Misplaced Pages

#641358

63-569: Solstar was founded by M. Brian Barnett in March 2017, with Michael Potter and Mark Matossian as co-founders. Prior to this, Barnett had developed an initial design of a communication system which was used to successfully transmit the first-ever commercial text message from earth to space in November 2013, with students from Albuquerque sending 16 messages to a device aboard a UP Aerospace rocket launched from Spaceport America . In 2017, Solstar received

126-451: A CHP gas engine , where the waste heat from the engine is conveniently used for heating the digester; cooking; space heating; water heating ; and process heating. If compressed, it can replace compressed natural gas for use in vehicles, where it can fuel an internal combustion engine or fuel cells and is a much more effective displacer of carbon dioxide than the normal use in on-site CHP plants. Raw biogas produced from digestion

189-563: A Space Act Agreement with NASA to test WiFi technologies in space. In April 2018, Solstar tested the Schmitt Space Communicator SC-1x, a three-pound device, in a Blue Origin capsule on a New Shepard rocket which was launched from the Blue Origin's launch facility near Van Horn, Texas , and reached a height of 66 miles. The test was successful, with the founder Barnett using the on-flight internet connection to send out

252-567: A fuel ; it can be used in fuel cells and for heating purpose, such as in cooking. It can also be used in a gas engine to convert the energy in the gas into electricity and heat. After removal of carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide it can be compressed in the same way as natural gas and used to power motor vehicles . In the United Kingdom, for example, biogas is estimated to have the potential to replace around 17% of vehicle fuel. It qualifies for renewable energy subsidies in some parts of

315-627: A tweet . The project's US$ 2 million cost was partly funded by NASA as part of its Flight Opportunities program. The device is named after Harrison Schmitt , one of the last men to walk on the Moon and Solstar's adviser. It conducted a second successful test in July 2018, with the flight reaching a peak height of 73.8 miles above sea level. The device was accepted to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's collection. The April 2018 test footage

378-449: A 1000-litre digester using psychrophiles harvested from "mud from a frozen lake in Alaska" has produced 200–300 liters of methane per day, about 20–30% of the output from digesters in warmer climates. The air pollution produced by biogas is similar to that of natural gas as when methane (a major constituent of biogas) is ignited for its usage as an energy source, Carbon dioxide

441-457: A Nut detailed the biogas production process from pig manure and showed how it fueled a custom-adapted combustion engine. In 2007, an estimated 12,000 vehicles were being fueled with upgraded biogas worldwide, mostly in Europe. Biogas is part of the wet gas and condensing gas (or air) category that includes mist or fog in the gas stream. The mist or fog is predominately water vapor that condenses on

504-715: A Phase I small business contract with NASA to develop a preliminary design for a commercial router on the International Space Station , under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The device is intended for low Earth orbit service and was named the Slayton Space Communicator (SC-Slayton) after one of Mercury astronauts Deke Slayton who was NASA's first Chief of the Astronaut Office . The company also signed

567-548: A White Paper entitled "Vision to Bring BroadBand to the Next Billion" on iTunes Books, which discusses a clear road map that will contribute to the overall aim of bringing broadband to three billion people by the year 2020—the ‘Communications Singularity.’ However, it is also focused on helping to bring the additional billion people on to the internet who are mostly based in rural and village areas in developing countries. The entire White Paper can be found here: [3] . He co-authored

630-713: A business deal with the Russian government to lease the Mir space station for commercial space station. Potter's film was the winner of the Space Frontier Foundation's Vision of the Future 2008. Potter previously worked on the thirteen part WGBN Series, War and Peace in the Nuclear Age . He currently has two other documentaries in production, The University about the founding of Singularity University, and Immortality of Bust, about

693-765: A chapter in the book, "International Cooperation for the Development of Space" (Volume I). The chapter he co-authored is Chapter 2012, entitled, "The 100 Year Starship Endeavor." He co-authored this chapter alongside Jeffrey Nosanov. In addition, he co-authored a chapter of "International Lunar Initiative Organization," which was published in 1992 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He co-authored Chapter 3, entitled "Organization, Policy, and Law.". He also wrote "The Real Intellectual Origins of Smaller, Faster, Cheaper: An Underground Student Movement," printed in San Francisco in 1995. Potter

