Friday, August 1, 2008
Pelamis Ocean Wave Energy Generation; Can We Do Better?
There is a new alternative energy company, which has designed a huge ocean wave hydroelectric machine. But it is nothing like any normal hydroelectric generation machine where water goes thru a pipe with a paddle connected to a shaft. The Pelamis is a large three-piece unit with each peace the size of football fields, which are hinged in threes and as the wave travels over system moving the Pelamis components up and down generating energy.
There are four US states considering implementing this system about four or five miles offshore. Another rather large project of the system is being used in Portugal. I propose that we redesign this unit to be even more efficient. I propose that we make the top of each plane with beveled channels which would allow vortex water flows to stream through and thus allowing the planes to move up very quickly in a thrusting fashion. Further I propose these units be built with strakes prior to the water hitting the system or moving along these beveled channels and in doing so we would be creating swirls of water above pulling the system up ward along with some ionic bonding propulsion techniques using charges on a foiled coating.
Additionally I propose the Pelamis system be built with one piece polymer muscle snakes inside, which when they move the system they cause friction creation inside creating energy and also would propel the natural motion of the waves based on their normal length with more energy. Similarly perhaps we need to look at such concepts and take it one step further by creating natural motion ship hull designs, which would assist ships with its power to improve efficiency. Think on all this, as there is always power in the motion of the ocean.
Chemical Energy - Why We Use It More Than Any Other Form of Energy
Of all the forms of energy that humanity has developed in the past few hundred years of mass production, chemical energy is by far the most commonly used. Whether in the batteries that power all of our handheld devices and their chemical reactions or in the millions of uses we’ve developed for fossil fuels and their numerous chemical reactions, chemical energy is a staple of our daily lives. Coal is burned for energy throughout the world, gasoline combusts every day in our vehicles, and natural gasses are burned for heating energy every night.
It’s on a very basic level that chemical energy is stored. A chemical compound is composed of very simple collections of atoms, bound together. When the bond between these atoms loosens, a chemical reaction takes place and new combinations are created. Very simple reactions, such as the oxidation of metals occur almost constantly.
However, when a chemical reaction occurs that is exothermic, in which energy is actually released and the chemical compound is reduced, it is possible to harvest that energy for our everyday use. The very simple processes that we observe every day, such as the warming of the ground when the sun beats down on it, are the same basic concepts that apply to these chemical reactions. For humanity to fully harness this chemical energy though, it’s necessary to understand just what happens and how we can make it happen.
Chemical energy is stored in every bond between atoms in a molecule. If a molecule is broken down and reformed into new molecules, energy is released. This kind of reaction is present in every chemical compound we see; however it is the yield of energy that differs. Food, for example, is chemically broken down by our bodies and taken apart to obtain energy within our bodies. After the energy is removed from the food, the new molecules are separated, energy absorbed for our everyday use, and waste removed.
Another example of a simple chemical reaction used to obtain energy, is in the photosynthetic process a plant undertakes to garner energy from the sun. So much energy is present in the light of the sun that a plant is able to take it and apply to existing molecules in its own structure and create new ones with the presence of carbon dioxide and water.
Chemical energy is the easiest and most efficient energy source to store and utilize, if only because it is so readily available, found in nearly everything we use. Chemical energy, as used by our bodies has been the source of life for billions of years and the developments in chemical energy technology has led to long lasting rechargeable batteries and hopefully in renewable energy resources in the future.
The Future Of Geothermal Energy
The extraction and use of geothermal energy was once associated with projects on an industrial scale, but over the last few years, geothermal energy has begun a significant shift to the commercial and residential markets.
Geothermal power plants were the basis of geothermal technology, harnessing energy from deep within the earth's crust, on a very efficient scale.
Nowadays, geothermal energy is extracted in different ways, and an ever growing popular method of this is through the use of a geothermal heating, or hot water system.
Around the world (especially in countries such as Iceland, Norway, and Sweden), geothermal energy for the home is becoming a very popular method of providing very cheap, environmentally friendly hot water, through the use of geothermal piping systems linked to energy efficient boilers.
