Load Google Translate
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
(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
Rooftops globally are millions of acres of under tapped surface area prime for solar conversion. The structures are, in most cases, connected to the grid's of their respective countries, so energy distribution is built in. Many large companies are making the installation a standard for their sunniest stores. A certain new partnership seeks to make long roofing panels with integrated solar elements an option to traditional materials.
One of the world's top 10 steel manufacturers Tata Steel Corporation has partnered with a leading supplier of 3rd generation solar technology, Dyesol, in creating the world's largest dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC)thin-film panel. The module measures over 3 meters in length and is 1 square meter in overall photovoltaic surface area. The innovative manufacturing process allows the Tata/Dyesol collaboration to print the solar cells directly to the steel. This allows for the manufacture of large volumes of cost effective cells to be made to exactly fit the shape of the structure. Tata Steel Operations Manager states that they have already "successfully produced hundreds of meters of printed steel and polymer film" used in the prototypes.
Dye-sensitized cell construction is printed in the following layers. The top layer, anode, is made of tin dioxide (SnO2:F) deposited on the back of glass. Below this is a layer of iodide electrolyte, sometime platinum, and is sealed with the next layer to prevent leaking. The next, and final, is a conducting layer of titanium dioxide (TiO2), dipped in a photosensitive dye, ruthenium-polypyridine.
The possibility for an electron to re-enter the dye after absorption is quite slow compared to the transfer from the platinum layer to the electrolyte. This differential is favorable allowing the cell to work in low light and cloudy day conditions. Even though DSSC panels have a 5%-12% efficiency rating the ability to charge for longer periods of time may make the cells more productive than their silicon counterparts (silicon cells rate at 12%-15%).
Tata/Dyesol finished the 3 year joint project in this June, 2011. 20 more people are needed for the team while they prepare for the pre-industrialization phase of the project. Like not recycling, the ease of the Tata/Dyesol panels make it almost a crime not to use rooftop solar collection. Great job Tata and Dyesol.
Eavesdropper
Picture via Tata/Dysol
Starting out as a joke about a beer chilling bikini, Andrew Schneider from New York University has created a solar power bikini that actually works. A melding of textile work and electrical engineering, 1" x 4" photovoltaic thin film solar cells have been sewn together with conductive thread. The power is then funneled through a 5V regulator and terminated into a standard female USB port. A thin connector bridges between the top and bottom of the suit to collect all power to one source. The overall power output is enough to charge a single MP3 player or cell phone, mostly due to the fact that overall surface area is rather skimpy. Although geared towards education, the Solar Bikini is currently being sold through the Solar Coterie website. Each one is custom, only $200 USD , so act fast.
Keep in mind, the number one issue with solar cells, even with thin film, is the buildup of heat in the cells themselves. Also, with the conductive thread, this suit can not get wet at all. So, no swimming or sweating allowed.
To actually deliver his original joke of cooling a beer, a male version of the solar suit will be made into a pair of board-shorts. The solar collector, with more surface area, will be able to charge a device as well as power a Peltier cooling device for chilling one drink.
Will these ever be able to enter the water? Schneider is hard are work to make it happen.
Eavesdropper
Pictures via Andrew Schneider
Air heat with solar energy, a new approach in electricity generation.
Posted by Pranab Jyoti Ghosh May 10, 2011
A Canadian Wind Farm
I had asked this questions before, do wind farms effect the global environment? I now have the answer.
Alex Kleidon of the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemisty, Germany, theorizes that the overuse of wind/wave farms would have an impact as great as doubling the atmospheres concentration of CO2.
Kleidon states as we seek to replace the 17 Terawatts (TW), of the global 47 TW power consumption, of burning fossil fuels with renewable, we may end up depleting the amount of "Green Energy" the planet has to offer. It is a thermodynamic principal, as our wind farms generate electricity, it saps energy from the global system.
Energy from the sun hits the earth's atmosphere, and portions of it cause wind and ocean currents, evaporates water, moving condensation up into the atmosphere before it drops again. And the majority of the rest of the energy comes as heat, most of which is not harnessed. He says using wind/wave farms use a large portion of the sun's energy that reaches the earth.
Using models, Kleidon shows that the energy potential of wind power is reduced by a factor of 100 when wind farms are taken into account. He also shows that up to 70 TW of energy could be harvested from wind, but would destroy the natural global processes at the same time.
Although wind would not stop, his models have shown wind farms will effect turbulence, precipitation, and the amount of solar energy reaching the earth, over time. As Kleidon says, [as bad as] "doubling atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide."
What is a better option? More passive devices. A recent photosynthesis like breakthrough would not rob the world of kinetic energy at all. Plants have been doing it since the beginning.
Cabe
Where fresh water meets saltwater there is a potential to harvest energy. Stanford University researchers have developed a device that can use this use the mixing of the two water types and pull out more energy that they put in. A container holds fresh water, with positive and negative electrodes at either end, is charged and then submerged in saltwater. The device allows the two waters to mix. Since saltwater contains more ions of sodium and chlorine, the electrical potential between the electrodes increases.
Researcher Yi Cui elaborates, "The voltage really depends on the concentration of the sodium and chlorine ions you have. If you charge at low voltage in freshwater, then discharge at high voltage in sea water, that means you gain energy. You get more energy than you put in."
