Category Archives: Energy

Capture Wind Energy with a Tethered Turbine

magenn floating wind power (photo)

The technology looks interesting. The ability to deploy the turbine high in the air without expensive towers seems like a huge advantage (of course it will have to work in the practice which I imagine will be the most challenging part). The wind is much more consistent and stronger further off the ground. Many attempts at new energy solutions will help find the best solutions. for emergency use, fast deployment seems like another winning feature.

While this seems a bit unconventional I think some of the ideas that seem crazy are going to be important sources of energy in the future. It will be interesting to see if it can catch on. Some interesting details from Mangenn’s web site:

Magenn Power is currently in the prototype phase of our Magenn Air Rotor System (MARS). Magenn Power plans to ship our first official product, a 10 kW version in 2008. A 4 kW version may also be available in 2008.
Magenn assumes a depreciable life span of at least 15 years before major refits are required.
The Magenn Air Rotor System is a closed inflatable structural design with inherent integrity, stability, and low cost. Furthermore, MARS is a buoyant system that only requires a low cost tensioning cable to secure it and transfer energy to the ground.
MARS units will be deployed for disaster relief, to third world communities with limited or no infrastructure, for various military applications, to remote locations, and in harsh climates.
The MARS 10 kW unit will be approximately 25′ x 65′ when inflated, it will come standard with a 400 foot tether; this configuration will have a shipping weight under 500 lbs.
Magenn Air Rotors can be raised to higher altitudes, thus capitalizing on higher winds aloft. Altitudes from 400-ft to 1,000-ft above ground level are possible, without having to build an expensive tower, or use a crane to perform maintenance.
Final pricing is yet to be determined on the 10kW MARS unit: target list price will be between $3 dollars to $5 dollars per watt. (Please Note: This price is subject to change).
MARS will be deployed up to 1,000-ft altitude at this time. The benefits of higher altitudes are being investigated. Future MARS units may be deployed at altitudes far beyond 1,000-ft.

Ethanol: Science Based Solution or Special Interest Welfare

I believe the way to deal with the need for energy resources should be primarily science and economics based. I do not think it should be based on who can best reward politicians for giving them a bunch of federal dollars. Ethanol Craze Cools As Doubts Multiply by Lauren Etter, Wall Street Journal

A recent study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development concluded that biofuels “offer a cure [for oil dependence] that is worse than the disease.” A National Academy of Sciences study said corn-based ethanol could strain water supplies. The American Lung Association expressed concern about a form of air pollution from burning ethanol in gasoline. Political cartoonists have taken to skewering the fuel for raising the price of food to the world’s poor.
…
A study coauthored by Nobel-prize-winning chemist Paul Crutzen said corn ethanol might exacerbate climate change as the added fertilizer used to grow corn raised emissions of a very potent greenhouse gas called nitrous oxide. The ethanol industry replies to that one with an Energy Department study concluding that use of ethanol reduces greenhouse-gas emissions by 18% to 28% on a per-gallon basis, provided that coal isn’t used to run ethanol plants.
…
Mr. Dinneen, who has been lobbying on ethanol so long he’s known as the “reverend of renewable fuels,” says he’s “reasonably confident” Congress will raise the ethanol mandate. He says he’s talking with the military, labor groups, Southern black churches and others about how ethanol can help them. “We’ve got to build the biggest, baddest coalition we can.”

I am skeptical of claims that mainly focus on getting the government to subsidize your production and erect trade barriers to foreign supplies to the USA. I don’t mind a few $Billion even (quite a lot of money) to be invested in research on biofules but just creating a massive payment, taxation and regulation scheme to funnel money to special interests is not a good idea.

Google Investing Huge Sums in Renewable Energy and is Hiring

Towards more renewable energy posted to Google’s blog by Larry Page, Co-Founder and President of Products:

Promising technologies already exist that could be developed to deliver renewable energy cheaper than coal. We think the time is ripe to build rapidly on the tremendous work on renewable energy. For example, I believe that solar thermal technology provides a very plausible path to generating cheaper electricity. By combining talented technologists, great partners and large investments, we have an opportunity to quickly push this technology forward. Our goal is to build 1 gigawatt of renewable energy capacity that is cheaper than coal. We are optimistic that this can be done within years, not decades. If we succeed, it would likely provide a path to replacing a substantial portion of the world’s electricity needs with renewable energy sources.

To lead this effort, we’re looking for a world-class team. We need creative and motivated entrepreneurs and technologists with expertise in a broad range of areas, including materials science, physics, chemistry, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, land acquisition and management, power transmission and substations, construction, and regulatory issues. Join us. And if you’re interested, read about our previous work toward a clean energy future

Very cool. And I think something Google might be able to pull off well. It is also true this may be a distraction and not work well. For many companies that would be my guess for how it would play out. Google has done an exceptional job of allowing engineers to do what they do best. And I think there is a chance they can translate that into effectively managing such a project as this. Google continues to try what they believe even if that is not the conventional path. Good for them.

