The scheme developed by scientists around the world staged power plants in orbit that capture the sun’s rays before them passing to the ground. This process is technically feasible within a decade or two, nothing that based on existing technologies in laboratories.

Specifically, the project would be to launch satellites into geostationary orbit in charge of capturing the sun’s energy and provided with adjustable articulated arm. The major advantage of the proposed system lies in the positioning of the various satellites in orbit over the equator that receive maximum sunshine and permanent (24/7).

Each satellite would transmit then the collected energy to a master device, which in turn convert the concentrated energy to electricity after transmitting to the Earth via laser or a microwave antenna. Finally, ground equipment would look to recover these flows and inject them into power systems.

“A pilot project to demonstrate the feasibility of this technology is quite possible thanks to low-cost launch vehicle currently under development,” said John Mankins, – former manager at NASA Concept – who led the study.

However, there are obstacles before reaching such an embodiment, the report quoted jumble: the problem of space debris, the lack of targeted studies and the final cost of development. The report therefore recommends that the actors both public and private sectors jointly funding feasibility studies.

Specializing in the design, operation, and development of photovoltaic industry and the roof to the ground, Ciel et Terre will connect the 20th solar power since the moratorium. Or a total capacity of 8 MWp on industrial roofs with an area between 1000 and 22 000 m2. In addition, the company is now present on the tender “great power on the ground” with four projects in Provence, Languedoc and Aquitaine.

However, despite the new regulations of the French photovoltaic, Ciel et Terre plans to continue! Indeed, by recently creating innovative solar power plants in a lake. These photovoltaic great powers are both floating, recyclable, French-made and constructed in accordance with the biodiversity of water bodies (industrial basins, ancient lakes career…).

This new method of designing electricity in a technically efficient and economically viable, attractive sunny today in many countries where electricity is very expensive for the time and space scarce.

Therefore, Heaven and Earth has strengthened its position by participating in development of international solar projects under “Sky & Earth” brand. According to the company, many partnerships have been forged in order to export the concept of solar lake in India, Israel, Thailand and the United States and Ecuador.

Mark Zuckerberg’s social network wants to help its users to control and save on the electricity bill. Therefore, they launch the application ‘Opower’ in collaboration with The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Opower company. With the application, users can compare the energy consumption of similar homes, using a national database, and compete against their friends in terms of use and energy efficiency.

Users will also be able to organize themselves into teams and compete against others. They may also share this information through the wall or ‘Timeline’. The key to this application is the ability to automatically import energy data in the application, but users can also enter data manually. So far, no date of the launch.

Other companies like Microsoft and Google also launched their own energy saving systems but have failed to succeed. Microsoft announced in July it was closing its energy management service, called Hohm, followed by a similar move by Google. Google said its own energy monitoring service, Google PowerMeter, would retire on September 16.

Saint-Charles International, the first European platform to distribute fruit and vegetables, is now a major producer of green energy.

In two years, asbestos cement sheets that covered the 11 buildings on the site were replaced by 68 000 m 2 of photovoltaic tiles. The plant develops a total power of 8.8 MWp. Its annual production is expected to reach 9.7 MWh or 10% of the needs of the city of Perpignan.

55 million euros – The operation, costing 55 million euros was made ​​by Saint-Charles Solar, a company that combines the operator Akuo Energy, the Deposit and Consignment Office, Solaire France and several owners of warehouses in Saint-Charles International.

“This facility anticipates the buildings of tomorrow, who will present an energy balance, says André Joffre, president of consulting firm Tecsol, architect of the operation. It turns out that the installed PV capacity is the capacity of refrigeration units that equip the warehouses. ”

French technology – components used to cover the buildings are slates of glass, waterproof, manufactured by Saint-Gobain, based on a patent held by Solaire France.

“I came to inaugurate the facility because it implements a French technology,” said Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, Minister of Ecology, who has warranted on this occasion the new photovoltaic device support introduced by the government.

The Minister also highlighted the potential of job creation, “If we just make a race for power, we open the door to imports of Chinese signs. If instead, we make a selection on the technology, then we can add value to our patents, our engineers and production sites. I am aware that the transition will be very hard, but it is our responsibility vis-à-vis the French, who pay these expenses through their electricity bills. ”

Local stakeholders are concerned that the system of tendering set up by the government would jeopardize a second phase of the project equipment market Saint-Charles.

The operation, blocked since the moratorium on solar power in December 2010, is to lay 85,000 m 2 of additional panels on buildings in neighboring St. Charles International.

“I’m afraid the price criterion is decisive in the selection of projects, which will penalize local businesses and make an operation like this very difficult to achieve,” said Jean-Paul Alduy, president of the community of agglomeration Perpignan Méditerranée.

The Victorian bridge, built in 1886, serves as the foundation for the new Blackfriars station. The latter is being upgraded by the company Network Rail Limited in order to accommodate more passengers and improve rail service. A new roof, added to the original historic structure, integrate over 6,000 m2 of photovoltaic panels, creating the largest solar installation in London.

Solar panels produce about 900,000 kWh of electricity annually, providing 50% of the energy required to operate the station and reducing CO2 emissions by about 511 tons per year. In addition to solar panels, other tools of energy saving will be used as recovery systems and rainwater pipes solar power station in natural light.