The idea of these geothermal boilers, is that they run pipes for hundreds of meters under an area of land (this could be your garden), which are then pumped with cold water from end, and by the time the water has reached the end of the pipes, it is significantly warmer than the start temperature. This enables your geothermal boiler to use less energy when heating this water, as it is already close to the temperature you require.
The savings (just like the idea of installing double glazing), and many new builds are installing this type of renewable energy technology.
The same method of this geothermal energy is increasingly used in homes and businesses through the form of underfloor heating. This heats your home to a certain degree and can help reduce on heating bills.
Not only do you save on your average heating or electricity bill, you know you are doing something for the environment.
The land you sit on contains allot more heat than you may think, so why not consider looking into this natural energy, and see if a geothermal system could work for you.
Solar Energy Use In Home Design
‘The sun is a constant source of energy. Everyday it provides us with 5000 times as much energy as the whole world needs.’ (Unknown)
In the 1950s and '60s efficient energy use was often neglected in constructing buildings and houses, but the high energy prices of the 1970s changed that. Some buildings built in the 80’s use only about 20% of the energy used in buildings constructed just ten years earlier. Techniques to save energy include designing and siting buildings to use passive solar heat, avoiding overlighting, and using better insulation. A “life-cycle” approach, which takes into account the total costs over the entire life of the building, rather than simply the initial construction cost or sales price, is encouraging greater efficiency.
SOLAR ENERGY IN SOUTH AFRICA
Climate
South Africa is one of the areas in the world with the highest count of sunny days per year in the world therefore making it also one of the most appropriate places in the world to use solar power energy should that be the only reason for using them.
A photovoltaic sell uses the sun’s light to create an electric current and not the heat of the sun as is commonly thought. A photovoltaic sell actually decreases in efficiency when the sell is heated extremely because of the resistance building up in the material. Because of the above fact, one can see that these photovoltaic panels is actually less efficient in very warm climates. South Africa, in summertime, can be extremely hot and could cause a photovoltaic panel on certain summer days to work less efficient although not as significantly as 25% less efficient as it is said can be lost in desert-type climates.
Cost efficiency & economy
Eskom South Africa provides our country with some of the cheapest conventional unsustainable electricity costs in the world, and that is the main reason for solar energy technology not taking off in South Africa. Although a number of solar thermal panels is in operation, even in residential buildings in the country, photovoltaic panels was up to date just not cost effective enough to justify the money saved using conventional electricity for manufacturers making them available on a large scale. Because of the uncommonness and unavailability of these panels the prices of theses panels has not significantly decreased in South Africa as it has in other more technologically advanced and environmentally aware
countries.
Also, because the electricity has been so inexpensive in SA, the cost of paying off a solar electricity system that provides the same amount (or sufficient amount) of electricity as a conventional system, will take an extremely long time to pay off with the money saved without using conventional electricity, and most home owners in South Africa doesn’t stay long enough in one home to justify the cost saving.
Another factor is that the technology is becoming more advanced day by day, and one might purchase a system today which will reach the end of it’s life before the system has paid for itself with money saved from not using conventional electricity is over.
Sustainability & the environment
Eskom might well be one of the cheapest electricity providers in the world, but it is also a fact that eskom releases some of the most pollution in the atmosphere by burning coal to generate electricity. Although air pollution doesn’t seem to be that big a problem here than in other countries where acid rain etc. is huge concerns for the community, it would be wise to sooner rather than later start to concentrate on the environment in South Africa and that is when solar power could start playing a big role as an energy provider.
Appropriate for us?
Solar panels can be used very effectively and appropriately in the remote areas around the country because the cost of connecting to the conventional power grid by laying cables might be even more expensive and once a solar PV system is installed one does not need any tools or technicians to maintain a PV panel regularly.
There are a number of places in our environment where solar power could be (and are already) used very effectively for example water pumps to dams in nature reserves. PV panels have also been used to power electric fencing in game reserves very successfully for interruptions in electricity is eliminated and big mammals like elephants has no chance of breaking through a fence as could be the case in an normal power interruption.
In conclusion, the use of solar power in South Africa isn’t that far fetched when one look at the very appropriate weather conditions and the need to look at a more sustainable and renewable energy source for the future.
