Mike Bloomberg, billionaire mayor of New York City, wants the city to invest heavily in a push to develop renewable energy The plan, still in its early stages, suggests placing wind turbines on buildings and bridges as well as in coastal waters near the city. Yesterday afternoon, the city issued a formal request for proposals to companies around the country for energy projects based on wind, solar and water resources in New York.
Whether or not the plan sees any action remains to be seen, and could be in doubt. Bloomberg is known for his ambitious proposals that later collapse. In addition, any plans would take years or decades to complete, and Bloomberg has only 18 months left in his term.
The plan also includes widespread use of solar panels, possibly by allowing companies to rent rooftops for solar panels and sell the energy to residents.
Showing posts with label alternative energy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label alternative energy. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
California to Gain Two Gargantuan PV Plants
Two companies in California have announced plans to construct new photovoltaic (PV) power plants in that sunny state, each vastly larger than any photovoltain power facilities anywhere in the world. The plants together will cover 12.5 square miles of central California and will generate, at peak, 800 megawatts of power. While the actual capacity will be somewhat lower than that (because they won't always produce at their peak and at night won't produce power at all), they will be peaking during the part of the day when demand is the highest and energy the most expensive.
Both plants will supply power to Pacific Gas & Electric, which is under a California state mandate to deliver 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2010. PG&E says that the two plants will help it reach a total of 24 percent of its energy from renewable sources, but not until they care completed, which should be around 2013.
Both plants will be in San Luis Obispo County. One, built by OptiSolar, will generate 550 MW of peak energy. The other, built by SunPower, will generate 250 MW of peak energy. The largest existing PV installation in the U.S. is a 14 MW facility at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. The largest in the world currently in use in Spain is a 23 MW facility. There are larger facilities under construction in several areas, but none that come close to matching these two new facilities.
The plants will not come close to the efficiency and pricing of fossil fuel-based power plants, but should be competitive with wind and solar thermal plants and far more cost-effective than existing PV installations, due to economies of scale.
Both plants will supply power to Pacific Gas & Electric, which is under a California state mandate to deliver 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2010. PG&E says that the two plants will help it reach a total of 24 percent of its energy from renewable sources, but not until they care completed, which should be around 2013.
Both plants will be in San Luis Obispo County. One, built by OptiSolar, will generate 550 MW of peak energy. The other, built by SunPower, will generate 250 MW of peak energy. The largest existing PV installation in the U.S. is a 14 MW facility at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. The largest in the world currently in use in Spain is a 23 MW facility. There are larger facilities under construction in several areas, but none that come close to matching these two new facilities.
The plants will not come close to the efficiency and pricing of fossil fuel-based power plants, but should be competitive with wind and solar thermal plants and far more cost-effective than existing PV installations, due to economies of scale.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Company Engineers E. Coli to Make Fuel
Researchers at biotech company LS9, Inc., have engineered E. coli bacteria to produce a substance very similar to diesel fuel after consuming pretty much any agricultural product. The bacteria—a harmless strain of E. coli—can also be engineered to produce gasoline or jet fuel, the researchers say.
The fact that the bacteria can use any type of plant material is promising, as they will be able to produce fuel from waste materials, not just foor products. And because the bacteria are producing finished fuel products—instead of, say, ethanol—they can use the existing distribution system, such as pipelines and tankers. Ethanol cannot use oil pipelines because it will corrode them.
The company is working through issues of scaling up the process now, but hopes to have large-scale commercial production within three to four years. They do not, however, expect their product to do anything more than supplement oil as an energy source, not replace it.
Best of all was the title for this article on CNN.com: Lab Makes Renewable Diesel Fuel From E. Coli Poop. That made me laugh.
The fact that the bacteria can use any type of plant material is promising, as they will be able to produce fuel from waste materials, not just foor products. And because the bacteria are producing finished fuel products—instead of, say, ethanol—they can use the existing distribution system, such as pipelines and tankers. Ethanol cannot use oil pipelines because it will corrode them.
The company is working through issues of scaling up the process now, but hopes to have large-scale commercial production within three to four years. They do not, however, expect their product to do anything more than supplement oil as an energy source, not replace it.
