Dr James Morris
FROM NEWCOMEN TO ALGAE - a Dartmouth scientist at the cutting edge of energy production
freezer lighting and rainwater harvesting.
James grew up
in Moreleigh and went to KEVICC in Totnes before
ollowing in the footsteps of Dartmouth’s Thomas Newcomen - whose steam engine spearheaded the industrial revolution - a Blackawton physicist is at the forefront of the race for a viable alternative to oil.
F
Dr James Morris, of Enlightened Designs Ltd, is building a mobile unit to demonstrate his resource efficient solution to the world’s fuel crisis – growing and harvesting algae to turn it into biofuel.
James, who has a PhD in Laser Physics, is very passionate about this project. A self-confessed “greenie” he clearly sees the solution to the oil crisis as a switch to algae biofuel. The Technology Strategy Board – the UK’s national innovation agency – has recently awarded his company £25,000 to make a triangular portable demonstration unit, complete with control and experimental systems.
At the moment the trailer is at Barr and Paatz mechatronics engineering firm in Totnes, who are making the control panels to go inside the unit. Once completed, the unit will spend three months being tested at the Plymouth Marine Labs, following which the project will be up scaled for the commercial market. After successful testing it is hoped the panels will be made for fuel companies such as Shell and BP.
James is very much at the cutting-edge of “green” technology. He advised the Dartmouth indoor pool committee on water and heat conservation issues about how to use fewer resources and therefore reduce money and environmental costs. He has also spoken to Sainsbury’s Sustainability Team about their greener supermarket in Dartmouth, whose features include wind turbines, LED
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“From a moral standpoint it is totally inappropriate to grow biofuels on agricultural land”
going to university in Essex. After a masters at Herriot Watt, Edinburgh, he did his PhD at the University of Bern in Switzerland. He moved back to the South Hams in 1995 and now lives in Blackawton with his wife and two children. He also plays in the Blackawton Fat Dads’ five-a-side football team!
Recently he worked as Iris Energy and looked at wood automated systems fuel, and solar kilns to dry out wood for resource efficiency. The difficulty of using wood fuel for engines encouraged James to look at algae as the way forward.
He said: “I started thrashing ideas around about three years ago and then spoke to Exeter University bio sciences department, who have money to look at biofuels.
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