power with The European Union making the implementation of wind energy one of  its highest priorities. Likewise the US is turning to wind energy with an average growth of over 25 percent in the last 2 years.

Since the start of 'modern wind energy' technology, Huntsman has been the preferred partner of all key players with a product offer that covers the full blades production chain, Seamless modelling pastes for master models, Gel coats and resin for the mould production, Germanischer Lloyd Qualified resins and adhesives for the part production and materials for potential on site repair.

Recently Huntsman, thanks to its Sports and Aerospace position  has developed a range of adhesives for securing wind turbine blades which includes new generation nano-technology materials based on truly submicron particles that can form bonds with dramatically improved strength when compared to traditional solutions. Processing of the products is also facilitated, thanks to Huntsman patented "Chemical Thixotropy" that allows to manipulate very liquid components before mixing.

Green Construction for Modern Buildings
The term "Green Construction has become a buzzword in the industry, but "Green" can mean different things to different people. It can mean low environmental impact. It can also incorporate the concept of renewable resources or bio-based chemicals.  And, it can mean novel ways of improving energy efficiency of a building. "Green" can even encompass health issues such as sick-building syndrome, or anti-microbial coatings. 

The US Department of Energy's (DoE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has recently released its annual assessment of leading utility green power programmes under which consumers can choose to help renewable energies. According to the NREL analysis, more than 850 utilities across the USA now offer green power programmes nationwide.

Solar heating, solar reflective and solar power

Solar heating, solar reflective and solar power is an area of growth where Huntsman is actively working with its partners in order to help improve efficiency and bring down productions costs.

Each of these three distinct technologies will see a rapid increase in usage due to requirements to lower the energy needs of buildings.

Solar heating panel design has become more and more refined and efficient, to the extent that now solar heating panels can be an integral and virtually indistinguishable part of the roof design. Adhesives, fixings and sealants specifically designed for these panels will see increased usage. Solar reflective coatings which minimise the absorption of infra-red in the form of heat will see a rise in their use in warmer climates. The use of urethane sandwich panels, insulation boards and blocks will also continue to increase.      

Alongside solar heating and solar reflective  technology there will be a massive growth in solar power arrays to produce electricity from sunlight. Traditionally, silicon wafer technology has always been used, but in future, whole areas of roofing may have photovoltaic cells installed which will produce a significant proportion of the energy for the building.

Since 2002 the production of photovoltaic electricity has doubled every two years. The European Photovoltaic Industry Association recently set the industry a new goal asking that photovoltaic technology reach a 12 percent share of European Union electricity production by 2020. This is an area of growth where Huntsman is actively working with its partners in order to help to improve the efficiency and bring down the  production costs of photovoltaic modules.

Power Transmission and Distribution Insulation Materials
Here Huntsman has made major contributions with several innovative insulation materials: Araldite® HCEP, a hydrophobic epoxy resin for outdoor insulators which has gained market share from ceramic insulation because it enables the manufacturer to produce lighter weight insulators which are water repellent. Insulators made of Araldite HCEP show better toughness, resulting in less damage, they need less maintenance and provide high arc resistance. "HCEP ... the best commercially available dielectric material...with enhanced performance in severely polluted outdoor environments." (Source: ABB Review 4/2008).

Power transmission and distribution insulation materials are key growth areas. With Araldite® HCEP Huntsman has rapidly gained market share; recently it bought out a semi-flexible version Araldite® S-HCEP.

Based on the market success of this new resin, Huntsman has developed a semi-flexible version, Araldite® S-HCEP, which can be used as cost effective housing material for composite insulators. It provides several technical advantages compared to liquid silicone rubber, for instance it is resistance against bird and rodent attack. Also it has high tracking and erosion resistance and shows much less leakage current in salt fog tests. It is currently being introduced into the world wide T&D market.

Organic Light Emitting Devices, OLEDs

Organic Light Emitting Devices, OLEDS, is a breakthourgh technology which will enable it to seize the mass energy saving lighting market.

Energy saving  in lighting applications is another main trend in the modern building industry world. Huntsman is developing important encapsulation materials  and barrier layers for OLED devices. The breakthrough technology is now on the verge of removing the barrier for OLED flexible lighting and enable it  to seize the mass market and become  the next generation of lighting.

 OLED's  are large, paper-thin, flexible and lightweight devices, consuming 70% less energy compared to current light bulbs which provide exciting new opportunities for design and architectural integration.  Their unique properties - high power efficiency, uniform large area light emission and flexibility - can give rise to an enormous range of flexible lighting products that will transform the world that we live in. 

There is, however, one critical barrier to overcome: OLEDSs have to be protected from oxidation. Since much of the success hinges on the device encapsulation technology, the Organic Electronics Team in Huntsman is developing technology that will prevent moisture and oxygen from reaching the cathode. This is achieved by means of organic layers in thin film encapsulation stacks based on alternate organic / inorganic layers.

 Huntsman is at the forefront of  OLED development and is a member of the "Fast2Light consortium" which consists of 14 partners from eight countries, including three research institutes, two universities, three small and medium sized enterprises and six large enterprises. The consortium develops large area deposition processes for fabricating cost effective, roll-to-roll light emitting polymer OLED foils.

There is no single solution to the many challenges of future energy harvesting, but we can  anticipate multiple solutions such as wind, wave, fuel cells and solar cells that will be commercially produced on a large scale across the globe. It is certain that these new technologies will demand new materials – a challenge that we are prepared  to meet. 

Commenting on the future, our Global President Andre´ Genton said:
"As we are approaching mid-year of 2009, we have to realize that the slowdown experienced in the last quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009 will still continue to influence our businesses and our performance plans. Moreover, we are quite clear that crisis response will remain the overall topic throughout the year 2009. Seen only as a 'call to arms' by many people in our industry, only those who carefully do their homework and reflect on the opportunities will be able to come out stronger when the economy picks up again. At Huntsman Advanced Materials, we promised to stay on our continuous growth path even when the times get rough. This does not only require us to maintain our focus, but to constantly check our markets for business opportunities. As a B2B supplier, it is clear that every demand slowdown at a customer will directly impact us. But, we will also be the first ones to feel signs of recovery. Therefore, it will be crucial for us to be well-positioned by that time.

According to this goal, we are currently investing a lot of time and resources in shaping our business to be successful in a rough business environment. In order to do this, our target will be to develop further our lean organizational structure and to adjust flexibly our manufacturing footprint to market needs. Since Huntsman Advanced Materials is acting in many different markets, optimal customer response in these markets requires a careful approach. Secondly, we will focus on what we promise - to be a partner in innovation. Our Research and Technology department as the reproductive system in our business is working on a rich innovation pipeline that will fuel our business in the years to come. All innovations linked to our technology platforms will help us to come up with new technologies that will have the potential to enhance the markets of our customers, no matter whether they enable new solutions or replace existing ones.  Our differentiator is to develop new solutions instead of further developing existing technologies. Recent awards for Huntsman Advanced Materials all mirrored this mindset. In partnering with other technology leaders across the globe, we aim to accelerate our innovation flow.

The markets of tomorrow lie clear in front of us. The challenges will be to provide cleaner energy, to protect the environment and enhance people's life by providing solutions for a growing mankind. The stimulus packages recently passed by many governments are heading exactly in the direction and will prove to be beneficial for our industry. Currently we already see business in China improving as a result of public measures. As a globally acting business I am confident we can also benefit from these developments in other regions of the world."