SECTION 10

#1732863076642

756-521: A chapter in this handbook, is called "The Greatest Planetary Defense Gap: Operation & Execution," and was published in 2014. His entire essay can be found at: [1] . He also wrote a White Paper entitled "Innovative Models for Private Financing of Space Science Mission," which argues that the issue of space financing is not only an area primed for significant growth but also one of extreme and continuing importance to humanity. This entire White Paper can be found at: [2] . Potter also recently published

819-513: A faecal sludge treatment plant. Faecal sludge can also be co-treated with organic solid waste in composting or in an anaerobic digestion system. Biogas can be generated through anaerobic digestion in the treatment of faecal sludge. The appropriate management of excreta and its valorisation through the production of biogas from faecal sludge helps mitigate the effects of poorly managed excreta such as waterborne diseases and water and environmental pollution. The Resource Recovery and Reuse (RRR) )

882-574: A founding member of the European Competitive Telecommunications Association , an organization which lobbied for deregulation of telecommunications markets across Europe. Potter has written a number of articles about high technology, business, and policy. Potter is a director of the company Odyssey Moon, which is the first company to register to compete for the Google Lunar X Prize . Biogas Biogas

945-772: A popular source of energy and is starting to be used in the United States more. In 2003, the United States consumed 43 TWh (147 trillion BTU) of energy from "landfill gas", about 0.6% of the total U.S. natural gas consumption. Methane biogas derived from cow manure is being tested in the U.S. According to a 2008 study, collected by the Science and Children magazine, methane biogas from cow manure would be sufficient to produce 100 billion kilowatt hours enough to power millions of homes across America. Furthermore, methane biogas has been tested to prove that it can reduce 99 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions or about 4% of

1008-421: A pressure gauge. Frequent smell checks must be performed on a biogas system. If biogas is smelled anywhere windows and doors should be opened immediately. If there is a fire the gas should be shut off at the gate valve of the biogas system. Landfill gas is produced by wet organic waste decomposing under anaerobic conditions in a similar way to biogas. The waste is covered and mechanically compressed by

1071-421: Is 5% methane and the upper is 15% methane. The methane in biogas is 28 times more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Therefore, uncontained landfill gas, which escapes into the atmosphere may significantly contribute to the effects of global warming . In addition, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in landfill gas contribute to the formation of photochemical smog . Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)

1134-407: Is a function of biogas temperature; correction of measured gas volume for water vapour content and thermal expansion is easily done via simple mathematics which yields the standardized volume of dry biogas. For 1000 kg (wet weight) of input to a typical biodigester, total solids may be 30% of the wet weight while volatile suspended solids may be 90% of the total solids. Protein would be 20% of

1197-642: Is a gaseous renewable energy source produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste , manure , municipal waste , plant material , sewage , green waste , wastewater , and food waste . Biogas is produced by anaerobic digestion with anaerobic organisms or methanogens inside an anaerobic digester , biodigester or a bioreactor . The gas composition is primarily methane ( CH 4 ) and carbon dioxide ( CO 2 ) and may have small amounts of hydrogen sulfide ( H 2 S ), moisture and siloxanes . The methane can be combusted or oxidized with oxygen. This energy release allows biogas to be used as

1260-806: Is a measure of the amount of oxygen required by aerobic micro-organisms to decompose the organic matter in a sample of material being used in the biodigester as well as the BOD for the liquid discharge allows for the calculation of the daily energy output from a biodigester. Another term related to biodigesters is effluent dirtiness, which tells how much organic material there is per unit of biogas source. Typical units for this measure are in mg BOD/litre. As an example, effluent dirtiness can range between 800 and 1200 mg BOD/litre in Panama. From 1 kg of decommissioned kitchen bio-waste, 0.45 m of biogas can be obtained. The price for collecting biological waste from households

1323-491: Is a subprogram of the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE) dedicated to applied research on the safe recovery of water, nutrients and energy from domestic and agro-industrial waste streams. They believe using waste as energy would be good financially and would tackle sanitation, health and environmental issues. The European Union has legislation regarding waste management and landfill sites called

