Sub's Alternative Energy Thread

[SubGod22]

A new purpose found for wind turbine blades that have reached their expiration date.

Company Devises Ingenious Method of Repurposing Old Wind Turbines: 'The perfect time'

With the first generation of wind turbines well into a period of decommissioning, questions about what to do with the massive fiberglass blades is a pressing one for an industry that markets itself as green and sustainable.

While indeed no fossil fuels need be burned to generate electricity with wind turbines, the mounting landfill burden of the blades which are not recyclable is projected to climb to over 40 million tons of fiberglass over the next 20 years.

Some companies though are changing the angle of approach of the problem from how to recycle the blades into raw materials to simply moving them onto other uses—and the company REGEN Fiber, owned by the trucking company Tavero, sees their future as additives in concrete and asphalt.

The primary end-product is a top-performing reinforcement fiber that increases the strength and overall durability of concrete and mortar applications such as pavement, slabs-on-grade, and precast products. The company also produces microfibers and additives from components of the wind blade for use in a range of composite, concrete, and soil stabilization applications.

By preventing decommissioned wind turbine blades from ending up in landfills or releasing combustion byproducts, such as carbon, to the atmosphere if burned, REGEN Fiber’s new and sustainable solution is helping to solve the wind industry’s growing challenge of finding environmentally friendly ways for disposing of wind turbine components.

“With tremendous growth projected in the wind industry and an increasing number of turbines already reaching the end of their approximately 20-year lifespan, REGEN Fiber is entering the market at the perfect time,” Jeff Woods, director of business development at Travero, said in a statement.

[Shockm]

Many Climate Change experts believe that Global Warming is a hoax. A science study from this year.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1112950/

[Atxshoxfan]

Many Climate Change experts believe that Global Warming is a hoax. A science study from this year.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1112950/

I call it a money grab. Tax dollars given to green energy companies who kick some back to their favorite politician before going bankrupt.

[pinstripers]

I call it a money grab. Tax dollars given to green energy companies who kick some back to their favorite politician before going bankrupt.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/on-small-business/2023/08/09/biden-backed-bus-maker-got-millions-in-us-aid-before-bankruptcy/78aea0d6-36ef-11ee-ac4e-e707870e43db_story.html

and there ya have it

[SubGod22]

World's First Electric Aircraft Flight Powered by New Liquid Hydrogen Flew for 3 Hours

The world’s first piloted flight of an electric aircraft powered by liquid hydrogen has taken place.

H2FLY, the Stuttgart Germany-based developer of hydrogen-electric powertrain systems for aircraft announced it has successfully carried out four flights from Maribor, Slovenia, powered by liquid hydrogen as part of its flight test campaign, including one flight that lasted for over three hours.

They believe the flights lay the foundation for long-range, emissions-free flight, with liquid hydrogen doubling the range of the HY4 aircraft to 932 miles (1,500km), compared to using gaseous hydrogen which is much heavier.

“Results of the test flights indicate that using liquid hydrogen in place of gaseous hydrogen will double the maximum range of the HY4 aircraft from 750 km to 1,500 km, marking a critical step towards the delivery of emissions-free, medium- and long-haul commercial flights,” the company said in a statement.

Over the last 12 months, GNN has kept abreast of all hydrogen electric flight milestones, as the liquid fuel is the only current option for decarbonizing aviation. In December, Rolls Royce and EasyJet successfully tested a hydrogen engine for a jumbo jet.

This is a pretty big step in furthering this technology and moving into the future with a new, clean fuel source.

[SubGod22]

Looks like the US is about to control the largest known lithium deposit ever found. And in the process, can take more environmentally friendly approaches to mining and avoid supporting foreign countries/businesses that may be more exploitive than most would prefer. This could also help lower some costs as the need of shipping massive amounts of lithium across the seas will no longer be a necessity.

Lithium Discovery in Crater in Nevada Could Be Biggest Deposit Ever Found

If even half of the lithium that’s estimated to exist in the McDermitt caldera is mined, it would change the world. Full stop.

