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Solar energy that doesn’t block the view

August 22, 2014 in Environment, EV News, Greentech, Solar

Solar power with a view: MSU doctoral student Yimu Zhao holds up a transparent luminescent solar concentrator module. Photo by Yimu Zhao.  Courtesy of MSU

Solar power with a view: MSU doctoral student Yimu Zhao holds up a transparent luminescent solar concentrator module. Photo by Yimu Zhao.
Courtesy of MSU

By Michigan State University

A team of researchers at Michigan State University has developed a new type of solar concentrator that when placed over a window creates solar energy while allowing people to actually see through the window.

It is called a transparent luminescent solar concentrator and can be used on buildings, cell phones and any other device that has a clear surface.

And, according to Richard Lunt of MSU’s College of Engineering, the key word is “transparent.”

Research in the production of energy from solar cells placed around luminescent plastic-like materials is not new. These past efforts, however, have yielded poor results – the energy production was inefficient and the materials were highly colored.

“No one wants to sit behind colored glass,” said Lunt, an assistant professor of chemical engineering and materials science. “It makes for a very colorful environment, like working in a disco. We take an approach where we actually make the luminescent active layer itself transparent.”

The solar harvesting system uses small organic molecules developed by Lunt and his team to absorb specific nonvisible wavelengths of sunlight.

“We can tune these materials to pick up just the ultraviolet and the near infrared wavelengths that then ‘glow’ at another wavelength in the infrared,” he said.

The “glowing” infrared light is guided to the edge of the plastic where it is converted to electricity by thin strips of photovoltaic solar cells.

“Because the materials do not absorb or emit light in the visible spectrum, they look exceptionally transparent to the human eye,” Lunt said.

One of the benefits of this new development is its flexibility. While the technology is at an early stage, it has the potential to be scaled to commercial or industrial applications with an affordable cost.

“It opens a lot of area to deploy solar energy in a non-intrusive way,” Lunt said. “It can be used on tall buildings with lots of windows or any kind of mobile device that demands high aesthetic quality like a phone or e-reader. Ultimately we want to make solar harvesting surfaces that you do not even know are there.”

Lunt said more work is needed in order to improve its energy-producing efficiency. Currently it is able to produce a solar conversion efficiency close to 1 percent, but noted they aim to reach efficiencies beyond 5 percent when fully optimized. The best colored LSC has an efficiency of around 7 percent.

The research was featured on the cover of a recent issue of the journal Advanced Optical Materials.

Other members of the research team include Yimu Zhao, an MSU doctoral student in chemical engineering and materials science; Benjamin Levine, assistant professor of chemistry; and Garrett Meek, doctoral student in chemistry.

Yimu Zhao, a doctoral student in chemical engineering and materials science, and Richard Lunt, assistant professor of chemical engineering and materials science, run a test in Lunt’s lab. Lunt and his team have developed a new material that can be placed over windows and create solar energy. Photo by G.L. Kohuth. Courtesy of MSU

Yimu Zhao, a doctoral student in chemical engineering and materials science, and Richard Lunt, assistant professor of chemical engineering and materials science, run a test in Lunt’s lab. Lunt and his team have developed a new material that can be placed over windows and create solar energy. Photo by G.L. Kohuth.
Courtesy of MSU

This article is a repost (8-19-14), credit: Michigan State University.

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ABB launches world´s most powerful underground and subsea power transmission cable system

August 21, 2014 in Environment, EV News, Greentech, Solar, Wind

525 kV voltage sets world record for extruded HVDC cable technology, doubling power flow and extending range to enable greater integration of distant renewables and interconnections

Zurich, Switzerland – ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has announced a breakthrough in cable technology. It has successfully developed and tested a 525 kilovolt (kV) extruded high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable system to make renewable energy installations more efficient and cost-effective.

2014-06-09. KARLSKRONA. Kabel-test, ABB Karlskrona. Foto: Gustav MŒrtensson Courtesy of ABB

2014-06-09. KARLSKRONA.
Kabel-test, ABB Karlskrona.
Foto: Gustav MŒrtensson
Courtesy of ABB

This latest innovation will more than double the power capacity to about 2,600 megawatts (MW) from 1,000 MW. It will also expand the cable’s reach to distances of 1,500 kilometers, up from less than 1,000 kilometers, while keeping transmission losses under 5 percent.

The new cable offers a 64 percent increase over 320 kV, currently the highest voltage deployed for this type of technology. The 525kV cable system can be deployed in subsea and underground applications, making it ideal for efficient power delivery through densely populated or environmentally sensitive areas or coastal and open-sea applications.