SECTION 20

#1732863076642

1386-907: Is an entrepreneur, documentary filmmaker, author, and social enterprise investor. Potter graduated with a BA in Government from the California State University, Sacramento and a minor in Business Administration. He received a Master's of Science from the London School of Economics , and a certificate in Space Studies from the International Space University (ISU SSP'88). Potter runs a family investment firm, Paradigm Ventures, which focuses on new strategies for analyzing and developing high-technology ventures. One of

1449-551: Is approximately €70 per ton. The composition of biogas varies depending upon the substrate composition, as well as the conditions within the anaerobic reactor (temperature, pH, and substrate concentration). Landfill gas typically has methane concentrations around 50%. Advanced waste treatment technologies can produce biogas with 55–75% methane, which for reactors with free liquids can be increased to 80–90% methane using in-situ gas purification techniques. As produced, biogas contains water vapor. The fractional volume of water vapor

1512-650: Is currently developing an open source, Wi-Fi network bringing Internet access to undeveloped areas of Africa and developing the concept of Dig Once. Michael Potter is currently a Senior Fellow at the International Institute of Space Commerce , an institute dedicated to the study and promotion of space industry Potter produced the documentary film "Do You Dream in Color," which premiered in 2014 at The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Missoula, Montana. The documentary

1575-432: Is made as a product which is a greenhouse gas ( as described by this equation: CH 4 + 2 O 2 → CO 2 + 2 H 2 O ). The content of toxic hydrogen sulfide presents additional risks and has been responsible for serious accidents. Leaks of unburned methane are an additional risk, because methane is a potent greenhouse gas . A facility may leak 2% of the methane. Biogas can be explosive when mixed in

1638-635: Is now the GMP Cow Power Program. Customers can elect to pay a premium on their electric bill, and that premium is passed directly to the farms in the program. In Sheldon, Vermont , Green Mountain Dairy has provided renewable energy as part of the Cow Power program. It started when the brothers who own the farm, Bill and Brian Rowell, wanted to address some of the manure management challenges faced by dairy farms, including manure odor, and nutrient availability for

1701-552: Is produced by microorganisms, such as methanogens and sulfate-reducing bacteria , performing anaerobic respiration. Biogas can refer to gas produced naturally and industrially. In soil, methane is produced in anaerobic environments by methanogens, but is mostly consumed in aerobic zones by methanotrophs . Methane emissions result when the balance favors methanogens. Wetland soils are the main natural source of methane. Other sources include oceans, forest soils, termites, and wild ruminants. The purpose of industrial biogas production

1764-499: Is produced from organic compounds containing nitrogen, such as the amino acids in proteins . If not separated from the biogas, combustion results in NO x emissions. In some cases, biogas contains siloxanes . They are formed from the anaerobic decomposition of materials commonly found in soaps and detergents. During combustion of biogas containing siloxanes, silicon is released and can combine with free oxygen or other elements in

1827-418: Is roughly 60% methane and 39% CO 2 with trace elements of H 2 S : inadequate for use in machinery. The corrosive nature of H 2 S alone is enough to destroy the mechanisms. Methane in biogas can be concentrated via a biogas upgrader to the same standards as fossil natural gas , which itself has to go through a cleaning process, and becomes biomethane . If the local gas network allows,

1890-424: Is stored under anaerobic conditions. During storage and when manure has been applied to the land, nitrous oxide is also produced as a byproduct of the denitrification process. Nitrous oxide ( N 2 O ) is 320 times more aggressive as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and methane 25 times more than carbon dioxide. By converting cow manure into methane biogas via anaerobic digestion , the millions of cattle in

1953-431: Is the collection of biomethane, usually for fuel. Industrial biogas is produced either; A biogas plant is the name often given to an anaerobic digester that treats farm wastes or energy crops. It can be produced using anaerobic digesters (air-tight tanks with different configurations). These plants can be fed with energy crops such as maize silage or biodegradable wastes including sewage sludge and food waste. During

