Tag: solar power

The U.S. Navy May Have Found A Game Changer in Renewable Energy

Posted on by robbie
The U.S. Navy is known to call itself “a global force for good,” and thanks to a recent renewable energy breakthrough, it may be living up to its reputation.

Last week researchers at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory’s (NRL) Materials Science and Technology Division announced the successful flight of a small model airplane powered by a liquid hydrocarbon taken from seawater. Yes, that’s right. The ocean.
While it may just sound like a group of scientists flying a toy plane, the development could mean a future powered by one of the world’s largest infinite natural resources (here comes the oil industry hand-wringing).
The process, which extracts carbon dioxide and hydrogen from ocean water and recombines it into hydrocarbon chains, may advance efforts to refuel aircraft carriers and vessels while out at sea. The Navy currently relies on 15 oil tankers to deliver almost 600 million gallons of fuel to vessels at sea per year, according to the BBC. Though it takes an exhaustive 23,000 gallons of ocean water to create just one gallon of fuel, vessels equipped with nuclear reactors onboard can process the very water they float on to refuel, without having to wait for an oil tanker to help out.

[ph]

Researchers anticipate the new process will be ready in the next seven to 10 years, with the goal of dramatically reducing the $4 to $5 billion the military spends annually on 1.3 billion gallons of fuel. The potential green fuel would cost an estimated $3 to $6 per gallon—an expensive undertaking—but within target of the rising costs of gas. In 2012 the Navy paid about $3.60 a gallon.
Currently the Navy’s 289 vessels rely on oil-powered fuel but approximately 72 submarines and some select aircraft carriers are powered by nuclear energy. So should we expect to run our cars on saltwater anytime soon? Not so much. The Navy hopes to partner with universities for further research and plans to scale up the system onto land-based stations before shipping off a ocean-powered ship.
Regardless, the new development means that reliance on oil could be a thing of the past in the not-so-distant future and yes, some day you could be pumping the Atlantic and Pacific over regular and premium at the corner station.

How California’s Scorching Sun is Saving the Arts

Posted on by robbie

The glorious power of the sun is saving arts programs in California schools. Now that’s music to our ears.
As Truth Atlas reports, the state’s 2011 deficit swelled to $27 billion, which meant that school districts had to find ways to slash their budgets. Teachers were laid off, summer school was cancelled, and in the case of the Firebaugh-Las Deltas Unified School District in Fresno County, their entire music program was silenced.
MORE: This Is What Happens When a County Bands Together to Get Cleaner Power
However, in 2012, the small, rural school district found a way to offset the crippling cut. Truth Atlas writes that after borrowing a zero percent loan from the state, Firebaugh was able to install solar structures in three of its five district schools — saving money on energy costs and revitalizing its music program. In fact, thanks to clean, green energy, the district is reportedly on track to save $750,000 over the first five years and about $9 million over 25 years.
Since the 2008 recession, cash-strapped schools across the country have been faced with brutal cost-saving measures. Unfortunately, arts programs are usually first on the chopping block. Some may think that the arts are an expendable luxury, but studies show that music education can actually increase IQs and raise test scores. And anyone who’s seen an episode of Glee  knows that music class is a place where students who might feel like social outcasts can fit in.
The importance of arts in schools is clear and the show must go on. Thanks to California’s powerful rays, it will.

So Meta: Using the Power of the Sun to Create Solar Devices

Posted on by robbie

Solar energy is now greener than ever thanks to an incredible breakthrough from Oregon State University researchers.
According to Clean Technica, the research team figured out a way capture the sun’s energy to produce materials used in solar technology. It’s solar-powered solar, if you will.
Chemical engineering professor Chih-Hung Chang, the lead author of the study, said the process is not only environmentally conscious but saves both time and money in solar manufacturing, too. “Several aspects of this system should continue to reduce the cost of solar energy, and when widely used, our carbon footprint,” Chang said. “It could produce solar energy materials anywhere there’s an adequate solar resource, and in this chemical manufacturing process, there would be zero energy impact.”
MORE: Here’s a Number That Will Change How You Think About Solar Power
You can learn more about the specific process in this release from Oregon State. It notes that this technology could enable builders to capture more solar energy by coating roof shingles and windows with thin films that previously have not been available at an affordable price.
For the country to reduce its unhealthy and unsustainable dependence on fossil fuels, there needs to be a real push to make alternative energy less expensive and more efficient. Perhaps truly bright ideas like this to will help move the country in a more environmentally-friendly direction.
 
