In the future, we might turn everything into a solar panel

By Dylan Love
http://www.dailydot.com/technology/ubiquitous-energy-transparent-solar/?fb=ss&prtnr=attn
The sun delivers more energy to our planet in an hour than the human race uses in a year, and we may soon harvest it as easily as we paint a house.
Ubiquitous Energy, a Massachusetts-based solar technology startup, has developed an experimental transparent photovoltaic material that can be applied to surfaces in order to collect solar energy. The see-through substance could hypothetically be applied to windows, smartphone screens, and all order of surfaces that see sunlight, turning them into instant solar panels.
The biggest problem facing solar technologies today is one of efficiency. Conventional solar panels that you might see on someone’s roof are, at best, turning 20 percent of the sunlight they capture into electrical energy. Ubiquitous Energy’s solution aims to attack this problem by changing what we think of as being a solar-gathering surface. Solar efficiency is still not where it ought to be, so for now we might fight it with a function of quantity—make everything into a power source.
If successfully developed to the point of commercial deployment, this technology could change a lot about how we think about our energy consumption, but solar energy consultant and industry veteran Rod Bergen is skeptical. “In my period of time, I’ve seen tons of things come and go, and a lot don’t have merit,” he told the Daily Dot over the phone. “The idea of coating a window to be solar is like a wet dream. It seems like a neat idea, but how will it extract electron flow, and how will I get it off the window?”
Ubiquitous Energy did not return request for comment, and co-founder and CTO Miles Barr did not return two phone calls. “It’s a great idea if it works,” Bergen continued. “Sell it to Grandma, sell it to GM. They can put it on the windows of their car and run the radio off the windows.”

H/T National Geographic | Screengrab via Bloomberg Business/YouTube

We Could Power All 50 States With Wind, Solar and Hydro

Posted on March 24, 2014 by WashingtonsBlog

http://www.washingtonsblog.com/ 

It’s a MYTH that We Need Fossil Fuel Or Nuclear

The big oil, gas, coal and nuclear companies claim that we need those energy sources in order to power America.
Good news: it’s a myth.
Mark Diesendorf – Associate Professor and Deputy Director, Institute of Environmental Studies, UNSW at the University of New South Wales – notes:

The deniers and scoffers repeatedly utter the simplistic myth that renewable energy is intermittent and therefore cannot generate base-load (that is, 24-hour) power.
Detailed computer simulations, backed up with actual experience with wind power overseas, show that the scoffers are wrong. Several countries, including Australia with its huge renewable energy resources, could make the necessary transition to an electricity generation system comprising 100 per cent renewable energy over a few decades.
***
Feasibility has been established by computer simulations of electricity generation systems by several research groups around the world, including my own …

Diesendorf gave an update earlier this month:

Ben Elliston, Iain MacGill and I have performed thousands of computer simulations of 100% renewable electricity in the National Electricity Market(NEM), using actual hourly data on electricity demand, wind and solar power for 2010.
Our latest research, available here and reported here, finds that generating systems comprising a mix of different commercially available renewable energy technologies, located on geographically dispersed sites, do not need base load power stations to achieve the same reliability as fossil-fuelled systems.
The old myth was based on the incorrect assumption that base load demand can only be supplied by base load power stations; for example, coal in Australia and nuclear in France. However, the mix of renewable energy technologies in our computer model, which has no base load power stations, easily supplies base load demand.

Similarly, Dr. Mark Jacobson – the head of Stanford University’s Atmosphere and Energy Program, who has written numerous books and hundreds of scientific papers on climate and energy, and testified before Congress numerous times on those issues – has run a series of computer simulations based on actual historical energy usage data.
Jacobson found that the U.S. can meet all of its energy needs with a mix of wind, solar and hydropower. 
The difference between a failed alternative energy pipe dream and a viable alternative energy strategy is in having the right mix … and that takes sophisticated computer simulations using historical data. Jacobson’s study started several years ago by matching California’s historical power demand with available wind, solar and other renewable energy sources:

Jacobson has now developed specific plans for each of the 50 states on how to do it. Click on a state to see the specific energy mix which Dr. Jacobson’s team has found would provide 100% sustainable energy.
Watch this must-see 25-minute talk by Jacobson:
Jacobson also shows that the wind-water-sun combination would actually reduce electrical consumption (because it is more efficient than fossil fuels or nuclear):

