Environmental News, Eco-Friendly Gadgets - FreshAirTimes.eu

Eco Factor: Solar-powered air conditioning systems.

The best way to get rid of blackouts during heat waves is to use the energy from the sun to cool your home. Researchers at the Australian National University have done just that by developing solar air-conditioning systems. The systems, which are currently in the testing phase, will be able to reduce energy load, especially during the peak hours of the day.

Apart from the use in air conditioning during summers, the same solar modules can also be used to heat your home in winter and provide you with solar-heated water as well. The reduction of load on the grid during peak hours will enable the grids to perform better and provide uninterrupted power for more important processes that require less but a consistent supply of electricity.

The Dark Side:

The use of solar air conditioning will definitely be a boon for the masses and the grid as well. However, depending on just solar energy, which is highly inconsistent, won’t have that much of an impact. If solar energy is coupled with some other forms of renewable energy like the wind, it can cater to a broader market.

Via: ABC  

Kennewick, Washington based Infinia (which is venture capital backed energy technology company) plans to launch Stirling solar dish, which is approximately the size of a large satellite TV receiver.

If you are wondering what is so different about Infinia’s solar Stirling dishes, well these 21-foot-high dishes instead of using photovoltaic cells use the sun’s heat to produce electricity. The technology used by Infinia is based on the 19th century Stirling engine design, which uses differences in gas temperature to turn a piston. These solar dishes from Infinia are essentially being targeted at larger organizations such as city governments, though I feel they can also be used in villages across countries like India to provide electricity…and all without a grid connection. (more…)

Check out this fascinating project ‘KiteGen’ developed by
Sequoia Automation to meet the needs for rising global electricity consumption. Presently the concept (that uses kites instead of
propellers, theoretically producing as much energy as a nuclear power plant) is on the drawing board, but Sequoia believes it can produce a working model of the KiteGen within two years. The KiteGen improves upon inefficient windmill systems that use a single propeller to generate energy. Unlike these static generators, the dynamic movements of the KiteGen’s kites allow it to use an autopilot-like system to adjust to wind conditions in order to achieve the highest possible speed, and therefore the greatest output.

The efficiency of the system would be so great, in fact, that Sequoia estimates KiteGen could produce one gigawatt of power for just 1.5 euros per megawatt hour. Were it able to achieve these theoretical figures, KiteGen would be nearly 30 times more efficient than other European energy production techniques, which costs about 43 euros per megawat hour.

(more…)

Thinking about making a low-cost, easy-to-install wind power device that provides a safe and attractive method for harnessing power from the wind? Virtually all modern wind turbines convert wind energy to electricity for energy distribution. So why not follow these steps and make your own Vertical Axis Wind Turbine or VAWT that stands on the ground and can accept wind from any direction, a unit that will potentially experience high winds, above 25MPH.

Vertical–axis wind machines have blades that go from top to bottom and look like a giant two-bladed egg beaters. The advantages of this arrangement are that generators and gearboxes can be placed close to the ground, and you need not worry about the wind direction. It is easier to maintain because most of their moving parts are located near the ground and there are no emissions or pollution produced by its operation. For those who live in areas with high winds and want to curb their electric bills, this option can be highly efficient and moreover an attractive energy source.

Intelliworks power saving device, which saves electricity in an urban household by nearly 14% and in a rural set up by a whooping 50%. And all you need to do is to plug this device in. Sounds unbelievable, but it is true. A boon for saving energy in your office or house, it works with a state of the art technology, it monitors the power and optimises voltage and current demands, thereby reducing the active power demand.

It even ensures longevity of your appliances as it works as a voltage stabilizer too. During momentary power rush, it stores energy up to 10 seconds, the appliances keep getting constant power though.

Most of the power inputs in US is ‘two phase power’ and to get maximum effectiveness of this product it is better to install the intelliworks energy saver into both phases.

No more cribbing about huge electricity bills, with an investment of just 69.95 euros, start saving.

Via: Domokyo

A bio-gas plant in an Indian town generates 3,000 watts of electricity a day—from human waste. The human waste from an area housing complex collects in a sump, where the methane gas produced by the ‘sludge’ is used to operate a generator. This biogas produces 3,000 watts of electricity daily, enough to keep the town bright at night. Sorry forgot to mention the name of the town, its Thiruneeramalai in Tamil Nadu. This is surely some stinky tech, but we can’t forget that this country has a population over 1Bn and its still developing. Sources like these will only take it higher and it’s a good sign for sure, but some people are fussy about everything (no pun intended of course).

Via: GoodCleanTech

Scientists in Pennsylvania are reporting development of a fuel cell that uses pollution from coal and metal mines to generate electricity, solving a serious environmental problem while providing a new source of energy. A new type of fuel cell that is based on microbialfuel cells, which are capable of generating electricity from wastewater. Using a solution similar to AMD, they showed that the device efficiently removed dissolved iron from the solution while also generating electricity at power levels similar to conventional microbial fuel cells.

In the new study, Bruce E. Logan and colleagues point out that so-called acid-mine drainage (AMD) is a serious environmental problem that threatens the health of plants and animals as well as the safety of drinking-water supplies, due mainly to the high acidity of contaminated waters and its high content of metals, particularly iron. AMD poses difficult and costly environmental clean-up problems.

Via: Science Daily