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  

We are getting plenty of ‘World’s first’ since the past few days here. Only last weekend had we seen the plans for world’s largest solar power plant in Arizona be unveiled and also the world’s first Trans-Pacific Wave powered boat trip. Now we have the world’s first commercial flight on biofuel. I guess these are exciting days for those who have clamored for greener energy sources since long. The list is quite impressive indeed- Solar Energy, Wave Energy and now Biofuel. I suppose every industry and every economic sector is trying its best to move forward on the green path.

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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.

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Why can’t we grow new energy ?