Power Mat to Cords: This is It!

October 12, 2009

Check out my cord chaos (photo). It's not the worst confusion of power cords that you've ever seen, I'm sure. But it doesn't take much -- a laptop, speakers, phone charger, lamp -- to create an unappetizing spaghetti dinner  next to my desk.

But soon, I hope, will come the day when cords of any type go the way of the manual dial on the television set. (My dad used to make me change the channel when I was the kid. I was the remote control!) A new device called a Power Mat requires no cords. (Duracell also has one called My Grid) You just place your iPhone, BlackBerry, MP3 player, cell phone, headset, hand held electronic games, digital camera or GPS unit on the mat and sit back and eat a donut or something.

What a concept. Why has this idea taken so long to come to fruition? We've been tripping over power cords since the late 1880s, for crying out loud! 

The first time I heard about wireless power was in 2007 from a group a scientists at MIT who demonstrated how to light a 60W light bulb from a power source seven feet away. The scientists have gone on to launch a startup company called WiTricity. They have a nice explanation on their web site that explains how their wireless technology works.

I'm not sure if it's similar to how Power Mat's technology works (left), but the WiTricity site gives you some idea of how energy is transferred safely from one spot to another without zapping anything (including us) in between. I for one can't wait to toss these cords in the trash!

Photo: AP Photo/Russel A. Daniels

Generate Some Negawatts

July 15, 2009

While researching for the Wide Angle on the Smart Grid, I came across a term that I had never seen before: Negawatts. Nega what? Immediately I g=Googled and discovered that this term dates back to at least 1989, when experimental physicist and CEO of the Rocky Mountain Institute, Amory Lovins gave the keynote address (The Negawatt Revolution: Solving the CO2 Problem) at a Green Energy Conference in Montreal. I can't believe I never came across the word, but it's an important one to have as part of your volcabulary.

Hey Power Grid: Smarten Up!

July 06, 2009

On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law. Of the $787 billion intended to stimulate the economy, $43 billion will be spent directly on energy-related matters. And a big piece of the energy pie will be devoted to the the power grid, which works about the same way it did when Thomas Edison conceived of it. Find out what needs fixing and why in this Wide Angle series: The Smart Grid.

• News: Community Genome Could Produce Biofuels
  The genomes of 17 different ants, fungi and bacteria that eat through hundreds of pounds of leaf matter a year could give scientists new clues to how a 50 million-year-old bioreactor operates.

• Puzzle: Plugging Into the Smart Grid
  Spend some time piecing together the power grid.

• Blog: Micro-Curtailment to Curb AC Use
  This is a story about how you can curtail people's air-conditioning use without them noticing, and the big opportunity this represents to do a little micro-curtailing.

• HowStuffWorks: How Living Off the Grid Works
  For most people, paying utility bills is a tiresome and frustrating task. What if there was a way to get out from under the thumb of public utilities and produce your own sustainable energy?

Photo: iStockPhoto

Wind Power Getting the Most Investment

June 03, 2009

Wind power has received a big spike in investment, the biggest, in fact, compared to other renewable energy sources, says a report from the United Nations Environment Program. In the NY Times article, "Clean Energy Funding Trumps Fossil Fuels," reporter James Kanter provides some details:

"Overall, the wind sector attracted the most new investment, with a total of $51.8 billion, representing growth of 1 percent compared to 2007. Solar made large gains, recording growth of 49 percent to reach total investment of $33.5 billion. Geothermal was the highest growth sector, with investment up 149 percent to $2.2 billion, but biofuels dropped by 9 percent to $16.9 billion."

Along those lines, China has recently announced that it plans to invest $14.6 billion US to boost wind power capacity to 30,000 Megawatts from 12,000 MW.

Image: iStockPhoto

Nobel Prize Winner Says Wind is Not the Future

June 02, 2009

This week on Discovery Tech, we're talking about wind power and it's potential to supplant fossil fuels. I've read over and over -- and also have spoken with experts who say -- that there's so much wind out there, we could power the United States five times over. But one of the biggest challenge is storage. Right now, when you generate wind energy, you have to use it or lose it. Or you have to store it, perhaps in batteries. But that technology isn't available yet. Sure, we have batteries, but not ones that can store megawatts of energy being generated on wind farms.

