Clipmarks | abailart's enrgy harvesting collection

Hydrogen harvested using nature's recipe

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:59:05 GMT

clipped by: pokkets

Researchers have split water into hydrogen and oxygen by replicating how plants use photosynthesis to make carbohydrates.

The team of Australian and US researchers says their findings, published in the latest Angewandte Chemie International Edition could lead to a cheap and easy way of making hydrogen, which many experts believe is the green fuel of the future.

Professor Leone Spiccia, of Monash University's School of Chemistry says the team has mimicked the process of photosynthesis, whereby plants convert light and atmospheric carbon dioxide into energy.

The new system involves an electrode coated with a proton conductor that is then impregnated with a form of manganese.

Manganese clusters are essential to a plant's ability to use water, carbon dioxide and sunlight to make carbohydrates

However instead of creating carbohydrates, the team have used nature's recipe to split water into its two elements, oxygen and hydrogen.

with the help of sunlight and 1.2 volts of electricity.

Energy at your feet

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:04:37 GMT

clipped by: balthazarus
clipper's remarks: Finally, unlike roof-top solar arrays, which some find unattractive, the solar collectors in roads and parking lots would be invisible.”
In the lab, small slabs were exposed to halogen lamps, simulating sunlight. Larger slabs were set up outdoors and exposed to more realistic environmental conditions, including direct sunlight and wind. The tests showed that asphalt absorbs a considerable amount of heat and that the highest temperatures are found a few centimeters below the surface. This is where a heat exchanger would be located to extract the maximum amount of energy. Experimenting with various asphalt compositions, they found that the addition of highly conductive aggregates, like quartzite, can significantly increase heat absorption, as can the application of a special paint that reduces reflection.

Clip Source: www.wpi.edu

Alternative Energy Hits the Road

Anyone who has walked barefoot across a parking lot on a hot summer day knows that blacktop is exceptionally good at soaking up the sun’s warmth.

Now, a research team at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has found a way to use that heat-soaking property for an alternative energy source. Through asphalt, the researchers are developing a solar collector that could turn roads and parking lots into ubiquitous—and inexpensive–sources of electricity and hot water.

Asphalt has a lot of advantages as a solar collector,” Mallick says. “For one, blacktop stays hot and could continue to generate energy after the sun goes down, unlike traditional solar-electric cells

In addition, there is already a massive acreage of installed roads and parking lots that could be retrofitted for energy generation, so there is no need to find additional land for solar farms.

Extracting heat from asphalt could cool it, reducing the urban ‘heat island’ effect

Tags: environment, energy

"Wind Yourself Up"

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:57:15 GMT

clipped by: cakebelly

Clip Source: www.realitysandwich.com

Wind Yourself Up

Intended to be as simple and common as an umbrella, the Wing personal windmill, when turned into the wind, generates enough electrical energy to power such things as laptops, mobile phones, personal refrigerators or lights.

Equipped with a carrying case and geared towards mobile, nomadic or off-grid lifestyles, Wing can also be used as a secondary source of energy in the home.

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

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

'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

Cool! Nanoparticles

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:58:12 GMT

clipped by: rj3sp
clipper's remarks: Recent results from research of the
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) show that adding the right dash of nanoparticles to standard mixes of lubricants and refrigerants could highly contribute to energy saving in cooling systems.

Clip Source: www.nist.gov

Cool! Nanoparticle Research Points to Energy Savings

Adding just the right dash of nanoparticles to standard mixes of lubricants and refrigerants could yield the equivalent of an energy-saving chill pill for factories, hospitals, ships, and others with large cooling systems, suggest the latest results from National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) research that is pursuing promising formulations.

NIST researcher Mark Kedzierski has found that dispersing “sufficient” amounts of copper oxide particles (30 nanometers in diameter) in a common polyester lubricant and combining it with an equally pedestrian refrigerant (R134a) improves heat transfer by between 50 percent and 275 percent. “We were astounded,” he says.

Clip Source: www2.bfrl.nist.gov

Mark A. Kedzierski

Clip Source: www.nanowerk.com

Cool! Nanoparticle research points to energy savings

Clip Source: news.softpedia.com

Nanoparticles Could Improve Energy Efficiency

Clip Source: www.physorg.com

Nanoparticle Research Points to Energy Savings

Clip Source: www.rdmag.com

Nanoparticles take chill off of energy consumption

Tags: nanotechnology, energy saving, cooling, nist, environment

Moura (Amareleja) Photovoltaic Power Station

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:24:09 GMT

clipped by: bloowell

Clip Source: www.ovimagazine.com

Aerial view of Amareleja by amareleja.com.sapo.pt

A 46 MWp (62 MWp in the 2nd phase) single-axis tracking system centralised photovoltaic (PV) plant in the Portuguese region of Alentejo (Moura municipality, Amareleja parish), promoted by the local municipality and Acciona Energia (Spain), is expected to be completed by the end of 2008.

The plant will have the highest power so far installed in the world with this technology. The installation of 46 MWp power represents an investment of approximately 250 million euros.

Specifications of Moura Photovoltaic Power Station

A new land use - the sun as a resource

Some engineering features

Solar Trackers:

807 / 1713 = 2520 units (total 1st phase)

2520 solar trackers Buskil ( Acciona Solar technology) on 141 m2 (13 m length and 10.8 m high)

Reserved area of 848 m2 per structure

Oriented at the 45 ° fixed inclination and capable of 240 º East-West rotation movement following the sun across the sky.

Lifetime: more than 25 years

Tags: renewable, energy

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

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

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

Alternative Energy News

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 13:09:40 GMT

clipped by: skwirlinator
clipper's remarks: This site is an open source for news and information about renewable energy technologies. Browse the articles and press releases, the latest news, discussion forums, and mix-up of other media from sources like Flickr and YouTube. Our goal is to raise awareness about clean energy sources using any means necessary. Got an idea? Contact us.

Clip Source: www.alternative-energy-news.info

Alternative Energy News

Clip Source: www.alternative-energy-news.info

Latest News

Swedish wave energy converters

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:45:07 GMT

clipped by: affisch
clipper's remarks: On an island right off the coast of Western Sweden near the quaint coastal town of Lysekil, researchers from Uppsala University are putting the final touches on two generators and a small underwater turbine anchored 25 meters down on the sea floor that will turn wave action into energy for 20 homes on the island.

Clip Source: www.seabased.com

Clipmarks | abailart's enrgy harvesting collection

Hydrogen harvested using nature's recipe

Energy at your feet

Alternative Energy Hits the Road

"Wind Yourself Up"

Wind Yourself Up

Electric bike recharging its battery via the braking system

Kites could provide electricity for 100,000 homes

'Major discovery' from MIT primed to unleash solar revolution

Scientists mimic essence of plants' energy storage system

Cool! Nanoparticles

Nanoparticles Could Improve Energy Efficiency

Nanoparticle Research Points to Energy Savings

Moura (Amareleja) Photovoltaic Power Station

0.3% of Saharan Sun Enough To Power Europe

New Tech. - Turning Heat Waste Into Electricity

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

Ocean Power Catches a Wave

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

Whales & Dolphins Inspire a Novel Design for Wind Turbines

Alternative Energy News

Alternative Energy News

Latest News

Categories

Green Collar Jobs

Harnessing the Power of Highways

Turning Airborne Carbon Into Fuel

Space-based Solar Power

Floating Offshore Wind Turbines

The Toyota Bus-Train

Affordable DIY Solar Heating System

Wind Turbine Concept Inspired by Jet Engines

The Triac: An Affordable Electric Car

Are Rising Oil Prices a Blessing in Disguise?

Swedish wave energy converters