DOE Lab Develops Smart Charging for Electric Cars
Posted on Thursday, April 30, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 10:29 PM
The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on Thursday said it has developed a smart charger controller designed specifically for charging cars at off-peak times to get the lowest price and ease strain on the grid.
If millions of drivers charged their electric cars during peak times,utilities could strain to meet the demand. In places where there is time-of-day electricity pricing, the PNNL's Smart Charger Controller uses Zigbee wireless networking to get price information and decide on the lowest price for charging.Using smart charging, a car owner could save $150 a year, said PNNL engineer Michael Kintner-Meyer. GM is preparing smart-charging technology to be part of the Chevy Volt electric car due in showrooms in late 2010.
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Solar Thermal Power to Generate Electricity
Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 9:57 PM
New solar thermal technology overcomes a major challenge facing solar power – how to store the sun's heat for use at night or on a rainy day.
In the high desert of southern Spain,the Mediterranean sun bounces off large arrays of precisely curved mirrors that cover an area as large as 70 soccer fields. These parabolic troughs follow the arc of the sun as it moves across the sky, concentrating the sun's rays onto pipes filled with a synthetic oil that can be heated to 750 degrees Fahrenheit. That super-heated oil is used to boil water to power steam turbines, or to pump excess heat into vats of salts, turning them a molten, lava-like consistency.
Engineers can use the molten salts to store the heat from solar radiation many hours after the sun goes down and then release it at will to drive turbines. That means solar thermal power can be used to generate electricity nearly round-the-clock.
full article hereLabels: electricity, energy, solar, technology
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Wind Energizer: New Design to Increase the Efficiency of Wind Turbine
Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 3:01 AM
Passive structure design of “Wind Energizer” by Leviathan Energy reportedly increases wind turbine efficiency 30% in field tests. Technological advancements in wind energy efficiency have generally come incrementally and usually made via a process of increasingly large wind turbine blades. Put simply, the model has been: longer blades = more output per turbine. The principle theory at work is that by placing passive objects around a wind farm it will change the circulation around a large wind turbine. The advancement is not in the turbine itself, but rather in the area around it, as such, units can be adapted to any wind turbine from any manufacturer.
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Biomass Breakthrough : Ethanol from Plants Using Microbe
Posted on Monday, April 27, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 9:55 PM
Baystater’s are celebrating a biomass breakthrough in Springfield that could help soften their dependence on foreign oil. Their discovery creates ethanol from plants using a microbe found in the soil at the Quabbin Reservoir.Development has been in the works for three years under the leadership of Dr. Susan Leschine a professor of microbiology.Pilot plans call for Solutia to begin production later this year, creating the potential for hundreds of jobs.
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Scientists Develop Highly Efficient Plastic-Based Solar Cell
Posted on Sunday, April 26, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 9:25 PM
South Korean scientists said Monday that they have created a highly efficient plastic-based power cell that can speed up commercial use of solar energy.The team led by Lee Kwang-hee at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), said the solar cells are designed to mimic the photovoltaic activities of plants, and reached an unprecedented energy efficiency rate of 6.2 percent.
If fully developed the solar cells, which can easily bend, could be attached to coats, bags, various electronic appliances and building windows.They used a new material that have "open circuit voltage" properties and titanium oxide to bring about high efficiency.
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New Resin Systems for Advanced Graphite Composite Fuel Cell
Posted on Friday, April 24, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 10:50 PM
Two new resin systems from Huntsman Advanced Materials have been developed to meet the stringent requirements for graphite composite fuel cells.since the conversion of fuel to energy takes place via an electrochemical process, the process is much cleaner, quieter and up to three times more efficient than burning fuel. The fuel cell’s bipolar plates are said to have superior corrosion resistance, lower contact resistance, higher thermal conductivity and a longer operating life at higher temperatures.
