Energy Inventions

Bacteria are one of the most abundant organisms on the planet and also one of the most studied. Today, scientists use bacteria for genetics research, antibiotics, and yes! Even biofuels. Recent technological advances have made a battery running on bacteria a reality. Known as microbial fuels cells or MFCs, batteries running on bacteria and other microbes have been keenly researched by scientist for decades. 10 Comments

As the world continues to search for alternative fuels to fuel our cars and heat our homes, many different opportunities are being explored and there has finally been a significant breakthrough in turning wastewater into ethanol as an automobile fuel source. Qteros and Applied Clean Tech have teamed up to create a biofuel that will get us that much closer to having another true "green" energy source. Water treatment systems are expensive to run and have presented communities where they are located with some significant challenges. Most notably, what they can do with the sludge that is left over once the wastewater has been treated. Plant managers may no longer faced with the difficult task of figuring out this problem. 9 Comments

This can be achieved by using piezoelectric materials under busy roads. The property is aptly known as piezoelectricity and it's the ability to produce electric power in response to applied mechanical stress, and in this case this stress is the movement of vehicles on the roads. The concept was originally developed by Innowattech and now the company is laying down a sort of test road in Israel. Is it a solution to the global energy and environment crisis? It could very well be. 39 Comments

Ocean wave energy can be captured directly from surface waves. Blowing wind and pressure fluctuations below the surface are the main reasons for causing waves. But consistency of waves differs from one area of ocean to another. Some regions of oceans receive waves with enough uniformity and force. Ocean waves contain tremendous energy. Currently scientists and companies are considering exploiting the wave power of oceans to harness clean and green energy. 9 Comments

Hybrid cars are often known as "cars of the era." The main feature of the hybrid car is that when we start the car engine, electrical energy is used. This way it helps in keeping a tab on the tail pipe emissions. The use of automobiles is increasing in every part of the globe and so is the threat of toxic pollutants and global warming, thanks to their exhaust ingredients. But if we are using a hybrid car the decrease in the tail pipe emission will do a great service to the environment and society. 14 Comments

MIT professor Daniel Nocera earlier worked on a catalysts that can divide water molecules which can be utilized to store energy. Daniel Nocera has established a company named as Sun Catalytix to give his dreams a concrete shape. His company is backed by venture capital firm Polaris Ventures. Nocera is known as a "huge centralized energy person." When he thought about the problems faced by developed and developing world then formed the view that the solution to energy problem lies in cheap energy generation. Sun Catalytix is working on an advanced system that will use low-cost solar panels to produce hydrogen. This hydrogen will then be stored and used to produce electricity in a fuel cell. 13 Comments

Silicon is one of the basic but expensive materials used in designing solar panels. If we can use something else as effective as silicon but more economical, solar power will be within the reach of the common consumers. Cornell researchers are thinking on somewhat similar lines. They are using a carbon nanotube instead of traditional silicon that hopefully will lead to much more efficient ways of converting light to electricity. 2 Comments

It is being estimated that the world demand for energy would be more than twice over by 2050 and we will still be clamoring for more than triple by the end of the 21st century. By that time stock of fossil fuels would be insufficient to meet the ever increasing demand. If we want to march ahead in future we have to seek answers for our energy requirements by using sustainable and carbon-neutral energy technologies. We have to depend on the use of sunlight to generate electricity as well as to split water molecules for the production of fuels. Nanocrystals could be crucial to the success of this vision. We know that electrical conductance in semiconductor nanocrystals is a decisive element for both solar electricity and solar fuel technologies. No Comments

When we look closely at human history we can easily conclude that locomotion is one of the most primordial needs. But our current lifestyle does not allow us with much of the movements. We need to move more often. But it is also true that we live in fitness conscious times. Going to a gymnasium and working out has become a health statement. But till now many of us have not delved deep into what happens in a gymnasium and how can we utilize events happening in gym for better purposes. If we look carefully every member of a gym in a particular time slot is performing some controlled and repetitive motion be it lifting weight or running on a treadmill or doing crunches. What can we do with all these motions? 18 Comments

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and IHI Corporation are undertaking an ambitious project of $ 21bn. They are aspiring to design and develop a Space-based solar farm that would generate 1GW of power. This will require an area of four square kilometer consisting of rows of solar panels. This space solar farm will be housed 36,000km above the surface of the earth. 20 Comments