Solstar - Misplaced Pages Continue

2016-545: Is the coming-of-age story of four courageous blind high school students as they strive to prove that their disability will not hold them back from achieving their dreams. Potter also produced and directed the award-winning documentary film Orphans of Apollo , which premiered in 2008 at the New Space Conference in Crystal City, Virginia. The documentary is based on a group of entrepreneurs heading MirCorp , who negotiate

2079-474: Is the remaining inorganic matter that was not transformed into biogas. It can be used as an agricultural fertiliser. Biogas can be used as the fuel in the system of producing biogas from agricultural wastes and co-generating heat and electricity in a combined heat and power ( CHP ) plant. Unlike the other green energy such as wind and solar, the biogas can be quickly accessed on demand. The global warming potential can also be greatly reduced when using biogas as

2142-500: The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington D.C. Michael Potter was one of the founders of Esprit Telecom, a European telecommunications company, where he was president until leaving to establish Paradigm Ventures. At Esprit Telecom Potter had 1,000 employees in over nine European countries and a market capitalization of a billion US dollars. Potter also was

2205-917: The Landfill Directive . Countries such as the United Kingdom and Germany now have legislation in force that provides farmers with long-term revenue and energy security. The EU mandates that internal combustion engines with biogas have ample gas pressure to optimize combustion, and within the European Union ATEX centrifugal fan units built in accordance with the European directive 2014–34/EU (previously 94/9/EG) are obligatory. These centrifugal fan units, for example Combimac , Meidinger AG or Witt & Sohn AG are suitable for use in Zone 1 and 2 . The United States legislates against landfill gas as it contains VOCs . The United States Clean Air Act and Title 40 of

2268-491: The combustion gas . Deposits are formed containing mostly silica ( SiO 2 ) or silicates ( Si x O y ) and can contain calcium , sulfur , zinc , phosphorus . Such white mineral deposits accumulate to a surface thickness of several millimeters and must be removed by chemical or mechanical means. Practical and cost-effective technologies to remove siloxanes and other biogas contaminants are available. High levels of methane are produced when manure

2331-485: The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) requires landfill owners to estimate the quantity of non-methane organic compounds (NMOCs) emitted. If the estimated NMOC emissions exceeds 50 tonnes per year, the landfill owner is required to collect the gas and treat it to remove the entrained NMOCs. That usually means burning it. Because of the remoteness of landfill sites, it is sometimes not economically feasible to produce electricity from

2394-728: The SS-20 missile after the signing of an INF arms control treaty in 1987 resulted in a surplus of missiles. Potter has published many articles in, “Colloquium on the Law of Outer Space” focusing on international law and space, such as: “The Outer Space Cyberspace Nexus - Satellite Crimes”; “European Regulation of Competitive Satellite Services - Battling the Cartel and the Monopolies”; and “International Satellite Organizations- from Monopoly to Cartel.”. Potter worked as an international telecommunications analyst at

2457-685: The Transhuman Candidate for President in 2016. Potter wrote a chapter of the "Handbook of Cosmic Hazards & Planetary Defense," edited by Dr. Joe Pelton & William Ailor, Aerospace Corporation, James Green, NASA, Michael Marov, of the Russian Academy of Science, and Tommaso Sgobba, Executive Director of the International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety, Spring Press 2015 (to be published). His essay, included as

2520-471: The United States would be able to produce 100 billion kilowatt hours of electricity, enough to power millions of homes across the United States. One cow can produce enough manure in one day to generate 3 kilowatt hours of electricity. Furthermore, by converting cattle manure into methane biogas instead of letting it decompose, global warming gases could be reduced by 99 million metric tons or 4%. Biogas can be used for electricity production on sewage works, in

2583-418: The areas of satellite broadcasting and receiving, remote sensing, and technology transfer. He explores the possibilities of how "space age" technologies and the exploration of the final frontier could transform the way we think about human rights. In the article, “Swords into Ploughshares: Missiles as Commercial Launchers”, Potter discusses the legal and policy implications of a commercial launch vehicle based on

Solstar - Misplaced Pages Continue

2646-420: The biogas produced by wastewater from the brewery only. Manufacturing of biogas from intentionally planted maize has been described as being unsustainable and harmful due to very concentrated, intense and soil eroding character of these plantations. There are two key processes: mesophilic and thermophilic digestion which is dependent on temperature. In experimental work at University of Alaska Fairbanks ,

