Personalized energy

I came across this very interesting video, which just boggled my mind. Its about personalized energy. Dr.Dan Nocera, an MIT chemistry professor has come up with this ingenious idea of artificial photosynthesis to generate your own personalized energy that will power your entire house, your electric car and all the appliances that needs to be powered from your house. Basically its what leaves do to survive, except its natural.

The Problem we have today:
In the world we live in today, the total amount of energy we use: 14 Terra Watts
By the year 2050, the total amount of energy we will use: 16 Terra Watts

The total amount of energy that is available for us to harness:
Hydro-electric - 4.6 TW
Nuclear - 8 TW
Tide/Ocean - 2 TW
Geothermal - 12TW
Biomass (crops) - 5 to 7 TW
Wind (10 m above ground) - 2 to 4 TW
Solar - 800 TW (with today's efficiency on solar cells)

His point is that even though there is all this energy available, it is simply not practical to harness all this energy to satisfy the world's energy demands.

His green solution:
Use sunlight to rearrange the chemical bonds for fuel, store the energy in high energy bonds.Take a look at his interesting presentation to understand what this is all about.

Solving our entire world's energy problem with an Olympic size pool of water!

Types & Efficiencies

Just a simple question: how efficient are today's solar cells? 
The answer to this question depends on several factors. High efficiency depends on a solar cell that can generate more electricity per incident solar power unit. Basically the solar cell's ability to produce more electricity in a given area. Theoretically speaking, to say that a solar cell has 100% efficiency means that the solar cell converts all of the sunlight it receives into electricity. Major solar panel manufacturers like Sharp, Q-Cell, First Solar, Kyocera Solar concentrate on improving the efficiency even by 1%. The more efficient, the more money that can be made.
The chart below shows the most efficient solar cells that has been developed and tested. Some of the high efficient solar cells have not been mass produced yet. 

(Source)

As you can see from the above graph, the most efficient that we have gotten is about 40%. This is the absolute best that is available today.  Even though it may look like it is very inefficient, it is much better than today's commercially available solar panels, which are about 15% - 22% depending on the manufacturer. These efficiencies were measured The efficiency should be measured under real conditions and the basic parameters that need to be evaluated are the short circuit current, open circuit voltage. Just for a comparison your car runs at about 30% efficiency at best!

Materials
The efficiency highly depends on the material that the solar cells are made. The most common types of solar cells are:

 

(Source)

Monocrystalline: These solar panels are made from a large crystal of silicon. These type of solar panels are the most efficient as in absorbing sunlight and converting it into electricity, however they are the most expensive. None the less, these are becoming more and more popular. Efficiency: 18% - 22%

 (Source)

Polycrystalline: These solar panels are the most common type of solar panels on the market today. They look a lot like shattered glass put together in a frame. They are slightly less efficient than the monocrystalline solar panels and less expensive to produce. Instead of one large crystal, this type of solar panel consists of multiple amounts of smaller silicon crystals. Efficiency: 15% - 18%

 (Source)

Amorphous (thin film): This type of solar panels consist of a thin-like film made from molten silicon that is spread directly across large plates of stainless steel or similar material. These types of solar panels have lower efficiency then the other two types of solar panels, and the cheapest to produce. Average Efficiency: 10%

It is interesting to see all the other types of materials that are being tested today....

 (Source)

Fun Fact: According to Encyclopedia Britannica the first genuine solar cell was built around 1883 by Charles Fritts, who used junctions formed by coating selenium (a semiconductor) with an extremely thin layer of gold.

Sail with the sun (not just the wind)

I've always wondered how the solar panel system works on a sail boat whether its luxury or a passenger vessel or a racing boat. How to implement solar cells or panels on a sail or just on the deck or on the roof? How efficient will they be? How would they interact with wind? What useful applications can we get from these solar panels on a boat?
Here are some cool concepts that i think are well worth looking into.

First concept sail boat is called the Volitan. This design is so revolutionary that some people think its not even going to make it to production. None the less this sail boat definitely has the cool factor to it and it looks very feasible in theory. This video shows how the concept could work.

Whats intriguing is the sail is utilizes both solar energy and wind energy to generate power for the boat. The sails are connected to a twin 220 HP/DC electric motor which has two suspended wings to help navigate the boat. In addition, a hydraulic/servo system located in the wings activates the sleek Volitan's unique performance sail system. It's dimensions are around 105'3 in (length), 24'8 in (height), 92'7 in (width with solar body) and 24'9 in (width at low body). This boat is designed by Dr. Hakan Gürsu, founder/chief designer at the prestigious Turkish design firm DesignNobis of Ankara, Turkey and Sözüm Doğan an assistant designer at the same firm. (Source)
Whether it looks feasible or not, it certainly looks possible on paper...

