The Energy Matrix

Scientific Facts About Renewable Energy And Non-renewable Energy

admin — Sun, 01 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

As gas prices continue to skyrocket worldwid, renewable energy has become the new craze. Subject of much debate and now the issue being taken up by scientists and regular consumers alike we are about to see our society step forward using these advancements. Currently there are five main forms of renewable energy, water, solar, wind, biofuel and geothermal, all brining their own pro’s and con’s to the table. An interesting fact is that if we could harvest all of the sun’s beams for an hour, we’d have enough energy to power the planet for a whole year. One wind turbine can power around 300 homes, further removing the negative carbon foot-print left by burning gasses and fossil fuels.

Non-renewable energy is quickly falling to the way side as oil prices continue to get higher and higher. Cars that run on fossil fuels emit certain gasses that build up in our atmosphere, causing tempatures to rise. If you live in a big city, smog is something you have to deal with too. We’ve all seen the smoke stacks releasing tons of chemicals into our air. Renewable energy is quickly becoming the new energy standard, large amounts of goverment grants are being given to companies to research new ways to power our ever growing population.

Different Types of Renewable Energy Sources

admin — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Alternative energy comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, and biomass. The reason renewable energy is so efficient is because it comes from natural replenishing properties that constantly provide power generation, heating and fuel.

Wind power from high winds increase power output from wind farms located offshore in high altitudes. This is where energy can be produced from moving air. Wind Turbines are built in such a way to take advantage of the earths natural wind production.

Solar radiation uses the heat from the sun to produce heat and electricity so the location, day and time of year has a major influence on how much solar energy will reach the solar power plants in the world. Passive or active solar are technologies for the use of solar thermal collectors and light dispersing materials.

Biomass resources from a plants organic microorganisms is stored energy from the sun and this process of photosynthesis can be converted to usable energy found in corn and wood. The benefits is that biomass can be turned into methane gas such as ethanol.

The environmental improvement that is gained from the use of clean energy reduces the risk of global warming caused by emissions and pollution.

Interesting Facts About Alternative Energy Sources

admin — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The main reasons we are looking for alternative energy is because we as a country need to find new energy sources that aren’t so harmful and we also need to try to preserve our natural resources. Some alternative energies are wind power, solar power, geothermal energy and hydroelectric energy.
Wind power energy utilizes the strength of wind to turn wind turbines blades. An electrical generator is used to convert the turning of the turbine blades into energy. One of the biggest upsides of wind power energy is that it produces no pollution. A downside is since it relies solely on wind power, if there is a day with little wind then we will only have a little bit of energy to use.
Solar power comes from the sun and we mainly use it for cooking, heating and creating energy. Solar cells are used to trap sun rays which are then converted to useable energy. An upside of solar power is that it is renewable. Solar power can only diminish if the sun burns out, which is billions of years from now. A negative side of solar energy is that it only works if the sun is shining, therefore night time will really place a limit on the amount energy produced.

Alternative Energy: Windmill And Turbine Basics

admin — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The use of wind energy has been around for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians used sails on their ships to capture the strength of the air currents to visit other lands. The Chinese used wind mills to grind grain. The practice spread throughout the world and the American settlers used wind to pump water and later to provide power to their farm houses. Today we are using wind to power not one house but thousands of homes. In 2008, we produced enough electricity by using wind turbines to power the entire state of Colorado.
There are two types of wind turbines being used to produce electricity. The two vertical blades are curved and attach at the top and the bottom of the shaft and look something like an eggbeater. The horizontal wind machines use three blades and look like a child’s pinwheel. These are giant machines stand hundreds of feet in the air to capture the stronger air currents that are above the ground.
Wind is a useful renewable energy as long as the sun shines and produces air currents. This is just energy from old technology with newer uses and hopefully replaces the need for dangerous coal production.

Weatherizing your home isn’t so hard with the DOE

admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:44:43 +0000

The state of Minnesota and the city of Phoenix, Arizona each have something to celebrate these days. Minnesota was recently awarded 6 million dollars to continue its progress with the Weatherization Assistance Program, provided by the U.S. Department of Energy through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Not only will this funding increase the amount of low-income homes optimized to save money on their energy bills, but the money will also help create jobs for construction workers. Similarly, the city of Phoenix was awarded 700,000 to continue installing solar or heating pumps in low- and moderate-income homes.Minnesota and Phoenix are just two of the sites benefitting from the Weatherization Assistance Program, which has awarded 90 million across the U.S., U.S. territories, and various Native American tribes. The program has been around in one form or another since 1976, although its emphasis on energy considerations has changed in recent years to include more alternative forms (like solar energy). Families that benefit from the Program can expect reductions of about 437 in fuel prices.As mentioned above, early weatherizing techniques were simple and low-cost, and included sheeting up windows and caulking doors. However, these were temporary placeholders, at best. The 1980s saw a revolution as the DOE started supporting energy efficiency improvements in existing heating systems, and the 1990s added cooling considerations as well. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 added 5 million to the budget, supporting President Barack Obama’s goal of weatherizing 1 million homes per year.As people across America search for ways to improve their energy bills, the WAP is offering whatever assistance it can. Even if you don’t benefit from the program, you can replicate the energy-saving procedures in your own home and watch in wonder as your energy bill drops.