For the automotive sector Huntsman Advanced Materials has developed a benzoxazine resin suitable for high temperature PEM fuel cells. The resin which operates at a continuous temperature of 120degC has a phenolic-like backbone which gives it very good flame retardant properties together with excellent glass transition temperatures and mechanical properties. In particular Huntsman say that there is a very high modulus, low water absorption and near zero shrinkage as well as good electrical properties.
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Energy Detective Tool for Home Energy Efficiency
Posted on Thursday, April 23, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 11:28 PM
In a public bid for transparency and awareness in home electrical consumption, a Maine family of four is broadcasting their electricity use live via the web and a Twitter feed.
Peter Troast found that by simply measuring the family’s energy use, they created an awareness of it which resulted in an almost immediate 15% reduction in use, and he believes it can work for anyone.Troast has connected an electricity usage monitoring device called The Energy Detective (TED) to the junction box in his basement and rigged it to transmit the data to the internet. Viewers can watch the Troast family’s electrical use at any time via their website at Energy Circle TED display.
see moreLabels: efficiency, electricity, energy, homes
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Brewing Biohydrogen from Beer, Food Waste
Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 11:02 PM
With all the recent news about sustainable biofuel projects – including huge investments by some of our petroleum giants into non-food ethanol – it was interesting to note last month’s unique side-step by a Japanese brewery and a South American oil company. No, they won’t make beer you can either drink or pour in your gas tank. But Sapporo Breweries Ltd. and Brazil’s state-run oil producer, Petrobras, will execute a trial – beginning as early as September – to make hydrogen gas from sugar cane waste and other farm leftovers. They will use a technology developed by Sapporo to make “biohydrogen” from food waste with fermentation methods derived from brewing beer.
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Burning Biomass to Generate Electricity
Posted on Tuesday, April 21, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 11:24 PM
Coconut husks and groundnut shells usually are an eyesore, but they can actually be used to light up your house. That too with limited pollution, promises biomass power generator AllGreen Energy India Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of Singapore-based AllGreen Energy Pte Ltd.
The projects will use Indian Institute of Science or IISc-patented biomass gasification technology to turn biomass into gases, which will then power Jenbacher engines—made by strategic partner GE Energy India—to produce electricity. AllGreen says the process will create only carbon dioxide and negligible particulate matter as pollutants.
The process works by converting solid biomass into a mixture of combustible gases through controlled pyrolysis, or decomposing matter at high temperatures. Once cooled and cleaned, the resulting fuel gas is used to generate electricity with the GE engine. The extra heat produced in the process is used to generate chilling capacity for the cold storage facility.
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Biodiesel Production from Legume Tree
Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 10:41 PM
The discovery of a hormone that controls how plants form branches and the use of a legume tree in biodiesel production are just two of the major scientific breakthroughs to come out of UQ's ARC Centre of Excellence in Integrative Legume Research (CILR) this year. The Centre, primarily through work at the UQ Node, achieved a number of successes in its biofuel program focussing on the legume tree Pongamia pinnata.In the case of carbon sequestration, the legume removes CO2 from the atmosphere and stores it in soil; nitrogen gain refers to the legume's ability to return nitrogen to the soil they grow in, acting like a fertiliser.
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Local Man Creates Engine Powered By Magnets
Posted on Monday, April 20, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 10:19 PM
Allen — A local area resident Jeff Baird’s newest invention is an engine that uses a technology that really isn’t new at all. It’s electromagnets.It’s probably 60 or 70-year-old technology.Many have tried and failed to get these engines to run efficiently and Baird said he has fixed what others couldn’t.All they’re doing is pulling on the pistons which has been done before.
The current prototype can generate enough electricity to power lights, televisions and computers. It is a work in progress and bigger and better engines are on the way, Baird said. Large batteries fire the magnets and the motor acts as an alternator that keeps the batteries charged continuously. Because it does not use fossil fuels, it is environmentally friendly.
