Alternative Energies
Making green fuels, no fossils required

Converting solar or wind into carbon-based ‘fossil’ fuels might seem anything but green, but when you start with carbon dioxide — which can be dragged out of the air — it’s as green as it gets. The technology that makes it economically feasible isn’t available yet, but a recently published paper presents nice step forward in the effort to not just sequester carbon dioxide, but turn it into a useful fuel that is part of a carbon-neutral future.

The Kymogen Wave Energy Generator

Energy Inventions | Hydro Power | Wave PowerMechanical Engineer David Hartmann and Craftsman Jason Ballash have designed a new wave power technology called the KymoGen, which has the potential to produce clean, low-cost energy using the constant power of waves. Key to the design is its simplicity. A portable 8’x8′ platform is tethered to a mooring on the sea floor. Inside the […]

Viaducts with wind turbines, the new renewable energy source

Wind turbines could be installed under some of the biggest bridges on the road network to produce electricity. So it is confirmed by calculations carried out by a European researchers team, that have taken a viaduct in the Canary Islands as a reference. This concept could be applied in heavily built-up territories or natural areas with new constructions limitations.

Crack it! Energy from a fossil fuel without carbon dioxide

The production of energy from natural gas without generating carbon dioxide emissions could fast become a reality, thanks to a novel technology. Researchers have been researching an innovative technique to extract hydrogen from methane in a clean and efficient way. After two years of intensive experiments the proof-of-principle has now been provided. With the experimental reactor running reliably and continuously, the future potential of this technology has become apparent.

Microbes map path toward renewable energy future

In the quest for renewable fuels, scientists are taking lessons from a humble bacterium that fills our oceans and covers moist surfaces the world over. Cyanothece 51142, a type of bacteria also called blue-green algae, produces hydrogen in robust fashion, and scientists have found that it taps into an unexpected source of energy to do so.

Electric mobility contributes decisively to climate protection

The transportation sector has the capacity to nearly halve its carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 and, hence, to contribute far more than previously thought to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Realizing this would require further efficiency improvement and, especially, promotion of public transport in cities, alongside with a large-scale shift to electric cars, concludes a recent study.

The Lateral Axis Wind Turbine

Energy Inventions | Wind Power | Wind TurbinesSri Lankan inventor Leelananda Jayasuriya just sent us this concept for a Lateral Axis Wind Turbine. The turbine functions just like a Ferris Wheel, with the blades orbiting in an epicyclical path around the central shaft. Leelananda believes there are many advantages to his design: it can rotate with the direction of the wind, it […]