very interesting :)
saved for later
i like the stepper motor idea a lot.
there are at least a couple of them in every discarded ink-jet printer :)
there are at least a couple of them in every discarded ink-jet printer :)
re-using fluorescent bulbs is clever... if somewhat dangerous
interesting energy-harvesting ideas in this slideshow
:D these guys just received some much-needed funding :D
also, there's a video on the article's last page
also, there's a video on the article's last page
steady progress. i sure hope we can get fusion power to work
i'd speculate that we'll see a lot more and cheaper hybrid electric bikes in the near future :)
excellent find
those battery packs are impressive
heated not by coal but geothermal
a well-designed nuclear reactor. the technology was developed by the old guys: dyson and a team led by teller. if manufactured with high quality and good instrumentation, these ought to be great
good design: they dynamically connect and disconnect coils from the circuit via electronic "switches", and use a set of staggered stators.
a promising group bargaining organization is helping lower the cost of solar installations. thanks to arielh85
we have to figure out a good way to reprocess the waste and all, but look at france's success with nuclear power. diversification of power sources is a smart approach for us
it's not the "geothermal" i expected... but a simpler, easier version :)
another good idea
80% overall efficiency; excellent! :) article by arielh85
Pickens... an impressive finagler
cool, this will drive the cost of batteries down :D thanks to xtine66 for the find
great idea for reducing the up-front cost of solar installations
i don't care whether hydrogen fuel is too inefficient for use in transportation, this is damn good research
seriously, how did that happen?
i'm a sucker for anything with graphene or nanotubes in it
outstanding work: "Free-piston engines could be used to generate electricity as efficiently as, and less expensively than, fuel cells. " the simplicity is impressive. also see diagram at:
http://nextbigfuture.com/2008/09/free-piston-engine-could-be-twice-as.html
http://nextbigfuture.com/2008/09/free-piston-engine-could-be-twice-as.html
very interesting... an exceptionally robust battery chemistry that has gone almost unused for 35 years
google may be the only entity capable of modeling and planning this
we need to start cutting our ongoing costs, and capital investments in efficient infrastructure are some of the better ways to do that.
furl! brake!! awwwwwwwwww poor turbine :(
"biosolids"... that shit is valuable :)
your logo design of the day is morgan solar, a smiley sun face patterned after a u.s. mains outlet. thanks to arielh85 for the solar energy industry news :)
as long as it doesn't use helium (which is now running out)
a fast electric-assisted bicycle
this seems like a smart way to store energy... the wind equivalent of a hydro dam. thanks to arielh85
great, more summaries like this would be useful
hmmmmmmmmmm :)
if you're gonna mine something, it might as well be heat. thanks to xtine66
good discussion in here. there will always be conditions under which a power-generation system is efficient... or inefficient
these projects that require new infrastructure are remarkably expensive... it helps to be a multi-billionaire or have government funding :) thanks to arielh85
or... if the pavement were white, reflect the heat away from the city and reduce cooling costs
progress... keep it coming!
alternative energy + economics = win :)
i'm in favor. like incandescent lightbulbs, wall-warts shouldn't be banned, but we can gain efficiency by replacing a lot of them
Paul MacCready gives a charming talk mainly about his Gossamer human powered aircraft... and how he started that project to win the prizes that got him out of debt :)
nice video: how to build a "rocket stove", an efficient insulated one-pot cooking stove
"Citing Need for Assessments, U.S. Freezes Solar Energy Projects"
well, that's a twist :-/
well, that's a twist :-/
check out that crazy linkage
simpler construction, yet good accuracy
solar powered woodburning art piece
great... keep those advancements coming
i'm more than a little skeptical about this, but c'est la vie...
what an expensive way to plug the coal industry. we need a more efficient way to process the actual arguments put before congress, to make them public much earlier in the process and keep "advertising" from wasting the time of the government. although... re: lightbulbs, i do think incentives would be a much better choice than a ban.
beautiful gallery of photos, plans and instructions for building solar cookers
thomas gold's theory on how petroleum may be created not from fossilized plants, but from methane deep in the earth's crust. meanwhile, bacteria in the crust slowly eat away at the oil as a food source.
this is a great read; see pdf download link on the page.
if the theory is right, we will have an enormous supply of petroleum -- not that i'd advocate wasting any... and yes, we should vigorously pursue alternative, unlimited, nonpolluting energy sources.
this is a great read; see pdf download link on the page.
if the theory is right, we will have an enormous supply of petroleum -- not that i'd advocate wasting any... and yes, we should vigorously pursue alternative, unlimited, nonpolluting energy sources.
high-capacity ultracaps will be great, since they're likely to last a very long time
it's a highly invasive species. this sounds like trouble to me...
