Combining breakthroughs in self-healing materials and artificial arms, University of California, Los Angeles researchers created such muscles that can generate electricity. The research could be used to make walking robots and develop better prosthetics that juice your iPod. Part of the technology is already being used in Japan to charge batteries using ocean waves.
Artificial muscles that are currently prevalent are made of metal-based film that often tears resulting in muscle failure. The new artificial muscle developed by the University of California researchers is made of carbon nanotubes as electrodes. The carbon nanotube seals the region around it once it fails preventing the fault from spreading to other regions.
The researchers used flexible carbon nanotubes as electrodes instead of metal-based films that fail after repeated use. If an area of the carbon nanotube fails, the region around it seals itself by becoming non-conductive preventing the fault from spreading to other areas.
This muscle conserves about 70 percent of the energy you put into it.
3/24/08
Artificial muscles Can Generate Electricity to Charge an iPhone
3/23/08
How To Transform Your Window Into Solar Panel
In 2007 Traditionally, solar panels for buildings have predominantly been stand alone systems mounted to roofs in order to capture sunlight.
A new transparent building integrated photovoltaic technology is being funded by National Institute of Standards and Technology which would allow windows and other building integrated applications to get converted into solar panels which will capture sunlight directly and convert them into power.
Silicon Solar Cells With Liquid
A company of California developing a ultra low-cost thin-film solar power modules based on a propriety silicon-ink process, has developed crystalline silicon solar cells with liquid.
This company essentially creates silicon nanoparticles, inserts them into a solvent, and then pours the solvent on a substrate. The solvent is then extracted. What is left can sort of be analogized to a snowflake or a large sugar cube: a highly organized structure made up of tiny parts.
Crystalline solar cells have higher efficiencies than thin films. Commercial crystalline panels can convert up to 22 percent of sunlight into electricity, without concentrators. CIGS makers are initially shooting for the mid to low teens. The catch is that making crystalline solar cells is expensive. The patterning and other processes is similar to what is used in making LCD panels. Innovalight says it could conceivably cut the production price by around 50 percent or more. Many start-ups, however, had hit bumps in bringing new (albeit different) manufacturing techniques for solar cells to market.
If it is so energy-efficient why no other companies have tried to produce them? Well, making crystalline solar cells is expensive. In fact the patterning and other processes is similar to what is used in making LCD panels.
The company has just raised $28 million from Convexa Capital Apax Partners, ARCH Venture Partners, Harris & Harris Group, Sevin Rosen Funds (Burke is a former Sevin Rosen partner) and Triton Ventures, among others. Part of the money will be used to build a 30,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Silicon Valley.
Innovalight hopes to start selling solar cells in the second half of 2009. By 2010, the company hopes to be cranking out "tens of megawatts" worth of solar cells from the facility.
Low-Cost Organic LED Production-OLED Technology
It is not just the fact that modern green technologies and solutions aim at producing ways of harnessing energy from the renewable and clean energy sources, but they also are focusing on the conservation part of energy. They are working on the simple principle that energy saved is energy produced and in this regard, LEDs have played a very important role in the past few years. When it comes to making sure that lighting technologies are conserving energy, they have made a quantum leap from the traditional sources and methods.
LEDs (or Light-Emitting Diodes) will slowly become the lighting standard over the next decade. But light bulbs won’t be the only products to take advantage of their efficient properties. A variety called OLED (or Organic Light-Emitting Diode) are thin, organic materials sandwiched between two electrodes, which illuminate when an electrical charge is applied. This technology is behind all those cool flexible displays and electronic ink displays we’re always seeing. They’re so thin, that they could be applied to rooms as a type of wall paper to glow at the touch of a finger or when someone enters the room.
The challenge in producing these OLEDs is that they also have to have potential to be made at a very low cost, because they can be printed “roll-to-roll” like a newspaper. GE recently demonstrated the first OLEDs to be made in this manner. Apparently, the researchers worked for four years on this project. The project still has a long way to go before making sure that the OLEDs are ready for commercial use.
The process of commercially manufacturing OLEDs has remained expensive. However, a recent breakthrough from GE hopes to lower the cost-barrier and show that OLED can be created “roll to roll”.
Fuel-Cell Powered Cargobike - Hydrogen bike
We’ve seen motorbike concepts powered by small fuel cells, but this is the first time in my memory that a full-scale commercial test of such technology has actually gotten off the ground.
Clean Air Bike is the result of a joint-venture between Masterflex and German bike maker Hawk. It is claimed the Cargobike can handle loads up to 150 kg and one fuel cell lasts for 250 kilometres powered by only 90grams of hydrogen within a 2.2kg storage unit.
With a motor rated at 250 watts it's exempt, just like a ‘normal' bike, from European vehicle registration laws .Potential uses include postal delivery services, city cleaning divisions, large industrial site transport and tourist applications.Masterflex say that not only does the fuel cell technology provide sufficient power for the motor but that there is enough surplus for secondary functions such as lighting or cooling for transporting temperature sensitive goods. Potential uses include postal delivery services, city cleaning divisions, large industrial site transport and tourist applications.
Hydrogen powered fuel-cells have often been talked up as one of the solutions to the problem of global warming caused by transport CO2 emissions from fossil fuels. The technology uses compressed hydrogen gas to produce emissionless power at the point of use. But debate has centred around how best to extract and store hydrogen from the natural world. One of the greenest methods, but one that is still being developed, is to extract the hydrogen directly from sunlight without using any fossil fuels in the process, potentially delivering a totally green transport fuel.
Of course, practical use of this vehicle is limited to the nearest hydrogen station — but manufacturers are confident such infrastructure will become available once companies latch onto the advantages of fuel cell technology.
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Sun Energy Clean Up Your Water Sources
Driveway Solar Light
There are many solar products on the market today, one very popular item is solar lights, either for a driveway or walkway.
In the crucial phase of power-crisis, it’s interesting to know that more and more products are flushing in the markets that just use solar energy to operate. Latest in this series is ‘Solar Walkway Lights’. In the daytime, these lights soak up sun energy and light up when the night wears on. Interestingly, these walkway lights are strong enough to bear heavy weight of a vehicle, even. Therefore, having it on the both sides of driveway or walkway is, indeed, an energy-efficient way to add to the safety and beauty of our surroundings.
