Eliosolar has taken the idea of a solar hot water heater to the next level. Traditionally when people think of solar hot water heaters, they are thought to solely exist on roofs, but Eliosolar has designed them so they look like awnings, fences, guardrails, canopies, and a myriad of other accents on a house. They combined the idea of shading the house from the sun and collecting the sun’s heat to make hot water. read more »
A company called FloDesign has created an all new wind turbine based on technology found in jet engines. They claim that these new turbines are 3-4 times more efficient, require less space, and can operate at higher speeds than the traditional wind-mill style turbines we see installed today.
Traditional wind turbines create a wake effect much like a wake seen behind a boat. This causes the turbines behind the front line to be less effective than the ones behind it. Turbines after the first row tend to produce 20-30% less power. This is due to the fact that the turbines cannot dynamically move as winds change direction. read more »
Last year we brought you news about Pacific Gas & Electric using compressed air energy storage to solve energy needs. Now it seems Southwest Solar Technologies is taking it a step further. Instead of just using wind turbines, it will combine, wind, solar, and other renewable energy resources to make renewable energy grid ready.
If you are not familiar with the technology, it basically uses off peak and surplus energy to power giant compressors that will fill salt caverns with air. When power is at a greater demand than what is being produced, or in the case of solar, the renewable energy is not available, it will use the air pressure in the caverns to power the generators to produce electricity.
Traditional power plants like a 110 MW plant in McIntosh, Alabama have used this technology successfully for 16 years. It seems the transition to a renewable source would be the next logical evolution in renewable energy.
If you want to get people excited about something there are a few things people can say to create a buzz. Tax credit, free, and get more money. It just so happens that all three of these things are involved when talking about New South Wales Solar Bonus Scheme. This goes to show how serious the people of New South Wales are about helping the environment.
The government will give you a free quote and pay you to have solar in your home. If worked out correctly the solar panels and installation could be free, and they get to use the solar energy so it lowers bills. The max size that qualifies for the tax credit is 10 kilowatts, which is much more than any one house will use. read more »
It is true. Everything is bigger in Texas…even wind farms. The 781.5 MW Roscoe wind complex in Roscoe, Tx was turned on this past week. The wind farm has 627 turbines on 100,000 acres of land. they are a collaborative effort between Mitsubishi, General Electric and Siemens and have the read more »
MIT researchers are engineering a bacteria to produce biofuel. The bacteria is a close cousin to the strain that causes tuberculosis, however, it is only dangerous if you happened to be a toxic compound. read more »
Everyone knows that E.Coli makes people sick to their stomach. Well, it turns out that it gives nuclear waste a big stomach ache as well. It turns out that researchers at the University of Birmingham found that E.Coli break down phytic acid and release phosphate molecules which then bind to uranium. read more »
In North America, one of the problems in harnessing solar energy is the fact that there needs to be a slightly south facing roof in direct sunlight for the solar panels to produce an optimum amount of energy. This might no longer be the case. read more »
When you go to get your locks chopped, we just see all the hair that should be thrown away. Milan Karki, 18, who comes from a village in rural Nepal, saw an opportunity. He discovered that hair could be used to conduct electricity, and now thinks he could revolutionize the solar industry. read more »
When salt water and fresh water meet, energy is released when the salt water tries to find a new salinity equilibrium. According to Doriano Brogioli of the University of Milan Bicocca in Monza, Italy, this energy can be harnessed using modern day techniques to capture the energy. read more »
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