# Presentation: 048381

## Helios Energy Research Facility Project

**Helios Energy Research Facility Project**

## Tonight’s goals

- To present the proposed project and schedule
- To give community members an opportunity to provide input into the environmental review process

## Other methods for input	

- _[planning@lbl.gov](mailto:planning@lbl.gov)_
- Letter to:  Jeff Philliber at Berkeley Lab
- Fill out a card this evening
- Tonight’s presentations will be made available on the Lab’s community relations website.

## Tonight’s Agenda

- I.  Overview of Meeting-Mark Chekal-Bain
- II. Research Objectives-Dr. Susan Jenkins
- III.  Design and Construction-Sheree Swanson
- IV.  Environmental Issues-Jeff Philliber
- V.  Public Comment-Facilitated by Mark Chekal-Bain, 1.5 hours

## Global Energy Challenge

- Demand
- Supply
- Security
- Environmental

- These problems need to be addressed by multidisciplinary research teams using the most current technological approaches available

## Mean Global Energy Consumption(Total 12.8 TW)

- Gas

- Hydro

- Renew

- 4.52

- 2.7

- 2.96

- 0.286

- 1.21

- 0.286

- 0.828

- 0

- 1

- 2

- 3

- 4

- 5

- TerraWatts

- Oil

- Coal

- Biomass

- Nuclear

- Source: Nate Lewis, Caltech

## Potential of Carbon Neutral Energy Sources

- Hydro

- Tides &
-  currents

- Wind

- Geothermal

- Solar

- Current use

- 0.1

- 1

- 10

- 100

- 1000

- 10000

- 100000

- 1000000

- TW

- Source: Basic Research Needs for Solar Energy Utilization, DOE 2005

## Helios Concept

**Helios Concept**

**Plants**

**Photosynthetic**
**microbes & algae**

**Artificial**
**Photosynthesis**

**Photovoltaics**

- Methanol
- Ethanol
- Hydrogen
- Hydrocarbons
- Electrons

**Notes:**
Enabling the energy portfolio of fifty years hence  is our goal, and we don’t know what that portfolio will include. It  is too soon to down select. Instead, we have stressed scientific discovery with broad application and initially the exploration of several routes to fuel production from the sun.
As a result, Helios has four routes to fuel production. Much basic science, in such areas as photosynthesis, nanomaterials, catalysis,electrochemistry, separations, bioengineering, and modeling approaches are shared by the different routes.

## Potential for Photovoltaics

**Potential for Photovoltaics**

- At current efficiency, the United States would need 25 million acres to satisfy all current energy needs
- New PV technologies will increase efficiency of solar conversion

**The United States has an estimated 35+ million acres in paved roads, parking lots, **
**and rooftops**

**Notes:**
But is solar energy practical? How much area would we need to collect enough sunlight? The answer depends on how efficient our solr-to-fuel process are.
For example, our analysis shows that 1% efficiency we’d need 40M acres to meet current gasoline consumption, but at 10% efficiency we’d need only 4M acres.
Some processes, including biofuels, may never be able to reach that 10%  level efficiency. However, we do have a huge amount of non-cultivated cropland--in fact, almost 40M acres! So that a 1% efficiency target can have a big impact on this problem.
For other routes to solar energy, for example photovoltaic cells, we have potentially higher efficiencies. And we know we can cover large areas with inexpensive materials, because we now have 35M acres in paved roads, parking lots, and rooftops.

## Potential for Biomass

**Potential for Biomass**

**The United States has 38 million acres of non-cultivated land and the world has a total of a billion acres of abandoned agricultural land**

- The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 established a 36-billion-gallon mandate for biofuels by 2022

- Using new, improved methods on non-food crops would reduce the requirement to just 5.8% of 2006 harvested cropland

- Current ethanol production methods would require over 70 million acres, or 25% of 2006 harvested cropland

- Sources: S. Long, UIUC, and *Increasing Feedstock Production for Biofuels, *BR&D*i, 2007*
- Campbell et al., Env. Sci. Technol. (2008) ** ASAP Article**, 10.1021/es800052w

**Notes:**
But is solar energy practical? How much area would we need to collect enough sunlight? The answer depends on how efficient our solr-to-fuel process are.
For example, our analysis shows that 1% efficiency we’d need 40M acres to meet current gasoline consumption, but at 10% efficiency we’d need only 4M acres.
Some processes, including biofuels, may never be able to reach that 10%  level efficiency. However, we do have a huge amount of non-cultivated cropland--in fact, almost 40M acres! So that a 1% efficiency target can have a big impact on this problem.
For other routes to solar energy, for example photovoltaic cells, we have potentially higher efficiencies. And we know we can cover large areas with inexpensive materials, because we now have 35M acres in paved roads, parking lots, and rooftops.

## EBI Research Focus

**Social, Environmental & **
**Economic Dimensions**

**Feedstock production**
**Genetics & breeding**
**Harvest, transport, storage**
**Pests & pathogens**
**Environmental factors**
**(water, sunlight, climate, etc.)**

**Biomass pretreatment**
**Enzyme discovery**
**Chemical catalysis**
**Systems biology**
**Pathway engineering**

**EBI Research Focus**

**Agronomy/Field**

**Molecular/Chemistry/Lab**

**Complete life-cycle assessment**
**Biofuels evaluation**
**Markets and networks**
**Social interactions and risks**
**Environmental concerns**

## Provide external investigators broad access to UCB, UIUC and LBNL intellectual resources as visiting scholars

Educate the next generation of energy scientists
Postdoctoral
Ph.D.
B.S.

