ecoGizmo
Look Mum, no petrol
July 16, 2007 Not long ago, extra curricular involvement during school holidays for pre-teens culminated in a talk entitled “what I did on my school holidays” about a trip to the zoo or some other out-of-the ordinary excursion where children were encouraged to show their ability to learn from their surroundings. Behold then, the modern equivalent – the 31st annual Shell Eco-marathon UK this week saw the involvement of hundreds of British school children. With an eye on fuel efficiency, children as young as 11 were pushing the boundaries of vehicle design and engineering to achieve fuel consumption figures of over 1,000mpg. Sandbach School triumphed in the schools class with an incredible 2,250mpg, sufficient to take 12th place overall in the open competition in their first year. The winner was once again the world fuel consumption champion Microjoule with 10,517 mpg. Just wait ‘til these kids leave school. (read more...)
New test facility to reduce the cost of solar energy
July 11, 2007 A new test facility that aims to cut the cost of large-scale solar thermal energy production has been inaugurated at Almería in southern Spain. Research scientists from Europe’s largest solar energy research institute, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, helped to develop the facility which uses a linear Fresnel reflector one hundred meters long to focus sunlight onto a steel absorber tube in which water is heated up to 450 degrees Celsius and used to drive electricity producing turbines. Finding more efficient ways to harness the sun’s rays is a key part of the shift towards renewable energy and solar thermal power, as one of the most efficient methods currently under development, is predicted to provide about 10% of the world's electricity by 2050. (read more...)
The largest commercial photovoltaic system in the United States?
June 28, 2007 This aerial image of Google’s corporate headquarters in Mountain View turned up in a press release this morning, pointing out that the 1.6 MW Google Solar "Campus" is now the largest commercial photovoltaic system in the United States. Take a look at the image in higher res and see if you had the same reaction we did. Google doesn’t smelt aluminum, cast large metal objects or refine petroleum – it’s activities are confined to a bunch of people quietly working away at computers. Recognising that Planet Earth is drowning in its own excrement no longer needs a PhD or an election and this is the largest photovoltaic system in the whole U.S.A.? It’s just not that big! (read more...)
Tidal energy generator to be built in Northern Ireland
June 28, 2007 The tidal motion of water offers us an amazing source of energy - it's immensely powerful, predictable, reliable and can be harvested with no emissions and very little impact on the environment. Following successful testing off the coast of Devon, Marine Currrent Turbines is set to begin construction of the world's largest ever tidal turbine system off the coast of Northern Ireland - kind of like a wind farm that sits underwater. The 1.2MW generator will push enough power back into the commercial grid to supply 1000 homes, and will serve as a prototype commercial test of this clean, sustainable energy source. (read more...)
The high-rise future of food production
June 26, 2007 Would you have ever thought it conceivable to grow vast amounts of produce in the heart of densely populated cities such as Hong Kong, Tokyo or New Delhi? A new model for agriculture is proposing just that. Vertical farming is the latest concept to address the impending crisis in world food production and follows the same methodology that town planners have used for years to cope with growing populations and space limitations; build up, not out. Aiming to bring food production to the places where most of the consumption occurs, the concept envisages specially designed skyscrapers that contain multiple levels of viable farmland providing all-year-round food production in a controlled, parasite-free environment. (read more...)
New LEDs offer simple replacement of fluorescent tubes
June 22, 2007 With over half a billion fluorescent light globes disposed of each year in the U.S. alone, there is no doubting the significance of a product that allows existing fluorescent fixtures to be converted to Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) by simply changing the bulb. The world's first true replacement of glass fluorescent lighting tubes, the EverLED TR from LEDdynamics utilizes the existing fluorescent ballast, while achieving the equivalent light output of the tube it replaces. (read more...)
SANYO develops world's highest energy conversion efficiency solar cells
June 22, 2007 SANYO has broken its own record for the world's highest energy conversion efficiency in practical size crystalline silicon-type solar cells. The company achieved this solar energy breakthrough by demonstrating an efficiency of 22% (beating a previous record of 21.8%) at a research level for its HIT solar cells, the first time that a photovoltaic manufacturer has broken through the 22% mark in conversion efficiency for this type of cell. (read more...)