Early this year, GNN reported that massive lithium reserves totaling 5.9 million metric tons were discovered in the Indian mountains near Kashmir which put them among the highest known lithium reserves on Earth by country.

The McDermitt caldera reserves are almost 700% larger—40 million metric tons, 13 million more than the known reserves of every lithium-producing mine on Earth.

With every manufacturing nation running around for lithium to make batteries and computer chips, any additional source is highly anticipated.

Up until now, large deposits have been found all around the world, but Bolivia is believed to hold the highest at between 16 to 21 million metric tons. However, political turmoil and low development rates have interfered with getting their reserves out of the ground.

“If you believe their back-of-the-envelope estimation, this is a very, very significant deposit of lithium,” Anouk Borst, a geologist at KU Leuven University, told journalist Anthony King. “It could change the dynamics of lithium globally, in terms of price, security of supply, and geopolitics.”

A new analysis of the in situ lithium reveals that the sediments of the McDermitt caldera include a unique claystone composed of the mineral illite that could contain as much as 2.4% lithium by composition, which is higher than the more widely extracted magnesium smectite.

[SubGod22]

More ways to repurpose old wind turbines.

Old Wind Turbines are Repurposed into Footbridges Capable of Supporting 30 Tons

Wind turbine blades set to be landfilled or incinerated, are being turned into footbridges that can hold the weight of a 30-tonne digger.

Currently, there are around 11,000 wind turbines in the UK, and estimates suggest that 450 blades will be decommissioned in Ireland by 2030, creating tons of non-recyclable waste.

In a bid to avoid filling up the landfill, a transatlantic research network led by Queen’s University Belfast called ‘Re-Wind’ was set up to find new ways to repurpose the blades. Working together, geography experts, design architects, and engineers have discovered that by using just two turbine blades they can create a bridge.

Already, the team has successfully built two footbridges in Ireland—a 21-foot (7-meter) bridge in Draperstown, Northern Ireland, and a 15-foot (5-meter) bridge in Cork in the Republic of Ireland.

The bridges, which are made from two wind turbine blades, are known as ‘BladeBridges’ and passed rigorous testing in May. A third bridge is also underway in Atlanta Georgia.

[SubGod22]

Ingenious Snow-Proof Solar Panels Can Work in All Weather: 'Game-Changing Tech'

Snow accumulation atop solar panels causes energy losses of between 5% and 15% every Winter in northern climates around the world, with some heavy snowfall even leading to mechanical loads that damage PV modules.

Keeping solar panels snow-free has been a costly and inefficient proposition—until now.

Materials and engineering scientists at the University of Toledo have developed an ingenious solution that is winning awards and satisfying the demand of 150 solar plant operators in their latest pilot tests.

The product is a novel strip that is applied to only the lower edge of the panel, which causes the melting of the snow without interfering with the absorption of sunlight.

In a video demonstrating Snow-Free Solar, the Ohio innovators say the easy-to-apply strip “does not cause any partial shading or hot spots on the panel and does not invalidate module warranty.” It can, in fact, improve the life expectancy of the panels.

The flexible strip doesn’t require any energy to operate and the coatings are “extremely durable, strongly adhering to the PV.”

“There is no need for power—it is passive,” says Hossein Sojoudi, the Associate Professor and Technical Advisor who founded Snow-Free Solar. “You apply it to the lower bottom and it works from there.”

Another step towards making solar a little more resilient and reliable. We've seen tech discoveries to make panels lighter, absorb energy at better rates, ability to recycle/reuse materials from them when they're ready to be replaced and now this, which would help them be more valuable year round.

[Shockm]

An interesting tidbit I learned from the tube a couple of weeks ago, got me thinking. I'd appreciate it if some of you Research Scientists, and others who do research can add more information..

The researcher I heard on the tube said that very few research ideas bear fruit, and said that most of the items in print, are actually just advertisements that researchers put out to bring attention to their products, but ultimately are unsuccessful.

