Category Archives: Alternative Energy
Molten salt energy storage systems seem to be catching on pretty quickly these days. These seem to be the answer to power supply problems grids connected to solar-soakers face during the night time and during darker hours. Now, BrightSource Energy too is turning toward molten salt energy storage systems for heat-driven solar power plants with which, solar power plants can feed grids with renewable energy even when the sun goes home. Using steam from a field of mirrors called heliostats, all focused on a tower, which is then used for a conventional turbine to generate energy, BrightSource seems pretty confident of its plans.
Using molten salts, the heat generated in the tower is stored in large tanks and is then used during the night time to generate renewable energy! A seemingly practical way to generate renewable energy round the clock, technology like this is forever welcomed with arms wide open.
[Cnet]
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And if you’ve been under the impression that the Nissan Leaf is just about any other common-place EV, one of many showing up in the automotive markets today, think again! The guys at the Nissan Motor Co Ltd have developed a revolutionary system that makes the Leaf more than just an electricity-powered car. Using the battery of the Leaf that when fully charged, sports juice of about 24kWh, the system sparks a backup electricity supply of about 6kW which can be used for residential purposes! So basically, with a fully charged battery, a Leaf can power the household’s basic electricity needs for as long as 2 days!
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And if simply trying to spot the topmost floor of the Empire State Building has left you with a sore neck, we suggest you don’t try looking up at this one for too long, given that it’s twice as tall as one of the largest buildings in the world! Standing 2625 feet tall, this solar tower will soon call Arizona “home” and will use the good old hot-air-rises principal. To be set up by Australian firm EnviroMission, the tower in the Arizona desert will generate about 200 MW, enough to power 150,000 US homes!
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In the future, we’re pretty sure it’ll just be the beavers building dams, with the world slowly turning towards more efficient ways to generate electricity from tide. And researchers these days seem to be playing around with the idea of setting up underwater turbines too, which is a pretty feasible way to suck all that renewable energy out of the tide. However, this does face a bunch of hurdles, given that water is about 832 times denser than air that makes life hell for underwater turbines, combined with corrosion, stray electromagnetic fields, and rules to safeguard sealife.
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The sun don’t need to shine bright to power this one up! Nestled in Spain’s Andalucia province, the 19.9 MW Gemasolar concentrated solar power plant put up by Torresol Energy also plays home to two tanks of molten salt (MSES) that store heat energy generated throughout the day, enabling the plant to function well enough, even when the sun’s down, satisfying the thirsty summer grid. Expected to generate about 110,000 MWh of energy annually, the plant is capable of lighting up 25,000 homes.
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Offshore wind farms are a promising way to fill up the grid with renewable energy indeed. Given the fact that these wind farms are located far out into the sea, they trap winds at faster speeds than they would on land, and also, save up a whole lot of land space too! Now, the French government is turning to offshore wind farms with a €10 billion ($14.26 billion) tender held out with hopes of setting up 1,200 wind turbines in 5 offshore wind farms. Currently, France depends mostly of nuclear energy and is looking for greener ways to power up, hence the dream to catch the wind.
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Italy now plays home to the world’s largest HIT-equipped solar power plant, making use of Panasonic Group’s high-efficiency high-output HIT® solar modules. Located in Torre Santa Susanna, southeast Italy, the plant is capable of generating an astounding 7.567MW and houses a whopping 32,202 HIT-235 solar modules fitted to solar trackers that helps add on to power generation. Developed by Deutsche Bank’s Asset Finance and Leasing Renewable Energy Division, the plant’s HIT® solar modules are capable of generating 235W each and boast a conversion efficiency of 16.9%.
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NTT DoCoMo is now turning towards greener ways to power up its extensive mobile phone network. The Japanese telecommunications firm has decided on turning its act green, opting for ten green transmission stations that will make use of renewable energy to power up. These ten sparkly green stations will hook up to solar and wind energy, and also make use of biofuels to power up. NTT DoCoMo has, in the past, indulged in some pretty green works of technology, and this attempt to turn its network green has left us smiling wide.
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Waste heat energy remains a treasure-chest of untapped energy. Using energy generated from heat could help power up manufacturing processes and the like if tapped correctly that is. ElectraTherm has come up with a unique way to use waste heat to its benefit, using a portable waste heat energy generator that operates at low-temperature heat sources and is capable of generating power ranging from 30 kilowatts and 65 kilowatts. The generator is perfect for use at oil wells, were drilling results in wastage of about 4,000 barrels of unwanted water, which in turn can be used to generate enough heat to help the generator produce energy!
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It took the Japanese a natural disaster to shake it from its atomic dream. Now, the country is slowly and surely turning towards greener energy sources. In a bid to bring solar energy to the country, Japanese billionaire Masayoshi Son, CEO of Softbank Corp, is busy drawing out plans to build up solar farms with the aid and backing of 33 of Japan’s 47 prefectures. In return, the regional utilities will buy his clean electricity while he gains access to transmission networks. Currently, Japan’s total renewable energy production fulfills just 10% of its needs, and Son plans to push the scales up to 30%.
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