Best of all was the title for this article on CNN.com: Lab Makes Renewable Diesel Fuel From E. Coli Poop. That made me laugh.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Thermoelectric Generators Improve Vehicle Fuel Efficiency
Internal combustion engines, like the one in your car, generate power by burning a fuel source (usually gasoline) and converting that heat into mechanical energy, usually by heating a gas or liquid and causing it to expand, using the pressure to move the pistons outward. But it turns out that the process is fairly energy-inefficient, resulting in most of the heat (about 70 percent) being lost to the atmosphere (that's why the hood of your car gets hot and the exhaust gas that comes out your tailpipe is, likewise, hot). But what if we could capture some of that waste heat and use it for energy? That would make cars more energy efficient.
It turns out that heat can be converted directly into electricity using devices called thermoelectric generators. The U.S. Department of Energy recently challenged researchers to use the wasted heat energy to make automobiles 10 percent more fuel efficient, and the researchers are coming through.
It turns out that if you wrap the exhaust pipe of a Chevrolet Suburban with thermoelectric generators, it will add about one mile-per-gallon (or about five percent) to the vehicle's overall fuel efficiency. It doesn't sound like much, but I'm sure most Suburban owners would love to get better mileage. And, it turns out, the improvement would be greater in smaller, more efficient vehicles.
Additional work with putting thermoelectric generators in other parts of the car could increase the efficiency further. While the devices don't generate enough energy to power the vehicle (or even just its air conditioner) yet, they can power electronic devices such as the radio or GPS. And if used in hybrids, the electricity generated could be used to more efficiently recharge the vehicle's battery.
If the DoE's goal of 10 percent improvement is met, it would reduce fuel demand in the U.S. alone by more than 100 million gallons per year, not to mention the amount of carbon that would be kept out of the atmosphere. Prototypes of the devices will be tested by GM and BMW over the next couple of years. Other manufacturers are also working on the technology.
It turns out that heat can be converted directly into electricity using devices called thermoelectric generators. The U.S. Department of Energy recently challenged researchers to use the wasted heat energy to make automobiles 10 percent more fuel efficient, and the researchers are coming through.
It turns out that if you wrap the exhaust pipe of a Chevrolet Suburban with thermoelectric generators, it will add about one mile-per-gallon (or about five percent) to the vehicle's overall fuel efficiency. It doesn't sound like much, but I'm sure most Suburban owners would love to get better mileage. And, it turns out, the improvement would be greater in smaller, more efficient vehicles.
Additional work with putting thermoelectric generators in other parts of the car could increase the efficiency further. While the devices don't generate enough energy to power the vehicle (or even just its air conditioner) yet, they can power electronic devices such as the radio or GPS. And if used in hybrids, the electricity generated could be used to more efficiently recharge the vehicle's battery.
If the DoE's goal of 10 percent improvement is met, it would reduce fuel demand in the U.S. alone by more than 100 million gallons per year, not to mention the amount of carbon that would be kept out of the atmosphere. Prototypes of the devices will be tested by GM and BMW over the next couple of years. Other manufacturers are also working on the technology.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Separating Water
A team of researchers from MIT have found a new way of separating water into hydrogen and oxygen at room temperature which is far more efficient than the currently used method. Currently, the electrolysis process requires a catalyst to separate the hydrogen from the oxygen, and platinum is the most commonly used catalyst. The problem is that platinum costs between $1700 and $2200 per ounce.
The new process uses deposits of cobalt and phospate on top of an electrode made of indium-tin-oxide, materials which are vastly cheaper. In addition, the use of cobalt and phospate allows the process to run under neutral pH conditions and requires relatively little electricity.
The results of this could be fairly exciting and have a wide range of applications, starting with possibly being an enablement technology for a hydrogen-based economy. Of course, the hydrogen economy has a number of other hurdles to overcome (storage and transport come to mind), but as hydrogen and oxygen are also the components of rocket fuel, this could enable less expensive fuel for space launches. What's more, a water refinery on, for example, Mars would be able to create fuel for the return trip to Earth usinig solar power and water from the Martian surface. By not having to transport fuel for the return trip, the trip to Mars would become far more economical.
The new process uses deposits of cobalt and phospate on top of an electrode made of indium-tin-oxide, materials which are vastly cheaper. In addition, the use of cobalt and phospate allows the process to run under neutral pH conditions and requires relatively little electricity.