So I looked it up, and found out that only 1 out of 1000 ideas (0.1%) ideas launched generate to products. After launching, 95% of launched products fail. So if you combine both of the metrics, overall, only 0.005% are successful. I'm sure there are different stages of research, but it sounded to me like there is a lot of "hot air" and wasted time/space trying to inform the public about how great the idea is. This would include pharmaceutical advertisements (I would think) that my doctor told me were often "busts", but a lot of money wasted that is spent on advertising them to the public. He said not to pay attention to advertisements.

How can the public tell the difference between successful ideas and "hot air" and wasted "air space"?

[Atxshoxfan]

An interesting tidbit I learned from the tube a couple of weeks ago, got me thinking. I'd appreciate it if some of you Research Scientists, and others who do research can add more information..

The researcher I heard on the tube said that very few research ideas bear fruit, and said that most of the items in print, are actually just advertisements that researchers put out to bring attention to their products, but ultimately are unsuccessful.

So I looked it up, and found out that only 1 out of 1000 ideas (0.1%) ideas launched generate to products. After launching, 95% of launched products fail. So if you combine both of the metrics, overall, only 0.005% are successful. I'm sure there are different stages of research, but it sounded to me like there is a lot of "hot air" and wasted time/space trying to inform the public about how great the idea is. This would include pharmaceutical advertisements (I would think) that my doctor told me were often "busts", but a lot of money wasted that is spent on advertising them to the public. He said not to pay attention to advertisements.

How can the public tell the difference between successful ideas and "hot air" and wasted "air space"?

Follow the money. Research for green energy always gets our tax dollars for their research. If they can give one small positive outcome, they apply for and generally get more of our tax dollars.

I read that Dem policies are now listed as a top 5 threat to our power grids because of the mandates moving us away from fossil fuels coupled with the catering to the activists by shutting down our nuclear energy plants.

[Shockm]

Follow the money. Research for green energy always gets our tax dollars for their research. If they can give one small positive outcome, they apply for and generally get more of our tax dollars.

I read that Dem policies are now listed as a top 5 threat to our power grids because of the mandates moving us away from fossil fuels coupled with the catering to the activists by shutting down our nuclear energy plants.

I don't need to follow the money to prove my point. I'm not advocating a good idea from a bad idea. The facts I was bringing up were in regards to ALL RESEARCH, They weren't intended to downgrade research on global warming (even though this particular thread is largely regarding research on global warming). I was making a comment regarding ALL RESEARCH which includes everything from Medical research to Food (Farming) Research (Everything).

Out of 20 ideas, MORE than 19 will fail, and much of the information we are given by large companies, are propaganda, to the masses, intended to advertise their great business ideas prior to the idea having success. As a public, we need to recognize propaganda from real facts.

Because of American freedom, and (not during the Biden Administration), and past STEM education, plus because America is largely free of regulations (again not during Biden), America has the largest amount of INNOVATION in the world. And then, of course, China steals it from us. Freedom and education seem to be waning, especially during this administration.

[Atxshoxfan]

I don't need to follow the money to prove my point. I'm not advocating a good idea from a bad idea. The facts I was bringing up were in regards to ALL RESEARCH, They weren't intended to downgrade research on global warming (even though this particular thread is largely regarding research on global warming). I was making a comment regarding ALL RESEARCH which includes everything from Medical research to Food (Farming) Research (Everything).

Out of 20 ideas, MORE than 19 will fail, and much of the information we are given by large companies, are propaganda, to the masses, intended to advertise their great business ideas prior to the idea having success. As a public, we need to recognize propaganda from real facts.

Because of American freedom, and (not during the Biden Administration), and past STEM education, plus because America is largely free of regulations (again not during Biden), America has the largest amount of INNOVATION in the world. And then, of course, China steals it from us. Freedom and education seem to be waning, especially during this administration.

Hope you weren't taking offense to my statement. I'm all for research that can advance any technology. I just don't like paying my taxes only for Congress to give my money away for research.

[SubGod22]

I do find this interesting and wonder what kind of market it will actually have in the future.

