Wireless energy transfer

New research is bringing energy transfer into the wireless world. Soon, a central hub could be charging your batteries, laptop, televisions, electric cars, right through the air.

Over the past few years, a number of companies have been racing to put wireless energy on the market. In 2007, researchers at MIT revealed a project that powered a light bulb remotely. The physicist and project leader Marin Soljacic (winner of a MacArthur “genius grant” Fellowship) went on to found the start-up WiTricity.

In the 2007 expeiment they powered a 60W light bulb across a room. At the Nikkei electronics conference in Tokyo in October 2009, they were able to power a 1,000-watt klieg light from across the room. WiTricity’s record so far is 3,000 watts – enough to fully charge an electric car, so long as it’s in the same room (or garage).

The basic underlying principle for transmitting power wirelessly goes back more than a century to the work of Nikola Tesla and other pioneers of electricity, but the MIT team invented a way of making the process far more efficient and practical.

The system works by creating a strong electromagnetic resonance between the sending and receiving coils – similar to the way a tuning fork can start vibrating when exposed to a sound of exactly the right frequency, or the way a radio antenna can be tuned to just the frequency of a single station out of the hundreds that are simultaneously broadcasting their signals. In this case, the magnetic resonance between the two coils is unaffected by objects in between the coils, and by the same token objects between the coils – including people – are not affected by the magnetic fields.

Several concerns, even initially from WiTricity CEO Eric Giller, have been raised about the potential health risks as magnetism from MRI machines can disable pacemakers. But, MRI magnetism is about 10,000 stronger than that in WiTricity and the Institute of Physics in London has found WiTricity’s magnetic field “has no detrimental effects on the human body.”

Already, companies focused on a special application of wireless electricity have broken into the retail market with force. Powermat, and soon WiPower, provide “wireless charging” stations for home electronics. Instead of plugging in your mobile phone or handheld video game, you just strap a receiver on it, and place it on a charging mat. This “drop and charge” innovation is set to make a big impact in retail sales (Powermat sold more than 750,000 products in just two months) and could be the first step to the wireless electricity revolution that changes the way we power our lives.

Gieler of WiTricity mentioned at the TED 2009 conference that the technology can conceivably still get a lot better. We could use a similar method of coupling to power objects from a meter away or farther. At that distance, we could power electric cars while they were still on the road, or create homes without plugs.

 For more information read here… or here….

Small, clean, green machines

MIT CityCarWhile mass transportation systems such as trains or busses are hailed as the solution for urban mobility, there is often the problem with the last mile. MIT Media Lab (with support from GM) has developed a small car, the CityCar, specifically to be used in an urban context and for car sharing.The 2-seater cars are fully electric and also stackable. They work a bit like shopping carts in when the behind car touches a parked one in front, the front car lifts its body enabling stacking. When you want to drive off again, you merely touch a button and the front car disengages and moves slightly forward. The idea is that anyone uses any car.

A further feature is that the cars are capable of 360° steering, making parking a dream.

Because the cars are part of a single, computerized network, their placement can be coordinated to reduce traffic congestion or make transportation options available at peak times and places. Rental charges could fluctuate to encourage alternate routes. Commuters could keep track of where and when cars and parking spaces are available in real time, using cellphones or other hand-held devices to track the cheapest or the most convenient car, spot, or route.

Ryan Chin, one of team working on this project, said: “When you think of this, you shouldn’t think of a car. You should think of it as a new personal and sustainable mobility system and service. This is a clean and green machine.”

MIT has submitted a proposal to a government in Asia that is interested in building a network of these cars in one of their cities. The CityCar was part of the plan submitted by MIT that also recently won the 2009 Buckminster Fuller Challenge.

Lower cost Maglev transport solution

Engineers at LaunchPoint Technologies have been working with Applied Levitation and Fasttransit Inc, to develop a completely new, revolutionary mode of maglev transportation.