The modernization of Blackfriars station is part of the “Thameslink” of Network Rail, which will circulate longer trains on the route from Bedford to Brighton via London. Once completed, up to 24 trains per hour will run on the party serving central London, offering more seats available to users and forth.

“Our ambition to create a station spacious, modern and we are developing a vastly improved rail service for passengers, while putting in place the largest solar installation to London Blackfriars station a more respectful of the environment” Ms Lindsay Vamplew, Blackfriars Network Rail Project Director, commented.

“The Victorian Blackfriars railway bridge is part of the history of our railway network. Built during the era of the steam train, we are modernizing dramatically with solar energy technologies of the XXI century to create a reference station for the city. ”

The London company in charge of solar engineering and installation is Solarcentury, who worked with Jacobs Engineering to integrate solar photovoltaic architecture of the resort. The solar modules with high-performance are manufactured by Sanyo Electric, a subsidiary of Panasonic.

“The buildings and bridges of different stations are an integral part of our urban landscape and it is wonderful to see that in the future, the bridge will generate renewable energy on a daily basis. Although most people know, several hundred buildings in the capital are powered by electricity generated by solar energy as investments in this technology continues to grow. Make people realize that solar energy works is a vital step in the development of clean energy for the future, “said Derry Newman, CEO of Solarcentury.

This information is not a joke! Their report stating “the fat alligator destined for biofuel production” was published in the ACS, a journal of reference in industrial research and engineering.

Rakesh Bajpai and his colleagues at the University of Louisiana, and noted that most of the 700 million gallons of biodiesel produced in the United States (2008 data) came from soybean oil.

The search for non-food sources for the production of biodiesel has already identified a number of potential candidates, including used oil from fast food restaurants and wastewater. Scientists have learned that fat alligator could join that list. Each year, the meat industry pours alligator about 6 800 tonnes of fat alligator in landfills.

They demonstrated in the laboratory and the oil extracted from this particular fat can be easily converted into biodiesel. Ultimately, this type of oil is actually more suitable for biodiesel production as the oil of certain other animal fats. The composition of biodiesel from “Gator” is similar to that of soybeans, and achieved almost all the official standards in obtaining high-quality biodiesel.

“The window is innovative because it uses solar cells that allow the solar energy be part of the next generation of building design,” said CEO of the company.

This year the company won prestigious GE Ecomagination Challenge promoted by GE, which recognizes green power that promotes greater innovation. This year was won by Pythagoras Solar that beat nearly 5,000 participants to win the $100,000 prize. The Israeli company created a unique solar window, which is the first transparent photovoltaic glass unit (PVGU).

“The window is innovative because it uses solar cells that allow the solar energy part of the next generation of building design,” said CEO of Pythagoras Solar, Gonen Fink. “This will produce benefits, such as power generation and reduce the building’s energy needs,” he said.

He also clarified that the product can be adapted to existing buildings. “Retrofitting an office building with the windows you can amortize the investment in five years. It is also aesthetic, which makes the whole concept more attractive to architects, “Fink explained. Pythagoras founded four and a half years as its CEO “the solar cell market is maturing.”

“I think people underestimate the revolution taking place in the construction industry. There will be other companies in this market, but while many companies are devising ways to reduce energy consumption, this only solves part of the equation, “Fink remark exemplifies the innovation and technology that promises your company.

But it remains true that the issue of energy efficiency in commercial buildings throughout the world is becoming increasingly important, with more stringent legislation in many countries, aimed at reducing energy consumption. “The construction industry now has a greater understanding of the needs and progress has been enormous in recent years,” said Fink.

The photovoltaic windows have been tested successfully last year in a series of pilot projects in commercial buildings in Israel and the U.S.. “We have taken existing buildings and proven to work. Then we went to the next stage, which is the commercial facility and expanding our manufacturing capacity,” said a member of Pythagoras. As we continue to develop Fink, architects are particularly excited about the new option offered by the product.

ATP is the molecule that stores energy produced during photosynthesis and may need to be degraded by the enzyme ATPase, when the bacterium needs to use this energy. To protect the bacteria against stress situations, such as variations in brightness, the ATPase of the cyanobacterium has a small area that operates as a molecular switch. This prevents the ATP to be degraded too quickly under conditions of stress, such as during a prolonged dark period during which the process of photosynthesis can take place. The molecular switch prevents energy waste and the bacteria, creating a reserve of energy, these phases can withstand stress.

Matthias Rogner and his colleagues deleted the area acting as a molecular switch in the ATPase in cyanobacteria genetic modifications. The early assumptions were that the scientific development of cyanobacteria would be modified less efficiently. After observation, the results proved different. Bacteria have developed as usual in laboratory conditions (no light stress), but with a slightly lower stock of ATP resulting in a poorer ability to survive during long periods of darkness, unlike the cyanobacteria with the natural state. In theory, the excess energy produced from sunlight could be recovered for another application of biotechnology, such as hydrogen production by cyanobacteria in a bioreactor. This hydrogen would then be a clean and renewable energy carrier.

