World's First Building-Integrated Wind Turbines Three wind turbine blades have been successfully installed on the Bahrain World Trade Center, a twin skyscraper complex. This is the first time that a commercial development has integrated large-scale wind turbines within its design to harness the power of the wind. The three massive turbines, measuring 29 meters in diameter, are supported by bridges spanning between the complex's two towers. Through its positioning and the unique aerodynamic design of the towers, the prevailing on-shore Gulf breeze is funneled into the path of the turbines, helping to create power generation efficiency. Once operational, the wind turbines will deliver approximately 11-15% of the energy needs of the building, or 1100 to 1300 megawatt-hours per year -- enough to provide light in 300 homes for over a year. See also: 70% Of Navarra's (Northern Spain) Power Comes From Wind, Solar :: Via UAE and Jetson Green
Windbelt Micro-wind, 10 Times Cheaper Wind Energy!! [Run time: 2:05 min] I hope you enjoy this short video of Shawn Frayne, a young inventor that has created this device to generate, on the micro-scale, energy for LED lights and radios in developing countries. This is the first approach that uses aeroelastic flutter to create super cheap electricity. We’re talking about changing the way wind energy is harvested and captured. Frayne won a 2007 Breakthrough Award from Popular Mechanics, and he deserves it. UPDATE: EcoGeek reports that Shawn Frayne has launched the website for Humdinger Wind Energy. Here’s a different video of Shawn Frayne talking about the Windbelt technology. Article tags: alternative energy, video
BLUE Ready to Rock - a "condensed" version shown for the photo, with a 3/4 hp generator, held by the inventor, Doug Selsam. Here are the blades of a 20 inch diameter turbine, that produces about half a kilowatt. They will be mounted on a shaft that projects for a long distance forward, and backward, at an angle from horizontal, so that the wind encounters the rotors like a stairway. The New Turbine is flown in Tehachapi, mounted to a Tower by Brent Scheibel, of General Electric Wind and owner of WindTesting.com Well, it's up and running, with data being logged. Brent Scheibel, WindTesting.com, His wife, Teri, with their dog Ezra, and Doug Selsam, windmill is seen in background This is the test team, Brent Scheibel, who handles Anemometry over at Zond / Enron Wind - now General Electric Wind Energy, and runs Windtesting.com, His wife Teri, their dog Ezra, who barks at windmills, and Doug Selsam, the inventor. Row after row of clean-turning turbine blades adorn the landscape... pretty cool.
How I built an electricity producing Solar Panel 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. In my attempt to escape city light pollution, I found a great piece of remote property. The problem is, it's so remote that there is no electric service available. That's not really a problem. No electricity equals no light pollution. I built a wind turbine to provide some power on the remote property. Here is a video of the solar panel set up and in use on my remote, off-grid property. Let me state up front that I probably won't be able to help you out much if you decide to build your own solar panel(s). So what is a solar panel anyway? I started out the way I start every project, by Googling for information on home-built solar panels. After a while, I came to some conclusions: <a href=' seller. A solar panel is really just a shallow box.
Plans for solar thermal, PV, Wind, Heating, Cooling, Cooking, and energy saving projects for Do It Yourselfers Search The Renewable Energy site for Do-It-Yourselfers More than 500 renewable energy and conservation projects you can build. Free plans and information on: Conservation, water, solar homes, solar space heating, solar water heating, passive cooling techniques, solar sunspaces and greenhouses, solar pool heating, solar electricity (PV), wind generated electricity, micro hydro, biofuels, methane generators, solar cooking, solar food drying, solar and efficient vehicles, solar water pumping, solar engines, and solar wood drying. So, what were you looking for that you did not find? Questions?
Hugh Piggott's home page Solar Panels Compared What is the best solar cell you can buy? It all depends on what is important to you. Two things that can be important are cost and size. For applications where space doesn't matter (like putting panels in your back yard or on your roof), you want to make the most power for the least cost. Here is what I've found... Solar Panels ranked by least cost per unit of power (best first) Clearly, large panels bought in bulk are more economical. For mobile applications (solar powered cell phone or lawn mower), you want the most power per unit of area. Solar Panels ranked by minimum size per unit of power (best first) Interestingly, some efficient panels are also economical. Please note that I am basing these lists on the data supplied by the referenced web pages. Q: Why didn't you include X? A: If you know about an interesting panel that is commercially available and not included here, send me a link where I can see its specs and actually buy it and I will add it to the list. A: I agree. Questions
The World’s First Energy-Generating Revolving Door Harvesting the kinetic energy generated by crowds of people is one of our favorite approaches to renewable energy. Recently Netherlands-based Natuurcafé La Port installed an energy generator in a rotating door, so every time someone walks in for a cup of coffee, they give just a little bit of their energy back to the coffee shop. We keep saying that solving the problem of global warming will require that we open up new doors in the field of renewable energy, but we must admit that we never expected to mean it literally! The door was part of the refurbishment of the Driebergen-Zeist railway station designed out by architecture firm RAU and built by Boon Edam. + Boon Edam + Natuurcafé La Port
Zero Energy Home Glows Green When it’s Good for the Planet So often Prius owners are accused of being pious and smug – just wanting you to know how virtuous they are; by doing the right thing for the planet. This zero energy home takes that protest-too-much quality one step further: It advertises frankly to the neighbors when it is creating more energy than it is using. How? Energy efficient (LED of course) lights under the house glow eco-virtuous green when it is producing more than enough energy for its elegantly simple and spartan needs. But what if the house is not making enough energy for its inhabitants? Wouldn’t that make your house next door feel just a little piggy? But, on the other hand; this has its good side. It’s not so hard to make your home an energy producer rather than an energy consumer. The south-facing side of the roof is almost half solar panels. Ground temperature remains always an even 55 degrees or so, regardless of surface temperatures; whether it is an icy 20 below or whether it’s lemonade weather – 110 in the shade.
UK scientists invent artificial petrol - News Archive Boffins at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, near Oxford have invented an ‘artificial’ petrol, which costs just 90 pence per gallon and could run in existing cars. Motorists could even be able to drive for 300 to 400 miles before needing to fill up. The breakthrough comes as average UK fuel prices have hit a record high. The new hydrogen-based fuel produces no greenhouse gases and could be available in as little as three years. Professor Stephen Bennington, the project’s lead scientist, said: “In some senses, hydrogen is the perfect fuel. “Our new hydrogen storage materials offer real potential for running cars, planes and other vehicles that currently use hydrocarbons.” How is it made? It says: "Storing hydrogen up to now has required either high-pressure storage cylinders at up to 700 times atmospheric pressure or super-cooled liquids at -253 degree Celsius. The company has a found a low-cost way to trap the hydride compound inside a nano-porous polymer micro bead.