This isn’t Old McDonald’s farm: wind farms and the future

admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:42:17 +0000

While scientists have not yet found a way to harness the ocean’s energy, there is evidence that wind power is the wave of the future. At least, Google seems to think so, having invested 38.8 million dollars in two wind farms in North Dakota back in May. Wind farmscollections of wind turbines in the same locationare being used around the world to generate energy. The two in North Dakota generate 169.5 megawatts of powerenough energy to light nearly 55,000 homes.The farms are designed by General Electric Co. Another is being constructed at Lake Erie, utilizing new technology like magnetic rings to power the blades and a lighter weight due to carbon fibers. Worldwide, GE has installed more than 13,500 turbines. Farms make economical sense because the largest turbine can only generate 4.0 megawatts. Currently, wind energy is not feasible in all locations, however. Apart from the actual speed and quantity of wind, considerations also include how easy it will be to lay transmission lines, the cost of installation and land acquisition, the environmental effects of construction, and more. Wind power density (WPD) is a value which combines all of this data into one easy-to-understand value.Current predictions suggest that Asia will be the wind power leader by 2014. Worldwide, wind power capacity will grow 447 gigawatts by that time. This growth will be bolstered by new designs which will make wind power in lower-density spots more productive. New wind turbine models will also make it easier for consumers to collect data on wind collection. The upcoming years could see alternative companies like Enercon, Alstom Wind, Gamesa, and Siemens Energy rivaling GE for dominance in the wind power industry.

Oil: it’s what’s for dinner for newly-discovered microbes

admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:33:37 +0000

While BP continues its work in cleaning up the oil spill, the company is getting a little help. And we do mean little. Various species of oil-eating bacteria are joining the buffet, including a never-before-seen microbe.Previous bacteria of the genus Alcanivorax have been known since 1998. These microbes degrade crude oil at high levels of efficiency, devouring the hydrocarbons and leaving the rest behind, including methane. While not a perfect solution, the bacteria’s presence has come as a relief in recent months to those concerned about the planet’s ability to bounce back from the recent disaster. However, scientists were not sure how the bacteria would react in the deepest (and coldest) parts of the Gulf, where the plume has created a 22-mile long mist. A study done between May 25 and June 2 discovered 16 types of bacteria in a deep-sea plume, but that plume remained until only recently, which led some scientists to believe the bacteria were not “eating” the oil.Now it is known that the bacteria have been having an effect, and represent a previously unknown species. The new bacterium has not been named yet, but it’s certainly overcoming people’s expectations. Instead of creating a large zone where ocean life will not be able to survive, the microbe has been breaking down the oil without significantly lowering the amount of oxygen in the water. Inside the plume, oxygen is at 59 saturation, while outside it is still at 67. Moreover, the new bacterium is particularly suited to cold water, especially the 5 degrees Celsius waters of the Gulf. As we currently consider alternatives to fossil fuel energy, studying these bacteria could provide a means of dealing with future oil concerns.

Latest DOE Energy Innovation Hub finds home in Philly

admin — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:31:42 +0000

In 2009, President Barack Obama requested 2.3 billion for the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. His larger 26.4 billion budget also included 280 million dollars for up to eight different “Energy Innovation Hubs”, each focused on a different challenge facing the energy world today. Although the plan has been scaled back to three hubs, they still remain ambitious projects in the global energy game, and the final one has recently been announced.The first, the Nuclear Energy Modeling and Simulation Energy Innovation Hub, was introduced in May of this year. Led by a team from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Hub represents a shift from previous testing and demonstration methods of nuclear research to the newer theoretical models. Using a variety of a high-power computers and existing modeling techniques, the Hub will be able to simulate an actual nuclear reactor and investigate questions concerning safety, power, and lifespan.The second Hub, Fuels from Sunlight, was announced in July. This Hub is divided between the Caltech campus in Pasadena and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley. Scientists from the “Golden State” will be investigating issues of sustainability and efficiency for biofuels (sunlight converted into plant material, and then again into fuel). The project combines scientists from the chemistry, physics, material sciences, biology, and engineering fields, with big results expected.The newest Hub will be the Energy Regional Innovation Cluster, which will be located at the Philadelphia Navy Yard Clean Energy campus. This project is more abstract than the other two and is focused on increasing building efficiency by integrating photovoltaics, advanced heating and cooling systems, monitoring networks, and more. Scientists from Carnegie Mellon, Princeton, Rutgers, the University of Pennsylvania, and Virginia Tech all have a hand in the project. The future looks bright with these three projects about to hit their stride.

Eureka!: recent inventions in the energy world

www.energy-matrix.net — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:42:37 +0000

The times, they are a changin’. Where alternative energy like solar power and hydroelectric power was once science fiction, scientists are now working on making these technologies more efficient, more widespread, and less expensive. In the recent months, there have been several breakthroughs in energy technology.

Graphene solar cells: Graphene is a flat layer of carbon atoms connected in a honeycomb lattice, and is the building block of the mineral graphite. Scientists at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering are working on ways to attach the grapheme to flexible polymer sheets and incorporate them into organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells. While not as energy-efficient as silicon cells, these OPVs will be more flexible and cheaper. Professor Chongwu Zhou believes this will eventually lead to use as curtains or in clothing fabrics.
Nano-scale wires: An Israeli team at Bar-Ilan University recently conquered a long-standing difficulty in electronic technology, which was that superconducting wires needed to be both large and long. The team discovered that smaller lengths were feasible in nano-wires made of copper-oxide layers, lanthanum, and strontium. The nano-wire loops used by the team were only 25 nanometers wide and 150-500 nano-meters long. Along with an external magnetic field, the wire loops were also able to produce oscillation-changes in resistance.
Hydrothermolysis: This newly-discovered process was developed by engineers at Purdue University to produce large amounts of hydrogen in fuel cells without a catalyst. The team has discovered that by combining the processes of hydrolysis and thermolysis, it’s possible to extract hydrogen from a powdered form of the chemical ammonia boraneup to 14 of the total weight of the chemical, whereas previous techniques aimed at 5.5. The new technology is especially exciting for the hydrogen vehicle industry, as a car could run about 350 miles on a single tank of gas with this technology.