And he shows that the wind-water-solar combination is superior to nuclear, “clean” coal, natural gas and biofuels. As one example, Jacobson notes that it takes at least 11 years to permit and build a nuclear plant, whereas it takes less than half that time to fire up a wind or solar farm. Between the application for a nuclear plant and flipping the switch, power is provided by conventional energy sources … currently 55-65% coal. Nuclear also puts out much more pollution (including much more CO2) than windpower, and 1.5% of all the nuclear plants built have melted down. More information here, here and here.

A banker for one of the world’s biggest banks also notes that switching to alternative energy provides certainty in energy pricing … and is usually a less expensive source of energy when long-term costs are factored in.
So why haven’t we switched? As David Letterman noted when interviewing Jacobson, the main hurdle to switching from fossil fuels and nuclear is simply that the big fossil fuel and nuclear companies would lose a lot of money, so they’re fighting tooth and nail to keep the status quo.
Read our recent interview with Dr. Jacobson on a related topic.
And note that decentralizing power supplies is arguably key to protecting against terrorism, fascism and destruction of our health, environment and economy.

These Mad Scientists Want to Replace Solar Panels With Potted Plants

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This array of moss collects enough solar energy to power an FM radio. Fabienne Felder

Designer Fabienne Felder wants to reupholster jumbo jets with moss. In her vision, passengers will sit on verdant tufts while the bryophytes purify the air and use electrons captured during photosynthesis to power the Direct TV panels on the seat backs. Many would think Felder was crazy, but biochemist Dr. Paolo Bombelli and plant scientist Ross Dennis from the University of Cambridge were impressed with her brio and offered her the opportunity to collaborate with their lab.
The scientists are researching the potential of photo microbial fuel cells, or photo-MFCs, which are essentially potted plants that act like miniature power plants and transform sunlight into electricity that can power iPads. They aren’t as efficient as traditional photovoltaic solar cells, but are more eco-friendly to manufacture.
Bombelli and Dennis have worked with designers previously and created a concept design called the Moss Table—a surface covered in photo-MFCs that could supposedly power a lamp. In reality, all the prototype cells could power was a small LCD display, but it illustrated the potential. While they appreciated Felder’s gonzo vision, the scientists proposed a project that would be possible this year instead of a decade in the future and decided to build a humble FM radio.
The result is a sound system comprised of ten photo-MFCs housed in a frame meant to evoke the feel of a biochemistry lab. It looks like a science experiment, but Felder’s biophilic boombox can generate enough power to play a short song. The array and a hidden capacitor can only power the radio for a few minutes at a time, and listening to an entire baseball game would require hundreds of plants, but she’s still bullish on the potential of truly green energy. “Give the researchers a few more years and it will all change,” says Felder. “But despite these little steps forward, the breakthrough we’ve had with the radio is not to be underestimated.”

“I like the idea of getting closer to nature again–to use it in ingenious ways, without exploiting it.”

The University of Cambridge holds a patent on this technology and they’re finalizing an educational kit that will surely replace potato clocks in 3rd grade classrooms around the country. Beyond that, stabilizing the technology and expanding its efficiency is the next order of business. Finding the perfect moss and growing them directly onto conductive surfaces could lead to efficiency gains, but more experiments are required. There are over 20,000 species of moss growing in Britain alone and aside from their ability to produce electricity they also insulate, muffle noises, filter the air, and have anti-fungal/bacterial properties.
“On a small scale I think we could soon-ish convert people’s normal houseplants into little power-generators for charging phones,” says Felder. “On a large scale, especially outdoors, the right mix of plants will be crucial and that will need more research, both in terms of plants and irrigation systems, maintenance, etc.”
The team’s well aware that it may take years before the technology is viable in the market. Even at maturity it might only make sense in developing countries. Despite the challenges, Felder is excited by the fact that current setups only convert approximately 0.1% of the electrons the mosses are exposed to. Even with that meager efficiency, if a quarter of London’s residents used moss to charge their mobile phones for 2 hours every other day, it would save 42.5 million kilowatt hours, nearly $12 million dollars per year, and keep approximately 40 tons of carbon dioxide from the environment.
“I like the idea of getting closer to nature again and to use it in ingenious ways, without exploiting it,” says Felder. “I am a designer by trade, but a scientist at heart.”

