Scaling Up Saharan Solar

November 02, 2009

The idea has been thrown around for a while: Let's put a bunch of mirrors--the most ever!--in the desert to provide massive amounts of electricity to faraway places. A newly-formalized consortium is going to do just that, in the Sahara Desert.

Twelve European businesses that form the Desertec Industrial Initiative consortium just signed a pact on Friday in Munich to erect parabolic mirrors on more than 6,500 square miles in the desert. The mirrors will concentrate the sun's rays on giant water containers that will power steam turbines, generating electricity to be transported using high-voltage direct current transmission lines. Tanks containing molten salt will temporarily store excess heat from day. Similar solar projects exist, but this would be the first on such a scale.

The Desertec project plans to provide 15 percent of continental Europe's energy needs by 2050. Several North African countries are interested in joining the consortium and Desertec expects to deliver electricity to local African consumers as well. The technical and financial details of the project, which was first announced two years ago, will be ironed out by 2012 with power deliveries to Europe starting three years later. While I can hardly fathom the crazy financing required, advancements in solar technology make me optimistic that Desertec won't turn out to be a mirage.

Photo Credit: Solar Millennium AG.

When Is Bamboo...Rayon?

October 23, 2009

I've had the bamboo fiber pulled over my eyes. Following a settlement with a clothing maker, the Federal Trade Commission announced that fabrics made from processed bamboo can't be pedaled as green--they're as synthetic as the rayon shirt hiding in your closet.

Under the FTC's settlement terms, retailer Bamboosa agreed not to make any environmental claims about its bamboo textiles being biodegradable, antimicrobial, and wholly made from bamboo fiber unless they could be backed up with reliable evidence. (Bamboosa's site still had green claims when I checked, though.)

Are there actually any green bamboo fabrics? An FTC advisory to consumers says not if they feel soft: "They are made using toxic chemicals in a process that releases pollutants into the air. Extracting bamboo fibers is expensive and time-consuming, and textiles made just from bamboo fiber don't feel silky smooth."

What about all those wonderful antibacterial, breathable properties bamboo fabric was said to have? Greenwashing. "Even when bamboo is the 'plant source' used to create rayon, no traits of the original plant are left in the finished product," the FTC reported. I'll won't repeat the "we've been bamboozled" cliché. But it gives me a good idea for a t-shirt.

Photo: Handspun bamboo thread that has been carbonized for color. Credit: Heather Kennedy.

Wide Angle: Klymit Takes Control of the Elements

October 13, 2009

Early today the Ogden, Utah-based company Klymit ships out its first batch of adjustable insulation vests. The key elements? Noble gases.

President and CEO Nate Alder came up with the idea while still a student at Brigham Young University after learning that weightless argon has insulation properties and was being used in double glazed windows. 

Argon, krypton, and xenon are already present in the air we breathe, Alder says. A cryogenic process removes them so they can be put into Klymit's vests. I wondered, could you ever run out of these noble gases? "You would have to suck the entire atmosphere out. And where would you put it?" Alder says. "It’s not like gasoline."

Klymit makes four kinds of different sports vests, which retail in the $200 range. The insulation level is adjustable with a valve and a recyclable canister that lasts around three seasons on the slopes. None of the beta testers punctured the vests, but they can easily be patched should that happen.

Alder adds that the company has filed for patents to use the technology for a wide variety of applications beyond outdoor apparel. Last weekend I could have used it while watching a pumpkin paddling contest in Vermont on a windy fall day. Some of the racers probably could have used some noble gases, too.

Photo: Klymit president and CEO Nate Alder shows of a noble vest. Credit: Salt Lake City Outdoor Recreation Examiner.

GET MORE OF THE WIDE ANGLE
Inventors rule:

Top 5: Dean Kamen's Fav Innovators

Top 10: Accidental Inventions

Slide Show: Da Vinci's Inventions

News: Salt and Pepper Make Disposable Batteries

Cocoa and Veggie Car Ready to Race

October 06, 2009

A few weeks ago, researchers at the University of Warwick in Coventry, UK, unveiled a crazy-green Formula 3 racing car constructed with root veggies and fueled by a cocoa blend. This month, the WorldFirst car faces its first race.

