Sub's Alternative Energy Thread

[SubGod22]

Another step towards more efficient and reliable hydrogen production.

A Big Step Towards Hydrogen Fuel Out of Thin Air - Just Like a Plant

A device that can harvest water from the air and provide hydrogen fuel—entirely powered by solar energy—has been a long-held dream of scientists, but it’s now close to fulfillment.

Chemical engineer Kevin Sivula and his team have made a significant step towards bringing this vision closer to reality by developing an ingenious yet simple system.

It combines semiconductor-based technology with novel electrodes that have two key characteristics: they are porous, to maximize contact with water in the air; and transparent, to maximize sunlight exposure of the semiconductor coating.

When the device is simply exposed to sunlight, it takes water from the air and produces hydrogen gas, which can then be injected into trucks, trains, or planes with hydrogen fuel cell batteries for green combustion.

In their research for renewable fossil-free fuels, engineers at the Federal Polytechnic School at Lausanne, in collaboration with Toyota Motor Europe, took inspiration from the way plants are able to convert sunlight into chemical energy using carbon dioxide from the air.

A plant essentially harvests carbon dioxide and water from its environment, and with the extra boost of energy from sunlight, can transform these molecules into sugars and starches, a process known as photosynthesis.

“Developing our prototype device was challenging since transparent gas-diffusion electrodes have not been previously demonstrated, and we had to develop new procedures for each step,” said Marina Caretti, lead author of the work.

[ShauXTyme]

I find this to be a lot of BS!!

[SubGod22]

British Company Develops First Tractor in the World to be Completely Powered by Cow Dung

New Holland’s brand new tractor runs on liquified methane, allowing farmers to decrease their emissions and save money on expensive diesel.

But that isn’t the only reason it’s more efficient, as the company says the fuel can easily be produced by methane from cow pies, allowing for a more circular economic model in the most circular of industries.

The pioneering 270hp tractor is claimed to be a match for the performance of standard diesel-powered versions. The groundbreaking machine was developed by British company Bennamann, which has been researching and developing biomethane production for over a decade.

Waste byproducts from a herd as small as 100 cows are turned into a fuel called fugitive methane in a biomethane storage unit based on the farm.

A cryogenic tank fitted on the tractor keeps the methane in liquid form at -162 degrees°C giving the vehicle as much power as a diesel but with significant emission savings.

It was put through its paces during a pilot run on a farm in Cornwall where carbon dioxide emissions were slashed from 2,500 metric tons to 500 metric tons in just a year.

I do know that Shell has a few facilities under construction, with many more planned, that are to capture the methane from cow pies. I know there's a facility in Western Kansas and a couple in Idaho for sure being built. I'm guessing they're doing it for a similar reason as they believe there can and will be a market for this sort of thing.

[SubGod22]

Using plastic waste to fuel the future?

Company Unveils Designer Hypercar that Runs on Fuel Made from Plastic

An Italian motor company has unveiled a supercar that will run on garbage.

Italian supercars tend towards the polluting side of the spectrum of manufacturing, with massive 12 cylinder engines that care little for miles per gallon.

Bertone are known for iconic designs such as the sharply angled “Italian Wedge” shape of the Lamborghini Countach, but their new GB110 is the first high performance car that will be supplied with fuel made out of plastic waste.

The limited edition run of 33 vehicles has been launched to mark Bertone’s 110th anniversary.

Bertone has not released a price tag for the car, but says it will be “akin to a piece of art,” and allow potential owners to choose a series of modifications to suit “unique tastes and identity.”

Jean-Franck Ricci, CEO of Bertone, says they “have partnered with the company Select Fuel which has developed a patented technology to convert polycarbonate materials into renewable fuel.”

“We believe that de-pollution will require different solutions with combinations of technologies,” Ricci said.