Engineers in California were inspired by the collective movement of these aggregations to design marine wind turbines that use, in a much more efficient turbulence. The traditional wind turbines with large blades rotating should be spaced to avoid turbulence from other turbines.

This limits the productivity of a wind farm about two watts per square meter. The new design, however, achieves an efficiency ten times higher. The new turbines are being tested in the California desert, according to a study published in the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy.

The fluid dynamics in the movement of a school can apply to a wind farm. The wind farm model uses vertical axis wind turbines that take advantage of the turbulence from multiple directions. The breakthrough, the study is that the new wind turbines are deployed in a matrix based on fluid dynamics used by schools of fish.

“Organizing the location of wind turbines according to the vertices of the movement of fish is definitely an innovative approach,” said aeronautical engineer Robert Whittlesey, the California Institute of Technology. “The fish are aligned in such a way that optimize propulsion,” said Whittlesey in the study, and this can be adapted to the matrix of a wind farm.

The new design puts pairs of turbines spinning in the opposite direction to channel air currents to nearby turbines and minimizing energy loss through turbulence. According to John Dabiri, one of the authors, “although the connection between wind farms and schools of fish may seem strange, actually is logical from the standpoint of the physics of fluids.”

The new design also has other advantages. The turbines are only 10 feet high, considerably lower than traditional wind turbines, and therefore less affected not only the landscape but are less harmful to birds and bats. The big question now is whether the design work on a large scale wind farm.

“It’s an interesting idea, but has not been absolutely proven,” said John Loughhead, Center for Energy Research in the UK. “Furthermore, the vertical axis turbines have to withstand great stress. It is difficult to build a turbine light enough to spin easily while rigid enough to withstand strong vibrations.”

The concept of space solar power is to collect the sun’s rays with large reflectors placed in geostationary orbit and then send that energy in the form of microwaves or laser facilities to the ground where it is used to produce electricity or hydrogen. Since the collection of sunlight is outside the atmosphere, it is very efficient and not influenced by the weather (rain, clouds, etc.).. In addition, the facilities are located in geostationary orbit, they can generate power almost continuously, while the solar panels on the ground are dependent on time of day and seasons.

The idea of generating electricity in space was presented for the first time in 1968 by Peter Glaser, an American scientist. NASA has done research on this subject in the 1970s but the project was abandoned a decade later because of its excessive cost. Since the late 1990s, the United States interested in this new concept, but achieving significant progress. For its part, Japan has started in 1998 studies on SSPS (Space Solar Power Systems) that continue to this day. JAXA since 2008 carries the same experiments to develop technologies for power generation in space. Through his involvement in sustainable, Japan has become the leading country in research on space solar power.

JAXA has not yet decided if the energy in orbit will be transmitted to Earth by microwave or laser and examines the two options. Regarding systems SSPS microwave, two concepts are studied: the basic model and advanced model. The basic model consists of a large sign hanging from a satellite cables. One side of the panel generates energy and transmits the other side on the ground. The advanced model is a combination of two mirror reflectors 2km in diameter flying in formation with a system consisting of two solar power generators attached to a panel of the microwave transmitter. The advanced model is a technological challenge, but he can point to the Sun and thus offers better performance than the basic model. The microwave beam sent from space to the ground is received and converted into electricity by a rectifying antenna 2km in diameter. SSPS laser system studied by JAXA consists of mirrors focusing sunlight on a semiconductor device that converts sunlight directly into laser beams. The technologies required for the laser SSPS are however very complex and their development would pose more difficulties than that of SSPS microwave.

Currently, four major research activities associated with the SSPS are conducted by JAXA. The first floor is the demonstration of wireless power transmission by microwave and laser. JAXA will test technologies including training and pointing of a beam of microwaves (on the order of kW) over a distance of 50m. Research will also be conducted to develop a technology to directly convert sunlight into laser beam. The second research topic is the development of technologies for building structures of a few hundred meters for both a panel with a thickness of 0.1 m and a lightweight mirror with a density of 300g/m2. These technologies will be built at first experienced on the ground. The third line of research is the preparation of experiments demonstrating wireless power transmission in orbit. Experiments transmission power of the order of kilowatts from space to ground and will be carried out. A small scientific satellite currently under development at the JAXA module or JEM (Japanese Experiment Module) of the International Space Station will serve as a platform for these tests. The fourth area of study is to establish a realistic roadmap for a market an SSPS in the 2030s.

JAXA has started the development of demonstration systems on the ground of the wireless transmission of energy of 1 kW, both microwave and laser. These experiences should be completed late 2013. Based on the design of the demonstration system on the ground, experience power transmission by microwaves from space will be made ​​around 2015. If the technologies needed to release a laser are ready for that time, they will also be tested from space. When the experiences of power transmission to the ground and in orbit are completed, the choice between microwave and laser will be made. Following this selection, JAXA will embark on a demonstration of about 100 kW in space. At this stage, all the core technologies have been verified and the system configuration is selected commercial SSPS. The estimated cost of energy production and acceptance of this new technology by the public will be important factors in this decision. Testing for commercial SSPS will be done with facilities capable of producing first 2MW (2020) and 200MW (2025). The construction of an SSPS for commercial production of 1GW of electricity would have to start in the 2030s.

