Clipmarks | abailart's enrgy harvesting collection

Self-luminous material glows for 12 years

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 04:59:45 GMT

clipped by: deusdiabolus

Litroenergy is a new type of material that emits light for 12 years without needing electricity or sun exposure. The self-luminous micro-particles are called Litrospheres and are said to be non-toxic and inexpensive. The light is said to be equivalent to a 20 watt incandescent bulb (lumens please?).

The litrospheres give off a continuous illumination, and can be designed to glow in any color. They can be injection molded or added to paint. The company that invented the material, MPK Co., predicts that first applications of Litroenergy will be in safety equipment such as safety tape and life rafts. Currently, the cost to light up a 8 ½ x 11 piece of plastic 1/8” thick is about .35 cents. Note: The press release says .35 cents but I think the figure is actually 35 cents.

More information can be found on this site.

Tags: light, luminesence, energy, conservation, technology

Forget Solar - A Lamp that runs on gravity

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 02:01:45 GMT

clipped by: constantskeptic
clipper's remarks: wow

Clip Source: www.crunchgear.com

You can take your solar power and scrub it. Solar power is great if you live in, I dunno, daylightistan (aka Los Angeles), but for those of us up here in the Northwest, it’s not practical. But we have gravity, and this lovely gravity-powered lamp will work just fine.

Invented by student Clay Moulton, the lamp is primed, then slowly falls down towards the ground. The falling weight spins a rotor that generates electricity which is translated to a cool, green light.

The lamp could last for up to 200 years and needs no external power to run, and has won awards for its green initiative, and it looks good, too.

Lamp Lit by Gravity Wins Greener Gadget Award [PSEN]

Kites could provide electricity for 100,000 homes

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 22:53:25 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: Several other scientists are investigating the use of kites to harness energy from the wind - which some researchers estimate provides more than 100 times the amount required to power the entire planet. In 2007, Google´s philanthropic arm invested about $10 million in a US kite company called Makani. An Italian company called Kitegen has a multi-kite scheme that could generate a gigawatt of power, as much as a standard coal plant.

Clip Source: www.physorg.com

High-flying kites tethered to generators could supply as much as 100 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 100,000 homes, according to researchers from the Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands.

The scientists have recently demonstrated that flying a single 10-square-meter kite could produce 10 kilowatts of power, which could supply electricity for about 10 homes.

In their next experiment, the researchers plan to test a 50-kilowatt version, called Laddermill. Eventually, their goal is to build a multi-kite system that could generate a full 100 megawatts.

Electricity produced by kites in the wind could be inexpensive, too. The researchers predict prices to be comparable with generating electricity using coal power, and half that of using wind turbines.

kites generate power by pulling on their strings that are attached to generators on the ground. After reaching their maximum height, the kites are reeled back down to repeat the process.

Tags: energy, clean energy, wind, kites

0.3% of Saharan Sun Enough To Power Europe

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 23:42:28 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: The visionary proposal comes as the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission released its strategic energy technology plan which highlighted photovoltaic cells as one of the eight technologies that need to be developed in the future. The plan also includes fuel cells, hydrogen, clean coal, second generation biofuels, nuclear fusion, wind and smart grids.

Clip Source: www.environmentalgraffiti.com

The major obstacle to using renewable energy has always been the inability to produce a constant supply of electricity to consumers.

However, scientists now believe that they have found a way to solve the supply and demand problem.

Arnulf Jaeger-Waldau of the European Commission’s Institute for Energy, speaking at the Euroscience Open Forum in Barcelona (ESOF), believes that the creation of solar farms in the Sahara desert could produce enough energy to meet all of Europe’s energy needs.

Power could be generated either through photovoltaic cells or by using the sun’s heat to boil water and power turbines.

The argument for solar farms in the Sahara is solid in that photovoltaic panels there could potentially generate three times more energy than panels in northern Europe.

