Category Archives: Green Tech

Solar Powered Aircraft Being Developed For Five-Year Flight

Skynet anyone?

By Michael d'Estries  
April 28, 2008 – 3:02 pm

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A government agency has awarded a new contract to Aurora Flight Sciences for the development of a radical and ultra-efficient aircraft capable of staying aloft in the stratosphere for five years — or more. The latest design, called Odysseus, uses solar energy to power the aircraft during the day and stored solar energy for the night. From the article,

” The objective of the Vulture program is to develop an aircraft capable of remaining on-station uninterrupted for over five years to perform intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), and communication missions over an area of interest. The technology challenges include development of energy management and reliability technologies capable of allowing the aircraft to operate continuously for such extended durations. Vulture, in effect, will be a persistent pseudo-satellite capability, in an aircraft package.”

This would be an incredible UAV if expectations are fulfilled. Currently, global climate change research, weather monitoring, and regional-scale telecommunications are the expected uses.

via ecofriend 

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BMW’s Hydrogen Car Actually Cleans The Air Around It

By Michael d'Estries  
April 17, 2008 – 2:24 pm

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BMW has been handing over their Hydrogen 7 sedan to several celebrities and other notables as part of a trial of the new technology out in the real world. The car is actually a hybrid of sorts that allows the owner to either use hydrogen or gasoline as the fuel of choice. This week, however, at the 2008 SAE World Congress in Detroit BMW showed off a pure hydrogen concept car that not only burns clean, but also emits fewer carbon monoxides than found in the air around it. From the article,

“This means the engine breaks down or converts the carbon monoxides it takes in. The emissions tests, run by Argonne Laboratories, also show a similar reduction in non-methane organic gasses. The vehicles other emissions are all so low that standard automobile emissions testing wouldn’t have detected them.”

How about that? Not only can you drink the waste water from this thing, but it will also make the air you breathe cleaner. Sounds like a must-have for any future inhabitant of Los Angeles.

BMW has no plans to market the hydrogen-only vehicle and will stick to the current H7 for future sales.

via Green Tech Blog

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World’s First Integrated Building Turbines Spin To Life In Bahrain

By Michael d'Estries  
April 10, 2008 – 7:33 pm

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I’ve always thought integrated building turbines were a smart idea — but generally they could only be found on models or drawings of ‘potential’ green architecture. No longer. The Bahrain World Trade Center made history earlier this week by allowing its new integrated blades to start catching some wind and generating electricity. They are expected to provide between 11%-15% of the building’s power. From the article,

“he elliptical shapes of the two buildings of the architecture funnel and even accelerate the wind towards the turbines. And there’ll be no shortage of wind too, what with the Bahrain World Trade Center in direct path of the onshore breeze blowing from the Gulf coast. According to the project manager, the cost of turbines was reduced to 3.5 percent of the whole project’s, which means that should the turbines work as expected, the project is financially viable.”

It’s about time we create buildings that take advantage of their height and air flow to work for them, rather than against. The Middle East is currently a hot bed for green tech — so look to other projects in the coming months to wow even further.

via goodcleantech

[UPDATE] Metaefficient has posted a sweet video of the three turbines in action. Take a look here.

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Commercial Tidal Energy System Nearing Completion In Northern Ireland

By Michael d'Estries  
April 5, 2008 – 3:01 pm

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The world’s first commercial energy-producing tidal system has just passed an important milestone in its construction. The 1.2MW SeaGen Tidal System is being placed at Northern Ireland’s Strangford Lough — a site chosen for its combination of fast tidal current and ability to provide shelter from bad weather. The company behind the project, Marine Current Turbines, recently positioned the 1000 tonne structure onto the seabed about 400m from the shoreline. From the article,

It is expected that the breakthrough power plant will be operational around mid-year with its massive 16m diameter twin rotors harnessing the tides to produce the equivalent amount of energy it takes to power 1000 homes. “Tidal energy has the great advantage of being predictable and no other system can harness the power of the tidal currents in the way this one can. We take great pride and see enormous potential in the technology and hope it will eventually make a significant contribution to the future energy needs of the British Isles, Ireland and beyond,” said Martin Wright, Managing Director of Marine Current Turbines.

Indeed, there are other potential sites around the world that could use the tides to harness a great amount of energy. The Bay of Fundy in Canada — which has some of the highest tides in the world — could especially benefit from this technology.

For more information, jump here.

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Coastal Fog Tower Can Generate Water From The Air For Agriculture

By Michael d'Estries  
April 5, 2008 – 2:31 pm

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Man, every week there is something new out there that completely takes me by surprise. Take for instance this Coastal Fog Tower that may potentially be erected on the northern coast of Chile. Standing 400 meters tall, the tower is a seaside spire that traps airborne water molecules and channels them into the Huasco River valley — one of the driest places on the planet. From Inhabitat,

Its construction as a stacked weave serves to trap and wick moisture into the tower, while its spiraling structure provides a large surface area that funnels water into the basement. Here, trace minerals from the sea are filtered out via a reverse osmosis system, which is much more efficient than processing sea water into potable water via desalination plants. The end result is a water distribution system with a planned performance of 2-20 liters per square meter of vertical surface, producing from 20,000 to 200,000 liters of water per day.

