For a class project (PV Design, Appalachian State, Dr. Dennis Scanlin) I decided to try making a low cost PV tracker. Being able to follow the suns path through the sky can raise your system output considerably (30-50%), but the argon filled ones can be a bit pricey, and seem to be a bit unsteady in wind. I looked at several different designs, looked at what materials I could find, and this is how I did it.
The panel is mounted to a frame, which is attached to two bike wheels. The wheels are mounted to a larger wooden frame, and the wheels and panel are moved by a 12 volt linear actuator. The sensor is an LED model and is purchased from Redrok Energy.
The LED sensor senses the path of the sun and tells the actuator how much to move to keep the panel properly oriented. At the front of the tracker are two legs that can be adjusted to the proper altitude for seasonal changes.
I used bicycle wheels because they are durable, strong enough to handle some weight, and best of all, in my case, free!
source: www.instructables.com
SolarWall air heating system is a custom engineered solution containing many internal and external components.
It uses solar energy to heat and ventilate indoor spaces in new and retrofit applications, as well as to heat air for manufacturing process and agricultural crop drying applications. The system design is optimized to maximize energy delivery with a minimum amount of static pressure in the airflow
One component of the system is the exterior all-metal cladding; however a significant amount of the science behind SolarWall is in the internal framing design and component shapes.Years of research has eliminated the need for the glass covering that is standard for other solar collectors, thereby ensuring that it can be easily integrated into commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings. The elimination of glazing has reduced costs, improved system efficiency, and shortened the ROI timeframe.
Specially perforated collector panels are installed several inches from a south facing wall, creating an air cavity. (Southeast, southwest, east, and west wall are also possible.) The metal cladding is heated by the solar radiation from the sun, and ventilation fans create negative pressure in the air cavity, drawing in the solar heated air through the panel perforations. The proprietary manufacturing equipment and design process - for both the panel and the framing system - are used to control the amount of airflow through the perforations.This maintains a consistent draw across the entire wall surface and ensures the cooler air beyond the heated boundary layer is not introduced into the air stream.
The air is generally taken off the top of the wall (since hot air rises) and that ensures that all of the solar heat produced is collected. The heated air is then ducted into the building via a connection to the HVAC intake. Since the air entering into the air handler has already been preheated anywhere from 30-70F (16-38C) on a sunny day, and less on a cloudy day this solar heating reduces the energy load on the conventional heater. The heated fresh air is then distributed into the building through the existing HVAC system or with separate air makeup fans and perforated ducting.
http://solarwall.com
Another form of ocean energy is called tidal energy. When tides comes into the shore, they can be trapped in reservoirs behind dams. Then when the tide drops, the water behind the dam can be let out just like in a regular hydroelectric power plant.Tidal energy has been used since about the 11th Century, when small dams were built along ocean estuaries and small streams. the tidal water behind these dams was used to turn water wheels to mill grains.In order for tidal energy to work well, you need large increases in tides. An increase of at least 16 feet between low tide to high tide is needed. There are only a few places where this tide change occurs around the earth. Some power plants are already operating using this idea. One plant in France makes enough energy from tides (240 megawatts) to power 240,000 homes.
This facility is called the La Rance Station in France. It began making electricity in 1966. It produces about one fifth of a regular nuclear or coal-fired power plant. It is more than 10 times the power of the next largest tidal station in the world, the 17 megawatt Canadian Annapolis station.
Tags: Tidal
Kinetic energy (movement) exists in the moving waves of the ocean. That energy can be used to power a turbine. In this simple example, to the right, the wave rises into a chamber. The rising water forces the air out of the chamber. The moving air spins a turbine which can turn a generator.
When the wave goes down, air flows through the turbine and back into the chamber through doors that are normally closed.
This is only one type of wave-energy system. Others actually use the up and down motion of the wave to power a piston that moves up and down inside a cylinder. That piston can also turn a generator.
Most wave-energy systems are very small. But, they can be used to power a warning buoy or a small light house.
Biodiesel energy is made from soybean oil and yellow grease, which is mainly comprised of oil leftover from restaurants that is then recycled and turned into usable oil.