The results of this could be fairly exciting and have a wide range of applications, starting with possibly being an enablement technology for a hydrogen-based economy. Of course, the hydrogen economy has a number of other hurdles to overcome (storage and transport come to mind), but as hydrogen and oxygen are also the components of rocket fuel, this could enable less expensive fuel for space launches. What's more, a water refinery on, for example, Mars would be able to create fuel for the return trip to Earth usinig solar power and water from the Martian surface. By not having to transport fuel for the return trip, the trip to Mars would become far more economical.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Is Solar Energy's Time Finally Near?
Yale's environment 360 thinks that solar energy's time is now (or at least in the next couple of decades). And while I think wind and nuclear will probably surge before solar, some recent advances in solar energy make me think that Yale might be right.
A couple of weeks ago, researchers at MIT announced that they had developed efficient new solar concentrators that could lower costs and increase efficiency by 10 to 15 percent. And today, New Scientist reports on new materials for solar cells that may increase the theoretical maximum efficiency of solar panels to 63% of the energy striking the panel.
The new materials achieve these results by embedding titanium and vanadium atoms into conventional semiconductors. These atoms can absorb photons in the lower-energy infrared range and have their electrons jump to a level that is half-way to what the visible light photons are reaching. Then, when another infrared photon strikes the material, the electrons make it the rest of the way to the higher energy state that is needed for producing photovoltaic electricity. In this way, panels made from the new material are capable of generating electricity from both the visible light and the infrared light striking them.
The 63% efficiency figure is, however, a theoretical maximum, and any panels actually made from this material will likely produce energy with lower efficiency levels. Additionally, some experts believe it may prove difficult to get enough titanium and vanadium into the silicon in order to properly reach the intermediate level without inhibiting the silicon's ability to do its job. So don't look for these new high-efficiency solar panels right away.
That said, when they figure out how to put this technology into SunSlatesTM, it might be time for my house to get a new roof....
A couple of weeks ago, researchers at MIT announced that they had developed efficient new solar concentrators that could lower costs and increase efficiency by 10 to 15 percent. And today, New Scientist reports on new materials for solar cells that may increase the theoretical maximum efficiency of solar panels to 63% of the energy striking the panel.
The new materials achieve these results by embedding titanium and vanadium atoms into conventional semiconductors. These atoms can absorb photons in the lower-energy infrared range and have their electrons jump to a level that is half-way to what the visible light photons are reaching. Then, when another infrared photon strikes the material, the electrons make it the rest of the way to the higher energy state that is needed for producing photovoltaic electricity. In this way, panels made from the new material are capable of generating electricity from both the visible light and the infrared light striking them.
The 63% efficiency figure is, however, a theoretical maximum, and any panels actually made from this material will likely produce energy with lower efficiency levels. Additionally, some experts believe it may prove difficult to get enough titanium and vanadium into the silicon in order to properly reach the intermediate level without inhibiting the silicon's ability to do its job. So don't look for these new high-efficiency solar panels right away.
That said, when they figure out how to put this technology into SunSlatesTM, it might be time for my house to get a new roof....
Fuel from Algae
As a general rule, I've been opposed to fuel sources made from food products... mostly because it diverts production from food at a time when people are starving around the world and food prices are soaring. But I don't object to biofuels in general, and that's why I'm excited by efforts to turn algae into diesel fuel.
Some strains of algae are ideal for fuel production because they produce higher concentrations of natural oils than other plants. Additionally, they don't take up land that could otherwise be used for growing crops, because algae grows on the water or in bioreactors. Oh yeah, and by using algae, we're not diverting food away from people (unless, of course, they're eating algae... ew).
Questions still remain about whether or not algae will be viable, both economically and environmentally. But either way, it's a lot better than using corn or soybeans.
Some strains of algae are ideal for fuel production because they produce higher concentrations of natural oils than other plants. Additionally, they don't take up land that could otherwise be used for growing crops, because algae grows on the water or in bioreactors. Oh yeah, and by using algae, we're not diverting food away from people (unless, of course, they're eating algae... ew).
