Group items tagged

What are photovoltaics? The word comes from “photo” (light) and “voltaic” (energy produced by a chemical reaction). Photovoltaic technology refers to the conversion of light into energy at the atomic level. Certain materials, such as silicon, cadmium, and selenium, have the ability to absorb light photons and release electrons. Solar photovoltaic technology harnesses these freed electrons and uses their electric current as DC electricity (NASA 2002). Fully powered by the sun, solar photovoltaics are a free, clean, and renewable source of energy that can be used independently of or in conjunction with conventional grid energy. Unlike solar thermal systems, solar energy panels require little maintenance, necessitate no moving parts, and last for 30-40 years.

idal turbines are very much like an underwater windmill where the blades are driven by consistent, fast-moving currents.  The submerged rotors harness the power of the tidal streams to drive generators, which in turn produce electricity. Water is 832 times denser than air so consequently tidal turbine rotors can be are much smaller than wind turbine rotors generate equivalent  amounts of electricity, and they can be deployed much closer together. Devices that harness tidal stream energy present a unique set of engineering challenges in terms of design, installation and maintenance. During operation, the force of the tidal flow in Strangford Lough is equivalent to a 345 mph wind generating a 100 tonnes of thrust on the rotors. The unique SeaGen design allows capture of the maximum amount of tidal energy whilst keeping maintenance and connectivity costs low.

Tidal turbines are very much like an underwater windmill where the blades are driven by consistent, fast-moving currents.  The submerged rotors harness the power of the tidal streams to drive generators, which in turn produce electricity. Water is 832 times denser than air so consequently tidal turbine rotors are much smaller than wind turbine rotors generate equivalent  amounts of electricity, and they can be deployed much closer together. Devices that harness tidal stream energy present a unique set of engineering challenges in terms of design, installation and maintenance. During operation, the force of the tidal flow in Strangford Lough is equivalent to a 345 mph wind generating a 100 tonnes of thrust on the rotors.

As far as producing electricity goes, tidal energy is one of the cheapest kinds.

Since the tidal cycle repeats itself every 24 hours, there is a guarantee that power can be produced this way every day of the year.

can help protect delicate coastal areas from storm damage, as well

just over 843,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity were provided by solar power. The vast majority of that, more than 666,500 kWh, were produced in California. Roughly 14 percent of the total renewable energy generated in the U.S. in 2008 was solar energy. And remember that these numbers continue to grow each year. The solar industry has been growing on an average of 30-40 percent each year, and as the industry grows, so will the amount of clean, renewable power it puts out. Interested in Home Solar Energy? Fill in your details below and certified solar contractors will give you FREE estimates. What type of Solar Energy services are you interested in? * Please Select Solar Electrical Solar Thermal First Name * Last Name * Zipcode *

The EIA states that just over 843,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity were provided by solar power. The vast majority of that, more than 666,500 kWh, were produced in California. Roughly 14 percent of the total renewable energy generated in the U.S. in 2008 was solar energy. And remember that these numbers continue to grow each year. The solar industry has been growing on an average of 30-40 percent each year, and as the industry grows, so will the amount of clean, renewable power it puts out.

First generation biofuel are those fuel derived from vegetable or animal fats/oils, starch or sugar with the use of modern technology. 1. Let the base organic material (corn, sugarcane, wheat, etc) pass through a grinding meal to pulverize the selected material. 2. Then, liquefy it by placing the blend of water, grain powder and an enzyme that facilitates the breakdown of the grain compound into a high-heat cooker. 3. Cool it afterwards. Add another enzyme that will facilitate the conversion of starch into sugars which are then fermented, producing alcohol from the cooled mash. 4. Start the fermentation by adding yeast to the sugar mixture. The sugars will be broken down to ethanol (a form of alcohol) and carbon dioxide. 5. Distill the fermented mixture in order for the ethanol to separate from the solids. 6. Get rid of the water from the separated ethanol through a dehydration process.

With a key federal tax incentive about to expire, the U.S. installed a 5.5 gigawatts of wind power in December to cap off a year that saw a record 13.2 gigawatts of wind energy come online, according to a report released Friday by research firm Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The U.S. now boasts a total of 60 gigawatts of wind energy, accounting for 6% of the nation’s total generating capacity. According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, wind power prices have dropped more than 21% since 2010. Falling prices and the looming expiration of the production tax credit, which pays a premium for wind energy, unleashed a wind farm building boom last year. “It’s clear that the economics, aided by the PTC, drove wind growth in 2012,” Amy Grace, a wind analyst with Bloomberg New Energy Finance, said in a statement. “Eleven gigawatts of capacity was built in states without any near-term state mandated demand.