Of course, there are still many ups and downs to this concept but none the less, they need to hurry up and make a prototype and test it to see how it does.

The second solar boat is called "Solar Wing" developed by an Australian company called SolarSailor. They do mostly passenger vessels and ferries which are powered by solar panels and fuel (hybrid system).

"This latest development, the new solar catamaran ferries, is a very bright chapter in the environmental commitment" says the GM of SolarSailor company Cameron Halliday. This ferry is functioning in Hong Kong harbor today. This type of boats are excellent solution for one of the most polluted cities in the world.

The CEO of SolarSailor, Robert Dane, certainly knows the future of this technology and the direction its headed.

The third boat is a distinctive catamaran. While i was writing this article, i wondered what might be the largest solar powered boat in the world and I found the answer to be the "PlanetSolar". Meet the world's largest solar powered boat designed by Swiss manufacturer, PlanetSolar. Voila!

This sexy, sleek, modern day ark for today’s Noah, is a catamaran-styled yacht measuring at 102 feet long, almost 50 feet wide and 24-1/2 feet high (31 meters by 15 meters by 7.5 meters), but its most interesting feature is that it’s covered with 5,382 sq ft (500 sqm) of solar panels that gather sunlight and help it sail the sea nice and smooth.(Source)

"The boat can travel for 3 days and 3 nights before it needs to be recharged". That is pretty efficient. Weighing at 60 tons with a top speed of 15 knots can fit only about 15 people.

What i would like to see: In the near future, what i would like to see is a sail that is actually made up of solar cells and not a sturdy solar panel. What I'm talking about is a solar sail that does what today's normal sail does. The solar sail should, bend, curve, flex, retract, basically do everything that a normal sail would do and still produce solar power for the boat. I'm talking about implementing flexible solar panels onto a sailboat. The technology is already available, it just hasn't been implemented yet.
  So basically take this flexi-solar panel and make a sail out of it. I have not sailed before and I'm pretty sure its very hard. But these sails would provide dual purpose. Catch the wind AND the sun at the same time.

My Opinion: Installing solar panels, or solar cells on a boat is a great idea and a leap forward in the marine world and the green energy revolution, but most of the concept boats and the currently existing solar sail boats have a very low speed. I personally would not want to crawl through the sea even though it would be powered 100% by solar cells. I would rather have both speed and eco-friendliness. If we want more speed then we have to go with a hybrid system (solar + fuel). I personally would rather drive a hybrid Mustang that is eco-friendly than a Prius, if given the option.

Hello china!

I've been reading a lot about China's wind energy lately. Articles like "Great leap forward for China's wind energy", "Why China is getting wind energy right", made me want to take a look at China's wind energy a bit closer. Although china was on the bottom end of the wind energy race about five years ago, today China is the second largest producer of wind power after United States. At the end of 2009, China accounted for about 25.1 Giga Watts (Source). Thats more than Three Gorges Dam (capacity: 22.5 GW). In 2009, the Asia giant, installed more wind turbines than all of Europe combined. Fascinating figures from Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) indicated that China installed 13 gigawatts of new wind power capacity, compared to 10 GW in Europe and 9.9 GW in the United States. No doubt that China will surpass U.S. and lead this race in wind energy by the end of this year.

Before we jump into China, lets look at just the basics of HOW wind energy works. So here is a neat little animation video of how it works.


Pictures speak a thousand words. 

This figure shows the wind and solar distribution. The darker the color, the more we can harness. So it is obvious that China has a huge potential for wind energy, and it plans to utilize all of it.(Source)

The map above was a study done by Harvard University and Tsinghua University researchers. They combined meteorological and wind-turbine modeling to map China’s wind-energy potential. The potential output of 1.5 MW wind turbines is shown as a percentage of maximum output over time. Credit: Michael McElroy, Harvard University (Source)

Just thought this was interesting. Small wind turbines lined up along the streets of Shanghai, China. It looks so green and clean. This just shows that China is planning to use wind to its full capacity, whether its huge wind farms or small wind turbines along the streets like the above picture. This made me imagine how it would be if my neighborhood streets had a line up of small wind turbines,or in Chicago, the windy city. (Source)

In the map above, you can see where all the major wind energy companies have installed huge wind farms all across the country. The big players like Goldwind, Vestas, GE Wind, Gamesa, and Suzlon are betting on wind power. Without a doubt, it is showing a promising future in China.

We can see the China's market share of all the major players in wind energy, where Sinovel, Goldwind, and Dongfang are leading the nation's wind power. (Source)

 

Just to get an idea, here you can see the annual wind capacity around the entire world. Some interesting facts from the article i read...

