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ew Method for Realizing Hydrogen Potential
Hydrogen-powered Iuel cells hold enormous promise as a power
source Ior Iuture generations. Hydrogen is the simplest element
known to humans. Each atom oI hydrogen has only one proton. It is
also the most abundant gas in the universe. Hydrogen has a unique
property. It carries the highest energy content oI any common Iuel by
weight (about three times more than gasoline), but interestingly it has
the lowest energy content by volume (about Iour times less than
gasoline). Hydrogen is the lightest element, and it is a gas at normal
temperature and pressure. Hydrogen is not a widely used Iuel today
but it has great potential as an energy carrier in the Iuture. Hydrogen
can be produced Irom a variety oI sources (water, Iossil Iuels, and
biomass) and is a byproduct oI other chemical processes.
Breakthrough In Small Wind Technology
The main work oI wind turbines is to utilize the energy oI wind and
convert it into electricity; stronger wind is considered good Ior
electricity production. But the speed oI wind should not be too strong
because it makes turbines spin too Iast and in this process it commits
suicide! hy is it so? Because turbine blades get ripped oII by
stronger winds excessive heat damages the alternator. Turbine tower
too can't remain unaIIected by the strong wind. To prevent all this
damage a mechanical breaking system Iurling is generally used. This
method prevents wind turbine Irom spinning too quickly by turning
the blades away Irom the direction oI the wind. Furling can be manual
or automatic with same goal i.e. turning the turbine blade edges into
the wind when the wind is dangerously strong and stormy.
Hydrogen-Powered Personal Helicopter
A personal helicopter weighing just 230 lb created sizzling news
when it Ilew on hydrogen with zero emission. ith an ability to carry
payloads up to 800 lbs, this pocket Hercules can Ily Ior 90 minutes.
Fitted with easy controls, this reaches a speed oI 100 knots thanks to a
pair oI small yet powerIul motors mounted on it. Two common and
easily available things - Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and a catalyst -
combined to bring about a milestone in personal aviation history with
attention to the environmental issues as well! Avimech has combined
these two to power engine in to an innovative machine.
A Power Sticker to Boost Solar Power Generation
New and unique ways oI making solar panels more eIIicient in power
generation are coming to light every day. The new kid in the block oI
one such device is a large transparent sticker applied to the Iront oI
the panel which increases the power output by about 10 or so. Genie
Lens Technologies is the Iirm which has developed these polymer
Iilm stickers. These polymer Iilms are imprinted with special kind oI
microstructures. Even the panels that have been prior installed and
working can have these polymer stickers applied easily to them and
the stickers will boost their eIIiciency.
PETE Process Promises Successful Technology Fusion
A new joint venture research work at StanIord and SLAC National
Accelerator Laboratory, supported by Department oI Energy and
DARPA has come up with a new solar energy conversion process that
can potentially double the eIIiciency oI solar cells. StanIord engineers
have discovered this new and totally diIIerent process to harvest
energy Irom sun.
Graphene: Solar Cells of the Future?
A southern CaliIornia University team has come up with what could
be the alternative new breed oI economical and Ilexible solar cells.
For some decades now, organic photovoltaic cells (OPV) have been
acclaimed as the new solar cell prototypes and extolled Ior their light
weight, Ilexible substrates, low cost and easy manuIacturability.
Research is now being done on them.
Breakthrough in Thin-Film Solar Cells
Scientists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have come
out with positive news about increased eIIiciency oI thin-Iilm solar
cells. As we know that scientists are trying to increase the eIIiciency
oI the solar cells so that they can be considered as serious alternative
to the Iossil Iuels. Researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University
Mainz (JGU) too are working at this angle. They opted Ior the
computer simulations to probe deeper into the indium/gallium
combination to increase the eIIiciency oI Copper indium gallium
(di)selenide (CIGS) thin-Iilm solar cells. Till now CIGS has shown
only about 20 eIIiciency though theoretically they can attain the
eIIiciency levels oI 30.
Economical Solar Panels to Yield More Energy
There has been research work going on to increase the eIIiciency oI
the cost-eIIective amorphous solar panels. TU DelIt has been the
center where this research work is being developed. The research will
directly help in increasing the eIIiciency oI amorphous solar cells -
Irom a 7 to a 9. Crystalline silicon is most commonly used in
silicon solar cells which increases the production cost quite
signiIicantly. There is a more economical type oI solar panels using
amorphous silicon using rather thin Iilms oI silicon. The production
cost is comparatively less with these panels.
More Power to Electronics Thanks to ano-scale
Today a long-standing electronic dream has become a reality thanks
to research done by a team oI scientists Irom Bar-Ilan University,
ires Israel, supported by U.S. Department oI Energy's (DOE) at
Brookhaven National Laboratory. Producing superconducting nano-
scale wires to Iacilitate Iaster and more powerIul electronic devices
has been the long-time ambition which had eluded achievement until
now.
VIDEO: Solar Stereo Speakers
Imagine a cool poolside with golden sunlight, liIting music and
relaxing time sounds great, no! Now great music, wireless speakers,
and excellent audio quality - all these are possible with Devotec Solar
Sound 2 Stereo Bluetooth Speakers. Almost all phones, MP3 players
and music players can be connected to these speakers wirelessly to get
instant clear, resonant music.
Costs for Thermo-photovoltaic Cells Significantly Reduced
Thermo-photovoltaic (TPV) cells are great Ior converting radiation
Irom any heat source to power. These cells can generate power Irom
the wasted heat which gets released when glass or steel is produced.
Adding these TPV cells to domestic power systems can help generate
power along with heating water. TPV systems are also too complex
Ior everyday use. Both oI these reasons have made the TPV systems
beyond industrial and domestic consumer routine set-up.