In my opinion this solar light it is a very good product.This solar light will be all over the driveways.Solar Notebook Concept
This solar notebook concept is a laptop with complete power independent. Its independence is due to powerful batteries that are recharged by wide Solar Panel attached to the computer. Equipped with satellite link GPS, internet access, and satellite telephone which makes this device not only power independent but also universal tool for communication and exchange information literally from any spot on the planet.
The detachable panel is to be put away in the sun for recharging while the notebook functions on a smaller battery that charges itself when DC power is plugged into the system.
The solar panel may be completely detached from the main body to be put away for recharging, then smaller battery inside the computer is on.
This sure do will come in handy for scientists or researchers who work far away from civilization and power source.
What Is A Human Electric Hybrid Vehicle?
In the 21st century humanity will have to evolve through a more efficient way of life as our resources are beginning to be insufficient for our needs.
You power the generator and the
electric motor drives the vehicle. You can also drive it as an electric vehicle if you don’t want to or are unable to pedal your self.
This Human Electric Hybrid Vehicle uses the power of your muscles as well electricity stored in the batteries. It allows smooth and constant velocity both uphill (with the help of the electric motor), as well as downhill (when the wheel acts as a generator and charges the batteries). The vehicle can turn 360 degrees maintaining stability all the time. Additional power is acquired from photovoltaic placed on top of the vehicle as well as during de-acceleration from regenerative braking. Elderly and handicapped people that are unable to provide enough kinetic energy can also charge the batteries directly from the grid. A vehicle such as this makes extensive use of renewable energy possible and lead to a more sustainable fossil fuel future.
Solar Charging Water Purifier:SteriPEN
The energy of the sun is often under used. We do not often realize how we can use it in varied ways. The way we can use this amazing and almost infinite renewable resource is almost endless. Now we have a tiny little gadget for the clean freaks and even for those bothered about sanitation and purity of water while on a long journey or a camping trip. This little solar powered magical device can help you stay away from those deadly water borne diseases.
This little gizmo is for world travelers with doubts about the local water. Just swish this thermometer-like device inside a container of H2O and presto - drinkable water with no after taste. And the solar charging case keeps it charged and ready to operate.
The SteriPEN system uses UV light rays instead of chemicals to purify water for drinking by destroying protozoa (including Giardia and Cryptosporidium), bacteria and even viruses. Just press a button and gently agitate the water with a quick stir.
It basically Purifies 16 fl. oz. of water (cold or warm) in less than a minute. It fits perfectly in your shirt pocket and you can almost use it anywhere. Since it is powered by the sun you will not have to worry about how you are going to carry this around and keep it working. So take purity in your pocket across the planet.
Now Honda Goes Solar Cells!
The Honda Motor Company, best known for it’s super smooth cars and motorcycles, is all set to promote solar energy in a big way with its venture called Honda Soltec company that makes solar panels. What this essentially means is Honda, which has long been promoting eco friendly technology will give solar energy a huge push thus changing the way the game is played. The Honda Soltec factory estabilished in November, 2007 is mass producing solar panels in a massive scale and it wouldn’t be very surprising if Honda launches a solar powered car in the near future.
They began mass-producing the cells last fall and have already created a solar-powered hydrogen filling station in Torrance, CA. The power generated at the station creates the hydrogen for Honda’s concept FCX, an all-hydrogen vehicle that emits only H2O.
Honda committed to reducing worldwide CO2 emissions in 2006 and they took this pledge into consideration when making the cells. Honda reports that their materials and their process reduce the energy used to make the cells by 50% over standard solar. Ideally, this process would make cells cheaper, but I didn’t see any pricing data.
With a Global manufacturing giant like Honda trying to make solar technology popular, it is just a matter of time before other big manufacturers fall in line. The future for our fragile environment is looking brighter.
Battery Charger From Steam-Power
From the "how the heck did they do that?" department comes a fascinating example of human ingenuity: a steam-powered battery charger.The project makes use of a “Look Out” brand boiler from the 40s, a 6 HP steam engine from 1903 and a self-made magnetic alternator that uses all that steam to generate electricity to power your batteries.
This magnetic alternator charges a 48V battery bank at 120 rpm and at 200 rpm it generates 2000 Watts of power, which is pretty good considering the hardware that is involved in the DIY. The best feature of the project is that it can maintain this level of power even with low grade dead wood.
The idea of getting your electricity from firewood is fascinating, but a little caution is a good thing.
DARPA Concept a Solar Plane That Would Fly Non-Stop For Five Years
What would you think if we told you that DARPA is considering a plane that would fly non-stop for 5 years without burning a single drop of fuel? They are, and it's called the Vulture program, which aims to produce an aircraft able to carry a 1,000 pound payload, pump out 5kW of onboard power, and keep up enough speed to withstand the winds it'll encounter at 60,000 to 90,000 feet.
Needless to say, that's a long ways from becoming a reality, although it seems that the first phase of the project could soon be kicking off, with Vulture program manager Daniel Newman saying that they've had "at least one successful offeror," and that they're now close to doling out the first contracts. That initial phase will run for twelve months, and will require contractors to "define the objective system and design both full-scale and subscale demonstrators." That'll then be followed by phase two, which'll run through 2012 with the goal of testing of a subscale demonstrator capable of flying for three months.
There are currently three options under consideration. The first one is nuclear and - wait, this is not under consideration. The second one is to refuel the aircraft in flight. This favors fuel cells because they are more efficient and reliable than internal-combustion and gas-turbine engines. The other option is solar energy, either solar thermal, which is unproven, or solar electric, which is a proven technology.
Mini Solar Charger
Mini Solar Charger Cell Phone Strap from Strap-Ya comes to the rescue. To charge your cell-phone with it, you just need to attach the gadget to your phone. What’s better, this tool is completely eco-friendly as it runs on solar energy. That doesn’t mean, however, that it is any less in performance. It can be charged up to as many as 500 times! On cloudy days, three hours on an AC adapter will give you a backup battery anyway.
The Mini Solar Charger Cell Phone Strap is cute, small and perfectly handy. It will hit the market on 9th February.
