US military's SPIDERS microgrid uses 90% renewables in first test You can get a preview of the future energy landscape of the US by checking out the new SPIDERS renewable energy microgrid project. SPIDERS, which has the eventual aim of widespread adoption in the civilian sector, is designed to keep critical military facilities in operation in case of grid outages while inserting a healthy dose of clean, locally sourced energy into the picture. DoD has been emerging as a renewable energy powerhouse, and that’s something to keep in mind as President Obama is expected to call for hardcore action on climate change in his State of the Union address. The SPIDERS Microgrid Project SPIDERS is a $30 million project lead by Sandia National Laboratories, under a partnership between the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy that involves numerous other federal laboratories, agencies and military commands. “Crawl, Walk, Run” to Renewable Energy Microgrids According to a report last week by the Ho’okele News, the test took place at the end of January.
Tesla Technology: 5 Bladeless Turbines About To Revolutionize Energy Production Tesla Technology: 5 Bladeless Turbines About To Revolutionize Energy Production www.endalldisease.com “Every home in America can run on wind energy. In fact these units can be installed on existing power poles in rural areas, to catch the wind and send its energy back to the plant.” - Raymond Green, Inventor In 1913, Inventor Nikola Tesla patented a bladeless steam turbine that he claimed was the most efficient and the most simple rotary engine ever designed. One century later, we now have all the materials needed to build Tesla’s turbine, and in 2010, a patent was issued to a company called Solar Aero for a wind turbine based on the Tesla design. Current wind turbine technology with rotating blades is both inefficient, and causes noise pollution, which has been reported to have detrimental health effects on residents living nearby. Bladeless Wind Turbine #1: ‘The Saphonian’ Bladeless Wind Turbine #2: ‘The EWICON’
A Material That Could Make Solar Power “Dirt Cheap” A new type of solar cell, made from a material that is dramatically cheaper to obtain and use than silicon, could generate as much power as today’s commodity solar cells. Although the potential of the material is just starting to be understood, it has caught the attention of the world’s leading solar researchers, and several companies are already working to commercialize it. Researchers developing the technology say that it could lead to solar panels that cost just 10 to 20 cents per watt. In the past, solar researchers have been divided into two camps in their pursuit of cheaper solar power. The new material may make it possible to get the best of both worlds—solar cells that are highly efficient but also cheap to make. One of the world’s top solar researchers, Martin Green of the University of New South Wales, Australia, says the rapid progress has been surprising. Perovskites have been known for over a century, but no one thought to try them in solar cells until relatively recently.
This graph of the day shows baseload generation may be redundant soon. Please click here for more graphs of the day Anyone who has observed recent developments in Germany, and to a growing extent in Australia, will have noted the rapidly changing dynamics of electricity markets caused by the growth in renewables. So much so, that according to this graph of the day, the concept of baseload power may be redundant in Germany within a decade. The graph of the day shows how Germany’s electricity market might look like in 2022, in a week of August, when windy and sunny weather help wind farms and solar plants deliver most of the electricity requirements, needing little extra from fossil fuel plants (nuclear power has already been closed). What does this mean for baseload power stations? That’s because they will get squeezed out of the market. This is a complete change from the past, where baseload power trundles throught the night and day and is augmented by “peaking” power, usually expensive fast response gas generation, when demand increases.
Wind Turbine Output Boosted 30% by Breakthrough Design Clean Power Published on April 29th, 2009 | by Timothy B. Hurst Passive structure design of “Wind Energizer” by Leviathan Energy reportedly increases wind turbine efficiency 30% in field tests. Technological advancements in wind energy efficiency have generally come incrementally and usually made via a process of increasingly large wind turbine blades. Put simply, the model has been: longer blades = more output per turbine. But that pattern of incremental improvements may be a thing of the past if Leviathan Energy has anything to say about it. The principle theory at work is that by placing passive objects around a wind farm it will change the circulation around a large wind turbine. “This is a disruptive technology,” Leviathan Energy CEO Dr. Farb is a bit of a modern day renaissance man. “We’re shaping the flow so that the highest velocities hit the blades. >>See also : Leviathan Launches US Sales Effort for Wind Energizer Images courtesy of Leviathan Energy Follow Tim Hurst on twitter
World record solar cell with 44.7% efficiency The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, Soitec, CEA-Leti and the Helmholtz Center Berlin jointly announced today having achieved a new world record for the conversion of sunlight into electricity using a new solar cell structure with four solar subcells. Surpassing competition after only over three years of research, and entering the roadmap at world class level, a new record efficiency of 44.7% was measured at a concentration of 297 suns. This indicates that 44.7% of the solar spectrum's energy, from ultraviolet through to the infrared, is converted into electrical energy. This is a major step towards reducing further the costs of solar electricity and continues to pave the way to the 50% efficiency roadmap. Back in May 2013, the German-French team of Fraunhofer ISE, Soitec, CEA-Leti and the Helmholtz Center Berlin had already announced a solar cell with 43.6% efficiency.
