NewNergy

NewNergy discusses the latest inventions, innovations and breakthroughs in the energy & environmental sciences.

Smart Wind Turbines Can Predict the Wind

Posted on Monday, January 4, 2010 posted by posted by Mak @ 8:20 PM

Risø DTU has recently completed the world's first successful test on a wind turbine with a laser-based anemometer built into the spinner in order to increase electricity generation.The results show that the system called wind LIDAR can predict wind direction, gusts of wind and turbulence.

It is expected that the technology can increase energy production by up to 5%, primarily because it is possible to use longer blades. For a 4 MW wind turbine, this means a financial gain of 200,000 Danish kroner a year. Compared to the Danish Energy Agency's predictions, this technology could cut CO2 emissions by 25,000 tons by 2025, if every 10th turbine is equipped with a wind LIDAR. At the same time, the technology can be combined with "smart blades" and thereby increase longevity.

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LED Light Bulbs with Remote Controls to Save More Energy

Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 3:09 AM

The new LED EcoBulb by Seokjae Rhee raises the green bar with innovative features to save more energy.

For one, the bulb allows the user to only light the needed area with a small portion of the bulb’s surface aiming in the right direction (the bulb’s surface is divided into 6 parts). The brightness can also be adjusted, so you don’t have to have it on full blast all the time. The bulb also comes with a remote control, so when people are too lazy to get up to turn the light off (can’t imagine you’ve ever been in that situation) they can just grab the remote.

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Turkish Firm Invents More Efficient Fuel with Boron

Posted on Friday, December 25, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 1:58 AM

A Turkish technology firm in Edirne has produced fuel with boron through the use of nanotechnology.

NNT Nanotechnology and Boron Products General Manager Mehmet Can Arvas said the invention was a result of the need to find alternative energy resources amidst the increased threat caused by the world’s depleting fuel reserves.The new fuel is currently only being used as an ingredient of the gas or diesel used in fuel tanks but Arvas is hopeful that it will replace these carbon-based fuels once compatible engines are produced.

Arvas said vehicles using fuel containing boron would be able to travel 1,300 kilometers on the same amount of gas that a car using ordinary fuel would need in order to travel 1,000 kilometers. A reduction in pollution is another benefit of the new boron product, he added.

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Stanford Scientists Create a New Energy Source: Paper Batteries

Posted on Monday, December 14, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 1:12 AM

Stanford University scientists discovered a way to turn paper covered with ink containing silver and carbon nano-materials into a “paper battery”. That’s right—a battery made out of paper. What’s really amazing is that this battery might have quite the variety of uses, ranging from electric vehicle power to laptop computer use. There is also the possibility that a paper electronics line may crop up in the future.

Research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences noted that “taking advantage of the mature paper technology, low cost, light and high-performance energy-storage are realized by using conductive paper as current collectors and electrodes”.

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SopoLite: New Version of Google Maps to Maximize Sun's Energy

Posted on Monday, December 7, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 5:02 AM

Sopogy has developed a new 90-pound portable power unit called SopoLite. This invention is a pint-sized version of the parabolic trough reflectors that Sopogy uses to collect solar thermal energy.

The unit's most interesting facet is its original purpose - collecting data on the solar power potential of wherever its located. Kimura, CEO of Sopogy, plans to park these units all over the country and build out a map of the potential availability of thermal solar energy, or the energy derived from the sun's heat. Such a map will make it much easier to determine the true thermal solar power potential of any given location without having to deploy sensors and testing gear. This could prove to be a boon to the still nascent rooftop and commercial solar thermal power segment.

Figuring out how well solar thermal power works in any given location, however, is somewhat tricky. Micro-weather patterns are very important for solar thermal as clouds can really put a drag on thermal heat collection. Winds and thermal patterns can also reduce solar collection possibilities. That's where Kimura hopes to insert SopoLite, and in the process turn the unit (which can be towed behind a trailer) into a data-collection initiative similar in nature to those funny Google cars you see driving around with spinning cameras mounted on their roofs.

It's way too early to see whether this will take off, but it's a fascinating idea in a small package.

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New Failure-Proof Wind Turbine Technology

Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 12:10 AM

A wind turbine efficiency breakthrough by Dr Markus Mueller and Dr Alasdair McDonald of the University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Energy Systems has the potential to revolutionize the wind energy industry by making large turbines more failure-proof by cutting their weight in half.

It is expensive and hazardous sending workers out to off-shore wind farms for repairs when there is a mechanical failure. By reducing the weight, the researchers reduce mechanical failures, caused by the sheer stresses in these very large turbines.

Their technology substituted a “C” shaped core generator (initially in a 20 kW prototype) to test to see if by changing the mechanical structure of the generator they could still maintain rigidity and structural integrity while cutting the weight by more than half.

The researchers have formed NGenTec; a spin-off company, with the help of Derek Douglas, an entrepreneur familiar with raising money for start-ups.NGenTec hopes to raise £4 million to demonstrate that their improvement will also work full scale; at the 6MW level, and then a further £10 million to set up an assembly and manufacturing operation. The technology would reduce costs for both land-based and off-shore wind farms, while having a more marked effect on repair costs of hard to-get-to locations.

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Solar-coal Electric System - A New Solar Thermal Hybrid Technology

Posted on Sunday, December 6, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 11:03 PM

A small coal-fired generating plant owned by Colorado's Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association Inc. in northwestern New Mexico will be used to test new hybrid technology that combines solar- and coal-generated steam to produce electricity.

The 245-megawatt Escalante Generating Station in Prewitt, N.M., 27 miles northwest of Grants, is one of two host sites that California’s Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) chose to test the technology. The other site is a natural gas-powered generating station near Las Vegas, Nevada.

Solar thermal hybrid applications can provide a low-cost option for incorporating renewable energy into established grids because, rather than build new transmission capability for a stand-alone solar concentrating plant, the steam generated will make electricity through the turbine generator already established at the coal facility.

It also eliminates the challenges of siting a new plant and new power block, said EPRI Vice President of Generation Carolyn Shockley in a news release.

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Solarmer Energy Attained 7.9% Efficiency with Plastic Solar Cells

Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 10:08 PM

California based Solarmer Energy has achieved nearly 8 percent efficiency of its plastic solar panels, certified by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory.Reaching the 7.9 percent mark makes it the highest conversion efficiency for a plastic organic photovoltaic (OPV) cell to date.

The aperture-area test results also mean the company has beat its own 7.6 percent cell efficiencies, certified by the Newport Technology & Applications Center’s Photovoltaic Lab in October.

The company said it uses low-cost plastic as the active materials to convert solar energy into electricity. The active plastics layer is very thin, also offering low costs. The company said it also uses low-cost printing techniques and a fabrication process that has low temperatures and is eco-friendly.

Solarmer is currently completing its pilot manufacturing line and has said its plastic solar panels are expected to be available in 2010.

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South Korean Engineers Develop New Solar Cell Material

Posted on Tuesday, November 24, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 2:35 AM

The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) team led by Ha Jang-ho successfully fabricated the single crystal material made from cadmium, zinc and tellurium (CZT) to a diameter of two inches.The compound has a high energy bandgap that permits sensors to operate without additional cooling systems at room temperatures.

Global demand for the CZT compound is on the rise since it can be used to make radiation sensors to detect cancer growth, space telescopes, and solar energy cells.

The global market related to various sensors using radiation stands at around US$1.1 billion and is expected to grow 10 percent annually in the near future. Of the total, CZT sensors make up US$30 million, although it is growing at a faster pace compared to other arrays.

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A New Solid Catalyst to Reduce Costs of Biodiesel Process

Posted on Monday, November 16, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 10:58 PM

Biodiesel Magazine reports that a study of Catilin Inc.’s new T300 solid catalyst process saves biodiesel producers 13 cents a gallon over a traditional catalytic process, and up to 19 cents a gallon if you figure in capital expense savings.

The T300 heterogeneous catalyst is nontoxic and can be a direct replacement for conventional catalysts used in biodiesel production. The drop-in solid catalyst operates at industry standard pressures and temperatures and is removed with filtration. As a result, current producers can retrofit their plants in a matter of days at very low cost. Another key advantage is that the glycerin coproduct has purity greater than 98 percent and qualifies as technical grade, which significantly enhances its overall value.

Catilin is commercializing the research done in developing the new catalyst at Iowa State University in Ames and the U.S. DOE’s Ames Laboratory.

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Dow's New Solar Energy Technology Wins Accolades

Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 10:34 PM

A shingle that generates solar energy was named one of the 50 Best Innovations of 2009 by Time magazine.