Questions still remain about whether or not algae will be viable, both economically and environmentally. But either way, it's a lot better than using corn or soybeans.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Texas Regulators Approve Wind Energy Transmission Project
One of the common problems associated with generating electricity is getting the power from the power generating stations to the places where people live. After all, nobody wants a powerplant in their back yard. And that turns out to be true for a lot of forms of power generation, including wind power. But now, the state of Texas has approved a $4.93 billion project to develop a network of transmission lines to carry electricity from the remote western parts of the state to major population centers in the eastern part of the state, such as Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, and Austin.
The new lines will be capable of handling as much as 18.5 gigawatts of electricity. For reference, the average household in the U.S. uses about 938 kilowatt hours of electricity in an average month (statistics as of 2005).
Texas is the largest producer of wind energy in the United States, producing about 5.3 gigawatts of wind energy—more than double California, which is the second largest producer in the U.S. In fact, Texas generates so much wind energy that the current transmission lines are unable to keep up and power producers are sometimes forced to disable their turbines even when the wind is blowing. The new transmission lines, to be completed by 2013, will help alleviate that problem.
The new lines will be capable of handling as much as 18.5 gigawatts of electricity. For reference, the average household in the U.S. uses about 938 kilowatt hours of electricity in an average month (statistics as of 2005).
Texas is the largest producer of wind energy in the United States, producing about 5.3 gigawatts of wind energy—more than double California, which is the second largest producer in the U.S. In fact, Texas generates so much wind energy that the current transmission lines are unable to keep up and power producers are sometimes forced to disable their turbines even when the wind is blowing. The new transmission lines, to be completed by 2013, will help alleviate that problem.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Solar Power from Your Windows
Researchers at MIT have developed a window coating that allows people to see through, while also collecting solar energy. The coating channels photons striking a pane of glass into solar collectors around the edge of the window.
The coatings are not perfectly transparent, but they can get pretty close. Alternatively, they are available in bright colors. However, you should expect to run out to Home Depot and buy new window coatings right now... the coatings are not yet commercially available. However, they are made from inexpensive materials and can be added to existing solar panels.
The technology could be commercially available in as little as three years.
The coatings are not perfectly transparent, but they can get pretty close. Alternatively, they are available in bright colors. However, you should expect to run out to Home Depot and buy new window coatings right now... the coatings are not yet commercially available. However, they are made from inexpensive materials and can be added to existing solar panels.
The technology could be commercially available in as little as three years.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Congress Rewards Oil Companies at the Expense of Alternative Energy
Melissa Lafsky of Discover Magazine's Reality Base blog has posted an interesting article about how Congressional Republicans have blocked all attempts to eliminate $18 billion in tax breaks for oil companies (at a time of record profits and high oil prices), while at the same time preventing all attempts to increase tax breaks for alternative energy providers. In fact, the Senate voted to extend alternative energy tax breaks, but only for one year.
And when alternative energy supporters tried to provide funding for alternative energy tax credits by closing a tax loophole for hedge-fund managers, Senate Republicans blocked that attempt as well.
Eliminating tax breaks for alternative energy at this stage would be devastating to the fledgling market and hurt consumers and businesses who are trying to do the right thing by investing in alternative energy. Also, the American Wind Energy Association predicts that up to 116,000 jobs would be lost in the wind power industry alone if the alternative energy tax credits expire.
And when alternative energy supporters tried to provide funding for alternative energy tax credits by closing a tax loophole for hedge-fund managers, Senate Republicans blocked that attempt as well.
Eliminating tax breaks for alternative energy at this stage would be devastating to the fledgling market and hurt consumers and businesses who are trying to do the right thing by investing in alternative energy. Also, the American Wind Energy Association predicts that up to 116,000 jobs would be lost in the wind power industry alone if the alternative energy tax credits expire.
Powerful Laser For Fusion Research Nearing Completion
Discover Magazine has an article about the world's largest laser, currently nearing completion at the National Ignition Facility in Livermore, California. The laser, which has already shown the ability to fire four megajoules of infrared energy for up to 20 nanoseconds, is intended for fusion research.
The goal is to fire the powerful laser into both ends of a tiny gold capsule filled with two frozen hydrogen isotopes. The blast will create a plasma around the target in the center of the capsule, hopefully hot enough to cause the two hydrogen isotopes to fuse.