Wind farm technology goes sonic
June 5, 2007 The pressing need for viable alternative energy sources that do more than just supplement coal fired power-stations is driving advances in the development of wind energy. One major hurdle in establishing successful wind farms is the difficulty in attaining accurate site evaluation data and it is this problem that the Triton Sonic Wind Profiler seeks to address. Designed to measure wind-speed at heights of up to 200m without the need for erecting costly and less effective masts, the wind profiler utilizes a technique known as Sodar (sound detection and ranging) that measures sound wave echoes in the atmosphere in a similar way to Sonar detection used by submarines underwater. (read more...)
Portable LiDAR unit boosts windfarm evaluation
May 31, 2007 Wind farm planning and development will benefit from a deal just signed to market a portable LiDAR unit capable of accurately measuring wind speeds at heights of up to 150m. Designed and built by defense specialists QinetiQ, the unit will be brought to the market by Scottish consultancy Natural Power. It will be a key tool in the evaluation of prospective wind farm sites. (read more...)
Greenhouse solution: sucking the CO2 straight out of the atmosphere
May 29, 2007 Since industry is constantly proving it's unwilling to address Global Warming from an emissions standpoint, creative science is looking at attacking atmospheric carbon dioxide levels from the other side - sucking the greenhouse gas out of the atmosphere. Researchers have just successfully demonstrated air extraction technology that could be employed to reduce global carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere back to the levels that Climate Change scientists say we need to aim for to prevent global catastrophe. (read more...)
Greenpeace rebuilding Noah's Ark as a warning on climate change
May 28, 2007 While politics and public opinion remain divided on global warming, the majority of scientific weight tells us that the major factor contributing to rising global temperatures is our own environmental carelessness. This is certainly Greenpeace's view; the well-known environmental lobby group has started construction of a replica of Noah's Ark on the top of Mt. Ararat as a warning of the bleak future the planet could be facing if strong action isn't taken. (read more...)
Nokia becomes the first phone maker to add energy saving alerts to mobiles
May 14, 2007 The growing awareness of mankind’s mistreatment of its environment is leading to some interesting realisations. As remarkable as it might seem, around two-thirds of the energy used by a mobile phone is lost when it is unplugged after charging but the charger is left in a live socket. A recent agreement between all mobile phone manufacturers to focus on the environmental impact and energy usage of their wares will see many environmental initiatives roll out over the next few months. The first to implement changes resultant from the pact is market leader Nokia which will add alerts to its phone range encouraging people to unplug the charger once the battery is full. Starting with the new Nokia 1200, 1208 and 1650 models, the alerts will be rolled out across the Nokia product range. (read more...)
The world’s first commercial wave farm
March 10, 2007 Look at reports such as the Electric Power Research Institute’s Electricity Technology in a Carbon-Constrained Future (February 2007)and the Role of Renewable Energy in Future Electricity Supply (July 30, 2006) and you’ll see we all face some common problems – Planet Earth is showing signs of toxic shock, we need energy and we have yet to solve our reliance on emission-producing energy sources. Those same reports don’t see ocean power playing much of a role in the foreseeable future, but as the game plays itself out, new technologies for harvesting the power of the ocean is emerging. Already, claim its proponents, the costs of producing electricity from wind energy have fallen by 80% over the past two decades as a result of volume and production optimisation. With opening costs around half wind energy’s opening costs and a quarter the current cost of solar, a new form of wave energy harvester has the potential to become one of the lowest cost forms of generation in the longer term. The Pelamis is a semi-submerged structure composed of cylindrical sections linked by hinged joints. The wave-induced motion of these joints is resisted by hydraulic rams. These pump oil through hydraulic motors which drive generators to produce electricity. Power from all the joints is fed down a single umbilical cable to a junction on the sea bed. Several devices can be connected together and linked to shore through a single seabed cable. (read more...)