That's part of the reason that 1968 Nobel Prize winner in physics Jack Steinberger said the United States (i.e. Obama) shouldn't be focusing so much on wind power. They should be focusing on solar thermal power, Steinberger said. You may immediately think about solar panels, that is photovoltaics, that convert solar energy directly into electricity. But that's not what Steinberger was talking about. He was talking about solar collectors that concentrate the sun's energy to heat water to very high temps. That hot water is turned into steam, which is used to turn a turbine and produce electricity. Spain just built a huge facility to do this -- the PS10 Solar Tower (image).

Recently, Greenpeace released a report saying that solar-thermal power farms could provide 25 percent of the world's electricity needs by 2050.

Personally, I think we need both solutions, since the sun is not shining consistently in all places and there are plenty of people against the idea of blanketing sunny locations with solar collectors.

Video Sums It Up

June 01, 2009

Variety is the Spice of Tech

March 16, 2009

This week on Discovery Tech, we have a mix of stories, news, podcasts, blogs, puzzles and other articles. Come back daily to check 'em out.

Monday: Clark Boyd's Technology Podcast. CCTV in the U.K., Corporate Snooping in Germany, U.S. DriveCams, and the EYEborg.
A bit of theme runs through this week's Technology Podcast from PRI's The World. That theme is surveillance. In fact, we take a hard look at all manner of technologies and entities that are, in fact, looking at you.

Tuesday: Puzzle. Biofuels made from sustainable crops are showing promise. And scientists are looking at everything from Algae to Jatropa.

Wednesday: Engineering Works podcast. Gene Charleton looks at how food engineers are using a microwave-like device and irradiation to get rid of unpleasant bacteria like salmonella and E-coli that can make us sick.

Thursday: Slideshow. Math Model Grows Snowflakes

Friday: Top 10 Uses for the Large Hadron Collider

Image: David Griffeath

The Wide Angle: Green Energy

March 09, 2009

The green energy revolution is driven by inventors and entrepreneurs who are making saving the planet a viable and profitable venture. This Wide Angle on Green Energy looks at the different kinds of green power available, from what's going on in the lab to what's being installed in the field and how everyone can benefit. 

And on TV, be sure to watch Earth: The Sequel, March 11, 12 and 15, on the Discovery Channel.

News: Hamster Power Charges Digital Devices
Researchers fitted a hamster with nanopiezoelectric jacket. As the hamster runs, the jacket moves and bounces to generate a current. About 1,000 hamster hours gives a full charge to a typical cell phone.

Video: Alternative Turkey Energy
The turkey industry produces over 1,7 million tons of turkey litter every year. In addition to fertilizer, this can now be used as an alternative energy source. Learn more in "HowStuffWorks" on Discovery Channel.

Video: Underwater Turbines Pump Out Energy
Parts of New York City are getting their power from underwater turbines. Kasey-Dee Gardner finds out more about this type of renewable energy.

Top 10: Ideas for a Greener Roof
Blending modern techniques with tried-and-true methods can turn an empty roof into an environmentally sound space. Here are the hottest ways for roofs to go green.

Puzzle: Green Power
Eco-friendly energy comes in all shapes and sizes. Check out some of the most popular means for acquiring sustainable power.

Quiz: Is it Green or Green-washed?
As the green movement continues to gather momentum and support, more organizations and companies are jumping on the train. But sometimes adopting a truly green business model is complicated and expensive. In other words: It isn't easy being green. As a result, some companies hoodwink consumers into thinking their company's products and services are green, when they are not. Test your green vs. greenwashing knowledge with this quiz.

How To: Go Green
A comprehensive breakdown of the different types of alternative energy available to power and heat your home as well as notes on what you should consider before investing in one.

Work and Connect: Green Your Home, Get a Tax Break
The United States government is extending tax breaks to homeowners who have decided to green up their home. Here's a rundown of 16 green upgrades to a house that could net homeowners a tax break.

Powrtalk Blog: Wet, Green Energy
The earth's surface is seventy percent ocean. Half the world lives within fifty miles of (but not upon) the oceans. More live near (but not upon) lakes and rivers and streams. This represents a lot of energy-laden water, located exactly next to people.

