Kite power getting off the ground in Germany Despite offering numerous advantages over its rotating brethren, most notably the ability to reach the high-speed winds found at higher altitudes, kite-based energy systems are yet to really get off the ground in a meaningful way. But things are looking up. Earlier this year, NASA revealed it is investigating ways to improve the aerodynamics and autonomous flight control of kites for power generation applications, and now Berlin-based wind energy developer NTS GmbH has teamed with the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA) to make their own kite energy system concept a reality. The team’s “kite power station” would see kites attached to cables measuring around 700 meters (2,297 ft) long, which would allow the kites to fly at heights of 300 to 500 meters (984 to 1,640 ft). “The energy yield of a kite far exceeds that of a wind turbine, whose rotor tips turn at a maximum height of 200 meters. Source: Fraunhofer
Hybrid nanomaterial converts light and heat into electricity A hybrid nanomaterial synthesized by combining copper sulfide nanoparticles and SWNTs can convert light and heat into electricity (Photo: Shutterstock) We’ve seen nanomaterials that can be used to convert light into electricity and others that can convert heat into electricity. Now researchers from the University of Texas at Arlington and Louisana Tech University have created a hybrid nanomaterial that can do both. While single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have been used in the construction of transparent solar cells and all-carbon solar cells, these are still very inefficient when compared to their conventional photovoltaic brethren. “If we can convert both light and heat to electricity, the potential is huge for energy production,” said UT Arlington associate physics professor Wei Chen. Compared to SWNT thin-film devices, the researchers say the new thin-film structure increases light absorption by as much as 80 percent in laboratory tests, making it a more efficient generator.
A 'Green' Gold Rush? Calif. Firm Turns Trash To Gas hide captionEnergy Of The Future? California company Sierra Energy is testing out a reactor that turns garbage — like these wood chips, metal fragments and plastics — into synthetic gas that can then be turned into a low-carbon diesel fuel. Christopher Joyce/NPR Second of a two-part series. Read Part 1 California starts the ball rolling Wednesday on a controversial scheme to keep the planet from overheating. Some permits will be auctioned today; the rest are free. It's a gamble. Dan Kammen, an energy expert at the University of California, Berkeley, helped write the climate law. "The way we say it," Kammen explains, "we've squeezed the lemon a little bit. Many of those low-energy products are made abroad. That includes people like Mike Hart. Hart has set up shop in a big warehouse at a mothballed Air Force base near Sacramento. hide captionSierra Energy is testing a reactor that makes fuel in a warehouse at an old Air Force base near Sacramento, Calif. "It's an exciting time," he says.
Volcano power plan gets U.S. go-ahead Having successfully negotiated the challenging regulatory slopes of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Department of Energy, and a host of Oregon state agencies, the Newberry Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) demonstration project is in the process of creating a new geothermal reservoir in central Oregon. The core of the new reservoir is a two mile (3.2 km) deep well drilled about four miles (6.3 km) from the center of Newberry Volcano. The rock surrounding the wellbore reaches temperatures in the order of 600° F (315° C), and is nearly impermeable to water. View all Newberry Volcano is one of the largest and youngest volcanoes in the United States. The Newberry EGS demonstration project is located near the boundaries of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument The Newberry EGS demonstration is the largest project funded to date by the DOE Geothermal Technologies Program. Artist's impression of an EGS electric power plant. Source: AltaRock Energy
Algal Biofuel Sustainability Review Highlights Concerns about Water Supply The National Academy of Sciences' report on the sustainability of algae biofuels highlights concerns that have already been resolved, industry heads said yesterday. NAS released a comprehensive report yesterday, identifying potential issues of sustainability in the burgeoning algal biofuels industry. In its report, NAS measured the resources needed to produced 39 billion liters -- or 5 percent of American transportation fuel -- highlighting the low energy output. Companies are already recycling potentially polluting nutrients and using water that is too salty or too dirty for other uses. "Sustainability metrics are inextricably linked with cost-efficient ones," said Williams. Water is a major concern, as is the use of nitrogen fertilizers to stimulate growth of cyanobacteria and microalgae -- two microorganisms typically lumped together as algae biofuels. Energy output in relation to inputs, or "energy return on investment," remains an issue for algae, says the report.
Electricity from the marshes An unexpected source of new, clean energy has been found: the Plant-Microbial Fuel Cell that can generate electricity from the natural interaction between living plant roots and soil bacteria. The technique already works on a small scale and will soon be applied in larger marshland areas throughout the world. On 23 November, researcher Marjolein Helder will defend her PhD research on generating electricity via plants at Wageningen University, part of Wageningen UR. The Plant-Microbial Fuel Cell draws electricity from the soil while the plants continue to grow. The Plant-Microbial Fuel Cell can currently generate 0.4 Watt per square metre of plant growth. Marshlands Plant-Microbial Fuel Cells can be used on various scales. Marjolein Helder's PhD research did not only focus on the technical aspects of the Plant-Microbial Fuel Cell, but also on how the technology could be integrated into society.