Using Applied Levitation’s no-contact Stabilized Permanent Magnet (“SPM”) levitation system it will permit incremental upgrade of current rail and subway systems. By installing SPM guideways on the same ties as existing tracks, with one maglev rail outside each of the existing steel rails and a motor rail down the center, SPM maglev vehicles can operate simultaneously with standard rail and subway vehicles. As a result, existing rail and subway cars can remain in operation while being gradually replaced with new maglev vehicles that cost less and perform far better. This capability avoids the need to completely overhaul current infrastructure at tremendous cost.

The FASTRANSIT system is a packet-switching transportation network that uses permanent magnetic levitation and linear motors for instant switching and direct routing on an ultra-high capacity network. The system can be used for mass transit, freight transport or personal rapid transit.
Some of the proposed benefits of this system are:

• Low capital cost–SPM maglev guideways can be built, mile for mile, for about the same cost as one lane of freeway with twenty times the carrying capacity.
• Easily integrated–Existing rail and subway systems can be easily retrofitted with SPM maglev capabilities, enabling incremental upgrades of an aging infrastructure.
• Fast switching–SPM maglev technology uses instant magnetic switching with no moving parts which enables more efficient routing of computer-controlled maglev vehicles.
• Network capability (Mag-Net^TM)–With SPM maglev technology and instant magnetic switching, transportation networks can be developed to route traffic in much the same way as information is routed over the internet.
• Highly scalable–SPM maglev technology can be used with smaller, lighter vehicles for more efficient passenger transportation, or with bigger, heavier vehicles for the transport of freight.

 The firms have already tested the system on a scale and a short indoor track, and is now planning a quarter mile outdoor track.

Maglev rails have been built and tested since about 1980 and a few high speed maglev railways are in operation, most famously the one between downtown Shanghai and Pudong International Airport. The California University of Pennsylvania is currently investigating an urban maglev system (not with SPM technology) for its campus.

Ice Energy to lower peak demand

The Southern California Public Power Authority and Ice Energy are launching a project to shift 53 megawatts of peak-time power consumption to hours of lower demand by deploying units that make and use ice to run air conditioners.Founded seven years ago, Ice Energy developed its Ice Bear Distributed Energy Storage System to work with standard rooftop air conditioning units on small to midsized commercial buildings.

At night, when demand on the grid is low, the Ice Bear goes in to “ice charging” mode, freezes 450 gallons of water and stores it. During the day when the grid reaches peak demand levels, typically between noon and 6 p.m., the Ice Bear goes into “ice cooling” mode. It takes over from the air conditioner’s energy-intensive compressor and cools the hot refrigerant using the ice made the night before. The cooling cycle lasts at least six hours until the ice completely melts, at which point the AC compressor goes back on the job and the ice making and cooling cycles begin again.

Installation for SCPPA will begin in the first half of the year and rolling deployment will take about two years. About 1,500 government, commercial and industrial buildings — retrofits and some new construction — will be involved.

The power authority and the company say that the project will permanently reduce demand peak electricity demand and, when complete, can shift as much as 64 gigawatt hours of on-peak consumption to off-peak times annually. The power authority estimates that the shift can offset enough peak demand to serve the equivalent of 10,000 homes.

The system costs about $2000 per kilowatt of capacity

For utilities, energy storage systems are considered key Smart Grid components because of their capacity to store energy efficiently and dispatch it when and where needed. Ice Energy said they have tested the technology with 20 utilities in the United States and Canada and they are looking forward to other major projects.

Original article: GreenerBuilding staff. 27 January 2010. Read more…

Concentrating solar power with a Stirling engine

In January 2010, Teserra Solar and Stirling Engine Systems showcased the Maricopa Solar plant in Arizona. This is the first commercial project for the SunCatcher concentrating solar power technology designed and manufactured by Stirling Engine Systems.The innovative and highly-efficient SES SunCatcher is a 25-kilowatt solar power system which uses a 38-foot, mirrored parabolic dish combined with an automatic tracking system to collect and focus the sun’s energy onto a Stirling engine to convert the solar thermal energy into grid-quality electricity. Developer Tessera Solar has created a 1.5 megawatt power plant out of 60 SunCatcher solar thermal devices.