Joseph Flaherty writes about design, DIY, and the intersection of physical and digital products. He designs award-winning medical devices and apps for smartphones at AgaMatrix, including the first FDA-cleared medical device that connects to the iPhone.
http://www.wired.com/design/2014/03/moss-solar-panels-power-pocket-radio/

How to Build a Passive Solar Greenhouse 

Bradford Research & Extension Center website shares an interesting article about building a passive solar greenhouse that actually stores heat with black plastic water barrels. (thanks Seester!!)

 ** Construction drawings and materials list available here! **http://aes.missouri.edu/bradford/education/solar-greenhouse/solar-greenhouse.php

Building a Passive Solar Greenhouse	Click here to view larger image
Aren’t all greenhouse’s solar? Yes, but a Passive Solar Greenhouse does not use an artificial heat source such as propane but rather utilizes the sun to heat water, concrete, or some other heat holding material.
What are the uses for a Passive Solar Greenhouse? Extend the Growing Season and/or grow plants year around Provide a Greenhouse for home use that is economical Provide an economical source of heat
Before I start constructing the greenhouse what do I need to know? The length:width:height ratio of the greenhouse must be 2:1:1 In this case 24 ft x 12 ft x 12 ft Slope is south facing and as a rule of thumb should be the latitude plus 10° In central Missouri that would be 38.9+10=49° Just to make things easy we made our 45°	Click here to view larger image
Click here to view larger image	Heat Source: Since this is a passive system the heat source are black 55 gallons barrels filled with water. The rule of thumb is 2.5 gallons/ft2 of glazing for season extension or 5 gallons/ft2 for all season.
What does Season Extension Mean? This would mean that all you want to do is grow plants those extra few months after the first frost in the fall and before the last frost in the spring thus you are extending the growing season. Whereas, full season means that you want to grow plants in the greenhouse throughout the winter months. So how many barrels do we need in the 24 ft x 12 ft x 12 ft greenhouse? The area of the plastic is 24 ft x 12 ft=288 ft2 For Season Extension that would be: 288 ft2 x 2.5=720 gallons For Full Season that would be: 288 ft2 x 5-1440 gallonsWe have 20-55 gallons barrels or 1100 gallons. For true full season we would need an additional 300 gallons or 6 more barrels.
How Many BTU’s Will The 1100 Gallons of Water Release? 1100 gallons of water weighs 9130 lbs (1100 x 8.3 lbs/gallon). A BTU is the energy to raise 1 lb of water 1 degree F. So a drop of one degree per pound of water would be a release of 1 BTU. For each degree of drop in water temperature at night then 9130 BTUs are released. During the winter in 2007 we observed a 10-20 degree drop in greenhouse water temperature. A 10 degree drop would equal 91,300 BTUs released and a 20 degree drop would equal 182,600 BTUs released. Typically a home furnace is rated at 80,000-100,000 BTU’s per hour.	Click here to view larger image
Click here to view larger image	Other Heat Saving Ideas: The plastic covering is a double layer of 6 mil plastic. A 60 cfm squirrel cage fan pushes in outside air into the double layer. This extra insulation created by the 4 inch air gap adds about 10 degrees to the inside air temperature on a cold day.
Exterior Walls and Insulation: The greenhouse is built with 6 inch walls that is then wrapped in plastic and insulated with R-19 insulation.	Click here to view larger image
Click here to view larger image	Interior Wall Surface The interior wall need needs to be reflective but also water proof. We shopped around and found some material used in bathrooms that has a glaze on the outside.
How To Keep It Cool Even in the middle of winter it can get quite warm in the greenhouse so getting rid of the excess heat is extremely important. Since warm air rises we installed an Exhaust Fan in the top eave.Fans are rated on their CFM (or cubic feet per minute of air flow) and as a generally rule you need one CFM for each ft3 of greenhouse space: -ft2 x peak height or 24 ft x 12 ft x 12 ft=3456 cfm They sell standard sizes and ours is 3200 cfm. You also need an inlet shutter which is tied together with the exhaust fan so that it will open when the exhaust fan comes on -ours is a 3000 cfm 27 inch shutter.	Click here to view larger image
Click here to view larger image	Fan Control A thermostat controls when the fan comes on. It is important not to set the thermostat too low in the winter or the water in the barrels will not get warm enough.
Additional Idea That Allows the Greenhouse To Be Useful Year Around Typically greenhouses are not used from the late spring to mid fall because the fans just can not keep all of the excessive heat out. So we, installed a plastic roll up side on the south sip wall. This can either be left down or raised and lowered each day. During the winter it is sealed down.	Click here to view larger image
Click here to view larger image	An added bonus to this system is that since the summer sun does not directly shine into the greenhouse it stays within reason in the summer with the side rolled up.
Year Round Uses Tropical plants survived and bloomed in January 2007.	Click here to view larger image
Building A Passive Solar Greenhouse
Click here to view larger image	Laying the foundation The first thing to do was to lay out the foundation. We used 4 x 6 inch treated lumber setting on two foot concrete piers at the corners and in the middle of each post. Each post was wrapped in plastic
Framing the Greenhouse The greenhouse was framed with 2 x 6’s throughout and then the entire outside walls were wrapped in plastic. R-19 insulation was put in the walls and roof.	Click here to view larger image
Click here to view larger image	Getting The Right Angles It is extremely important to cut the correct angles where the glazing supports line up with the hip wall and roof.
Metal Siding Was Added To The Outside As Well As An Insulated Door	Click here to view larger image
Click here to view larger image	The Finished Product
What Did it Cost? Lumber, fasteners, hardware, door, insulation, etc-$1619 Exhaust Fan, Shutter, Thermostat, plastic, etc.-$786 Concrete-$190 Electric-$490 Water-$190 Total-$3,275 This was in 2005 so costs may have risen slightly since.
What Would We Have Done Differently? We should have left a six inch space between the back wall and the barrels. This would have added some extra insulation. Also, before we added weed mat and gravel to the interior floor we should have added some foam insulation. When we poured the concrete pad that the barrels are setting on we should have wrapped it on plastic before pouring.
** Construction drawings and materials list available here! **