Dow Chemical, the Powerhouse Solar Shingle's inventor, will make the shingles commercially available by the middle of next year. The Powerhouse design includes thin-film cells of copper indium gallium diselenide. Dow notes the cells' low cost relative to other solar technologies.

And, on top of low cost, Dow's new shingle has other advantages. The company reports that the installation process is no different than that of traditional shingles, making Powerhouse shingles attractive to contractors. And in addition to saving money for homeowners by cutting energy use, the shingles are anticipated to make a lot of money for Dow - up to $10 billion a year by 2020.

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Scientists Make Foldable 3D Solar Cells around an Optical Fibre

Posted on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 7:47 PM

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have made a three-dimensional photovoltaic solar cell around an optical fibre, a revolutionary new approach that could pave the way for a new generation of hyper-flexible solar systems.

According to team-leader Professor Zhong Lin Wang, “Using this technology, we can make photovoltaic generators that are foldable, concealed and mobile. Optical fibre could conduct sunlight into a building’s walls where the nanostructures would convert it to electricity. This is truly a three dimensional solar cell.”

The dye-sensitised nano-converter is based on coated zinc oxide structures grown on the optical fibre, from which the cladding has been removed, covered with a conductive layer and seeded with ZnO.

The next step is to grow a series of aligned zinc nanowires around the fibre from solution, resulting in something closely akin to a bottle brush, before coating the wires with dye and immersing them in a liquid electrolyte to complete the circuit. The team claim that the set up achieves a solar efficiency of 3.3%.

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Researchers Claim Lithium-ion Battery Breakthrough

Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 6:36 PM

Researchers at the Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) in Austria,have developed a silicon gel that could make batteries used in phones and laptops 10 times more efficient.

According to Stefan Koller, a researcher at TU Graz, the gel was designed for use with lithium-ion batteries and with the silicon gel it's possible to store 10 times more [power] per weight than graphite.

Koller said that to produce the gel his team had taken a hydrated silicon compound, irradiated it with ultraviolet light, and heated it to form an amorphous silicon gel. However, the problem with using silicon gel as a substrate is that it expands and contracts by up to 300 percent during uptake and transfer of lithium ions. Koller said his team had overcome this by using graphite as a buffer material.

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WaveRoller : An Invention to Harness Underwater Wave Energy

Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 2:09 AM

It was a Eureka moment for Rauno Koivusaari, and he started to work on harnessing the powerful motion for generating underwater wave power.Now, fifteen years later, the EU is funding the WaveRoller invented by that former diver, with $4.4 million,for his company AW-Energy to build the first full scale demo of his invention.

Each one at full size weighs 20 tons and produces 300 KW.Each 20 ton WaveRoller “door” can be connected together in threes to make up a nearly 1 MW unit. Obviously you can make a modular farm of any size under the ocean of these three-packed units, so the output can be as much as you can build tons-worth of “doors”.

AW-Energy’s WaveRoller uses the roiling currents under the sea to make energy from the repetitive surge motion at the sea floor in what Koivusaari calls the surge zone. The kinetic energy produced is collected by a piston pump. This energy can be converted to electricity by a closed hydraulic system in combination with a hydraulic motor/generator system.This year the company will get the results of a full scale demo built off the coast of Portugal.

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New Energy Efficient Flow Control Systems for Hydro Power Plants

Posted on Wednesday, October 21, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 4:10 AM

Chinese engineering firm, NF Energy Saving Corporation announced that the company has obtained two new patents for its inlet valves for use in the hydro power plants. NF Energy was awarded an invention patent for the ‘butterfly valve body dynamic seal ring pointing device’ and a new application patent for its ‘butterfly valve with butterfly plate adjusting device’.

The dynamic seal ring pointing device was awarded an invention patent, it is used in the inlet valve of hydro power plant. NF Energy’s propriety valve pointing devise has distinct advantages, it provides warning signals, which can be timely sent out with clear instructions. Long term stability of seal ring is achieved through the reduced number of parts. Additionally, the valve pointing device provides greater efficiency, according to NF Energy it saves hydro power due to its easier operation in maintenance, adjustment and replacement of equipment. The valve’s smaller resistance is achieved by optimizing structure.

The butterfly plate adjusting device, is used in the large dimension vertical butterfly valve, the propriety device was awarded a new application patent. It is effective in the reduction of friction and the subsequent wear and tear of bottom valve shaft. The adjusting device is also effective in the prevention of internal leakage. As a result the product achieves energy savings and an extension to the valve's operational life.

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Eternal Candle : A Renewable Solar Heat Storage Technology

Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 2:45 AM

Ireland’s Trinity College Dublin showcased 15 of its newest technologies last week, with a handful falling under the cleantech sector, that are now ready for commercialization.One of Trinity’s recent inventions is called the Eternal Candle, a renewable solar heat storage technology that has the potential to provide light for the developing world.

The research team led by Anthony Robinson invented a white light-emitting diode (WLED) lantern, powered by the sun. At night, the device converts the stored heat into electricity, which drives the WLED. The lamp doesn’t require batteries or have any running costs, but it’s not exactly eternal. The device is designed to provide light for four to five hours.The technology is best suited for off-grid communities, so the likes of sub-Saharan Africa, China and some parts of India where people don’t have electricity coming into their homes.

To know more cleantech innovations of Trinity College Dublin clik here

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Algae-Based Bioplastics Could Replace Petroleum-Based Plastics?

Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 2:10 AM

Cereplast, Inc., manufacturer of proprietary bio-based sustainable plastics, announced that it has been developing a breakthrough technology to transform algae into bioplastics and intends to launch a new family of algae-based resins that will complement the company`s existing line of Compostables & Hybrid resins.

Cereplast algae-based resins could replace 50% or more of the petroleum content used in traditional plastic resins. Currently, Cereplast is using renewable material such as starches from corn, tapioca, wheat and potatoes and Ingeo PLA. Cereplast has initiated contact with several companies that plan to use algae to minimize the CO2 and NOX gases from polluting smoke-stack environments. Algae from a typical photo-bioreactor is harvested daily and may be treated as biomass, which can be used as biofuel or as a raw material source for biopolymer
feed stock. The company is also in direct communication with potential chemical conversion companies that could convert the algae biomass into viable monomers for further conversion into potential biopolymers.

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Kite Power Harnesses Unspooling Motion For Energy

Posted on Monday, October 19, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 8:50 PM

Kite Gen is pioneering a revolution on how to produce clean energy from wind, with the aim not only to compete within the current wind industry but, as still too rarely happens with renewable sources, to move the battlefield into the territory of fossil fuels.

Instead of harnessing wind power to turn blades tethered to a pole, the KiteGen simply harnesses that rapid unspooling motion of kites reeling out as they release upwards. So instead of a heavy static structure this is simply a light and flexible kite.

The KiteGen would hover at 2,600 feet to produce power each time the kite’s tether unspools, spinning an alternator that generates the power. When the cables are completely unwound the production phase ends, the cables are reeled in to start another production phase. The cycle repeats; like in a yo-yo in reverse.

So the KiteGen splits the components of wind power. In the air; nothing but high efficiency air foils. On the ground, all the heavy machinery for power generation. Connecting the two; high resistance lines transmitting the traction of the kite.

The company holds more than 20 international patents and plans a demo by the end of 2010. These guys are thinking out of the box. They point out that there is about a GW of wind potential in the unusable no-fly air space around nuclear power plants. They suggest that’s the perfect spot for their 2,600 foot kite.

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MIT Roof Tiles Save Energy in All Climates

Posted on Wednesday, October 14, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 12:34 AM

A team of students at MIT has just developed a temperature sensitive roof tile that turns black and absorbs heat in cold weather, and turns white, reflecting heat away when it’s hot.

In cold weather, the polymer stays dissolved and the black backing shows through, but exposed to heat, tiny droplets form and scatter the light back to produce a white appearance. The tiles reflected 80% of the sunlight falling on them when white, and only 30% when black.

The cooling needs would then be reduced 20%.

Dark-roofed houses absorb more heat, requiring more air conditioning use in the summer for cooling, which in turn means using more energy for running air conditioners, which emits more greenhouse gases. Steven Chu at the DOE famously recommends “cool” white roofing for the sunny states - mentioning California, Florida and Georgia. Cool roofs reduce energy costs associated with air conditioning.

There are already special energy efficient elastomeric roof paints, rated by the independent cool roof council through coolroofs.org for how well each one reflects heat. California Energy Commissioner Athur Rosenfeld probably originated the idea to use “white roofs” for sunny climates, where air conditioning costs outpace heating costs for energy use.

In summer, the white roofed house is reflecting heat away. lowering energy costs. But for climates that get both extremes of heat and cold winters, there has not been a solution till now. Their carbon emitting energy use goes up summer and winter.