Super-efficient solar-energy technology: ‘Solar steam’ so effective it can make steam from icy cold water Rice University scientists have unveiled a revolutionary new technology that uses nanoparticles to convert solar energy directly into steam. The new "solar steam" method from Rice's Laboratory for Nanophotonics is so effective it can even produce steam from icy cold water. The technology's inventors said they expect it will first be used in sanitation and water-purification applications in the developing world. Rice University scientists have unveiled a revolutionary new technology that uses nanoparticles to convert solar energy directly into steam. Details of the solar steam method were published online November 19 in ACS Nano. "This is about a lot more than electricity," said LANP Director Naomi Halas, the lead scientist on the project. The efficiency of solar steam is due to the light-capturing nanoparticles that convert sunlight into heat. "We're going from heating water on the macro scale to heating it at the nanoscale," Halas said. Halas, the Stanley C.
Tapping the Motion of the Ocean: Could the Tides Power Our World? | Environment on GOOD The city of Eastport, Maine is made up of a small group of islands just to the east of the eastern-most point of our eastern-most state. It houses about 1,300 residents, known for their dry humor, for their humbling heartiness, and for watching the sun rise hours before the rest of us get out of bed. The city boasts its annual pirate festival, its vague tie to a Mickey Rooney movie about a dragon, and the rip-roaring ocean tides that sweep its shores. The power of the ocean tides has never been lost on Mainers. It was as electrical power swept across the U.S., and the power grid was expanded, that folks in Eastport began eyeing the powerful tidal currents as one method of generation. The plan came to be known as The Passamaquoddy Tidal Power Project (or the "Quoddy Dam" Project) and—with the help of local resident and president, Franklin D. The four TideGen turbines are a pilot program. Coastal towns and cities around the globe are watching this experiment with great interest.
Award-winning device harvests energy from railway track vibrations Much of the abundant mechanical energy around us is irregular and oscillatory and can be somewhat difficult to efficiently tap into. Typical energy harvesting systems tend to be built for low power applications in the milliwatts range but researchers from New York's Stony Brook University have developed a new patent-pending electromagnetic energy harvester capable of harnessing the vibrations of a locomotive thundering down a stretch of track to power signal lights, structural monitoring systems or even track switches. As a train rolls down the track, the load it exerts on the track causes vertical deflection. This displacement could engage a regenerative device like an electromagnetic harvester and generate enough power to operate local railway applications, which is especially useful in remote areas where electrification is not cost effective. "The U.S. has the longest rail tracks in the world, approximately 140,700 miles; that are often in remote areas," said Professor Zuo.
Working under extreme conditions Freezing temperatures, icing, snow and an unpredictable climate have a bigger impact on a platform in the Barents Sea than in the North Sea. (Illustration: Ole Andre Hauge) “Try to imagine changing a tyre in freezing weather, snow and darkness,” says professor Tore Markeset, a specialist in cold climate technology at the University of Stavanger (UiS). That is his way of visualising the challenges facing oil companies seeking to produce oil and gas from the far north of the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). Weather, winter darkness, vast distances, and safety and emergency response challenges for petroleum facilities in the Barents Sea will all be more extreme than in the North Sea. “Compared with our expertise from the southern NCS, we know little about how to run an offshore production installation in a cold climate,” adds professor Ove Tobias Gudmestad at the UiS. Opened the Barents Sea Norway currently has one gas production facility operating in the southern Barents Sea. Longer Enclosed
Plant root used to create eco-friendly lithium-ion battery Researchers have found an eco-friendly alternative to the metal ores currently favored in the electrodes of lithium-ion batteries. The new non-toxic and sustainable battery uses purpurin, a red/yellow dye extracted from the root of the madder plant that has been used for dying cloth for at least 3,500 years – meaning the substance can simply be grown rather than mined. Currently, lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) is the material of choice for forming the cathode in Li-ion batteries. However, mining the cobalt and combining it with lithium at high temperatures to form the cathode is an expensive and energy-intensive process. Couple this with the energy used to extract the cobalt at the recycling stage and Dr. Dr. “These aromatic systems are electron-rich molecules that easily coordinate with lithium,” explained City College Professor of Chemistry, George John. The researchers are confident their green Li-ion battery will be commercially produced in the next few years.