Wind power innovator, Mariah Power, and Connecticut’s Quinnipiac University are installing the first micro-wind farm at a U.S. university.   The 25 turbine installation, which will be installed along the new York Hill Campus’s main walkway, will power about 50% of the campus’s exterior lights.  The 35 to 45 foot Windspire vertical axis wind turbines will create a “wind terrace”, or “kinetic sculpture garden” that, when combined with a sweet view of Long Island Sound, will hopefully become student destination.

read the full press release

Maybe we need to look to nature for innovative alternative energy designs.  Clean energy design firm, green wavelength, has created a bumblebee-inspired 19-foot wind turbine prototype that they demo’d at this week’s The Perfect Pitch 2009 entrepreneur conference.

The company’s xBEE press release states: “Created by the clean energy company Green Wavelength, the prototype represents an attempt to break the mold of everyday windmill solutions that are, at best, 30 percent efficient, and seek efficiency from biological sources such as the movement of bumblebees, hummingbirds, and dragonflies.”

The prototype got Green Wavelength into the top 50 finalists in the pitch conference, that featured Sir Richard Branson as a keynote speaker, and placed it in the running with entrepreneurs focused on everything from high-end recreational vehicles to artificial fingers.

Unfortunately, the prototype did not break into the top ten.

YouTube video of sidewalk demo

Germany-based Neuber and Konarka Technologies have teamed up to market a new solar charging line of bags.  Neuber’s Energy Sun-Bags feature Konarka’s Power Plastic lightweight material which converts solar energy into electricity.  The new business and leisure bags charge mobile phones, digital cameras, iPods, Mp3 Players and other small devices with solar power.

Pricing of the bags begins at under $150 U.S..  They can be purchased at neuber’s website (be prepared to translate from German)

source: press release

The US Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon announced the 2009 winners of its biennial competition, which challenged 20 colleges and universities from around the world to design, (more…)

Boro Fuel Oil Co., Inc., which has been providing Brooklyn, NY residents and businesses with fuel and energy services for 80 years, is taking the plunge and going green.  On November 1st the company will become the first heating oil dealer in New York City to offer BioGreen – a new premium biofuel.

BioGreen is a blend of traditional heating oil and 10% soybean oil – a combo that is much more eco-friendly than traditional home heating oil.  The premium biofuel is clean, renewable, biodegradable, and non-toxic.  Domestically produced BioGreen is also part of the ‘buy American’ movement -  it’s produced from soybeans grown in the U.S.A – and helps to support American agriculture and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

BioGreen offers heating oil customers the following benefits: (more…)

Techie fun, marketing innovation and wind speed site analysis all on your iPhone?  Mariah Power and Create with Context will soon release an iPhone app that will let you know how much wind is whipping through your property and if it’s enough to spin a Windspire small wind turbine.  Just hold your iPhone into the wind and it will measure the wind speed and do the math.  The app will also estimate how much CO2 your potential Windspire installation will save the environment.

You can sign up at Mariah Power’s website to be notified when the app is available.

Related: previous Altcon posts on Mariah Power and its vertical axis wind turbine

Although experts say we’re still quite a ways from driving in cars powered solely by the sun’s rays, here’s a concept of what the future might hold – called Lovos, which stands for Lifestyle of Voluntary Simplicity.

Designed by 24-year-old artist Anne Forschner from Pforzheim University, Germany, in collaboration with BMW, this concept car (which resembles somewhat of an eco-batmobile) consists of 260 exterior “scales” of solar cells, which harness power from the sun while simultaneously functioning as airbrakes.  When the car is in motion, each scale re-aligns with the sun accordingly to collect maximum power (even the wheels).

Forschner envisioned the car to stand as a symbol of  “the conscious self-restraint” in relation to reducing consumption and minimizing waste (I’m assuming by using solar as the car’s fuel source).

No word on whether the car will ever make it out of its concept stages, but what do you think?  Can you see yourself in one of these?

Check out more photos  @ autoblog.com

The amount of solar energy the Earth receives in 40 minutes is equivalent to global energy consumption for a year, so it’s no surprise that solar photovoltaic cells have become the world’s fastest growing energy source.

