Posts Tagged ‘technology’
Cleveland transit agency to team up with NASA on hydrogen buses
>> Cleveland Plain Dealer
The board of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority voted this week to join the NASA Glenn Research Center in operating a bus that would emit only water from its tailpipe.
Matthew Stepp: Clean tech headed for stagnation
>> The Energy Collective
In the short-term, the very government support that is buoying uncompetitive clean tech deployment is set to decline drastically. But even if much of this funding continues, the nascent clean tech industry is on a potential path of stagnation.
Wisconsin factory will build high-speed EV charging stations
>> Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Terra 51 Direct Current fast charger can charge electric vehicles in 15 to 30 minutes, compared with charging times of up to four to eight hours for other charging station technologies.
New LED bulb ‘breathes’ to outshine 100-watt incandescents
>> Cleveland Plain Dealer
GE Lighting’s new 27-watt replacement for the old 100-watt incandescent bulb does something no household light has ever done before — it breathes.
Iowa renewable energy program off to a slow start
>> Associated Press
Chet Culver’s signature program for renewable energy research and development is off to a slower and rockier start than the former Iowa governor predicted, with a fraction of the money spent five years after its creation, according to a review by the Associated Press.
Smoothing out the bumps of compressed-air storage
The University of Minnesota has licensed a new technology that could be used to smooth out many of the peaks and valleys in wind and solar power generation.
The invention, by mechanical engineering professor Perry Li, is a method for setting up a compressed-air energy storage system that releases energy at a constant rate.
Compressed-air energy storage typically involves using excess electricity to pump air into an underground cavern. When electricity is in higher demand, the airflow can be reversed, spinning a set of turbines with a stream of air as the container depressurizes.
One drawback is that the intensity of the energy released constantly declines. It’s like filling balloons with a helium tank. As the tank empties, it gradually takes longer to fill each balloon.
There’s inefficiency and variability in that type of system — two qualities that are undesirable when it comes to managing an electricity grid.
Li came up with a configuration for an above-ground storage system, using a set of tanks and vessels, in which the pressure inside stays nearly constant, which means the energy output stays consistent, too.
“It’s really about the configuration — how you put it together,” says Li. “The idea is to allow the system to operate at more constant pressure, rather than at varying pressure. That’s the key to the invention.”
Li imagines the systems could be installed on individual wind turbines, where they could regulate the electricity output to a rolling eight-hour average.
The project, which was funded by the National Science Foundation, started out as a search for storage solutions for hydraulic hybrid vehicles, which capture energy from braking and store it in a vessel containing pressurized fluid.
What they came up with, however, appeared to be better suited for larger energy storage systems instead of vehicles, so Li turned his attention to wind and solar applications.
The technology has been licensed to SustainX, a New Hampshire company that’s developing above-ground isothermal compressed-air energy storage systems.
For those who want to delve into the technical details, you can find the patent information here.
Nonprofit turns energy assistance into independence
A couple stands in front of their new solar-powered furnace installed on their home through a partnership between RREAL and the Bemidji, Minnesota, Lakes Area Habitat for Humanity. (Photo by John Connelly, used with permission)
Twelve years ago, Jason Edens set out to transform heating and cooling assistance for low-income families into a clean, energy-independent solution. Since then, his organization, the Rural Renewable Energy Alliance (RREAL), has helped hundreds of families install low-cost solar furnaces to help reduce their energy bills.
“Tens of millions of Americans have to make challenging choices between eating and heating every winter,” asserts Edens, director and founder of RREAL, a 12-year-old Minnesota-based nonprofit social enterprise that leverages solar technologies to keep struggling families warm in the winter. Over 15 percent of the U.S. population lives at or below the poverty line.
In 2010 alone, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) allocated a total of over $4.9 billion to all 50 states through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). After each state takes its share, the money is then divvied up between a variety of neighborhood-based Community Action Agencies who then distribute it according to federal guidelines. Currently over 46.2 million Americans nationwide are eligible for LIHEAP assistance.
Edens says that money could be better spent reducing energy use in the first place.