Climate Change “only one symptom of a stressed Planet Earth” says IGBP
February 9, 2007 In releasing its latest comprehensive report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) focuses an important spotlight on the current state of the Earth’s climate. Climate change is just one of the many symptoms exhibited by a planet under pressure from human activities. "Global environmental change, which includes climate change, threatens to irreversibly alter our planet," says Kevin Noone, Executive Director of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP).Global studies by International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) show that human-driven environmental changes are affecting many parts of the Earth’s system, in addition to its climate. For example, half of Earth’s land surface is now domesticated for direct human use, 75 percent of the world’s fisheries are fully or over-exploited, and the composition of today’s atmosphere is well outside the range of natural variability the Earth has maintained over the last 650,000 years. The report concludes that Earth is now in the midst of its sixth great extinction event. And the remarkable image comes from NASA’s Visible Earth catalog – it’s a composite of Earth’s city lights. (read more...)
Greywater Treatment System for the home
February 9, 2007 With Australia currently in the grip of a drought that is threatening the water supply of several major cities, it’s not surprising that invention’s mother, necessity, is driving some ingenious solutions. Australian-owned Nubian Water Systems recently launched the OASIS Domestic Greywater Treatment System (GT600), a practical and affordable urban water conservation solution generating a saving of almost 400 litres of drinking water a day for the average 4 person household. OASIS takes the greywater generated by baths, showers, laundry and hand basins and treats it to a high quality suitable for garden irrigation, toilet flushing, clothes washing and car washing. The compact, above-ground design of the OASIS GT600 is ideal for urban housing. No excavations are necessary and the entire system can be up and running within 24 hours of delivery. (read more...)
Happy birthday, Planet Earth - we're sorry about the mess, we promise to clean it up
January 5, 2007 With robust and creditable disregard for superstition, The Geological Society of London was founded by 13 men on Friday 13th November 1807, in The Freemason’s Tavern, Long Acre, a pub which once stood on the site of what is now the Connaught Rooms in Great Queen Street. In its 200 years the Society has seen its subject achieve maturity (with the unifying theories of plate tectonics and the “Gaian” Earth System) in a shorter time than any other science. With the simultaneous release of 4567 biodegradable balloons from the Courtyard of Burlington House, Mayfair on 10 January 2007, The Geological Society of London will celebrate not only its own 200th birthday, but also the 4567 millionth birthday of Planet Earth. The image comes from NASA and represents sea-level height data from the Jason-1 altimetric satellite last month showing that continuing weaker-than-normal trade winds in the western and central equatorial Pacific have triggered another strong, eastward moving, warm Kelvin wave. (read more...)
The World’s largest wind farm receives UK government backing
December 21, 2006 A plan to build the world’s largest wind farm 20 km off the Kent coast in the United Kingdom, has been given Government approval for its offshore planning applications. If built, the 1,000MW wind farm will include 341 turbines, cover 90 square miles and generate enough electricity to power 750,000 homes - a quarter of Greater London’s households. The consent for the onshore substation, necessary to connect the UKP1.5 billion London Array into the national grid, will now be subject to a Public Inquiry. When it becomes operational, the renewable energy project would displace 1.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year - enough to fill the bowl at the new Wembley Stadium 910 times. (read more...)
Safe Hydrogen storage at room temperature
December 7, 2006 Hydrogen-powered cars that do not pollute the environment are a step closer thanks to a new discovery which promises to solve the main problem holding back the technology. Whilst hydrogen is thought to be an ideal fuel for vehicles, producing only water on combustion, its widespread use has been limited by the lack of a safe, efficient system for onboard storage. Scientists have experimented with ways of storing hydrogen by locking the gas into metal lattices, but metal hydrides only work at temperatures above 300°C and metal organic framework materials only work at liquid nitrogen temperatures (-198°C). Now scientists at the University of Bath have invented a material which stores and releases hydrogen at room temperature, at the flick of a switch, and promises to help make hydrogen power a viable clean technology for the future. (read more...)
