Hydrogen-Powered Personal Helicopter

A personal helicopter weighing just 230 lb created sizzling news when it flew on hydrogen with zero emission. With an ability to carry payloads up to 800 lbs, this pocket Hercules can fly for 90 minutes. Fitted with easy controls, this reaches a speed of 100 knots thanks to a pair of small yet powerful motors mounted on it. Two common and easily available things – Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and a catalyst – combined to bring about a milestone in personal aviation history with attention to the environmental issues as well! Avimech has combined these two to power engine in to an innovative machine.

YouTube: Avimech Dragonfly | More Videos

A unique combination:
Avimech has combined two ideas – a rocket and a helicopter – to create this cute little personal aviation machine baptizing it as ‘Dragonfly.’ Actually this idea to utilize H2O2 and a catalyst has been around for some time. But to use them to power this hybrid version of a rocket in a helicopter is the brain child of Avimech.

Motors at rotor tips:
There are two powerful small motors fitted at rotor tips which resemble rocket nozzles. These nozzles propel the rotors getting power from the reaction of H2O2 with the catalyst. There is no gearbox. There are two fuel tanks to store H2O2. The H2O2 reacts with the catalyst in the rocket nozzles and the reaction powers the rotor nozzles which sets the rotor tips in high-speed motion.

Common ingredients:
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is very safe environmentally and easily available chemical. Usually printing presses are cleaned with H2O2. This commercial-grade H2O2 is diluted and used in the rotor nozzles. The reaction of H2O2 with the catalyst produces the high pressure which sets the blades into motion.

A simple but great machine:
The motors are 8-inch long and they can generate 102 hp which helps the aircraft peak a speed of 100 knots. The H2O2 is diluted to about 50-70%. And when the catalyst reacts with the H2O2, only water vapor gets released and no other harmful emission occurs.

“(ERA) helicopter:”
Acclaimed as the first ever created environmentally responsible aviation (ERA) helicopter, Dragonfly certainly deserves this epithet. Emitting nothing but water vapor and running on only hydrogen- an environmentally safe fuel, this helicopter does not pollute the space with harmful emissions like carbon.

Future plans?
This hydrogen-powered, zero-carbon-emission environmentally friendly but expensive helicopter has been the brainchild of Ricardo Cavalcanti of Avimech. Though at present the engines are not fuel-efficient – guzzling 11 gallons of fuel per hour, the day may not be far off when this is also rectified and a perfect eco-friendly personal aviation machine may be available.

Interested in writing news articles about alternative energy? Contact Us

View the original article here

Converting Waste Heat to Electricity

With rapid industrialization, the world has seen the development of a number of items or units, which generate heat. Until now this heat has often been treated as a waste, making people wonder if this enormous heat being generated can be transformed into a source of electric power. Now, with the physicists at the University of Arizona finding new ways to harvest energy through heat, this dream is actually going to become a reality.

University of Arizona Research Team: The research team is headed by Charles Staffor. He is the associate professor of physics, and he along with his team worked on harvesting energy from waste. The team’s findings were published in the September 2010 issue of the scientific journal, ACS Nano.

Justin Bergfield who is an author and a doctoral candidate in the UA College of Optical Sciences shares his opinion, “Thermoelectricity can convert heat directly into electric energy in a device with no moving parts. Our colleagues in the field tell us that they are confident that the device we have designed on the computer can be built with the characteristics that we see in our simulations.”

Advantages: Elimination of Ozone Depleting materials: Using the waste heat as a form of electric power has multiple advantages. Whereas on one hand, using the theoretical model of molecular thermoelectric helps in increasing the efficiency of cars, power plants factories and solar panels, on the other hand efficient thermoelectric materials make ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, outdated.

More Efficient Design: The head of the research team Charles Stafford is hopeful about positive results because he expects that the thermoelectric voltage using their design will be 100 times more than what others have achieved. If the design of the team, which they have made on a computer does work, it will be a dream come true for all those engineers, who wanted to catch and make use of energy lost through waste but do not have the required efficient and economical devices to do so.