Learn About Renewable Energy As A Domestic Energy Assessor
The United States Department of Energy has devoted itself to the cause of renewable energy promotion with its creation of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden Colorado.
This renewable energy program facility offers programs in a wide variety of renewable energy topics which span the various green energy resources such as wind, water, sun, biomass and even nuclear. NREL also conducts ongoing research and development in the areas of energy efficiency and renewable energy. Each area of research is further enhanced by functions that cut across the various programs and reach out to industries for partnerships. These collaborations on renewable energy could include the transfer of technology, energy analysis and the integration of the various programs of each collaborator.
The 12 program areas of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory are wind and hydropower technology intergovernmental projects on weatherization the technology of solar energy industrial energy efficient technology the technology of fuel cells, hydrogen and building infrastructures geothermal technology the technology of vehicles and the Freedom Car energy management by the U.S. federal government energy-efficient building systems biomass and analytic studies. Each of these NREL programs is conducted by technology management experts whose capabilities and expertise span the programs wide renewable energy technology range.
The Analytic Studies Program at NREL studies a wide variety of renewable energy analysis to support the programs and initiatives in place at the Lab. It also works with the Department of Educations Office for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy EERE as well as the energy analysis community at large. The labs Office of Energy Analysis integrates this analysis and supports its functions and the functions of the various research programs and centres of technology throughout the NREL.
Those who study renewable energy analysis do so in five major interest areas. They look at the technologies involved in renewable energy, the benefits of the initiatives, and the markets for renewable energy, the policies that affect its implementation and embracement, and the analysis of the various programs. Many research programs are covered that include assessments of life cycles, vehicular systems, Web-based applications to assess renewable energy possibilities and programs. The aim of this analysis is to understand how technology, policy, markets and the various software applications can interactive to the success of expansive and continuing renewable energy programs.
The study of biomass is an important ingredient in the renewable energy implementation. Biomass offers a terrific opportunity to make use of sustainable as well as domestic resources for the production of power and fuel and the meeting of chemical needs through plants and t he material derived from them. Biomass starts with grasses, trees, biological material and agriculture. These can be used as renewable energy, either solid or through conversion to liquid or gas. These can produce electricity, chemicals, fuel or heat.
An important part of this NREL program is the development of energy-efficient and cost effective biomass technology that will reduce the U.S. dependence on oil from foreign countries, while it grows rural economies in our own country and improves the quality of our air.
Energy Conservation Technology Lowers Hot Water Costs in Apartments and Hotels
In 2004, the first circulation pumps that turn on only when there is a demand were introduced to the multi-family and hospitality industry. These circulation pumps are known as on demand pumps reduce energy required to provide domestic hot water by 30% or more.
Household uses such as showering, cooking or washing clothes in apartments, condominiums, hotels and motels requires a great deal of natural gas, propane, electricity or heating oil. Large boilers or commercial heaters are placed at one central location in a building and the commodity is provided to residents or guests by pumping it through circulation pipes (also known as circulation lines or loop).
Recent studies have shown that people only create a demand about 15% to 20% of the time. Circulation pipes are hot 24 hours a day, seven days a week - even when there is no demand. When the pipes are hot they are continually losing their energy to the ambient environment.
As much as 50% of the energy required to heat water to an acceptable level in a central heating system is lost in the circulation loop.
The answer is to turn the circulation pump off when there is no demand. One solution is to use a timer that turns the pump off at preset times. Unfortunately this requires someone to guess when there will be a demand (this strategy may work in a small apartment or condominium complex but would leave hotel and motel guests less than satisfied).
A better solution is to monitor usage and only turn the pump on when there is a demand. Of course turning off the pump defeats the purpose of having the circulation line in the building in the first place, providing service in a timely manner.
An on demand pump solves this problem because it replaces the existing low speed pump (typically 2 to 7 gpm) and operates at a higher speed (20 to 26 gpm). As soon as a demand is detected by a flow sensor installed in the make-up line (when a faucet is turned on hot water leaves the system and must be made up by the providing utility) the high speed pump rushes hot water through the circulation pipe in a matter of a few seconds.
In tests performed by the California Energy Commission in 2006 on demand pumps reduced energy consumption by an average of 37% in the buildings tested.