Business Development and Partnership Office

GREEN Energy from Space:
A Conceptual Solution using Lunar Resources for Terrestrial Energy Needs

 Presenter: Dr. Harrison Schmitt, NASA Astronaut               

Location: NASA Glenn Research Center,
Building 3, Administration Auditorium
21000 Brookpark Rd
Cleveland, OH

Dr. Harrison Schmitt was the 12th astronaut to walk on the Moon, and had the distinction of being the only geologist and scientist of the Apollo astronauts.  He flew in space as part of the Apollo 17 crew that explored the Moon in December 1972.  He later became the only Apollo astronaut to be elected to the United States Senate and the only natural scientist to serve there since Thomas Jefferson.  Following his Senate term, Dr. Schmitt has been a consultant in business, geology, space, and public policy.

Up until a year ago, Dr. Schmitt served as Chair of the NASA Advisory Council which provides technical advice to the NASA Administrator.  He is an adjunct professor of engineering physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.   He is the founder and serves as chairman of Interlune Intermars Initiative Inc., an organization whose goal is to advance the private sector’s acquisition and use of lunar resources. 

Dr. Schmitt is an advocate of returning to the Moon, as the Moon could be used as a source for Helium 3, a rare isotope of helium that can be used as a fuel for nuclear fusion reactors.

Please join us for this exciting GREEN Forum!  This presentation will take place during the scheduled screening of the Ares 1-X  launch, and may be interrupted at time of launch.

Presenter: Richard A  Dennis, Turbine Technology Manager. , Office of Coal and Power Research & Development
National Energy Technology Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy

Location: NASA Glenn Research Center,
Building 3, Auditorium
21000 Brookpark Rd
Cleveland, OH

In 2002, Mr. Richard A. Dennis was appointed the Turbine Technology Manager at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) where he provides strategic planning for the U.S. Department of Energy ‘s Fossil Energy Advanced Turbine Program.  Prior to that, Mr. Dennis was a part of the Gas Power Projects Division at NETL where he managed fuel cell, heat engine and fuel cell-hybrid turbine related projects .  Mr. Dennis also served in  the Office of Project Management at NETL from 1992 to 2000, where he managed contracted research in advanced coal-based power systems.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy Turbine Program is implementing a new research program to develop turbines for integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) systems that capturer CO2.   On September 8, 2005, the U.S. DOE Office of Fossil Energy announced a $130 million investment of government money in turbine related technology to promote the development of IGCC power systems that can capture CO2 and minimize the emissions of criteria pollutants.  These funds will be matched at various levels by the industry partners. 

In part through this investment the FE Advanced Turbine Program is designed to attain three primary goals:

(1) By 2010 develop advanced coal based power systems capable of 45 – 50 per cent efficiency at < $1000 / kW,

(2) By 2012, develop technologies for capture and sequestration of carbon dioxide that result in less than 10 percent increase in the cost of electricity, and

(3) By 2015 demonstrate coal based energy plants that offer zero emissions (including CO2) w/ multi product production. 

This presentation will discuss the turbine technology under development to meet these goals.

Presenters: Anita Liang, David Taylor, Richard Danks, Robert Puzak,
NASA Glenn Research Center Panel
Location: Glenn Research Center Administration Building, Auditorium

Glenn Research Center (GRC) proposes to enter into a 20 to 25 year strategic partnership with a Wind Energy Developer for the development and operation of a wind farm at GRC’s Plum Brook Station (PBS) campus. GRC intends to issue a solicitation and offer use of approximately 2,000 acres of PBS property for the development. The selected developer will be the owner/operator of the wind farm and will be responsible for design, construction, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning.

Benefits realized by the wind developer include in-kind use of NASA property, well established return on investment from wind power production, and federal and state renewable energy production credits. In exchange, a portion of the power generated will be used to supply GRC’s electrical power needs and will be applied toward meeting overall NASA renewable mandates in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005) and Executive Order 13423. The developer can use the remaining power for revenue generation, as it is tied into the grid for regional use. 

The wind farm will have an estimated 70 megawatt (MW) capacity, consisting of about 20 to 30 wind turbines, each rated at approximately 2 MW. This equates to approximately 20 MW of average total power output based on a 30% wind capacity factor. This activity will leverage wind characterization study data currently being compiled as a result of the PBS wind tower installation in August of 2007.

Presenter: Mr. Marc Millis, NASA GRC
Location: NASA Glenn Administration Building, Auditorium

Fusion was announced two decades ago and quickly became infamous. After that, most researchers wouldn’t touch the subject. Nonetheless, some persisted and the subject has now resurfaced in peer reviewed journals under new terminology; “Anomalous Heat Effect” and “Low Energy Nuclear Reactions (LENR).” Physical evidence is mounting that suggests that some sort of anomalous effect does indeed seem to exist. This presentation will introduce a variety of those experiments, their status, and what can be done about it.

Marc Millis is no stranger to research on the edge of knowledge, having recently published a scholarly book on gravity control space drives and faster-than-light travel [Frontiers of Propulsion Science, AIAA, 2009]. With energy back in the spotlight, Millis has been asked to lead Glenn’s research team this is investigating the viability of the anomalous heat effects for NASA applications.

With over 30 years in NASA, Millis has a BS in Physics from Georgia Tech (1982), a MS in Physics Entrepreneurship from Case (2006), and is an alumnus of an International Space University Summer Program (1998).