nikola tesla and zero point energy, now you can make free energy generat...

http://www.HowardJohnsonEnergy.com tutorial and testimony of building a magnetic free energy device that generates free electric energy for home use, to find out how this has been done visit: http://www.HowardJohnsonEnergy.com Follow this easy set of plans to build your own Howard Johnson Magnetic Electricity Generator for your home or business. A complete system can be built AND installed easily, and for less than $100! The Howard Johnson plans are getting rave reviews. Great business opportunity for those who wish to build and install these systems! http://www.HowardJohnsonEnergy.com Did you know that you could completely eliminate your power bill, by constructing a zero point magnetic power generator? A Zero point magnetic power generator is basically a Free Energy Generator. It uses magnets, and magnetic force to induce perpetual motion. It runs by itself, indefinitely without stopping, thus creating completely free electrical energy, which can fully power your home for free. A Perpetual motion device refers to a machine that runs perpetually i.e. indefinitely, and produces a larger amount of energy than it consumes. Thus, it produces free energy indefinitely, runs by itself, without having to need a third-party device or resource to power it. The free energy devices have been suppressed by the corporate world, because such devices, would allow people to create their own energy for free, which would ultimately shut down the big energy corporations, because people won't need to pay anymore for electricity to fill their pockets. Can this device be used to power a household? The Howard Johnson free energy generator, can be efficiently used to power your home with almost zero costs on your side. Furthermore, the generator is eco-friendly and doesn't produce any harmful byproducts.Hundreds of successful Howard Johnson generators have been built around the world, which is a proof that this technology really works! We predict that the technology will rapidly spread, and some industry-insiders even predict that the Howard Johnson free energy generators will be the energy in the future. These experts estimate, that by 2020 energy companies will start implementing this technology in order to create cheaper and more environment friendly energy. Until that time comes, you can use our technology at a very reasonable set-up cost. How Much Does it Cost? The Howard Johnson generator DIY guide is on sale today (check bottom of the page for price), and all the raw materials needed cost less than 100$. The materials needed are very common, and can be easily found at your local hardware store. Once you get our generator set-up and working, you can even start building these generators for your friends and family.Our guide includes over 50 pages of detailed instructions which are very easy to follow, even if you're a complete novice. Furthermore, we offer 24/7 full technical support, thus, if you have any kind of problem or get stuck, you can contact us and and our friendly tech support team will respond quickly with details on how to resolve it.We have even received an e-mail from a customer from Cabot, Arkansas, who has started a local business, making and selling our generators.We do not mind you selling our technology, in fact, we encourage you do this, the more people spread the word, the better for our environment, and the more we're going to save on electric energy. How Much Can You Save? The amount you can save by building the Howard Johnson free energy generator can vary. If you decide to build our generator as a supplement to your current electrical installation, meaning, you are partially powering your household with Howard Johnson Generator, you can easily save anywhere in the range of 30-50%. This means that your power bill will reduce by 30-50%.If you decide to implement Howard Johnson Generator on a full-scale, it will independently power your household, meaning, you won't have to pay anything to the power company. Our magnetic free energy generator will work by itself perpetually, and generate 100% free electric energy.