Biodiesel fuel can be used on its own, or it can be combined with petroleum. Because it is often mixed with petroleum, biodiesel is often classified with a number. This number indicates how much petroleum has been mixed in with the biodiesel fuel. A B20 means that the mixture contains twenty percent of biodiesel fuel and B100 would indicate that the fuel is one hundred percent biodiesel fuel. Although it’s possible to use fuel that is purely biodiesel energy, it may cause problems with performance if the engine it is being used in is not modified for this high concentration. B99 can be found quite often as one percent of petroleum diesel fuel is often used to ensure that the mixture will not grow mold.
A primary advantage of biodiesel energy is that it reduces carbon monoxide emissions into the environment by approximately fifty percent. The reason for this is because it takes advantage of carbon elements that are already in the air. Another benefit to biodiesel fuel is that it has a higher cetane rating and so cars that use biodiesel energy will start quicker and work more efficiently than cars that use regular diesel fuel. The greatest advantage however for biodiesel energy is that it is biodegradable and is a renewable energy resource – which is good for the environment. The good thing about biodiesel is that it comes from the soybean plant which can be grown in almost any country which means that no particular countries have a monopoly on the oil market.
Tags: Biodiesel
Biomass energy is renewable source of energy that is found in plants. Plants take energy from the sun in the process of photosynthesis and use it to produce and grow biomass. Biomass is a known product or material that is found in most living things. It can be animal material, bacteria, or plant materials. The oldest example that we have of biomass energy today is wood, which we can burn to produce heat and to create steam which therefore, produces energy. To obtain a large amount of biomass energy, these plants such as wood are burned in internal combustion engines or broilers and this releases the energy that the plant holds.
Biomass energy is created when the biomass is collected and burned slowly to create steam. Generators then use the steam to turn it into heat and energy. It’s believed that this is a very clean type of natural gas as it requires the plants to absorb the carbon dioxide from the environment before it can be used as a viable energy source. However, there is only so much carbon dioxide that a plant can absorb before it is full. With things such as deforestation, the source of this energy is rapidly being depleted and so, people must first become educated about how effective they are at providing us with the clean energy that is needed in our world.
There’s no doubt that biomass energy is better for the environment than the burning of fossil fuels that is commonplace today. It is also a renewable energy source making it a very environmentally friendly energy alternative. However, many people don’t tend to think of turning biomass into energy for different reasons. The first is that there is a misconception that the biomass will be taken from garbage at the landfills, burned at a local plant, and making it unpleasant for those that live in the area. While the matter may be taken from nearby landfills, the effect on the surrounding area would not be much different than if the energy was produced from a different source, such as water.
Source : www.ifpaenergyconference.com
Tags: Biomass
Japanese company Genepax presents its eco-friendly car that runs on nothing but water.
The car has an energy generator that extracts hydrogen from water that is poured into the car’s tank. The generator then releases electrons that produce electric power to run the car. Genepax, the company that invented the technology, aims to collaborate with Japanese manufacturers to mass produce it.
News from REUTER
Tags: car water
Hydroelectric power as an alternative to carbon producing energy sources is once again becoming a popular idea in the United States. The existing dams and rivers producing hydroelectric power are once again being looked at as a viable source of power.
How Hydroelectric Power Works
The way hydroelectric power works is that water falls due to gravity that causes kinetic energy to be converted into mechanical energy. This is turn can be converted into electrical energy for the power plants. When falling water spins turbines, it turns generators which produce energy.
The College of Earth and Mineral Studies at Pennsylvania State University has classified the plants according to size:
* Micros generate less than 100kW of electricity which can power 1-2 houses.
* Mini facilities can serve an isolated community or small factory by generating 100kW-1MW of electricity.
* Small plants generate 1MW-30MW and are capable of serving an area while supplying electricity to a regional grid.
* Large plants can produce more than 30MW of power.
An evaluation done the College in 2003, showed that hydroelectric power only accounted for about 10% of the total energy produced in the United States. It now has the potential to create 30,000MW of electricity by utilizing 5,677 undeveloped sites. According to Hydro Review magazine (USA Today 10/13/08), utilities are proposing more than 70 projects that would boost U.S. hydroelectric capacity by at least 11,000 megawatts or 11% over the next decade.