The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) recently held its annual conference, where investors and scientists gather to discuss the future of energy. The agency’s director Ellen Williams said the battery storage technology developed under her organization’s oversight is “on the verge of transforming America’s electrical grid” within the next five to 10 years.

ARPA-E researchers are exploring new materials as a potential alternative for lithium-ion batteries, as well as the development of more efficient super-conductors. Since energy sources like solar and wind don’t guarantee a consistent stream of power, a more capable storage system could help the world transition to more sustainable energy supplies.

The lack of specifics from ARPA-E prompted one skeptic to comment “Much cackling. No eggs. Wake me up when you have a product.”

Consider the Source

 Consider the First Source!

When we align our objectives with the Divine will, when we strive for the attainment of a worthy goal, when we begin our work with a well defined plan, and when we have ability to work together with others effectively, we have already achieved the trajectory for success. For we know that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Learn how to enjoy boundless opportunity and unlimited progress!

Bladeless turbines are 53% cheaper to manufacture and 51% cheaper to operate than traditional wind turbines according to company Vortex Bladeless. Their product is designed to vibrate like a guitar string. Those vibrations can be used to convert wind energy into electricity. Their current model, the 41-foot Vortex Mini tube, captures around 30% less energy than a traditional wind turbine, but can also be packed more densely into a given space.

Consider the Source

 Consider the First Source!

When we align our objectives with the Divine will, when we strive for the attainment of a worthy goal, when we begin our work with a well defined plan, and when we have ability to work together with others effectively, we have already achieved the trajectory for success. For we know that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Learn how to enjoy boundless opportunity and unlimited progress!

Australia achieved 3 GW or 3,000 MW of wind power generation for the first time. The largest wind power inputs came from South Australia with 1066 MW, and Victoria with 1021 MW. Australia’s largest wind farm contributed 388 MW.

Australia has excellent wind power potential, especially in some of the coastal areas. A study found that it could generate about 30% of its electricity from wind by 2025, if it maintained the pace of installing new turbines.

Renewable energy has many advantages, and in some cases it is cheaper to install than fossil fuel plants. When the energy storage industry catches up to wind power, there will not be any reason to resist either one of them. Costs are within reach and energy storage will mean there will be a way to accumulate electricity for use when winds die down.

Consider the Source

 Consider the First Source!

When we align our objectives with the Divine will, when we strive for the attainment of a worthy goal, when we begin our work with a well defined plan, and when we have ability to work together with others effectively, we have already achieved the trajectory for success. For we know that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Learn how to enjoy boundless opportunity and unlimited progress!

Tesla will finally be passing along details on its long-awaited batteries designed for home use, plus a “utility-scale” battery. They will likely be manufactured in its new Gigafactory in Nevada.

A Tesla spokesperson has confirmed the announcement:

“We have decided to share a bit about what we will announce on the 30th,” Jeff Evanson, Tesla’s VP of investor relations wrote in a message. “We will introduce the Tesla home battery and a very large utility scale battery. We will explain the advantages of our solutions and why past battery options were not compelling.”

According to Elon Musk the “Major new Tesla product line — not a car — will be unveiled at our Hawthorne Design Studio on Thurs 8pm, April 30.”

Consider the Source

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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word choreographed an assembly of amino acids into an exquisite array of specific proteins. Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” In so doing God demonstrated a penchant for genomic writing, preceeded by an amazing series of prebiotic events, in a highly orchestrated presentation of evolutionary overcontrol.

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Wind power accounts for roughly 2.5 percent of total worldwide electricity production but is growing a rate of about 25 percent annually. For as long as ships needed to be propelled, sails have been employed to make use of wind energy. Windmills provided mechanical power for centuries and wind pumps lifted water out of the ground.

The potential of wind power is 20 times more than what all of humankind needs. Wind power is renewable. Mankind cannot run out of it since wind energy originates from the sun.