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Energy-Efficient Silicon Device Compresses Light to Make Ultrafast Signals

Posted on Thursday, October 8, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 1:57 AM

Researchers at Cornell University have developed a simple silicon device for speeding up optical data. The device incorporates a silicon chip called a "time lens," lengths of optical fiber, and a laser. It splits up a data stream encoded at 10 gigabits per second, puts it back together, and outputs the same data at 270 gigabits per second. Speeding up optical data transmission usually requires a lot of energy and bulky, expensive optics. The new system is energy efficient and is integrated on a compact silicon chip. It could be used to move vast quantities of data at fast speeds over the Internet or on optical chips inside computers.

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Hydrogen-powered Mobile Phone Chargers

Posted on Wednesday, October 7, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 9:53 PM

Scientists from Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute recently unveiled a charger powered by hydrogen.According to the scientists, the device can recharge a mobile phone battery in two hours without being plugged.Tsau Fanghei of the research team says they “hope the hydrogen-powered device can replace current mobile phone recharge systems in 2012.”Fanghei says the team will continue to improve the new technology until it is ready for use. This research is part of Taiwan’s efforts to become a major player in the global hydrogen fuel cell industry, and to lower its energy import rate that is currently at 98%.

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Propulsion System for Mobile Offshore Wind Farm Ship

Posted on Monday, October 5, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 2:35 AM

Germany’s Voith Turbo is developing a new marine propulsion system for installation into a special mobile offshore construction vessel which will be used for the installation of offshore wind farms.

Weighing over 80 tons and measuring approximately 8m high, the Voith Radial Propellers will enable the specialised vessel to sail at approximately 10 knots with a full load. The propeller’s 360 degree steering will allow highly accurate positioning even in difficult sea conditions for a vessel which has a design resembling that of a drilling platform.European construction giant STRABAG SE, which employs 76,000 people and had a turnover of €13.7bn last year, has ordered five such Voith Radial Propellers for the vessel.

The groundbreaking for a trial gravity foundation for offshore wind farms took place in Cuxhaven last week. The project is a step toward the realisation of planned wind farms in the North Sea.Completion of the trial gravity foundation is planned for spring 2010. Series production is scheduled to begin in autumn of next year. Starting in 2011, the first wind turbines for the offshore wind power plant GlobalTech I are to be set up from Cuxhaven.

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Nanomaterials to Boost the Efficiency of Geothermal Energy Production

Posted on Thursday, October 1, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 4:19 AM

New nanomaterials could provide the boost in efficiency needed to make heat beneath the earth's surface a practical source to generate nearly pollution-free electricity if research at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory proves out.Peter McGrail, a fellow at the Richland lab, thinks the nanomaterials may help make geothermal a more practical resource by allowing efficient energy production at lower temperatures.

In conventional geothermal use for power production, hot rock beneath the earth's surface needs to heat water driven into it to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, or more typically hotter, to make electricity production efficient. That hot rock might be found 5,000 feet beneath the ground's surface in a few places, but typically it's much, much deeper.

Heat from the ground is typically extracted by forcing water into the ground and then pumping it up after it's flowed through rock and picked up heat. It then goes through a heat exchanger to heat liquid to produce vapor to drive a turbine. If it's water that's being used as a liquid, it has to be 212 degrees at sea level to produce steam.The traditional geothermal energy production methods are inherently inefficient in the way they remove the heat.

The nanomaterials called "metal organic heat carriers"with particles one-thousandth the width of a human hair can hold onto gas molecules at a much higher temperature, preventing the fluid from flashing to gas in the heat exchanger until it gets to a higher temperature and pressure. If successful, enhanced geothermal systems like this could become an important energy source.

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WindAir -A New Renewable Energy Invention

Posted on Friday, September 18, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 10:39 PM

EarthSure, a renewable energy company and innovator in alternative energy sources has developed a renewable energy technology called WindAir,a system for transforming the exhausted air flow from central air conditioning units into a source of renewable, clean energy (electric).

The WindAir system uses the warm air flow from the exhaust of a traditional air conditioning unit and drives it into a secondary fan turbine system. This secondary system has an electric-generating mechanism that transforms the wind flow into free, clean, renewable energy which is then inverted into the electric meter of the home or office building. This renewable energy has the capability to reduce the increase in electric used by the air conditioning system by generating enough electricity to send it back to the meter, thereby turning the air conditioning unit into an actual "sub-power station".The unique WindAir converter system can be incorporated into any existing air conditioning condenser unit or manufactured as a complete new unit.

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Nanotechnology for High Efficient Solar Cells

Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 5:51 AM

Chemical engineers at Oregon State University have invented a new technology to deposit “nanostructure films” on various surfaces, which may first find use as coatings for eyeglasses that cost less and work better. Ultimately, the technique may provide a way to make solar cells more efficiently produce energy.

The key to the process is use of a chemical bath, controlled by a microreactor, to place thin-film deposits on various substrates such as glass, plastic, silicon or aluminum. In this case, the technology will create a type of nanostructure that resembles millions of tiny pyramids in a small space, which function to reduce the reflectance of any light that strikes the material.

The films reduce the reflectance of light, and in the case of eyeglasses would capture more light, reduce glare and also reduce exposure to ultraviolet light. Some coatings with these features are already available, but the new technology should perform better at a lower cost, and be able to be applied on-site in a dispenser’s office.

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Electricity from the Artificial Fluorescent Lighting

Posted on Tuesday, September 15, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 2:41 AM

New Energy Technologies is trying to develop a solar cell that makes electricity just from that nasty fluorescent tube lighting buzzing over your head.

New Energy’s solar cells in their transparent SolarWindow™ generate electricity by using the visible light in artificial fluorescent lighting typically installed in offices and commercial buildings. In tests published in the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy they outperformed regular solar cells by orders of magnitude; producing two to ten-fold more power.

Researchers tested the ultra-small solar cells on a 1”x1” substrate against today’s popular solar materials for their capacity to produce electricity under varying artificial light conditions, mimicking the levels of light exposure in homes and commercial offices.

Under normal office lighting conditions, without any natural light from windows, New Energy’s ultra-small solar cells produced not just twice the power of monocrystalline silicon, but achieved:

1. 8-fold greater output power density than copper-indium-selenide, known for its high optical absorption coefficients and versatile optical and electrical characteristics.
2. 10-fold greater output power density than flexible thin-film amorphous-silicon.

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PecoBOO - An Eco-screen to Save Computer Energy

Posted on Monday, July 20, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 3:20 AM

Eco-friendly PC innovator VeryPC has unveiled its latest invention for cutting the energy wasted by computers. The award winning Sheffield firm has launched PecoBOO – a piece of software,which uses a standard webcam and some clever software that recognises when you stop looking at your computer monitor and puts it on standby, instantly cutting the power it is using by a factor of more than 100.


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New Invention to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 3:08 AM

A revolutionary invention, which could slash greenhouse gas emissions from computer centres, has won £750,000-worth of backing for its creator, Sheffield Technology Parks-based Iceotope. The company, founded by green PC pioneer Peter Hopton, is targeting data centres – giant warehouses packed with racks of computer servers which form the backbone of the internet as well as providing secure data storage for major companies.

Details of the invention are being kept under wraps until an official launch later this year.However, Dan Chester, a former semiconductor industry entrepreneur who was brought in to spearhead Iceotope's development, did reveal that it involves using liquid to cool the server racks.The data centre servers are currently cooled by using large scale air conditioning plants to chill the hot air they generate – further increasing the data centre's carbon footprint.Liquid cooling would not only be more energy efficient, it would also keep the servers cooler, extending their life span.

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Solar-Powered Recharger from An Altoids Tin

Posted on Sunday, July 12, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 7:32 PM

Jerome Kelty’s USA, plan to save the planet involves a small solar panel, a USB plug, a battery and an empty Altoids tin.Kelty assembled these parts into his own gadget for charging his iPod Touch using the power of the sun.

Kelty got the idea for the solar-powered charger from the Minty Boost, a $20 charger powered by two AA alkaline batteries. It’s called the Minty Boost because it is also housed in an Altoids breath mints tin. But it had its shortcomings.To improve upon the Minty Boost, Kelty replaced the AA batteries with a rechargeable lithium polymer battery and added a small solar panel. The solar panel recharges the internal battery, which in turn recharges the iPhone.

If everyone who owned the 30 million iPods and iPhones sold to date worldwide recharged their gadgets every day with solar power, instead of plugging into an outlet, 30 million pounds of carbon dioxide, the leading cause of global warming, would not be created.

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New Powerful Laser System Could Create Fusion Energy from Waste?

