Friday, March 21, 2008
Less-known Alternative Energy Sources, Ideas
Chances are you've heard of hybrids and biofuels, but what about oil-producing yeast and turbinelike buoys that transform ocean waves into electricity? Those are just a couple of the alternative-energy sources that may power the future according to Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund and coauthor, with Miriam Horn, of the new book "Earth: The Sequel" (Norton).
While he says oft-cited solar power technology is our best bet for now, Krupp emphasizes that quirkier projects, like algae concoctions that eat up carbon emissions, are essential elements of a smart, diversified energy strategy. NEWSWEEK's Katie Paul talked with Krupp about why he thinks the next industrial revolution looks bright green. Excerpts @ Newsweek
While he says oft-cited solar power technology is our best bet for now, Krupp emphasizes that quirkier projects, like algae concoctions that eat up carbon emissions, are essential elements of a smart, diversified energy strategy. NEWSWEEK's Katie Paul talked with Krupp about why he thinks the next industrial revolution looks bright green. Excerpts @ Newsweek
Labels: advocacy-hydroelectricity, alternative-energy
Hydro-Hydraulic Invention for Micro-hydro Power Generation
Pakistan inventor Sarfraz Ahmad Khan has been working hard to develop new hydro technologies like this hydro power invention. His latest concept features the run of river active setup of micro hydro power generation blended with basic principals of hydraulics. This concept explores the possibility of transmitting the (collective) mechanical power gained from run-of-river hydro setup by converting it into hydraulic pressure. The sum-up of hydraulic pressure will make the main generators work. The basic concept requires hydraulic systems that can help to us to gain some reasonably good mechanical advantages. The hydro-mechanics will convert the mechanical force into hydraulic pressure. The collective hydraulic pressure shall be utilized to rotate the generator shaft.
More from here
More from here
Labels: advocacy-hydroelectricity, hydro-power, hydroelectricity
PermaLink - Hydro-Hydraulic Invention for Micro-hydro Power Generation posted by Ecacofonix : 9:21 PM
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Alternative energy technologies of the future
A nice dwelling upon on various alt energy technologies and ideas...can't say this is exhaustive, but some of the ideas discussed are cool and there are lots of web resources for sure
Labels: advocacy-hydroelectricity, inventions
The Ultimate Energy Solution - Genetically Modified Bacteria?
A Tifton agricultural researcher says he has found the solution to the world’s energy crisis through genetic modification and cloning of bacterial organisms that can convert bio-mass into hydrocarbons on a grand scale. The local researcher believes his groundbreaking discovery could result in the production of 500 to 1,000 barrels of hydrocarbon fuel per day from the initial production facility. The hydrocarbon fuel — commonly known as oil or fossil fuel when drilled — will require no modification to automobiles, oil pipelines or refineries as they exist today and could forever end the United States’ dependence on foreign oil, he said.
J.C. Bell, who brought the world powdered peanut butter, has spent the last four years, identifying the bacteria that produces hydrocarbon and then finding a way to genetically alter it so that it could produce hydrocarbon in greater volume.
Bell cited a USDA study that projected it was possible to produce two billion tons of bio-mass that could be converted to hydrocarbon with some modification to agriculture and forestry practices.
Sounds like belonging to the too-good-to-be-true category, but this guy seems to have some official approvals, so who knows!
Full article here
J.C. Bell, who brought the world powdered peanut butter, has spent the last four years, identifying the bacteria that produces hydrocarbon and then finding a way to genetically alter it so that it could produce hydrocarbon in greater volume.
Bell cited a USDA study that projected it was possible to produce two billion tons of bio-mass that could be converted to hydrocarbon with some modification to agriculture and forestry practices.
Sounds like belonging to the too-good-to-be-true category, but this guy seems to have some official approvals, so who knows!