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Thin Film Solar Tile for Building-Integrated Photovoltaic Roofing
Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 9:50 PM
SRS Energy, a developer of sustainable solar roofing systems, is launching Solé Power Tile this month, bringing the first building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) roofing product to curved roofing systems.The Solé Power Tile can help to provide for some of the energy needs of a house without installing solar panels, which may detract from the visual appeal or not be allowed due to regulations in HOA covenants. The tiles integrate seamlessly with clay tile roofs, making it easy to upgrade a curved tile roof to a power-generating platform.
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PermaLink - Thin Film Solar Tile for Building-Integrated Photovoltaic Roofing
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Solar Panels That Float In The Ocean
Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 9:32 PM
The LSA (Liquid Solar Arrays) is a simple revolutionary solar technology that has the potential to produce electricity at costs comparable to fossil fuel generators. LSAs are solar panels that are designed to float in water. When storms hit, they simply submurge themselves under the water until it passes. It's built using lightweight, readily available plastic with existing solar concentrator technologies, so they're ready to go now. We'll see if they end up catching on in the near future.
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Vibration-Power Generators Turn Road Traffic into Electricity?
Posted on Sunday, April 19, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 7:56 PM
The vibrations of every passing vehicle are now being turned into electricity by a venture company whose technology is powering one of 108 LED (light-emitting diode) lights on the Goshiki Zakura Ohashi bridge over the Arakawa River in Tokyo's downtown Adachi Ward -- and whose pioneering work may one day lead to aircraft that fly across oceans and continents without using fossil fuels.
For the time being, though, that LED light shines because it is connected to 10 generators set beneath the roadbed of the Metropolitan Expressway crossing the bridge, where vehicles' vibrations make the pendulums in the generators swing and so generate electricity.
After many failed trials with various materials, Kouhei Hayamizu, who invented the vibration-power generators, found that substances called piezoelectric elements - made of barium titanium oxides - generate electricity when pressure is applied to them.
full article hereLabels: electricity, inventions
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Hydro-Electric Paddle Wheel Could Generate Electricity?
Posted on Friday, April 17, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 10:45 PM
John Bays says his invention could save him tens of thousands of dollars. Bays has built a "tidal Venturi hydro-electric paddle wheel". He tested the paddle wheel out on the Intracoastal Waterway and sure enough....it worked. Bays floated the paddle wheel down to this waterfront residence, where he says he'll eventually connect the paddle wheel operation to his house and generate energy.
see moreLabels: hydroelectricity, tidal, water
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Solar Power in Space : A New Level Renewable Energy
Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 9:18 PM
PG&E in California, is planning to take their ability to tap renewable energy to a whole new level: solar power in space.“Solaren says it plans to generate the power using solar panels in earth orbit, then convert it to radio frequency energy for transmission to a receiving station in Fresno County. From there, the energy will be converted to electricity and fed into PG&E’s power grid.” ~ Next100.com
The advantages of space solar power include:
* energy that can be harnessed at all times, even at night or when it’s cloudy.
* baseload power delivery that makes efficient electricity possible for meeting customer demand.
* an underlying technology that is mature since it is based on communications satellite technology.
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Carbon Dioxide into Methanol - Green Method for Sequestration
Posted on Thursday, April 16, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 1:02 AM
Scientists at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) have succeeded in unlocking the potential of carbon dioxide – a common greenhouse gas – by converting it into a more useful product. Using organocatalysts, the IBN researchers activated carbon dioxide in a mild and non-toxic process to produce methanol, a widely used industrial feedstock and clean-burning biofuel.
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Nanotechnology Catalysts for Commercially Viable Hydrogen Fuel Cells?
