New solar cells even work at night

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory have come up with solar cells that continue to work after the sun goes down. The new type of cell absorbs much more than visible sunlight, they also absorb infrared radiation, which continues to be emitted after the sun goes down, in the form Related posts: Will Nanoantennas replace PV Solar Cells? Research into Quantum Dots helping solar cell efficiency New super thin solar cells absorb ten times the amount of light

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New solar cells even work at night

Blackhawk Tilt Rotor VAWT testing underway at the DOE Idaho National Laboratory

Blackhawk TR-10 VAWT Researchers from the Blackhawk Project are testing their new TR-10 Tilt Rotor Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) at the Dept of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES). The Blackhawk Tilt Rotor’s design uses helicopter like wings, called airfoils, that rotate parallel to the ground. The airfoils

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Blackhawk Tilt Rotor VAWT testing underway at the DOE Idaho National Laboratory

Mixed Signals & Federal Funding for Alternative Energy Research

There have definitely been some mixed signals on alternative energy research recently. At the same time President Bush’s State of the Union address called for a 22 percent increase in federal spending to develop alternative energies, dozens of staffers and contractors for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, were being laid off. The disconnect was a political embarrassment for the president, so federal officials restored the laboratory’s funding, rehiring the workers who had been laid off just in time for President Bushs scheduled speech at the NREL. In his speech the President acknowledged the confusion, I recognize that there has been some interesting mixed signals when it comes to funding,” President Bush said. This comes at a time when a new national public opinion survey demonstrates overwhelming public support in the United States for government policies and investments that will support development of alternative energy sources. The survey of 1,000 registered voters was conducted by Public Opinion Strategies of Alexandria, VA, for the Energy Future Coalition. The surveys findings included: According to the survery there is nearly unanimous support for a national goal of having 25% of the United States domestic energy needs met by alternative energy by the year 2025. Ninety-eight percent of voters see this goal as important for the country, and three out of four (74%) feel that it is “very important.” Ninety percent of voters believe this goal is achievable. Similar majorities support government action to encourage greater use of renewable energy. Eighty-eight percent of voters favor financial incentives, and 92% support minimum government standards for the use of renewable energy by the private sector. Nearly all voters (98%) say the costs, such as the cost of research and development and the cost of building new renewable energy production facilities, would be worth it to get the United States to the 25% by 2025 goal. Voters consider energy to be an important issue facing the country, rating it similarly with health care, terrorism and national security, and education, and ahead of taxes and the war in Iraq. Half (50%) of voters believe America is headed for an energy crisis in the future, and 35% believe the country already is facing a crisis. So just how much is the United States government spending on alternative energy research? After the 22% increase the budget will stand at $771 million. This amounts to less than one percent of the $55,000 million the federal government spends annually on research, nearly half of which is devoted to healthcare. Its time for action. Source for figures on federal funding for alternative energy research President Bush’s speech at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory America’s Energy Future

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Mixed Signals & Federal Funding for Alternative Energy Research

Alternative Energy Argentina: Bringing Wind Power to Remote Areas

Max Seitz reports for the BBC that wind power is the most widespread renewable energy source in Argentina – and Patagonia in particular has extraordinary potential due to its strong and constant winds. He travelled to southern Chubut province, about 890 miles south of Buenos Aires, where wind power is making life easier for a number of isolated communities In the midst of a dark wilderness, wind-generated electricity is changing lives in the region, lighting homes and schools in remote areas. “Patagonia provides ideal conditions, unique almost, for the development of wind power,” explained Hector Mattio, Director of the Regional Centre for Wind Power (or Cree in Spanish). “We get very strong sustained winds of 11 metres per second, while in Europe they usually only reach about nine,” Mattio added. Cree – funded by the Chubut government and located in the provincial capital Rawson, near Trelew – currently has many community projects on the go to install wind generators. So far, more than 300 isolated rural villages in Chubut have received small wind turbines which provide them with light, communication and power for domestic electric appliances. A 66-year-old Araucano Indian, Julian Ibanez, welcomed us to his stone-built house. Julian owns horses and sheep but his prize possession is a three-blade, 12-metre high wind turbine with 600-watt power (the equivalent of 10 light bulbs). Like others in the region, he simply calls it the “windmill”. “They installed the windmill a while ago now and it’s changed our lives. We didn’t have electricity before, just a kerosene lamp and that was it; now we have light and we can listen to the radio.” Julian led me to a plain bedroom, where he had a fuse box attached to the wall and a 12-volt car battery, and explained how everything worked. The wind turns the windmill blades and a cable takes the energy produced into the house. The fuse box controls the voltage and battery charge. Marcos added that the electrical supply is constant – whether it comes directly from the generator or, when there is no wind, from what has been stored by the accumulator. Some dwellings have installed an inverter, a gadget to transform a 12 volt output into 220 volts – ideal for domestic appliances. Another inhabitant of the area, 30-year-old Adelino Cual, also an Araucano, had this to say: “We have electricity 24 hours a day, not just the little lamp we had before. We no longer have to buy kerosene or gas-oil. It works out cheaper for us.” The engineers had shown him how to work and maintain the generator and the fuse box: “They taught me, for example, how to change the fuses if they blow; I’ve changed them several times,” he said. And Marcos added that the idea is for those benefiting from the technology to be self-sufficient. After visiting the hamlets around about, we made our way to the heart of Chacay Oeste, which comprises a dozen or so houses and a school-shelter which accommodates some 30 pupils from neighbouring settlements. The school has been provided with six wind turbines, installed by Cree in the highest part of the town. “They provide energy for our building, for the shelter and also the teachers’ houses. During the school holidays, they are used to supply energy to the rest of the village”. Before turbines were installed, Chacay Oeste got its electricity from a petrol generator, the noise of which had become part of the landscape for the locals. “The windmills have changed things a lot for the youngsters. Now they have access to computers, and teachers can educate them through television programmes.” “Now I feel I communicate more with other people. Not like before – we were a bit unsociable,” Julian confessed after telling me that he regularly listens to the radio to find out what is going on, and that he really appreciates the Cree technicians’ visits. And at Cree they confirm that this is indeed what it is all about: The social impact the technology has had on the communities has helped to integrate them more. Full BBC Article

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Alternative Energy Argentina: Bringing Wind Power to Remote Areas