A silicon sprinkle for electric cars Research Scientist Werner Filtvedt collects silicon powder from the freespace reactor at the Institute for Energy Technology Kjeller, on the outskirts of Oslo. (Photo: Arnfinn Christensen, forskning.no) A heavy gas sinks down through a vertical metal cylinder at the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE). It’s hot inside the pipe, nearly 1000° C. Four hydrogen atoms are split off, leaving a single atom of silicon. Werner Filtvedt, Trygve Tveiterås Mongstad and Jan Petter Mæhlen can fish this agglomerate powder of silicon out from the base of the cylinder. Rigorous specifications The silicon powder can replace graphite as the positive electrode − the anode − in lithium-ion batteries. But these properties also create special problems, so the powder has to meet stringent standards. The problems are linked to the way a battery creates electricity. Fine and even Silicon has ten times graphite’s capacity for taking on lithium. Silicon powder from the freespace reactor. Basic research
How it Works | Sheerwind Watch this: Watch 3 actual turbines in action! SheerWind’s INVELOX Wind Delivery is simply a better way to harvest wind energy. Wind is captured at the top of the funnel shaped INVELOX system. The omnidirectional intake area allows wind collection from any directionWind is funneled through the systemWind is concentrated and further accelerated in the Venturi Effect* section of the INVELOX system. *The Venturi effect is the phenomenon that occurs when a fluid that is flowing through a pipe is forced through a narrow section, resulting in a pressure decrease and a velocity increase.Wind is delivered to the turbine/generators to convert the accelerated wind to electrical power. This system of capturing, concentrating, accelerating, and harvesting wind power in a funnel is a patented system we call INVELOX™ (for INcreased VELocity). SheerWind’s mission is to provide sustainable, affordable, electrical energy to anyone, anywhere. inShare213
Methane hydrates ethane hydrate isn’t a familiar term to most, but it is gaining popularity in the energy sector. In the realm of energy R&D, methane hydrates are being evaluated as a potential fuel for the future. Some believe there is enough methane in the form of hydrates—methane locked in ice—to supply energy for hundreds, maybe thousands, of years. Lorie Langley, who is leading ORNL’s Gas Hydrate program for the Fossil Energy Program, believes ORNL can contribute significantly to DOE’s and Congress’s research agenda. Last month President Clinton signed the Methane Hydrate Research and Development Act, which authorizes approximately $50 million over five years to develop an understanding of the nature, behavior and abundance of this clean-burning energy resource. Explains Langley, “Gas hydrates are clathrate compounds. Methane hydrates, which form at low temperature and high pressure, are found in sea-floor sediments and the arctic permafrost. The natural gas infrastructure is growing also.
How I built an electricity producing wind turbine Several years ago I bought some remote property in Arizona. I am an astronomer and wanted a place to practice my hobby far away from the sky-wrecking light pollution found near cities of any real size. I found a great piece of property. One thing I noticed right away about my property is that most of the time, the wind is blowing. Let me state up front that I probably won't be able to help you out much if you decide to build your own wind turbine. Since no one seems to be reading the FAQ, I will answer the No. 1 question I get many, many times a day right here up front. Update: Here is a video of the wind turbine in operation. Update: Here is a video of me assembling and setting up the wind turbine on my remote off-grid property. I started the process of designing my wind turbine by Googling for information on home-built wind turbines. A generator Blades A mounting that keeps it turned into the wind A tower to get it up into the wind Batteries and an electronic control system . Finally!
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.