The researchers are currently testing the optics and expect to complete construction of the laser by March of next year. By 2010, they expect to reach a point where the fusion energy produced by the machine is greater than the energy used by the lasers, creating a net-positive energy fusion reaction.
The goal is to fire the powerful laser into both ends of a tiny gold capsule filled with two frozen hydrogen isotopes. The blast will create a plasma around the target in the center of the capsule, hopefully hot enough to cause the two hydrogen isotopes to fuse.
The researchers are currently testing the optics and expect to complete construction of the laser by March of next year. By 2010, they expect to reach a point where the fusion energy produced by the machine is greater than the energy used by the lasers, creating a net-positive energy fusion reaction.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
PopSci Environmental Reports
Popular Science has several environmental features that were posted late yesterday, including Five Ways You're Killing the Planet, 10 Audacious Ideas to Save the Planet, and Five Looming Eco-Disasters.
As for their Five Ways You're Killing the planet, it is true that the five things they identify are bad for the environment, but the reality is that these five things are each a relatively small part of the bad we're doing to our environment. Driving SUVs and burning coal for our electricity are far worse, overall, than the fact that you live in a suburb and leave your computer on (although turning your computer off when you're not using it is not only better for the environment, it's better for your finances in terms of your electric bill). Plus, I don't do most of the things they highlight... I haven't flown anywhere in about three and a half years, I turn my computer off every night, and I live in the city, not the suburbs. Plus, I recycle my electronics and plastic.
On their Ten Audacious Ideas to Save the Planet... well, let's just say that "audacious" doesn't begin to cut it. Solar power satellites? Maybe in about two hundred years. There are so many drawbacks, such as the massive cost to put them in orbit, that launching them isn't justified. Plus, while the article highlights the dangers of one of the satellites accidentally missing its rectennas on the ground, what happens when some militaristic nation decides to intentionally turn the microwave beams on enemy targets?
The idea of bioengineering all of our crops to be more "hairy" in order to reflect more infrared light is just pretty unrealistic and would again take many, many decades to become viable. Plus, nobody know whether the bioengineering changes could lead to greater problems in the long run. Trapping liquid CO2 in giant plastic bags on the bottom of the ocean? Okay... what happens when the bags leak, and we end up with acidic oceans that kill off a lot of the plant life that is currently absorbing CO2 from our atmosphere? Harnessing a tornado for energy? An interesting idea—and definitely audacious—but I'd rather the first several attempts were built well away from my home (or any other populated area).
Some of the ideas, though, I thought were pretty interesting, if not so audacious. Capturing sewer gas to power buses? Okay. Collecting pig urine to make plastic? Eew, but okay, call Mike Rowe and let's get started. I especially like the idea of capturing the heat given off by pedestrians' bodies to heat nearby buildings and the idea of making beer using a more energy efficient steam process. As long as my dunkel still tastes the same, if it can be more environmentally friendly, I'm all for it.
And the Five Looming Eco-Disasters includes one that is a favorite pet peeve of mine: biofuels. Corn-based ethanol and soy-based biodiesel will never, ever make even a small dent in our petroleum needs here in the U.S., and between creating them and using them, they give off more emissions than gasoline. Rain forests are being cut down for farmland to grow crops for biofuels, because they've driven the crop prices so high that there's too much money in farming now (especially in the U.S. where we subsidize everything farmers do so heavily that our food prices are going crazy).
Other looming eco-disasters include the massive new Tata Mundra coal-fired power plant being built in India and the Japanese plan to start harvesting methane hydrate from the ocean floor. But both of those projects, at least, have some merit. Tata Mundra has 13 percent fewer emmissions than normal coal-fired plants, and if the Japanese plan turns out to be able to safely harvest methane hydrates it could provide a new, cleaner energy source and possibly reduce the risk of a major catastrophy.
The report also highlights a Russian plan to create a floating nuclear reactor to visit energy-starved Arctic communities. Apparently Popular Science is unaware that we've had ocean-bound nuclear reactors producing energy for decades in the form of aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines, and we've had a tremendous safety record with them (in fact, if those vessels used diesel fuel, the cost to the environment would be extremely high).
