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Archive for the ‘Alternative Energy’ category

Raise Your Hand If You Like Clean Water

August 11th, 2009

watcleaner-435x3001 Oil spills, soda cans, and food wrappers constantly pollute our waters. So much so, that it makes me wonder if all those “No Dumping” signs have surreptitiously been changed to “Water: Your New Landfill.”

So how can we combat the growing problem of contaminated oceans, rivers and lakes? With robots, of course. Thanks to a new invention from Chinese industrial designer, Ye Yao, comes the WatCleaner, a device designed to automatically clean water.

The WatCleaner has detectors on the bottom that monitor water for pollution, everything from basic garbage to oil, and clean the water. Absorbent socks on the top of the WatCleaner absorb oil and cleanse it. Additionally, garbage is taken in and directed to a disintegrator- clean water is then sprayed through the top of the WatCleaner and returned to the water system.

And for those of you animal rights activists, don’t worry, the WatCleaner also detects fish in order to clean the water in their area.

Beyond just cleaning the water of contaminants, the WatCleaner is also set up to transmit water condition information to land based controllers and ask for help if it encounters conditions too polluted to handle alone.

The WatCleaner won an “Excellent Works” designation in the 2007 Japan Design Foundation International Design Competition.

Old Meat, New Energy

August 11th, 2009

meaty Meat, it’s what’s for dinner. Or energy. Ever wonder what happens to all the extra meat that expires at the supermarket or the butcher shop? Well at least one supermarket isn’t just throwing it away. UK supermarket Tesco is turning meat into energy–yah, you read that right.

The food chain is burning 5,000 tons of inedible meat for fuel. The biomass processing is being handled by the Cheshire-based PDM Group. The meat-energy will then used to power UK homes via the National Grid. In fact, Tesco says they dispose of enough old meat to power 600 homes a year.

This begs the question, why are supermarkets loading up on so much meat when they can’t possibly sell it all before it goes bad? But I’ll leave that one for another day. As long as they can put it to a good use it’s ok in my book, although providing power doesn’t entail the same instant gratification as a well-cooked filet mignon.

An Energy Everyone Can Help Provide

August 11th, 2009

urine-hydrogen-fuel Pretty soon we will all be able to power our homes and cars just by taking a trip to the bathroom.

According to the scientists at the University of Ohio, it is possible, using a nickel based electrode, to create large amounts of cheap hydrogen from urine that in turn, can be utilized in hydrogen fuel cells.

This utilization of hydrogen as a source of power is one that is being extensively researched with everything from hydrogen fuel cell cars to hand held personal devices being powered by the most common element in the universe.

It is however, a complex process. As well as being highly flammable, storing pure hydrogen requires high pressure and low temperatures. Currently, new nano-materials with high surface areas capable of absorbing hydrogen are in production, but not on a large scale.

The science behind utilizing urine is to do with chemically binding hydrogen to other elements, such as water, to make it easier and safer to store and transport.

By inserting a special nickel electrode into a pool of urine and then applying an electrical current, you can release hydrogen gas. The current prototype measures 3x3x1 inch and can produce up to 500 milliwatts of power.

The Army Goes Green, Say What?

August 4th, 2009

070622-f-0782r-004 Isn’t it great when you selfishly do something and it turns out to be good for everybody? The U.S. Army can now add itself to that list.

When the Army announced they were going to build a 500 megawatt solar thermal plant in the California desert, it was hard to believe they were just trying to help the environment. And with good reason. As altruistic as the Army is, it usually isn’t well known for its philanthropy. But if it helps the planet, I won’t stop them from building it.

As it turns out, sustainable energy is safer, suggests Dr. Kevin Geiss, the program director for the project. The Army hired private developers, Clark Enterprises and a Spanish company called Acciona, that will build this massive solar plant at Ft. Irwin, California.

Right now, like many military bases, most of its energy comes from diesel generators—with long, vulnerable lines back to the fuel source. Screw the green movement, solar just makes sense.

The solar plant at Ft. Irwin will require at least 1.5 billion dollars total, and should be ready to crank electrons by 2022. A hefty price, yes, but there is the potential to earn much of it back. Located conveniently right next to high capacity transmission lines, the army can then sell most of the excess energy to southern California; and since Ft. Irwin only needs 35 megawatts at its peak, that leaves 465 to shed.

So what could be next on the irony scale? The CEO of GM driving to work in a Prius?

The Key to a Battery-Powered House

August 4th, 2009

house-battery-470-0709 Imagine a life where you would never have to deal with PG&E ever again. Sounds good, right? Soon it can actually become reality.

Without a way to store their power, no number of solar panels will free a home from the electrical grid. Until now. Researchers at Utah-based Ceramatec have developed a new battery that can be scaled up to store 20 kilowatt-hours—enough to power an average home for most of a day.

An easy sell for solar users, but it could also allow the grid to stockpile energy during less expensive off-peak hours. The new battery runs on sodium-sulfur—a composition that typically operates at greater than 600 F.

“Sodium-sulfur is more energetic than lead-acid, so if you can somehow get it to a lower temperature, it would be valuable for residential use,” Ralph Brodd, an independent energy conversion consultant, says. Ceramatec’s new battery runs at less than 200 F.