[SubGod22]

These 5 U.S. States Are Repaving Roads This Year With Unrecyclable Plastic Waste: The Results Are Impressive

Headache-inducing plastic waste such as printer cartridges and plastic bags are being turned into aggregate material for asphalt road mixtures around the country.

Plastic roads have built up a head of scientific steam recently, with scientists and regulators seeing roads as a decent place to reutilize plastic that is difficult to recycle in a cost-effective manner.

Pilot programs are ongoing in Missouri, Pennsylvania, Virginia, California, and Hawai’i, with transportation regulators monitoring performance and durability of the roads, and environmental regulators on the lookout for potential microplastic contamination.

All in all plastic roads could be a big part of future societies, as the programs all show good results, and for the moment at least, no microplastic pollutant runoffs in several states.

Last year GNN reported that a stretch of Australian highway was completed with millions of used facemasks, while another in America has taken to adding shredded tires.

A stretch of road in Hawai’i between Kilaha Street and the beginning of Fort Weaver Road near Cormorant Avenue is testing a recycled polymer mixture in its asphalt that contains the equivalent of 150,000 water bottles.

Another positive way to reuse rather than toss out. I've seen places in the past that have used tires and diapers as products used for paving roads.

[Shockm]

Wind energy is not enough: Winter storms show renewables alone can’t power Kansas

On Dec. 22, the 14-state region of the Southwest Power Pool — which includes Kansas and metropolitan Kansas City — experienced the highest winter electric demand in history. That day, demand in our region exceeded the previous highest winter electric demand on record by 8%. The peak winter electric demand increased from the highest recorded level of 43,661 megawatts on Feb. 15, 2021, to a level of 47,127 megawatts this month on Dec. 22 — an increase of 8%. To meet that 47,127-megawatt demand, about 17,000 were provided by wind energy. About 28,000 were provided by coal and natural gas fired electric generation, and about 2,000 were provided by nuclear generation. This Dec. 25,the weather became warmer, with an electric demand of 34,482 megawatts. However, wind availability decreased to 3,061 megawatts of the total demand, with coal and natural gas fired electric generation providing 27,585 and nuclear energy providing about 2,000. To those who advocate that our region should generate electric energy only from renewables such as wind and solar, I would respond that it is both impossible and impractical to do so.

https://www.kansas.com/opinion/guest...270474322.html

[wufan]

I'm close to Nashville, TN right now and it's 5 degrees outside. It's ridiculously cold outside and then I remember that there is actually a country north of the USA that thinks global warming is an issue lmao. You'd think they'd want warmer weather and shorter winters.

Everyone wants that! Not everyone knows that though.

[The Truth]

I'm close to Nashville, TN right now and it's 5 degrees outside. It's ridiculously cold outside and then I remember that there is actually a country north of the USA that thinks global warming is an issue lmao. You'd think they'd want warmer weather and shorter winters.

[SubGod22]

I'm sure there are things that can be learned from this, and developed to better EVs in the future.

Car makes record-breaking 621-Mile Trip on single charge powered by the sun

An electric car has made a record-breaking 621 mile (1,000km) trip on a single charge powered by the sun.

The solar-powered Sunswift 7 averaged nearly 53mph (85kph) in under twelve hours to set a Guinness World Record while completing 240 laps of a track to represent the distance from Sydney to Melbourne.

Sunswift 7 is the latest in a long line of successful solar-powered cars from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, since the first vehicle was produced in 1996.

It weighs just 1,200 pounds, (500kg)—about one quarter of a Tesla—and boasts impressive efficiencies thanks to its aerodynamic design, the efficiency of the motors and drive chain, and incredibly low rolling resistance.

The car is not road legal, as it is missing essentials like climate control and airbags. The cost is prohibitive as well, but a solid dataset is an important jumping off point for building future solar cars in a country like Australia that is blessed with almost year ’round sunshine.

For their World Record, the UNSW team put the car through the paces at the Australian Automotive Research Centre (AARC) in Wensleydale, Victoria. They now hold the record for the ‘Fastest EV over 1,000km on a single charge.’