So all in all, some interesting information in these environmental reports from Popular Science, but I think some more thought (and science) could have gone into the reporting.
As for their Five Ways You're Killing the planet, it is true that the five things they identify are bad for the environment, but the reality is that these five things are each a relatively small part of the bad we're doing to our environment. Driving SUVs and burning coal for our electricity are far worse, overall, than the fact that you live in a suburb and leave your computer on (although turning your computer off when you're not using it is not only better for the environment, it's better for your finances in terms of your electric bill). Plus, I don't do most of the things they highlight... I haven't flown anywhere in about three and a half years, I turn my computer off every night, and I live in the city, not the suburbs. Plus, I recycle my electronics and plastic.
On their Ten Audacious Ideas to Save the Planet... well, let's just say that "audacious" doesn't begin to cut it. Solar power satellites? Maybe in about two hundred years. There are so many drawbacks, such as the massive cost to put them in orbit, that launching them isn't justified. Plus, while the article highlights the dangers of one of the satellites accidentally missing its rectennas on the ground, what happens when some militaristic nation decides to intentionally turn the microwave beams on enemy targets?
The idea of bioengineering all of our crops to be more "hairy" in order to reflect more infrared light is just pretty unrealistic and would again take many, many decades to become viable. Plus, nobody know whether the bioengineering changes could lead to greater problems in the long run. Trapping liquid CO2 in giant plastic bags on the bottom of the ocean? Okay... what happens when the bags leak, and we end up with acidic oceans that kill off a lot of the plant life that is currently absorbing CO2 from our atmosphere? Harnessing a tornado for energy? An interesting idea—and definitely audacious—but I'd rather the first several attempts were built well away from my home (or any other populated area).
Some of the ideas, though, I thought were pretty interesting, if not so audacious. Capturing sewer gas to power buses? Okay. Collecting pig urine to make plastic? Eew, but okay, call Mike Rowe and let's get started. I especially like the idea of capturing the heat given off by pedestrians' bodies to heat nearby buildings and the idea of making beer using a more energy efficient steam process. As long as my dunkel still tastes the same, if it can be more environmentally friendly, I'm all for it.
And the Five Looming Eco-Disasters includes one that is a favorite pet peeve of mine: biofuels. Corn-based ethanol and soy-based biodiesel will never, ever make even a small dent in our petroleum needs here in the U.S., and between creating them and using them, they give off more emissions than gasoline. Rain forests are being cut down for farmland to grow crops for biofuels, because they've driven the crop prices so high that there's too much money in farming now (especially in the U.S. where we subsidize everything farmers do so heavily that our food prices are going crazy).
Other looming eco-disasters include the massive new Tata Mundra coal-fired power plant being built in India and the Japanese plan to start harvesting methane hydrate from the ocean floor. But both of those projects, at least, have some merit. Tata Mundra has 13 percent fewer emmissions than normal coal-fired plants, and if the Japanese plan turns out to be able to safely harvest methane hydrates it could provide a new, cleaner energy source and possibly reduce the risk of a major catastrophy.
The report also highlights a Russian plan to create a floating nuclear reactor to visit energy-starved Arctic communities. Apparently Popular Science is unaware that we've had ocean-bound nuclear reactors producing energy for decades in the form of aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines, and we've had a tremendous safety record with them (in fact, if those vessels used diesel fuel, the cost to the environment would be extremely high).
So all in all, some interesting information in these environmental reports from Popular Science, but I think some more thought (and science) could have gone into the reporting.
Offshore Wind Farm to Be Built Off Delaware Beach
Some people don't like wind turbines and don't want them in their backyards or neighborhoods. I can't figure out why, as I think they look pretty cool. I see them, and I see the high-tech, clean-energy future.
To get around the people who don't want them in their neighborhoods, Delmarva Power and Bluewater Wind have contracted to build a field of 150 wind turbines anchored to the seafloor about a dozen miles from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Delmarva will use less than half of the projected generating capacity of the park, but that amount will provide the power company with 16 percent of its electricity needs.
The project, which will cost approximately $1.6 billion, will include turbines on poles designed to withstand hurricane force winds. The turbines will be centered 250 feet above the waterline and will have three 150-foot blades.