• Wind power showed a growth rate of 31.7 %, the highest rate since 2001. 
• The wind sector in 2009 had a turnover of 50 billion €.
• The wind sector employed 550,000 people worldwide. In the year 2012, the wind industry is expected for the first time to offer 1 million jobs. 
• Asia accounted for the largest share of new installations (40.4 %), followed by North America (28.4 %) and Europe fell back to the third place (27.3 %).

The figure for 2010 is a prediction since the report is from the end of 2009. (Source)

My opinion: Can China move forward with wind? They certainly can, and they will. But they are going to have to import foreign help, and they already have begun to do so. Denmarks's Vestas will open it's fifth factory in China this year, and according to the China Wind and Energy Association (CWEA), General Electric and A-Power have already signed letters of intent to provide 900 wind turbine gearboxes and establish a joint venture to build a wind turbine assembly facility. China, being the most populated country and being the most polluted countries in the world (followed by U.S.), has no choice but to move where the wind blows. For China, it is critical because safe and sustainable development cannot be attained without cleaning up its act. Major companies like Goldwind Science and Technology, Sinovel Windtec Co, Gamesa Corporacion Tecnologica, Vestas Wind Systems, Dongfang Electric Corporation, GE Energy, and Suzlon Energy Limited are investing huge amounts of capital on Wind Power in China. I think that China will be leading the wind energy race next year. What do you think?
Interesting fact: A report release by state media in 2007 estimated that the average life expectancy of Chinese city traffic police is 43 years of age. The primary cause being air pollution. 

Some interesting facts about Wind Energy:

• There is evidence that wind energy was used to propel boats along the Nile as early as 5000BC.
• The earliest known windmills were in Persia (Iran) and looked like large paddle wheels.
• In 200BC people in China and the Middle East used windmills to pump water and grind grain.
• The largest wind turbine in the world is in Hawaii. It stands 20 stories high and has rotors the length of a football field.
• Wind is the fastest growing energy source worldwide.
• An average wind speed of 14mph is required to convert wind energy into electricity.

Ever wanted to be inside a wind turbine?

I feel bad for these people

Home Owners Associations (HOA) can be a good help or a HUGE roadblock from achieving anything. They put a lot of restrictions in everything! I would say this is one of the biggest reasons why Houston is not booming in residential solar energy industry. I came across this article this morning, and just thought i would share.
Please click here:
7 insane home owners association rules

My opinion: I feel bad for the people who live in these highly restricted, freedom lacking communities. If you live in one of these strict HOA regulated communities, don't expect to have solar panels anytime soon on your rooftops.

Solar Highways - A Novel idea

About a month ago, i was having a discussion with my friend about the solar industry and its future. We talked about the prospect of the solar business, and how U.S. is doing compared to the rest of the world. He asked me a question that intrigued me. "What if we had solar panels on all our roads?". This made me think and wanted to do some research. I came across this video about solar roadways. I just thought it was a novel idea. Lets look at this video.



We have one of the best road and highway system in the world. Ever since Eisenhower implemented the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly called the Interstate Highway System, we have had miles and miles of asphalts laid across all over the country. To be exact, as of 2006 we have about 46,876 miles (75,440 km), making it the largest highway system in the world (source). From this video, there are many good points and some vague points that popped out in my mind.

1. Asphalt prices are increasing?  This definitely concerned me, so i decided to do some research. Three facts that popped out immediately from reading about asphalt (source). First point: Asphalt is a by-product of the residue that is left behind after the more desirable components of crude oil and petroleum have been harvested. One of these by-products, bitumen, is sometimes referred to as asphalt oil which is used in the mix. In plain English, it's the stuff left over after gasoline, diesel, and jet fuels are produced. Second point: The most common use of Liquid asphalt is for making asphalt concrete for roads (source). There are plenty of new highway and constructions projects that occur every year. Third point: An old rule of thumb is one ton will cover one square yard (3'x3') at 18 inch depth (source). Checking up on the prices, the price of asphalt has been steadily increasing over the past few years. Here is a sample price index for the state of New York: click here. Keep in mind that the solar panel prices have been steadily decreasing!!!!! One positive fact that i came across: Asphalt road surface is the most widely recycled material in the US, both by gross tonnage and by percentage. According to a report issued by the Federal Highway Administration and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, 80% of the asphalt removed each year from road surfaces during widening and resurfacing projects is reused as part of new roads, roadbeds, shoulders and embankments. But the asphalt prices are still increasing steadily. This is because of the steady increase of oil price. Taking all these factors into account, it makes sense that the asphalt prices have soared. This USAToday article sums it up very well. To see an example asphalt price index, click here (this is for the state of New Jersey). The prices are per ton.
2. Cover the roads with 15% efficient solar panels to meet all our power needs? This might need some detailed research and testing. While this might be true in rural areas where there isn't much traffic on the roads so the solar roads can actually absorb all the sunlight, this will definitely not be feasible in big cities. Common sense, there is constant traffic on the roads during the day while the sun is shining so the roads are constantly covered with vehicles. The only time big cities don't have traffic is at night when there is no sun! 
3. The video doesn't show any type of storing method, maybe, batteries. The lines or those "slow down" signs on the roads need to be illuminated during night time when there is no sun. From the video they used LEDs for the signs. So to get the power to light up these lines during night, the only way they can get it is from batteries. But, I'm sure its being researched and developed, since this video is only about a prototype.
4. I definitely like the fact that we can use recycled materials to make the panels for solar roadways. The fact that we can add organic materials and make them sturdy enough to satisfy all the requirements is amazing.  
5. This project is very much possible since all the technologies to do this particular project already exists and we already know them very well. We know how to develop, manufacture, and use them. Combining them and doing something innovative is something that can revolutionize the way we see things today.