Whether you’re inclined to do your part for mother earth, or just want to lower your energy bills, a solar panel system may be an attractive fit.  Whether it’s a feasible option, however, will vary from home to home, depending on where you live and how much sunlight you receive.

Essentially, a solar panel system is a long-term investment.  Although a system typically has a high initial cost, the consumer saves money in the long run because the costs are eventually paid off in energy bill savings.  And, any solar power generated thereon after is entirely profit.

What varies is the amount of time it takes for you to make your money back – called, the payback period.  This depends on a number of variables – including: sunlight exposure, the system size, regional electric rates, household energy consumption, equipment placement, and the list goes on.  Generally speaking, systems typically average a payback period of 10-15 years.

Here’s how to calculate your payback period:

(more…)

Some of our natural sources of alternative energy, like wind and wave power, just won’t cooperate by producing power when we, or utility companies need it.  One solution – stop wasting energy produced in low demand situations, like nighttime0 – and store the energy for a time when it is most needed (or you can charge more for it).  Beacon Power, a Massachusetts company, is using a $43 million Federal loan guarantee to build a $67 million energy storage facility in Stephentown, NY.

Beacon’s Smart Energy 25 design is centered around a flywheel storage system that works by accelerating a cylindrical assembly called a rotor (flywheel) to a very high speed and maintaining the energy in the system as rotational energy.  The energy is converted back by slowing down the flywheel. The flywheel system itself functions as a kinetic, or mechanical battery, spinning at very high speeds to store energy that is instantly available when needed.  Beacon’s Smart Energy 25 flywheel has a high-performance rotor assembly that is sealed in a vacuum chamber and spins between 8,000 and 16,000 rpm.  At 16,000 rpm the flywheel can store and deliver 25 kWh of extractable energy.

Beacon Power has designed a grid-scale system it calls the “Smart Energy Matrix” which is a multiple integrated system of (10) Smart Energy 25 flywheels interconnected in an array, or matrix, to provide energy storage for certain utility applications. (more…)

Art Haines, a mechanical designer from Maine, came up with the idea of building a solar powered car.  When he pitched the idea of having local high school students help him build the car to his local civic group, it was well received.  He and eight students from the local high school discussed the project and the students came up with a list of the specifications for the solar car.  Mr. Haines then designed the solar car’s prototype on his computer, and the Sunnev – Solar Neighborhood Electric Vehicle was born.  Though not all of the original specs were implemented in the final version of the Sunnev – it turned out to be (more…)

Japanese carport maker Sankyo Tateyama Aluminium has developed a new carport with a solar power generation system installed on its roof.  With the burgeoning electric vehicle market calling for a big investment in charging stations and EV infrastructure, this could offer an interesting solution. (more…)

India-based car maker, REVA, is showcasing two new electric models created for the European market.  The company is launching  the REVA NXR (NeXt Reva – above), a new lithium-ion powered electric car which is scheduled to go into production early 2010. Also being unveiled for the first time is REVA’s next generation electric showcar, the REVA NXG (NeXt Generation – below), which is the company’s 2011 model.

REVA NXR is an M1 category three-door, four-seater (more…)

The idea of harvesting solar power from space has been circulating for quite some time.  The advantages are obvious – constant sunlight independent of weather conditions; so, what we normally factor into the feasibility of solar panels on Earth – such as the geographic region, weather patterns, and equipment placement – no longer applies.  Given such ideal conditions, it’s no surprise that the solar energy in space is ten times that on Earth, making solar satellites sound like a not-half-bad idea.

In an announcement last Tuesday, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and IHI Corporation are teaming up with 14 other companies to develop a solar power generator based in outer space.  The project, led by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), will consist of four square kilometers of solar satellites housed 36,000 kilometers above the Earth’s surface.

The technology in development will be able to convert the harnessed energy into radio frequency energy, and then wirelessly transmit it to a receiving station back on Earth, erasing the need for any cables.  Its completion is set for 2030 with the launch of its first prototype set for 2015, and is estimated to generate one gigawatt of energy, enough to power nearly 300,000 homes.

The project, however, comes with a hefty price tag, costing an estimated $21 billion.  And, of course there is the issue of whether the energy these solar panels can generate is worth that of the energy and costs to produce and transport them into space.  A fan of the idea, but I’m on the fence when it comes to feasibility.  What do you think?