Solar cells can put power stations in space
The dwindling supplies of fossil fuels that the earth is facing with modernization and increased use of electricity has lead to researchers and scientists looking for alternative sources renewable energy.
These alternative sources of energy have to be competent enough to provide the required energy not only for consumer products but also for use in vehicles and for powering homes and commercial establishments.
One of these sources of energy is solar energy which is found aplenty around us.
Solar Energy. The future source of energy
The concept of harnessing solar energy for the use of production of energy has been around for a long time.
However as this is and was an expensive option for many people, it was rather impractical for people to invest and bank on solar energy for the provision of their energy needs.
However today with the advancements made in technology, solar technology is now being made available at lower costs and with improved efficiency.
With these advancements made in solar technology, pretty soon consumers will be able to buy consumer products that run on solar energy like cell phones, automobiles, computers, office buildings and homes.
The present research that is being done on improving solar products includes the discovery of ‘plastic’ solar cells that has grown very much in popularity.
Solar cells are cheaper with its boost in efficiency
Increased number of vehicles, consumer products and homes all require an increased amount of electricity. However the dwindling supplies of fossil fuels in the world today has made it necessary for scientist and researchers look for alternative sources of energy.
Solar energy is one source of renewable energy that is found aplenty in the environment and is harnessed for the supply of electricity.
However though solar energy is available for free, the installation of a solar energy system requires a sizeable investment, which makes it not feasible for everyone to use and depend on solar energy for their electricity needs.
This is why a group of scientists from UNSW are working on a breakthrough to boost the efficiency of solar cell technology where the price of an installed solar system for a house falls from about $20,000 to $15,000.
Scientists work on converting Solar Energy to Fuel
Solar energy is an efficient source of renewable energy that arises from the sun, and is available aplenty around the world. Solar energy does not cost any money, and neither does it cause any pollution to the atmosphere as no gases are emitted when using it.
This is why solar energy is a preferred source of energy that does not worsen global warming.
Solar energy is presently used in the form of solar cells and panels where solar energy is converted into electrical power to supply power for homes, offices and even for use in consumer products like calculators.
This is why a team of scientists are working on a means of converting solar energy to fuel.
Coal to be used as the base for the next jet fuel
Fueling the many jet planes found in most countries across the world is a great concern, with the depleting sources of available fuel. In addition to this, global warming that is increased with carbon emitted fuels has formed the basis for many researchers and scientists to produce various alternate energy sources.
And with this research, researchers have found out that coal can be used as the renewable source of energy for fueling new generation jet planes.
A group of researchers have produced a thermally stable coal based jet fuel that absorbs significant amounts of heat, while remaining stable at 900 degrees Fahrenheit.
The additional benefit of this newly discovered fuel is that it does not decompose at high temperatures. Fuels that tend to decompose at high temperatures also bring about deposits of carbon that spoils foul valves, nozzles and other engine parts of jet planes.
With this high temperature stability in the fuel, the fuel has been designated jet propulsion 900, or JP900. This fuel is designed for use in new generation, high performance engines found in aircrafts like F35 joint strike fighter and the U.S. Air Forces’ VAATE program. However researchers claim that pretty soon, this fuel can be used in conventional jet engines found in current aircraft.
Portable Solar Energy Power Stations
Solar energy is a form of energy that is environment friendly, available aplenty and is harnessed both at home and in power grids and power stations. It is mainly because the stock of fossil fuels is dwindling day by day that more and more people are turning to alternative sources of energy for their fueling needs.
Many people have already started using solar energy to power their homes and offices with the use of solar cells and solar panels. However these sources of power are generally permanent and cannot be used in other places.
This is why people are considering the implementation of portable solar energy power stations that can be carried around to use solar energy if and when required.
There are many places where portable solar energy can be used like RVs for camping and boats for long fishing trips. Though this may seem like something for the future, today there actually are portable solar energy power stations. These portable solar energy stations generate energy from sunlight where the generators are usually small enough to be easily moved from place to place.
A new way to producing biofuels from algae
It is quite normal to find lots of pond scum at the bottom of ponds. This is a form of algae that is usually removed or let to waste at the bottom of the pond. However some researchers form Utah State University has today found a means of extracting the oil from algae, to be converted into biodiesel fuel.
The USU aims at producing an algae-biodiesel that is cost competitive by the year 2009.
The reason the USU got the idea of using algae to produce biodiesel is that it has the capacity of producing a maximum of 10,000 gallons of oil per acre of land. Moreover, algae or pond scum is grown practically everywhere.
With this discovery, it can be considered that it is the most important scientific challenge of the 21st century. Although there are many options to solve the world’s energy problem today, none of them can be considered to be viable for realistic use on a long term basis.
Basically, a biodiesel is a clean and carbon dioxide neutral fuel that is becoming more and more popular by the day. Today most of biodiesel is produced from soybean and corn oil however with the increase of supply and demand, the price of soybeans and corn also increases.
Plastic Solar Panels are inexpensive and easy to make
The increase in harmful gas emissions in the atmosphere because of the burning of fossil fuels has led to an increase in global warming. This is the reason why scientists and researchers are looking for different sources of energy. One of the most popular options in renewable energy sources is solar energy.
Today the harvesting of energy from solar radiation with the help of solar cells has become an important part of future global energy strategy. However there are challenges on creating cheap and inexpensive means and forms of harnessing solar energy as it is not possible for all consumers to process purified silicon.
This is why researchers at New Jersey Institute of Technology have worked out on developing inexpensive solar cells that can either be painted or printed on flexible plastic sheets. Researchers say that this process is so simple that homeowners of the future will be able to print sheets of these solar cells with the help of inexpensive home based inkjet printers.
Once done, all the consumer has to do to harness solar energy is to slap the finished product on a billboard, roof or wall and thus have their own power station in their reach.
Produce hydrogen from visible light
Power is something that is very much required in all spheres of life; in offices, homes, schools and malls. However the present stock of natural energy the earth has and provides is getting exhausted by the minute. This is the reason researchers and scientists from all over the world are constantly on the lookout for new and the latest sources of renewable energy.
Producing hydrogen from natural gas is a process that has been around for some time. However the process of producing hydrogen from natural gas tends to produce lots of climate changing greenhouse gases. In the process, a nonrenewable resource too is consumed, thus running against the actual intention of the procedure.
This is why a new and more environmentally friendly approach has been found out where hydrogen is produced from water, with the help of the renewable source of energy, sunlight.
Recent studies have shown that researchers have found out that by the fabrication of thin films of self-aligned and vertically oriented titanium iron oxide nanotube arrays tend to show the ability and possibility of splitting water in the presence of natural sunlight.
Introduction to producing wind energy
Wind is a source of energy that has been harnessed for different applications since a long time.
The Chinese and the Babylonians have been famous for using wind power for the pumping of water for irrigation of crops some 4,000 years back.
And in addition to this, sailing boats were harnessing wind power long before that.
It has been recorded that wind power was used in Europe in the Middle Ages for other activities like grinding of corn.
In fact, this is what has been attributed to the start of the term windmill. To understand the concept of wind power, it is better to first understand the science behind wind formation.
With the sun heating the atmosphere unevenly, some patches of land become warmer than others; and this is where warm patches of air rise. With this, other air starts blowing to replace them and start a wind blowing. The energy produced from the wind is used by building a tall tower which has a large propeller on its top.
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