On September 11th, 2012, Joule (Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.) announced that it has commissioned its first SunSprings demonstration plant in Hobbs, New Mexico. The plant will demonstrate Joule's technology to produce fuel from solar energy.

Joule is advancing a technology platform for Liquid Fuel from the Sun. The SunSprings plant is designed to demonstrate the complete Joule process with its advantages in cost, scale and efficiency, all at the multi-acre scale that directly translates to full scale through modular replication.


Advances in building a commercial-ready system and engineering a scalable process

"This project is the culmination of advances not only in our core technology, but in building a commercial-ready system and engineering a scalable process that are now pilot-tested and prepared for deployment," Joule President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) William J. Sims stated.


Microorganisms acting as living catalysts to produce fuel

Unlike sugar-based biofuel producers, Joule directly and continuously converts solar energy into liquid fuels, without costly raw materials, pretreatment or downstream processing. In contrast with algae-based approaches, Joule uses optimized microorganisms that act as living catalysts to produce fuel, rather than first producing biomass and later extracting lipids or sugars for subsequent multi-step conversion into fuel.


Sunflow-E to compete in the ethanol market

"For the first time, we are bringing the tremendous benefits of modular and linear scale to renewable fuel production, which has been notoriously hampered by batch processes, ponds and fermentation tanks that simply cannot scale without more land, more money and unpredictable results. In contrast, we've built a low-cost solution that emulates large-scale results and commercial-scale economics without the need for hundreds of acres or hundreds of millions of dollars. With just one module, we will show what’s possible with 100 modules or more – a low-risk, high-return equation with near-term commercial impact," Sims added.

The SunSprings plant operations will begin with production of Joule Sunflow-E to compete in the ethanol market, valued at about USD 64 billion.

Following demonstration, Joule will be equipped to deploy its modular platform across multiple sites around the world, targeting initial productivities of 10,000 gallons/acre/year. This includes an opportunity to build a commercial facility in Hobbs, where the company has access to 1,200 additional acres and the inputs that drive its process.

Joule ultimately targets productivity of up to 25,000 gallons of Sunflow-E per acre annually, at costs as low as USD 1.28/gallon without subsidies.

Joule also formed its global subsidiary, Joule Fuels, to capitalize on the USD 1+ trillion fuels market with exclusive access to Joule’s revolutionary technology, IP and know-how.

2012-09-15 | Courtesy: Joule | solarserver.com © Heindl Server GmbH

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