E-Bike Drive With Solar Energy
Spotted at a recent Trade Fair in China the future for charging your Electric Bicycle or Electric Scooter.
This Solar Panel Array mounted on the Rear Carrier of an E Bike shown with the Panels open.
The two side panels Fold Down against the carrier when the vehicle is in motion.
How To Produce Your Own Biodiesel:FuelMeister II
Biofuel is the way forward in terms of short term alternative to the growing fuel and environmental crisis. While I do firmly believe that fuel cells are the ultimate way forward I terms of alternate energy sources, fuel cells may not be yet ready to replace conventional fuel. Hence in as short term stop-gap arrangement biofuel is a very viable option. But one of the major problems with running on biofuel is the fact that you do not run in to a refilling station every now and then. This is one of the major reasons why biofuel is not really catching up in USA as fast as it is spreading across Europe.
One problem consumer’s face when wanting to use biofuels is building an in-house processor for creating biodiesel to further shave costs. This is no small feat so Renewal Biodisel has created a second generation do-it-yourself system that makes it a snap. The system is aptly coined the FuelMeister II. The biggest benefit to this system is cost savings, producing your own biodiesel fuel can bank you as little as .70 cents a gallon
The improvements from the first FuelMeister to the second version are many, according to the makers. Some of the new features include the single tank system, making it much more convenient to put in a small shop, garage or shed. It also has a relatively slick direct catalyst injection system which increases the rate of chemical reactions making the FuelMeister capable of generating two batches per day. There is an automated water wash feature, relieving constant supervision and simple valve and tank lip operations for speed and efficiency during the process. All this added to make the whole process a lot easier for you.
The FuelMeister II is faster, safer, and easier to operate than its older sibling. The FuelMeister creates biodiesel out of used cooking oil, methanol, lye, electricity and tap water. With these ingredients properly blended the FuelMeister can kick out 80 gallons of clean-burning fuel every day. This fuel can be used to power your vehicle or even your home or both.
FuelMeister II makes it simple for first-time chemists and fuel chefs; the system comes complete with all of the chemical testing equipment, safety equipment, scales and procedures to assist you in making the highest quality biodiesel possible. With associated dealer support, a toll-free factory service line and total product support from multiple sources the FuelMeister II is the clear winner among the personal biodiesel processors.
Another Wave-Power Startup OreCon Dives In
Vast amounts of power are locked away in the movements of the ocean, but because of technical challenges, the number of startups that have attempted to harness wave power thus far is relatively small when compared to wind or solar.
OreCon is the latest, with plans for a sort of giant, self-contained buoy that floats atop the water, each unit generating a megawatt and a half of energy. The company has raised $24 million, which it plans to use in building a full-scale example. One of the problems with putting mechanical equipment in the ocean is that the salt and other chemicals in sea water tend to destroy moving parts. OreCon uses a design called the Oscillating Water Column to keep most of the parts well above water level.
The company has raised $24 million, which it plans to use in building a full-scale example.
In an OWC, which is a well-known setup, the pressure from waves outside the device causes water to rise and fall within it, which in turn pushes air in and out through a turbine, creating energy. They tend to be fairly inefficient, though.
OreCon’s innovation is using what it calls “multi-resonant chambers”. In its proprietary design, the company deploys multiple OWCs around a 40 meter platform that’s tethered to the sea floor a few miles off shore.
The first unit should be deployed somewhere off the coast of England in Cornwall, near Plymouth, where OreCon was founded six years ago. Another one is being set up off the coast of San Francisco too. This is apparently an awesome idea if it works and one has no reason to think otherwise either.
First Green TV Station To Run On Wind Power
The mainstream media has always voiced its concern over the rise in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere but the media houses themselves have not always tried to follow what they have preached so far. NBC11 is happy to report the station has made a major commitment to going green.
NBC 11 has set upon itself the noble task of saving our green planet from future climatic catastrophe by adopting green energy source to power its TV station in San Jose.
The station has offset its electricity with 100 percent certified energy certificates, according to station officials.That means every bit of power used at the studios on the 2400 block of North First Street in San Jose is replaced on the grid by clean energy created by wind farms.
The wind effort is part of a new campaign started by the station called "EcoLogic."The campaign is designed to educate NBC11 employees, viewers and local businesses about ways they can reduce their carbon footprint at work and at home.
NBC 11 through its ‘Going Green’ page and the ecological stories is helping to educate its viewers of the importance of using clean alternative energy sources to combat global warming. Wind energy if adopted on a large scale is believed to reduce the energy bill of the consumer considerably. A landmark study of wind integration into the New York State electric power system has shown that 10% addition of wind generation can actually cause $305 million reduction in payments by electricity customers in one year.
NBC11, in partnership with 3Degrees, committed to renewable energy through purchasing Green-e Energy Certified Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) equivalent to the station’s of electricity consumption at the main studios in San Jose.This purchase has an equivalent environmental impact of preventing over 2,000 metric tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere, or of 473 acres of forest storing carbon annually.Details of the station’s decisions and progress will be covered on NBC11 News and NBC11.com throughout 2008.In the coming months, the station will announce several ways in which other businesses and viewers can join with the station in reducing the region’s impact on the environment.
Toyota Will Offer To Make A Hybrid In 2010
First Word's Greenest Museum
It is not at all a surprise that museums across the planet (unlike the ones in my home town) are opting to go the green way as they try and tell the curious minds that visit them that the future lies in going green. I suppose there is a bit of an irony when you put a section of the ‘extinct species’ in a museum room that is boasting some of the finest green features around. Makes you believe that if we were really so responsible and sensible a lot earlier, then maybe that whole section could have been avoided; at least to a large extent. This is not to say that the green features are not welcome, but just to say that maybe things could have been a lot better.
From a bird’s-eye view, the domes of the California Academy of Sciences, set to open in the fall, bulge out of the ground like giant scoops of green ice cream. These undulating hills built into the museum’s 2.5-acre, flora-covered roof integrate the building into the green space of surrounding Golden Gate Park.
Designed by renowned Italian architect Renzo Piano, whose works include the landmark modern-art museum Centre Pompidou in Paris, the $484-million structure will most likely be the largest public building ever to qualify for the U.S. Green Building Council’s “platinum” LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating. The designation, so far held by just 70 buildings worldwide, is the highest honor in green construction.