Posted on Monday, June 15, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 11:46 PM

Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore Lab are putting the finishing touches on the world's most powerful laser system known as NIF (National Ignition Facility). In about 18 months, physicists will conduct a highly-publicized test to create fusion energy from water. It is part of a project designed to take the world beyond nuclear energy. But if it succeeds, the system could do more than create energy in a new way. It might actually rid the world of leftover nuclear waste in the process.

The NIF team will fire nearly 200 individual laser beams generated by an accelerator the size of a football field. The beams converge on a single target chamber containing a capsule of hydrogen. The hope is to compress it, and creating a subatomic reaction called fusion, ultimately igniting a controlled version of the same thermo-nuclear combustion that takes place on the sun.

As hydrogen is compressed, it releases particles called neutrons, which can penetrate the nucleus of another atom. So now we could take nuclear waste and use those neutrons to bust it up, get energy and remove the waste.

full article here

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OIT Students Look At Ways to Clean Waste Vegetable Oil into Fuel

Posted on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 3:28 AM

Aaron Findley, a student at Oregon Institute of Technology in Southeast Portland, has devised a way to filter and clean used vegetable oil for use in cars and trucks that run on diesel.The project, called the automated biodiesel reactor was one of many student presentations featured at OIT’s 2009 Student Project Symposium. A wide array of renewable energy, information technology and mechanical engineering projects were included.

However, the project is in the early stages, which can produce about 25 gallons of biodiesel at a time. The system separates glycerol from the used vegetable oil in one tank and then further cleanses it in an adjacent tank.The end product would be high-grade biodiesel that meets national American Society for Testing and Materials standards. The energy needed to run the biodiesel reactor would come from solar panels.The advantages of this biodiesel reactor is that it would be far cheaper than others on the market, which cost around $200,000.

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Laser Treatment Could Make Plain Light Bulb Much More Efficient

Posted on Tuesday, June 2, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 8:54 PM

A team of Researchers at the University of Rochester developed a process that makes a 100-watt incandescent bulb use less electricity than a 60-watt bulb. The process, they say, would keep the cost of a traditional light bulb well under that of its fluorescent counterpart while maintaining the more pleasant light an incandescent bulb gives off.

The team developed a laser process that treats the tungsten filament in a traditional bulb. The process creates nano- and micro- level structures on the filament that dramatically improve its efficiency. The process involves an incredibly short femtosecond laser pulse, which lasts only a few quadrillionths of a second.

It’s not immediately clear how long it would take to commercialize the discovery. But it could be relatively simple to implement in a manufacturing environment once refined.Other technologies are also crowding the field. The U.S. Navy is promoting LED and HID lighting in its ships. Cambridge Researchers say they’ve developed a LED bulb that costs $3 and last 60 years. A technology called ESL is headed to market as well. It will be interesting to see if the Rochester process finds a place on store shelves.

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Heliotropic Biomimicry: Solar Panels That Follow The Sun

Posted on Monday, June 1, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 9:24 PM

A team of engineering students at MIT, inspired by heliotropic plants that move in the direction of the sun all day (like a sunflower), have developed a new method of motivation for the photovoltaic cells to move. Their invention won first place in MIT's Making and Designing Materials Engineering Contest (MADMEC).

Solar cells that track the sun can be 38 percent more efficient in generating power than fixed solar cells.Instead of using an electronic tracking system, the team decided to use the difference in temperature between shaded and sunny areas to change the properties of the material supporting solor photovoltaic cells.The system, once built, is completely passive, requiring no power source or electronics to control the movement.

After experimenting with different materials and configurations, they came up with a system whereby solar panels would be placed on top of a curved arch made of a pair of metals, such as aluminum and steel.The concept was demonstrated by shining a spotlight on one side of a bridge containing a solar panel. The heat from the light causes the bridge to arch, tilting the panel towards the light.

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Solar Cells Along Highways To Generate Power

Posted on Sunday, May 31, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 7:43 PM

A promising invention now being tested by Solaroad Technologies,part of a business incubator at Towson University, which collects and stores solar energy, even when it isn't sunny.The idea is to place those cells along highways to generate power for street lights or construction.The circular solar collectors placed along a jersey wall gather much more energy than flat panels, even when its a dim day or at night.This solar cell system has the ability to create electricity when headlights strike these tubes at night.The electrawall also stores what it collects in batteries. The company also wants to market a cube tube, which would be installed on top of a workers cubicle in an office and it would get energy from the florescent lights in the work space.

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A Novel Way of Recovering Energy from Flowing Water

Posted on Tuesday, May 12, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 11:59 PM

Ken Upton, a retired entrepreneur in Spain, has come up with a new method of extracting the energy from the oscillating motion, which is being seriously considered by a major company.An enhanced method of extracting power from fluid flow streams has the potential to produce a great deal of carbon free energy.It relies on having wing shaped hydrofoils that repeatedly go into stall and then recover, which results in massive oscillating forces.

In order to enhance the oscillating foil idea, Upton has added a Kenape turbine in front of the oscillating foil. A Kenape turbine is an invention of Ken Upton's that essentially consists of a series of tethered kites that are forced to circle. For use in water, the flexible blades of the Kenape rotor are made bat wing shaped. As well as allowing the extraction of some energy from the flow from the rotation, the wakes of the bat wing elements generate considerable amounts of turbulence to enhance the oscillations of the wing.

In addition to this, Upton's foil shape is a delta wing, with a guiding canard wing at the front, so as to adjust the angle of attack and guide the foil into an attitude that generates maximum flutter.Upton's prototype is only a working model, with the Kenape elements made out of old XRay film, which he says combine the required elements of strength and flexibility.It may have potential of its own as a low cost turbine.

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Optiwind : A Small But Powerful Wind Turbine?

Posted on Monday, May 11, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 1:01 AM

A new invention called Optiwind Compact Wind Accelerating Turbine has solved the problem of three-blade turbines that are generally used requiring a lot of free space.With only six meters in diameters, the Optiwind consists of a series of five bladed fans that funnel in the wind and accelerate it in order to generate more power.

The Optiwind comes in two models. The first can generate 150 kilowatt and can be used by buildings that spend up to $35,000 a year in electricity while the bigger model can generate up to 300 kilowatt and can be used in conditions that normally would require about $75,000 a year in electricity money.

Eventhough it is an ideal turbine that can be used by schools, hospitals and hotels, according to local zoning laws, we need about 3.5 acres of open land available to get an authorization for the Optiwind. Another problem with this turbine is it generates some noise compared to other turbines.

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New Solar Energy Collector with High Efficiency

Posted on Tuesday, May 5, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 4:31 AM

An Israeli company, Zenith Solar, has announced the invention of a new type of solar energy collector that is said to be much more efficient than current photovoltaic ones.The new collection device, is a series of rotating dishes made up of mirror which are said to be able to collect as much as 75% of the sun’s energy or five times those of ordinary solar collectors. The use of mirrors will reduce the need for so many photovoltaic cells as are required in other types of solar collectors, making the new system much more affordable, and even comparable to generating electricity with fossil fuels.

Ron Segev, founder and CEO of Zenith Solor was quoted as saying that the new solar collection device will be able to collect and produce thermal as well as electrical energy at the same time.The new collecting dish device will be able get at least 50% more energy from it in the form of hot water, which is derived from water used to cool the device.Once the device is in operation, it will only require maintenance costs since no fuel is needed. It will also work in places where less sunlight is normally available.

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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.

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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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New Dye Design For Solar Cell Efficiency

Posted on Monday, April 6, 2009 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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Solar Powered, Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Airship

Posted on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 8:44 PM

The Pentagon intends to spend $400 million to develop a giant blimp which will reach an altitude of 65,000 feet and remain airborne for 10 years. The dirigible will be filled with helium and powered by an innovative system that uses solar panels to recharge hydrogen fuel cells. Werner J.A. Dahm, chief scientist for the Air Force describing the proposed unmanned airship as a cross between a satellite and a spy plane. The aircraft will provide intricate radar surveillance of the vehicles, planes and even people below.The project is supposed to reflect a shift in Pentagon planning that is more about the intelligence and surveillance operations, and less about expensive high-tech weapons.

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Manmade Biomass Coal Offers Storage And Fuel

Posted on Thursday, March 26, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 9:23 PM

A new machine dubbed the "Black Phantom" can turn biomass into manmade coal. Carbonscape, a New Zealand-based start-up, describes its invention as an industrial-sized microwave that can cook plant waste, wood waste, and "even sewage" into coal. Carbonscape also claims that the machine captures and stores more carbon than the amount of carbon generated by the electricity needed to power it for the process. The invention combines two popular environmental efforts: using biochar for carbon capture and storage (CCS), and developing alternative fuel sources from biomass.