Rawlemon's New Betaray Crystal Ball Harvests Light From The Sun, Moon and Clouds!

by Beth Buczynski, 12/20/13

In 2012, Inhabitat featured an invention that promised to turn the world of solar power generation upside down. Rawlemon‘s spherical solar energy-generating globe looked a lot like a giant glass marble on a robotic steel frame, but there was nothing raw about what it achieved: the sun-tracking device was capable of concentrating sunlight (and moonlight) up to 10,000 times–making it 35 percent more efficient than traditional dual-axis photovoltaic designs. Bolstered by the incredible enthusiasm for their first design, the scientists at Rawlemon are back with an updated version–behold the Betaray!

André Broessel, a German architect involved with Rawlemon, told Inhabitat in an email that “…our first prototype, the Micro-track, was studied in the german laboratory Zentrum für Sonnenenergie-und Wasserstoff-Forschung Baden-Württemberg and the results are more than optimistic.”
The initial globe design harvested up to 70% more solar energy than photovoltaic panels by using dual axis tracking. The sphere can be used to harvest sunlight for electricity or thermal energy, it can be fully integrated into the walls or ceilings of a building, and it suffers no weather impact. And, because it’s basically just a big crystal ball, it guarantees at least 99 percent transparency.
The solar sphere was a finalist in the World Technology Network Award 2013, which gave the Rawlemon team motivation to keep investigating, and now they’ve produced a second iteration, the Betaray, that’s even more polished than the last. The Betaray is designed to concentrate diffuse light and generate a powerful beam of solar energy. The Betaray can harness solar energy from the sun, the moon, or even the gray sky of a cloudy day, whereas conventional PV collectors need 4 times more incoming light before they start producing power.

Read more: Rawlemon's New Betaray Crystal Ball Harvests Light From The Sun, Moon and Clouds! | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building 

13 Major Clean Energy Breakthroughs of 2013

The rapidly improving technology, declining costs, and increasing accessibility of clean energy is the true bright spot in the march toward a zero-carbon future.

Photo Credit: Tara Lohan

1. Using salt to keep producing solar power even when the sun goes down. Helped along by the Department of Energy’s loan program, Solana’s massive 280 megawatt (MW)  solar plant came online in Arizona this October, with one unique distinction: the plant will use a ‘salt battery’ that will allow it to keep generating electricity even when the sun isn’t shining. Not only is this a first for the United States in terms of thermal energy storage, the Solana plant is also the largest in the world to use to use parabolic trough mirrors to concentrate solar energy.While the news about climate change seems to get worse every day, the rapidly improving technology, declining costs, and increasing accessibility of clean energy is the true bright spot in the march toward a zero-carbon future. 2013 had more clean energy milestones than we could fit on one page, but here are thirteen of the key breakthroughs that happened this year.

2. Electric vehicle batteries that can also power buildings. Nissan’s groundbreaking ‘Vehicle-To-Building‘ technology will enable companies to regulate their electricity needs by tapping into EVs plugged into their garages during times of peak demand. Then, when demand is low, electricity flows back to the vehicles, ensuring they’re charged for the drive home. With Nissan’s system, up to six electric vehicles can be plugged into a building at one time. As more forms renewable energy is added to the grid, storage innovations like this will help them all work together to provide reliable power.