Beneath the roof, museum-goers will find a natural-history museum, a planetarium, a rain forest with free-flying birds, a coral reef inhabited by 4,000 fish, and an aquarium filled with saltwater pumped in from the Pacific Ocean. The museum is not just a green structure, but also an amazing green hub that gives the on lookers a wonderful idea of what a green tomorrow would be like and how one can maximize green qualities in a structure.
Hydro Kinetic Technologies - Hydro Kinetic Turbine
Over the last century we have realized that we can tap the energy of the flowing water, by not just merely allowing it to flow, but building up enough energy in it by stopping the flow and then harnessing the latent potential energy in it. It is this exact principle that has enabled us to construct dams and make sure that we generate power by storing water. Despite all the advantages that dams offer, they are proving to be a bit hazardous in regards to preservation of nature around these structures. They are causing problems that are as simple as flow of fertile soil to the prevention of movement of fishes in certain rivers.
Hydro Green Energy's hydro kinetic turbine arrays are composed of the only truly modular interchangeable zero head current based turbines in the industry. Hydro Green Energy's dual duct axial flow interchangeable hydro kinetic turbine is covered by U.S. and International patents.
Hydro kinetic technologies describe the ability to produce zero emission renewable power (energy) from the movement of water. Unlike traditional/conventional hydropower, which requires an impoundment of water usually created by a large dam, no large infrastructures are required eliminating negative side effects to the environment and marine life.The name plate capacity of the design is 250 kW per unit with a rotor diameter of 12 feet. Due to our surface suspension system, there are inherent operational maintenance and safety advantages. An on-board gantry allows for the raising and lowering of individual units in the hydro kinetic turbine array without having to conduct underwater diving and maintenance operations in extreme water velocity and near zero visibility conditions. The floating raft provides a platform for operation and maintenance workers to stand on and place equipment during activities.
In a tidal energy generation setting, this advantage becomes even more pronounced since all maintenance activities typically occur within a 15 to 30 minute slack tide (the period during which the current reverses direction). From a underwater diving standpoint, the short operational window during the slack tide significantly increases the risk of injury to the divers and the potential loss of equipment.
The technology is a wonderful solution to the growing troubles caused by dams across the planet. This should offer a viable solution both in regards to the energy needs of the planet and the environmental concerns that come attached with it.
Solar Powered Patio Umbrella-Invention Of The Year!
This probably is the gadget that should win the most obvious invention of the year; at least till date. This of course is by no means to state the fact that those who came up with the idea have not done anything significant, but it just tells that sometimes the simplest ideas are the most difficult to conceive. Soon, we’ll see baseball caps embedded with solar panels to charge radios or iPods; while simultaneously glowing at night. The Solar powered Patio Umbrella is pretty cool but it still leaves a lot more wanting from it.
Set it up anywhere the light shines down and at night you’ll be treated to an array of “starry” LED lights to illuminate the rest of your evening.This item has a solar panel which screws into the top of the umbrella to power the 18 white LED’s which are located on the ribs.It also has a center hub light with 8 LEDs inside; there is a dual switch on the umbrella which will control both the rib lights and the hub light. You can have them both turned on you can have one or the other on, depending on how much light you want or need.
The batteries inside the solar panel are replaceable and the leds on the ribs are also replaceable. The panel will charge in direct sunlight and fully charged provides 6-8 hours of light.
It’s cool that the batteries and LED lights are replaceable — basically providing a long-life for this system.
This creates a beautiful, star-like light effects that will be bright enough for those crucial activities like opening the next bottle of wine.
This LED Can Shine 80 Years on a Single Charge!
Running out of batteries for the flashlight can soon become a thing of the past if William Henry has his way. An applications specialist at Ireland’s Tyndall National Institute, Henry got his team of researchers to developed a way to make a lamp from micro LEDs that will shine on for over 80 years with a single charge,this LED is called micro for a reason — it's tiny.The light measures only 5 microns across compared to the 300 microns across that a standard LED measures and requires only a few billionth of an amp to operate and emit light literally through a man’s lifetime once you fully charge its coin-sized battery.
But still, the technology is there, so it could be expanded to make larger, more practical LEDs that might last a less impressive but still awesome 5 years on a single charge!
How To Build Your Own Solar Box Furnace
If you love the planet, hate wasting money and are comfortable with a tool belt, then you might just be able to cobble together your very own solar powered room heater.
Here is a great gadget to beat the bitter cold. And the good news is, unlike in ordinary heaters, natural gas and heating oils don’t burn deep holes in your pockets when you use the Self Powered Solar Box Furnace. Made out of odds and ends, this tool can not only heat up a small room or a detached shed, but is wonderfully easy on the environment as you must have guessed it from the name it is solar-powered, and doesn’t use any electrical controls.
Let’s not make the mistake of underestimating the capabilities of the Self Powered Solar Box Furnace. It can turn a fairly large space comfortably warm on a cold, sunny day. It is possible to scale this project up to any size. A larger version of this furnace could be used to provide central heating to an entire house.
To Clean Up The Earth and Space EUROSTAR Launches 'Green Box'
There have been plenty of complaints from people across the planet that we have not only been trashing the planet, but we are also going ahead and leaving an unwanted mark even beyond the planet. Every time we make an expedition to the outer space, we seem to leave behind a trail of trash and plenty of metallic nonsense. We might not be doing much about it as of yet, but we sure can at least the components that receive the signals from the space a lot greener. That is exactly what Eurostar wishes to do and is doing.
Eurostar has announced its participation at the 14th Middle East International Cable, Satellite, Broadcast and Communications Exhibition (CABSAT) 2008 being held from March 4th - 6th, at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
This year's CABSAT will see the mega launch of the first-of-its kind satellite receiver - Green Box from EUROSTAR along with other innovative satellite products. As one of the pioneers in the satellite communications sector, EUROSTAR will be the largest exhibitor at CABSAT 2008.
As one of the pioneers in the satellite communications sector, EUROSTAR will be the largest exhibitor at CABSAT 2008. Green Box is 100% recyclable digital satellite receiver. This makes it the first ever in its category and that is truly nice for the environment.