Full article here
Labels: advocacy-hydroelectricity
PermaLink - The Ultimate Energy Solution - Genetically Modified Bacteria? posted by Ecacofonix : 4:55 AM
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Saturday, January 19, 2008
Synthetic fuel recipe mixes reclaimed CO2, water, sunlight
Synthetic fuel recipe mixes reclaimed CO2, water, sunlight
In the hydrogen economy, automobiles would be powered by the simplest element on the periodic table, leveraging the element's abundance. But as the Hindenburg disaster demonstrated, hydrogen is the also most difficult element to compress into a safe, usable form. Why not instead synthesize a hydrocarbon-based fuel, such as methanol or even gasoline?
Sandia National Laboratories is building such a fuel synthesizer in a bid to harnesses sunlight to reverse the process of combustion. The reactor would use reclaimed carbon dioxide emissions to create renewable synthetic fuel by combining the CO2 with water.
More from here
In the hydrogen economy, automobiles would be powered by the simplest element on the periodic table, leveraging the element's abundance. But as the Hindenburg disaster demonstrated, hydrogen is the also most difficult element to compress into a safe, usable form. Why not instead synthesize a hydrocarbon-based fuel, such as methanol or even gasoline?
Sandia National Laboratories is building such a fuel synthesizer in a bid to harnesses sunlight to reverse the process of combustion. The reactor would use reclaimed carbon dioxide emissions to create renewable synthetic fuel by combining the CO2 with water.
More from here
Labels: advocacy-hydroelectricity
PermaLink - Synthetic fuel recipe mixes reclaimed CO2, water, sunlight posted by Ecacofonix : 11:20 AM
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Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Ex NASA Engineer, Super Soaker Inventor Touts Solid State Heat-2-Power
Ex NASA Engineer, Super Soaker Inventor Touts Solid State Heat-2-Power
10th January 2008
A former NASA engineer, most famous for inventing the noted "Super Soaker" squirtguns, may be on the track of a radical new energy technology which could have important implications for power generation.
Popular Mechanics reports that Lonnie Johnson, late of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, believes he may be able to hugely increase the efficiency of converting heat into electricity. Dubbed the Johnson Thermoelectric Energy Conversion system, it's a "solid-state engine" which uses temperature differences to drive a closed hydrogen loop in which protons move across a membrane. This generates electricity, drawing energy efficiently from the heat source. Johnson thinks it will easily scale up to the megawatt range.
Full story
10th January 2008
A former NASA engineer, most famous for inventing the noted "Super Soaker" squirtguns, may be on the track of a radical new energy technology which could have important implications for power generation.
Popular Mechanics reports that Lonnie Johnson, late of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, believes he may be able to hugely increase the efficiency of converting heat into electricity. Dubbed the Johnson Thermoelectric Energy Conversion system, it's a "solid-state engine" which uses temperature differences to drive a closed hydrogen loop in which protons move across a membrane. This generates electricity, drawing energy efficiently from the heat source. Johnson thinks it will easily scale up to the megawatt range.
Full story
Labels: advocacy-hydroelectricity
PermaLink - Ex NASA Engineer, Super Soaker Inventor Touts Solid State Heat-2-Power posted by Ecacofonix : 7:01 AM
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Inventors use sun to capture pool debris at surface
Inventors use sun to capture pool debris at surface
Jan. 10, 2008 12:00 AM
Solar Breeze is the world's only solar-powered pool skimmer - it also adds chlorine or other chemicals to your pool while it cleans.
When Ruzsa and his partner, Terry Maaske began to consider pool cleaners, what struck them was the fact that most pool cleaners only work after debris falls to the bottom of the pool, requiring a motor and a pump.
"We thought, 'Why not capture it at the surface?' ". In development for about three years, Solar Breeze was launched last spring and has already garnered a strong response and consumer demand. The small machine floats on the surface of a pool, using a solar-powered battery to collect any debris floating on the water's surface.
Full story
Jan. 10, 2008 12:00 AM
Solar Breeze is the world's only solar-powered pool skimmer - it also adds chlorine or other chemicals to your pool while it cleans.