New Ohio Factory to Produce Electric Air Taxis That Carry 5 Passengers With Vertical Take-off and Landing

A company developing electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for passenger service, announced it plans to locate its first major aircraft production facility in Dayton, Ohio, the birthplace of aviation.

The Wright Brothers, who invented and flew the first powered aircraft in the U.S., lived and worked in Dayton and opened the first American airplane factory there in 1910.

Just miles away, Joby Aviation’s new facility will be capable of delivering up to 500 aircraft per year at the Dayton International Airport, supporting up to 2,000 new jobs.

The California based company plans to invest up to $500 million to pair with state incentives and a possible loan from the U.S. Department of Energy.

“We’re building the future of aviation right where it all started, in Dayton, Ohio,” said JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and CEO of Joby. “The Wright Brothers harnessed revolutionary technology of their time to open up the skies, and we intend to do the same—this time, bringing quiet and emissions-free flight that we hope will have an equally profound impact on our world.

Joby’s production aircraft is designed to transport a pilot plus four passengers at speeds of up to 200 mph (322-kph), with a maximum range of 100 miles and a “revolutionary quiet noise profile” that is barely audible against the backdrop of cities.

The company hopes to redefine urban transportation by operating these aircraft as part of aerial ride-sharing networks in cities around the world, starting in 2025, building on partnerships with Delta and Uber.

[SubGod22]

Concrete Made 30% Stronger by Adding Waste Coffee Grounds - Cutting Emissions and Mining in the Process

Engineers in Australia have found a way of making stronger concrete by utilizing coffee grounds, giving the roast a “double shot” at life and reducing waste going to landfills.

The RMIT University team developed the technique that makes concrete 30% stronger by adding waste coffee grounds after it is turned into biochar using their “low-energy process”.

Globally, 11 million tons of spent coffee is generated annually. Disposing of organic waste poses an environmental challenge because it emits large amounts of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane, which is 21 times worse than CO2 for the climate.

Furthermore, concrete used in construction projects around the world requires 50 billion tons of natural sand mined every year. Coffee biochar can replace a portion of that sand, which is a finite resource, explained research team leader Professor Jie Li.

“The ongoing extraction of natural sand around the world–typically taken from river beds and banks–to meet the rapidly growing demands of the construction industry has a big impact on the environment.”

“With a circular-economy approach, we could keep organic waste out of landfill and also better preserve our natural resources like sand,” said Li.

I'm all for finding ways to reuse waste in beneficial ways.

[SubGod22]

Getting away from lithium?

NASA May Have Just Cracked the Code for Replacing Lithium in Batteries: 'Double or even triple the energy'

Along with routinely launching robots across the final frontier, NASA is also involved in sustainable aviation research, and this division may have cracked the code to creating a lighter, safer battery back with multiple times more discharge power than lithium-ion batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries, the current industry standard for electric vehicles, contain liquids that make them vulnerable to overheating, fire, and loss of charge over time. By contrast, NASA’s SABERS (Solid-state Architecture Batteries for Enhanced Rechargeability and Safety) project is developing experimental solid-state battery packs that do not suffer from these drawbacks.

SABERS receives funding from NASA’s Convergent Aeronautics Solutions project, which is designed to investigate certain technologies to solve aviation’s biggest challenges: in this case, battery-powered flight.

Carbon from air travel equates to around 2% of all global greenhouse gas emissions. Batteries are hypothesized as a potential ameliorating solution to emissions-heavy jet fuel.

During the past year, SABERS’ solid-state batteries have been honed to produce a discharge rate much higher than any other example on the market by a factor of 10—and then again by a factor of 5.

Inside the battery, sulfur and selenium cells stacked directly on top of one another without casings allow for greater weight savings. Along with the cells themselves, multiple batteries can be stacked without any separation between them.

“Not only does this design eliminate 30 to 40 percent of the battery’s weight, it also allows us to double or even triple the energy it can store, far exceeding the capabilities of lithium-ion batteries that are considered to be the state of the art,” said Rocco Viggiano, principal investigator for SABERS at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.