“This major technology breakthrough will change the feasibility of renewable energy projects and play a defining role in using underground and subsea high voltage cables to integrate renewables over long distances,” said Ulrich Spiesshofer, CEO of ABB.

By enabling more power over greater distances with reduced losses, ABB’s new 525 kV cable technology offers solutions for countries and utilities seeking to enable their electricity transmission systems to integrate more renewable energy being generated by distant solar and wind installations. A single pair of 525 kV extruded HVDC cables could for example transmit enough power from giant offshore wind farms in to supply two million households.

The new technology offers savings in capital and operational expenses. It also supports the development of DC grids where ABB removed a key technology hurdle with the development of the hybrid HVDC breaker.

The innovative cable system consists of cables, utilizing a new DC cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) insulation material developed with Borealis, a recognized industry leader, as well as termination and joints manufactured by ABB.

2014-06-09. KARLSKRONA. Kabel-test, ABB Karlskrona. Foto: Gustav MŒrtensson Courtesy of ABB

2014-06-09. KARLSKRONA.
Kabel-test, ABB Karlskrona.
Foto: Gustav MŒrtensson
Courtesy of ABB

HVDC cable links are essential components of future sustainable energy systems that will need to transmit vast amounts of electricity over long distances, often across or between countries. ABB is a global leader in high-voltage cable systems with a worldwide installed base across applications including city center infeeds, oil and gas platform power supplies, subsea interconnections and the integration of renewables. ABB has commissioned more than 25 DC cable connections and almost 100 AC cable links around the world.

ABB will present the 525kV extruded HVDC cable system at the Cigré technology symposium in Paris, from August 25-29, 2014.

ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 145,000 people.

This article is a repost, credit: ABB. Video courtesy of ABB.

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Kansas City Chiefs Focus on Solar Energy Solutions

August 21, 2014 in Environment, EV News, Greentech, Solar

The Chiefs and KCP&L join together through sustainability partnership

Photo courtesy of Kansas City Chiefs

Photo courtesy of Kansas City Chiefs

By Rachel Santschi, Chiefs Reporter

On Tuesday, the Chiefs announced a sustainability partnership with Kansas City Power & Light, which falls in line with the Chiefs efforts to be more efficient and continuing their goal of going green.

Over the past month, there have been 308 solar panels installed at The University of Kansas Hospital Training Complex and Arrowhead Stadium. Those solar panels are enough to power eight houses for a year and it can help offset 66 metric tons of carbon dioxide from the air every year.

“We’re really excited to partner with the Chiefs,” Chuck Caisley, KCP&L Vice President of Marketing and Public Affairs, said. “The Chiefs are taking a great step into the area of sustainability with some of the things they are already doing and this will help take it to the next level. This will help increase the amount of renewable energy and reduce their overall energy footprint.”

This partnership falls in the line with the Chiefs “Extra Yard for the Environment” program, which is designed to devise and implement green policies for the Chiefs while raising awareness for green efforts at Arrowhead Stadium, The University of Kansas Hospital Training Complex, and for fans at home.

“Becoming a more environmentally-conscious organization has been and continues to be a long-term goal for us,” Chiefs President Mark Donovan commented. “We want to be a positive example for recycling and sustainability efforts in the community. We operate a large stadium that uses a lot of energy, we wanted to find a way to do that better, make a positive impact in the community and be more efficient.”

There are 82 solar panels on top of the west end of the Scout Investments Club Level at Arrowhead Stadium, 108 on top of The University of Kansas Hospital Training Complex and 108 on the grounds surrounding the club’s practice facility.

“KCP&L is excited to join the Kansas City Chiefs on this renewable energy and community-focused partnership,” KCP&L President and CEO, Terry Bassham noted. “We are familiar with sustainability initiatives that the Chiefs have been working on and are proud to join forces with our hometown team in order to take their efforts to the next level to benefit their fans and our customers.”

KCP&L and the Chiefs will also offer education information through the first-ever KCP&L Community MVP Program and other Chiefs-related community appearances.

Photo courtesy of Kansas City Chiefs

Photo courtesy of Kansas City Chiefs

This article is a repost, credit: Kansas City Chiefs (taken from KCChiefs.com).