2709-640: The companies they have invested in is Global Connect. Michael Potter is also the current vice chairman of Manna Energy Foundation and is the Founder of the NGO, Geeks without Frontiers. These two foundations focuses on the eradication of poverty through the use of social entrepreneurship. Manna currently has projects in Rwanda and Kenya involving the installation of biogas generators, high-efficiency wood stoves and solar-powered water-purification systems. Geeks without Frontiers

2772-552: The crops they need to grow to feed the animals. They installed an anaerobic digester to process the cow and milking center waste from their 950 cows to produce renewable energy, a bedding to replace sawdust, and a plant-friendly fertilizer. The energy and environmental attributes are sold to the GMP Cow Power program. On average, the system run by the Rowells produces enough electricity to power 300 to 350 other homes. The generator capacity

2835-469: The crowdfunding platform Wefunder . The astronaut Charles D. Walker , who flew on three Space Shuttle flights, joined Solstar as an adviser. By November that year, the company had raised over US$ 200,000 through Wefunder and US$ 300,000 from other investors. The Wefunder round closed in January 2019 with US$ 331,460 raised from a total of 519 investors. Michael Potter (entrepreneur) Michael Potter

2898-434: The energy can be used for on-site generation , resulting in a reduction of losses in the transportation of energy. Typical energy losses in natural gas transmission systems range from 1% to 2%; in electricity transmission they range from 5% to 8%. Before being injected in the gas grid, biogas passes a cleaning process, during which it is upgraded to natural gas quality. During the cleaning process trace components harmful to

2961-468: The flow stream because of daily and seasonal temperature fluctuations, and account for the moisture in the flow stream to produce a dry gas value. Biogas can be used in different types of internal combustion engines, such as the Jenbacher or Caterpillar gas engines. Other internal combustion engines such as gas turbines are suitable for the conversion of biogas into both electricity and heat. The digestate

3024-605: The fuel instead of fossil fuel . However, the acidification and eutrophication potentials produced by biogas are 25 and 12 times higher respectively than fossil fuel alternatives. This impact can be reduced by using correct combination of feedstocks, covered storage for digesters and improved techniques for retrieving escaped material. Overall, the results still suggest that using biogas can lead to significant reduction in most impacts compared to fossil fuel alternative. The balance between environmental damage and green house gas emission should still be considered while implicating

3087-499: The gas grid and the final users are removed. If concentrated and compressed, it can be used in vehicle transportation. Compressed biogas is becoming widely used in Sweden, Switzerland, and Germany. A biogas-powered train, named Biogaståget Amanda (The Biogas Train Amanda), has been in service in Sweden since 2005. Biogas powers automobiles. In 1974, a British documentary film titled Sweet as

3150-481: The gas. There are a variety of grants and loans the support the development of anaerobic digestor systems. The Rural Energy for American Program provides loan financing and grant funding for biogas systems, as does the Environmental Quality Incentives Program , Conservation Stewardship Program , and Conservation Loan Program . With the many benefits of biogas, it is starting to become

3213-573: The greenhouse gases produced by the United States. The number of farm-based digesters increased by 21% in 2021 according to the American Biogas Council. In Vermont biogas generated on dairy farms was included in the CVPS Cow Power program. The program was originally offered by Central Vermont Public Service Corporation as a voluntary tariff and now with a recent merger with Green Mountain Power

SECTION 50

#1732863076642

3276-428: The process, the micro-organisms transform biomass waste into biogas (mainly methane and carbon dioxide) and digestate . Higher quantities of biogas can be produced when the wastewater is co-digested with other residuals from the dairy industry, sugar industry, or brewery industry. For example, while mixing 90% of wastewater from beer factory with 10% cow whey, the production of biogas was increased by 2.5 times compared to

3339-441: The producer of the biogas may use their distribution networks. Gas must be very clean to reach pipeline quality and must be of the correct composition for the distribution network to accept. Carbon dioxide , water , hydrogen sulfide , and particulates must be removed if present. There are four main methods of upgrading: water washing, pressure swing absorption, selexol absorption, and amine gas treating . In addition to these,