The Green Box will ensure low power consumption and is aided with an auto switch-off function that guarantees preservation of electricity. This unique satellite receiver will also have trickle charge time keeping.
This unique satellite receiver will also have trickle charge time keeping. The product will be revealed at Hall 2 (Stand E2-1) on the March 4th. Sharing the launch pad is Eurostar’s other innovative satellite product - Caller ID Box. This is an on screen caller ID facility that displays incoming calls on the TV screen. The Caller ID Box will have a storage capacity of 20 missed and received calls and will be fully compatible to MPEG2 and standard DVB.
The company has ensured that this green product reaches out to users as much as possible and it has done so by making sure that the launch is scheduled for an event as high profile as the CABSAT.
EUROSTAR is currently undergoing a mega growth phase in the Middle East. Over the past year they have ensured a stronghold in the market by investing in millions.
How To Build a Solar Water Heater System
One of the biggest uses of electricity, gas and oil is the heating of water in the home, and in offices, schools and hospitals etc. Solar Water Heater is a very simple and efficient way to grab energy from the sun and use it. Solar water heaters concentrate diffused solar radiation into thermal energy. A solar water system consists of a solar collector and a storage tank.
The next step up in DIY solar water heaters is concentrated solar water heating. Concentrated solar water heaters are more complicated to construct and more expensive, however they can be very efficient and great fun to build. The key component of a concentrated solar water heater is a parabolic trough which focusses all of the light hitting it onto a pipe containing oil.
Obviously a large parabolic mirror would be extremely expensive, so some efficiency has to be sacrificed in order to bring costs down. The trough itself does not get very hot - primarily because it reflects away the suns rays rather than absorbing them - therefore it can be made simply of a thin layer of flexible material such as formica, MDF, or plywood. The inside of the trough must then be covered with a reflective material such as aluminiumised mylar, or aluminium flashing.
Bending the trough into an exact parabolic shape does not have to be very difficult. Basically two end support need to be made which are parabolic and the reflective sheet can then be fitted to them. Below is an example parabola with a focal point suitable close to the base of the trough. If you print this, or any other suitable parabola onto 2mm squared paper , you then just have the simple task of scaling up the parabola to the required size.
Every parabola has a focal point at which all light hitting the parabola is focussed. For our three dimensional parabolic troughl we have a line of focal points along which we position the pipe containing the fluid to be heated. Common motor oil is perfect for this job since it is made to be heated to very high temperatures, it is not corrosive, and it is cheap and easy to find. Antifreeze is another option which is often used in solar water heating systems.
Standard copper pipes must be used rather than the newer push-fit plastic pipes. Plastic pipes will melt at around 90 degrees, far below the the temperature which will be reached by the pipe in the solar collector.Painting it with black paint will increase heat absorption.
The oil is in a closed system with a small pump used to move hot oil through a coil in the hot water tank. As the oil passes through the coil it transfers some of its heat to the water in the tank before returning to the solar collector to be reheated. Twin coil hot water cylinders (tanks) are available, but it is sometimes possible (but difficult) to add a second coil to an existing standard cylinder.
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Could Biofuels May Do More Harm Than Good For Environment?
Finally, after a long time, we are discussing a topic that has been constantly brushed under the carpet. We all want to explore alternate sources of energy that help reduce our dependency on fossil fuel. This is a fact that there cannot be a debate about. The two reasons for this would be the rate at which fossil fuel is being consumed and the emissions that are produced by harnessing this energy. Fossil fuels will soon be all but gone and they might by then have destroyed the balance of the planet with the incredible amount of carbon emissions that they produce.
Corn is being diverted from human consumption, kicking off a domino effect of problems tied to food prices. It starts with ethanol produced from corn, which optimists hope will help solve the U.S. reliance on foreign oil, as well as provide a fuel that burns cleaner.
And it is going to get bigger. In 2000, world production of ethanol totalled 20 billion litres. In 2007, world production climbed to 60 billion litres. In the month of January 2008 alone, six billion new litres of ethanol were produced in the United States. Scores of ethanol plants are under construction and as a result, it is predicted that the United States will produce 52 billion litres of the fuel in 2008.
When all the plants are running, the United States could produce twice as much corn for ethanol as Canada's total crop production wheat, barley, canola, everything. This has huge implications for global food supplies.
Apparently, the amount of corn it takes to produce 75 liters of biofuel is enough to feed a man for an entire year! So do we really need to concentrate research and resources in this direction? I have mentioned this quite clearly before and will state it again that Biofuel is not and cannot be the long term answer to world energy needs. Our research must be concentrated in the fields of solar, wind and tidal energy development. Most importantly, the answer to our great energy crisis is the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology. It is clean and the raw material is abundant. If we can conceive a cheap, clean and simple method of electrolysis and make the fuel safe during transportation, it is our best bet for the future.
How To Make A Solar Wireless Spy Camera
If you are a green thinker and security beith the criteria then you have two options either you hire a security guard or buy/make a solar powered wireless security camera. The ball is in your court! I would go in for the first as hiring labor here in India is still bearable, but for those living in the West, you still lack that choice.
You can use any configuration of wireless camera, solar panel and battery pack to fit the specific location you want to watch, the ones I used are provided here as a known working combination of parts. These items are all available off the shelf from Fry's stores on the West coat, or through numerous online retailers. The required parts for the exact configuration I used are below:
-Wireless Camera: got this camera specifically because it had pan/tilt/zoom control and audio. Depending on where you put your camera, lowlight performance may be an issue - I may ultimately add a battery-powered motion detecting light to address this in the future. The PTZ camera allows me a broad viewing range from the sidewalk in front of my house to the area directly in front of my door. The MPEG-4 codec provides a clear picture for Web viewing, with the option of viewing remotely from your browser at work or anywhere else on the planet.
- Solar Panel:One key to making this work is having a solar panel capable of recharging your batteries fast enough to collect more power during daylight hours than you actually consume. This way you recover any power used overnight while also powering the wireless camera using the solar panel during daylight hours. Without factoring power consumption into your plan from the beginning, you eventually run out of power and lose your security camera when there is no sun. If I were to swap out my current solar panel, it would be for one with more potential power collection like a 15 watt model.