 

Here’s a Team of Students Who Built a Green Home That Can Take On Tornadoes

Posted on by robbie

After a natural disaster strikes, repairing or rebuilding a home can take years. And in times of need — like when there’s no roof over your head — speed is of the utmost importance.
Back in 2011, in response to the devastating tornado that hit Streator, Illinois, a team of students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Chapman designed a sustainable, modular home that could be set up in just a few hours. (Amazing, right?) That year, their design — called the Re_home — took home several awards and placed second in the prestigious U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon.
Flash forward a few years. Now, this school project may be put towards real world use. As the University of Illinois wrote in a recent newsletter, with the help of nonprofit organization Habitat for Humanity, Re_homes will be set up in Gifford, Illinois, a community that’s still picking up the pieces after a monster twister ripped through the town this past November.
MORE: How a Tornado-Stricken Town Became a Model of American Sustainability
Re_homes are affordable, safe, and even environmentally responsible. As Mother Nature Network reported, they are tricked out with solar rooftops and have energy-saving features such as tripled-paned windows, a conditioning energy recovery ventilator (CERV), and a solar shading canopy.
Habitat for Humanity is reportedly still working out the details of these homes, but once they go up, it will certainly allow for towns like Gifford — and perhaps future disaster-stricken areas — rebuild and recover.

Here’s What Happens When Communities Demand Green Energy

Posted on by robbie

There’s a green revolution happening in Illinois, and we’re not just talking about citizens recycling cans and bottles, buying organic fruits and vegetables, or even driving hybrid cars. We’re talking about an environmental movement that’s happening on an unprecedented scale.
Statewide, 91 communities are using 100 percent renewable energy, according to a report titled “Leading from the Middle: How Illinois Communities Unleashed Renewable Energy” from the Environmental Law & Policy Center, Sierra Club, World Wildlife Fund, LEAN Energy US, the Illinois Solar Energy Association and George Washington University Solar Institute.
All of this has happened because of one small thing: Electric deregulation (aka allowing communities to choose their own electricity supply). As a result, Illinois utility providers are competing on the open market for customers, rather than one large entity dictating how much power costs. Each of these 91 local governments voted to purchase power through renewable energy providers (wind, solar, and geothermal sources). And because there is power in numbers, these individual towns were able to leverage their size in exchange for discounts from the energy providers. It’s a winning scenario for all the stakeholders — clean energy companies get more customers while residents get sustainable energy for cheaper prices — and one that more communities should follow.
MORE: How One State Is Making It Easier and Cheaper to Use Wind Power
All told, Illinois customers saved as much as $37 billion over the past 16 years. Additionally, these communities have saved more than 6 terawatt hours, which is the stunning equivalent of taking more than 1 million cars off the road or 250,000 homes off the grid.
“The findings of [the March 7] report are an example of Illinois leading our country’s movement to a more sustainable future from the community level,” said Dick Durbin, a U.S. senator from Illinois. “Communities up and down the state have banded together to pursue renewable electricity, reducing both their utility costs and the state’s environmental footprint. Illinois is showing what can happen when change at the local level is harnessed to create a collective movement, and I hope other states take notice.”
We couldn’t agree more.