To get around the people who don't want them in their neighborhoods, Delmarva Power and Bluewater Wind have contracted to build a field of 150 wind turbines anchored to the seafloor about a dozen miles from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Delmarva will use less than half of the projected generating capacity of the park, but that amount will provide the power company with 16 percent of its electricity needs.
The project, which will cost approximately $1.6 billion, will include turbines on poles designed to withstand hurricane force winds. The turbines will be centered 250 feet above the waterline and will have three 150-foot blades.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Update on Emc2's WB-7 Polywell Fusion Experiment
Alan Boyle at Cosmic Log has an update on Emc2 Fusion's WB-7 Polywell fusion experiment. Emc2's Richard Nebel reveals progress made and says that WB-7 is up and running and producing data.
As to whether Polywell fusion will ever produce enough energy to justify its (relatively low) cost, it remains to be seen. But the good news is that the U.S. Navy has provided funding to push this work forward and continue the legacy of the late Dr. Robert Bussard. With any luck, WB-8 will be a more powerful reactor—possibly in the 100 MW range—that will prove that Polywell fusion is not only viable, but vastly more efficient than the ITER boondoggle.
As to whether Polywell fusion will ever produce enough energy to justify its (relatively low) cost, it remains to be seen. But the good news is that the U.S. Navy has provided funding to push this work forward and continue the legacy of the late Dr. Robert Bussard. With any luck, WB-8 will be a more powerful reactor—possibly in the 100 MW range—that will prove that Polywell fusion is not only viable, but vastly more efficient than the ITER boondoggle.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
A Car That Runs on Water?
CNN has video of a car designed to run mostly on water. According to the video, the engine uses a small amount of gasoline to power a process to split the water into hydrogen and oxygen. The engine then burns the hydrogen for power. And according to the designer, Anthony Brown of Jacksonville, his car gets 100 miles per ounce of water.
Don't get too excited, though. I'd like to see this independently verified and tested before I run out and convert my car. Plus, he says he gets 100 miles per ounce of water, but he doesn't say how much gasoline the car uses in that process.
Don't get too excited, though. I'd like to see this independently verified and tested before I run out and convert my car. Plus, he says he gets 100 miles per ounce of water, but he doesn't say how much gasoline the car uses in that process.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Biofuels: Voices of the Experts
CNN has interviewed a series of experts for their opinions on the viability and future of biofuels. Amongst the experts are economist Keith Wiebe of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N.; Dr. Richard Pike, chief of the Royal Society of Chemistry; and environmentalist Deepak Rughani of Biofuelwatch.
The main takeways seem to be that:
A - Some biofuels will work well and others will not
B - "Bio" does not necessarily mean "clean"
B - Creating fuel from growing things takes a lot of land.
The main takeways seem to be that:
A - Some biofuels will work well and others will not
B - "Bio" does not necessarily mean "clean"
B - Creating fuel from growing things takes a lot of land.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Hybrid Technologies Plans X-Prize Entrant
C|Net's News.com reports that Hybrid Technologies is preparing to submit a green sports car for the Automotive X Prize. The version submitted for the Automotive X Prize will be a gas-battery hybrid that will get an equivalent 220 miles per gallon. An all-electric plug-in hybrid version will also be available, and will be expected to get 150 to 180 mpg.
The company expects to have a drivable prototype by September, and has ambitious plans for a wide-range of vehicles that run on batteries, not just cars.
The company expects to have a drivable prototype by September, and has ambitious plans for a wide-range of vehicles that run on batteries, not just cars.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Texas Oilman Bets on Wind
T. Boone Pickens, a billionaire Texas oilman, thinks that the U.S. needs to reduce its dependence on oil. That's why he's putting billions of dollars of his own money into building down in Texas what will be the largest wind farm in the world.
Pickens is starting with 600 wind turbines from GE which will be capable of producing a gigawatt of energy. This is the first stage of a massive project to build a four gigawatt network of wind turbines by 2015.
In some areas, people object to wind turbines because they think they are ugly and detract from the natural beauty. Personally, I like them, as I see them as a sign of progress and advancement. For the local farmers down in Texas, though, Pickens plan brings something better... money. Each wind turbine that a farmer puts on his or her land brings in approximately $20,000 per year in royalties.