- Battery Pack:I chose the iSun BattPak because I'd previously used a similar model to provide additional power to a video camera at an on location shoot where no AC power sources were convenient. It has the added bonus of using rechargeable AA batteries, which are cheap to replace and readily available. Because the pack is also designed to charge off of solar, it is also readymade to prevent the solar panel from discharging power when there's not enough sun.
- DC Converter:One convenient aspect of this converter was the set of interchangeable tips, which helped guarantee I'd have an end that matched the power connector on the wireless camera. This is one component that's likely to vary depending on your exact configuration as you need a connector with the right ends for your specific components.
Once you have all the parts, the installation is straightforward. Choose a location for the various electronic components that's safe from rain, snow, or any other potentially damaging weather. In my case, I placed the camera under an overhang. The solar panel should be placed in an unobstructed south-facing location, giving you maximum sunlight collection at all times of year - keeping in mind that the cable from the solar panel needs to reach the battery pack.
Mounting requirements for all gear were simple - everything was mounted using weatherproof outdoor woodscrews, similar to what you might use for installing a deck. A 2-inch bracket from the plumbing department at Lowe's mounted the battery pack securely in place, while a 1-1/2-inch bracket was used to secure the DC converter. Refer to the video above for visual steps to mounting everything in place.
A New Solar Laser Use Magnesium as a Source of Energy.
A new kind of efficient, solar-powered laser has been developed by researchers at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, in Japan. They hope to use the laser to help them realize their goal of developing a magnesium combustion engine.
According to the professor of mechanical engineering and science, Takashi Yabe, their goal is to create a powerful laser that can effectively combust magnesium from sea water.
Magnesium has great potential as an energy source because it has an energy storage density about 10 times higher than that of hydrogen, says Yabe. It is also highly abundant, with about 1.3 grams found in every liter of seawater, or about 1,800 trillion metric tons in our oceans, he says.
Yabe also informed that magnesium oxide produced from the reaction can again be converted into magnesium. This recycling process demands great temperature. In order to operate magnesium combustion engine, solar power is required for the lasers. Lasers concentrate sunlight on neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet. Usually, solar powered lasers depends a lot on large mirrors. However, Yabe along with his colleagues have developed an immensely powerful laser.
The other innovation of Yabe's laser is the use of a small Fresnel lens instead of large mirror lenses. Fresnel lenses reduce the size and amount of material needed to build a lens by breaking it into concentric rings of lenses. Typically, 10 percent of incident light is focused on the crystal, whereas with the Fresnel, it's around 80 percent.
This was made possible with the addition of chromium. Yabe stated, “Thus the efficiency from sunlight to laser is greatly enhanced.” Instead of large mirrors, they have sued small Fresnel lens. Yabe also informed that, “In our case, we used only 1.3 meter squared and achieved 25 watts,” he further added, “So we are expecting 300 to 400 watts with the four-meter-squared Fresnel lens.”
How Work a Geothermal Heat Pump(How To Use)
Geothermal heat pumps take advantage of the relatively constant temperature of the ground as a heat source and a heat sink to provice both heating and cooling for homes and offices. A liquid refridgerant is pumped from the outside to the inside carrying heat from one area to the other in much the same way that a refridgerator works - i.e the fridge is cold outside, but the back of the fridge is hot (heated by the warmth removed from inside.
A substance called a refrigerant carries the heat from one area to another. When compressed, it is a high temperature, high-pressure liquid. If it is allowed to expand, it turns into a low temperature, low pressure gas. The gas then absorbs heat.
In the winter the normal heat pump system extracts heat from outdoor air and transfers it inside where it is circulated through your home's ductwork by a fan.
Even cold air contains a great deal of heat; the temperature at which air no longer carries any heat is well below -200 degrees Fahrenheit. But the coldest temperature ever recorded in the lower 48 states was -70 degrees, recorded at Roger Pass, Montana on January 20, 1954. Obviously in such weather, a heat pump would have to work pretty hard to produce 68-degree temperatures inside your home.
That's why geothermal heat pumps are so efficient.
Geothermal heat pumps are similar to ordinary heat pumps, but instead of using heat found in outside air, they rely on the stable, even heat of the earth to provide heating, air conditioning and, in most cases, hot water.
There are three basic alternative geothermal heating systems - vertical, horizontal, or open loop. In a vertical system a deep hole is drilled (30m or more) taking the loop of pipe to a thermally stable zone. In a horizontal system excavations are only down 4 or 5 feet and so more of the surface of your land needs to be excavated, but it is easier and therefore cheaper to achieve (see image below).
Typically a vertical system is more likely to be used where the the climate is extreme and hence where the near surface temperature of the ground is not constant. An open loop system is used sometimes used where a home is served by its own well, pond, lake, and/or river. The water used as a heat source or heat dump is then drained to another well to be used for drinking and washing etc.
To heat (or cool) your home with geothermal energy you need a heat pump unit (condenser outside and evaporator coil inside), a loop of refrigerant filled piping buried outside, ductwork inside, a circulating pump, and other mechanical and electrical items which complete the system. Though initially expensive, ground source heat pumps are very cheap to run and maintain, and they are also very efficient and environmentally friendly. However if saving money is your concern, paying for the installation of your heat pump system through a mortgage will actually lose you money.
Geothermal heat pump systems work best with underfloor heating rather than radiators since the underfloor heating operates at a much lower temperature than radiators in order to heat the air of a room to the same temperature.
Green Tower With a Mini Wind Farm - In Huston
Construction just began on what could be one of the most innovative office towers in the U.S. Located at 1501 McKinney Street in Houston, Discovery Tower is a 30 story office building that will cost upwards near $300 million to build. And as you can tell from the above renderings, the pinnacle was designed to have 10 wind turbines. But that's not just some fancy, green add-on to an otherwise generic building. Discovery Tower will be built to achieve LEED Gold certification from the USGBC.
The cost of this building is going to touch a very un eco friendly $300 million and with the work just recently started it means that it will not be that long before we begin to see things taking shape. Even tough the building is not due to be completed until the middle 2010. It is then that we will see the building in all of its glory.
It is not just the wind turbines that make this building green, but it’s the whole package of air filtration, water-efficient plumbing, and an energy efficient heating & cooling system that will make this a very eco friendly building.