SunCatcher has a number of advantages including the highest solar-to-grid electric efficiency, zero water use for power production, a modular and scalable design, low capital cost, and minimal land disturbance. SunCatcher was designed and developed in America, through a public-private partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy. The SunCatchers unveiled at Maricopa Solar were manufactured and assembled in North America, mostly in Michigan by automotive suppliers.

Now that the plant is up, Stirling will be able to compare the results its gets from its Stirling engines from heliostat prototype power plants erected by eSolar in Southern California and BrightSource Energy in Israel as well as parabolic trough systems that have already been commercially deployed. Parabolic companies, BrightSource and eSolar collect solar heat on mirrors and use it to heat fluid. The warmth causes the fluid to expand, which creates pressure that gets exploited to crank a turbine.

The Company has publicly quoted a fully-installed cost for grid-scale plants of $2.8 million per megawatt.

Read more here… or here…

Joule Solar Fuel

While producing biofuels from feedstock has drawn heavy criticism, much money and research is being put into next generation biofuels. The world’s largest oil company, Exxon Mobil, that has shunned other forms of renewable energy, has poured billions into next generation biofuel R&D.

One of the most exciting innovations in this field is Joule, a Massachusetts based company.

Joule produces biofuels by mimicking photosynthesis. Their SolarConverter, that facilitates the production process, contains a mixture of brackish water, nutrients, and genetically engineered organisms. Carbon dioxide gas is fed into the mixture, and the device is designed to expose the organisms in the mixture to the sun. The organisms are photosynthetic, meaning that they absorb light energy and carbon dioxide to form compounds. Joule has engineered its organisms to secrete ethanol and hydrocarbons and chemicals.

The organisms mimic photosynthesis and uses sunlight and carbon dioxide to produce liquid fuels and chemicals. According to the company they can produce up to 20 000 gallons (75 700 litre) per acre per year. They are also price competitive with oil at around US $50 per barrel.

Cellulosic biofuels made from wood or grass and algae-based methods reduce water and land needs, but they are currently more expensive than fossil fuels or have yet to become commercially viable.

Another company doing similar work to Joule is Amyris. Amyris uses synthetic biology to create microbes that metabolize sugar and churn out long hydrocarbon chains that are better known as diesel fuel.

Original article: Kevin Bullis. Technology Review. 27 July 2009. Read more…

Comprehensive water management

Water and the lack thereof have been cited by water experts to be at least as big a problem as climate change in the twenty first century. About 2 billion people around the world either lack access to sufficient quantities of water or are supplied with water unfit for drinking and this shortage is going to worsen in the near future due to the rise of the world’s population and to the redistribution of water recourses due to global warming.

According to UBS underinvestment in water infrastructure has resulted in great inefficiencies and cities like London and Shanghai are wasting more than 60% of their water supply due to something as simple to fix as leaky pipes.

Globally, UN reports put the loss of drinking water before it reaches the consumer at 33%. The total cost of ‘non revenue water’ is conservatively estimated at $14,6bn per year. One of the first companies geared to comprehensively address this is Israeli company Miya.

Miya is the first global player to offer a comprehensive water efficiency solution and a one stop shop for water loss projects. Their mission is to help the cities of the world benefit from the huge opportunity presented by water loss reduction and effective management of urban water. Their products and services include pressure management, leak detection, filters, pumps and measurement tools.

