Solar Power Breakthrough

MIT researchers announced that they have overcome a major barrier to large-scale solar power: storing energy for use when the sun doesn't shine.

Until now, solar power has been a daytime-only energy source, because storing extra solar energy for later use is too expensive and inefficient. Inspired by the photosynthesis performed by plants, the scientists have developed a process that will allow the sun's energy to be used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen gases. Later, the oxygen and hydrogen may be recombined inside a fuel cell, creating carbon-free electricity to power your house or your electric car, day or night.

The key component is a new catalyst that produces oxygen gas from water; another catalyst produces hydrogen gas. The new catalyst consists of cobalt metal, phosphate and an electrode, placed in water. When electricity -- whether from a photovoltaic cell, a wind turbine or any other source -- runs through the electrode, the cobalt and phosphate form a thin film on the electrode, and oxygen gas is produced. Combined with another catalyst, such as platinum, that can produce hydrogen gas from water, the system can duplicate the water splitting reaction that occurs during photosynthesis.

Sunlight has the greatest potential of any power source to solve the world's energy problems. In one hour, enough sunlight strikes the Earth to provide the entire planet's energy needs for one year.

Treethanol

Trees have been used as a source of fuel for thousands of years. According to The Economist magazine ($$), there is now a new high-tech twist on this fuel source. The idea is to make ethanol, a biofuel that usually comes from corn or sugar cane, from trees instead. Unlike oil, ethanol is renewable: to make more of it, you grow more crops. And blending ethanol into ordinary gasoline, or burning it directly in special “flex-fuel” engines, reduces greenhouse-gas emissions.

Why use trees as a feedstock for ethanol? Because “treethanol” has the potential to be much more energy efficient. The ratio of the energy yielded by a given amount of ethanol to the energy needed to produce it is called the “energy balance”. The energy balance for ethanol made from corn is about 1.3; in other words, the ethanol yields 30% more energy than was needed to produce it. For ethanol made from sugar cane in Brazil, the energy balance is 8.3.

But for ethanol made from trees, grasses and other types of biomass which contain a lot of cellulose, the energy balance can be as high as 16, at least in theory. In practice the problem is that producing such “cellulosic” ethanol is much more difficult and expensive than producing it from other crops. But the science, technology and economics of treethanol are changing fast. Researchers are racing to develop ways to chip, ferment, distill and refine wood quickly and cheaply.

Interest in cellulosic ethanol is growing as the drawbacks of making ethanol from corn and sugar become apparent. Both are important food crops, and as ethanol production is stepped up around the world, greater demand is driving up the prices of everything from animal feed to cola and biscuits. The price of a bushel of corn rose by 70% between September 2006 and January 2007 to reach its highest level in a decade. Mexico's president, Felipe Calderón, even capped the price of corn tortillas in January as America's fast-growing ethanol industry caused prices to rocket. There are clear signs of a backlash against ethanol made from food crops. Supply is struggling to keep up, and as more governments introduce schemes to promote biofuels and cut greenhouse-gas emissions, the tension between food and fuel will only intensify.

Find Biodiesel with your Cell Phone!

Those with diesel-powered vehicles (including big-rig truckers) would be more likely to refuel with biodiesel* if they knew where to find a filling station that carried it. Websites such as the Department of Energy's Alternative Fueling Stations Locator can help. However, the internet is not always accessible, particularly when on the road.

A new company called NearBio has created a growing database of over 1000 biodiesel filling locations across the United States. What makes NearBio special is that it delivers its database to your cell phone through either wireless internet access or text messaging! The free service includes driving directions, the phone number, and the blends available at the five closest locations. This service is good news for producers of biofuels, as it will help to stimulate demand for the product.

The picture below is of NearBio's mapper, and shows all of the U.S. biodiesel locations currently in the database, color coded by type of blend**:



* Biodiesel is a type of fuel that can run in existing diesel-engined vehicles. The "Bio" refers to the fact that it is processed fuel derived from biological sources. Biodiesel results in significantly fewer emissions than petroleum-based diesel when burned. Some of the biological sources (or "feedstocks") for this fuel include: virgin oils (rapeseed and soybean oils are commonly used, though other crops such as mustard, palm oil, hemp, jatropha, and even algae show promise); waste vegetable oil; animal fats such as tallow, lard, yellow grease, and the by-products of the production of Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil; sewage; etc.

** The blends of biodiesel refer to the "B" factor used by much of the world to state the amount of biodiesel in any fuel mix. For example, fuel containing 20% biodiesel is labeled B20, and pure biodiesel is referred to as B100.

Thanks to Wired for the tip.

