New Urban Mini Turbine for lantern poles introduced - The Archimedes 27 May 2014 | On the market launch of its ‘big brother’ – the Liam f1 – R&D company the Archimedes introduced a smaller version as well: the Liam Pole Mini Urban Wind Turbine. With half its size (ø 0.75cm) it will be mounted on a Cradle-2-Cradle lantern Pole manufactured by Sapa Pole Products. This new Product Market Combination (PMC) has the potential to save a lot of money on electrical infrastructure. When combining the Liam Pole urban mini wind turbine with a set of solar panels (PV), a LED lantern pole becomes totally self-sufficient. During daylight the solar panels and the turbine will charge a battery which will supply the light emitting diodes (LEDs) during night time, supported by the Liam turbine when enough wind is at hand. Because of its coned shape, the Liam Pole urban wind turbine will yaw itself in any wind direction starting from a windspeed of 2 m/s, even when it changes a lot. More information: sapagroup.com/nl/
Portland's water pipes are the newest source of clean energy Portland residents can now generate green electricity simply by turning on their water taps and flushing their toilets. Fast Company reports that the Oregon city is using a state-of-the art system to capture energy from water flowing through the city’s pipelines. Small turbines installed inside the pipelines are turned by the flowing water, sending energy into a generator and off into the power grid. “It’s pretty rare to find a new source of energy where there’s no environmental impact,” Gregg Semler told Fast Company. Related: New solar-powered invention can make sea water drinkable According to Semler, water utilities tend to use large amounts of electricity, so the new power generation system can help cut the cost of providing drinking water to cities. “We have a project in Riverside, California, where they’re using it to power streetlights at night,” Semler notes. Via Fast Company +Lucid
This glass sphere might revolutionize solar power on Earth German architect André Broessel, of Rawlemon, has looked into his crystal ball and seen the future of renewable energy. In this case it’s a spherical sun-tracking solar energy-generating globe — essentially a giant glass marble on a robotic steel frame. But this marble is no toy. It concentrates both sunlight and moonlight up to 10,000 times — making its solar harvesting capabilities 35 percent more efficient than conventional dual-axis photovoltaic designs. André Broessel was a finalist in the World Technology Network Award 2013 with the globe’s design and afterward produced this latest version, called Betaray, which can concentrate diffuse light such as that from a cloudy day. André Broessel’s latest invention looks like something out of a superhero movie. In reality, though, it’s a stand-alone solar energy generator. But Broessel’s invention may be more than just aesthetically pleasing. “We can squeeze more juice out of the sun,” Broessel says. Source: NewsDiscovery
Forscher versenken Betonkugel vor Überlingen Bodenseekreis sz Eine übergroße Betonkugel mit einem Durchmesser von drei Metern wollen Forscher des Fraunhofer-Instituts Kassel noch in diesem Jahr vor Überlingen versenken. Während des etwa vierwöchigen Testlaufs soll herausgefunden werden, ob die Kugel als Energiespeicher dienen kann. Später soll die Technik im Meer eingesetzt werden, mit dem Ziel Energie auch in der Nähe von Offshore-Windparks zu speichern. „Die Kugeln, die dort zum Einsatz kommen würden, wären allerdings zehn Mal so groß“, wie Projektleiter Matthias Puchta vom Fraunofer-Institut erklärt. Speicherplatz Die Kugeln sollen als Ersatz für sogenannte Pumpspeicherkraftwerke dienen. Je tiefer, desto besser Dadurch wird eine Turbine angetrieben, die letztlich den Strom erzeugt. Stelle vor Überlingen gut geeignet Lohnt sich so etwas? Ferner fänden die Wissenschaftler am Bodensee gut kontrollierte Bedingungen vor, wie Wessels ausführte. Bürgermeisterin irritiert Bundesministerium fördert
Wind systems | YourHome The amount of renewable electricity harnessed from the wind is growing rapidly. Australia has an abundant wind resource, which, if used to generate electricity, could save significant greenhouse gas emissions. To take advantage of this resource, turbines must be installed in open sites on sufficiently tall towers. Appropriate wind system locations Begin investigating wind technology by ‘reality checking’ your general location. Coastal locations, and flat rural areas without significant vegetation or buildings, offer the most laminar wind flow. Urban areas have a poor wind resource that is usually extremely turbulent. Urban areas have a poor wind resource that is usually extremely turbulent. Wind systems installed on roofs typically do not produce much electricity, have short life spans and are thus never economically sound. Connecting wind systems Small wind turbines can be connected as: Photo: AUSWEA and University of Newcastle A domestic wind turbine. Source: endurance windpower Maintenance
Problem loading page Canada’s Hydrostor has developed a creative energy storage solution that is half the cost of the best battery technology and lasts twice as long. The clean energy startup is storing energy as compressed air and then housing the air underwater inside giant balloons. Though it sounds ridiculous, the idea is efficient at energy storage, and an environmentally friendly, zero-emissions solution. Cleantech startup Hydrostor designed and is now partnering with Toronto Hydro to operate the world’s’ first underwater compressed air energy storage system in Toronto. Related: This off-grid concept house shares energy with a hybrid companion car Under development for five years, the Hydrostor solution takes existing technologies and repurposes them for its clean energy storage solution. The compressed air remains inside the underwater balloons until it is needed by Toronto during peak energy hours.