Educate the public
general public
policy makers
public policy students
K-12 teachers and students

Provide extension activities targeting the agricultural community

- Educate the next generation of energy scientists
- Postdoctoral
- Ph.D.
- B.S.
- Educate the public
- general public
- policy makers
- public policy students
- K-12 teachers and students
- Provide extension activities targeting the agricultural community

**Education & Outreach**

## Public Scoping Meeting

- Helios Energy Research Facility
- January 7, 2009
** **

## Key Project Objectives

- Design the project to minimize environmental impacts
- Construct a facility that will reflect the University’s commitment to environmental stewardship, sustainability, energy efficiency and exceptional design

## Key Project Details 

**Project Description**
**144,000 gross square feet, 3 to 4 Stories facility**
**$198 Million total project budget (~$135M construction)**
**Proposed Project Site **
**Adjacent to LBNL Material Science Research Cluster**
- Primary access via Centennial Road, secured access to LBNL
- Parking limited to 50 vehicles
- Primary transportation will be via shuttle buses
- Population
- Helios Facility will support 500 people
- Facility will be owned & operated by Univ. of California

## Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

- 62

- 66

- 67

- 72

- Material Sciences Research Cluster

**Lawrence Berkeley National Lab**

## Key Project Details 

- Project Description
- 144,000 gross square feet, 3 to 4 Stories facility
- $198 Million total project budget (~$135M construction)
- Proposed Project Site
- Adjacent to LBNL Material Science Research Cluster
**Primary access via Centennial Road, secured access to LBNL**
**Parking limited to 50 vehicles**
**Primary transportation will be via shuttle buses**
**Population**
**Helios Facility will support 500 people**
**Facility will be owned & operated by Univ. of California **

## Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

- 62

- 66

- 67

- 72

- Material Sciences Research Cluster

**Lawrence Berkeley National Lab**

## Architectural Massing

**Architectural Massing**

**VIEW FROM BELOW**

**VIEW FROM ENTRY ROAD**

**AERIAL LOOKING NORTH**

## Site Conditions

**RIPARIAN ZONE**

**GREEN**
**ROOF**

**LBNL/UCB**
**CONNECTION**

**GEOLOGY**
**SOIL IMPORT/EXPORT**
**GREEN ROOF**
**ROADWAY**
**RIPARIAN ZONE**
**ARBORIST SITE ASSESSMENT**

**Site Conditions**

## Key Features 

- Energy Efficient / Sustainable Design
- Reduced Visual Impact
- Design building to match existing topography
- Maximize “Green planted” roof
- Design access road to maximize use of “Green” stabilization systems
- The new, low profile design is consistent with our commitment to be responsible stewards of the land as well as of the public and private funds supporting the project

## Helios Public Scoping Meeting

**Helios ****Public Scoping Meetin****g**

- CEQA Presentation
- January 7, 2009

## Scoping Meeting 

- Present basic project information
- Explain CEQA process
- Record public comments

## Not a  Q & A  forum or discussion
Detracts from purpose of meeting
Environmental analysis underway

Questions answered in two ways:
Procedural/Basic questions to Berkeley Lab
Substantive questions in Draft EIR

- Detracts from purpose of meeting
- Environmental analysis underway
- Questions answered in two ways:
- Procedural/Basic questions to Berkeley Lab
- Substantive questions in Draft EIR

**Scoping Meeti****ng **

## CEQA Process

- Scoping
- Notice of Preparation
- Public Scoping Meeting
- Draft EIR
- Public review and comment period
- Public Hearing
- Final EIR
- Public Review
- Regents Meeting
- Decision to certify EIR

## CEQA Schedule

- Scoping	             **--------------------- **Dec ’08 – Jan ‘09
- Initial Study / Notice of Preparation		       (47 days)
- Public Scoping Meeting
- Draft EIR            **-----------------------** Mar – Apr ‘09
- Public review and comment period		       (45 days)
- Public Hearing
- Final EIR             **-----------------------** June ‘09
- Public Review  (7 – 10 days)
- Regents Meeting  **-----------------------** July  ’09
- Decision to certify EIR
- Construction:  Spring 2010 – Spring 2013

## EIR

- Project specific, stand-alone EIR
- Build on existing sitewide models
- Health Risk Assessment
- Sitewide visual simulation model
- Will adopt all mitigation measures from 2006 LRDP EIR
- NEPA not required

## EIR Issues to be Evaluated

- Aesthetics
- Air Quality
- Biological
- Cultural
- Geology / Seismicity
- Hazards / Haz Mat

- Hydrology
- Noise
- Trans. & Traffic
- Utilities
- Cumulative Impacts
- Alternatives

## Alternatives

- No Project
- Reduced Project
- Centennial Site (Berkeley Lab)
- Off Site (Berkeley)
- Off Site (Richmond Field Station)

## Environmental Issues(areas of likely impact)

- Aesthetics
- Air Quality
- Biological Resources
- Cultural
- Geology / Hydrology
- Traffic

## Environmental Values

- Follow UC Sustainability Policy
- Energy efficient building
- No net increase in storm water runoff
- Limited parking
- Lower Profile than previous Design

## Public Comment Period	

**Public Comment Period**

- Please fill out a card with your name