ECNewsletter October 2008
ECN Annual report 2007
ECN?s 2007 Annual Report, published in August, sets itself apart with its thought-provoking concept, extreme photography, interviews and many scenarios for the future. More...
High impact scores ECN
In the Dutch knowledge-based economy, the government, universities, knowledge institutes and industry are connected by a common cause. All work together to strengthen the Dutch knowledge system. The Dutch Foundation for Science and Technology (NOWT) lines up a number of developments. ECN emerges as an organisation with a high impact score: no less than 95 percent above world average. More...
ECN to coordinate IEA task on thermal energy storage
All over the world various research institutes are developing and testing new heat storage materials. So as to ensure that they are not reinventing the wheel individually, the International Energy Agency has set up a joint task, which is coordinated by ECN. More...
Opening wind scale turbine test farm
The new model wind farm at Wieringermeer in the Netherlands will allow ECN to carry out pioneering wind research in order to find answers to questions such as how wind turbines in large wind parks interact with one another. The opening of the wind farm was celebrated in early September. More...
Nature GeoScience: Farming pollution
The Nature GeoScience edition of July 2008 features an article on the environmental problems concerning agricultural activities. ECN unit manager Biomass, Coal and Environmental research Jan Willem Erisman and others try to map out these increasing problems by describing possible solutions and comparing European and American rules and regulations. More...
Increased efficiency from new type of silicon solar cell
Researchers at ECN have developed a simple method for increasing the efficiency of crystalline silicon solar cells by 6 percent in relative terms. By using a different type of silicon they managed to reduce electrical losses at the front of the cells substantially, thus making a new generation of industrial solar cells possible. More...
ECN Impulse second in Windrace
Following months of preparation and a number of trials, the ECN team was declared the winner of the Racing Aeolus design competition on Saturday 23 August. It was already clear that the team from the University of Stuttgart had built the fastest wind-powered vehicle (WPV), but ECN gained a well-deserved second place in the race. More...
Task Force major step towards integrated nitrogen policies
A newly installed United Nations Task Force set up in May is taking an integrated approach to the nitrogen problem ? something that ECN has advocated for over ten years. A paper in the May issue of Science co-authored by ECN researcher Jan Willem Erisman puts forward possible solutions to at least reduce the growth in nitrogen compounds. More...
Prestigious Poul la Cour Prize for ECN scientist
ECN scientist Jos Beurskens was awarded the Poul la Cour prize to on April 3rd during the closing session of the European Wind Energy Conference & Exhibition 2008 (EWEC). The prize was presented to him by EU Commissioner for Science and Research, Janez Potočnik. Awarded annually this is the most prestigious award in the field of wind energy. More...
Second generation technology ?a sustainable winner?
The opening ceremony of the MILENA biomass gasifier was a festive occasion for everyone involved at ECN, with a large turnout of interested people and much praise from both Jacqueline Cramer, Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment, and the Chairman of the New Gas Energy Transition Platform, Ulco Vermeulen. The Minister spoke of ?a sustainable winner?, and all the speakers were convinced that it would soon be implemented commercially. More...
ECN and Holst Centre join forces on research into ?plastic? solar cells
ECN has joined forces with the Holst Centre, an open-innovation centre set up by TNO (Netherlands) and IMEC (Belgium), to transfer the knowledge they have gained into a working technology for organic solar cells, signing a partnership agreement to that effect. More...
Wind power licence sales highly successful
The ECN unit Wind Energy has been highly successful in selling licences for software for the design, certification and operation of wind turbines, which enable turbine control systems to be monitored, evaluated and enhanced, among other things. A number of turbine manufacturers in Europe and elsewhere are now using these software programs on a large scale. ECN is seeing the results of ten years of unremitting research work. More...
New catalyst technology helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
ECN has developed a novel catalyst technology that can substantially reduce emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O). The American firm CRI Catalyst Company LP (CRI) intends to market it worldwide. The ECN technology has been tested under a wide range of conditions and is capable of achieving N2O reductions of over 90 percent. It is robust and cheaper than other technologies on the market. More...