The roadmap of JAXA seems very optimistic, considering the obstacles facing this project. First, there is the cost of access to space. A reusable launch vehicle is thus needed to demonstrate the small central 2MW 2020, and an orbital transfer vehicle will be required for large central 200MW by 2025. Meet these requirements will be very difficult, but researchers believe that the JAXA these goals are achievable if the community of space transportation is seriously addressing the problem. Finally, the budget for this work does not seem up to the activities in the roadmap. JAXA is currently maintaining a minimum level of research and development in the field of SSPS, but there is no guarantee the availability of a budget for the following years.

The development of the battery has been entrusted to the UCO while UMA was responsible for its integration with a transparent photovoltaic system and the preparation of electrodes. Professors Luis Sánchez Granados (UCO) and Francisco Martin (UMA) conducted research that led to the filing of a patent.

The battery and its integration

This is a sandwich-type battery-operated thin film lithium ion and a solid polymer electrolyte, which is transparent to the visible spectrum of light. This surprising property is of particular interest to transform any glass surface into a reserve of electrical power available on demand. The design of the battery also gives it a low thermal emissivity (also known as the “low-e”), a distinct advantage in regulating the heat flow required for frames to ensure the comfort of the occupants of the house , car etc.. Finally, the materials that constitute the manufacturing process and enable its industrialization at a reasonable cost.

The other advantage of such a battery would be its integration into photovoltaic cells transparent, to provide a complete system conversion and storage of incoming solar energy into electricity. As a sandwich, the outer equipped cell would act as receiver and converter, while inside the battery stores the energy produced. This integration is still under development at the University of Malaga.

Applications

The transparency of the intended course in the construction industry, to exploit the potential of glass surfaces in terms of efficiency and energy sufficiency. In this sense, the fact that the battery can be fabricated directly on transparent surfaces such as glass or polymers is a step closer to rapid industrialization and many companies have already shown their interest in the product. The automotive industry, a major consumer of translucent surfaces, is also a potential target.

Researchers from Cordoba and Malaga do not want to stop there way and have devised systems that go even further integration, such as a device gradual darkening of the glass depending on the conditions of sunshine or adding an LED curtain for exterior lighting, fueled of course in situ by the window itself …

Finally, a miniaturization of the concept would allow development on smaller areas, including mobile electronic devices such as smartphones, laptops and other portable digital players.

The Canadian company Thin Red Line Aerospace is conducting the first tests of a genuine system for storing energy in offshore wind farms. The Energy Bag stores compressed air in the seabed and releases it in accordance with demand for energy.

Energy storage to meet peak demand and ensure supply to intermittent winds, remain key issues for the development of wind energy.

The process is conceptually very simple: the turbines ‘inflated’ with compressed air balls in the seabed, which then serve to run electrical generators. Although initially the system was designed for marine wind farms, their use could be extended to the storage of energy from waves or tides. A technology that can exploit countries with relatively deep waters near their coasts.

Instead of designing a heavy pressure vessel capable of storing huge amounts of compressed air, Energy Bag uses its location on the seabed to behave like a pressure vessel, storing compressed air at very high pressures. The prototype weighs only 75 kg, but is capable of moving 40 tons of seawater.

Be installed at 600 m depth where the pressure is 60 or 70 times higher than in the atmosphere. The energy stored in a single bag can be considerable. “At a depth of 600 m there is enough pressure for a bag of 20 m in diameter around 70MW store hours of energy. That’s equivalent to about 14 hours of wind generation in normal conditions. ”

The cost will be infinitely less than the current system based storage batteries. Even be more economical than the hydraulic system by pumping water storage.

The Dean of the Faculty of Biology, Gadi Schuster and Professor Noam Adir, Faculty of Chemistry and PhD students Shirley Larom and Faris Salama recorded a significant success on the road to green power. They managed to manipulate the process of photosynthesis (the process by which plants absorb solar energy and convert it into chemical energy) so that it becomes possible to produce electricity from plants. Scientists have been studying a key protein in the process of moving electrons during photosynthesis. In nature, protein extract electrons from water and move across a membrane in bacteria and plants. Membranes prevent the flow of electricity from escaping into biological subsidiary processes. The researchers changed an amino acid -one of hundreds found in the protein- to a positive and negative have managed to change the direction of electron emission to allow the operation of the energy produced in the process for future use.

The protein also exports created electrons at a frequency high enough to produce an amount of usable energy and directs the flow in a configuration that allows efficient absorption of this energy. This result was obtained without artificial change affecting the protein. This allows the organism to grow entirely natural and can thus produce large amounts of protein at a relatively low cost and without interfering with industrial processes. At the second stage, scientists from the Technion sought a protein transporting electrons absorb the emitted electrons and transfer them to a battery supply. They found a small protein cytochrome C produced by the heart of horse is the most consistent and best fulfills the desired function.

