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

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

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

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Copt (NTT), Toyko Japan, combines photovoltaic and thermal harvesting in the same container with an added benefit of up to 50% increase of current output. Sanyo Semiconductor Co's silicon PV cells are housed in a water-tight, transparent, enclosure in a staggered stair like configuration. This setup can provide power normally. However NTT fills the container with water, the water then refracts and reflects the light in such a way that the PV cells current output increases up to 50%. The PV cells absorb the visible light, while the water inside absorbs the infrared. The water is then heated and can be pumped out to be used.

The water has a similar effect like the "FUSION" film I wrote about in another post, but seems to have a greater effect. The film is cheap, while the NTT water enclosure is not. So, for now the water option will remain in the research lab. My question is, how deep does the water have to be to provide that effect?

I hope to see more from NTT.

Eavesdropper

Walmart solar roof tops

Big companies need to participate in green initiatives, it is their ethical responsibility. Walmart, the world largest employer, is enthusiastic about alternative energy. Walmart partnered with The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) in 2007 to provide a some momentum to photovoltaic technologies and research. They are particularly interested in thin-film solar. A few years later, Walmart has installed thin-film solar panels on top of several stores in California, Arizona, and Puerto Rico. Due to those locations receiving ample sun, they were logical choices. Currently, Walmart wishes to expand their solar stores to another 30 locations. The result is a reduction in each store's power demand by up to 30%. Collectively, Walmart produces 22.5 Million kWhs of energy. As they promote, "It is like taking 3000 cars off the road each year." Saving 11,650 metric tons of GHG from the atmosphere.

The thin-film solar panels come from First Solar and MiaSolé. Their products are far less expensive than silicon based solar panels. First Solar uses Cadmium Telluride and MiaSolé has copper, indium, selenide, and gallium based solar components. At 1 micron thick, their thin-film solar panels require less materials to manufacture, and are light weight and easy to install. They even work better than their silicon based counterparts on cloudy days, in smog and fog conditions. Thin-film even works with snow accumulation.

With the 8,350 Walmart locations, the chain has the potential to generate 6262.5 Million kWhs of energy, if they all produced at peak capacity. Walmart's vice president of energy, Kim Saylors, said " By leveraging our global scale to become a more efficient company, we are able to lower our expenses and help develop markets for new technologies. Developing and incorporating new renewable energy sources, like thin film, reduces energy price risk and aligns very well with our commitment to solving business challenges through technology.”

At an average of 1000kWh of energy a month per home (Based on California averages) Walmart could generate enough power 1/5 million homes for a year, to put it in perspective.

Cabe

Most college students fill their dorm rooms with clothes, books, and electronics. Thiago Olson also brought his fusion reactor. But Vanderbilt University drew the line: No do-it-yourself reactors in the dorm! Instead, his device was housed in a nearby laboratory. Itching for a challenging science project, Thiago Olson decided to build a small nuclear reactor. He had limited funds, limited space in his garage, and little engineering know-how. With a year of research and another of building, Olson pulled it off, joining a club of fewer than 20 amateurs in the world who are known to have created ‘fusors’, tabletop machines that fuse atoms to produce energy. There’s no risk of a mushroom cloud-the machine creates barely enough energy to heat a cup of coffee. How did he do it? Olson pored over graduate-level physics textbooks, studied vacuum-pump manufacturers’ manuals, and scoured the Web for cheap parts. Though mostly self-taught, he occasionally solicited advice on a fusion Web site. Once, he posted photos of a cheap photomultiplier tube he’d bought online because he had no idea how to rig it up. Another fusioneer on the site who had the same model promptly told him which wires went where. Amateur nuclear engineers are, it seems, a helpful bunch. How it works: Two vacuum pumps suck air out of the central chamber, leaving a near-total vacuum. Loose atoms in here interfere with fusion and lower yield. The chamber is filled with deuterium and jolted with about 45,000 volts of electricity. A negatively charged grid of thin steel wires attracts the now-positive particles, sometimes causing them to collide. Colliding particles fuse to form helium-3. The resulting neutron emission is measured, proving that fusion occurred. Not bad for an amateur. Not to mention Olson built his reactor for just about a thousand bucks.

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