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Energy Department Reports Highlight Strength of U.S. Wind Energy Industry

August 18, 2014 in Environment, EV News, Greentech, Politics, Wind

Photo courtesy of Vestas Wind Systems A/S. Caption courtesy of DOE

Photo courtesy of Vestas Wind Systems A/S.
Caption courtesy of DOE

Washington, D.C. — The U.S. continues to be a global leader in wind energy, ranking second in installed capacity in the world, according to two reports released today by the Department of Energy. Wind power is a key component of the nation’s all-of-the-above strategy to reduce carbon pollution, diversify our energy economy, and bring innovative technologies on line. With increasing wind energy generation and decreasing prices of wind energy technologies, the U.S. wind energy market remains strong and the U.S. is moving closer to doubling renewable electricity generation from energy resources like wind power yet again by 2020.

“As a readily expandable, domestic source of clean, renewable energy, wind power is paving the way to a low-carbon future that protects our air and water while providing affordable, renewable electricity to American families and businesses,” said Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. “However, the continued success of the U.S. wind industry highlights the importance of policies like the Production Tax Credit that provide a solid framework for America to lead the world in clean energy innovation while also keeping wind manufacturing and jobs in the U.S.”

Wind Technologies Market Report

After modest growth in 2013, total installed wind power capacity in the United States now stands at 61 gigawatts (GW), which meets nearly 4.5 percent of electricity demand in an average year, according to the 2013 Wind Technologies Market Report, released today by the Energy Department and its Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The report also found that wind energy prices – particularly in the Interior region of the United States–are at an all-time low, with utilities selecting wind as a cost-saving option.

With utility-scale turbines installed in more than 39 states and territories, the success of the U.S. wind industry has had a ripple effect on the American economy, spurring more than $500 million in exports and supporting jobs related to development, siting, manufacturing, transportation and other industries.

Distributed Wind Market Report

In total, U.S. turbines in distributed applications, which accounted for more than 80 percent of all wind turbines installed in the U.S. last year, reached a cumulative installed capacity of more than 842 MW–enough to power 120,000 average American homes–according to the 2013 Distributed Wind Market Report, also released today by the Energy Department and its Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. This capacity is supplied by roughly 72,000 turbines across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In fact, a total of 14 states, including Iowa, Nevada and California, among others, now each have more than 10 MW of distributed wind capacity.

Compared to traditional, centralized power plants, distributed wind energy installations supply power directly to the local grid near homes, farms, businesses and communities. Turbines used in these applications can range in size from a few hundred watts to multi-megawatts, and can help power remote, off-grid homes and farms as well as local schools and manufacturing facilities.

For more information on these two new reports – including infographics, video and updated interactive map – visit www.energy.gov/windreport. Join us Tuesday, August 19, to discuss key findings from the reports on a live Twitter chat about wind energy in America.

Graphic courtesy of DOE

Graphic courtesy of DOE

This article is a repost, credit: Energy Department.

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ABB to provide UK grid connection for Europe’s largest tidal energy project

August 18, 2014 in Environment, EV News, Greentech, Ocean / Tidal Energy

MeyGen tidal stream project in Scotland’s Pentland Firth will rely on ABB technology to feed renewable energy into onshore distribution grid

Photo courtesy of ABB

Photo courtesy of ABB

Zurich, Switzerland – ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has been awarded a contract by Atlantis Resources Limited to provide the onshore grid connection for Phase I of the MeyGen tidal stream project in Scotland’s Pentland Firth.

The MeyGen tidal stream project is at the forefront of world marine energy development and will harvest the tidal resources of one of the most energetic maritime sites in Europe, the strait connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the North Sea between the Orkney Islands and the Scottish mainland.

The first 6 megawatt (MW) demonstration phase of the UK’s first large-scale tidal array scheme will see four submerged turbines installed in the Inner Pentland Firth just north of Caithness, with first power expected to be delivered by 2016.

ABB is responsible for the onshore power conversion and grid connection systems to feed the electricity safely and reliably into the local distribution grid. ABB’s project scope includes design, engineering, supply and commissioning of the power conversion, switchgear and transformer solution as well as associated civil engineering and cabling works. Major product supplies include transformers, medium voltage switchgear and power converters.

“We are pleased to facilitate this innovative project and tap the potential of marine energy“ said Claudio Facchin, Head of ABB’s Power Systems division. “It reaffirms the faith our customers have in ABB’s technology and proven capability to deliver safe, reliable and efficient grid connections which play a key role in integrating renewables, that are making an increasing contribution to the energy mix.”

Studies including those by engineers from the University of Edinburgh and University of Oxford indicate the Pentland Firth’s tidal stream has vast energy potential, with ocean currents estimated at 5 meters (about 11 feet) per second, among the fastest in the British Isles.

“Forming partnerships with the leading players in the energy sector is key to delivering commercial-scale tidal power projects that allow us to harness the untapped potential of global tidal resources. ABB has clearly demonstrated exceptional expertise in this area and we are confident they will deliver the highest quality results. We look forward to working with the team at ABB to ensure the success of the MeyGen project” says Tim Cornelius, Chief Executive Officer, Atlantis Resources Ltd.