It is estimated that capturing 0.3% of the sunlight falling on the desert would meet all of Europe’s needs.

around €450bn would be needed and scientists estimate that it would take until 2050

Tags: energy, economy, europe, solar energy

The key to oil independence is a new electrical grid

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:17:49 GMT

clipped by: egoldstein
clipper's remarks: It seems that with alternative sources of energy, such as wind and solar, the United States has the potential means to substantially reduce our dependence on oil - especially once plug-in cars are on the market.

But until we substantially upgrade our nation's electrical grid with modern technology that will enable the energy created by these sources to be transmitted intelligently around the county, their impact will be limited.

It's going to take a greater commitment from Congress to jump start this. Making it happen will provide a huge boost to our economy, environment and political leverage with the Middle East, Russia, Venezuela and more.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

The dirty secret of clean energy is that while generating it is getting easier, moving it to market is not.

The grid today, according to experts, is a system conceived 100 years ago to let utilities prop each other up, reducing blackouts and sharing power in small regions. It resembles a network of streets, avenues and country roads.

“We need an interstate transmission superhighway system,” said Suedeen G. Kelly, a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

“The windiest sites have not been built, because there is no way to move that electricity from there to the load centers,” he said.

Tags: alternative energy, grid, electricity, wind, solar

'Major discovery' from MIT primed to unleash solar revolution

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:34:51 GMT

clipped by: wildcat
clipper's remarks: Sunlight has the greatest potential of any power source to solve the world's energy problems, said Nocera. In one hour, enough sunlight strikes the Earth to provide the entire planet's energy needs for one year.

"This is a major discovery with enormous implications for the future prosperity of humankind,"

Clip Source: web.mit.edu

Scientists mimic essence of plants' energy storage system

In a revolutionary leap that could transform solar power from a marginal, boutique alternative into a mainstream energy source, MIT researchers have overcome a major barrier to large-scale solar power: storing energy for use when the sun doesn't shine.

Daniel Nocera describes new process for storing solar energy
View video post on MIT TechTV

Until now, solar power has been a daytime-only energy source, because storing extra solar energy for later use is prohibitively expensive and grossly inefficient. With today's announcement, MIT researchers have hit upon a simple, inexpensive, highly efficient process for storing solar energy.

Requiring nothing but abundant, non-toxic natural materials, this discovery could unlock the most potent, carbon-free energy source of all: the sun. "This is the nirvana of what we've been talking about for years,"

Tags: energy, solar power, storing

Generating Electricity with Your Knees

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 08:56:12 GMT

clipped by: abailart
clipper's remarks: I think 'energy harvesting' on a micro scale is an important contribution to macro energy issues.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

A stroll around the park may soon be enough to charge the raft of batteries needed in today's power-hungry gadgets.

US and Canadian scientists have built a novel device that effortlessly harvests energy from human movements.

The adapted knee brace, outlined in the journal Science, can generate enough energy to power a mobile phone for 30 minutes from one minute of walking.

The new device generates power by a process known as "generative braking", analogous to the braking systems found in hybrid-electric cars such as the Toyota Prius.

"Walking is a lot like stop-and-go driving," explained Dr Max Donelan of Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada, lead author of the paper.

The knee brace is the latest development in a field known as "energy harvesting".

Enlarge Image

The field seeks to develop devices and mechanisms to recover otherwise-wasted energy and convert it into useful electrical energy.

Tags: energy harvesting

Ocean Power Catches a Wave

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:36:55 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: spectrum.ieee.org

Europe and New Zealand to install commercial generators; U.S. lags

Sea Monster: A Portuguese utility plans to install wave-power generators like these.

The first commercial ocean energy project is scheduled to launch this summer off the coast of Portugal. Three snakelike wave-power generators built by Edinburgh's Pelamis Wave Power will deliver 2.25 megawatts through an undersea cable to the Portuguese coastal town of Aguçadoura. Within a year, another 28 generators should come online there, boosting the capacity to 22.5 MW. That may be a trickle of power, but the project represents a new push into wave and tidal power as governments eye the oceans as a way to meet their renewable energy targets.

