There’s some big green energy news from down under: the Eco Whisper Turbine is up and running. Renewable Energy Solutions Australia, or RESA, out of Brisbane recently unveiled the Eco Whisper, which is said to be the world’s quietest wind turbine. This energy solution is smaller than the traditional three-blade model; it is about half the size both in height and in blade diameter.

This smart turbine also adjusts automatically to position itself for optimal wind capture. Additionally, the near-silent design may produce over 30% more energy than other turbines. These quiet, eco-friendly turbines are expected to fulfill medium to high power needs in rural and urban areas alike. RESA envisions these turbines in a variety of locals including farms, airports, business parks and universities.

The Eco Whisper Turbine has a cowl / ring design. This design is not only visibly different than the large blades one normally associates with turbines, it is what makes it quieter and more economical. Instead of air rushing off the large blades of other turbines, more air filters through the 30 aluminum blades of the Eco Whisper. Other notable features of the Eco Whisper Turbine include the hinged steel pole, which allows the turbine to be lowered during severe weather or for maintenance. The Eco Whisper also has high visibility, which is an excellent innovation for the local avian population.

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However, with new-found results by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, that dream is one step closer to reality. According to the researchers over at RMIT are measuring a piezoelectric film’s capacity for turning mechanical pressure into electricity.

While that may sound a little too advanced for any one who isn’t a scientist, piezoelectricity is actually an old discovery, as you’ve certainly seen electric cigarette lighters; those lighters contain a crystal capable of producing a high voltage electric current after being hit by a small hammer, and thus ignite gas. Moreover, as researchers are investigating the amount of energy that can be generated from thin piezoelectric coatings, we could soon be seeing implementations of such technology in anything from sneaker-powered mobiles to typing-powered laptops.

Indeed, wouldn’t you like to see a laptop’s battery be recharged, slowly, as you type on the keyboard? It’s without a doubt that although there are still many issues to be solved, sooner or later we will be looking at power management in a totally different way.

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This schematic shows high-capacity magnesium nanocrystals encapsulated in a gas-barrier polymer matrix to create a new and revolutionary hydrogen storage composite material. Credit: Image from Jeff Urban

Compared to gasoline, hydrogen is lightweight, has a higher energy density and has a variety of potential sources, like biomass. It sounds great, but there are a few drawbacks. Hydrogen-air mixtures can ignite with very low energy input. If air and hydrogen were to mix in an enclosed space, like a parking lot, a hydrogen leak could easily lead to an explosion if a flame was sparked. Due to hydrogen’s low energy ignition, hydrogen must be safely and densely stored.

In the past, researchers have managed to lock hydrogen into solids, packing larger quantities into smaller volumes with low reactivity. The problem was that most of the solids could only absorb a small amount of hydrogen and required a lot of heating or cooling to boost their energy efficiency.

But now, scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy Berkeley Lab have managed to design a new composite material for storing hydrogen that’s made of nanoparticles of magnesium metal. The nanoparticles are sprinkled through a matrix of polymethyl methacrylate, which is a polymer related to Plexiglas. The material can absorb and release hydrogen without oxidizing the metal, which was a problem in the past. It is also able to do this at more modest temperatures, allowing for greater energy efficiency, which could lead to a major breakthrough for hydrogen storage, batteries and fuel cells.

The research is reported in a paper appearing in the journal Nature Materials.

[Nature Materials via PhysOrg]

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Horizon HydroFILL station

Fuel cells are not some crazy technology from the future. They’re not inaccessible to the average Joe either, because pre-orders are now being taken for the Horizon MiniPAK, HydroSTIK, and HydroFILL products. These “alternative energy charging solutions” should offer plenty of juice for your mobile devices in a greener kind of way, even if the color scheme is largely black and blue. Starting with the $99.99 MiniPAK, you get a charging device that uses a passive air-breathing fuel cell and a solid state hydrogen storage unit.

For something substantially more hardcore, you can go ahead and drop a penny shy of five hundred bucks on the Horizon HydroFILL. This product can actually take regular old water, rip those hydrogen atoms away from the oxygen ones, and convert the hydrogen into power. Rounding out the trio is the $9.99 HydroSTIK. This is the fuel cartridge used in tandem with the MiniPAK, containing some hydrogen in a solid-state. For more info on all three, you can check out the Horizon website. No firm date for shipping has been announced yet.

Horizon MiniPAK

[Engadget via Horizon]

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Photo: Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp

In order for humans to survive, we inhale oxygen and expel carbon dioxide. On the flip side, the plants and trees in your neighborhood “inhale” carbon dioxide and “exhale” oxygen for us. Well, this newest concept car from GM and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation has more in common with trees than with us.

What you see here is their YeZ Concept, a vehicle that will photosynthesize, just like that big maple tree in your backyard. It’ll absorb carbon dioxide from the air around it and emit oxygen back into the atmosphere.

As if this whole “reverse pollution” business wasn’t green enough, the SAIC YeZ concept car has also been outfitted with solar panels on the roof, as well as with small wind turbines in the wheels. This will harness some energy to use for in-car electronic components.

I guess the Prius has some catching up to do… but it has plenty of time to do it. Don’t go rushing out to your closest General Motors dealership just yet, because the functionality behind the YeZ won’t be commercially viable for another twenty years!

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It’s not like shredded government documents and random cardboard boxes are the only source of fuel for these cars. They both run on E85, so that takes a blend of 85 percent biofuel and 15 percent gasoline.

Whereas the ethanol biofuels of the past have made use of corn and other crops, Novozymes has developed an “enzyme cocktail” that can make advanced biofuel “from agricultural residues, municipal waste and energy crops.” The paper waste is converted into sugar and then fermented into biofuel following a sequence of pulping, pre-treatment, and wash.

“The advanced biofuels showcased here today demonstrate that the enzyme technology is ready for market. What we need now is commercialization and deployment of advanced biofuels in order to help meet our country’s most pressing energy and environment challenges,” said Adam Monroe, president, Novozymes North America.

Advanced biofuels are said to have 90 percent less CO2 emissions when compared to gasoline and are among one of the most cost-efficient ways of reducing CO2 in the transportation sector. Novozymes’ technologies in 2009 reduced CO2 emissions of approximately 27 million tons – similar to taking 7 million cars off the road.

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Well, Colorado State University professor Bryan Wilson has partnered up with the folks from the Southern Ute Indian Reservation to create what could be a very green energy source. Quite literally green, in fact, since this biofuel is based in algae.

I’m no scientist, but what I can gather from the article is that a special strain of algae is placed into a water tank next to a natural gas processing plant and this algae loves carbon dioxide. The water is “already green-tinged with life.”

Solix Biofuels is the name of the three-year-old company and they’re working to produce vegetable oil fuel from this algae. More specifically, you can expect to get some biodiesel out of this project that can then be used in a regular diesel engine.

Is biodiesel the energy source of the future for our vehicles? Is this a viable intermediary until we find something else? Is the algae idea better than corn-based ethanol?

Source: NYT

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