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/
New Material Converts Sunlight to Steam Researchers from MIT have developed a new material that converts sunlight into steam much more efficiently than currently available alternatives. This material acts sort of like a two-way sponge: it can attract and hold sunlight for heat and can also continually draw up water in order to create a constant supply of steam. The research was led by Hadi Ghasemi and the results were published in Nature Communications. “Steam is important for desalination, hygiene systems, and sterilization,” Ghasemi said in a press release. “Especially in remote areas where the sun is the only source of energy, if you can generate steam with solar energy, it would be very useful.” The system works in layers. “On the left, a representative structure for localization of heat; the cross section of structure and temperature distribution. When it is exposed to sunlight, the graphite flakes heat up. Solar-powered steam generation isn’t anything new, but this material is markedly more efficient.
Climate Change Could Be Reduced by Solar Roads Currently, humanity is on the brink of environmental disaster due to climate change. Our future could be a bleak one with rising seas and an atmosphere heating up to extreme temperatures. Or it could be a peaceful place with clean energy and a major reduction of the usage of oil, gas and coal a thing of the past. If one couple in Idaho gets their way, this clean green future could include their very own invention, solar roads. As a child, Scott Brusaw spent many a long afternoon setting up roads for his electric toy cars to run on. He would think about a future where all roads were electric allowing kids like him to drive. In the midst of the mid-2000s, with the debate about climate change beginning, Brusaw and his wife Julie wanted to think of a project that could reduce the effects on the environment caused by global warming. The couple reasoned that the material used to make the roads needed to be excessively strong. By Sara Watson Sources: CNNBusiness InsiderSolar Roadways
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
Spray-On Solar Power Will Likely Soon Change The World New Energy Technologies is developing the first-of-its kind SolarWindow™ technology, which enables see-through windows to generate electricity by ‘spraying’ their glass surfaces with New Energy’s electricity-generating coatings – the subject of forty two (42) patent filings. SolarWindow™ generates clean electricity on see-through glass windows, by making use of the energy of natural sunlight and artificial sources such as fluorescent and LED lighting typically installed in offices, schools, and commercial buildings. How do we generate electricity on see-through glass for commercial application in homes, offices, and commercial buildings? There's Lots of information on their home page - feel free to check it out :) Other Great Stories From Offgridquest.com:
Environmental Management & Energy News · Environmental Leader 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.
Solar-Powered LED Clothespins Light Up Urban Nights - WebEcoist While we can’t exactly call this a ‘sustainable’ version of a clothespin, since it’s made of plastic and far more complicated than the simple ones made of renewable wood, it does have an interesting spin. Designers Idan Noyberg and Gal Bulka have created the ‘Lightly,’ a clothespin with built-in solar panels and LED lights that emit decorative ambient illumination once the sun goes down. The panels collect sunlight by day while a sensor automatically cues the lights to turn on at dusk. Of course, the design is waterproof, so leaving them out in the weather is no problem. Sure, clothespins don’t need to have lights built in, but imagine how much cooler lines of laundry would look hanging in backyards or billowing in the wind on city streets if they were covered in tiny multicolored lights.
Bill Gates invests $2 billion in renewable energy Bill Gates has announced plans to invest another $2 billion in renewable energy technology to help the fight against climate change. At the same time, the philanthropist emphasized he will not join a movement spearheaded by 350.org to divest from fossil fuel companies emitting the bulk of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Rather than divest, Gates says he will double renewable energy investments over the next five years. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation plans to invest the $2 billion in breakthrough renewable energy technologies to help reduce global CO2 emissions. Related: Bill Gates tackles child mortality with $75M network of disease surveillance centers Over the past few years, Gates has been criticized for his investments in fossil fuel companies such as BP, which inspired The Guardian to launch a campaign asking the Gates’ Foundation and Wellcome Trust to divest from these companies. + Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Via The Guardian
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.
The Power Cube: It generates, it Internets, and it's back Seven years ago we first covered the Magic Box That Does Everything, the Ecos LifeLink. I titled the post It Generates. It Internets. This innovative patented solar technology has the potential to be one of the most important solar patented innovations of our generation. Patent Drawing/Public Domain Did I mention it is patented? None of the aforementioned prior art disclose the space saving arrangement of solar panels in the stowed position on top of the container of the inventive station. OK, so it's all about the drawer system and I guess that's patentable because they got it. The Professor of Sustainable Design in me would question whether this is the best approach; solar panels are not as effective horizontal as they are angled toward the sun, and in dusty areas where the military goes a lot, they would have to be cleaned regularly. Ecos Powercube/Screen capture More at Ecosphere techologies
Incredible: a lamp that works without electricity, batteries or sunlight | Earth. We are one Terms and Conditions Welcome to www.ewao.com (the "Website"). By using the Website, and the products and services of EWAO Limited ("EWAO") to view, upload, download, transmit or publish content (“Content”) available on or through the Website (referred to collectively as the "Services") you irrevocably agree to be bound by these Terms of Service and the EWAO’s Privacy Policy (collectively the "Terms"). These Terms apply both to third-party contributors and viewers of content (“Content”) displayed on the Website. Website. Acceptance of Terms. Lawful Use of Website. Restrictions on Use of Website: You are not permitted to use the Website or Services and cannot accept the Terms if: (i) you are below the legal age under which you can enter a binding contract with EWAO; or (ii) you are prevented from receiving the Services under the laws of the jurisdiction which you are resident or from where you use the Website or Services. Restricted Activities. Intellectual Property. Links. Outgoing links.
World's smallest windmills to power cell phones While commercial wind turbines have been trending toward larger sizes, from 300 kW capacity in 1990 to 7.5 MW in 2011, sometimes it is worth bucking the trend. Professor J.C. Chiao and his postdoc Dr. Smitha Rao of the University of Texas at Arlington have taken this contrarian philosophy to the extreme. They have developed a MEMS-based nickel alloy windmill so small that 10 could be mounted on a single grain of rice. The micro-windmills (technically called horizontal axis wind turbines) have a three-bladed rotor 1.8 mm in diameter mounted on a tower about 2 mm tall. Despite their size, the micro-windmills can endure strong winds, owing to being constructed of a tough nickel alloy (rather than the silicon and silicon oxide layers typical of MEMS designs) and smart aerodynamic design. Let's get to the meat. The first question is how much mechanical power can a micro-windmill generate from a moving flow of air. There is a potential problem that a suspicious observer would spot.