DailyDirt: Building Better Wind Turbines

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

We've mentioned some wind power projects before, but wind is still a relatively small contributor to total energy production in the US. Sure, there are some problems with not having wind available 24/7 -- as well as people complaining about bird deaths and a ruined view. Still, there are some solutions to some of these problems, and it might be nice to generate more electricity without burning fossil fuels.

• The Department of Energy is looking at bigger and better wind turbines to generate more wind energy. Towers over 100 meters tall could increase wind energy supply in the US beyond 5% of the nation's electricity demands. [url]
• GE has an interesting design that improves wind turbine efficiency. A dome shaped attachment allows the blades on the turbine to harness more wind energy -- not by an amazing amount, but any improvement is a good one to make things more cost effective. [url]
• Vortex is a bladeless wind turbine design from a Spanish company that oscillates in resonance with the wind. It doesn't have as many moving parts, so it's cheaper to build -- and doesn't kill birds or bats. If you'd like one, you can get a desktop scale model in its crowdfunding campaign. [url]

After you've finished checking out those links, take a look at our Daily Deals for cool gadgets and other awesome stuff.

Filed Under: crowdfunding, energy, turbines, vortex, wind, wind energy, wind power
Companies: ge, indiegogo, vortex bladeless

DailyDirt: Will Renewable Energy Be Enough To Curb Global Warming?

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

According to the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, scientists are 95% certain that human activities have been responsible for most of the climate change observed on the planet since the 1950s. Apparently, we've already burned 54% of the 1 trillion tons of carbon that would need to be emitted into the atmosphere to increase the average global temperature by 2°C (3.6°F) -- a threshold set by climate negotiators in Copenhagen in 2009 to avoid catastrophic climate change. Unfortunately, even as we try to reduce carbon emissions now, some predict that we'll still surpass the 2°C limit by the end of the century. Will renewable energy be able to curb global warming while also satisfying our energy-hungry ways? Here are some energy-related links.

• Scientists are saying that nuclear power will be necessary to make a significant impact in reducing global warming. While those who oppose nuclear power argue that wind and solar energy can be scaled up to address our energy needs, top climate scientists believe that we need to work on developing safer nuclear power as well. [url]
• If you need another reason to ditch coal in favor of nuclear power, here's one: the coal ash emitted by a power plant is actually more radioactive than nuclear waste. The uranium and thorium naturally present in coal is concentrated in coal ash, such that it puts out 100 times more radiation into the surrounding environment than a nuclear power plant producing the same amount of energy. [url]
• Kyocera is launching a 70-megawatt solar power plant in Japan that will be able to power 22,000 homes. The plant's 290,000 solar panels are set offshore on Kagoshima Bay, occupying an area of about 314 acres.[url]
• A 2-megawatt wind turbine has been set up about 12 miles off the coast of Fukushima, Japan, as part of an effort to turn the quake-ravaged area into a clean energy hub. Two more 7-megawatt wind turbines will be added to the floating offshore installation, with the eventual plan to increase the wind energy capacity to 1,000 megawatts. [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.

Filed Under: climate change, coal, coal ash, energy, ipcc, nuclear, renewable energy, solar, wind

DailyDirt: Placing Bets On Alternative Energy Technologies...

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

As oil prices fluctuate, so do the opinions of what to do about shifting away from fossil fuels. Gas prices seem to be going up, and that has boosted the calls for investment in alternative energy projects. Unfortunately, there's no clearly superior technology that's poised to take over. But there are plenty of opinions being thrown around -- here are just a few.

• Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to put huge solar power plants in the Mojave Desert to help reduce America's dependence on oil. But isn't there a nuclear battery in his chest (from a Skynet-dominated future...) that we can reverse engineer? [url]
• Critics of wind and wave energy say that the environmental impact of these sources could be harmful -- if they were actually used to produce significant amounts of energy. Ah, the good old truckload of vegetables tactic arises, again. [url]
• Bill Gates says nuclear power is the best energy solution -- and that other alternative energy technologies are merely cute. Bill Gates is right, though, nuclear power is definitely not cute. [url]
• To discover more stuff on alternative energy, check out what's currently floating around the StumbleUpon universe. [url]  

As always, StumbleUpon can also recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.

Filed Under: nuclear, oil, solar, truckload of vegetables, wave, wind

DailyDirt: Wind & Water Power

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

It's generally a worthwhile goal to diversify -- putting all your eggs in one basket is almost asking for trouble. So it's nice to see folks working on different ways to generate electricity that don't involve burning fossil fuels or dealing with the hassle of radioactive materials (not that there's anything wrong with that). There are a bunch of really interesting wind power and hydro power projects going on, but some can scale better than others. And some of these projects just look cool.

• A Michigan artist is testing out a hydro-powered generator that's modeled after a basking shark's mouth. This generator mimics the shark's mouth to help extract energy more efficiently... technically "infringing" on nature for this patent-pending design. [url]
• Arrays of piezoelectric cells could harness wind/water energy without using a turbine. Capturing vibrational energy, it's silent and doesn't kill birds/bats. And maybe analogous technology could be put on fault lines to get some electricity out of earthquakes.... [url]
• Deepwater Wind has a $4-5 Billion plan to put a wind farm about 20 miles off the coast of Massachusetts. Its electricity would cost about twice that from a fossil-fuel power plant, but about half that of photovoltaic solar. Maybe someday, electricity branded "CO2-free" will be worth the premium? [url]
• Underwater turbines could generate power without building a dam along the Mississippi River. As with all hydro-electric projects, though, there are still concerns about how turbines might affect wildlife and shipping regulations. [url]
• To discover more stuff on alternative energy, check out what's currently floating around the StumbleUpon universe. [url]  

As always, StumbleUpon can also recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.

Filed Under: energy, hydroelectric, piezoelectric, shark, turbines, wind
Companies: deepwater wind