Dr. Craig Venter Creating Life Form That Turns CO2 to Fuel
Genetic engineering along with nanotechnology are two branches of science that hold a future for human race that is so spectacular in magnitude that is hard to fathom the future anymore. They have progressed beyond our imagination to create reality that more likely appear to be more the contrived creative juices of a writer of science fiction. While one dream of science fiction named ‘time travel’ is still many miles away if not impossible (and we will leave that idea with the quantum physicists to realize) many more things that we once dreamed of are becoming a reality.
Geneticist Craig Venter disclosed his potentially world-changing "fourth-generation fuel" project at an elite Technology, Entertainment and Design conference in Monterey, California.
"We have modest goals of replacing the whole petrochemical industry and becoming a major source of energy," Venter told an audience that included global warming fighter Al Gore and Google co-founder Larry Page.
"We think we will have fourth-generation fuels in about 18 months, with CO2 as the fuel stock."
Simple organisms can be genetically re-engineered to produce vaccines or octane-based fuels as waste, according to Venter.
Biofuel alternatives to oil are third-generation. The next step is life forms that feed on CO2 and give off fuel such as methane gas as waste, according to Venter.
His team is using synthetic chromosomes to modify organisms that already exist, not making new life, he said. Organisms already exist that produce octane, but not in amounts needed to be a fuel supply. Dr. Venter has apparently 20 million genes at his disposal to set about at work and I suppose that is pretty much everyday job for this man.
The limiting part of the equation isn’t designing an organism, it’s the difficulty of extracting high concentrations of CO2 from the air to feed the organisms, the scientist said in answer to a question from Page. To top it all off he said that they also put suicide genes in the organisms in case they escape his lab. So basically there is no life out of the lab for them and no need for all the crazy guys to go trying to find a doomsday scenario in this. The heartening aspect is that the claim comes from a man who knows what it takes to get there. It is not some lunatic working in his garage just to get cheap publicity. Al gore was there listening and if you ask me, it would do well for us to keep a close eye on this too.
Europe's First Solar Tower Power Plant
At the end of March 2007, Europe's first commercial concntrated solar power plant was inaugurated in Seville, South West Spain. A total of 624 large (120 square metre) moveable mirrors called heliostats track and focus the sun's rays to a single solar receiver at the top of a 115 metre tall tower.
Concentrated Solar Power is a technology which has remained out of the public domain. Though increasingly popular in the 1970's and 1980's - falling oil prices stopped most development of (and interest in) concentrated solar power until recently. Now in the USA, Spain, Israel and a few other locations new CSP plants are being built - for example Nevada solar one a 64MW power station being built near to Las Vegas.
At the end of March 2007, Europe's first commercial concntrated solar power plant was inaugurated in Seville, South West Spain. A total of 624 large (120 square metre) moveable mirrors called heliostats track and focus the sun's rays to a single solar receiver at the top of a 115 metre tall tower.
At temperatures of up to 250 degrees Celcius the solar receiver turns water into steam which turns a steam turbine generator also located in the tower producing electricity.
The new plant, PS10 (Planta Solar 10), is the first commercial solar thermoelectric power plant in the world and has a peak capacity of 11MW - sufficient to generate 23 million kWh of electricity per year powering 6,000 homes and saving 18,000 tonnes of carbon emissions per year. The plant took four years to build with construction finishing at the end of 2005 and has so far cost 35 million Euro. Construction was led by Solucar, an Albengoa company.
A second power tower, PS20 is being constructed which will produce around a peak of around 20MW of electricity. Construction began in October 2006.
PS10 is the first of a series of concentrated solar power plants which will total 300 MW of peak capacity by 2013 - enough to power almost 200,000 homes. The total cost of the project is in excess of 1.2 billion Euro.
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Europe's First Solar Tower Power Plant
At the end of March 2007, Europe's first commercial concntrated solar power plant was inaugurated in Seville, South West Spain. A total of 624 large (120 square metre) moveable mirrors called heliostats track and focus the sun's rays to a single solar receiver at the top of a 115 metre tall tower.
Concentrated Solar Power is a technology which has remained out of the public domain. Though increasingly popular in the 1970's and 1980's - falling oil prices stopped most development of (and interest in) concentrated solar power until recently. Now in the USA, Spain, Israel and a few other locations new CSP plants are being built - for example Nevada solar one a 64MW power station being built near to Las Vegas.
At the end of March 2007, Europe's first commercial concntrated solar power plant was inaugurated in Seville, South West Spain. A total of 624 large (120 square metre) moveable mirrors called heliostats track and focus the sun's rays to a single solar receiver at the top of a 115 metre tall tower.
At temperatures of up to 250 degrees Celcius the solar receiver turns water into steam which turns a steam turbine generator also located in the tower producing electricity.
The new plant, PS10 (Planta Solar 10), is the first commercial solar thermoelectric power plant in the world and has a peak capacity of 11MW - sufficient to generate 23 million kWh of electricity per year powering 6,000 homes and saving 18,000 tonnes of carbon emissions per year. The plant took four years to build with construction finishing at the end of 2005 and has so far cost 35 million Euro. Construction was led by Solucar, an Albengoa company.
A second power tower, PS20 is being constructed which will produce around a peak of around 20MW of electricity. Construction began in October 2006.
PS10 is the first of a series of concentrated solar power plants which will total 300 MW of peak capacity by 2013 - enough to power almost 200,000 homes. The total cost of the project is in excess of 1.2 billion Euro.
How Indian Machine Can Makes Biogas From Any Organic Substance
We are well into the new year and have yet to bless the 2008 with a story from our poop-tech rubric. So, without further ado, here is another report documenting excrement-to-energy success.
In the last general elections, the National Democratic Alliance of the country used ‘India Shining’ as the caption to try and win the general elections in 2004 and basically their campaign was flushed down the drain. Maybe ‘India Pooping’ will serve the nation to shine a lot better than all those political decisions that are almost always useless. When it comes to leading the world in terms of producing fuel from poop, India leads the way. Basically the nation is now trying to use a tank that will convert human waste in to energy.