His idea is to place these devices when rivers, or other fresh water supplies, meet saltwater bodies, like the ocean. He claims that is every river mouth, estuaries, were tapped, 13% of the worlds electricity need would be met. (2 terawatts)
The battery could be 85% efficient, says Cui. To achieve this rating, the positive electrode is made of nanorods of manganese dioxide. This allows more surface area for the sodium ions to interact, move in and out, and speed up the process. This is not the first time electricity has been produces from the mix of saltwater and fresh water. However, this time both sodium and chlorine ions are used to generate power.
The next step for the team is to try this process with sewage water.
For the record, funding for Yi Cui's project has come from The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and the U.S. Department of Energy.
Eavesdropper
Sudden discoveries have lead to many different world changing technologies. For example, Penicillin came about through a cross contamination of two mold cultures in Dr. Alexander Flemings lab. X-rays were a surprise to researcher Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen for not putting a screen in front of a cathode ray tube he was studying. The list goes on and on.
The company SunCatalytix has made a discovery that has shown that the sun can be used to split water, and harvest the hydrogen. Researcher Daniel Nocera, from MIT, said that a jar of water could power a house. He also said that a swimming pool of water could meet the entire planet's electricity demand.
The idea works like photosynthesis. Sunlight gets absorbed and separates water. An artificial leaf made of Cobalt and Phosphate coated silicon is placed inside a jar of water, and the power output surpasses the best solar panel to date. It is discoveries like this that change the world. We will see more of this in the near future.
The Tata Group, a collection of companies that work to bring innovation to the world and the less fortunate, has partnered with SunCatalytix for an undisclosed amount. And they are receiving funding from other organizations to push the technology along.
See the SunCatalytix site for peer review links.
Eavesdropper
Copper Mountain Solar Installation via Sempra Generation
In Nevada, 40 miles southeast of Las Vegas, sits the United State's largest solar installation. Sempra Generation's 775,000 solar panels fill 380 acres generating 48 Mega-watts of electricity. This site is adjacent to an older 10 Mega-watt facility in El Dorado. Together, these sites will power 14,000 homes in California via Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) over the next 20 years.
Mesquite Solar I planned location via Sempra Generation
Sempra Generation is not stopping here. Mesquite Solar I, a project in its first phase, is planned to eclipse the Nevada location by a factor of 12.5. 600 Mega-watts will pour from this Arlington Arizona based solar farm, powering up to 56,000 additional homes. This is a commendable effort.
Perhaps they should bring the panels to power each home directly. I decided to do a little math and figure out how much space and average price this may cost each person.
I will use the Kyocera KC175GT, a 175 watt solar panel.
I let it collect sunshine for 6 hours a day. Giving me a total of (175x6) 1050 watt hours. 1.05kwh
The size is 4.2 feet by 3.25 feet. Or 13.65 square feet.
An average home requires about 50kwh. (2 - 3 story home)
So I need approximately 48 panels to power the home. (50/1.05 = 47.62)
Which is a total of 655.2 square feet. And this is 1/66th of an acre.
Each panel costs $770 USD at the moment, on sale. Or $36,960 total for 48 panels.
Although that his a high price to pay to be green, I am sure Sempra Generation could provide each person with panels for far less. I hope they read this and get inspired to go individual generation someday.
Eavesdropper
Evatran, USA Virginia state company, has unveiled their EV wireless charging stations. What every plug in hybrid needs, a way for the driver to not have to worry about where and how to plug in their cars. The "Plugless Power station" is a floor-mounted parking block that will automatically align itself with a an adapter mounted to the front of the EV. Through induction between the block and car mounted adapter, a charging circuit is completed. This is exactly like the Powermat or HP/Palm's Touchstone charging adapters. However, inducing current flow over such a distance come with a certain amount of loss. Currently Evatran's efficiency is at 80%, but Evatran plans to bump it up to 90% by the time production run models leave the assembly line.
Field testing, beta testing, has been underway since 2010. First run production models likely to ship in April 2011. The price for a unit will be $3,800 plus $500 for installation and adapter. There will be $2000 incentive in tax breaks. Can there be a price on park and forget on EVs?
Eavesdropper
A recent research project wants British soldiers to wear solar photovoltaic cells and a thermoelectric system to harness light or heat for 24/7 power. The goal is to lighten the packs soldiers carry by 50% and reduce the number of return trips to the base for recharging. An added benefit of the system is that after the various sources absorb all the energy across the electromagnetic spectrum, the soldiers will appear less obvious to infra-red surveillance equipment.
This project is a collaboration between the University of Glasgow and Strathclyde, Leeds, Reading, Loughborough, and Brunel Universities. Funding support is also coming from The Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Many different disciplines are at work on this project, including chemists, material science, process, electrical, and design engineers. As you can see, everyone is quite serious about this endeavor.
Solar PV will harness light in the day, and thermoelectric devices will take over the same task at night. "Advanced" storage schemes will be used to store excess energy while still providing continuous power. Side note; the thermal harvesters should run 100% of the time. Daytime heat and the active soldier will generate much more power than in the evening, but the team will discover this soon.
Professor Ducan Gregory of Glasgow said they are planning to have a prototype within 2 years. He hopes the technology will filter into other categories, like medical transportation, satellites, or other space applications.
Good luck, see you all in 2 years.
Eavesdropper
- theknode | The Drawer
- You have to be logged in to view the content of the Drawer. Please Login or Register.