The initial phase of the MeyGen development has the potential to generate up to 86 MW of electricity, enough power for around 42,000 homes, potentially catering to the needs of almost 40 percent of households in the Scottish Highlands.

Within the next ten years, MeyGen intends to deploy up to 398 MW of offshore tidal stream turbines in the Pentland Firth to supply clean and renewable electricity to the UK National Grid.

ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 145,000 people.

This article is a repost, credit: ABB.

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Solar Power, Origami-Style, By Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA)

August 18, 2014 in Environment, EV News, Greentech, Solar

Shannon Zirbel, a Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, unfolds a solar panel array that was designed using the principles of origami. She worked on this project with Brian Trease at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. Image copyright BYU Photo  Courtesy of NASA

Shannon Zirbel, a Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, unfolds a solar panel array that was designed using the principles of origami. She worked on this project with Brian Trease at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. Image copyright BYU Photo
Courtesy of NASA

As a high school student at a study program in Japan, Brian Trease would fold wrappers from fast-food cheeseburgers into cranes. He loved discovering different origami techniques in library books.

Brian Trease, a researcher at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, holds a prototype of a solar panel array that folds up in the style of origami. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Courtesy of NASA

Brian Trease, a researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, holds a prototype of a solar panel array that folds up in the style of origami. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Courtesy of NASA

Today, Trease, a mechanical engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, thinks about how the principles of origami could be used for space-bound devices.

“This is a unique crossover of art and culture and technology,” he said.

Trease partnered with researchers at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, to pursue the idea that spacecraft components could be built effectively by implementing origami folds. Shannon Zirbel, a doctoral student at BYU, spent two summers at JPL working on these ideas, supported by the NASA Technology Research Fellowship, with Trease as her research collaborator.

Researchers say origami could be useful one day in utilizing space solar power for Earth-based purposes. Imagine an orbiting power plant that wirelessly beams power down to Earth using microwaves. Sending the solar arrays up to space would be easy, Trease said, because they could all be folded and packed into a single rocket launch, with “no astronaut assembly required.”

Panels used in space missions already incorporate simple folds, collapsing like a fan or an accordion. But Trease and colleagues are interested in using more intricate folds that simplify the overall mechanical structure and make for easier deployment.

Researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, and Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, collaborated to construct a prototype of a solar panel array that folds up in the style of origami, to make for easier deployment. Image copyright BYU Photo Courtesy of NASA

Researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, and Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, collaborated to construct a prototype of a solar panel array that folds up in the style of origami, to make for easier deployment. Image copyright BYU Photo
Courtesy of NASA

Last year, Zirbel and Trease collaborated with origami expert Robert Lang and BYU professor Larry Howell to develop a solar array that folds up to be 8.9 feet (2.7 meters) in diameter. Unfold it, and you’ve got a structure 82 feet (25 meters) across. Their 1/20th-scale tabletop prototype expands to a deployed diameter of 4.1 feet (1.25 meters).

One technique that has been used for an origami-inspired solar array is called a Miura fold. This well-known origami fold was invented by Japanese astrophysicist Koryo Miura. When you open the structure, it appears to be divided evenly into a checkerboard of parallelograms.

With this particular fold, there’s only one way to open or close it: Pull on one corner and — voila — the whole thing is open with minimal effort. The mechanical structure of a device that folds this way is greatly simplified because only one input is required to deploy it.

Miura intended this fold for solar arrays, and in 1995 a solar panel with this design was unfolded on the Space Flyer Unit, a Japanese satellite. Despite this test, the technology is still in its early stages. But now, with an emphasis on small satellites and large structures, Trease says arrays inspired by this fold could see renewed usefulness.

“The fact that we’re going both bigger and smaller may open up domains where it may be relevant again,” Trease said.

The fold that Trease and colleagues used is not a Miura fold, but rather a combination of different folds. Trease’s prototype looks like a blooming flower that expands into a large flat circular surface.

Trease envisions that foldable solar arrays could be used in conjunction with small satellites called CubeSats. And he says the origami concept could be used in antennas as well. It could be especially appropriate for spacecraft applications where it’s beneficial to deploy an object radially — that is, from the center, outward in all directions.

Origami was originally intended for folding paper, which has almost no thickness, so Trease and colleagues had to be creative when working with the bulkier materials needed for solar panels.

“You have to rethink a lot of that design in order to accommodate the thickness that starts to accumulate with each bend,” he said.