According to EcoGeek, an Indian plastics company called Sintex created a simple digester that can "take any organic material, including agricultural waste, kitchen scraps, or cow dung, and convert it to methane", which is then moved to a storage container via small tube. From there it can be used as natural gas for everything from cocking, to boiling water and even heating your home.
In fact, one of the nation’s small villages is already using this method to power their streetlights.
The digester costs only $425 and, according to Sintex, pays for itself in less than 2 years. In fact, the device has proved so efficient, that Indian government decided to subsidize 1/3 of the cost of the units. So the basic message is pretty simple, loud and clear. It is a lot better and a lot easier to trust poop to develop your village than your elected leader. Poop is a way better way to achieve shining India than political nonsense.
Space Laser Capture Solar Energy And Transmit To Earth
Space Lasers have always been criticized as being an extra-terrestrial sniper rifle waiting for commands to kill. However, like most life-threatening technologies this too has a peaceful use. Some Japanese scientists are eyeing a space laser that transmits solar power to earth.
Using Paint Solar Energy Can Be Converted To Electricity
People across the world are trying out various crazy ideas to try and harness the renewable sources of energy to the maximum possible extent and we love every effort that is made in this direction. Some of them might really change the face of the planet, while most efforts just might not make anything beyond a minor difference to the current state of things. But then, every little improvement is really welcome.
Researchers at Swansea University are developing a new, eco-friendly technology that could generate as much electricity as 50 wind farms.
Dr Dave Worsley, a Reader in the Materials Research Centre at the University’s School of Engineering, is investigating ways of painting solar cells onto the flexible steel surfaces commonly used for cladding buildings.
We all know that the sun damages a layer of paint that is exposed to it over long period of times. This very fault of paints has given this unique idea birth. Researchers believe that they can coat the steel with a paint that allows it to produce electricity. To further improve the technology, it is being made in such a fashion that it reacts to even low intensity light.
A research grant from the Welsh Assembly Government’s Welsh Energy Research Centre (WERC) enabled Dr Worsley to work with leading metals group Corus to investigate the feasibility of developing an efficient solar cell system that can be applied to steel building products. The success of the study led to the award of a three-year project worth over £1.5 million by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.Paint is applied to steel when it is passed through rollers during the manufacturing process, and it is hoped that the same approach can be used to build up layers of the solar cell system. The researchers’ aim is to produce cells that can be painted onto a flexible steel surface at a rate of 30-40m2 a minute.
Dr Worsley believes that the potential for the product is immense.
Now there is a wonderful example of how success breeds success. If this indeed comes true, then very soon our buildings will be producing all the power we need and that is an amazingly wonderful idea; even if it is just a fantasy.
GWS Wind Turbines - Green Products Expo
It is absolutely delightful to know that there still are conventions like the Green product Expo and that they are wiling to carry the Green Wave across the planet. The Green Product Expo of this year also saw the familiar display of gadgets that run on alternate sources of energy and the line-up is again as impressive if not more than any time in the past. HYmini showed off their wind-powered gadget charger at the Greener Gadgets Conference, a few weeks back. The booth was filled with GWS gadgets that thrive and sustain homes using wind and solar energy.
GWS--that stands for Green Wind Solar--doesn't actually manufacture the HYmini. Rather, they help market the thing. Probably for the best, given that the people who designed the device are also the ones who settled on its highly unfortunate name.
The HYmini series is something that sounds more like a mini skirt than an environment project, but then I am not the one involved in selling it, so what do I know? The product produces energy based on wind and is your modern day version of the turbine.
World's Largest PV Solar Farm Opens
This week in Spain ,the switch was flipped on the largest installed photovolatic installation in the world.With a peak power output of 20 megawatts and an average of more than 300 days of sunlight per year,it is expected that this massive array will provide enough power for roughly 20,000 homes.
This farm surpasses the solar farm at the Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada which is rated at 14 megawatts. The new solar farm consists of 120,000 solar panels and covers 100 hectares in Jumilla, a wine-producing region in southern Spain.
The solar panels are owned by groups of investors. It’s expected to generate an estimated annual income of $28 million and a reduction in CO2 emissions of 42,000 tons a year. Powerlight provided single-axis solar trackers to improve the system´s performance.
You may wonder about the environmental impact of this huge development. A local Spanish association called Juncellus, was called on to ensure high environmental criteria in the construction of the plant. They included replanting around the plant, water deposits for fires, drinking troughs for birds and other such details.
Not counting this installation, renewable energy in Spain currently accounts for 7% of energy output. As one of the largest consumers of solar panels in the world, this is only expected to increase.
Arizona Is Going To Build The World’s Largest Solar Plant
The plant, scheduled to go into operation by 2011, is located 70 miles southwest of Phoenix, near Gila Bend, Arizona. It will sell the electricity produced by its huge solar field to APS over the next 30 years for total revenue of around $4 billion, bringing over $1 billion in economic benefits to the state of Arizona. So basically it is not just going to help Arizona get cleaner and greener but will also help it immensely from a fiscal outlook as well.
Abengoa Solar has a team of 40 people in the United States and Spain dedicated to researching, developing and improving solar technologies. In December 2007, the U.S. Department of Energy selected Abengoa Solar for three research and developments projects to improve trough technology.
Combine Wind Power and Solar to Producing Panles:GROW energy
SMIT’s latest technological innovation, the GROW panel, trumps both conventional solar panels and wind turbines in harnessing natural energy.While its unique panels can capture the solar energy like any other solar panel we know of so far, GROW can also utilize the power of the wind to produce energy as the breeze jostles its leaf-like slender design.
Using a series of flexible solar cells as leaves, GROW takes the shape of ivy growing on a building- the leaves are solar cells while the wind that causes them to flutter is harvested as viable energy. Teresita hopes that the modular system would be readily available via the Moma store or Design Within Reach, rather than a commercially out-of-reach system like many traditional solar components. GROW also integrates an energy monitoring system for users to visualize their consumption. The leaves are made of 100% recyclable polyethylene, and are available in a variety of colors and opacities.
We love the simplicity of the idea, the natural inspiration, and the idea of bite-sized solar panels fluttering in the wind on the side of a house.
Researchers developing this technology have revealed plans to sell the GROW panels as an alternative energy source through art/design retailers hoping to reach out to the masses through its shapely appeal.