Posted on Wednesday, April 15, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 12:28 AM
Canadian research team has now demonstrated that it is possible to significantly increase the catalytic site density of iron-based non-precious metal catalysts (NPMCs) to levels that were not thought possible before. The problem that this work resolves is that of the low activity of NPMCs compared to platinum-based catalysts. The best of these new NPMCs is more than 30 times more active compared to the previous best reported activity for NPMCs, and about 100 times more active than the majority of other NPMCs. Furthermore, their activity has reached about 1/10th the volumetric activity of state-of-the-art platinum-based catalysts (about 50 wt % platinum on carbon), which is the 2010 NPMC activity target set by the U.S. Department of Energy.
see moreLabels: efficiency, fuel-cells, hydrogen
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New Device Makes Green Power from Water & Air
Posted on Monday, April 13, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 5:04 AM
Jack Robertson, a Portland retiree, reckoning a viable formula to produce hydrogen energy and green fertilizer by combining water, wind and air.He calls it a hydrogen hub.
A hydrogen hub would be a power plant that uses water and air to produce a form of ammonia, then burns the ammonia to yield hydrogen energy.Robertson says his invention would trim the need for gas- and coal-fired power plants that contribute to global warming. He envisions a new sustainable industry springing up at abandoned aluminum plants or the former Trojan nuclear plant in Rainier, Ore.
full article hereLabels: energy, hydrogen, water, wind
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New Solar Panel Produces Energy In the Shade
Posted on Friday, April 10, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 10:11 PM
Grady Mayeaux's newly unveiled peel-and-stick solar panel proven to power a golf cart to 36 holes, rain or shine. In fact, Yamaha was able to take a golf cart on 50 holes using just the Going Green Solar Panel, said Mayeaux.
In direct sunlight, the peel-and-stick panel produced 80 volts or three amps of electricity, which is more than enough to power both the 36 or 48 volts needed for standard golf carts. Mayeaux said his latest invention is the first solar panel to be proven to produce energy in the shade.
The Going Green Solar Panel is made from three layers of amorphous silicon and each layer is tuned to a different level of sunlight frequency. Unlike the glass solar panels, the peel-and-stick panel is durable enough to continue working normally even after being punctured.
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GM Rice Yields 50% More Harvest Even with Less Fertilizer & Water
Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 9:21 PM
A genetically modified (GM) rice that can give 50 percent more harvest while requiring less fertilizer and water is seen as a long term solution to low yield in resource-scarce, poverty-stricken farms threatened by climate change.
The GM rice will have more efficient carbon dioxide capture with its enhanced capacity for photosynthesis, the process of using solar energy to capture carbon dioxide and converting it into growth-inducing carbohydrate in plants.Dr. John Sheehy, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) project leader for the GM rice, said that using C4 photosynthesis, rice plant’s capacity to convert solar energy in producing a richer grain can be enhanced particularly in tropical climates.
see moreLabels: agriculture, climate-change, water
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Duckweed Turns Pig Poop into Fuel
Posted on Thursday, April 9, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 9:47 PM
Move over, corn: there’s a new biofuel in town. A tiny flowering plant called duckweed, often seen in shallow ponds, produces significantly more starch per acre than corn according to researchers North Carolina State University. The plant thrives on animal waste, quickly transforming it into a leafy starch that can be turned into ethanol.Small scale tests have proven that the same technology used to convert corn into ethanol can also turn duckweed starch to ethanol. Next up: testing on a large scale and doing an economic analysis of the process. Ultimately, the economics will decide if duckweed can compete with other sources of ethanol.
see moreLabels: animal-waste, biofuels, ethanol
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Energy-Efficient Engine Converts Waste Heat Into Energy
Posted on Wednesday, April 8, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 12:34 AM
The energy-efficient car engine being developed by Martin Lydell and his Team Adiabatic may be up for a $5 million XPRIZE, but the real reason he is building it is to help Mother Earth.
The engine internally transfers thermal energy that is usually lost to a car's radiator into engine power output.Lydell said only about 25 percent of gas put in a tank goes to propelling a car, with the rest wasted. Heand his team have worked to capture the heat lost from the radiator to power the engine. It gets 77 miles per gallon in the engine he calls the Pulse Power.
