Ocean Ethanol – CO2 to Ethanol Methanol and Butanol
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WZ9BzPCmv0&hl=en]
Life Form That Turns CO2 to Fuel
“We think we will have fourth-generation fuels in about 18 months, with CO2 as the fuel stock.”
Simple organisms can be genetically re-engineered to produce vaccines or octane-based fuels as waste, according to Venter. Biofuel alternatives to oil are third-generation. The next step is life forms that feed on CO2 and give off fuel such as methane gas as waste, according to Venter.
AEVIA Reveals the Source
Ecobuild 2008
With 500 exhibitors, 100 seminars and 20,000 visitors expected, this year’s Ecobuild, at Earls Cout from February 26-28, promises to be bigger than ever.
It will once again be staged alongside Futurebuild, showcasing innovations in construction, and Cityscape, home to the largest indoor representation of landscape design. This underlines the importance of sustainable development to the UK construction sector and demonstrates the number of firms now shouting about their green products and ability to help developers achieve carbon neutrality.
The Road to Zero Carbon is to be realised through a series of external wall elevations showing the different combinations of superstructure, insulation and cladding that can reduce carbon output. Organisers say that these exhibitions, coupled with the zero carbon seminar series, will give visitors an “impressive and condensed zero carbon education in a day”.
Algae Photobioreactor – MIT Rooftop
The Solar Decathlon
The Solar Decathlon is a competition in which 20 teams of college and university students compete to design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house. The Solar Decathlon is also an event to which the public is invited to observe the powerful combination of solar energy, energy efficiency, and the best in home design.
The event takes place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., October 12 – 20. The team houses are open for touring everyday, except Wednesday, October 17, when they will close for competition purposes. An overall winner is announced on Friday, October 19 at 2 p.m. See the schedule for more information.
Teams of college students design a solar house, knowing from the outset that it must be powered entirely by the sun. In a quest to stretch every last watt of electricity that’s generated by the solar panels on their roofs, the students absorb the lesson that energy is a precious commodity. They strive to innovate, using high-tech materials and design elements in ingenious ways. Along the way, the students learn how to raise funds and communicate about team activities. They collect supplies and talk to contractors. They build their solar houses, learning as they go.
The 20 teams transport their solar houses to the competition site on the National Mall and virtually rebuild them in the solar village. Teams assemble their houses, and then the active phase of the Solar Decathlon begins with an opening ceremony for students, media, and invited guests. The teams compete in contests, and even though this part of the Solar Decathlon gets the most attention, the students really win the competition through the many months of fund raising, planning, designing, analyzing, redesigning, and finally building and improving their homes. The public is invited to tour the solar homes and event exhibits during much of the competition.
Solar Decathlon – Schedule of Events
2007 Schedule of Events – Solar Decathlon
October 12 – 20, 2007
The National Mall, Washington D.C.
Opening Ceremony
* 10 a.m., Friday, October 12
Houses Open
* 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., weekends
* 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., weekdays
Houses Closed
* For 1 – 2 hours while jury evaluations are taking place October 13 – 16 and October 18 – 19
* All day Wednesday, October 17, the houses are closed for controlled temperature and relative humidity measurements.
Consumer Workshops
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and other event sponsors are offering solar energy and energy efficiency workshops for consumers. Workshops are offered on Wednesday, October 17, while houses are closed for controlled temperature and relative humidity measurements. Workshops will not be offered on Thursday, October 18, during Building Industry Day.
* Weekends, 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 4 p.m.
* Weekdays, 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m., and 2:30 p.m. (except Thursday, October 18)
Building Industry Day, October 18
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and other event sponsors are inviting representatives from the Building Industry to attend workshops and tour the team houses.
* Team houses are open 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
* Workshops offered at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m., and 4 p.m.
Winner Announced
* 2 p.m., Friday, October 19
Openfaced Silicon Sandwich
Several years ago, SunPower, a unit of Cypress Semiconductor, (CY) realized the top metal plate was reflecting the sun’s rays, cutting efficiency by reducing the percentage of sunlight converted to electricity. So the company decided to put both plates beneath the silicon. It now has an industry-high efficiency of 22% vs. an average of 16%, says analyst Dan Ries of Monness, Crespi Hardt & Co. That means fewer panels are needed to produce power, shaving installation costs and making systems more affordable for homes, which have smaller roofs than most commercial buildings.
SunPower, which says it will earn about $90 million on $740 million in sales this year, expects its prices to be competitive with grid power by 2012, says Vice President Julie Blunden.
Foldable, Bendable Battery Made from Paper
It is a battery that looks like a piece of paper and can be bent or twisted, trimmed with scissors or molded into any shape needed. While the battery is only a prototype a few inches (centimeters) square right now, U.S. researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute who developed it have high hopes for it in electronics and other fields that need smaller, lighter power sources. The battery uses paper infused with an electrolyte and carbon nanotubes that are embedded in the paper. The carbon nanotubes form the electrodes, the paper is the separator and the electrolyte allows the current to flow.
Some students were working on methods to dissolve paper and cast it into membranes for use in dialysis machines. Meanwhile, other students in RPI’s materials science department were trying to make carbon nanotube composites using polymers. The two groups got together and realized they could use paper instead of polymers and combine the two projects. Then came another group of students, also at RPI, who said the project — a thin sheet black on one side and white on the other — looked like an electrical device. And over a period of about 18 months, the groups developed the projects, into a battery, a capacitor and a combination of the two.
This collaborative effort involved the Rensselaer departments of Materials Science and Engineering, Chemical and Biological Engineering, the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, and the Rensselaer Nanotechnology Center.
Upgrading China’s Bike Industry
China’s bicycle industry has been developed rapidly. In 2006, the total bicycle output has reached 85 million across the country with the export of 56 million, which accounted for 70 percent of the world bicycle trade volume. Electric bicycle industry has grown rapidly during the recent five years, and the annual sales reached 19.5 million in 2006 with an increase of more than 60 percent compared with that in 2005. Seeing the change from heavy bicycles and light bicycles 10 years ago to sport bicycles and folding bicycles today, we can find the quality level of bicycles is increasingly high. Electric bicycles also have developed from only one or two old simple types in early time to nearly 100 styles of luxury, light motorized and high-grade lithium battery at present. Big change and rapid update shaped the first feature in the bicycle market.