In the future, the Technion researchers hope to create a mechanism to convert biochemical energy into electricity and hydrogen used daily in their form. “This will not replace the power plants but can provide significant amounts of clean electricity, particularly in places with no electricity networks. We hope that leaves, such as tobacco leaves, can provide electricity for a certain number of hours equivalent to that of a photoelectric plate of one square meter”, Adir and Schuster state.

The heavy oil extraction leaves a large carbon footprint because the oil must be extracted from the ground with steam. In Kern County, California, where oil fields account for 9% of natural gas consumed in the state, the start-up GlassPoint Solar is testing an alternative: a greenhouse in a full acre of solar heat collectors. The firm expects the method to generate a steam cleaner and cheaper than natural gas.

GlassPoint technology is a cheap version of the commercial solar thermal plants that use mirrors to focus sunlight onto pipes and then convert the captured heat to steam to drive turbines that generate energy. GlassPoint system is cheaper because you do not need turbines and because it has redesigned its mirrors and pipes to pump vapor at 250 ° C to 300 ° C (while the steam needed to power turbines should reach 350 ° C and 400 ° C) .

Also, instead of building steel structures to support large precision mirrors in all weather, GlassPoint uses mirrors that are comparatively thin as paper in greenhouses. Simultaneously, their heat-absorbing tubes are lined with steel instead of glass tubes of power plants.

The result, predicts John O’Donnell, vice president of business development GlassPoint should be steam at a cost of $ 3 to $ 3.50 per million BTUs (a basic unit of transmission in the acronym). Compare that with an estimated $ 11 to $ 12 per million BTU with conventional solar panels, and about $ 4 for natural gas.

O’Donnell says the idea is that the pilot plant presented in a property operated by Berry Petroleum, the independent oil producer in California’s largest, provides a quick test of system performance and operating costs.

BrightSource Energy expects to complete a solar steam power plant this year in a reservoir in Coalinga, California, operated by Chevron. Spanish company Abengoa Solar, which has built solar plants that supply steam to a potato chips factory in California, a federal prison in Colorado and a water treatment plant in Arizona, says the sites are a possible market for their systems Industrial steam.

While proper use of organic waste to produce an alternative fertilizer use recently also proposed as a renewable energy source, which additionally would provide several benefits such as promoting lower polluting effect, generate usable products and to promote sustainable development.

According to figures from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), Mexico is estimated to produce 94 thousand 800 tons of garbage daily, of which at least 40 percent is concentrated in the states of Mexico, Jalisco, Veracruz and Federal District.

Given this scenario, the teacher-researcher  Arzapalo Nelson Caballero, Autonomous University of Yucatan (abattoir), conducted a study to extract the energy stored in organic waste (citrus, banana and papaya, among others), in addition to those produced poultry industry, with the aim of utilizing alternative power generation for public consumption and reduce pollution brought about by such waste.

To this end, the team of researchers at the abattoir was based on the anaerobic digestion method, which consists of decomposing the biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen to generate biogas, whose main energy component is methane, also containing carbon dioxide and other trace gases.

Biogas can be used as fuel in cars, factories or at home by way of replacement of butane gas. The quality and quantity of the chemical energy depends on several factors, among them the type of waste used, and also of certain control parameters such as temperature and pH.

To make anaerobic digestion, Arzapalo explained that the waste first goes through an acid phase where all the waste caused by large particles are transformed through a process carried out by enzymes and bacteria, a kind of small molecules from which emerge alcohols, and then converted into acetic acid, which is finally converted into methane gas and carbon dioxide.

In this last stage the more we succeed in cutting the second major component is the amount of methane and biogas quality, he said.

The researcher said the abattoir waste, by their nature, have stored energy that directly or indirectly captured through the Sun prior to the case of vegetable waste is more noticeable the process of saving energy through photosynthesis. Meanwhile, animal waste fuel which is largely acquired indirectly through the consumption of plant-type foods.

Arzapalo Caballero stressed that unlike other similar surveys, the abattoir used the solar energy to provide necessary temperature reactors and makes the process self-sustaining.

He noted that with the help of temperature the process is favored, since streamlines the processing of polymers to alcohols and fatty acids, and finally to methane gas. The study included experiments on two different scales, micro and macro-scale digesters used as roads and special reactors respectively.

In the micro-scale experiments were batch (batch) made to know the main characteristics of the biodegradability of waste, while the macro-scale made were of a continuous supply to resemble an application larger scale.

“By increasing the temperature with solar radiation not only speeds up the process, but the intention is to eliminate pathogens that may be organic waste,” he said.

Also, the specialist said that UADY the results were favorable, with only one gram of papaya generates up to 340 milliliters of the gas. Meanwhile, with banana waste 310 ml was reached in the case of the remains of citrus production, the results were outstanding, as it led to 400 milliliters per gram.

According to the head of the research, energy in the form of biogas produced during the investigation was monitored in terms of quantity and quality with the help of special storage bags and laboratory equipment for analysis, respectively.

“The intention is to use energy in their agricultural fields where waste is generated to run irrigation pumps or machines plow, like any type of conventional energy,” explained the researcher from the abattoir.

It is noteworthy that another peculiarity of this research is that after extracting energy from waste, solid waste can be utilized as compost or manure to crops and gardens, while the residual water after a simple treatment process can reused in irrigation.