When Ruzsa and his partner, Terry Maaske began to consider pool cleaners, what struck them was the fact that most pool cleaners only work after debris falls to the bottom of the pool, requiring a motor and a pump.
"We thought, 'Why not capture it at the surface?' ". In development for about three years, Solar Breeze was launched last spring and has already garnered a strong response and consumer demand. The small machine floats on the surface of a pool, using a solar-powered battery to collect any debris floating on the water's surface.
Full story
Labels: advocacy-hydroelectricity
PermaLink - Inventors use sun to capture pool debris at surface posted by Ecacofonix : 6:57 AM
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New 3D Solar Panel Design Traps More Light
A new solar panel unveiled this month by the Georgia Tech Research Institute hopes to brighten the future of the energy source.
The difference is in the design. Traditional solar panels are often flat and bulky. The new design features an array of nano-towers — like microscopic blades of grass — that add surface area and trap more sunlight.
And that has resulted in a big jump in current generated. Ready said the three-dimensional panels produce about 60 times more than traditional solar cells.
Full story here
The difference is in the design. Traditional solar panels are often flat and bulky. The new design features an array of nano-towers — like microscopic blades of grass — that add surface area and trap more sunlight.
And that has resulted in a big jump in current generated. Ready said the three-dimensional panels produce about 60 times more than traditional solar cells.
Full story here
Labels: advocacy-hydroelectricity
New Solar Panel Demo and Details
NYU grad invents solar bikini
NYU grad invents solar bikini
September 19th, 2007 by by Mary Jane Weedman
Imagine it’s a warm August day. You’re lying on the beach and trying to relax — but your beer is warm, and your iPod’s batteries are dead. If only there were a bathing suit that could solve yr problems.
Andrew Schneider knows how you feel. And he’s done something about it. A 2007 graduate of New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program, Schneider spent a semester inventing a solar bikini, made of small photovoltaic film strips. The suit isn’t waterproof, but it has a built-in USB port and can generate enough power to charge an iPod.
Full story
September 19th, 2007 by by Mary Jane Weedman
Imagine it’s a warm August day. You’re lying on the beach and trying to relax — but your beer is warm, and your iPod’s batteries are dead. If only there were a bathing suit that could solve yr problems.
Andrew Schneider knows how you feel. And he’s done something about it. A 2007 graduate of New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program, Schneider spent a semester inventing a solar bikini, made of small photovoltaic film strips. The suit isn’t waterproof, but it has a built-in USB port and can generate enough power to charge an iPod.
Full story
Labels: advocacy-hydroelectricity
New invention to make parabolic trough solar collector systems more energy
New invention to make parabolic trough solar collector systems more energy
A mirror alignment measurement device, invented by Rich Diver, a researcher at Sandia National Laboratories, may soon make one of the most popular solar collector systems, parabolic troughs, more affordable and energy efficient.
More from here
A mirror alignment measurement device, invented by Rich Diver, a researcher at Sandia National Laboratories, may soon make one of the most popular solar collector systems, parabolic troughs, more affordable and energy efficient.
More from here
Labels: advocacy-hydroelectricity
PermaLink - New invention to make parabolic trough solar collector systems more energy posted by Ecacofonix : 6:35 AM
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Solar Heat Stored in Molten Salt
Solar Heat Stored in Molten Salt
This article Commercializing Solar Power with Molten Salt talks about a new system that will store the sun’s heat in molten salt. The salt will allow a solar power plant to be able to generate electricty even when it is dark or cloudy.
"But now, a new venture called SolarReserve hopes to change all that using salt! Their program would save and store captured solar energy in molten salt, the new solar plant will produce up to 500 megawatts of peak power — comparable to what a regular coal power plant can produce, only with no greenhouse gas emissions…"
Va: BrainStuff
This article Commercializing Solar Power with Molten Salt talks about a new system that will store the sun’s heat in molten salt. The salt will allow a solar power plant to be able to generate electricty even when it is dark or cloudy.