No need for Mechanics: The heat-conversion device invented by Bergfield and Stafford do not require any kind of machines or ozone-depleting chemicals, as was the case with refrigerators and steam turbines, which were earlier used to convert waste into electric energy. Now, the same work is done by sandwiching a rubber-like polymer between two metals, which acts like an electrode. The thermoelectric devices are self-contained, need no moving parts and are easy to manufacture and maintain.

Utilization Of Waste Energy: Energy is harvested in many ways using the car and factory waste. Car and factory waste can be used for generating electricity by coating exhaust pipes with a thin material, which is a millionth time of an inch. Physicists also take advantage of the law of quantum physics, which though not used often enough, gives great results when it comes to generating power from the waste.

Advantage Over Solar Energy: Molecular thermoelectric devices may help in harvesting energy from the sun and reduce the dependence on photovoltic cells, whose efficiency in harvesting solar energy is going down.
How It Works

Though having worked on the molecule and thinking about using them for a thermoelectric device, Bergfield and Stafford had not found anything special till an undergraduate discovered that these molecules had special features. A large number of molecules were then sandwiched between electrodes and exposed to a stimulated heat source. The flow of electrons along the molecule was split in two once it encounters a benzene ring, with one flow of electrons following along each arm of the ring.

The benzene ring circuit was designed in such a way that the electron travels longer distance round the rings in one path, which causes the two electrons to be out of phase when they reach the other side of the benzene ring. The waves cancel out each-other on meeting. The interruption caused in the flow of electric charge due to varied temperature builds up voltage between electrodes.

The effects seen on molecules are not unique because any quantum scale device having cancellation of electric charge will show a similar effect if there is a temperature difference. With the increase in temperature difference, energy generated also increases.

Thermoelectric devices designed by Bergfield and Stafford can generate power that can lit a 100 Watt bulb or increase car’s efficiency by 25%.

View the original article here

Forecasting Wind Data with Cell Phone Towers

Wind data provider Onesemble has developed sensors which can keep note of wind date for around 95% of the wind farms existing in the Texas area. The help of cell phone towers is sought for this purpose. Onesemble Network Sensors collect accurate data by getting to know the wind speed at a great height. This is done by placing the sensor at the height of the turbine rotor or the blades. Onesemble Network Sensors assembles figures on wind speed, direction and temperature in a cell phone tower, which are then analyzed on a computer to point out what is going to happen in times to come.

How censors work
Onesemble has put the sensors on the cell phone towers, which are 80-120 meters above the ground. Forecasting can be enabled every 10 minutes with the help of real time data from the sensors fed into its system. The data fed and the predictions that are attained this way are both quite precise.

To seek the help of cell phone towers for wind farms, data is supplied to the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) through a network of 100 sensor centers. These centers are put in a proper manner near the wind farm all over Texas by the ERCOT, which manages 75% of Texas’s electric grid. Wind farms use behavior patterns and predictions to analyze the change in availability of electricity in a given area with these towers and data.

The need for wind data
The need for power grid will increase with the increase in the wind farms and the uneven output of these wind farms. This is a huge problem but its solution can be found the following ways:

By making long-distance transmission capacity by connecting all local and regional grids with each-other.By optimum use of wind by estimating how much wind is needed every hour. By providing accurate wind data.

Advantages of Wind Data Forecasting by Cell Towers

Cell Towers already exist. By taking their help for wind forecasting data, you are putting them to duel use.It helps make wind more productive.It increases the efficiency of the power plant.

View the original article here

Greenpeace vs Facebook

Greenpeace has launched a powerful campaign to force a Mark Zuckerberg a stop using coal energy to put in place the machinery of Facebook, substituting Energías more clean and renewable.

The Green entity intends, through social pressure, Facebook undertakes a stop using power forgetting coal, use their high purchasing power to choose electricity from clean and renewable sources, and advocates an intense changes in energy policy on a local, national and international levels, to ensure a measure to increase the demand for energy, also the supply of renewable energy to do so.