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Old Tyres Are Put To Energy-Saving Features
Posted on Monday, April 6, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 10:00 PM
Buildings are the world’s biggest energy guzzler, using more than two thirds of the power produced and contributing to 40% of global carbon footprint, from the construction and maintainance of the building itself. With those facts in mind, local developer Mainstay Development Sdn Bhd decided to make its new Shop Unit Mall Office development complex in Shah Alam as environmentally friendly as possible. One of the measures taken towards that goal is an unusual one – incorporating almost 220,000 used rubber tyres into the foundation of the building.
Called Space U8 to denote the spaciousness of the building, the complex will be the first ever commercial building to utilise the revolutionary Smart and Cool Homes technology invented and patented by Lincoln Lee. The system uses tyres to create a heat sink that drains the heat from walls built with autoclaved aerated concrete bricks, thus making the building interior cooler and minimising air-conditioning needs.
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New Dye Design For Solar Cell Efficiency
Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 9:46 PM
A new type of dye could improve the lifespan of dye-sensitised solar cells - low-cost photovoltaic cells that can convert sunlight into electricity and thought to be some of the most promising for widespread use. Designed by Swiss and Japanese researchers, the dye has a light to electric conversion efficiency of 10.1 per cent, making it competitive with the best available. Dye-sensitised solar cells (DSSCs) use dyes to capture energy from sunlight and convert it into electric current.
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Bacteria Turns Excess Clean Energy Into Methane for Storage
Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 1:55 AM
Scientists at Pennsylvania State University have discovered a solution to the problem of reliable storage for alternative energy: a bacteria that can convert electricity to methane when combined with CO2.Any surplus power from wind, solar, or tidal sources is fed into the bacteria and combined with CO2 from the atmosphere to create methane for storage. Methane is a clean-burning gas and 80% of energy fed into the process was retained at the end.Scientists note that using a bacteria instead of a high-cost catalyst is a promising development that could lead to the process’s implementation in just a few years.
see moreLabels: alternative-energy, co2, energy, methane
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NOX Emissions Free Steam Engine
Posted on Friday, April 3, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 10:29 PM
Cyclone Power Technologies announced results of emission testing performed on its Mark II 18HP engine running on diesel fuel. The tests demonstrated that the company's award-winning, external combustion technology is dramatically cleaner than current internal combustion diesel engines.
Cyclone Engines, by comparison, do not require any costly, efficiency-draining exhaust after-treatment. One reason for this is the Cyclone Engine burns its fuel at approximately 2,000degF, whereas NOX forms at temperatures above 2,300degF - ranges typical for both diesel and gas-powered internal combustion engines. It is also important to note that the Cyclone Engine does not idle. When no power is required from the engine it shuts off, thus NOX readings at this time - as well as carbon particulate matter and carbon dioxide (CO2) readings - are zero.
see moreLabels: co2, diesel, engines, greenhouse-gases
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Solar power drops to $1 per watt, nears parity with oil
Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 9:48 PM
Solar energy costs have dropped steadily and consistently over the past 30 years. In the late 1970s solar energy cost $100 per watt. Even though the price with the newest solar technology has now fallen to under $1 per watt, that price will almost certainly continue to drop.
key excerpts of an article on solar energy breaking the $1 per watt barrier, as reported in Popular Mechanics, one of the few major media publications to publish this exciting, milestone story.
A long-sought solar milestone was eclipsed on Tuesday, when Tempe, Ariz.–based First Solar Inc. announced that the manufacturing costs for its thin-film photovoltaic panels had dipped below $1 per watt for the first time. With comparable costs for standard silicon panels still hovering in the $3 range, it's tempting to conclude that First Solar's cadmium telluride (CdTe) technology has won the race.
