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 We are taking a lead role in supporting the growth of alternative energy. Every day the renewables industry improves our ability to maximise energy generation from solar, wind and other sources. This site will stimulate discussions on key topics and demonstrate how you can harvest the power of the sun and wind.

Alternative Energy Technical Documents

H11D1 Optocoupler
SFH600-0 Optocoupler
Digital Isolator 4KV
Solar Battery Charger
2A Battery Charger
Battery Charger System

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joeman
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224 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: solutions, for, product, energy, alternative, engineers
Eavesdropper
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Almost a year ago, the National Ignition Facility (The "NIF") started down the path to create a sustained fusion reaction, a cold fusion reactor. Over 200 tons of laser glass distributed across 192 lasers are used in the core. The goal is to start a fusion chain reaction in hydrogen pellet fuel. The heat produced the fusion will boil water that turns turbines.

 

The issue so far is the amount of power the lasers consume. One test fire, which was for a fraction of a second, used more power than the whole of the United States (during that fraction). According to the BBC, NIF Director Ed Moses said that other fractional tests consumed more power than the entire world combined during that time period.

 

Another issue is the amount of hydrogen fuel the reaction will need. Approximately 10 pellets per second, or over a million a day. However, 1,300 pounds of fuel could provide as much electricity as 2 million metric tons of coal.

 

Moses said we all should see major developments at NIF over the next 10 years. See more informative videos in NIF's Youtube channel.

 

Eavesdropper

469 Views 1 Comments Permalink Tags: power, innovation, research, alternative, alternative_energy, fusion, renewable, power_station, energy_harvast
Eavesdropper
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USC fuel cell.gif

USC liberation method (via USC)

 

A problem with hydrogen for use as a fuel comes when the vehicle is in a crash. The hydrogen leaks out, and any sparks or fire will ignite the gas. Another problem is a hydrogen fire is invisible. (I toured a manufacturing facility once where they had hydrogen tanks for use in the factory. They had the "broom test" for testing if there is a hydrogen fire. People would walk down a hallway waiving brooms in front of them to see if the bristles catch fire. It is a scary thought. The same would happen with hydrogen vehicles.)

 

The use of hydrogen as a fuel is still on its way to reality. A common method of making hydrogen safe for transport is placing it into a harmless chemical. One method is a formic-acid storage. Another popular option is ammonia borane, a nitrogen-boron complex.

 

The University of Southern California (USC) has developed a way to extract hydrogen from ammonia borane. They took their research further and devised a way to extract the hydrogen at a rate that is usable as a fuel.  Unlike other boron and metal hydride hydrogen storage and release systems, the USC system is air-stable and re-usable. Read more of their findings at the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

 

You have liberated hydrogen, now you have to safe place to store it, and a great way to use it.

 

Eavesdropper

403 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: power, innovation, university, research, alternative, alternative_energy, fuel_cell, renewable, energy_harvast, on_campus, energy_storage, eavesdropper
Eavesdropper
1

11263nuclear.jpg

(Artist concept of the reactor. via Galaxy Wire)

 

NASA and the DOE are set to create a new type of power system for use in future space exploration. The concept is a mini-fission reactor that is 1.5 feet wide and 2.5 feet high.  "[It is] about the size of a carry on suitcase," said project leader James E. Werner at the 242nd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

 

Werner continued, "The biggest difference between solar and nuclear reactors is that nuclear reactors can produce power in any environment. Fission power technology doesn't rely on sunlight, making it able to produce large, steady amounts of power at night or in harsh environments like those found on the Moon or Mars. A fission power system on the Moon could generate 40 kilowatts or more of electric power, approximately the same amount of energy needed to power eight houses on Earth."

 

No exact word was said about how the actual device operated past saying it had a power conversion system. With a device that size, and lack of water in the destined locations, a steam turbine could not be used. From what I can gather, it will use some sort of thermal heat to electricity method. A Peltier junction, for example, could do exactly what they need.

 

Space exploration is not ended like NASA's shuttle program, it is just waiting for advancements like this mini-reactor to become reality.

 

Eavesdropper

807 Views 1 Comments Permalink Tags: power, innovation, research, alternative, alternative_energy, nasa, nuclear, doe, enery_harvast, power_station, energy_storage, eavesdropper
Eavesdropper
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By adding gold nanoparticles to organic photovoltaic panels, a research team from UCLA, China, and Japan have increased the solar efficiency. By using the plasmonic effect, where the metal helps absorb more sunlight, the team pushed the overall light to energy output efficiently from 5.22 to 6.24, for a 20% increase. The construction places a gold layer between two light absorbing subcells, called a tandem polymer solar cell. Their method of layering has sidestepped all past difficulties of adding metal nanostructures into devices.

 

The success of the plasmonic effect of gold nanoparticles will lead to future development of polymer solar cells. The interlayer structure is being considered for other materials and "opening up opportunities" for higher efficiency, milt-stack, tandem solar cells. However, with gold currently at $1,800 USD per oz, the gains in efficiency may be diminished by manufacturing costs.

 

The project lead is professor Yang Yang of UCLA's Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and director of the Nano Renewable Energy Center at UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute. The research team includes Xing Wang Zhang from the Key Lab of Semiconductor Materials Science at the Institute of Semiconductors at Beijing's Chinese Academy of Science and Ziruo Hong from the Graduate School of Science and Engineering at Japan's Yamagata University.

 

Three people, alone, changed organic solar cells forever.

 

Eavesdropper

311 Views 1 Comments Permalink Tags: innovation, university, alternative, solar_panel, solar, alternative_energy, solar_cell, enery_harvast, energy_harvast, on_campus, eavesdropper
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