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Power Your House With 5 Liters of Water Per Day

Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 8:29 PM

At the Aspen Environment Forum today, MIT professor Dan Nocera gave a revolutionary picture of the new energy economy with an assertion that our homes will be our power plants and our fuel stations, powered by sunlight and water. And it’s not science fiction.

Nocera said that MIT will announce its patent next week of a cheap, efficient, manufacturable electrolyzer made from cobalt and potassium phosphate. This technology, powered by a 6 meter by 5 meter photovoltaic array on the roof, is capable of powering an entire house’s power needs plus a fuel cell good for 500 km of travel, with just 5 liters of water.

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InventHelp Client Invents Solar-Powered Light For Bus Stop Shelter

Posted on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 2:23 AM

InventHelp , America's leading inventor service company, announces that one of its clients, an inventor from Federal Way, Wash., has designed a solar-powered light for installation at a bus stop shelter. This invention is patented.The invention would consist of a solar-powered lighting fixture that would be installed at the top of a bus shelter. Measuring approximately 6 inches high, it is made from aluminum, and could be powered by solar energy or batteries.

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NASA Develops Technology To Turn Ocean Tides Into Energy

Posted on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 8:45 PM

NASA scientists say they've found a way to turn the power of the ocean's tides into clean, renewable electric energy.NASA is working to use changes in ocean temperature to create a high-pressure fluid that can be used to generate power. The new technology is an offshoot of work NASA has been doing to power underwater robotic vehicles, according to the space agency.

This type of hydraulic energy transfer system is potentially applicable to many types of hydrokinetic energy from rivers, ocean waves, tides and currents.Scientists can use computer models of winds, river flows, ocean currents and tides to calculate an area's potential for energy production.

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"Wind Turbine in A Box" Turns Heads in Vegas

Posted on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 8:01 PM

The WindTronics 760 produces power at the turbine blade ends instead of at the hub of the unit where traditional turbines power a gear box.A new residential "wind turbine in a box" was introduced at a Las Vegas Ace Hardware show last week to rave reviews, according to the head of the Muskegon-based EarthTronics.The technology was developed through Grand Valley State University's Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center and is being commercialized by EarthTronics.

The WindTronics 760 produces about 15 percent of a typical residential home's electrical needs and when combined with a "home energy package," including compact fluorescent bulbs, will reduce electric utility bills by 30 percent, the company claims.

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Lithium Breakthrough Could Charge Batteries in 10 Seconds

Posted on Sunday, March 15, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 9:30 PM

A new version of lithium battery technology can either provide a higher storage density than current batteries, or can charge and discharge as fast as a supercapacitor, emptying its entire charge in under 10 seconds.The new battery technology, which is based on the power-centric LiFePO4 chemistry, makes for rapid charge and discharge times, but does not improve energy storage density.

The new work involves well-understood technology, relying on lithium ions as charge carriers within the battery. But the lithium resides in a material that was designed specifically to allow it to move through the battery quickly, which means charges can be shifted in and out of storage much more rapidly than in traditional formulations of lithium batteries. The net result is a battery that, given the proper electrodes, can perform a complete discharge in under 10 seconds—the sort of performance previously confined to the realm of supercapacitors.

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Nanotechnology for More Efficient Thin Film Solar Cells

Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 8:46 PM

A new European Union funded research project called “ROD-SOL” ('All-inorganic nano-rod based thin-film solar cells on glass') aims to improve the efficiency of thin-film solar cells using nanotechnology. The three year project has a budget of EUR 4 million and may yield a breakthrough for solar power.The ROD-SOL project aims to up the efficiency of these thin film solar cells by developing and optimising the synthesis of silicon nanorods on cheaper substrates such as glass or metal foils. The silicon nanorods are effectively tiny silicon columns whose diameter is measured in nanometres. Researchers propose that the tiny structures are perfect for trapping light energy in a way that it can be transformed into electricity.

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New Plug and Play Solar Panels

Posted on Friday, March 13, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 2:21 AM

Want solar power on the cheap? Veranda Solar may be able to help. The company’s innovative panel design requires only a screwdriver and a standard home outlet. At $600, the panel is much more affordable than many of its competitors.Veranda says that its product can be affixed to windows, gutters, and balconies in “plug and play style”– so the panels snap together and can be plugged in directly to an outlet. If you decide that a single panel isn’t enough to fulfill your power needs, springing for additional snap-on panels at $450 a pop isn’t too much of a stretch.

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Titanium Nanostructure For Efficient Solar Energy Capture

Posted on Tuesday, March 3, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 8:57 PM

Overcoming a critical conductivity challenge to clean energy technologies, Boston College researchers have developed a titanium nanostructure that provides an expanded surface area and demonstrates significantly greater efficiency in the transport of electrons.Wang said the efficiency gains within the novel material can serve so-called water-splitting, where semiconductor catalysts have been shown to separate and store hydrogen and oxygen gases.

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Fusion Reactor- Fuel Source From Nuclear Power?

Posted on Sunday, March 1, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 8:28 PM

Western countries are currently involved in an experiment called the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor or ITER.&summed up, the purpose of Project ITER is a future in which if the previously stated power sources are not available or not enough, a common American household can fulfill their annual power needs with a pitcher of salt water and a two pounds of rocks. How is this done? Nuclear fusion. Not the white light black rain kind, but rather the kind that takes place inside a tokamak reactor.

A tokamak is a Russian invention, a kind of fusion reactor using a toroidal magnetic field to confine and accelerate a plasma. The power is generated via the same means as that of the sun. Deuterium and tritium, two radioactive isotopes of hydrogen are fused into helium. Deuterium is abundant in our oceans but tritium is extremely rare on Earth, but can be synthesized from lithium which is readily found in many of Earth's minerals. The result is a fuel source that with research, can be extracted with minimum impact on the environment and while it is not renewable, is abundant enough for at least several hundred million years of power.

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Wireless Power To Power Electronic Devices

Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 7:56 PM

Wireless power is emerging as a popular concept since the profusion of personal and portable electronic devices has created a need for a convenient means to power these gadgets, eliminating the inconvenience and mess of several chargers and wires.New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Wireless Power Supplies and Contactless Energy Transfer, finds that induction based wireless power could represent the next wave in powering portable electronics. It could also enable new applications in other sectors such as healthcare for powering implants to increase patient convenience and quality of life.

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Xylose To Biofuel With Commercial Yeasts

Posted on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 10:05 PM

Eckhard Boles, co-founder of the Swiss biofuel company Butalco GmbH and a professor at Goethe-University in Frankfurt, Germany, has discovered a new enzyme which teaches yeast cells to ferment xylose into ethanol. Xylose is an unused waste sugar in the cellulosic ethanol production process. The researchers have recently filed a patent application for their process.

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Rechargeable Batteries with Solar Cells

Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 9:47 PM

Knut Karlsen has created a solar-cell charging battery prototype using flexible solar cells from IFE and some older NiMH rechargeable batteries. The batteries are being coined as “SunCast” batteries and work much like a trickle charger.This setup is infact a trickle charger. It is not ideal, but really convenient. A second version would have some electronics and capacitors to charge the batteries more efficiently, but the battery would then be smaller if it all needs to fit within a C-cell battery.

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Solar Cell Consortium Aims To Develop Printable Plastic Solar Cells

Posted on Sunday, February 22, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 8:49 PM

World leading research from CSIRO's Future Manufacturing Flagship as part of the Victorian Organic Solar Cell Consortium (VICOSC) aims to develop flexible, large area, cost-effective, reel-to-reel printable plastic solar cells. The technology used for these cells is still in its infancy, but this project aims to speed-up the development of this technology and take it from research to rooftops as quickly as possible.

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Iron Pyrite -A New Silicon Alternative To Solar Industry

Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 7:51 PM

Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory released a study this week concluding that the solar industry could use many cheaper and more abundant alternatives to silicon, including iron pyrite — most commonly known as fool’s gold.In total, the researchers found 23 alternative semiconductors, but only 12 are more easily found than silicon. Iron pyrite was named the most probable solution among those 12.Silicon alternatives already exist in thin-film solar panels made from cadmium telluride or copper indium gallium selenide, both of which are also extremely limited resources.

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Solar Power In A Box

Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 8:50 PM

One of Maine's premiere builders of custom yachts is starting to build something completely different - solar power in a box.They call it the Power Cube. The Cube is a ready-to-run solar energy generating system, that can be set up virtually anywhere and operating in about a few minutes.There are two models, one with three photo-voltaic panels, the other with six. Lyman says the three-panel Cube can provide about three and a half kilowatts of electricity - that's about the same as a medium size, portable gasoline generator.