Throughout the campaign this centralized on the Web site help us to reach Facebook unfriend coal. Here is the promotional video:

Sources-greenpeace.org

· · carbon Of FaceBook · Of Greenpeace Mark Zuckerberg

UIMP and CSIC offer a master's degree and a Ph.d. in Energias Renovables, fuel cells and hydrogen

University International Menéndez Pelayo (UIMP) and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) has scheduled a formal programme of University Master and Ph.d. in Energias Renovables, fuel cells and hydrogen.

The master, to be held in October 2010 a July 2011 the Institute it on Science and technology of Madrid, this is to respond to the growing social and professional experts trained in the generation, production and distribution of renewable energy technologies.

Master aims to train a significant number of able to create and refine methodologies of obtaining renewable energy experts, and academic and scientific relevance is based on the ability of dotar a university graduates of knowledge and skills allow them to start in the field of applied research in emerging areas of science and technologies physical, chemical and materials lines.

Furthermore, in the professional field, aims at dotar University graduates of knowledge and skills allow them to start a professional career in various areas of technological development, management and market, both in business areas such as institutional specialties.

To do this, students will understand the economic and social framework and environmental constraints in based legal regulations and specific policies affect the development, release, and management of renewables; the basics and tools for research applied to the generation of renewable energies photovoltaic solar, the biofuel, wind and geothermal; fundamentals in based principles of operation of different types of fuel cells, and have a perspective of problems with faces his research, technological development and release; and production and storage of hydrogen technologies.

Students may make practices to CSIC and some public institutions located in Madrid. Also, to complete his training, be taught seminars within each subject where will discuss burning issues and we will visit unique facilities national geography radios.

The master has a duration of one academic year (60 ECTS credits): 600 hours contact and more than 900 hours of personal work: classroom (354), invited conferences (38), practices (42), seminars (40), visits a companies (88) and evaluations (38).

All nozzles the UIMP and CSIC postgraduate programmes taught are adapted to the European area of higher education (EEES) and their workload is set to ECTS credits.

Sources-ecoticias.com

· CSIC · · renewable energy UIMP fuel cell

Acuiferos | That they are and why we should protect them?

Error in deserializing body of reply message for operation 'Translate'. The maximum string content length quota (8192) has been exceeded while reading XML data. This quota may be increased by changing the MaxStringContentLength property on the XmlDictionaryReaderQuotas object used when creating the XML reader. Line 1, position 9718. Error in deserializing body of reply message for operation 'Translate'. The maximum string content length quota (8192) has been exceeded while reading XML data. This quota may be increased by changing the MaxStringContentLength property on the XmlDictionaryReaderQuotas object used when creating the XML reader. Line 1, position 9810.

Hoy nos dedicaremos en ElBlogVerde a tratar el tema de los acuíferos. La definición de acuífero habla de toda acumulación de agua bajo la superficie de la Tierra. Existen una gran cantidad de ellos en el mundo, pero muchos están comprometidos por el uso sin control y la contaminación, mientras que otros son fuente de conflicto entre naciones por su enorme valor estratégico como fuente de agua potable.

Existen distintos tipos de acuíferos, variando la composición geológica de sus materiales. También se los distingue entre acuíferos libres y acuíferos confinados, según tengan o no conexión con la superficie. Cuando son poco profundos, el agua es renovada con más frecuencia de modo que su antigüedad puede variar entre semanas o algunos años. Por su parte, en los más profundos la circulación es muy lenta, y el agua que lo conforma puede tener cientos de miles de años.

De seguro os estaréis preguntando ¿cómo se forma un acuífero? Las aguas subterráneas se forman a partir del agua que desde la superficie de la tierra se va filtrando a través de materiales porosos y permeables. Empujada por la fuerza de la gravedad fluye hacia abajo hasta que se topa con una zona impermeable, entonces o bien fluye en otra dirección o se acumula allí. Cuando el agua se acumula va ocupando los espacios vacíos de los materiales (poros) hasta llenarlos. Lo que denominamos acuíferos es justamente la zona saturada de agua.

