Clean Energy Executives Say Grid Parity Without Subsidies Could Be Just 3 Years Away

Some of the largest countries on Earth made it clear this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland that, in many cases, renewable energy is just a few years away from reaching grid parity with fossil fuels without subsidies. Worldwide investment in renewable energy totaled $187 billion in 2010, while investment in coal and natural gas was $157 billion. With government subsidies worldwide in jeopardy because of financial woes, the International Energy Agency says countries should hold on for just a few more years until renewables catch up to emissions-laden power companies — which could happen as early as 2015 — after which, it is anyone’s game. Zhengrong Shi, CEO of Suntech Power holdings said that solar is on track to reach grid parity with coal by 2015 in at least 50 percent of the world’s markets. Vestas, a world leader in turbine manufacturing, expects their turbines to be cost-competitive without incentives “in the coming years”. Jifan Gao, CEO of Trina Solar Ltd. told Bloomberg news he expected his company to be competitive within a decade everywhere and that it is near grid parity in some places already. With President Barack Obama on the

Microbubbles Enable More Efficient Production Of Algae Biofuels

Algae biofuel is one of the most promising alternative fuels on the market – so far we’ve seen cars and even planes adapted to run on it. The main drawback thus far has been high production costs and energy usage – until now. Using a new “cost-effective harvesting method” featuring microbubbles, a team from the University of Sheffield believe they have found a way to make algae a more commercially viable fuel source. The main problem with creating algae biofuel is removing the water from the algae so that it can be processed effectively. This usually requires a large investment of time and energy, but the UK-based team believes that by producing microbubbles in an algae solution, the algae particles can be made to float to the surface of the water, making them easily extractable. According to lead professor Will Zimmerman, the microbubble method uses 1,000 times less energy than previous methods and can be utilized at lower costs.  ”We thought we had solved the major barrier to biofuel companies processing algae to use as fuel when we used microbubbles to grow the algae more densely,” Professor Zimmerman said. “It turned out, however, that algae biofuels

Ecotricity’s SeaRaser Tidal Power Generator Could be the World’s Cheapest Method Of Producing Electricity

Over the years, scientists have come up with numerous ways to produce renewable energy, however cost has always been a huge barrier to the widespread adoption of clean tech – the economics are still in favor of fossil fuels. However UK-based alternative energy company Ecotricity believe all that is about to change – their new project, the SeaRaser, could solve two of the biggest challenges facing renewable energy by providing a steady source of energy at low-cost. Invented by Devon Energy engineer Alvin Smith, the SeaRaser harnesses the constant power of ocean swells to create electricity on demand. As the ocean swells, it moves the SeaRaser’s two buoys up and down. They in turn pump seawater through a pipe to an onshore turbine. The system is simple, clean and cheap – and Ecotricity believes it could be the world’s least expensive way of producing electricity (even compared to fossil fuels). Most sea-based energy-generating technologies are hampered by one very simple factor – electricity and water don’t mix, and seawater is corrosive. As a result, many of these generators have been very expensive to manufacture and maintain. The SeaRaser eliminates these problems by keeping most of the

In the Developing World, Solar Is Cheaper than Fossil Fuels

The falling cost of LED lighting, batteries, and solar panels, together with innovative business plans, are allowing millions of households in Africa and elsewhere to switch from crude kerosene lamps to cleaner and safer electric lighting. For many, this offers a means to charge their mobile phones, which are becoming ubiquitous in Africa, instead of having to rent a charger. Technology advances are opening up a huge new market for solar power: the approximately 1.3 billion people around the world who don't have access to grid electricity. Even though they are typically very poor, these people have to pay far more for lighting than people in rich countries because they use inefficient kerosene lamps. While in most parts of the world solar power typically costs far more than electricity from conventional power plants—especially when including battery costs—for some people, solar power makes economic sense because it costs half as much as lighting with kerosene. Hundreds of companies are swooping in to grab a piece of this market. "This sector has exploded," says Richenda Van Leeuwen, senior director for the Energy and Climate team at the United Nations Foundation. "There's been a sea change in the last

Prejudices? Quite normal!

Changing People's Behavior: From Reducing Bullying to Training Scientists

San Diego, CA, January 26, 2012 If you want to change how teenagers view bullying, go to the straight to the source of most school trends: the most connected crowd. According to new intervention research, targeting the most influential students in a school could be a key factor in reducing harassment and bullying. These results are part of a group of studies that are being presented today at a social psychology conference in San Diego on new, sometimes small, ways to make meaningful impacts on people's lives. "This is an exciting time in the field of social psychology,” says Timothy Wilson of the University of Virginia who wrote Redirect: The Surprising New Science of Psychological Change. "Increasingly, researchers are devising theory-based interventions that have dramatic effects in the areas of education, prejudice reduction, adolescent behavior problems, health, and many others.” The idea behind such intervention work is to change the behavior for a particular group of individuals. Reducing student bullying, increasing interest among teens in math and science, and improving perceptions of women in engineering are the focus of today's talks in San Diego. Reducing student bullying In the bullying intervention study, Elizabeth Levy Paluck and Hana Shepherd