“In Mexico, we have plenty of raw material that can be used efficiently and make this transformation in a sustainable development, because much of what we throw away and waste it can be used to produce energy and support energy supply in homes and institutions also contribute to reverse pollution cause the waste,” said Arzapalo Caballero.

The project involved the collaboration of researchers from the Center for Scientific Research of Yucatan (CICY), Technical University of Munich and University of Applied Sciences in Stuttgart, both in Germany and with funding from the National Council for Science and Technology.

The Solar Wind project was born in southern Italy, designed by designers Francesco Colarossi, Giovanna Saracino and Louise Saracino, the result of a competition to reuse some viaducts in the area of Calabria, as the cost of demolition of old structures bordering 55 million dollars. The authorities proposed reinvent so environmentally friendly.

With 26 wind turbines, its inventors say the bridge produces 36 million kWh per year, in addition to the road with 200 meters of solar photovoltaic energy amounting to another 11.2 million kWh, enough to feed that up to 15,000 homes. But also includes a park with lots to appreciate the Italian coast from the height and greenhouses producing fruit and vegetables to be sold in the same place.

A work that is spectacular and provides an incomparable view, but above all, is a tremendous contribution to green energy. Can hardly be paved each bridge covered with solar panels, but why not take advantage of every space underneath to fill them with wind turbines?

As reported in a statement, the system is to harness the heat energy accumulated in the pavement by solar radiation, by transporting a fluid through pipes beneath it. This method of energy use could be considered “a solar sensor built into the pavement.”

That system can be implemented on any paved surface exposed to solar radiation, such as roads, parking lots, or airports. Asphalt pavements can become heated to 70 degrees Celsius for days of strong sunlight. Given the large paved surface available energy recovery “has great potential,” said Tecnalia.

Integrating the system developed with thermal storage and heat pump, the accumulated thermal energy can be used in low temperature applications such as air conditioning in buildings, gymnasiums, swimming pools, or hot water.

Another potential application of the system is its use in winter to keep the asphalt temperature above freezing, preventing the formation of ice on roads. “Besides the benefit to road safety, it also decreases the amount of salt used for this purpose,” he detailed.

The system involves a reduction in fossil fuel consumption and a drop in emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, using a renewable energy source. In addition, it reduces the necessary maintenance on roads. Both winter and summer temperature has a strong stable, which reduces the formation of cracks and grooves in the pavement, with a consequent reduction in their maintenance.

The Construction Unit is investigating Tecnalia thermal and mechanical properties of the system through simulations and experimental measurements in order to optimize its configuration in terms of its application. System performance will be studied after the construction of a prototype.

Basically, the device consists of a giant Venturi tube, which increases the strength of the wind and brings to power a wind turbine, located in areas of Patagonia, where westerly winds always blow. “As far as I could investigate the unidirectional winds are permanently south of the Colorado River, over 93 percent of the days of the year, represent a unique case in the world,” said the inventor.

In 1995, when he visited Los Antiguos (Santa Cruz), Diaz kneaded the idea to prove that “the wind is not well used.” He thought that having all the time with the same wind direction could be used to overcome the drawbacks of conventional wind generation by “European mills very expensive, complex installation, maintenance difficult, which require special wiring and needed many to meet the demand of a people. ”

Matured the idea for a couple of years and in 2010 it took “two months to shape the device.” Diaz’s invention is a wedge-shaped nozzle, which descends from the roof to the mouth takes to bring the “venturi effect.” The mouth is a rectangle, 50 by 100 feet ahead. The pipe is 82 meters long and terminates in a mouth 50 meters wide and 12.50 tall. In the wind tunnel speed increases several times before impacting on the mill, composed of eight concave blades and  a centrifuge rotor.

“A wind of 60 mph at the end of the device reaches nearly 450 kilometers per hour,” said the inventor. On impact with even pressure on “a much larger area than conventional mills” (two or three blades) greater efficiency. “The rotation of the rotor can be controlled with a discretion or power top, through a window of relief and a gate.”

Each device includes a complex of four modules, “able to supply two Kaplan or Francis turbines as installed in the Chocón (from 270 000 HP),” said Diaz. He added that “Blades are 12.50 meters long by 12″, which determines an area of greater impact. “It’s a team with a lot of torque, which prevails the power,” he said.

Today, with six wind turbines in operation, The Chocón generates 5 percent of the total energy consumed by Argentina. Diaz is “convinced that the installation of various modules in this way will the wind generator to solve the energy problems of our country.” Joined by universal joint, the modules are easily replaceable and is easily maintained. “It’s a very practical combination, define its inventor.

This feature has been imitated by a team of Japanese scientists to create a special coating for photovoltaic cells, which increase the electrical efficiency of these systems in more than 5%.

A team of Japanese scientists has succeeded now mimic the microstructure of this coating to generate a type of film for coating solar cells or solar panels.

In tests, the researchers showed that this film can reduce the amount of light reflected by the solar panels, increase the amount of solar energy captured and, consequently, improve their energy efficiency.