The Ultimate Solar Cell?
The ultimate step in utilizing solar power is to convert maximum
energy Irom sun into electricity. This will make solar power highly
cost-advantageous compared to other traditional power sources.
Capturing energy wasted as heat Irom the sun can increase solar
conversion eIIiciency greatly. Research Iunded by the U.S.
Department oI Energy is on-going to make this happen.
ew Process to Boost Hydrogen Fuel Cell Usage
A new process is being tested by chemical engineers oI Purdue
University to get high hydrogen production at Iuel-cell temperature-
level with no catalyst use. This is Iull oI promise Ior vehicles powered
by hydrogen and other portable electronic items like dig-cams,
medical diagnostic devices, deIibrillators, cell phones and notebook
computers. The research Iunded by US Department oI Energy is
ushering in a new process.
Airborne Wind Turbines?
Yes, the day is not Iar oII when reaching Ior sky is the new motto Ior
generating cost-eIIective renewable energy. Initially it was considered
to be technically non-viable to tap high-altitude winds. But today,
technically-advanced materials and innovative computer know-how
are giving new liIe to this scheme with innovative autonomous aerial
structures using wind energy to generate power.
Giant Inflatable Airship Powered by Algae
This summer, piloted by Captain Allan Judd, Bullet 580 will usher in
the return oI inIlatable giant airships. The 235 It long and 65It
diameter ship is covered with a type oI Kevlar, a material 10 times-
stronger than steel but only one sixteenth oI an inch thick. An E-green
design special costing 5.5million, this giant runs on algae - latest
bio-Iuel that can be developed Irom brackish and waste water.
MIT Researchers Print a Solar Cell on Paper
e love the idea oI clean and green Iuel. But they come with certain
disadvantages. First one is they are heavy on pocket oI a commoner.
Second disadvantage is their power conversion rate is quite low. Last
one is you need storage space to save all the power converted by a
clean and green technology. Now MIT researchers are coming out oI
solar cells printed on paper. Though the technology still has to wait
Ior years beIore it can be converted into a commercially viable entity
but it`s an interesting development.
Bladeless Wind Turbine - Inspired by ikola Tesla
A research company in New Hampshire recently patented its
bladeless wind turbine, which is based on a patent issued to Nikola
Tesla in 1913. This wind turbine is christened as the Fuller ind
Turbine. This turbine is developed by Solar Aero. The specialty oI
Fuller ind Turbine is it has only one rotating part, known as the
turbine-driveshaIt. The entire machinery is assembled inside a
housing. ind turbines are oIten disliked by environmentalists
because they kill birds and bats and oIten generate noise Ior the
residents living nearby.
ew Platinum Could Mean Cheaper, More Efficient Fuel Cells
Fuel cells are clean and green cells. They work without polluting the
environment. Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that transIorm the
chemical energy oI a Iuel into electricity generating water as a by-
product. Fuel cells are most used in space Ilights but they can be best
utilized in electric vehicles to reduce air pollution. Fuel powered
electric vehicles are better than battery operated EVs as Iar as
eIIiciency and Iaster reIueling is concerned.
Hydrogen Gas Production Doubled with ew Super Bacterium
Hydrogen gas is today used primarily Ior manuIacturing chemicals,
but a bright Iuture is predicted Ior it as a vehicle Iuel in combination
with Iuel cells. In order to produce hydrogen gas in a way that is
climate neutral, bacteria are added to Iorestry or household waste,
using a method similar to biogas production. One problem with this
production method is that hydrogen exchange is low, i.e. the raw
materials generate little hydrogen gas. Now, Ior the Iirst time,
researchers have studied a newly discovered bacterium that produces
twice as much hydrogen gas as the bacteria currently used. The results
show how, when and why the bacterium can perIorm its excellent
work and increase the possibilities oI competitive biological
production oI hydrogen gas.
Engineers Tap Algae Cells for Electricity
ith the help oI photosynthesis plants convert light energy to
chemical energy. This chemical energy is stored in the bonds oI
sugars they use Ior Iood. Photosynthesis happens inside a chloroplast.
Chloroplasts are considered as the cellular powerhouses that make
sugars and impart leaves and algae a green hue. During
photosynthesis water is split into oxygen, protons and electrons.
hen sunrays Iall on the leaves and reach the chloroplast, electrons
get excited and attain higher energy level. These excited electrons are
caught by proteins. The electrons are passed through a series oI
proteins. These proteins utilize more oI the electrons' energy to
synthesize sugars until the entire electron's energy is exhausted.
PV Cell Prototype Generates Electricity from IR and UV Light
Solar energy is present in abundance around us. The problem is how
to harness a substantial portion oI it Ior human use. How to raise the
eIIiciency bar oI solar conversion into electricity? Scientists are
continuously engaged in Iinding a way out Ior this problem. Recently
scientists at the Kyoto Institute oI Technology have deviated Irom the
normal path and tried to trap the visible as well as invisible rays oI
sun Ior electricity. They tried to create a new photovoltaic cell that
can capture visible, inIrared and ultraviolet light oI the sun. The team
now thinks that this photovoltaic will be highly eIIicient Ior solar
power conversion.
Tiny Generators Produce Electricity Irom Ambient Vibrations
Tiny generators developed at the University oI Michigan could
produce enough electricity Irom random, ambient vibrations to power
a wristwatch, pacemaker or wireless sensor. The energy-harvesting
devices, created at U-M's Engineering Research Center Ior ireless
Integrated Microsystems, are highly eIIicient at providing renewable
electrical power Irom arbitrary, non-periodic vibrations. This type oI
vibration is a byproduct oI traIIic driving on bridges, machinery
operating in Iactories and humans moving their limbs.