Although technology change (usually involving an improvement in energy efficiency) is not inherently a geographic process, it does not occur uniformly over geographic space. Consequently, mathematical modeling and behavioral and innovation diffusion studies by geographers have improved our understanding of the pervasive phenomenon of technology energy efficiency change in energy markets. Similarly, creative government policies in Germany since 1990 have led to a faster rate of adoption of renewable energy sources, compared to the United States. (more…)
The development of the ‘‘new’’ wind and solar technologies is of great importance for the future contribution of RESs to energy sup ...
Renewable energy sources cannot run out and causes so little damage to the environment that its use does not need to be restric ...
In Europe, modern renewable energy sources technologies were explored thoroughly for the first time after the oil embargo/ price cr ...
Government expenditures on energy R&D, energy conservation have risen steadily over the past decade, but only two countries, Japan ...
"Spain has great potential but lack geothermal legislation and investment." Besides being clean, renewable and friendly, easily man ...
Reductions in carbon intensity, C/E, the carbon emitted per unit of energy generated, reflect the degree to which societies decarbonize their energy sources. The long-term trend has been a shift from coal to oil to natural gas––hydrocarbons with decreasing C/H ratios emitting progressively less CO2 per joule. However, the increasing use of clean low-carbon fuels is not sustainable without somehow disposing of excess carbon because it opposes the trend in the abundance of fossil fuels, with coal resources being the most abundant followed by oil and gas. (more…)
The global cycling of carbon involves both biological and physical processes. Only the biological components are discussed here. Pl ...
The flux of carbon among terrestrial, aquatic, and atmospheric pools is at least partially controlled by photosynthetic process ...
It is of interest to examine potential sources of greenhouse gases sources or atmospheric CO2 by analysis of the global distrib ...
Climate change caused by the enhanced greenhouse effect is one of the most significant global environmental issues. Increased emiss ...
The global carbon cycle involves both biological and physical processes. Only the biological components are discussed here. Pla ...
Approximately 40% of Earth’s population is ‘‘off the grid,’’ mainly in developing countries. Wireless power transmission envisioned by Nikola Tesla a century ago is feasible today. Microwave beams can propagate power efficiently along lines-of-sight over long distances. Orbiting microwave reflectors could form the basis of a global electric grid.
An advanced technology path to electrification is the solar power satellite (SPS) proposed by Peter Glaser. Solar flux is about 10 times higher in space outside Earth’s shadow cone than the long- term average at the surface of spinning, cloudy Earth, and power from space can be beamed by microwave efficiently through cloudy skies to the surface where it is needed. (more…)
Advanced technology global electrical grids may be more promising for renewables energy. With current transmission lines, even if c ...
So you're finally tired of those exorbitant electricity bills, or, you're catching onto a "greener" way of life. Either way, solar ...
In today's tough economic times and with the increasing prices of gas and oil, finding alternative sources of energy should be ...
So-called thin-film photovoltaic devices are usually based on mixtures of elements other than silicon — most notably copper ind ...
The Home Solar Power System made its debut about two decades ago and has since flourished with the many advertisements touting ...
Microtechnology-Based Energy and Chemical Systems will most likely employ combustion for driving processes such as vapor generation and vapor barrier, endothermic chemical reactions, and (most notably) fuel reforming. Both fuel reformers and combustors will be of a miniature design relying on embedded catalysts for promoting chemical reactions at moderate temperatures (350–7501C). Many potential configurations exist depending on the application and constraints on the design. Microchannel arrays are a potential configuration; mesh and post architecture is another to achieve the desired surface area and small diffusional lengths necessary. (more…)
Fuel cells are direct energy conversion devices that combine two reactants to produce electrical power. The reactants are typic ...
Mixing is a process where two or more liquids or gas phase components are brought together and combined to form a uniform compositi ...
Heat-actuated heat pumps are cooling systems requiring no electricity for operation. Rather, a heat source is used, avoiding the ne ...
Many characteristics of traditional engines make them attractive for use in power generation and propulsion technology. They tend t ...
The most fundamental process from an energy systems standpoint is heat transfer to (or from) a working fluid. This unit operation t ...
Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells have high-power density, rapid startup, and low-temperature operation (around 80 to 120 C), and so are ideal for use in applications such as energy transport and battery replacement. The electrolyte used is a proton conducting polymer. This is typically a perfluorinated polymer, though other hydrocarbon-based membranes are under development in an attempt to reduce cost or to enable operation at temperatures approaching 200 C. The catalytically active layer sits adjacent to the membrane, supported on a PTFE treated carbon paper, which acts as current collector and gas diffusion layer. For operation on pure hydrogen, platinum is the most active catalyst, but alloys of platinum and ruthenium are used when higher levels of carbon monoxide are present (CO is a poison in all low temperature fuel cells). (more…)
Fuel cells are typically classified according to type of electrolyte. While many varieties of fuel cells have been demonstrated ...
The fuel cell can trace its roots back to the 1800s when a Welsh-born, Oxford-educated barrister, Sir William Robert Grove, realize ...
Transport applications tend to demand rapid start-up and instant dynamic response from fuel cell systems, so a high-temperature ...
A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that combines hydrogen with oxygen to generate electricity, heat and water to produce. ...
Alkaline fuel cell, often known as the Bacon fuel cell following the British inventor’ name. It has become the most created fue ...