Ceramatec says that batteries will be ready for market testing in 2011, and will sell for about $2000.

Milan Greenlights Construction of World’s Largest Solar Rooftop

July 28th, 2009

1789_fiera-milano Milan, a city renowned as one of the world’s capitals of design and fashion, recently announced a blueprint for the planet’s largest solar rooftop solar array intended for its Milano Fiera trade fair facility.

Due for completion next year, the massive photovoltaic system will cover 2.9 million square feet and carry a peak capacity of 18 megawatts – enough to power a small city.

With the World Expo 2015 on the way, Milan is kicking its architectural endeavors up into high gear with a number of new major developments and revitalization projects. The city has already enlisted high profile designers to create the facility such as Zaha Hadid, Norman Foster, Arata Isozaki, and Daniel Libeskind.

While no definite start date has been set for construction of the solar array, bids have already been submitted, and the array is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2010.

Inhabitat has more.

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Posted in Alternative Energy, Clean Tech, Innovation, Solar

Tags: arata isozaki daniel libeskind design fashion inhabitat milan milano fiera norman foster solar rooftop solar array world expo 2015 zaha hadid

A Groundbreaking Flight Around the World

July 28th, 2009

solarimpulse2 Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard better check the weather report before liftoff if he wants his latest quest to be a success. The explorer is constructing a solar-powered plane to fly around the world in an effort to support sustainable development and demonstrate what renewable energy can achieve.

“Solar Impulse [the plane] will promote the idea of a new aviation era using cleaner planes powered by the almost infinite energy of the Sun rather than the dirty, finite reserves of fossil fuels,” says Bertrand Piccard.

“Although in its present design the craft will never be able to carry many passengers we believe that Solar Impulse can spark awareness about the technologies that can make sustainable development possible.”

Piccard hopes to start his round-the-world journey in 2010, barring no setbacks. The single-pilot Solar Impulse will be flown by three pilots flying in shifts: Bertrand Piccard, President and initiator of the project; Brian Jones, responsible for the sustainable development program; and André Borschberg from Switzerland, the Solar Impulse Chief Executive Officer.

The round the world trip will take place in five stages, each of which will last three to five days. It will fly from west to east and between 10° and 30° north of the Equator to take advantage of the prevailing winds and sunlight.

The Last Place You Would Have Ever Looked For Fuel

July 22nd, 2009

n1216552007_8159 Topping off your hydrogen-fueled car’s tank may soon have an entirely new meaning.

Ohio University scientists have developed an all-in-one machine to take urine, extract hydrogen from it, safely store precious-yet-dangerous gas and later extract it to generate energy. The researchers think their pee-powered prototype could finally make a case for practical hydrogen power.

From Discovery News: “One cow can provide enough energy to supply hot water for 19 houses,” said Gerardine Botte, a professor at Ohio University developing the technology.

Now that’s what we call a stream of energy.

Article by livescience.com

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Posted in Alternative Energy, Clean Tech, Home Energy, renewable energy

Tags: cow discovery news energy generate energy gerardine botte hydrogen livescience livescience.com ohio ohio university pee-powered topping off

A Thirst-Quenching Technology

July 20th, 2009

watermill Which of these things will happen first: pigs flying, creating water out of thin air, or the Chicago Cubs winning a world series? Some of you might have guessed the third option, but you would be wrong. Steve Bartman, anyone?

Element Four, a small Canadian firm, has applied its water technology to create the WaterMill, a novel electricity-powered machine that draws moisture from the air and purifies it into clean, drinkable water.

In a world where one out of five people are without access to clean drinking water, this new technology could potentially improve the lives of billions of people from third-world countries.

The WaterMill, which retails at $1300, is intended for household use only, but the company is designing a larger version called the WaterWall for the developing world, which would be large enough to supply water to a small village.

It’s early, but the company’s core principle is “to do good as we do well,” CEO Rick Howard says. “That’s part of truly what drives us — knowing that at some point we will be able to do some significant good.”

From Trash to Treasure

July 20th, 2009

dsc_0752_610x407 Next time your boss sees you throwing away his memo, tell him you’re doing it to help the environment. Unload the break room fridge into the garbage, and you’ll power the office for an hour or two. Surely, your hungry co-workers can’t stay mad at you knowing you are just trying to do your part.

IST Energy Corp. has launched its new product, the GEM3T120, a waste-to-energy system in the consumer market that cleanly converts trash into electricity and heat.

Perfect for office buildings, hospitals, and much more, the GEM3T120 can process up to three tons of paper, plastic, food, wood and agricultural materials daily into pellets. At full capacity, the resulting energy from these pellets is enough to power and heat a 200,000 square foot building housing more than 500 people. With no disposal costs for the waste it processes and the energy produced, IST estimates the GEM creates an annual energy cost savings of about $250,000.

The GEM can save consumers big bucks, but the benefits of using the system are not only financial. The GEM is eco-friendly and carbon negative, diminishing greenhouse gases by 540 tons annually. In fact, the system powers itself with the clean energy it produces.

Stu Haber, president and CEO of IST Energy says: “The GEM has created a value for every bag of trash we generate – first by eliminating the need for disposal and then by converting it into energy.”