really good introduction on where to salvage stepper motors and how to put them to work
car companies will manufacture whatever the public feels compelled to buy... compelled because we feel insecure or are given a financial incentive like with SUVs. they've been telling us for years "we won't make these eco-vehicles because you won't buy them". well now we *will* buy them :)
great! economy of scale wins again
good discussion in the comments here
with some innovation in cooling, this could be great
come on people. we need to create serious economic consequences in order to incentivize environmentally-sustainable energy sources, products & services. history shows that no amount of whining or scientific evidence is going to do it -- only the money matters. regardless of whether "global warming" is later proven correct, this momentum is a tremendous opportunity to make strides that will benefit all of humanity
facts and figures about the energy-cost and efficiency of nuclear power. i like the idea of holding civilized arguments in areas of contention such as this (see bottom of page)
good discussion in the article's comments
something seems a little odd about this idea...
venter is determined to solve some of our biggest problems, using genetic engineering
biofuels increasing CO2 emissions & eating into our food supply? compare & contrast the leading types
energy for life in an rv
burning manure for heating... according to this report, dried compacted manure works well, and the ashes are an effective fertilizer. ar0cketman recommends methane production for higher energy yields, but i'm just trying to get rid of some spare horse hockey at first :)
fusion reactor design -- could be a good one
great... go MIT!
a truck that runs on wood fumes
entrepreneurs are redefining the concept of "waste": instead of waste-as-rubbish, it's waste-as-valuable-commodity
good point about large- vs small-scale biofuel production
economic incentives and penalties... yep, that often works :)
impressive progress in alternative-energy autos. thanks to ar0cketman
uses a hybrid permanent-magnet/electromagnet motor
delightful
40% savings? that would be very impressive
the adoption of natural-gas powered vehicles might be good to keep an eye on, as a model for vehicles using hydrogen, biofuels and other energy sources
for a second there i had quite a laugh thinking this was wikipedia. nevertheless, good overview of the technology.
wow... mostly coal, natural gas, nuclear
the argument in the comments made me laugh
good point about storing energy efficiently and cheaply as heat
interesting discussion
great, now ditch the corn and put the genes into a plant that's a much more efficient producer...
hmm, we should at least be considering all our options
new ceramics
yes, we're supposed to *eat* high-quality food crops, not use them as fuel
Solar Rotary Stirling Engine made from soda cans
i'm always happy when public policy takes into account the latest scientific research, and genuine unknowns
beautiful steam-powered generator with handmade alternator
based on these numbers, we should *not* be looking at corn as feedstock for ethanol production
great talk by craig venter on his genetic-engineering efforts
From the page: "Australia is so richly blessed with cheap coal, and also gas and some oil, which is why we are so far behind other nations."
great introduction to small-scale hydro energy
researchers produce new LED technology with incredible 300 lumen per Watt efficiency! if true, this could revolutionize lighting
sounds good... lower efficiency would be OK at first, to help start the ball rolling
a good idea, but this design generates less than 1/100th the power it needs :(
interesting idea... the discussion in the comments is better!
water + this new alloy = hydrogen + recyclable alumina.
this could become a good way to store and transport energy
this could become a good way to store and transport energy
fascinating introduction to sustainable living techniques, via the real-life homesteading experiences & experiments of a couple in Arizona.
Thomas Gold's theory about the ongoing creation of oil from deep within the earth is not science fiction -- some might call it wishful thinking. It does remain to be proven.
encouraging demonstration of improved sustainability for an urban home
delightful irony - solar call manufacturer to power its plant with wind :D
an interesting application of thermoelectric generation
more great energy research! encouraging :)
yes! keep going, intrepid researchers!
good news, this may help reduce the production cost of electric vehicles
it's still *less* efficient than corn. i'm more interested in solar-thermal, wind, and photovoltaic
cheap transportation with a 2-cylinder engine -- made using innovative construction techniques
thanks to Xtine66
thanks to Xtine66
cool advanced solar power generator design -- i hope it works!
great, this solves the problem of *storing* energy in an efficient form. now we need gasoline fuel cells!
cool, solar powered server hosting
great idea! fantastic mechanical simplicity
good idea for diy wind energy generation; HalfBakery itself is a fun repository of humorous/odd/cool ideas
hey, it's mad max's alternative energy solution! ;) not sure i'd want one of those fugly things on my roof, but the principle is interesting
Cool idea, students design & build energy-efficient homes in this competition
98% efficient Solar Powered Electric Vehicle Motor.
now *that* is an efficient motor
now *that* is an efficient motor
looks like a nice selection of wire & magnets for building homebrew alternators
A detailed account of building a model alternator (generator), including a good deal of technical insight.
1974 article - explanation of Savonius wind turbine technology
How to Build a Tower for a Chispito Wind Generator