“It feels very weird to think that we’ve helped to make something that’s the best in the entire world,” said Sunswift team manager Andrea Holden, a mechanical engineering student at UNSW.

“Two years ago, when we started to build this car, everything was going into lockdown and there were a lot of difficult moments. It was a lot of work and a lot of hours and a lot of stress, but it’s all been worth it. This world record is validation of all the effort everyone in the team has put in.”

[SubGod22]

And a potential new way to collect minerals in a non-invasive and destructive way.

World's First Hovering Robot That Collects Rare Minerals From Sea Floor Allows Industry to Ditch Dredging

With the need for critical battery minerals growing, a company has proved that sustainable ocean mining is possible with a discriminating robot miner.

Below the waves, seafloors are covered in “polymetallic nodules” a fancy word for stones with many different metals in them.

Impossible Metals recently proved that it’s possible to harvest these nodules with precision and smart learning rather than dredging with large destructive plows. Their method is the Eureka 1, the world’s first undersea selective mining robot.

Full of lithium, nickel, and cobalt, the nodules could provide battery manufacturing with a more sustainable supply that doesn’t involve carbon-intensive mining, and avoids the geopolitical difficulties associated with pursuing these minerals in conflict zones or unstable states.

“Our harvesting machines don’t touch the seafloor,” said Renee Grogan, Chief Sustainability Officer and Co-founder. “What we’re designing is a fleet of underwater robotic vehicles. And they are not tethered to the vessel. They don’t make contact with the seabed. They hover above it.”

Once hovering above an area of seabed, an AI-powered computer will pick out nodules from other matter, and command a host of horseshoe crab-like grabber arms on the underside of the robot to pick them up and feed them through a hose into a collection chamber.

In November, the Eureka 1 dove to depths of 25 feet, successfully differentiated nodules from rocks, and utilized a special buoyancy compensation engine to bring them back to the surface.

[SubGod22]

Another positive form of energy production, at least for coastal areas.

Swedish Firm to Unlock the Electricity of the Sea With Largest Wave Power Station in the World

Swedish firm Eco Wave Power (EWP) entered into the agreement for the potential construction in Ordu, Turkey, starting with a small pilot project.

EWP said that if it proves viable, the estimated $150 million power station would be Turkey’s first grid-connected tidal energy station, and upon completion, would be the biggest in the world.

Anchored to structures such as jetties or seawalls, the rising and falling motion of the waves powers hydraulic pistons inside the metal hulls—called “floaters”—which in turn powers a turbine on land which then sends energy to the grid via an inverter.

According to the terms of the agreement, government-owned Ordu Enerji will assign nine potentially suitable breakwaters to EWP for a period of 25 years from activation of the relevant pilot or power station.

“Subject to certain conditions, including, among others, receiving favorable results from feasibility studies and receipt of applicable licenses and permits, the 77 MW power station is planned to be constructed in several stages, starting with an up to 4 MW pilot station, and continuing with the construction, operation, and maintenance of the remaining capacity of the plant of up to 73MW,” said the company.

[wufan]

Oh dear god! Talk about racist colonialism.

[pinstripers]

https://twitter.com/tomselliott/status/1603104616329400321

Biden pledges U.S. taxpayers will pay South Africa $8 billion to shut down their coal power plants

[WuDrWu]

Further down in the article ...

That would seem somewhat self defeating........although I'm certain the left would praise that particular result as a way for Earth to start anew.

[Kung Wu]

Further down in the article ...

The only concern is that when two atomic nuclei fuse, similar to a nuclear reaction, the fusion will set off a chain reaction causing all nearby atoms to fuse and thus the Earth will nearly instantly become a dwarf star. Biden's DoE have made it clear that the need for alternative energy is so critical, that they will work toward reversing the result of the chain reaction after their first fusion test of two atoms next Wednesday.