Engineers have come up with a variety of schemes to harness the power of waves, the flow of currents, and the motion of the tides. The Pelamis generators, part of a class of wave-energy converters called linear absorbers, each comprise three long canisters that look like giant oxygen tanks

Tags: ocean power, wave

Whales & Dolphins Inspire a Novel Design for Wind Turbines

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 19:24:24 GMT

clipped by: Mohir
clipper's remarks: "Engineers have previously tried to ensure steady flow patterns on rigid and simple lifting surfaces, such as wings. The lesson from biomimicry is that unsteady flow and complex shapes can increase lift, reduce drag and delay 'stall', a dramatic and abrupt loss of lift, beyond what existing engineered systems can accomplish," Fish said. "There are even possibilities that this technology could be applied to aeronautical designs such as helicopter blades in the future."

Clip Source: www.dailygalaxy.com

Dolphins and whales have evolved over millions of years to maximize efficiency of movement through water. The human species has been trying to perfect streamlined designs for barely a century. Biologists and engineers, applying biomimicry, studied the flippers, fins and tails of whales and dolphins, and have discovered some features of their structure that contradict long-held engineering theories.

The shape of whale flippers with one bumpy edge has inspired the creation of a completely novel design for wind turbine blades. This design has been shown to be more efficient and also quieter, but defies traditional engineering theories.

Dr Frank Fish of West Chester University says that the shape of whale flippers has inspired the creation of a completely novel design for wind turbine blades.

Tags: wind, green, dolphin

How a Man-Made Tornado Could Power the Future

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:27:30 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: www.livescience.com

Coiled up in a tornado is as much energy as an entire power plant. So a Canadian engineer has a plan to spin up his own twister and extract energy from its tethered tail.

It all depends on heating the air near the surface so that it is much warmer than the air above.

"You can generate energy whenever you have a temperature gradient," said Louis Michaud. "The source of the energy here is the natural movement of warm and cold air currents."

These so-called convective air currents are only useful if they can be channeled in some way. That is why Michaud proposes using a tornado as a kind of drinking straw between the warm ground below and the cold sky above. Wind turbines placed at the bottom could generate electricity from the sucked-up air.

Whirlwind tour

Tornadoes and hurricanes form when sun-heated air near the surface rises and displaces cooler air above. As outside air rushes in to replace the rising air, the whole mass begins to rotate.

Tags: energy, man made, tornado

New Tech. - Turning Heat Waste Into Electricity

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:12:59 GMT

clipped by: willhelm
clipper's remarks: New technology for capitalists. AGW alarmists surely oppose this as well.

Clip Source: cleantechnica.com

Great news on the power efficiency front: Scientists have invented a new material that can efficiently convert heat waste in cars, power generators, and heat pumps into electricity. The new material is thermoelectric, and can turn heat into energy without any pollution.

The invention, thallium-doped lead telluride, is twice as efficient as the second most efficient material used in thermoelectric power. The lead telluride creates electric power like a conventional heat engine coupled to an electric generator, but uses electrons as the working fluid instead of water or gas. Additionally, it creates electricity directly.

Research project leader Joseph Heremans of Ohio State University is optimistic about the future of thermoelectric nanotechnology—he hopes to boost the efficiency rating of the new material by a factor of two.

Tags: technology, energy, innovation

Will Space-Based Solar-Powered Lasers Solve Our Energy Future?