Pretty incredible. Apparently, cloud-catching technology has already been proven to work in Chile — so perhaps it’s only a matter of time before we see these towers assisting with agriculture development. It would truly be a site to behold.

Check out Inhabitat for the full article.

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Kite-Assisted Cargo Ship Successfully Completes Maiden Voyage

By Michael d'Estries  
March 21, 2008 – 8:32 am

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Back in December, we told you of a new company called Skysails that was reintroducing the concept of harnessing the wind on the open seas to save fuel for cargo ships. For its maiden voyage, it would travel from Germany to Venezuela, the United States and Norway under the assistance of a $725,000 computer-controlled kite. Now, after two months, the trip has been achieved — and according to all those involved, a complete success. From the article,

“With that [trip] we impressively validated the original expectations we had for the system“, was how SkySails managing director Stephan Wrage assessed the first practical trials aboard the Beluga ship. “In the future, depending on the route and weather conditions, we’ll be able to post fuel savings of between 10% and 35% using wind power.”

During its time at sea, the kite-assisted ship traveled a total of 11,952 nautical miles. During the time that the kite was deployed — which lasted anywhere from a few minutes to up to 8 hours — it pulled the ship with up to 5 tons of power at force 5 winds — a relief of more than 20% on the ship’s engines. Projected onto an entire day, this performance by the “Beluga SkySails” represents savings of about 2.5 tons of fuel and more than $1,000 a day.

As this is just the initial stage of a pilot program expected to last 12 months, company officials are gearing up for more ambitious testing in future trips. A kite that is twice the size of the original will soon be deployed for double the energy productions and cost savings. The Beluga shipping company is even considering passing on these savings to the crew as an incentive. Nice!

For more on this successful voyage — the future plans for kite-assisted ships, jump here.

Skysails via Green Daily

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Energy Scavenging Military Spy Bat Is Technical Eye Candy

By Michael d'Estries  
March 18, 2008 – 9:52 pm

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Just look at this thing! While it may seem like something Bruce Wayne would deploy in one of the Batman movies, it’s actually a concept under development between the US Military and scientists at the University of Michigan. Not only is it a small bionic bat with stereo cameras, miniaturized radar, and ultra-sensitive self-guidance — but it also is a renewable critter mean to take advantage of energy from solar, wind, and vibrations.

Piezoelectric technology, anyone?

Here’s what Gizmodo had to say on the development of this cool technology:

For energy recovery, UMich will work to develop “quantum dot solar cells,” making current solar cells twice as nice. The bat’s autonomous navi system will be 1,000 times smaller than current systems, and that much more energy efficient too. The comms system will be shrunk to one-tenth the current size, too. You can see how all of this shrinkage will have positive impact outside the bionic-bat community as well.

The bat-bot’s intended use is to run surveillance ops and relay data in realtime (as well as radiation and poison gas readings) back to HQ. UMich will receive $10 million over 5 years to develop the technology. You can grab more details here.

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Startup May Hold Key To Cheap, Green Hydrogen Fuel

By Michael d'Estries  
January 18, 2008 – 5:43 pm

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Auto companies love to tout hydrogen as the clean burning fuel of the future. Unfortunately, while it may be green on the way out — actually producing the hydrogen gas (or liquid) is an extremely energy-intensive process that produces 9.3 kilograms of carbon dioxide for every kilogram of hydrogen. That’s not quite the closed loop clean-energy system often envisioned.

There are some intriguing solutions - the latest of which comes from a new startup called Nanoptek. According to the company, they have come up with a “low-cost, durable titania electrode that can split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen.” CNET helps put this into laymans terms for the rest of us:

“Sunlight hits the electrode, and the electrode splits the light into a positive charge (called a hole) and an electron. Before the two charges can rejoin, the electron gets captured by the electrode and then is exploited to split water. Silicon solar cells operate on the same principle.”

Apparently, a space 50 feet by 50 feet on a sunny roof could provide enough surface area for a Nanoptek hydrogen generator. This in turn would provide enough hydrogen to meet the demands of a family of four. Granted, this is all very much in the experimental stages — but it’s worth knowing that we’re moving towards this fuel source with full-on research on how to produce it cheaply and cleanly.

Nanoptek has raised $4.7 million in funding to move onto the next stage of development. We’ll be watching closely to see if what they come up with shakes the industry further.

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“Concentrated Solar Power” Technology Headed for Boom Times, Consulting Firm Says

By Bill Hobbs  
December 13, 2007 – 3:16 am

A new study from Emerging Energy Research says that the technology known as “concentrated solar power” or CSP is the fastest growing utility-scale renewable energy alternative after wind power, with up to $20 billion expected to be invested in CSP over the next five years.