Tidal turbines use similar technology to wind turbines, although their blades are much shorter and stronger. So a good way to think of them is as underwater windmills. Basically the water currents turn the turbines, which in turn activate a generator that produces electricity. These systems work best where there are very strong tidal zones (Norwegian and British coastlines.) and although it is still in it’s infancy it does show great promise.The upfront cost of these tidal stream systems is very high and also installation and maintenance is difficult.

Tidal stream generators look and work like underwater wind turbines. As opposed to using the rising and falling movement of the tides, tidal stream generators take advantage of the fast moving sea currents (tidal streams), which flow when tides are moving in and out. These tidal streams cause the turbines to rotate, turning the generators which generate electricity. Tidal stream generators have the advantage of being much cheaper to build, and do not have as much of an environmental impact as a tidal barrage. The turbines turn relatively slowly, hence do not affect sea life. This is different to tidal barrages which can disrupt fish migrating up rivers from the sea.

About the size of a refrigerator, the ClearEdge Plus fuel system hooks up to your natural gas supply and through its fuel processor, draws the hydrogen molecules out. Then, through an electrochemical process that combines the hydrogen molecules with oxygen, the unit generates up to 5kW of electricity for use throughout your entire home and allows you the control to select specific critical circuits you want to remain "up" even when the grid is "down."

he production process converts oils and fats into chemicals called long-chain mono alkyl esters, or biodiesel. These chemicals are also referred to as fatty acid methyl esters, and t

Biodiesel is produced from vegetable oils, yellow grease, and tallow.

For hundreds of years mankind has been making use of the energy and power generated by wind. Whether it has been to travel the world, manufacture products, or in the modern age to generate electricity, wind has provided the means. And while there have been dozens of different methods over the years, new technology is still being invented to make even further use of this ancient power source.

Windmills were one of the second most widespread uses of wind energy. The variety of uses that windmills were put to included grinding grain, as well as pumping water, up until the industrial revolution where the windmill was mostly replaced by the steam engine.

A fuel cell is a device that uses a source of fuel, such as hydrogen, and an oxidant to create electricity from an electrochemical process.

Most fuel cells in use today, however, use hydrogen and oxygen as the chemicals.

Although hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, it is difficult to store and distribute. Canisters of pure hydrogen are readily available from hydrogen producers, but as of now, you can't just fill up with hydrogen at a local gas station.

When we look at what is available today in solar equipment it has come a long way  but still needs a long way to go.

What is a fuel cell?A fuel cell produces electricity from fuel and air. The simplest fuel cell produces electricity from hydrogen and air with water as the only by-product.

Where can fuel cells be used?Fuel cells in general can be used in many different circumstances, depending on the type of fuel cell. Topsoe Fuel Cell focuses on SOFC fuel cells, which can be used in:Auxiliary power units (APUs) provide electricity where there is no access to grid power. Fuel cell based APUs can be used on, for instance, long-haul trucks to generate power during breaks.Micro combined heat and power units may be scaled to meet the electricity demand in single family households. Combined heat and power generation for households is one of the most efficient ways to meet residential energy requirements.Distributed generation using SOFC technology offers efficient power generation, for example hospitals, shopping malls, in apartment buildings and in areas with low power capacity.

The fuel cell will compete with many other energy­ conversion devices, including the gas turbine in your city's power plant, the gasoline engine in your car and the battery in your laptop. Combustion engines like the turbine and the gasoline engine burn fuels and use the pressure created by the expansion of the gases to do mechanical work. Batteries convert chemical energy back into electrical energy when needed. Fuel cells should do both tasks more efficiently.

Biofuel, based on fuel derived from organic biomass from recently living animals or plants or their byproducts, has transformed from a niche alternative to fossil fuels (e.g., gasoline, diesel) to become a booming industr

The term “biofuels” encompasses a wide range of fuels, including vegetable oils, animal fats, ethanol, biodiesel (any oil or fat that undergoes transesterification to more closely resemble mineral-based fuel), and synfuel (fuel made from gasified organic matter, then liquefied to form fuel). The main common trait of all these fuels is that they are derived from organic biomass, rather than minerals.