3. The next generation of wind turbines is a gamechanger. May of 2013  brought the arrival of GE’s Brilliant line of wind turbines, which bring two technologies within the turbines to address storage and intermittency concerns. An “industrial internet” communicates with grid operators, to predict wind availability and power needs, and to optimally position the turbine. Grid-scale batteries built into the turbines store power when the wind is blowing but the electricity isn’t needed — then feed it into the grid as demand comes along, smoothing out fluctuations in electricity supply. It’s a more efficient solution to demand peaks than fossil fuel plants, making it attractive even from a purely business aspect.  Fifty-nine of the turbines are headed for Michigan, and two more will arrive in Texas.

4. Solar electricity hits grid parity with coal. A single solar photovoltaic (PV) cell cost $76.67 per watt back in 1977, then fell off a cliff. Bloomberg Energy Finance  forecast the price would reach $0.74 per watt in 2013 and as of the first quarter of this year,  they were actually selling for $0.64 per watt. That cuts down on solar’s installation costs — and since the sunlight is free, lower installation costs mean lower electricity prices. And in 2013, they hit grid parity with coal: in February, a southwestern utility,  agreed to purchase electricity from a New Mexico solar project for less than the going rate for a new coal plant.  Unsubsidized solar power  reached grid parity in countries such as Italy and India. And solar installations  have boomed worldwide and  here in America, as the lower module costs have  drivendown installation prices.

5. Advancing renewable energy from ocean waves. With the nation’s first commercial, grid-connected  underwater tidal turbine successfully generating renewable energy off the coast of Maine for a year, the Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC) has its sights set on big growth. The project has invested more than $21 million into the Maine economy and an environmental assessment in March found no detrimental impact on the marine environment. With help from the Department of Energy, the project  is set to deploy two more devices in 2014. In November, ORPC was chosen to manage a wave-energy conversion project in remote Yakutat, Alaska. And a  Japanese delegation visited the project this year as the country seeks to produce 30 percent of its total power offshore by 2030.

6. Harnessing ocean waves to produce fresh water. This year saw  the announcement of Carnegie Wave Energy’s upcoming desalination plant near Perth, Australia. It will use the company’s  underwater buoy technology to harness ocean wave force to pressurize the water, cutting out the fossil-fuel-powered electric pumps that usually force water through the membrane in the desalination process.  The resulting system — “a world first” — will be carbon-free, and efficient in terms of both energy and cost. Plan details  were completed in October, the manufacturing contract  was awarded in November, and when it’s done, the plant will supply 55 billion litters of fresh drinking water per year.

7. Ultra-thin solar cells that break efficiency records. Conversion efficiency is the amount of light hitting the solar cell that’s actually changed into electricity,  and it’s typically 18.7 percent and 24 percent. But Alta Devices, a Silicon Valley solar manufacturer,  set a new record of 30.8 percent conversion efficiency this year. Its method  is more expensive, but the result is  a durable and extremely thin solar cell that can generate a lot of electricity from a small surface area. That makes Alta’s cells perfect for small and portable electronic devices like smartphones and tablets, and the company  is in discussions to apply them to mobile phones, smoke detectors, door alarms, computer watches, remote controls, and more.

8. Batteries that are safer, lighter, and store more power. Abundant and cost-effective storage technology will be crucial for a clean energy economy — no where more so than with electric cars. But right now batteries don’t always hold enough charge to power automobiles for extended periods, and they add significantly to bulk and cost. But at the start of 2013, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory  successfully demonstrated a new lithium-ion battery technology that can store far more power in a much smaller size, and that’s safer and less prone to shorts. They used nanotechnology to create an electrolyte that’s solid, ultra-thin, and porous, and they  also combined the approach with lithium-sulfur battery technology, which could further enhance cost-effectiveness.