The worldwide potential of wind power is more than 400 terawatts. One terawatt equals 1 trillion (10 to the 12th power) watts. According to federal resources, the U.S. wants to produce at least 20 percent of its electricity by wind power by 2030.

Consider the Source

 Consider the First Source!

When we align our objectives with the Divine will, when we strive for the attainment of a worthy goal, when we begin our work with a well defined plan, and when we have ability to work together with others effectively, we have already achieved the trajectory for success. For we know that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Learn how to enjoy boundless opportunity and unlimited progress!

Dreaming tiny dreams has become a favorite pastime in the past five or 10 years.  The “tiny house movement” is gaining greater traction as ever more people choose to downsize for economic or ecological reasons. A small house, usually being defined as one offering less than 400 sq ft of space, offers a stimulating challenge about living smart as people escape from debtor’s prison in droves.

In the USA, groups of enthusiasts offer inspiration and practical information on avoiding the government game of mother-may-I. They carefully navigate zoning laws, planning restrictions, and the burden of permitting. In the UK, it’s less of a movement and more of a frenzied pack of victims, refugees of the crazily distorted, government-aggravated madness infusing the property market. Those who can afford to buy something – anything, even if it’s a bit of infill – do so in order to get a toe on the ladder. Then there are  those who can’t even see the ladder through the fog of wagery and debt.

As long as we can still dream of freedom, one can easily while away the hours on tinyhouseuk.co.uk, nomadmicrohomes.com, microcompacthome.com, tinyhouseblog.com and hundreds of other similar websites. Facebook groups, youtube videos, and a good old fashioned Listserv can provide practical information on active and passive solar, micro-hydro, gasifiers, LED lighting and all the other components that make up the buffet of new lifestyles.

As governments devolve to the point where they are of, by, and for the bankers, we must now re-assert a most basic human right — the right to live. Consumer sovereignty is a game changer. Instead of cutting the cord to live off the grid, we can now sell the surplus power generated, on a homestead scale, to the electric utility. Instead of having entire nations that are effectively working for the financial services industry, we can build on a modularized, pay-as-you-go basis. We have options!

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“The foxes have holes, and the birds of heaven have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head,” and so it is today for many of his followers. Despite all the warnings about the snares laid by moneylenders, despite the fact that gage mort is literally translated as a pledge to give up one’s life, millions have lost their homes through mortgage exploits, and their quality of life through the service of debt.

Find Out How to Get Your Life Back!

At the end of 2012, Germany had approximately 400 MW of solar power capacity per million people. The United States produces about 25 MW of solar power per million people.
Germany set a new world record in July of 2013, producing 5.1 terawatt-hours from direct solar. Germany’s world wind power record of 5 TWh was set in January earlier this year.

Consider the Source

 Consider the First Source!

When we align our objectives with the Divine will, when we strive for the attainment of a worthy goal, when we begin our work with a well defined plan, and when we have ability to work together with others effectively, we have already achieved the trajectory for success. For we know that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Learn how to enjoy boundless opportunity and unlimited progress!

The Windbelt is a small-scale wind turbine that can generate 40 milliwatts in 10-mph winds and only costs a couple of dollars. Working in Haiti, Shawn Frayne, a 28-year-old inventor based in Mountain View, California, saw the need for small-scale wind power to juice LED lamps and radios in the homes of the poor. Conventional wind turbines don’t scale down well — there’s too much friction in the gearbox and other components. “With rotary power, there’s nothing out there that generates under 50 watts,” Frayne says. So he took a new tack, studying the way vibrations caused by the wind led to the collapse in 1940 of Washington’s Tacoma Narrows Bridge (aka Galloping Gertie).

Frayne’s device, which he calls a Windbelt, is a taut membrane fitted with a pair of magnets that oscillate between metal coils. Prototypes have generated 40 milliwatts in 10-mph slivers of wind, making his device 10 to 30 times as efficient as the best micro-turbines. Frayne envisions the Windbelt costing a few dollars and replacing kerosene lamps in Haitian homes. “Kerosene is smoky and it’s a fire hazard,” says Peter Haas, founder of the Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group, which helps people in developing countries to get environmentally sound access to clean water, sanitation and energy. “If Shawn’s innovation breaks, locals can fix it. If a solar panel breaks, the family is out a panel.”

