Genius Now » Energy

Solar installations and Numbers.

Greg — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 22:16:00 +0000

“In 2005, California represented 80% of the U.S. solar market; today, it’s only 30%. According to a recent report from GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association, East Coast markets – lead by New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida and North Carolina – installed more solar than California in 2010.” - renewableenergyworld.com

Except the graphic to the left is from the report they referenced. It’s not that each of those markets is growing faster than California – it’s that altogether they FINALLY are.

A bit depressing that Dixie is still nearly solar-free, and New Mexico is not taking advantage of one of the few renewable assets it has to the degree it should. Poor states don’t do solar, apparently.

http://www.blogdash.com/publication/blog_claim/blog_claim.png?s=e671626c0d5d7b6432f0ea034d3ed877

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Fields of Windstalks

Greg — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 00:38:31 +0000

The Windstalk remains a concept, although its creators say that “It is based on a set of systems that already exist and work.” No word on how much energy a field of Windstalks could create, but we’re guessing it requires a lot of land to generate a significant amount of power. Source: Inhabitat and The Land Art Generator Initiative Second Place Mention from the Jury

via The Land Art Generator Initiative: Fields of Windstalks Harvest Kinetic Energy From the Wind.

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Cheap catalyst made easy

Greg — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 13:51:17 +0000

(Case Western Reserve University) Catalysts made of carbon nanotubes dipped in a polymer solution equal the energy output and otherwise outperform platinum catalysts in fuel cells, a team of Case Western Reserve University engineers has found.

‎”But already they’ve proved the simple technique can knock down one of the major roadblocks to fuel cell use: cost.

Platinum, which represents at least a quarter of the cost of fuel cells, currently sells for about $65,000 per kilogram. These researchers say their activated carbon nanotubes cost about $100 per kilogram.”

Sourced from: EurekAlert! – Chemistry, Physics and Materials Sciences

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Bacteria to electricity

admin — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:39:44 +0000

The discovery of the tiny Geobacter microbe by Dr. Derek Lovley of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst holds the key to understanding microbial energy conversion. Geobacter uses its hair-like extensions, or pili, to generate electricity from mud and wastewater. Researchers have developed a strain of Geobacter that is eight times more efficient than other strains at producing power.

via From bacteria to electricity: The future of green energy.

The impact of meat production

admin — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:23:43 +0000

Global meat production has tripled in the past three decades and could double its present level by 2050

via Major report reveals the environmental and social impact of the ‘livestock revolution’.

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Corn Ethanol Doesn’t Reduce Carbon Footprint

admin — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:39:03 +0000

Corn ethanol doesn’t appear to be the way to go, for multiple reasons. So no, it’s not “green”.

“The new study, published in the March issue of BioScience , finds much lower emissions from indirect land-use change than the Searchinger paper calculated but still enough to tip the balance away from corn ethanol.”

http://www.wbcsd.org/plugins/DocSearch/details.asp?type=DocDet&ObjectId=Mzc4NzM

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Scavenging energy waste to turn water into hydrogen fuel

admin — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:06:02 +0000

Including sound energy and running water…. pair this with a lowhead water turbine and things might get very interesting.

“This study provides a simple and cost-effective technology for direct water splitting that may generate hydrogen fuels by scavenging energy wastes such as noise or stray vibrations from the environment,”

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micro solar-photovoltaics – potentially cost effective, resource effective, and competitive

admin — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 01:52:51 +0000

“So they use 100 times less silicon to generate the same amount of electricity,” said Okandan. “Since they are much smaller and have fewer mechanical deformations for a given environment than the conventional cells, they may also be more reliable over the long term.”

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RidgeBlade – low visual impact, high efficiency

admin — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 01:51:50 +0000

RidgeBlade addresses the issues associated with traditional micro-wind generation technologies. The unique design means it can reliably produce electricity in low or variable wind conditions whilst creating very little visual impact. This means that it is suitable for locations including urban houses, rural buildings and environmentally-sensitive sites such as National Parks.

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Stackable Solar Skyscraper?

admin — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 22:17:26 +0000

In the ever-expanding metropolis of Mexico City, green space is hard to come by. An estimated population of 22 million inhabitants bears an impressive weight on the Valley of Mexico and, in recent years, architects and urbanists have been examining solutions to combat the thickening smog. This stunning Vertical Park by Jorge Hernandez de la Garza intends to infuse the city with much-needed green space in the form of a modular skyscraper made up of a series of stacking units.

via Inhabitat » Vertical Park: Stackable Solar Skyscraper for Mexico City.

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