Ever used a magnifying glass to kill a bug or burn a leaf with sunlight? That’s concentrated solar power. In the energy business, rather than focus the sun’s rays to burn bugs and leaves, CSP technology uses mirrors to focus the sun’s rays and convert the sun’s energy into high-temperature heat, which is then used to generate electricity in a steam generator or, in some cases, to power a Stirling Engine.

The U.S. Department of Energy is very involved in research and development of three types of concentrating solar technologies: trough systems, dish/engine systems, and power towers.

“With natural gas prices tripling and current volatility expected to continue, CSP is well-positioned to compete against other electricity generation technologies in the near-to-medium term,” says Reese Tisdale, EER’s senior analyst. “In countries such as the U.S. and Spain with higher solar resources, land availability and sufficient government support to kick-start the industry, utility-scale solar CSP technology has the potential to become an integral part of the generation mix,” Tisdale adds.

Spain and the U.S. are currently the two leading countries in the CSP industry, and CSP installations in Spain and the U.S. are expected to surpass a combined 7,500 MW by 2020, EER forecasts.

But the U.S. market for CSP is being hampered by - what else - tax policy. Says EER: “A large potential pipeline (of CSP projects) in the US is stalled by uncertainty over the future of a 30% investment tax credit (ITC), now due to expire at year-end 2008.”

Outside Spain and the U.S., Italy, France, Portugal and Greece are all on the verge of seeing new CSP developments, as well as parts of the Middle East and North Africa, according to EER.

I’d link you to the study, except they want $3,750 per copy. But Solar Industry Magazine has a pretty good summary of the study.

Companies active in the CSP space include Solel, Solar Millennium, Abengoa Solar, Ausra, BrightSource Energy, SkyFuel and Stirling Energy Systems - which are looking to leverage their specialized technology capabilities. Also in the mix: independent power producers and utilities that are investing in CSP to go along with their other renewable power generation assets.

“It is no surprise that the largest owners of wind power plant globally are also emerging as significant players in CSP,” says Tisdale. These players, led by Iberdrola, FPL Energy, Acciona and EDP are looking to add CSP projects to their mounting wind portfolios as a means to diversity other utility scale technologies. FPL Energy, notes Tisdale, is currently the leading IPP investor in CSP, with its wnership of seven solar plants in California built in the late 1980s.

The study, “Global Concentrated Solar Power Markets and Strategies, 2007-2020,” can be found at Emerging-Energy.com.

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Mobile Solar-Powered Water Purification Systems Headed to Iraq

By Bill Hobbs  
December 13, 2007 – 2:45 am

WorldWater & Solar Technologies Corp. will soon be shipping 12 of its Mobile MaxPure solar-powered water purification systems to the US military, which will use them to bring clean fresh water to farmers and families in the Euphrates Valley region of Iraq. The portable systems have the ability to supply 30,000 gallons per day of clean fresh water for drinking or irrigation - and 3.2 kilowatts of electrical power.

The Mobile MaxPure™ is a stand-alone, sturdy and robust 7-foot cube that opens with the press of a button, unfolding a solar array which can deliver 3.2 kilowatts of electrical power and, with the Company’s patented AquaMax™ controls, can pump and purify up to 30,000 gallons of water daily. The unit can also desalinate brackish or sea water. It will operate from sunshine alone or in combination with a power grid. Mobile MaxPure™ is also equipped with a back-up generator and a battery bank for 24-hour use.

The Morrell Foundation of Bluffdale, Utah, is paying $900,000 for the dozen units, which are being delivered to Iraq by Millennium KI, a military supply contractor.

“The Iraqi farmers do not have reliable power from the electric grid to operate their irrigation pumps or treat their water for drinking,” said Quentin T. Kelly, Chairman & CEO of WorldWater & Solar Technologies Corp., in a press release. “When we received an e-mail from the Marines at Camp Fallujah requesting water purification units, we moved immediately. Morrell and Millennium responded equally. I understand families are drinking directly from the river, which of course is seriously polluted. Within 30 minutes of Max’s arrival on site, the people will be able to drink purified water from the river and able to start irrigating crops.”

WorldWater is a publicly-held company. Its shares are traded on the NASDAQ Bulletin Board under the symbol WWAT.OB. It is a fully reporting company. WorldWater & Solar Technologies Corp. was formed in 1997 as the result of a reverse merger.

Its stock is currently inexpensive.

WorldWater isn’t on the cutting edge of innovating new energy technologies - instead it is in the business of innovating ways to use solar power - in this case, to create fresh water in a remote location that’s off both the electric grid and the public water infrastructure. The Mobile MaxPure™ is, I think, a good example of the kinds of alt-energy applications we’re going to increasingly see: relatively small, decentralized and independent of the grid.

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