Photo: iStockphoto/Andrejs Zemdega

Micropscopic Algae Take on BIG Oil

November 11, 2008

Because I used to work as a freelance science writer, I get a lot of science-related materials from institutions, universities and research centers delivered to my door. Press office magazines, for example, or annual reports, etc.

Yesterday I got a research review from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. There's a lot of great energy-related projects going on at NREL and I'm going pass this little mag along to the Powrtalk guys for blogging fodder. But before I do, I wanted to mention one of my favorite pieces.

It's about using microscope algae to produce a sustainable fuel resource. Algae! Yeah, I've heard of this before. But I didn't actually get how it worked until I read the article. Apparently many species of microalgae naturally produce up to 20 percent of their body weight as fats or oils that can be extracted, sent to a refinery and turned into diesel, jet fuel or even gasoline. Amazing. Here are the other bennies:

• Production of oil from microalgae could be as much as 20 percent higher per acre than it is for other oil seed crops, such as soybeans.
• Microalgae can be grown on land that's not suitable for conventional crops.
• Microalgae can be grown in salty water unfit for conventional ag
• Algae take up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, just like all plants
• Industrial or power plant air rich in CO2 could be vented over microalgae crops, stimulating them to grow better.

Read more here.

Photo:  Kaz Chiba

Green Roofs, Warp Engines and Cheap Solar Power

August 01, 2008

These are the coolest stories I read this past week.

July 25 / Scientific American
Urban Roofscapes: Using "Wasted" Rooftop Real Estate to an Ecological Advantage
How a green roof can minimize run-off and mitigate the urban “heat island effect.”

July 25 / BBC
HP's Plan to Fix Ailing Planet
Trillions of sensors deployed worldwide will monitor the state of the planet and pick up ailments (wildfires, hurricanes, bacteria, hazardous chemicals) that may need to be warded off or remedied.

July 26 / The New York Times
China Surpasses U.S. in Number of Internet Users
Is anyone surprised? I'm so not surprised that I almost didn't put this on the list. You're right. I'm taking it off. 

July 28 / Discovery News
Warp Drive Engine Would Travel Faster Than Light
Gather 'round Trekkies. Your time has come. Two physicists have figured out warp drive works without breaking the laws (of physics, that is).

July 28 / Scientific American
Engineering Silicon Solar Cells to Make Photovoltaic Power Affordable
One company is on a mission to get the cost of solar cells down to a buck a watt. Those are light bulb prices that would make energy from the sun competitive with that from coal-burning power plants.

July 28 / The New York Times
Former Employees of Google Prepare Rival Search Engine
This company pronounces their name, Cuil, as "cool." That, and the fact that they are trying to upstage Google, makes me narrow my eyes with skepticism.

July 30 / Nature
Energy: Upgrading the Grid
What it takes to make a stupid power grid super smaht.

July 30 / Wired
Project to Rebuild Internet Gets $12M, Bandwidth
There's a project dedicated to rebuilding the Internet's underlying architecture? Whoa. I didn't even know about that.

July 30 / BBC
Olympic Link to Early 'Computer'
A closer look at an ancient Greek timepiece discovered in 1901 reveals that it has dials that record the dates of the original Olympic games.

July 31 / Technology Trends
OmegaTable, A 24-million Pixel VR Display
This virtual reality display is a multi-sensory touch tabletop that gives people a 3D experience without looking like a giant dork in those special glasses.

July 31 / Technology Review
3-D Printing for the Masses
This printing service takes orders from customers and turns ideas into three-dimensional prototypes at an affordable cost. If you're an artist, architect, designer, or general hobbyist, you might want to read this article.

July 31 / The Guardian
Sweet Peas Make a Second Skin
Didn't know this, but an enzyme in sweet pea pods and seeds can cause floppy skin in grazing animals. That's totally weird. But that same enzyme, when used in a polymer gel wound dressing, could relieve shrinking or lumpy skin grafts on burn victims.

July 31 / Economist
Genetically Modified Olympians?
You can detect performance-enhancing drugs, for the most part, but how do you detect gene therapy?

July 31 / New Scientist
Solar-Cell Material Can Soak Up More Sun
The sun cranks out a ton of energy, but conventional solar cells are only able to absorb the visible light part of the sun's spectrum. A new material that absorbs the infrared could, in theory take energy absorption from 30 percent to 63 percent.