In an article published in Optics Express, the magazine of the U.S. Optical Society (OSA) researchers describe how the film created improved the performance of photovoltaic modules, both in tests in laboratory and field tests conducted in Tokyo (Japan) and Phoenix (Arizona).

According to scientists, these results show that this film could increase the performance of solar cells deployed in large areas of these regions, chosen for the tests have different annual rates of sunshine (Phoenix is a hot city, which receives large amount of direct sunlight each year, while Tokyo falls annually on a high rate of diffuse solar radiation).

Specifically, the researchers estimate that the coating inspired by the sight of the moth could improve the annual efficiency of photovoltaic cells by 6% in Phoenix and 5% in Tokyo.

One of the authors of the study, the scientist at the University of Technology, Nagaoka, Japan, Noboru Yamada, said in a statement issued by OSA that “we may assume that this improvement is very small, but the efficiency of  PV systems  is the same as the rates of fuel consumption of vehicles, every bit helps. ”

In any PV module, the emitting surface reflections are an essential loss. The reason is this: When light hits a solar cell can be reflected or absorbed, but only the light that is absorbed to produce electricity, while the reflected light is lost.

Hence the importance of anti-reflective coatings in these systems: the less light it reflects a solar panel produce much electricity.

Yamada, in collaboration with scientists from Mitsubishi Rayon Co. Ltd. and Tokyo Metropolitan University, found his inspiration for this new technology a few years ago, after spending time looking for omnidirectional antireflection structure and broad wavelength nature. The eyes of the moths was the best we found.

Yamada notes that the difficulty lay in developing the technology to design a high performance process for nanoimprint of the film. This problem was finally solved by the scientist Hideki Masuda and colleagues from Mitsubishi Rayon Co. Ltd., which in future will make these coatings on a commercial scale.

Scientists are now working on improving the durability of the film created, and optimize for various types of photovoltaic cells. Furthermore, Yamada and his colleagues believe that this solution could be applied as anti-reflection coating also in windows or computer screens.

This development would be a step in the development of solar energy technology, according to a study published in 2007 by the World Energy Council, will be the 70% of energy consumed worldwide in 2100. According to reports from Greenpeace, the PV can provide electricity to two-thirds of the world population in 2030.

The new bike lane, solar flares, is the first floor with integrated solar cells which can be used as a bike path, while generating energy.

Bart Heller, the representative of legislature of the province of North Holland, praised the project as “unique in the world” and explained that it is a kind of thick plate glass, not slippery and resistant to inclement weather. “The tens of thousands of miles of pavement in Holland, in the bike lanes on motorways, capture the sun’s rays and it would be wonderful if we could turn them into sustainable energy,” Heller admitted.

Solar is developed by the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) in cooperation with the province of North Holland and two companies. Heller sees growth potential of electric vehicles: “In time the solar-powered vehicles will, there truly achieve zero emissions.” The solar energy could be used for lighting of roads.

The unit, called EDV-01 (“Emergency Disaster Vehicle”), comes in the form of a “twenty-foot container”, with dimensions defined by the ISO international standard is 20 feet (6.058 m) for length , 8 feet (2.438 m) in width and 8.5 feet (2,591 m) in height. Hydraulic pumps used to bring in 260 seconds its outside and thus to form a floor with beds and a desk equipped with a satellite communication system. The first level contains the equipment providing the minimum comfort for the occupants: a shower (with a tank of 800 l), biological toilet, a kitchen, a device that produces potable water by condensing water vapor present in air (production capacity of 20 liters per day), a fuel cell and battery. This configuration allows the unit to move easily through various means of transport (boat, truck, helicopter, etc.).

Power is provided by fuel cells and solar panels connected to a battery. The battery, a power output of 600 W was provided by the American company ReliOn. It is fed by a reservoir containing a sufficient amount of hydrogen gas for a month. Solar panels are of two kinds. The first, of 1680 Wp, are modules of type HIT (Heterojunction With Intrinsic Thin layer). Supplied by Sanyo, they are placed on the roof. The walls of the first level are equipped with 390 W of spherical silicon modules Green Venture 21. Li-ion battery with a capacity of 10 kWh was provided by Eliiy Power, a company created to further work on Eliica, the electric car developed by Professor Shimizu of Keio University. An LED lighting can reduce electricity consumption.

The company has yet built a single prototype. They plan to present it to relief agencies (fire, police, etc.) In order to improve it and develop a commercial version.

The freighter E-Ship 1 of the German wind power company Enercon wind turbine manufacturer, arrived at the port of Pecém, near the city of Fortaleza in northeastern Brazil.

The E-Ship 1 uses the so-called Magnus effect for propulsion. The four cylindrical rotors combined with electric motors that turn related to the wind effect and generate a force that drives the ship.

The E-Ship 1 is 134 meters long and displaces 12,800 tons. It is the only ship in the world with a hybrid propulsion system: wind energy collection by four strong towers 25 meters high and 4 in diameter, and diesel electric propulsion. It is the first time this ship visit a Brazilian port.

The unique vessel started its journey in the German port of Emden. On his first trip to Brazil, the vessel is carrying wind turbine components that are produced in its subsidiary Wobben Windpower, with factories in Sorocaba and Pacem. On his return will Wobben components manufactured by such as blades for wind turbines.

