Complex extracted from pea leaves provides hope for better solar cells
Texas produces more wind energy than its power lines can cope with
The need to use renewable resources and save up on the depleting energy sources is being realized today. The spotlight today is now on the use of green energy sources. Generating electricity using renewable sources may seem ideal, however the question now arises as to how much power can a grid handle and distribute. Take Texas for an example. Just last week, wind power generation reached a record high of 6,242 MW. This may sound pleasant to our ears. Here’s the glitch though, officials had to curb wind power generation since it was too much for the electrical lines to handle and supply to urban areas like Dallas-Fort Worth. Page Field General Aviation Airport to have a solar powered passenger terminal
The SolarFold and SolarFan portable solar power generators
We’ve heard of portable wind energy generators and hydroelectric power generators earlier. Now the Japanese are here with a portable solar power generator to help make your life easier and powered up on the go! The SolarFold and SolarFan are two devices that unfold into surface area utilizing solar power collectors. They’ll suck in enough juice from the sun to power up your iPhone for a 3 minute call after exposing it to the sun for 10 minutes. The SolarFold wraps up in a flat stack and unwraps like a folding screen to maximize energy accumulating surface area. The SolarFan on the other hand can open up like a Japanese fan when you need to generate energy and also includes a tripod that helps you to adjust its angle according to the time of the day and location. Portable windmills to make generating wind energy more efficient
Invention of high-capacity hydrogen storage material makes use of hydrogen as a common fuel possible
Dan Nocera emulates photosynthesis to store energy on a commercial scale
Up until now, the only way to harness solar energy was through the use of photovoltaic cells. However, Dan Nocera, a chemist from MIT and founder of the company Sun Catalytix, has developed a method to store energy like plants do using photosynthesis. Nocera, has developed a cobalt based catalyst that will enable to store energy in the same way as plants do - by splitting water molecules. This method can be used to generate cheap affordable energy which can be used as an alternative to conventional energy. And that’s not all. This method can also use impure puddle water for this process.
PGE increases its solar energy capacity to more than 12 Megawatts
Desalinization plants powered by solar energy to produce clean water for animals
The animals in Abu Dhabi's deserts will finally breathe a sigh of relief and have access to cleaner salt-free watering holes soon. Around thirty desalinization plants will be set up over the next 15 months that will be powered by solar energy. Water purified by these plants will be used in watering holes to provide water for animals. Currently two plants are already being used for desalting brackish water from underground aquifers and converting it into fresh sparkling water. These remotely operated plants will use solar panels spread over 300 square meters at each site that will generate 45 kilowatts of electricity per hour. These plants will function for six to eight hours everyday and the brine and waste water collected will be pumped to an evaporation lake that will be fenced up to keep away animals. Efficient windmills that look like chimneys
Rescue lights powered by wave energy
Gold particles help generate electricity
Maybe the alchemists failed in their efforts to make gold, but researches today have learnt the ways to produce energy using gold. Shining light on gold nanoparticles, researches at the Nano/Bio Interface Center at the University of Pennsylvania discovered that solar energy could be created. This will change the value of gold in future, making each little nanoparticle of this precious metal, a powerhouse in itself. The guys who brainstormed this research first packed a bunch of light-sensitive gold nanoparticles together on a glass substrate and had them exposed to optical radiation. Electrons freed from the gold particles move along the surface to create surface plasmons which induces electric currents. Eco-friendly city lights that use solar and wind energy to power up
America’s first wave farm off the Oregon coast will help generate electricity
America will get its first wave park soon. And this isn’t some water park, if that’s what you’re thinking. A wave park is a group of energy harvesting devices that use the energy of waves. Off the coast of Reedsport, Oregon, Ocean Power Technologies is building the wave park that will compromise around 10 PowerBuoys that will each generate 150 kilowatts. This will help power up around 375 homes. These PowerBuoys stand 150 feet tall and are mostly submerged below the ocean. The buoy moves up and down with the motion of the wave and drives a piston in a similar motion generating electricity. Waves ranging from 5 feet to around 23 feet high can be used to generate power. Underground cables connect this wind farm to the grid. 