9. New age offshore wind turbines that float. Offshore areas are prime real estate for wind farms, but standard turbines require lots of construction and are limited to waters 60 meters deep or less. But Statoil, the Norwegian-based oil and gas company,  began work this year on a hub of floating wind turbines off the coast of Scotland. The turbines merely require a few cables to keep them anchored, and can be placed in water up to 700 meters. That could vastly expand the amount of economically practical offshore wind power. The hub off Scotland will be the largest floating wind farm in the world — and two floating turbines  are planned off the coast of Fukushima, Japan, along with the world’s first floating electrical substation.

10. Cutting electricity bills with direct current power. Alternating current (AC), rather than direct current (DC) is the dominant standard for electricity use. But DC current  has its own advantages: its cheap, efficient, works better with solar panels and wind turbines, and doesn’t require adaptors that waste energy as heat. Facebook, JPMorgan, Sprint, Boeing, and Bank of America  have all built datacenters that rely on DC power, since  DC-powered datacenters are 20 percent more efficient, cost 30 percent less, and require 25 to 40 percent less floorspace. On the residential level, new USB technology  will soon be able to deliver100 watts of power, spreading DC power to ever more low voltage personal electronics, and  saving homesinefficiency costs in their electricity bill.

11. Commercial production of clean energy from plant waste is finally here. Ethanol derived from corn, once held up as a climate-friendly alternative to gasoline,  is under increasing fire. Many experts believe  it drives up food prices, and studies  disagree on whether it actually releases any less carbon dioxide when its full life cycle is accounted for. Cellulosic biofuels, promise to get around those hurdles, and 2013 may be when the industry finally turned the corner. INOES Bio’s  cellulosic ethanol plant in Florida and KiOR’s cellulosic plant in Mississippi began commercial production this year. Two more cellulosic plants  are headed for Iowa, and yet another’s  being constructed in Kansas. The industry says 2014′s proposed cellulosic fuel mandate  of 17 million gallons will be easily met.

12. Innovative financing bringing clean energy to more people. In DC, the first ever property-assessed clean energy (PACE) project allows investments in efficiency and renewables to be repaid through a special tax levied on the property, which lowers the risk for owners. Crowdfunding for clean energy projects  made major strides bringing decentralized renewable energy to more people — particularly the world’s poor — and Solar Mosaic is pioneering crowdfunding to pool community investments in solar in the United States. California  figured out how to allow customers who aren’t property owners or who don’t have a suitable roof for solar — that’s 75 percent of the state — to nonetheless purchase up to 100 percent clean energy for their home or business. Minnesota advanced its community solar gardens program, modeled after Colorado’s successful initiative. And Washington, DC voted to bring in virtual net metering, which allows people to buy a portion of a larger solar or wind project, and then have their portion of the electricity sold or credited back to the grid on their behalf, reducing the bill.

13. Wind power is now competitive with fossil fuels. “We’re now seeing power agreements being signed with wind farms at as low as $25 per megawatt-hour,” Stephen Byrd, Morgan Stanley’s Head of North American Equity Research for Power & Utilities and Clean Energy,  told the Columbia Energy Symposium in late November. Byrd explained that wind’s ongoing variable costs are negligible, which means an owner can bring down the cost of power purchase agreements by spreading the up-front investment over as many units as possible. As a result, larger wind farms in the Midwest are confronting coal plants in the Powder River Basin with “fairly vicious competition.” And even without the production tax credit, wind can still undercut many natural gas plants. A clear sign of its viability, wind power currently meets  25 percent of Iowa’s energy needs and is projected to reach a whopping 50 percent by 2018.
http://www.alternet.org/environment/13-major-clean-energy-breakthroughs-2013?page=0%2C2

Job site solar power

By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM

Issue #144 • November/December, 2013

Regardless of your favorite brand, standardize all battery-powered tools to use the same battery pack.

If you are planning to live off-grid or are building something in a remote area without grid power, I am sure you are planning to use a generator. While I have also owned generators, I find them temperamental, noisy, and I hate to drag fuel up some mountain trail when I need to power construction tools. To wean myself off the traditional construction site generator, I found an amazing selection of high-quality power tools that operate on battery packs. In addition, if you standardize on the same brand and voltage, the same battery packs will be interchangeable with a wide array of power saws, drills, portable lights, and even radios. Keeping a spare battery pack on charge also allows a quick battery change and continued tool operation without having to wait.
More at -  http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/yago144.html