Muchos de los acuíferos existentes son utilizados por el hombre, que toma de ellos agua a través de pozos y galerías. Justamente una de las problemáticas más comunes es el descenso del nivel al que se encuentra el agua (nivel freático) a causa de la sobreexplotación, lo que puede llevar a su contaminación al concentrar más sales de lo normal.

Existen además otras causas de contaminación. Cuando las aguas que se filtran desde la superficie tienen contaminantes pueden afecta a las del acuífero con: nitratos, sales, disolventes, barnices, pesticidas, pinturas, gasolina, etc. A su vez, los acuíferos cercanos a la costa pueden verse contaminados por agua marina, inutilizándolos para muchos de sus usos.

La adecuada conservación de los acuíferos es esencial para la sociedad, ya que ella depende en gran medida del agua subterránea. De ellos proviene el 70% del agua utilizada en la Unión Europea. En zonas áridas y semiáridas como Arabia Saudita y Malta los acuíferos proveen el 100% del agua que se utiliza!

Aquí podréis ver los acuíferos más grandes del mundo de los que hay conocimiento en un mapa diseñado por el World-wide Hydrogeological Mapping and Assessment Programme (WHYMAP) de la UNESCO. Los más importantes son:

* Acuífero de Areniscas de Nubia (África): 75 mil millones m3.
* Acuífero del Norte del Sahara (África): 60 mil millones m3.
* Acuífero Guaraní (Sudamérica): 37 mil millones m3.
* Gran Cuenta Artesiana de Australia: 20 mil millones m3.
* Acuífero del Altas Planicies de Estados Unidos: 15 mil millones m3.
* Acuífero del Norte de China: 5 mil millones m3.

En España éstos son algunos de los acuíferos más importantes, pero lamentablemente muchos de ellos se encuentran en peligro, como podréis ver en este video de RTVE.

Acuíferos en España

Acuífero de Los ArenalesAcuífero del valle de AmblésAcuífero 23Acuífero calizas del páramo de la AlcarriaAcuífero reborde mesozoico del

Pollution and Andalusia

Begins a new year, and he initiated a large number of measures that will have the difficult task of reducing the various forms of pollution, something which is basically generate different customs, forming an awareness social, accompanied by some regulations to accompany the project.

There are different types of pollution that has been the eye in the early days of the year, projecting for the current year, and looking for reductions in the various indexes.

Much of this has seen in recent days on the Board of Andalusia, who has among its various agencies to Andalusian emissions compensation scheme (SACE) who recently has formed an alliance with Grenadine Confederation of entrepreneurs (CGE) to active participation against the climate change, where industries have a great responsibility.

Although at this early stage joining this project will be on a voluntary basis, is expected there are different rules to give a binding, in the coming years demonstrating a clear interest for environmental care. Those who adhere to this, must perform three fundamental tasks: audit the quantity of gaseous pollutants emitted; Take measures to reduce this amount; Offset emissions generated periodically.

In addition, future, seeks to also take not only accession in the industrial sector, but also in different branches of the trade, from tourism to transportation.

This theme, there is even a chapter on The Simpsons where seeks to raise awareness about what is, but however, there are very few measures that seek to alleviate this situation, so what has made the Junta de Andalucía in recent days has been remarkable.

First, they announced various campaigns of awareness which aim not only to the replacement of conventional light bulbs by the use of lamps low consumption, which will be endorsed by the regulation for the protection of the quality of the sky to light pollution, voted in the last month of August and came into full force on the first day of this year.

Of the Counseling of the Board, has announced they will seek to reduce the energy consumption of different luminaires and public facilities in up to 11%, with a lighting analysis for this purpose.

Other forms of pollution will be combated in Andalusia, which first will be an analysis of the various populations in the Bay of Algeciras, carried out by the Doñana biological station and under the technical supervision of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) who will be making a dolphin census, inquiring about their distribution in a given space, and various hazards to which they are being subjected.

This will be supplemented Moreover the measure taken against emissions, encouraging a commitment by industries (treated sewage waters) and also by the port activity, often with little or no control of the waste they generate.