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Solar Nanotube - Making Fuel From CO2

Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 8:28 PM

Developments in Nanotechnology continue apace, and a new invention using nanotubes promises an eco-friendly approach to both consume CO2 and produce useful fuel as a bi-product.The device was created at Pennsylvania State University and it's an innovative development of existing tech that uses titanium dioxide nanoparticles and ultraviolet light to convert CO2.When a group of the nanotubes are exposed to sunlight, CO2 and water vapor, the solar energy converts the gasses into a mix of organic compounds like methane, ethane and propane. The process works at a rate as fast as 160 microliters an hour per gram of nanotubes, and that's twenty times faster than previous attempts to convert CO2 in this manner.

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SOFC: Mini-Fuel Cell Could Power Fuel Cell Vehicle?

Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 7:52 PM

The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) recently developed a surprisingly attractive solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC). The sugar cube-sized SOFC, which is made up of 25 needle-like modules measuring 0.8 mm, packs a serious punch due to a high ratio of electrode area to volume. And since small size means a small heat capacity, the module also has a low operating temperature.The new SOFC will likely be used by automotive CPUs, but could one day provide power to fuel cell vehicles. AIST’s mini-fuel cell is currently on display at the 2009 International Nanotechnology Exhibition and Conference in Tokyo, Japan.

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Crambe- A New Biofuel Feedstock

Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 7:47 PM

An inedible, weedy-looking plant called crambe is the latest competitor to come along and stick a fork in biofuel feedstock scene. Crambe is a drought-tolerant plant that’s economical to grow in the U.S. compared to other biofuel feedstock such as soybeans. The University of North Dakota Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) has developed technology that can convert crambe seed oil (and other feedstock) into biofuels that are virtually identical to petroleum fuels. The EERC has just announced a one million dollar grant to demonstrate the commercial viability of the process.

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Integrated Circuit Technology for Efficient Solar Applications

Posted on Tuesday, February 17, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 8:50 PM

The Austin-based chip manufacturer Freescale Semiconductor Inc. designed a new circuit technology the company at its Tempe facility.Freescale's integrated circuit converts the limited amount of energy produced by solar cells into enough voltage to power products. Using a special configuration that Freescale engineers designed, the integrated circuit takes the energy output from a solar cell and converts it to 5 volts, or enough energy to charge batteries inside a particular device.

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New Coal Additives for Energy Efficiency & Emission Reduction

Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 8:18 PM

The Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has recently announced the co-invention of two new coal additives which can improve coal efficiency by 7-12%, and also reduce emissions by nearly 30%.The two new coal additives, CHARNA C and CHARNA CO2, co-developed by the Shanghai Institute and Beijing Charna Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals, have been selected by the National Development and Reform Commission as key national promotion products for energy saving and emission reduction.

Twenty tons of such liquid additives have been used to conduct fuel-burning performance tests at more than ten factories and institutes such as Chongqing Titanium Industry and Beijing Research Institute of Coal Chemistry.Test results show that the new additives improve coal efficiency by 7-12%, reduce sulphur dioxide emissions by 24-33%, and nitrogen oxide emissions by 17%.

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Graphene-A Carbon Material to Store Renewable Energy

Posted on Monday, February 16, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 9:56 PM

Engineers and scientists from the University of Texas in Austin have recently discovered the use of graphene, a relatively new, one-atom thick carbon based material, as a means to store electrical charge in an ultracapacitor. This new breakthrough could ultimately double the capacity of existing ultracapacitors, which are manufactured using an entirely different form of carbon. Better ultracapacitors could lead to improved cellular electronics, power conditioning, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), industrial lasers, medical equipment and hybrid vehicles.

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A New Catalyst For Efficient Hydrogen Fuel

Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 8:06 PM

A novel catalyst developed at MIT laboratory, one that takes inspiration from the photosynthetic pathways within plant cells to split water into H2 and O2, allowing the H2 to be used as fuel.Artificial oxygen evolving complexes (OECs) tend to be highly unstable, so labs concentrate on making them last longer with exotic and costly materials. This not only pushes up the financial costs, it also makes it harder to push electrons into them, lowering efficiency.

Nature, on the other hand, uses a simple inorganic redox core that self-assembles from water. It's unstable, so plants repair and replace their OECs every 30 minutes or so, and that's what Nocera's artificial OEC does too. Instead of Mn and Ca, it uses Co and Pi, works in sea water, dirty water, or a glass of water, and repairs itself spontaneously!When coupled with more widespread solar panels and more efficient fuel cells, Nocera believes that this CoPi catalyst would provide a household's daily fuel needs from 8 liters of water.

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World's Smallest Fuel Cell

Posted on Sunday, February 15, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 8:33 PM

Chemical engineers from the University of Illinois at Urbane-Champaign have developed the world’s smallest fuel cell, measuring only about 3x3x1 mm.The record-setting hydrogen-fueled microfuel cell is capable of generating power without consuming it and according to its inventors, could be conveniently used in place of batteries in portable gadgets. According to the scientists, due to the small size of the cell the flow of water in it is controlled by surface tension, not gravity – what makes the device operate in a stable way even when moved or rotated.

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Wave Treader-A Hybrid of Wave and Wind Power

Posted on Monday, February 9, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 8:37 PM

Green Ocean Energy Ltd. has developed a wave power machine that attaches to an offshore wind turbine. The company says the economics of both machines are enhanced as infrastructure such as the foundation and cabling will now be shared.

The system, known as the Wave Treader, comprises sponsons, projections from the sides of a watercraft, for protection, stability, or the mounting of equipment, mounted on the end of arms both in front and behind the turbine’s column vertically mounted on the seabed.

Hydraulic cylinders are attached between the arms and an interface structure and as the wave passes along the device the sponsons and arms lift and fall stroking the hydraulic cylinders.The cylinders pressurize hydraulic fluid which, after smoothing by accumulators, spins hydraulic motors and then electric generators. The electricity is exported back to the shore through the same cables used by the wind turbines.

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Can Magnet-Driven Motor Replace the Gas & Diesel ?

Posted on Thursday, January 29, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 8:56 PM

Herman Wilt, Vidalia inventor thinks he may have the motor to revolutionize the world.He now has two patents on his Magnet Assist motor. A carousel of magnets push and pull against two beams and turns these gears. Herman said the motor can run off a fraction of the energy traditional motors that gas or electric use now.

He says the difference in this motor and others is it actually uses less energy the harder it runs. He and wife Katherine now have 2 patents on the motor, but they're waiting on more independent testing before he takes it to American-based manufacturers. "We'd be able to increase our fuel mileage on gas motors and diesel motors. We could also eliminate the gas or diesel motors and go strictly electric," he contended.

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New Super-Efficient LED Light

Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 8:30 PM

LED light bulbs are already more efficient than our average bulb, but researchers at the Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a new kind of LED that exhibits both improved energy efficiency and lighting performance. The researchers‘ polarization-matching LED shows an 18 percent increase in light output and a 22 percent increase in wall plug efficiency (the amount of electricity that the LED converts into light).Renssalaer’s LED is more powerful thanks to a reduction in “efficiency droop”, which makes LEDs most efficient when receiving low-density electrical currents and least efficient when higher density electrical currents are received.

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Thin-Film Solar Material Could Charge Portable Devices?

Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 8:14 PM

Massachusetts based solar upstart Konarka has developed a low cost thin-film solar material that may one day revolutionize solar power. The solar film is made by printing a secret polymer ink onto thin filmstrips using a converted Poloroid press. When light contacts the film, the ink emits electrons and generates an electric current.

The material, called Power Plastic®, is a lightweight, flexible and inexpensive source of power for portable devices and structures. While Power Plastic® is currently being used in handbags and patio umbrellas to charge portable devices, Konarka hopes to perfect a translucent version of the product within the new few years.

Power Plastic® has several advantages over traditional photovoltaic technology including a higher efficiency at low light levels, the ability to flex to a 2-inch diameter and an extremely low production cost. The flexibility factor means that the solar film can be integrated into new materials such as fabrics.

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Rooftop Wind Turbine- A New Invention

Posted on Tuesday, January 27, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 11:30 PM

Seattle inventor Chad Maglaque has a dream. A dream that he will one day be able to walk into a big-box store and purchase a rooftop wind turbine along with his giant jar of mayonnaise.

The invention meets the "simple" criteria: the 3-foot turbine is made from a motor similar to a blender's, mounts directly onto the roof, and gets plugged into an electrical socket. But instead of drawing electricity, it would generate power and deliver it back to the grid.Maglaque says it won't be enough to power an entire house, but could light a home using high-efficiency bulbs.