“The way the money is distributed is like putting a Band-Aid on a gushing wound,” he says. “We’re hemorrhaging cash.”
Before starting RREAL, Edens, a former high school teacher, was in a sticky situation himself. Edens was a graduate student with a family to support and a large sum of student loans as he looked ahead toward another bristly northern Minnesota winter. But instead of accepting the heating grant he was offered from a local agency, Edens asked for a low-interest loan for a solar-heating system. The answer he got: “No.”
Edens instead built a solar-powered furnace on his own, recycling a solar water-heating system another family threw out. In doing so, he says, he cut his energy costs down enough to avoid any energy assistance whatsoever. Since building the first solar units in his basement, RREAL has installed over 250 solar-powered furnaces for low-income families, and, as part of their for-profit venture, have installed another 70 market-rate solar units as well as solar photovoltaic systems in cities across the country.
(Image via RREAL)
The furnaces work by pumping air through transparent tubes that capture the sun’s energy, similar to a solar-thermal water heater. Edens says the furnaces cost about $5,000 to install, including permits, time, travel, materials and equipment, and pay for themselves within ten years.
In the meantime, Edens knows that conventional ways of dealing with energy assistance won’t last. “These programs aren’t intended to go on forever,” he explains. “This is a way to enable families to power their own homes instead of relying on assistance for the next 30 years or more.”
Currently, Edens’ patented solar-powered furnaces have only been in the field for five years, but he anticipates that the air handling units will last 10 to 20 years before needing repairs or replacement and the solar collectors should last 30 to 40 years. Plus, he adds, “Every residential unit installed has the capability to reduce greenhouse gases by about 1,300 pounds every year.” Double that figure if you live in Minnesota during the winter.
Edens and his team are looking to continue open-sourcing and scaling their model nationally. Edens even hinted at a distant goal of fulfilling the heating needs of schools in chilly but often sunny far-off countries, including Tajikistan, Mongolia and rural Russia.
“Within 10 years,” says Edens. “We hope solar and other clean-energy assistance solutions will become the tool of choice by default.”
Tristan Pollock is a Minneapolis-based freelance writer.
On Facebook, a friendly rivalry over household energy use
>> New York Times
A new application will allow interested parties in 20 million households served by 16 utilities across the nation to post their energy use on their Facebook pages and invite friends to share their information as well.
A wind turbine that also makes water
(Photo via Eole Water)
The prairies of the Midwest were once dotted with windmills that pumped groundwater for livestock (and people). Now, Recharge News reports, in the parched desert of the United Arab Emirates, an entrepreneur hopes to again use wind power to extract water – this time, from the air.
The concept is simple: Connect a wind turbine to a compressor/condenser similar to an air conditioner. The cold causes moisture in the air to condense into liquid water, which is collected and piped to the ground.
While the turbines are still in development, a prototype is already capable of producing 100-200 gallons of water per day, according to Eole Water, the company producing the new technology.
Read the whole story at Recharge News.
Breaking down the costs of wind turbine components
In today’s story on the role foundries play in the U.S. wind industry, reporter Brian Rogal found that many of the large, metal components of a wind turbine are built overseas and imported. Backers of the domestic foundry industry hope rising shipping costs and improved technology can bring some of that business back to the U.S.
But can shaving a few percentage points off the cost of something like the tower or nacelle baseplate have a significant impact?
(Romax Technology)
An analysis recently published in Windpower Engineering and Development gives us a rough idea. While the report focuses on how improvements to drivetrains can increase efficiency, it also breaks down the cost proportion of different parts of the turbine.
As you can see in the chart, the large metal components (tower, nacelle, and blades) account for nearly 80 percent of the cost of a typical turbine. Also, about 65 percent of the cost of an on-shore wind farm is the capital expense of the turbines themselves. That means the cost of wind energy is largely determined by the cost of these big castings.
Will domestic suppliers be able to increase their share of this market? As Rogal reports, at least two Midwest foundries have high hopes. But anticipating further uncertainty over the federal production tax credit, they’re also hedging their bets by supplying parts to other industries.