You don't have to be a motorsports fan to appreciate the WorldFirst. Research team leader Kerry Kirwan calls it the greenest car in its class. TreeHugger calls it the "Flying Carrot." The seats are made from flax and soybean oil foam, the body contains recycled carbon and resin materials. A purple steering wheel sounds like V-8 juice: it contains carrots, assorted veggies, and beets. The fuel is a chocolate and animal fat blend.

On October 17, the 20-year-old rookie Aaron Steele will race the vehicle in the Formula 3 Championship final at Brands Hatch. Formula 3 tends to be a step on the way to serious international Formula 1 racing. The WorldFirst is certainly no homemade hippie go-kart. Chocolate in the tank helped it reach 135 miles per hour in test runs. I just hope it's got some serious fire protection. Hot cocoa-fuel anyone?

Photo: The WorldFirst research team with its green racer. Credit: University of Warwick.

Eating Dinner From the Future

September 30, 2009

I joked about becoming a stowaway when the Waterpod, an eco-art-science barge touring New York City this summer, came to Queens. Turns out the crew was serious about hospitality, and it included a taste of the future.

This week, on the Waterpod's final day open to the public, I went to find out how the project had gone. My plan was to meet Waterpod mastermind Mary Mattingly, look around, take notes, and peace out. Then she kindly invited me to stay for dinner with the remaining crew. It's hard to say no to ripe vegetables from vines at your fingertips.

Gathered in the well-used kitchen, co-curator Ian Daniel and graywater specialist Andrew Carter contemplated post-barge living. Mattingly prepared a giant yellow squash to go on the rocket stove and reflected on how she'd adjusted the experimental ecosystem.

"I think there's a confidence about [the] ability to be self-sustaining that I have now, and a lot of people who come on board do," she said before we all dug into brown rice, seasoned cooked squash, and spicy marinated eggplant, tomato, and green pepper salad. If rising ocean levels force us to figure out how to float, it might not be an entirely bad thing. Especially if the food tastes like this.

For more, check out the audio slideshow:

Photo: Mary Mattingly rocks the rocket stove. Credit: Alyssa Danigelis.

ADDITIONAL COVERAGE

Waterpod Project Website

Blog: Waterpod People Take Manhattan

TreeHugger: Waterpod Demonstrates Self-Sufficient, Sustainable Living

New York Times: Life, Art and Chickens, Afloat in the Harbor

Wide Angle: Engineering Law-Friendly Hemp

September 24, 2009

Plant biology professors at the University of Minnesota have identified which genes in Cannabis produce the drug part, a key discovery that could lead to legal hemp production in the United States.

Hemp and marijuana are two varieties of Cannabis--marijuana contains a lot of the drug tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) while hemp contains a small amount, but law enforcement has trouble telling them apart so all Cannabis is illegal stateside.

The university's David Marks and George Weiblen might have a solution. "THC is concentrated in these tiny hairs that cover the flowers of the plant," Weiblen says. "We did not know whether the drugs were produced in the hairs or elsewhere in the plant and transported. We now know that the drugs are produced in the hairs." Their discovery was recently published in the Journal of Experimental Botany.

Hemp is more durable than cotton and thrives in the Midwestern climate. Hemp farming flourished there until other fibers gained popularity and strict drug laws were passed. If the scientists can secure funding, the next step is to engineer a hairless hemp variety that law enforcement can quickly identify as drug-free. Or the U.S. could adopt legislation similar to Canada's, where hemp production is legal.

Here's a short video with more details on the research:

Photo: This is where the drugs come from. Credit: David Marks.

Nanopower Springs Into Battery Territory

September 22, 2009

It sounds like magic: teeny tiny little springs made from carbon could store as much energy as lithium ion batteries. New research out of MIT shows it's possible, at least according to the theoretical models.

Carol Livermore, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the Institute, led research to show through mathematical modeling and testing that carbon molecules coaxed into tiny spring shapes have the potential to store exponentially more energy for their weight than springs made of steel. The work was published recently in Nanotechnology and the Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering.