This Genius Device Can Detect Cancer Using Solar Power

Posted on by robbie

Many of us think nothing when simply flipping a switch illuminates a room. But in many parts of the world, having electrical power  is not only a luxury, but a medical necessity.
The lack of electricity is especially problematic for diagnosing Kaposi’s sarcoma, a deadly skin cancer often associated with HIV. That’s because, in order to determine whether or not someone has the disease, rigorous testing is required, all of which requires power—and a lot of it. But now, Cornell researchers have developed a device that can detect this cancer in about 30 minutes simply using a smartphone app and the power of the sun, the Cornell Chronicle reports.
This solar-powered test, called the KS-Detect, is especially useful in sub-Saharan Africa where mortality rates from this cancer are high partly due to late diagnosis of HIV. As Cornell’s David Erickson explained in a news release, “Some places in the developing world have limited infrastructure and unreliable electricity, and these kinds of tests usually hog energy.”
MORE: Could Tiny Sponges Save American Lives on the Battlefield?
With this new device, the lack of electricity is no longer a problem—especially since your typical smartphone battery can provide up to 70 hours of power. “Tests can be performed in less than a half-hour, potentially enabling rapid diagnostics where long travel distances to clinics make follow-up meetings with patients difficult,” said Ethel Cesarman, M.D., professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. Currently, the Cornell researchers are now testing the KS-Detect in Uganda. Using solar power to save lives — now that’s a bright idea.

The Silver Lining to California’s Terrible Drought

Posted on by robbie

Who knew there would be a bright side to California’s devastating drought? As the sun beats down on the west coast and dries up everything in sight, the state’s solar energy is covering the drop in hydroelectricity, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Hydroelectricity plants — which are powered by flowing water — provide 15 percent of the state’s electricity. And while California’s recent rainfall was a much-needed break from the state’s drought worries, it wasn’t enough. This is why solar is more important than ever. “Solar not only helps California’s economy and environment, it’s also the smart way to go if you want to conserve water resources,” Solar Energy Industries Association spokesman Ken Johnson told the publication. “Solar panels use almost no water, while nuclear, coal and natural gas facilities can use thousands of gallons per megawatt hour, depending on the technology and the facility.”
MORE: How One City Is Stepping Up to Help Solve Our Fresh Water Worries
With no end in sight to the drought, at least the state has a fantastic source of renewable energy for its electric needs. “We’re going to have enough power to keep the lights on: We are not concerned about blackouts or outages,” Robert Weisenmiller, chairman of the California Energy Commission told the newspaper. “We are much less dependent on hydropower now than we were in the 1940s. In just the last year, we’ve added more than 1,000 megawatts of solar alone.”

Soda Cans and Computer Fans Are Keeping Poor Denver Families Warm

Posted on by robbie

Aaron Brown, a mechanical engineering professor at Metropolitan State University in Denver, has volunteered in poverty-stricken areas around the world. But now he’s using his expertise to help low-income families in his home city. Brown and his students are building solar-powered furnaces with simple components, including soda cans and computer fans, and installing them in the homes of low-income families in Denver. The devices work by drawing on heat stored in sun-warmed aluminum cans, and run on just two cents of electricity per day. When Brown first started the project at the University of Colorado in Boulder, students came up with a design that cost $60 to build. He challenged his next group of students at Metro in Denver to further reduce the cost, and they succeeded, designing units that could be built for $30 a piece. The furnaces are capable of saving families $30 a month on their heating bills. The students get something out of it too. “There was a little boy who was going to be sleeping there. He was going, ‘I’m going to be so warm tonight,'” Richard Anderson, a Metro State senior, told the Denver Post. “That was just so cool — it’s really exceeded my expectations.”
MORE: How a Mobile Shower System Helps the Homeless

Here’s a Number That Will Change How You Think About Solar Power

Posted on by robbie

This is big. A new report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission found that in October of this year, 72.1% of all the country’s new utility-scale electrical generating capacity came from solar power. “This is truly astonishing, not to mention historic, and should serve as a reminder to everyone in Washington and in state capitals that smart public policies — such as the solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC), net energy metering (NEM) and Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) — are paying huge dividends for America,” the Solar Energy Industries Association said in a statement.

New York State Wants to Invest $225 Million in This Emerging Industry

Posted on by robbie

Silevo, a high-tech solar panel start up, recently announced plans to build a 200-megawatt solar cell factory in Buffalo. New York state plans to invest $225 million in the facilities, which would house Silevo and LED firm Soraa, and employ 475 people at the site by 2015. The solar industry is still young and competitive, but New York is apparently ready to take the plunge.