The benefits of their solutions for Water Loss Management are:
• Produce /purchase less water
• Energy savings due to improved efficiency of the system
• Reducing the amount of chemicals used to treat the water
• Saving or postponing investments in increasing water capacity or developing alternative water sources
• Extending the lifespan of existing infrastructures
• Reducing maintenance cost
• Increase revenues by reducing commercial losses caused by lack of metering and/or poor metering and billing policies.
• Lower contamination risks to the water supply from bursts and antiquated pipes

For more information, read here…

GreatPoint Energy Hydromethanation

Burning natural gas made from coal in a modern power plant generates about 60 percent less in greenhouse-¬gas emissions than burning coal directly and eliminates almost all other pollutants. Converting coal into natural gas has long been too expensive to implement on a large scale. But, GreatPoint Energy has developed a process called catalytic hydromethanation, which can economically convert coal (or petroleum coke or biomass) into pure natural gas while removing and capturing most of the carbon.

The Company’s cost of production is expected to be significantly lower than current prices of new drilled natural gas and imported liquefied natural gas (LNG), and the natural gas it produces, called bluegas™, meets all high-grade natural gas quality specifications. It can be transported through the thousands of miles of pipelines already in place around the world and can be used interchangeably with drilled natural gas for all applications, including power generation, residential and commercial heating, and the production of chemicals. SynGas produced by Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) cannot be distributed in this way.

Currently natural gas provides about 24% of the world’s energy needs.

Original article: Andrew Perlman. Technology Review. September 2009. Read article here…

Direct Carbon Fuel Cells

The Direct Carbon Fuel Cell (DCFC) converts fuel to electricity directly rather than burning it to boil water to make steam to turn a turbine, to turn a generator, to produce electricity. The DCFC can convert solid fuels to electricity at 70% efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions by 50% without sequestration.

A Fuel Cell is an electrochemical device that efficiently converts a fuel’s chemical energy directly to electrical energy without burning the fuel. However, instead of using gaseous fuels, as is typically done, DCFCs use aggregates of extremely fine (10- to 1,000-nanometer-diameter) carbon particles distributed in a mixture of molten lithium, sodium, Yttrium-stabilized zirconium or potassium carbonate at a temperature of 600 to 850°C. The overall cell reaction is carbon and oxygen forming carbon dioxide and electricity.

The reaction yields 80 percent of the carbon–oxygen combustion energy as electricity, yet no burning of the carbon takes place. DCFCs provide up to 1 kilowatt of power per square meter of cell surface area — a rate sufficiently high for practical applications.

The overall process of producing electricity in a DCFC from biomass gains efficiency by its simplicity. It involves only two steps: (1) drying (and/or pyrolysis, or hydrothermal carbonization) to obtain char, and (2) feeding the resulting fuel directly to the DCFC.

If the carbon feedstock for the fuel cell were to be derived from biomass, and the CO2 captured and sequestered, super-efficient carbon-negative electricity would be generated. That is: electricity the use of which results in the active removal of CO2 from the atmosphere

DirectCarbon, a company spun out of Stanford University in 2006, are currently trying to commercialise this technology. Great progress has also been made at the Max Planck Institute in Germany and the University of Queensland in Australia.

For more information read here orhere.

World’s largest solar project planned in Sahara

If just 0.3% of the Saharan Desert was used for a concentrating solar plant, it would produce enough power to provide all of Europe with clean renewable energy. That is why 20 blue chip German companies are gathering in July 2009 to discuss plans and investments to create such a massive project. Both the meeting and project are being promoted by the Desertec Foundation, which is proposing to erect 100 GW of concentrating solar power plants throughout Northern Africa.

The red squares in the map to the right represent the land area necessary to meet the energy demand of the world, the EU and MENA in 2005. The last square represents the land necessary for the proposed project to generate 100 GW of concentrating solar power. The project being proposed by Desertec would not all be situated in one location, but scattered throughout politically stable countries. Taken as a whole, the project qualifies as the world’s largest solar installation – 80 times larger than the PG&E and BrightSource project planned for the Mojave Desert. The power generated would be transported over high-voltage DC lines across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, where it would supply 15% of the energy demand. The project is still 10-15 years from going online, but that’s why major players are getting started now.

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