Monthly Archives: September 2009
Researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden have designed a battery that exploits the unique cellulose structure of the Cladophora algae, which is characterized by a very large surface area. By coating this structure with an extremely thin layer of conducting polymer, the team produced a battery that weighs very little and can be fully charged in as little as 11.3 seconds. The battery has been able to retain its charge after 1,000 charging cycles. According to Professor Maria Strømme, who led the research team, "We are talking about a battery that mainly consists of paper and salt water and that … Continue Reading
Wolkswagen has demonstrated the concept version of it’s E-Up! – a fully electric car which it says will be "the Beetle of the 21st century". VW says that the car will have a maximum speed of 135 kilometres per hour and a range of 130 kilometres. Fully recharging from a standard 240 volt outlet will take five hours but quick charging to 80% capacity will only take one hour. Charging from the mains will be supplemented by solar panels in the roof and the sun-visors. At 3.19 meters long. the E-Up! will be about 50centimetres shorter than the current Mini … Continue Reading
Citroen, Renault and Peugeot have all displayed new electric concept cars at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Citroen showed its ultra-chic plug-in REVOLTe hybrid concept inspired by its iconic 2CV. The REVOLTe measures just 3.68m long, 1.73m wide and 1.35m tall. The most interesting feature is its original and distinctive three-seater layout – the driver’s seat is to one side with the two passenger seats behind it. The rear seat is designed to resemble a lounge with the passenger on the opposite side to the driver being able to stretch out their legs fully into the space where the front passenger … Continue Reading
Greenpeace and the European Renewable Energy Council have released a report into the impact of switching to renewable on employment. According to the report, called Working for the Climate, switching to renewable forms of electricity and phasing out coal would create 2.7 million additional new jobs. The report concludes that a total of 11.3 million people could be working in the electricity sector and related businesses by 2030 if fossils fuels were phased out in favour of renewable energy. Without those changes, 8.6 million people would be working in the electricity sector. The report says that the coal industry, which … Continue Reading
A team of environmental scientists from Harvard and Tsinghua University have demonstrated the enormous potential for wind-generated electricity in China. Using extensive meteorological data, the researchers have estimated that wind alone has the potential to meet the country’s projected electricity demands for 2030. While wind-generated energy currently accounts for only 0.4 percent of China’s total electricity supply, the country is rapidly becoming the world’s fastest growing market for wind power. The researchers, led by Michael B. McElroy, Professor of Environmental Studies at Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, used meteorological data from the Goddard Earth Observing Data Assimilation System … Continue Reading
American solar photovoltaic panel manufacturer, First Solar, has signed a memorandum of understanding with China to partner on a 2,000-megawatt power plant in Ordos City, Inner Mongolia. This follows an agreement signed last month for Canadian Solar to develop a 500-megawatt solar power plant in Baotou, Inner Mongolia. Before these announcements, the largest solar electricity projects were a 550 megawatt plant to be built by First Solar in California and a 500 megawatt solar thermal plant being developed for the US Army in the Mojave Desert. In addition to the planned solar power plants, wind farms with a total capacity … Continue Reading
According to the market research company, The Information Network, the wholesale price of solar panels has dropped from $US4.05 per watt a year ago to $US1.85 today. The company predicts that the price could drop below $US1 per watt next year and be as low as $US0.50 per watt in 2011. The main reason for the falling price is increased manufacturing capacity in China combined with decreased demand during the global financial downturn. Not only has Chinese competition directly forced lower pices but European countries have begun scaling back their subsidies because the funds were increasingly going towards imports from … Continue Reading
Milan Karki, an 18 year old student in Kathmandu, Nepal, believes that he has found the solution to the developing world’s energy needs in a solar panel in which the silicon is replaced by human hair. Milan began his quest to create electricity when he was a boy living in Khotang, a remote district of Nepal which was not connected to the electricity grid. He first tried to build a micro-hydro generator but it soon became too expensive. He then read a description of how static electricity is produced when combing hair in a book by Stephen Hawking and realised … Continue Reading
One of the main factors in the high cost of fuels cells is the use of platinum as a catalyst. Platinum is scarce and costs around $1,200 an ounce – and that price is likely to skyrocket if fuel cells with platinum catalysts become widely used. A U.K. company, ACAL Energy, has developed a new fuel cell design that reduces the amount of platinum used by 80 percent. In a conventional fuel cell, platinum is embedded in porous carbon electrodes. ACAL’s design replaces this with a solution containing molybdenum and vanadium as the catalyst. The company says that the resulting … Continue Reading
The American utility company, Pacific Gas and Electric, is to build an underground compressed air storage facility that would deliver as much electricity as a medium-sized power plant. The company intends to use wind turbines to pump air into natural underground caverns. The air will then be released as needed to power turbines and meet demand for electricity. The planned installation will be able to deliver 500 megawatts of electricity for a period of ten hours. In contrast, utility-scale batteries can store only one or two megawatts. Smaller compressed air storage plants are already in operation in McIntosh, Alabama and … Continue Reading
Videos
Renewables News- Vic Council Approves Wind Farm with Community SharesBuloke Shire has approved a planning permit for a five-turbine wind farm spanning 5.t hectares at Coonooer Bridge, west of Bendigo..It is the first wind farm planning permit approved since 2011 when the Victorian Government introduced tough planning laws that … Continue Reading → […]
- NZ Electricity Co Offers Solar PV with BatteryVector Limited, the largest electricity and gas distribution company in New Zealand, is offerring a "home solar power solution", incorporating intelligent battery storage into a traditional solar PV system. In the introductory phase of the programme, a limited number of … Continue Reading → […]
- Sydney City Revises Trigen Power PlanThe City of Sydney has decided not to pursue its plan for a trigeneation power precinct at Green Square at this time but has re-affirmed its commitment to cutting carbon emissions using trigeneration, among other technologies, The decision to halt … Continue Reading → […]
- Vic Council Approves Wind Farm with Community Shares