Solomon Technologies announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Technipower LLC has installed its first Instant Solar(TM) system at its Danbury, CT headquarters. Technipower has successfully completed the development program in less than six months. Their pilot manufacturing is in the process now. 3 Comments

BIG Architects is undertaking an ambitious project of a library in Kazakhstan. Like all the libraries this one will have books as usual but it will also boast of going easy on the environment. This new library will serve as a multifunctional cultural center for Astana, Kazakhstan. This library will be named as Nursultan Nazarbayev who was the first President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Architectural design of this library will be comprised of four parts – a circle, a rotunda, the arch and the yurt. These four archetypes will merge into the form of a möbius strip. The library structure will be as such to counterbalance or maximize the heat of sun according to the climate and the need. In designing the structure BIG Architects are also paying attention to high-tech modeling to calculate the thermal exposure of the building envelope and maximize shading. They are using computer simulation to find out new methods to lower energy requirements of the building. No Comments

Sunlight is a non exhaustible source of energy without contributing greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Still it is miles away from replacing the fossil fuels. Many reasons can be sited. One of its biggest disadvantages is it is still out of reach for the common man and it has a long break-even period. Unless a product or service is embraced by masses it can’t be treated as alternative source to fossil fuels. But scientists are tirelessly working on solar cells. It is believed that solar cells could soon be produced more cheaply using nanoparticle "inks". These nanoparticles can help in printing solar cells like newspaper or painted onto the sides of buildings or rooftops to absorb electricity-producing sunlight. 6 Comments

It seems the canvass of clean and green energy is getting bigger with each passing day. More and more products, vehicles, gadgets, homes and cities are being added to this ever expanding canvass. Germany’s Hamburg Harbor has announced the development of a world class Eco City. This eco city will be designed by Tec Architecture and the global engineering group ARUP. This city will encompass many industries and entrainment facilities. No Comments

Manufacturers who are concerned not only about profit but about future too are developing such products that are clean and green and run on alternative fuels. Though currently clean and green products are costly, efforts are on to make them easy on pocket too. Solon SE is a Berlin-based solar company that has produced a zero emission solar ship. Berlin’s mayor Klaus Wowereit was present at a ceremony to launch the "SOLON." It is Berlin’s first passenger ship deriving its power from solar energy. 4 Comments

The Theme of Concept: Theme of concept is to harness the kinetic energy within the flow of water without using the conventional methods like water wheel or other types of turbines. With some changes this can be a source of producing clean energy from tidal waves. 10 Comments

Interest in hydrokinetic energy -- which generates power by using submerged or partially submerged turbines that harness the energy from flowing water -- is on the rise throughout the world. Renewable energy advocates, governments and investors are increasingly becoming aware of river currents and the huge associated energy potential. Because hydrokinetic power generation relies simply on the extraction of energy from the natural velocity of water, these power systems can be placed into sources of flowing water with minimal infrastructure or environmental impacts. Scroll down for images. 11 Comments

When researchers arrive at a particular after lots of experimentation they already have used up lots of resources in terms of money, man, material and time. Now scientists are trying to arrive at a result by simulating the experiments on computers and thus saving on lots of resources. A team of researchers from ETH Zurich are creating simulated autoignition with the help of a supercomputer equipped with 65,000 processors. This could lead to better models and reduction in cost of conducting actual experiments. No Comments

We all are familiar with the positive impact of alternative energy on our environment. Now researchers are trying to improve upon the existing alternative energy technology. As far as solar energy is concerned they are trying to make solar panels cheap and people friendly. Normally the solar panels are quite bulky and difficult to fit in on existing architecture. Therefore scientists all over the world are focusing on developing organic solar cells. They could be inexpensive and look like thin films. 5 Comments

Imagine a parking lot that keeps your car cool and charges it while you do whatever you need to do after parking your car. That’s what the new solar forest designed by designer Neville Mars aims to achieve. Electric-powered automobiles are a great way of reducing pollution levels but the main hurdle in the way of them becoming mainstream vehicles is long duration of time they need to recharge. Even to cover small distance you need to recharge your vehicle for hours. One solution is to speed up the recharging process, and another is recharging the cars while they stand unused, like in a parking lot. 9 Comments