Energy-Scavenging

     “If you do things in a clever way, you can get energy cheaply.”

     Those are the words of Max Donelan, a kinesiologist (one who studies anatomy, physiology, and mechanics of body movement -answers.com) at Simon Fraser University and the creator of an innovative new energy device. His invention uses a simple brace to be worn on both knees, which would generate about 2.5 watts of electricity per step.

     It’s not much, but it can add up, and we’ve reached the point where any conservation methods of energy, no matter how small, should be welcomed. As Time magazine reports, oil prices have climbed to their highest inflation point yet, and companies of all sizes are looking for ways to combat the fuel crisis.

     Creative inventions extend past the power of human movement too. Though not a huge source of energy, vibrations are a plentiful source of energy which we might utilize. The two examples the article mentions to paint a visual picture are the reverberating of a bridge during rush hour or a dance floor’s “pulse.” A British engineer, Steve Beeby, has already developed a device which, though it generates only a few hundred microwatts, has potential to be useful in everyday situations. For instance, those microwatts would be enough to power a pacemaker, reducing a patient’s need to continually undergo medical procedures to have batteries changed. Simple changes may have great effects.

     Still more “energy-scavenging” is taking place in two other areas: rain and heat.
     Power from rain would involve the use of piezoelectric materials. (Piezoelectricity is “electricity resulting from the application of mechanical pressure on a dielectric (non-conducting) crystal.” -Answers.com) A very small piece of this material, about the width of a strand of hair, can generate a microwatt for every drop of water. Again, not much, but useful. The article suggests using this power for sensors, such as those necessary in the cooling towers of power plants. There are ripple effects too. Take away energy from battery production, materials, and transportation, and we are looking at an effective tool.

       Finally, the harvesting of heat may actually outdo all the other potential power sources. We’ve long known that we lose a great amount of energy to heat (about 60% of the world’s energy), but today’s technology may allow us to use some of that lost heat. According to the article, one example involves the simple variance in temperature between two ends of a circuit, which may actually be transfered into currents. As of now, only small developments have been made (powering batteries, for instance). However, scientists are optomistic about the possibility of utilizing heat (as well as other creative sources) for future energy use.

Sources:

Time Magazine (March 17, 2008) “Not a Watt to Be Wasted” -Bryan Walsh

Answers.com

New Energy Bill

      Environmental issues continue to find attention in politics. Last week, the Senate passed an energy bill that called for the first increase in automobile efficiency in 32 years. Cars, small trucks, and SUVs would need to run 35 miles/gallon. Intended to be a step forward in the fight against global warming, the bill proposed an increase in the use of ethanol, predicting the use of 36 gallons a year by 2020. Finally, it called for an increase in the efficiency of appliances and lighting.

     Such a decision could hurt profits of auto companies which have strongly opposed any increase for the past few decades. Even though the technology to make these changes is available, the new taxes on automaking companies would hurt the large profits they’ve been building up.

     However, these measure could save 1.1 million barrels of oil a day (by 2020). A reduction of greenhouse gases by 20 million tons has been predicted. Finally, consumers would save money on fuel. The bill is now at the House, and a vote is expected within the week, though Bush says he will veto if the oil industry taxes are not removed. According to Sen. Daniel Inouye, the bill “demonstrates to the world that America is a leader in fighting global warming.” Considering how much we’ve contributed to global warming, I’d say it’s about time for some of these changes.

Sources:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-congress-energy,0,438578.story

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20071201/lawmakers-reach-gas-mileage-boost-deal_1.htm

Calling All Chocolate-Lovers

     How about some positive environmental news for a change? Well, some recent news may allow both chocoholics and the green-minded to get excited.

                        

     According to an article on Nov. 6 (Rueters), waste from chocolate production is now being utilized for biofuel rather than being disposed of in a landfill. The process is under the control of the English firm, Ecotec. Ecotec has managed to convert the waste into bio-ethanol. Once mixed with vegetable oil, it becomes an efficient form of biodiesal.

      (biodiesal = “fuel made from natural, renewable sources, such as new and used vegetable oils and animal fats, for use in a diesal engine.” (from answers.com))

     As I brought up in a previous blog on the use of alternate fuels such as ethanol, one major concern is that environmental benefits could be outweighed by the loss of crop fields. The use of chocolate waste, though, isn’t cutting any crop production or causing land to be stripped for extra growing area. If anything, it is keeping the landfills a little cleaner.

      Andy Pag, one of the organizers, was quoted on the environmental success: “This is to show that you can have environmentally-friendly biofuels and that you don’t have to convert normal diesel engines to use it.”

     The process is taking a good cause to the next level too. A truck supplied with the chocolate biofuel will be making a 4,500 mile journey along the English South Coast on November 26th. They will then unload a biofuel production unit to go to Mali, where they are involved with a charity mission.   

   

Sources:

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL0628389220071107 

http://www.answers.com/topic/biodiesel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate 

The Up’s and Down’s of Ethanol

     A new farm bill, which was passed by the House, has brought up a great deal of debate. About $286 billion is likely to be given for farm support. What do such farm bills promise? Cheap goods for Americans, protection of “family farmers,” and less reliance on other nations for products. However, farm bills with these intentions in the past have brought us no closer to these goals.

                            

     This bill has zeroed in on another issue: ethanol as an alternate fuel source. Ethanol has a promising sound when the environmental benefits are discussed. It burns cleaner than gasoline. Without large amounts of toxic material, ethanol would benefit the atmosphere by reducing greenhouse gases. Ethanol is also considered a renewable resource. Some say that ethanol use may also decrease our dependence on other nations for imported oil, benefitting the domestic economy.

     However, a reliance on grain-based ethanol would also cause a host of complicated problems. First, as we saw in our lab, ethanol is not as fuel efficient as gasoline. In fact, ethanol has about 2/3 the amount of energy in a gallon as gasoline does. Ethanol also absorbs dirt and water easily, creating the threat of corrosion if not filtered properly. Consumers might be reluctant to rely on ethanol because, in addition to the energy content problem, it also costs more.

The following chart (energybulletin.net) shows gasoline prices in comparison to ethanol prices

  

       Consumer problems aside, the cost of transporting the corn and processing the ethanol might actually outweigh national benefits of reducing our dependence on foreign fuel sources. The production of ethanol also might undo the benefits of reducing greenhouse gases. Enormous amounts of cornfields would need to be dedicated to ethanol productions. Therefore, farms would likely experience crop shortages and high returns for the farmers.  In the end, it would be the multi-million corporate farms receiving the benefit and the smaller, family businesses being put under stressed conditions.

Sources:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/services/newspaper/printedition/friday/chi-oped1102hansonnov02,0,4600414.story

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-ethanol-fuel.htm

http://usasearch.gov/search?v%3aproject=firstgov-images&v%3afile=viv_833%4028%3a9c7PM3&v:state=root%7Croot-0-20%7C0

http://energybulletin.net/18576.html

http://zfacts.com/p/436.html