The next step will be to work on making an energy storage device by assembling longer, thicker nanotube fibers than the ones created for the tests. If the scientists can achieve that, they'll open the door to a compelling lithium-ion battery competitor. Carbon nanotubes are durable, so the springs could conceivably work in extreme temperatures that batteries can't handle. While this nano-spring power is still years away from a commercial introduction, I think it's worth the effort to develop. After all, good things tend to come in small packages.

Photo: Carole Livermore (left) with graduate student Frances Hill (right) in the MIT lab where all the magic happens. Credit: Patrick Gillooly.

Wide Angle: Biodiesel Takes to the Rails

September 18, 2009

High speed rail and biodiesel aren't mutually exclusive, but the railroad industry has traditionally been reluctant to test out alternative fuels. A biodiesel project currently under way in Iowa could change that.

The U.S. railroad system consumes more than 3 billion gallons of diesel fuel annually. That's a lot of emissions. Unfortunately the industry is in a bind: train engine manufacturers haven't approved the use of biodiesel in their engines so railroad companies use regular diesel in order to keep their warranties.

This year, Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd. (IAIS) is volunteering to test two different blends of biodiesel from Renewable Energy Group (REG) in an engine that's no longer under warranty.

"Most people don’t understand that you could use biodiesel in a locomotive engine," says Dave Slade, technical services manager at REG. "We’re very happy that the Iowa Interstate Railroad is willing to try it."

The test started in June with B10, a fuel with 10 percent biodiesel. Next Thursday the engine switches to B20, which has 20 percent, for the next three months. REG's biodiesel comes from animal fats and vegetable oils that have been chemically modified to burn cleaner. The cost per gallon is competitive with regular diesel, Slade says. The Transportation Research Institute at the University of Kansas is conducting air quality tests on the locomotive's exhaust stacks for each fuel type and will have the results after the project wraps up in December.

Although the project is testing lower-percentage blends, Slade says that mining companies already use fuels with 50 to 100 percent biodiesel to power underground engines similar to the ones in locomotives. If the Iowa tests show that the train runs cleaner or more efficiently on biodiesel, the railroad industry might be persuaded to start making the switch. "This test is critical," Slade says.

Photo: The IAIS yard in Council Bluffs with white biodiesel blend tank. Courtesy of REG.

Swedes Make High-Performance Battery With Algae

September 11, 2009

Scientists at Uppsala University in Sweden have created lightweight, flexible batteries from a nuisance algae that blooms globally.

The scientists had originally studying Cladophora algae's potential as a thickening agent for pharmaceutical uses, but discovered that its unique nanostructure made it ideal for energy storage. They coated algal cellulose with a conducting polymer and achieved promising charge-time and storage capacity.

Nanotech professor and research lead Maria Strømme told the university's news service that their work opens up new possibilities for inexpensive, environmentally friendly, and lightweight energy storage systems. The interdisciplinary group published their findings in the September 9 issue of Nano Letters. Gas 2.0 editor Nick Chambers points out that when the algae batteries have been optimized, they should have similar storage capacity as lithium-ion batteries.

Hat tip to my Discovery colleague Michael Reilly for sending this news my way. Cladophora algae blooms worldwide and has been particularly problematic in the Great Lakes. With all the challenges still facing lithium-ion batteries, I'm all for tapping a widespread algae that has a tendency to slime our waterways.

Photo: This "grönslick" (algae) is helping the Swedes break records with their battery. Credit: Uppsala University.

Taking Tree Housing To New Heights

September 04, 2009

A research group from the University of Stuttgart is giving "tree house" a new meaning recently with the world's first tower made from living white willow trees.

I've seen benches and even umbrella stands made from manipulating living trees, but coaxing them into a building is a new one. The Baubotanik group--I love their name--focuses on understanding how botany can be used for construction. Headed by Professor Gerd de Bruyn, the scientists planted the trees at the base in the soil, constructed a temporary steel scaffolding to support the growing trees, and placed yet more willows in planters.

Over the course of five to 10 years the plan is for the trees to grow into a load-bearing structure that no longer needs the steel. The scientists hope that work on this tower will lead to safe and strong living structures. If you're in Germany on September 19, you can go check it out (in German) for yourself because the tower will be open for public viewing. I'll probably just wait until I can imagine moving in.

Photo: A member of the research group aloft in the tower. Credit: Baubotanik.