Continue reading →

New “Cold Cathode” Fluorescents: 4 Times Longer Life, Reduced Mercury

New “Cold Cathode” Fluorescents: 85% Less Mercury

It’s a new fluorescent bulb that could have a bright future — the cold cathode fluorescent lamp (or CCFL). These bulbs contain half the mercury of conventional “hot cathode” fluorescents. They have a thinner tube diameter, which allows them to run cooler, and last up to four times as long (a lifespan of 25,000 hours). This means that the mercury is reduced by 85% over the life of a cold cathode bulb, because a regular CFL would have to be replaced three times during that period. Another big advantage of CCFLs is that they are fully dimmable, and “on/off” cycles do not shorten their life.

Home Use Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Photo of Winterra Turbine

The Windterra ECO1200 Wind Turbine is a revolutionary Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT).

Omni-directional: The ECO1200 can instantaneously accept wind from any direction as opposed to HAWTs (Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines, which require an on-board motor to rotate the unit relative to wind direction.
Turbulent-wind friendly: The ECO1200 is easily roof mountable and is less affected by turbulent air, making ECO1200 suited for areas where houses and trees may disturb airflow.
All-in-one system: The ECO 1200is a complete power-generation package, including turbine, controller/inverter, and mounting system. This system can typically be installed and ready to use in four to five hours.
Roof-top mounting: The ECO1200 is designed for roof top use, eliminating the need for a pole or tower installation that significantly increase cost and complicate routine maintenance.

Interesting looking. Based on some of the figures on their site it seems like this is still pushing the economic justification but with more and more engineers improving such similar system hopefully wind power can meet more of our energy needs over time.

Popular Mechanics 2007 Breakthrough Award: the Windbelt

Shawn Frayne’s Windbelt Wins Popular Mechanics 2007 Breakthrough Award

Frayne’s device consists of a flat, taut membrane that flutters within its housing as air passes through it. At each end of the membrane are magnets that oscillate between metal coils as the band flutters, effectively creating an electric charge. According to the 28-year-old Frayne, prototypes of the Windbelt have generated 40 milliwatts in 10-mph slivers of wind, making his device 10 to 30 times as efficient as the best microturbines.
…
Frayne, now based in Mountain View, Calif., gathered a variety of lessons while studying at MIT, especially under the tutelage of Amy Smith (a 2004 MacArthur fellow) in her “D-Lab” class. In this design lab, Frayne learned the politics of delivering technology to poor nations, as well as the technical aspects of mechanical engineering.

I blogged on Amy Smith another blog awhile back: Engineering a Better World (which includes a great web video). Read about 9 more Breakthrough awards.

2007 Solar Decathlon of Homes

Solar Home on National Mall

The National Mall in Washington DC is hosting the 2007 Solar Decathlon of Homes. The link show many photos of homes and interesting information. The event opened to the public today.

The Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon is a international competition in which 20 university-led teams compete to design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house. Every college or university interested in participating wrote a proposal describing how they would organize a team, design and build a house, and raise the funds necessary to have a successful entry. The 20 best proposals were selected and awarded $100,000 dollars from the United States Department of Energy.

The photo shows the Kansas Project Solar House (Kansas State University and University of Kansas) and the Washington Monument in the background.

via: Solar Decathlon Heats Up

Engineering Efficient Vehicles

Read the Cal Poly Supermileage blog to track the progress of the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo eco-vehicle team. There goal is to achieve the best gas mileage possible using a gas powered, 3 wheeled, fully faired vehicle. At the Eco-Vehicle Student Competition they achieved 1902.7 mpg. The blog also posts on interesting related matters. A great example of students learning about engineering by doing engineering.

Generating Electricity from the Ocean

British Wave Hub Gets The Go Ahead

The innovative (and controversial) UK “wave hub“, in essence a giant plug on the ocean floor, has received approval. The UK government has will install this plug to allow wave power companies to feed energy back into the grid. The Â£28 million ($56.5 million) project has cleared the last major regulatory hurdle and will begin construction soon.
…
Wave and tidal power could provide 3 percent of Britain’s electricity by 2020, according to the government-backed Carbon Trust.
The installation is expected to generate up to 20 megawatts of energy, enough to power 7,500 homes and eliminate 300,000 tonnes of CO2 over 25 years. Four companies have already been selected to build projects at the hub.

Vertical Rotation Personal Windmill

New wind turbine spins success for winning student

Ben Storan, a student graduating with an MA in Industrial Design Engineering from the Royal College of Art (RCA), has been working for the past year in conjunction with Imperial College to design an affordable personal wind turbine suited to the urban environment.

The result is a unique design which uses vertical, rather than traditional horizontal, rotation. This feature gives a slower rotational speed, which allows the turbine to capture more energy from turbulent air flow, common to urban environments. It also means quieter operation. As a result, it is able to generate more energy than domestic models currently on the market. Similarly sized existing personal wind turbines claim to generate 1kW at a wind speed of 12 m/s, but typically produce just 40% of what is claimed. Ben’s design should realistically produce 3 times that (1.2kW) of those currently on the market.