Origami has been the subject of serious mathematical analysis only within the last 40 years, Trease said. There is growing interest in integrating the concepts of origami with modern technologies.

“You think of it as ancient art, but people are still inventing new things, enabled by mathematical tools,” Trease said.

A short video clip of the origami-inspired prototype is online at: https://vimeo.com/103446030.

This article is a repost (8-14-14), credit: NASA

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Recycling old batteries into solar cells

August 17, 2014 in Environment, EV News, Greentech, Pollution, Solar

Proposal could divert a dangerous waste stream while producing low-cost photovoltaics.

"The lead from a single car battery could produce enough solar panels to provide power for 30 households." -  David L. Chandler, MIT  Illustration: Christine Daniloff / MIT Courtesy of MIT

“The lead from a single car battery could produce enough solar panels to provide power for 30 households.” –
David L. Chandler, MIT
Illustration: Christine Daniloff / MIT
Courtesy of MIT

By David L. Chandler, MIT 

This could be a classic win-win solution: A system proposed by researchers at MIT recycles materials from discarded car batteries — a potential source of lead pollution — into new, long-lasting solar panels that provide emissions-free power.

The system is described in a paper in the journal Energy and Environmental Science, co-authored by professors Angela M. Belcher and Paula T. Hammond, graduate student Po-Yen Chen, and three others. It is based on a recent development in solar cells that makes use of a compound called perovskite — specifically, organolead halide perovskite — a technology that has rapidly progressed from initial experiments to a point where its efficiency is nearly competitive with that of other types of solar cells.

“It went from initial demonstrations to good efficiency in less than two years,” says Belcher, the W.M. Keck Professor of Energy at MIT. Already, perovskite-based photovoltaic cells have achieved power-conversion efficiency of more than 19 percent, which is close to that of many commercial silicon-based solar cells.

Initial descriptions of the perovskite technology identified its use of lead, whose production from raw ores can produce toxic residues, as a drawback. But by using recycled lead from old car batteries, the manufacturing process can instead be used to divert toxic material from landfills and reuse it in photovoltaic panels that could go on producing power for decades.

Amazingly, because the perovskite photovoltaic material takes the form of a thin film just half a micrometer thick, the team’s analysis shows that the lead from a single car battery could produce enough solar panels to provide power for 30 households.

As an added advantage, the production of perovskite solar cells is a relatively simple and benign process. “It has the advantage of being a low-temperature process, and the number of steps is reduced” compared with the manufacture of conventional solar cells, Belcher says.

Those factors will help to make it “easy to get to large scale cheaply,” Chen adds.

Battery pileup ahead

One motivation for using the lead in old car batteries is that battery technology is undergoing rapid change, with new, more efficient types, such as lithium-ion batteries, swiftly taking over the market. “Once the battery technology evolves, over 200 million lead-acid batteries will potentially be retired in the United States, and that could cause a lot of environmental issues,” Belcher says.

Today, she says, 90 percent of the lead recovered from the recycling of old batteries is used to produce new batteries, but over time the market for new lead-acid batteries is likely to decline, potentially leaving a large stockpile of lead with no obvious application.

In a finished solar panel, the lead-containing layer would be fully encapsulated by other materials, as many solar panels are today, limiting the risk of lead contamination of the environment. When the panels are eventually retired, the lead can simply be recycled into new solar panels.

“The process to encapsulate them will be the same as for polymer cells today,” Chen says. “That technology can be easily translated.”

“It is important that we consider the life cycles of the materials in large-scale energy systems,” Hammond says. “And here we believe the sheer simplicity of the approach bodes well for its commercial implementation.”

Old lead is as good as new

Belcher believes that the recycled perovskite solar cells will be embraced by other photovoltaics researchers, who can now fine-tune the technology for maximum efficiency. The team’s work clearly demonstrates that lead recovered from old batteries is just as good for the production of perovskite solar cells as freshly produced metal.

Some companies are already gearing up for commercial production of perovskite photovoltaic panels, which could otherwise require new sources of lead. Since this could expose miners and smelters to toxic fumes, the introduction of recycling instead could provide immediate benefits, the team says.

Yang Yang, a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of California at Los Angeles who was not involved in this research, says, “Wow, what an interesting paper, that turns the waste of one system into a valuable resource for another! I think the work demonstrated here … can resolve a major issue of industrial waste, and provide a solution for future renewable energy.”

The work, which also included research scientist Jifa Qi, graduate student Matthew Klug and postdoc Xiangnan Dang, was supported by Italian energy company Eni through the MIT Energy Initiative.

This article is a repost, credit: MIT.