[Yet] even if the solar cell market were to grow at 56 percent a year for the next 10 years—slightly higher than the rapid growth of the past year—photovoltaics would still only account for about 2.5 percent of global electricity, LBNL researcher Cyrus Wadia says. "First Solar is great, as long as we're talking megawatts or gigawatts," he says. "But as soon as they have to start rolling out terawatts, that's where I believe they will reach some limitations." Even the current rate of growth won't be easy to sustain.
full article hereLabels: economics, energy, solar
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Biochar: The New Fuel For Your Fire
Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 9:38 PM
Over the railroad tracks, near Agriculture Drive on the University of Georgia campus, sits a unique machine that may hold one of the solutions to big environmental problems like energy, food production and even global climate change.
The scientists feed the waste, or “biomass,” into an octagon-shaped metal barrel. The waste is then cooked through a thermochemical process called “pyrolysis” under intense heat that reaches above 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit.The organic trash is then converted into a charcoal-like material suitable for fertilizer for farmers. Scientists say the gasses emitted can be utilized to fuel vehicles and power electric generators.
see moreLabels: biomass, climate-change, fuel
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Green Lithium Batteries Powered by Genetically Engineered Virus
Posted on Thursday, April 2, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 11:28 PM
Researchers at MIT have managed to genetically engineer viruses so that they can build rechargeable lithium-ion batteries in the form of a plastic film. These new batteries could then be used in anything from cellphones to iPods to the rechargeable batteries in plug-in electric hybrid cars. By engineering viruses to self-assemble into the anode and cathode ends of a battery, these new lithium batteries will also be able to be shaped into non-traditional forms using micro-contact printing.
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Breakthrough Made in Energy Efficiency, Use of Waste Heat
Posted on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 9:52 PM
Engineers at Oregon State University have made a major new advance in taking waste heat and using it to run a cooling system – a technology that can improve the energy efficiency of diesel engines, and perhaps some day will appear in automobiles, homes and industry.This heat-actuated cooling system, which will probably find its first applications by the U.S. Army, could ultimately be applied to automobiles, factories or other places where waste heat is being generated, and used to provide either air conditioning or electricity.
Conceptually, the system works somewhat like existing heat pumps, but it's powered by waste heat, not electricity. What makes the technology unique is the use of microchannel heat transfer components and an efficient "vapor expander" to provide high heat transfer rates and smaller, lighter and more efficient heat exchangers.
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Swimming Fish Could be Key to Generating Electricity
Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 9:18 PM
Harnessing the power of swimming fish could hold the key to generating electricity to power Britain's homes in the future, according to Government scientists. The Environment Agency's Horizon Scanning Team found the nation's rivers are full of untapped energy in the form of fish migrating upstream.By installing networks of electric prongs along the riverbed, the energy can be captured and fed into the National Grid. Environmentalists welcomed the opportunity to not only generate clean energy but ensure rivers are maintained for wildlife.
Plans are now underway for a large scale trial over a year along the River Severn because it has such a strong tidal current which forces fish to move at optimum speeds as they swim upstream. This will help to ensure the technology can be rolled out across England and Wales in the future.
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Historic Patents For Bio-hydrogen & Algal Oil Production
Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 8:51 PM
Sustainable Green Technologies , a start-up company in Escondido, California, announced that it has four patents pending with the USPTO which cover commercial bio-hydrogen generation from waste streams and enhanced green algal oil production. The patents cover two unique microorganisms, SGT-06 and SGT-T4, a proprietary bio-reactor process for increased hydrogen production, and a method for increasing algal oil production. The waste streams include bio-diesel refinery waste, brewery malt waste and office paper waste. With this proprietary biotechnology portfolio, SGT will develop industrial scale bio-energy systems which will convert waste streams into bio-hydrogen, and with a coupled fuel cell turn the bio-hydrogen into on site energy in the form of electricity and heat. In addition, they provide a truly innovative solution of converting system byproducts into algae oils. This breakthrough technology supports the U.S. Advanced Energy Initiative - which seeks to diversify the U.S. energy portfolio and to reduce dependence on foreign oil.
see moreLabels: biodiesel, energy, hydrogen, waste
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