Terrestrial Solar Cell Surpasses 40 Percent Efficiency
December 7, 2006 Spectrolab has achieved a new world record in terrestrial concentrator solar cell efficiency. Using concentrated sunlight, Spectrolab demonstrated the ability of a photovoltaic cell to convert 40.7 percent of the sun's energy into electricity. The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) verified the milestone. High efficiency multijunction cells have a significant advantage over conventional silicon cells in concentrator systems because fewer solar cells are required to achieve the same power output. This technology will continue to dramatically reduce the cost of generating electricity from solar energy as well as the cost of materials used in high-power space satellites and terrestrial applications. (read more...)
Honda Soltec established to sell Thin Film Solar Cells
December 4, 2006 Honda is getting into the solar cell business following an announcement on Friday that it plans to establish a wholly-owned subsidiary, Honda Soltec Co., Ltd., which will produce and sell the next-generation thin film solar cell independently developed by Honda. The new company will lead Honda to make a full-scale entry into the solar cell business. (read more...)
New process for iron production cuts emissions by 90 percent
November 17, 2006 A new manufacturing process developed appears set to make the production of iron much more environmentally friendly. The outstanding feature of the “Corex process” is that it uses conventional coal instead of coking coal, the customary ingredient. The world’s largest Corex-based plant is currently being built in China and is scheduled to begin operation in late 2007. It does not require a coking plant, reducing the discharge of dust and nitrogen oxides by more than 90 percent and sulphur dioxide emissions by 97 percent. (read more...)
Aerated showerhead cuts water use by 30 per cent
November 17, 2006 With man’s mismanagement of the environment now firmly on the global agenda thanks to the growing evidence of global warming, water conservation is now an issue for everyone. Water, like money, is a very finite resource and if we don’t stop splashing it against the wall, we’re going to have serious long terms problems – all of us – not just the poor nations of the world but the rich nations too. So it was good news this week when we found that Australia’s national research agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), has found a way to use a third less water when you shower, without diminishing the experience in any way. CSIRO scientists have developed a simple ‘air shower’ device which, when retrofitted to existing showerheads, fills the water droplets with a tiny bubble of air. The result is the shower feels just as wet and just as strong as before, but now uses much less water. The device is expected to retail for less than AUD$20 and be installed by householders. CSIRO is now seeking a suitable commercial partner to manufacture and market the technology globally. The CSIRO invention uses venturi technology. (read more...)
Google to build largest US Corporate Solar Installation
October 18, 2006 In a move sure to win it some brownie points on the corporate responsibility scale, Google is constructing a solar electricity system which will become the largest solar installation on any corporate campus in the United States. The 1.6 megawatt project will provide enough green energy to supply 1,000 average California homes using rooftop and parking-lot panels. The project will involve 9,212 solar panels provided by Sharp Electronics. A majority will be placed on the rooftops of some of the buildings in the Googleplex (pictured) and others will provide shaded parking as part of newly constructed solar panel support structures on existing Google parking lots. The solar energy will be used to power several of Google's Mountain View office facilities. (read more...)
The ecopod e1 home recycling centre
September 26, 2006 The ecopod e1 home recycling centre debuted last week at the Dwell on Design Conference and it has some compelling aspects, most significantly in that it offers an orderly, easy and convenient regime to process recyclables in the home. Not to be confused with the low-cost recycled paper coffins of the same name, the ecopod was designed by BMW Designworks, with the concept of building a solution that would help make recycling simple and rewarding at home and in the office. It stores glass bottles, paper, plastic bags and cans after compacting them, and has the potential, according to ecopods statistics, to help prevent over 130 billion beverage containers worth US$ one billion reaching American landfills each year. The movie can be seen here. Images inside. (read more...)
MIT designs giant wind turbines for use at sea
September 20, 2006 In a flash of the blinding obvious, MIT researchers have once again taken a simple concept and applied liberal lashings of leading edge science and common sense – take the wind turbines that everyone complains about and move them a hundred miles out to sea, where the winds are strong and steady and no-one can see them. The proposed deep water floater-mounted turbine design would be enable much larger turbines than currently in use by land or shallow-water turbines (read more...)