Could This Glass Orb Be The Future Of Solar Energy? By Emily Atkin "Could This Glass Orb Be The Future Of Solar Energy?" CREDIT: Rawlemon André Broessel’s latest invention looks like something out of a superhero movie. In reality, though, it’s a stand-alone solar energy generator. But Broessel’s invention may be more than just aesthetically pleasing. “For the last 40 years we have tried to capture this energy with PV panels,” Broessel says in the promotional video on his Indiegogo campaign for his company, Rawlemon. The rotating glass orb, he says, brings in energy from the sun and concentrates it onto a small surface of tiny solar panels. “We can squeeze more juice out of the sun,” Broessel says. In terms of whether the device will actually bring meaningful improvements to the renewable energy sector to reduce the effects of man-made climate change, the outlook seems promising on its face. Broessel’s device is not yet available in the market. Rawlemon Spherical Solar Energy Generator from Rawlemon on Vimeo.
Energy Storage in Underwater Balloons Grid-level energy storage takes many forms, including flow batteries, Li-ion batteries, pumped hydro, compressed air in underground caverns, and even flywheels. Toronto’s Hydrostor just added another tool to the arsenal: underwater compressed air energy storage (UCAES). Hydrostor recently activated a pilot UCAES plant - the first of its kind - that will provide grid-level storage for the city of Toronto. In addition to supplying the city with cost-effective energy storage, the system will allow engineers to study its behavior and optimize the design. The idea has been around for many years: when supply exceeds demand, use the excess energy to run an air compressor and store the air in an underwater balloon. Here’s a simplified version of how it works: According to Hydrostor’s CEO, Curtis VanWalleghem, the “balloons” are made of urethane coated nylon. All electrical equipment is on land. Hydrostor expects a round trip efficiency of 60% to 80%, comparable to battery storage.
List of Top 5 Micro Wind Turbines Needs a Second Look Clean Power Published on April 30th, 2013 | by Tina Casey One of the most popular micro wind turbine companies around, Southwest Windpower, began to scale back operations last year and has apparently closed its doors, which means that our list of Top 5 Micro Wind Turbines is overdue for a re-do. As a preliminary step, let’s take a look at JLM Energy, Inc., an all-around renewable energy company that has figured out a way to piggyback its Zefr micro wind turbine arrays onto Southwest’s poles, resulting in a clever way to squeeze some extra juice out of existing wind turbine infrastructure. Zefr micro wind turbine courtesy of JLM Energy No More Southwest Wind Power Before we get into one of those OMG another Obama-supported green company goes belly up kind of “scandals,” let’s note for the record that Southwest Windpower was established in 1987. The company refused an offer of $700,000 from President Obama’s Recovery Act grant in 2011. Also for the record, in 2007 former president George H.W.
Neuartiger Kühlschrank benötigt keinen Strom Seit dem Jahr 2012 arbeitet ein Berliner Start-Up Unternehmen an einem Kühlschrank der ohne Strom auskommt. Bereits Ende dieses Jahres sollen die ersten 50 Modelle ausgeliefert werden. © Coolar Berlin (Deutschland). Kühlschranke finden sich nahezu in jedem Haushalt und tragen viel zum täglichen Stromverbrauch bei. Während ein herkömmlicher Kühlschrank Kühlmittel und Strom benötigt, so braucht der sogenannte Coolar nur Wärme, die anschließend in Kälte umgewandelt wird. So funktioniert der Kühlschrank ohne Strom Der Coolar arbeitet mit Hilfe des sogenannten Verdunstungskälteeffekt. Kieselgel-Kugeln nehmen Wasserdampf auf und geben dabei Wärme ab bzw. der Umgebung Wärme entziehen, wenn sie trocknen. Coolar soll die Welt verbessern Das Unternehmen kooperiert eng mit der Organisation Ärzte ohne Grenzen.