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:04:32 GMT

clipped by: Mohir

Clip Source: www.dailygalaxy.com

The latest and greatest way to generate energy is to launch plates made of chromium and neodymium into orbit, which then convert 42% of solar light into lasers, which then shoots down onto a facility that converts it into clean, usable power. Of course, something this high tech and futuristic sounding would be brought to us by the Japanese.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Osaka University are working together to develop the device, which converts sunlight into laser-light with four times the efficiency of any previous attempt. According to a report out of Tokyo, the team is working on Space-based solar power systems, which can collect sunlight in space and then convert it into laser light, which is then transmitted to Earth and used for electricity.

they hope to have a system ready for satellite mounting by 2030.

Tags: solar power, green, space, laser

Electric bike recharging its battery via the braking system

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:33:31 GMT

clipped by: Fast T friend
clipper's remarks: Panasonic says in internal experiments, the regenerative braking system extended the assisted travel range from 90km to 125km when riding in normal mode. Using the bike’s automatic mode, the maximum distance owners will be able to cover is 182km.

Clip Source: www.crunchgear.com

Last week Panasonic presented [JP] a new electric bicycle to be released on the Japanese market on August 20. The so-called Vivi RX 10-S will cost $1,400. Panasonic hasn’t said yet whether they will bring the bicycle to overseas markets as well.

The bike’s main feature is a braking system that can recharge a 10Ah Li-ion secondary battery, which weighs 2.5kg, has a rated voltage of 26 V and is located next to the rear wheel. Every time the owner brakes, a mini motor mounted on the front wheel generates power. According to Panasonic, charging the battery via this method alone proves to be almost impossible however. The recharging system fails when riding faster than 24km/h.

The so-called Vivi RX 10-S comes with an aluminum-made frame and weighs 25.7kg. The company says it aims at selling a total of 3,000 bicycles in the first year.

Tags: bicycle, electric, bettery, green, energy

- The Hydro-Net Vision of the Future

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:25:06 GMT

clipped by: einbar

Clip Source: www.creativegraymatter.com

SAN FRANCISCO IN 2108? - The Hydro-Net Vision of the Future

San Francisco is already one of the greenest cities in the US, but check out this wild new concept from IwamotoScott Architects to completely remake the city into an ecotopia by 2108.

The design, which is as visually stunning as it is thought-provoking, recently won the History Channel’s City of the Future competition. It’s a full-scale urban system that combines the most innovative green technologies with San Francisco’s unique microclimate and geologic conditions, to produce a compelling vision for the future. Hydro-Net, as the project is known, will bring the lovely city-by-the-bay (which many Inhabitants call home) squarely into the 22nd Century with algae-harvesting towers, geothermal energy ‘mushrooms’, and fog catchers which distill fresh water from San Francisco’s infamous fog.

Creative ways to recycle ordinary objects

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:31:26 GMT

clipped by: Aribeth
clipper's remarks: Recycling doesn’t have to be limited to helping the environment: it can also be a challenge and opportunity to ingenious designers who work with materials most people would consider waste to create amazing things. Some of the above designs serve multiple purposes: illustrating the material possibilities of what most would consider trash while also maximizing the aesthetic potential of what would otherwise be considered waste objects. Clothes become rugs, airline trolleys become furniture, cardboard becomes bridges and sewage turns into building blocks!

Clip Source: ecoble.com

The Volksware designers have provided an interesting alternative way of recycling clothes

By stitching them and rolling them they have created a simple carpet system that can be cut to length and fit to a space.

Bordbar

began appropriating and adding splashes of design to

airplane trolleys

and reselling them to the public as useful (if odd) multipurpose mobile furniture

Sumer Erek has been working on

reusing newspaper as interior decoration and insulation in a house.

The Remarkable product design team has created a series of colorful and useful versions of traditional products made out of unusual recycled materials.

This bridge is composed over over 250 recycled cardboard tubes with recycled paper and plastic comprising the stairs.

Architect Shigeru Ban

The BituBlock

is made from post-consumer recycled products including ash, glass and, yes, sewage

The Remida Center appropriates scrap materials from all kinds of local businesses

decorative or practical purposes in gardens

coin purses

Marcella Foschi

Tags: environment