Frayne hopes to help fund third-world distribution of his Windbelt with revenue from first-world applications—such as replacing the batteries used to power temperature and humidity sensors in buildings. “There’s not a huge amount of innovation being done for people making $2 to $4 per day,” Haas says. “Shawn’s work is definitely needed.”

Consider the Source

 Consider the First Source!

When we align our objectives with the Divine will, when we strive for the attainment of a worthy goal, when we begin our work with a well defined plan, and when we have ability to work together with others effectively, we have already achieved the trajectory for success. For we know that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Learn how to enjoy boundless opportunity and unlimited progress!

If it lives up to its billing, it will help accelerate the big green future. Companies and homeowners could pull the plug on their local utility by banking electricity from solar arrays and wind farms for use when the sun is not shining or the wind is not blowing. A 250-kilowatt battery system installed in a 40-foot container, for instance, could store solar energy from the rooftop arrays of a 40-home neighborhood for later use.

This magic box is called a vanadium redox flow battery. The heart of a flow battery are two electrolyte solutions — one positive, one negative — contained in separate tanks. When the solutions are pumped through a power cell containing a membrane, a chemical reaction takes place that generates electricity. When the process is reversed, the electrolyte stores energy.

The key component is vanadium, a naturally occurring element that can exist in positive and negative states, eliminating the contamination and degradation that occurs when two different elements are used to create a chemical reaction. Flow batteries are not as efficient as solid-state lithium-ion batteries. But unlike lithium-ion batteries that lose their capacity over time as they charge and discharge, the nontoxic electrolyte in a vanadium flow battery is endlessly reusable and never loses its efficiency.

Consider the Source

 Consider the First Source!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word choreographed an assembly of amino acids into an exquisite array of specific proteins. Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” In so doing God demonstrated a penchant for genomic writing, preceeded by an amazing series of prebiotic events, in a highly orchestrated presentation of evolutionary overcontrol.

More about God’s Handiwork!

The company that commissioned the world’s first 800 kilovolt UHVDC systems, the longest overhead HVDC link to go into commercial operation, and the world’s longest underwater and underground HVDC links, is now writing the next chapter in the evolution of this technology.

ABB has successfully designed and developed a hybrid DC breaker after years of research, functional testing, and simulation in the R&D laboratories. This breaker is a breakthrough that solves a technical challenge that has been unresolved for over a hundred years and was perhaps one of the main influencers in the ‘war of currents‘ outcome. The ‘hybrid’ breaker combines mechanical and power electronics switching that enables it to interrupt power flows equivalent to the output of a nuclear power station within 5 milliseconds – that’s as fast as a honey bee takes per flap of its wing – and more than 30 times faster than the reaction time of an Olympic 100-meter medalist to react to the starter’s gun!

The challenge was to do it ‘ultra-fast’ with minimal operational losses and this has been achieved by combining advanced ultrafast mechanical actuators with ABB’s inhouse semiconductor IGBT valve technologies or power electronics.

The new breaker is a ‘game changer’. It removes a significant stumbling block in the development of HVDC transmission grids. These grids will enable interconnection and load balancing between HVDC power superhighways integrating renewables and transporting bulk power across long distances with minimal losses. DC grids will enable sharing of resources like lines and converter stations that provides reliability and redundancy in a power network in an economically viable manner with minimal losses. It will enable the transmission system to maintain power flow even if there is a fault on one of the lines.

Consider the Source

 Consider the First Source!

When we align our objectives with the Divine will, when we strive for the attainment of a worthy goal, when we begin our work with a well defined plan, and when we have ability to work together with others effectively, we have already achieved the trajectory for success. For we know that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Learn how to enjoy boundless opportunity and unlimited progress!