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Wind Energy From Hot Air Balloons

Posted on Monday, January 26, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 10:40 PM

Environmental consultant Ian Edmonds has developed a “balloon engine” that could potentially compete with wind power. According to Edmonds, a 44 meter-diameter balloon could generate 50 kW of power—enough energy for 10 homes. If the balloon’s diameter is doubled, power production increases tenfold.

Edmond’s system works by using solar energy to fill a balloon with hot air. The rising balloon pulls a tether, which turns a generator on the ground. Once the balloon has floated up to 3 kilometers, air is released and it loses buoyancy. The balloon needs less energy to be pulled down and a net power gain is reached as a result.

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Ultra-Large Scale Vertical Wind Turbine- Will It Work?

Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 10:24 PM

Adam Fuller, Wisconsin inventor has designed a 12 foot diameter, 36 foot tall patent-pending wind turbine.Fuller’s design consists of 8 turbines that each have 4 structural steel wind scoops. There are multiple points of impact for the wind to hit, so even the slightest breeze will spin the blades. So far, the prototype has worked flawlessly.While nobody has ever made an ultra-large scale vertical turbine before, Fuller thinks his design is an excellent candidate.

His thought is that a 40 foot baffle will increase output by 1200 percent. If the 40 foot baffle system is successful, that means that 1 turbine and baffle system (about $200,000), would have the same amount of power as 12 turbines without baffles (about $150,000 ), so there’s financial efficiency.Eventually, Fuller wants to build a 120 foot model of his turbine. He estimates that it could produce 30,000 to 75,000 kWh—enough for 30 to 70 homes.

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Clean Energy from Slow-moving River Currents

Posted on Sunday, January 25, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 11:56 PM

VIVACE (Vortex-Induced Vibrations for Aquatic Clean Energy) invented by Mike Bernitsas, director of the Marine Renewable Energy Laboratory at the University of Michigan, is a device to harness energy in slow-moving water currents across the globe and turn it into electricity. Unlike water-driven mills, turbines or dams, VIVACE doesn't require fast-moving water _ most streams on the globe are slow-moving _ and doesn't harm the environment.

The envision is groups of cylinders in frames on the ocean bed or in streams, perpendicular to currents. As the water flow hits the cylinders, it creates vortices that cause the cylinders to move up and down. That energy drives generators to make electricity, which goes through cables to the electrical grid on land. The size, number and placement of the cylinders depends on the body of water.

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Genetically Engineered Reflective Crops to Reduce Global Warming

Posted on Friday, January 23, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 8:24 PM

Researchers at the University of Bristol in England think that one easy way to counteract global warming is to plant crops that reflect more sunlight. Plants reflect different amount of sunlight depending on their waxiness and growth patterns.

The researchers’ bio-geoengineering technique could potentially lead to a 2°F drop in temperature across central North America and pieces of Europe and Asia. Existing crops could be used and more reflective crops could also be bred or genetically engineered.While bio-geoengineering won’t put a complete stop to global warming, it is a relatively cheap, simple tool that could at least buy us some time.

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WiTricity- Technology for Wireless Electricity

Posted on Thursday, January 22, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 9:09 PM

The makers of PowerBeam, which is being showcased at a gadget show in Las Vegas this week, believe their invention will make the word 'recharge' redundant.They claim their technology – billed as WiTricity – will enable any gadgets which use batteries or power cords to be powered by electricity supplied by an invisible beam.

Similar in design to the way wireless hubs allow access to the internet without the need for wires, the PowerBeam could revolutionise the way laptops, music systems and other household electrical items are powered."The optical technology turns electricity into optical power," the creators say."That power is then beamed across open space into a receiver. Similar to a solar cell, the receiver turns the optical power back into electricity. Whatever device is attached to the receiver is powered without any wires."

The technology can currently send about 1.5 watts of power to a solar cell situated 10 metres away and PowerBeam's co-founder David Graham suggests this can be increased without difficulty. An average laptop uses between 30 and 50 watts.Fears have been raised about the health consequences of using wireless technology such as this, but these have been dismissed.

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Garbage for Fuel & Construction- Breakthrough in Waste Management

Posted on Wednesday, January 21, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 8:06 PM

University of Utah civil engineer Lawrence Reaveley came up with a potentially brilliant new idea for disposing off the enormous amount of garbage generated on the planet each day, in the form of a new patent idea that claims plastics – which make up the majority of wastes worldwide – could be used for construction purposes, sound, or heat insulation, as well as for generating electricity through burning.The present invention relates to methods for reclaiming plastics and cellulose materials for use in a variety of applications, including as alternative fuel sources.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the cellulose and plastic materials are shredded or ground, and then blended together. The blended materials can then be fed to an energy converter, such as a combustion unit or a gasifier, where they are burned as fuel source or used to create synthetic gas.Or the Blended materials are heated or have a binding element added thereto. Such mixture is then compressed to form a desired shape or sized object, and that object can then be packaged, distributed, or used. The blended object can be used as a fuel source, or as a building, sound attenuation, or insulation material.

Basically, slabs made of plastic, either pressed together with fiberglass of metal rods (for resistance), or melted so that the plastic keeps the mixture together, could be used for insulating buildings both thermally and acoustically. If they are reinforced, the slabs could also be used as walls and other high-strain construction elements, and could even be employed as a structure for new edifices.

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Alubond SCP Solar Panel-Breakthrough in Solar Energy

Posted on Tuesday, January 20, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 7:53 PM

American Building Technologies, a subsidiary of Mulk Holdings, a multi-national group based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has managed to devise a new method of producing solar energy at a 50 percent lower cost, while at the same time increasing the efficiency of the entire process. The new production system is several times lighter than previous photovoltaic cell systems, and has a 92 percent reflexivity rate, which makes it highly competitive as well.

The new class of panels doesn't require rivets for its joining corners, which somehow makes it weigh about 4 kilograms per square meter, as opposed to the massive 12.5 kilograms per square meter an average glass-encased panel weighs. Aluminum-based designs are lighter than glass ones, but require large components to fix them, which drastically increase their weight. Rivets make the entire construction lose its reflectivity, and thus decrease efficiency.

Alubond SCP is a 3 mm composite weighing approximately 4 kg per sq m with a 92-per-cent reflectivity. The product’s ability to retain a parabolic shape to precise coordinates, and its lightweight features and innovative rivetless joining process, substantially reduces the substructure costs.

“We hope the success of this project will lead to an upsurge in the development of more solar energy plants, which will not only lessen the strain on existing energy resources, but also severely reduce the pollution levels that are currently witnessed in power generation,” a Mulk spokesman says, commenting on the revolutionary breakthrough.

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Three-layer solar cell- A New Solar Energy Breakthrough

Posted on Monday, January 19, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 9:23 PM

German researchers say they’ve broken a new record for solar energy efficiency, converting a full 41.1 percent of the power of incoming rays into electricity.“We are elated by this breakthrough,” said Frank Dimroth, a member of the research team at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE).

“The high efficiencies of our solar cells are the most effective way to reduce the electricity generation costs for concentrating PV (photovoltaic) systems,” said Andreas Bett, department head at Fraunhofer ISE. “We want that photovoltaics become competitive with conventional methods of electricity production as soon as possible. With our new efficiency results, we have moved a big step further towards achieving this goal.”

The Fraunhofer system concentrates incoming sunlight by a factor of 454, then focuses the beams onto tiny — 5 millimeters square — solar cells made of gallium indium phosphide and gallium indium arsenide on a germanium substrate.Previously, such so-called “metamorphic multi-junction” solar cells presented efficiency problems because of hard-to-eliminate defects in the solar cell’s crystal materials. Rather than get rid of the defects, the Fraunhofer team found a way to localize the defects in parts of the solar cell that aren’t electrically active. The result: a solar cell whose electrically active regions are free of defects and capable of record-high efficiencies.

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Arboform - A Liquid Wood To Replace Plastic

Posted on posted by posted by Mak @ 2:16 AM

Though it has proven to be extremely useful in the modern world, plastic still has a number of negative selling points. There is a new chemical invention that could do away with these long-standing concerns.Norbert Eisenreich, a senior researcher Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT) in Pfinztal, Germany, said his team of scientists have come up with a substance that could replace plastic: Arboform - basically, liquid wood.It is derived from wood pulp-based lignin and can be mixed with a number of other materials to create a strong, non-toxic alternative to petroleum-based plastics, Eisenreich said, as reported by DPA news agency.

"The cellulose industry separates wood into its three main components -- lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose," ICT team leader Emilia Regina Inone-Kauffmann told DPA.The lignin is not needed in papermaking, however. They mix that lignin with fine natural fibers made of wood, hemp or flax and natural additives such as wax. From this, they produce plastic granulate that can be melted and injection-moulded.The final product can resemble highly polished wood or have a more matted finish and look like the plastic used in most household items.