"But now, a new venture called SolarReserve hopes to change all that using salt! Their program would save and store captured solar energy in molten salt, the new solar plant will produce up to 500 megawatts of peak power — comparable to what a regular coal power plant can produce, only with no greenhouse gas emissions…"
Va: BrainStuff
Labels: advocacy-hydroelectricity
Invention Nation: The Search for Eco Inventions
Invention Nation: The Search for Eco Inventions
The Science Channel has joined NBC and The Sundance Channel in adding eco-focused programming to their respective lineups. The three hosts of Invention Nation travel from New York to California, meeting up with green inventors along the way.
Episodes include:
Deep Fried Diesel: Converting a bus to run on biodiesel.
Human Power: Learning about solar and building a bike from bamboo.
Sun Power: Exploring solar, micro-hydro power, lighting, & solar ovens.
Dirt Rules: Turning food waste to methane gas and urban agriculture.
Invention Nation website.
Via: Pangaya Blog, Nov 2007 post
The Science Channel has joined NBC and The Sundance Channel in adding eco-focused programming to their respective lineups. The three hosts of Invention Nation travel from New York to California, meeting up with green inventors along the way.
Episodes include:
Deep Fried Diesel: Converting a bus to run on biodiesel.
Human Power: Learning about solar and building a bike from bamboo.
Sun Power: Exploring solar, micro-hydro power, lighting, & solar ovens.
Dirt Rules: Turning food waste to methane gas and urban agriculture.
Invention Nation website.
Via: Pangaya Blog, Nov 2007 post
Labels: advocacy-hydroelectricity
PermaLink - Invention Nation: The Search for Eco Inventions posted by Ecacofonix : 6:24 AM
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Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Swedes want more renewable energy
Swedes want more renewable energy
27 Mar 2007
More people than ever in Sweden want the country to expand its use of environmentally friendly energy sources. Support for hydroelectricity and biofuels has increased, according to a study from Gothenburg University, which also shows that just over three-quarters of people want Sweden to concentrate more on wind power, while 83 percent want more use of solar power.
Read more from here @ SR.se
27 Mar 2007
More people than ever in Sweden want the country to expand its use of environmentally friendly energy sources. Support for hydroelectricity and biofuels has increased, according to a study from Gothenburg University, which also shows that just over three-quarters of people want Sweden to concentrate more on wind power, while 83 percent want more use of solar power.
Read more from here @ SR.se
Labels: advocacy-europe, advocacy-hydroelectricity, renewable, renewable-europe, sweden
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Nine Vermont (USA) towns urge more micro-hydroelectric projects
March 10, 2007
The strangulation of government beauracies and regulations have killed the development of small hydroelectric projects.
Nine Vermont (USA) towns urge more micro-hydroelectric projects.
Voters at eight town meetings called on state government to clear the way for rapid development of small hydroelectric projects, but prospects for action appear poor.
By one estimate, Vermont has more than 1,000 dams, many of them abandoned 19th century mill sites. Activists say some of those dams could be used to generate small amounts of electricity without harming the environment.
Complex, lengthy, state and federal permitting processes make those projects financially impossible, according to complaints
Read the full report here @ Burlington Free Press
The strangulation of government beauracies and regulations have killed the development of small hydroelectric projects.
Nine Vermont (USA) towns urge more micro-hydroelectric projects.
Voters at eight town meetings called on state government to clear the way for rapid development of small hydroelectric projects, but prospects for action appear poor.
By one estimate, Vermont has more than 1,000 dams, many of them abandoned 19th century mill sites. Activists say some of those dams could be used to generate small amounts of electricity without harming the environment.
Complex, lengthy, state and federal permitting processes make those projects financially impossible, according to complaints
Read the full report here @ Burlington Free Press
Labels: advocacy, advocacy-hydroelectricity, advocacy-usa, hydroelectricity, hydroelectricity-usa, micro-hydroelectric-projects, micro-hydroelectric-projects-usa, usa
PermaLink - Nine Vermont (USA) towns urge more micro-hydroelectric projects posted by Ecacofonix : 11:02 AM
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