The E-Ship 1 uses the so-called Magnus effect for propulsion. The four cylindrical rotors combined with electric motors that turn related to the wind effect and generate a force that drives the ship.

Students of the National School of Biological Sciences (ENCB) José Alberto Morales Melchor, Celic Reynoso Alfredo Blanco, Yessica Martinez and Maricela González Soriano Mendez created a new design of solar dryers, and pointed out that when food is dehydrated, their water activity is minimal and, therefore, microorganisms can not proliferate and are arrested most of the chemical and enzymatic reactions

Melchor Morales said that contrary to its versatility, the dehydration of food dryers is an expensive process, because it uses too much energy and contributes to significantly raise the cost of final products.

“In addition to this, the growing scarcity of conventional energy, especially fossil fuels has caused a crisis in the availability of energy for industrialization of all types of products. Therefore, the use of solar energy food processing is feasible and should be applied at least in the drying stage, “he said.

The polytechnic student explained that some products can be dried with the prototype are peanuts, rice, corn and grains in general as well as peaches, grapes, apples, guava, beets, cucumber, carrots, garlic, onions and peppers, among others. “The objective of drying is to reduce the moisture content of a product to achieve longer storage periods and, above all, preserve the nutritional value of food,” he said.

He mentioned that in rural areas are harvested fruits of the season, but a significant number of them are lost because producers do not know how to preserve them. A very effective method for conservation is dehydrated. This prototype is a proposal that in these areas can dehydrate your products and use them throughout the year or when there is no production.

White Rose indicated that the prototype will reduce drying time, since in general terms only require ten hours to complete the conservation process. “Dehydration of corn and carrots was carried out in seven hours, while the apple, beet, cucumber and guava were dehydrated in a span of eight to ten hours,” he said.

Said that dehydration implies control over the weather conditions inside a chamber. “In the dryer light rays from the sun are converted into heat through a greenhouse called solar collector, which includes a dark surface, preferably black, which receives and absorbs the light rays.”

A group of researchers from the University of Minnesota (USA) began an experiment to transform solar energy into fuel, writes today the RBK Daily business newspaper.

To perform the experiment was built a model solar system that will transform carbon dioxide and water into fuel. The model represents seven lamps with bulbs of 6,500 watts. Its light is concentrated by a reflector at a point 7.5 centimeters in diameter and as a result, the temperature in the reactor may exceed 2,000 degrees Celsius.

When sunlight heats the cerium oxide, which covers installing reflectors, water and carbon dioxide is broken down into hydrogen, which would later be transformed into liquid fuel.

According to investigators, the produced hydrogen may be used in electric vehicles powered by fuel cells powered by hydrogen.

The experimental setup has little performance for now and takes less than 1% of solar energy. However, scientists say they already know how to build a facility with a throughput of up to 19%.

Electric vehicle with lithium batteries do not emit CO2 or damage the environment if the electricity comes from renewables such as wind, solar photovoltaic and solar thermal or thermal. Wind turbines can supply electricity to electric vehicles in the future will also serve to store and regulate the electricity intermittent wind energy sector.

The award was presented during an event held recently in Madrid.

Acciona Energy has been awarded the Miguel Pardo 2010, awarded by the Spanish Maritime Cluster in the Environment category for its research and development in the field of offshore wind energy.

The award was presented during a corporate event held yesterday in Madrid after the General Assembly of the WEC, which was attended, among others, the Secretary General of Industry, Teresa Santero, the Admiral Chief of Staff General Navy, Manuel Rebollo, the Director General of Bureau Veritas to Spain and Portugal, Luis Guerrero and Chairman of CME, Federico Esteve.

By Acciona has collected the distinction Raúl Apples, Director of Technological Development in Wind and Marine Energy.

The jury praised the outstanding work done by AccionaA in the field of R & D applied to the implementation of wind turbines in deep water with floating structures. In particular, took into consideration the leadership of the project EOLIA Acciona, which is piloting the work of a group of 15 Spanish companies specializing in various technologies related to marine wind energy exploitation. In this context, the company has pioneered worldwide in design and testing in different test channel concepts of floating structures for machines from 5 megawatts of power.

Acciona actively involved in various innovation projects in offshore wind EOLIA addition to the aforementioned, as the marina, where he coordinates a group of 17 organizations from 12 European countries, the HiPRWind, a consortium of 19 European partners to develop floating wind turbines large AZIMUT or power, which brings together 11 companies with the aim of developing an offshore wind turbine Spanish technology.

The CME, chaired by Federico Esteve, currently has about 60 entities with partners who represent companies, associations, public and regional clusters that bring together a total of over 800 offshore entities in the entire Spanish territory. Among its objectives are to increase the competitiveness of Spanish companies in the global market, seeking excellence in the Spanish maritime sector, improve the efficiency of industrial and commercial management of enterprises and promote the professional development of workers.

Miguel Pardo awards, instituted in 2009 have become reference within the Spanish maritime sector and provide for eight types: Competitiveness, International Promotion, Promotion Training, Technology and Innovation, Communication, Social Welfare and Environment.