3402-419: The ratio of one part biogas to 8–20 parts air. Special safety precautions have to be taken for entering an empty biogas digester for maintenance work. It is important that a biogas system never has negative pressure as this could cause an explosion. Negative gas pressure can occur if too much gas is removed or leaked; Because of this biogas should not be used at pressures below one column inch of water, measured by

3465-608: The sides of pipes or stacks throughout the gas flow. Biogas environments include wastewater digesters, landfills, and animal feeding operations (covered livestock lagoons). Ultrasonic flow meters are one of the few devices capable of measuring in a biogas atmosphere. Most of thermal flow meters are unable to provide reliable data because the moisture causes steady high flow readings and continuous flow spiking, although there are single-point insertion thermal mass flow meters capable of accurately monitoring biogas flows with minimal pressure drop. They can handle moisture variations that occur in

3528-460: The system. Projects such as NANOCLEAN are nowadays developing new ways to produce biogas more efficiently, using iron oxide nanoparticles in the processes of organic waste treatment. This process can triple the production of biogas. Faecal Sludge is a product of onsite sanitation systems. Post collection and transportation, Faecal sludge can be treated with sewage in a conventional treatment plant, or otherwise it can be treated independently in

3591-399: The system. It takes roughly between 3% and 6% of the total energy output in gas to run a biogas upgrading system. Gas-grid injection is the injection of biogas into the methane grid ( natural gas grid ). Until the breakthrough of micro combined heat and power two-thirds of all the energy produced by biogas power plants was lost (as heat). Using the grid to transport the gas to consumers,

3654-451: The use of membrane separation technology for biogas upgrading is increasing, and there are already several plants operating in Europe and USA. The most prevalent method is water washing where high pressure gas flows into a column where the carbon dioxide and other trace elements are scrubbed by cascading water running counter-flow to the gas. This arrangement could deliver 98% methane with manufacturers guaranteeing maximum 2% methane loss in

3717-548: The volatile solids, carbohydrates would be 70% of the volatile solids, and finally fats would be 10% of the volatile solids. Toxic and foul smelling Hydrogen sulfide ( H 2 S ) is the most common contaminant in biogas, but other sulfur-containing compounds, such as thiols may be present. Left in the biogas stream, hydrogen sulfide is corrosive and when combusted yields sulfur dioxide ( SO 2 ) and sulfuric acid ( H 2 SO 4 ), also corrosive and environmentally hazardous compounds. Ammonia ( NH 3 )

3780-426: The weight of the material that is deposited above. This material prevents oxygen exposure thus allowing anaerobic microbes to thrive. Biogas builds up and is slowly released into the atmosphere if the site has not been engineered to capture the gas. Landfill gas released in an uncontrolled way can be hazardous since it can become explosive when it escapes from the landfill and mixes with oxygen. The lower explosive limit

3843-442: The world. Biogas can be cleaned and upgraded to natural gas standards, when it becomes bio-methane. Biogas is considered to be a renewable resource because its production-and-use cycle is continuous, and it generates no net carbon dioxide. From a carbon perspective, as much carbon dioxide is absorbed from the atmosphere in the growth of the primary bio-resource as is released, when the material is ultimately converted to energy. Biogas

SECTION 60

#1732863076642

3906-750: Was featured in a short documentary, The Digital Nomad and the Scientist , detailing the first commercial WiFi service in space. The film was directed by Maclovia Martel and Kristina Korsholm with Michael Potter as the executive producer. The documentary was selected for the Independent Filmmakers Showcase (May 2019) in Los Angeles and got shortlisted to the Ekko Shortlist ( Denmark , 2020). In June 2018, Solstar sought Securities and Exchange Commission 's approval to raise investment capital through

3969-527: Was given an acknowledgment page in the 1991 science fiction novel, "Lunar Descent" by Allen Steele. He was also a contributor to "The Nuclear Age Reader," edited by Jeffrey Porro, and published in New York in 1989 by Alfred A. Knopf Inc. In his article, “Human Rights in the Space Age: An International and Legal Political Analysis,” Potter focuses on space and human rights issues that have collided in

#641358