As a reaction to these historical perspectives, the building industry has witnessed a certain rise in design responses to regional climatic conditions, as part of a powerful efficiency and energy conservation push since the 1970s. More recently, the zero green house gas emsission and office building has become a design concept as part of strategies to introduce urban renewable energy as an increasing contributor to managing urban energy supplies. (more…)
Hydrogen has many applications when it comes to fuel. It can be used both in internal combustion engines and hydrogen fuel cells. ...
The age of industrialization came into full force through the modern exploration and use of fossil fuels. As one of its most striki ...
The commercialization prospects for fuel cell vehicles depend not only on their performance and cost, but also on how well th ...
All of today’s hydrogen conversion products, demonstration models, and prototypes possess some deficiencies; they cannot yet pr ...
The Solar City approach originally emerged from a new generation of International Energy Agency (IEA) energy research and developme ...
ITMA Foundation, a group of researchers formed by Javier Belzunce, José Manuel Artimez, Ana Moran and Ruben Coto, has developed the first quality steel with a potential application as structural material in future nuclear fusion reactor (ITER ), whose design is an ambitious project that could facilitate future production of energy from hydrogen. (more…)
Nuclear fission and fusion Research and Development continues to account for nearly half of the total spending by IEA countries, al ...
Because a nuclear explosion in a nuclear power plant is impossible due to the low fuel enrichment, the worst conceivable accident i ...
Nuclear power plants have many different designs and shapes. Early technology restrictions in nuclear power plants make huge ...
Sir Arthur Eddington’s general address on subatomic energy at the 1930 World Power Conference in Berlin stirred the imagination of ...
One study that does address the peak-oil scenario directly is a 2005 report conducted for the National Energy Technology Labora ...
Researchers at the Institute of Chemical Technology have developed a new catalyst that allows to obtain, from bioethanol, hydrogen for direct use in fuel cells.
According to the researchers note the ITQ, the new catalyst is a new step towards the sustainable production of hydrogen with “interesting applications”, for example, buses, trains or trams based fuel cells.
It is an active catalyst at low temperatures, high selectivity to hydrogen production water and low carbon monoxide and methane. These three features can improve both energy and economic efficiency of hydrogen production process. “Hydrogen is currently produced by steam reforming of natural gas that operates at 900 º C, compared to 350 º C to working our catalyst, leading to a major energy savings,” said Antonio Chica, a researcher at the ITQ.
Likewise, the catalyst developed by the ITQ produced “very little” carbon monoxide, which means “breakthrough”, mainly to ensure optimal performance of the fuel cell because the CO is causing the malfunction of the batteries.
Also get “significant benefit” to the process of producing high purity hydrogen because it would involve the partial or total removal of one of the most expensive in the process units (units that use catalysts that are fairly expensive and aimed at the removal of CO by water displacement reactions and preferential oxidation). Similarly, the final stage of purification is simplified both in terms of energy and technology, which would mean “a considerable cost savings,” he said.
“The catalyst that we have developed could have interesting applications in industrial production of hydrogen. It has proven its efficiency in the laboratory, through the study of plant-level scale pilot will have to confirm the good results obtained so far, “said Girl.
The issues of hydrogen storage run through the hydrogen production, hydrogen transport, supply and demand for end use of hydrog ...
The hydrogen can come from various sources including fossil fuels, wind, solar, biomass, nuclear, solar thermo-chemical reactio ...
With ethanol’s future uncertain, many commentators see the transportation debate evolving into a war between two other technologies ...
Hydrogen has many applications when it comes to fuel. It can be used both in internal combustion engines and hydrogen fuel cells. ...
Fuel cells are typically classified according to type of electrolyte. While many varieties of fuel cells have been demonstrated ...
Some forms of alternative energy sources are really new; while most of the energy forms are really come form in development and scientists have been investigated for several hundred years. One of the energy forms is biomass and bioenergy. Bioenergy refers to the burning of organic materials that would otherwise be simply discarded or not being considered at all. (more…)
Some of alternative fuel sources are by no means new. For centuries people have harnessed the power of running water for a vari ...
With ethanol’s future uncertain, many commentators see the transportation debate evolving into a war between two other technologies ...
Most production systems try to become first full-scale production begins as small toys and devices of concept. The Horizon hydr ...
Most alternative fuel vehicles on the road today were originally designed for gasoline, but converted for use with an alternative f ...
The hydrogen can come from various sources including fossil fuels, wind, solar, biomass, nuclear, solar thermo-chemical reactio ...
Nuclear power plants have many different designs and shapes. Early technology restrictions in nuclear power plants make huge plants with the capability to produce the greatest amount of power possible. But with more recent technology, nuclear plants size are smaller , making them less costly and easier to build. But despite their many technical and engineering differences, nuclear reactors come in two basic types: pressurized water reactor systems and boiling water reactor systems. (more…)
Nuclear fission and fusion Research and Development continues to account for nearly half of the total spending by IEA countries, al ...
ITMA Foundation, a group of researchers formed by Javier Belzunce, José Manuel Artimez, Ana Moran and Ruben Coto, has developed the ...
Because a nuclear explosion in a nuclear power plant is impossible due to the low fuel enrichment, the worst conceivable accident i ...
In the United States, Department of Energy has determined that nuclear power accounts for about 21% of the total electricity ge ...
Electricity generation through nuclear power plant is an enormously complex technical feat. It takes the combined skills of geo ...