Pond Scum Power

In hopes that algae will one day serve as a replacement for natural gas used to power electric plants, researchers in Arizona over the past year have watched algae multiply in huge, bubbling test tubes beneath the hot sun in order to find just the right strand of the microscopic single-celled plant. The experiment has been so successful that it's about to expand into greenhouses on the electric plant grounds, and in time, be grown in such large quantities that it could be converted into fuel.

It works like this: Algae ingests carbon dioxide and releases oxygen in the photosynthesis process. Algae is laden with oils that can be used to produce biodiesel, starches that can be transformed into ethanol and protein that could have a market niche in cattle and fish feed.

The idea was thought of by a rocket scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who was experimenting with growing algae on the International Space Station. The rocket scientist then founded a company called GreenFuel Technologies to market his idea. The company’s scientists now think that they may be able to produce 200 tons of algae per acre per year during mass production. Commercial production is expected to begin in 2008 in Arizona and other sites in Australia and South Africa. (See here for other articles about GreenFuel's technology).

Before fuel can be produced on a mass scale, scientists must figure out how to provide enough light to maximize algae growth and how to get the carbon dioxide in the water, where algae grows, fast enough to allow for maximum growth.

Honda's New "Ultra-Clean" Diesel Fuel System

Honda has announced a new "ultra-clean" diesel fuel system. Diesel engines now power half of Europe's new cars and are slowly becoming popular with fuel-conscious consumers around the world. They typically get 30% better mileage than gasoline cars, but their weakness has been the higher exhaust levels of nitrogen oxide (NOx), a greenhouse gas.

Honda said its new diesel system has a unique method that generates and stores ammonia within a two-layer catalytic converter to turn nitrogen oxide into harmless nitrogen.

The company plans to introduce the new engine in the United States within three years.

Man builds 105 MPG car

For only $2,339 and 1,000 hours of labor, Jory Squibb built a 105 MPG car using two old Honda motorcycles. The car is capable of a 53 MPH top speed and returns over 80 MPG in the city and over 105 MPG on highway. He calls his car Moonbeam. Although it’s a two-seater, it’s best for one adult and one child. It’s practical as a grocery-getter with its space for storage behind the seats and on both sides of the engine. Plus, it’s a convertible.

LEDs to start replacing light bulbs soon

Experts say that light-emitting diodes will become economically viable as replacements for conventional light bulbs in about two years, which could lead to massive conservation of electricity.

Light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, last about 100,000 hours, which is far longer than conventional filament bulbs. Unfortunately, the LEDs that can do this currently cost about $60. But prices have been declining by 50% a year, so two years from now the same LED should cost around $20.

Approximately 22% of the electricity consumed in the United States goes toward lighting, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Conventional light bulbs are incredibly inefficient. Only about 5% of the energy that goes into them turns into light. The majority gets dissipated as heat.

If 25% of the light bulbs in the U.S. were converted to LEDs, the U.S. as a whole could save $115 billion in utility costs, cumulatively, by 2025, and it would alleviate the need to build 133 new coal-burning power stations. In turn, carbon emissions in the atmosphere would go down by 258 metric tons.

7,500 Miles On $5 In Gas, Veggie Oil

A high school student in Atlanta named Bill Bridgers has converted his diesel pickup truck to run almost exclusively on used vegetable oil. He has been driving across the country with his father and a friend, informing people about alternative fuel possibilities along the way. He is chronicling his journey at VegTheUsa.com.

Bridgers uses a large filter to get food particles and impurities out of the oil, which is then heated to 180 degrees and pumped into the truck's engine. He says he has lots of friends in the restaurant business who give him their used oil, which is just a waste product to them. Gasoline is only used when the truck is first turned on, then just before it's turned off.

So far Bridgers says he and his companions have driven 7,500 miles and spent just $5 on gas. The rest of the time, his truck has been running on the vegetable oil.

Ultra-Energy-Efficient House

BusinessWeek has an article on an ultra-energy-efficient house in Santa Monica, CA which is the first home in the country to be given "platinum" status in the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED rating system (for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

Some of the neat, energy-saving features of this environmentally-friendly house include:

- Living Roof: A garden of deer grass and other native plants will help insulate the house, keeping it cooler in the summer and retaining heat in the winter.

- Hot Water: A panel of glass tubes is positioned on the roof. Water pumped through the tubes is heated by the sun and stored in an insulated tank for use in showers and sinks. Hot water is also circulated through a series of plastic tubes embedded in the house's floors. This radiant heating system is more energy-efficient than forced air and doesn't spread pollen, dust, or germs.

- Recycled Water: Rainwater collected from the roof and yard is stored in a cistern buried under the house. So-called "gray water" from the sinks and showers is run through an underground filtration system consisting of asphalt, rock, and soil. Both sources are used to water the rooftop garden and grounds.

Be sure to check out the accompanying graphic and slideshow!