TED Talk about solar roadways

My opinion: Solar roadways is a novel idea. All the technologies already exist to make this happen therefore it is very feasible. I think this idea deserves a trial run and see how it performs. I'm eagerly waiting to see the results after implementing them in real time on a stretch of high way.

You can check out the solar roadways website: click here

Obstacles and moving forward

Houston, being Energy capital of the world, is not as green as we think it is. Why is this? Why is Houston not moving forward with green energy? Austin, being the most (and only) liberal city in Texas, has much better policies and incentives than Houston. Solar panels are being installed everywhere there. More and more roof tops are converting to solar. Why is Houston stubborn about moving forward with solar energy? We get plenty of sunshine don't we? Why hasn't there been a solar revolution in Houston yet? Here are some reasons why I think Houston is shy about going solar....

1. City's policies
• Houston's solar energy policy is still evolving and it is still being developed.
• There are no set regulations and policies to implement solar energy in the city.
• There are plenty (and i mean PLENTY) of utility companies in Houston, but only about 3 of those (Reliant, Centerpoint and Green Mountain) actually does green energy (none of them do solar, but only wind). I know for sure that Reliant and Centerpoint does net metering.
• Unlike Austin Houston does not have friendly laws for green energy.
• Solution: There are many activists groups and awareness groups such as HREG (Houston Renewable Energy Group) who are working hard towards policy change with the city of Houston every single day. We need to create awareness among people and how good solar energy can be. Make the city realize that Houston is the 6th most polluted city in US according to Forbes.
2. HOA (Home Owner's Association)
• I find this to be one of THE BIGGEST road blocks that Houston has encountered and preventing the city to move forward in the green revolution. 
• People are very stubborn and don't want their neighborhood to look any different. I know people who live in a community where they cant even plant flower in their gardens or put up a satellite dish in THEIR roof! How ridiculous is that? Its YOUR house but you cant do what you really want to do.
• Way too many regulations only leads to frustration!
• Unless we open our minds and think about how serious of a problem this is, HOA will always be a huge hurdle with solar energy.
• Solution: Make people realize that adding solar panels increases the value of their house significantly. The HOA needs to understand that according to the DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, the houses with solar panels will SELL TWICE AS FAST than the regular houses. For the original article, Click Here
3. Learning Curve
• One other obstacle that needs to be overcome in the solar energy industry is the learning curve. 
• This isn't your local mechanic shop or a coffee shop where people exactly know what it is and what goes on and how to use these shops.
• Installing solar panels in your house comes with a learning curve, as in, you have to learn a bit about how solar energy works and how its connected to the utility provider or the main grid.
• Solution: Educate people. Enlighten them about solar energy and all the advantages of installing the solar panels. People are willing to listen and willing to learn if we are willing to teach. 
4. Finally, not enough Investors
• I think this is the culmination of the above points. 
• There isn't enough money coming in or investors willing to put their money in solar energy in the city of Houston YET. 
• This is because of the above three hurdles.
• Solution: Change the city's policy on renewable energy, change the HOA regulations, and finally educate people. The city of Houston will automatically ASK for more solar energy!

 This is for people who are STILL skeptical about whether or not your house value goes up. There is a commonly quoted study by ICF Consulting that puts some numbers to this. The study explains that saving $1 a year on energy costs adds $20 to your home’s value. In other words, saving $1,000 per year increases your home’s value by $20,000. Source: Click Here