My favorite part of this CNN story is the last paragraph, where Pickens says, "But we are going to have to do something different in America. You can't keep paying out $600 billion a year for oil."
It's clear to me that this Texas oilman gets it.
Pickens is starting with 600 wind turbines from GE which will be capable of producing a gigawatt of energy. This is the first stage of a massive project to build a four gigawatt network of wind turbines by 2015.
In some areas, people object to wind turbines because they think they are ugly and detract from the natural beauty. Personally, I like them, as I see them as a sign of progress and advancement. For the local farmers down in Texas, though, Pickens plan brings something better... money. Each wind turbine that a farmer puts on his or her land brings in approximately $20,000 per year in royalties.
My favorite part of this CNN story is the last paragraph, where Pickens says, "But we are going to have to do something different in America. You can't keep paying out $600 billion a year for oil."
It's clear to me that this Texas oilman gets it.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Garage Researcher Makes Possible Breakthrough Discovery
If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know that I try to highlight opportunities for amateurs to help make advances in science and technology. A lot of people may think that the days of amateurs working on research in their basements or garages and making major discoveries is long past.
Those people would apparently be wrong. John Kanzius was trying to find a way to use radio frequencies to de-salinate saltwater more efficiently when he stumbled upon something rather surprising: the right combination of radio frequencies applied to the water caused the molecular bonds between the hydrogen and oxygen to weaken, releasing hydrogen gas. In other words, Kanzius found a way to allow salt water to become flammable.
The results were confirmed by Rustum Roy, a Penn State University chemist, and now Roy is seeking funding for the Department of Defense to conduct research into the possibility of using saltwater--one of the most abundant and easily accessible resources on the planet--as a fuel source. The scientists want to find out whether the energy output from the burning hydrogen - which reached a heat of more than 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit - would be enough to power a car or other heavy machinery.
Those people would apparently be wrong. John Kanzius was trying to find a way to use radio frequencies to de-salinate saltwater more efficiently when he stumbled upon something rather surprising: the right combination of radio frequencies applied to the water caused the molecular bonds between the hydrogen and oxygen to weaken, releasing hydrogen gas. In other words, Kanzius found a way to allow salt water to become flammable.
The results were confirmed by Rustum Roy, a Penn State University chemist, and now Roy is seeking funding for the Department of Defense to conduct research into the possibility of using saltwater--one of the most abundant and easily accessible resources on the planet--as a fuel source. The scientists want to find out whether the energy output from the burning hydrogen - which reached a heat of more than 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit - would be enough to power a car or other heavy machinery.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
The Pope Gets It
The Vatican announced today that some Holy See buildings will start using solar energy, reflecting Pope Benedict XVI's concern about conserving the Earth's resources.
The first building upgraded to solar will be the Paul VI auditorium which, starting next year, will have its 6,000-square-yard flattened vaulted roof, currently covered with aging cement tiles in need of repair, replaced with photovoltaic tiles that will be capable of providing heat, cooling, and light to the auditorium. When the building is not in use (which is most of the time), that power will be redirected to other buildings in Vatican City.
The Vatican is considering the installation of photovoltaic cells on roofs of other Holy See buildings, although centuries-old landmarks like St. Peter's Basilica won't be touched.
I'm happy to see a world leader, like the Pope, taking the initiative to drive installation of solar power. I would like to see other world leaders, and other governmental bodies, drive toward alternative energy in a sustainable manner. There are a lot of roofs on government buildings and churches around the world, and it's time to put some of those to good use.
The first building upgraded to solar will be the Paul VI auditorium which, starting next year, will have its 6,000-square-yard flattened vaulted roof, currently covered with aging cement tiles in need of repair, replaced with photovoltaic tiles that will be capable of providing heat, cooling, and light to the auditorium. When the building is not in use (which is most of the time), that power will be redirected to other buildings in Vatican City.
The Vatican is considering the installation of photovoltaic cells on roofs of other Holy See buildings, although centuries-old landmarks like St. Peter's Basilica won't be touched.
I'm happy to see a world leader, like the Pope, taking the initiative to drive installation of solar power. I would like to see other world leaders, and other governmental bodies, drive toward alternative energy in a sustainable manner. There are a lot of roofs on government buildings and churches around the world, and it's time to put some of those to good use.
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