The German researchers were able to reduce the sulphur content in Arborform by about 90 percent, making it much safer for use in everyday items.Bolstering Arboform's environmental credentials, Eisenreich's team also discovered that the substance was highly recyclable.

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Hubless Windmill – A New Wind Energy Invention

Posted on Friday, January 16, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 3:00 AM

Wind power is a useful source of clean energy, but it suffers from several shortcomings – not least the fact that the best wind-farm sites tend to be far from the areas that consume the most power.Setting up conventional windmill-style wind turbines in cities is impractical because they need to orientate themselves towards the wind and so require a relatively large amount of space in which to pivot.

Now Sridhar Condoor at Saint Louis University in Missouri has designed a hollow, cylindrical wind turbine that has no central hub. Its tube-like form means the device could be placed around a pre-existing feature such as a chimney stack, cellphone mast or even a tree trunk.The outside of the turbine is a cylinder that is incised with inlets to catch the wind from any direction and toothed on the inside to drive a gear that powers a generator.

A cylindrical frame within allows the main cylinder to rotate freely and can be mounted around another object - either vertically or horizontally. That makes it possible to install without needing clear space, and could even provide a way to hide ugly features, the patent says.

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Scots smart meter - weapon in fight to cut carbon emissions

Posted on Monday, January 5, 2009 posted by posted by Mak @ 8:23 PM

A Scottish invention with the potential to revolutionise consumer energy conservation is set for further inroads into the mass market in 2009, according to energy and management consultant Accenture.

The "smart meter", the brainchild of Scots telecoms engineer Eric Beattie, was originally conceived as using communications equipment to interact with prepayment meters to allow customers to top-up their meter remotely. But,Smart meters currently undergoing consumer trials throughout the UK, are seen as a potentially revolutionary aid to carbon reduction, as they allow householders and businesses to monitor closely in real time how much energy they are currently consuming and at what cost.

As the energy industry faces up to ever-deeper cuts in carbon emissions over the coming decades, the installation of smart meters in customers' homes is becoming increasingly important because of its potential to change consumers' behaviour and reduce energy consumption.In Italy, around 24 million smart meters have already been installed, and France and the Nordic countries are also making "an announcement a month" on the continued roll-out.

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Gravity Power: An Addition to Alternative Source of Energy for Fossil Fuels

Posted on Tuesday, October 28, 2008 posted by posted by visa @ 11:29 PM

Rajaram Bojji, a product of the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, has discovered a power, Gravity Power which he says would potentially save the world 70 percent of fossil fuels required for the purpose every year.

Rajaram, says that it is "an evolutionary initiative that can possibly free the world of its dependence on fossil fuels, underlying much of the volatile price rise".

Rajaram, former managing director, Konkan Railway, said his technology, unlike other sources of renewable or alternative energy like sunlight or biofuels, would not require heavy investment or land and can work with existing infrastructure even in developing countries.

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Genius of the Nature

Posted on Tuesday, October 21, 2008 posted by posted by visa @ 3:54 AM

In the line of solar power plants, hydro power plans, wind power plants now comes the artificial tree power plants. The idea behind this is maximum utilization of solar energy as trees and plants do in such a way that all leaves one way or another gets its share of sunshine. The branches and the leaves grow in a strategic manner to create enough space between them.

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650 Miles on One Tank of Liquid Hydrogen

Posted on Thursday, June 19, 2008 posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 11:21 AM

Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have revealed that they have driven a car 650 miles on one tank of liquid hydrogen. In a recent test, the team installed a super-insulated hydrogen gas tank in a standard Prius hybrid that was able to keep a full load of the liquid without evaporating for six days, setting a new world record.

The 300-pound tank removes a lot of obstacles to the development of hydrogen-powered cars. Current versions, such as the fleet of hydrogen-electric Toyota Prius’s used by various city governments across Southern California, run on compressed hydrogen gas, and have a limited range of around 80 miles between fill-ups. Even a fairly modest three-gallon tank fills the entire trunk of a Prius, but still only allows a range of around 200 miles, not really enough to compete with gasoline-only vehicles. One way to overcome this limitation is by using liquid hydrogen, which takes up around a third of the volume of compressed gas. However, it is much more difficult to handle, mainly because it must be kept at very low temperatures (around -420oF) and extremely high pressure to prevent it from evaporating as the engine heats up.

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Battery Nanotech Breakthrough - A 'Revolution in Batteries'

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 11:08 AM

If you've ever rushed to save your files before your laptop battery gave out, or scrambled to recharge your iPod, or wished out loud for the resurrection of the electric car ... relief is in sight.

Yet another battery breakthrough is on its way to market, taking its place alongside improved hybrid-electric vehicles, the promise of ultracapacitor systems and even better AA power cells. Next-generation batteries could well last several times as long as current power packs, thanks to nanotechnology.

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Queensland scientist Peter Rays Claims Super-conduction Breakthrough

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 2:03 AM

A retired Queensland scientist says he has developed technology that could fast-track the widespread use of electric cars.

Peter Rays - from Stanthorpe - says he has been able to create super-conduction at room temperature, allowing more electrical current to flow through a substance.

He says the discovery has significant uses in computer and microwave technology and could see electric cars recharged in less than five minutes.

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Nissan Says Newer Lithium Batteries Improve Electric Car Range

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 1:53 AM

Advances in lithium-ion battery technology will boost the range of electric vehicles to 400 kilometers (248 miles) by 2015, the head of research and development at Nissan Motor Co. said Wednesday.

Mitsuhiko Yamashita, Nissan's executive vice president for research and development, said advances in lithium-ion battery technology will dramatically boost the operating range of electric vehicles, potentially broadening their appeal. The breakthrough will come with so-called fourth-generation lithium-ion batteries that will be ready by 2015, he said.

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Mitsubishi, Sumitomo, Spreadable Electronics - Paint-On OLED Harness Solar Power

Posted on Wednesday, June 18, 2008 posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 9:57 PM

Two Japanese companies, Mitsubishi Chemicals and Sumitomo Chemical, are working on spreadable electronics, an idea that has nothing to do with margarine and everything to do with potentially making electronics that doesn't have to be plugged in.

The molecular soup mixture would have organic light-emitting diode (OLED) and solar cell building blocs that can be spread or even sprayed like paint in an ultra-thin layer that is only 100 nm thick. By combining both technologies, it may be possible to have displays on the market that don't even have to be plugged in but charged using solar panels. The companies even say it could be sprayed onto the back of cell phones to charge up the device.

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IBM Uses Magnifying Glass to Boost Solar Output

Posted on posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 11:28 AM

As a child, you might have used magnifying lenses to focus sun's rays onto anything you wanted to burn. Even if you haven't, you'd be well aware that it's possible to do so. IBM takes it to a whole new level and used a magnifying glass to significantly improve solar energy output.

According to test results, IBM was able to capture 230 watts of energy on just one centime of solar cell which would then be converted to 70 watts of usable electricity. That is FIVE times the usual output of typical PVs. So, if just a small surface area could generate electricity which could power whole structures, for example, this means there'd be a decrease in the needed quantity of photovoltaics, thereby lessening installation costs.

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Renewable Tech Gadgets - Fridge without Electricity, Solar Cookers...

Posted on Monday, May 5, 2008 posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 10:55 AM

There are a lot of cool gadgets out there, but there’s a fine line between what’s cool and what’s useful. This is a green list of gadgets that are useful, but boast the extra-cool factor of using renewable energy. No batteries required!

Nice list from this Clean Technica post

10. A solar-powered LED mounted on suction cups.

9. A portable solar water heater.

8. Fridge without Power

7. Solar Cookers

6. MP3 player that you can charge by hand.

5. Personal Wind Turbine that you can strap to your house.

4. Sunlit self-sufficient Gadgets

3. Natural sunlight (sans UV and infrared) for your home or office, that comes from fiber optic cables

2. Solar-powered cap for your water bottle.

1. Solar Battery Recharger

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Silicon Could Turn Heat into Electricity

Posted on Thursday, May 1, 2008 posted by posted by Ecacofonix @ 7:13 AM

Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley, have found a way to use ordinary silicon to convert heat to electricity. The technique could mean that some day you will be able to recharge your cell phone with electricity produced by your own body heat, and enormous amounts of energy that is now wasted could be recycled

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  In the beginning, there were algae,
but there was no oil Then, from algae came oil.
Now, the algae are still there, but oil is fast depleting
In future, there will be no oil, but there will still be algae  
So, doesn't it make sense to explore if we can again get oil from algae?
This is what we try to do at Oilgae.com - explore the potential of getting oil from algae