Need muscle for a tough spot? Turn to fat stem cells

Two fat-derived stem cells display a continuous cytoskeleton, indicating that they have fused together. Bone marrow-derived stem cell fail to fuse under similar conditions in the lab. Image Credit: Yu Suk Choi Stem cells derived from fat have a surprising trick up their sleeves: Encouraged to develop on a stiff surface, they undergo a remarkable transformation toward becoming mature muscle cells. The new research appears in the journal Biomaterials. The new cells remain intact and fused together even when transferred to an extremely stiff, bone-like surface, which has University of California, San Diego bioengineering professor Adam Engler and colleagues intrigued. These cells, they suggest, could hint at new therapeutic possibilities for muscular dystrophy. In diseases like muscular dystrophy or a heart attack, “muscle begins to die and undergoes its normal wounding processes,” said Engler, a bioengineering professor at the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego. “This damaged tissue is fundamentally different from a mechanical perspective” than healthy tissue. Transplanted stem cells might be able to replace and repair diseased muscle, but up to this point the transplants haven’t been very successful in muscular dystrophy patients,

Protein discovery could lead to new HIV drugs

The HIV virus (purple) selectively attacks white blood cells (T-cells) called CD4s (blue), which have a receptor called CD4 on their surface. Image: iStockphoto A team of researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health recently discovered a new protein that enables HIV to destroy human cells. The finding provides scientists with a critical glimpse into the complex interactions between HIV proteins and human proteins, a discovery that could potentially lead to new HIV drug therapies. The study was published in the January 19, 2012 issue of Nature. HIV is a small but efficient pathogen that includes about 15 proteins which can act in various combinations with the more than 30,000 proteins in the human cell. APOBEC3G is a human protein that has the power to mutate HIV’s genome and prevent infection. However, an HIV protein called HIV-1 viral infectivity factor (Vif) typically associates itself with and degrades APOBEC3G before it can do its job. Focusing on the interaction between Vif and APOBEC3G, researchers found that another protein called CBF-ß was a key factor needed in order for the degradation of APOBEC3G to take place. “I’ve

Lab team develops capability for atomistic simulations

New research could help scientists unravel some of the mysteries concerning the hot iron core of Earth. Image: NASA Conventional scientific wisdom says that the interatomic forces between ions that control high-temperature processes such as melting are insensitive to the heating of the electron "glue" that binds the ions together. In effect, traditional atomistic simulations ignore electron temperature completely. However, in a recent Physical Review Letter, Lab physicists John Moriarty, Randolph Hood and Lin Yang show how electron temperature has a surprisingly large impact on phase stability and melting in refractory transition metals like molybdenum, where the binding d electrons form strong directional bonds. The LLNL team has developed a new atomistic simulation capability to treat such effects quantum mechanically through temperature-dependent, multi-ion interatomic potentials that can be used in large-scale simulations of thermodynamic and mechanical properties of materials. This capability could help scientists unravel phase-diagram mysteries concerning the hot iron core of the earth as well as help engineers design safer nuclear reactors. In the past decade, high-pressure melting of transition metals and the possibility of undiscovered stable solid phases just below the melting temperature have been subjects

How seawater could corrode nuclear fuel

These spherical clusters are made up of uranium and oxygen atoms. New work shows that in seawater, they can remain stable in solution or as nanoparticles. Credit: Ginger Sigmon, University of Notre Dame Japan used seawater to cool nuclear fuel at the stricken Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant after the tsunami in March 2011 and that was probably the best action to take at the time, says Professor Alexandra Navrotsky of the University of California, Davis. But Navrotsky and others have since discovered a new way in which seawater can corrode nuclear fuel, forming uranium compounds that could potentially travel long distances, either in solution or as very small particles. The research team published its work Jan. 23 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "This is a phenomenon that has not been considered before," said Alexandra Navrotsky, distinguished professor of ceramic, earth and environmental materials chemistry. "We don't know how much this will increase the rate of corrosion, but it is something that will have to be considered in future." Japan used seawater to avoid a much more serious accident at the Fukushima-Daiichi plant, and

Elastic conductors made from carbon nanotubes

Whether it's touch-sensitive skin for robots, clothing made from smart fabrics, or devices with bendable displays, stretchable electronics will be playing a large role in a number of emerging technologies. While the field is still very new, stretchable electronic devices may have come a step closer to common use, thanks to research being conducted at North Carolina State University. Scientists there have recently developed a new method for creating elastic conductors, using carbon nanotubes. A team led by Dr. Yong Zhu started by using a transfer printing process to place aligned carbon nanotubes on an elastic substrate. When that substrate was stretched, the nanotubes separated from one another, but maintained their parallel alignment. Once the substrate was relaxed, however, the nanotubes didn't return to their original configuration. Instead, they buckled, forming a pattern that looked like squiggly lines drawn onto a flat surface. The buckled nanotubes were subsequently able to conduct electricity, in both relaxed and stretched states. The researchers believe that their process should make the manufacturing process of stretchable electronics more efficient, as the substrate won't need to be stretched for the conductors to be applied. Should there be situations where application on a relaxed

Wear-resistant surfaces inspired by scorpions

As any graffiti-removal specialist will tell you, sand-blasting is definitely an effective method of removing substances that have bonded onto hard surfaces. Unfortunately, sand or other abrasive particles suspended in air or liquid also have a way of eroding not just spray paint, but pretty much anything they encounter. As a result, items such as helicopter rotor blades, airplane propellers, rocket motor nozzles and pipes regularly wear out and need to replaced. Interestingly enough, however, scorpions live their entire lives subjected to blowing sand, yet they never appear to well, to erode. A group of scientists recently set out to discover their secret, so it could be applied to man-made materials. Zhiwu Han, Junqiu Zhang, and Wen Li led a team that examined the bumps and grooves on the exoskeleton of the yellow fattail scorpion. They started by scanning the creatures' backs with a 3D laser device, then used that data to create a computer model of the surface. A computer simulation was then applied to that model, to see how sand-laden air would flow over it. The digital model was also used as a template for an actual physical model, which was used in

Graphene: Supermaterial goes superpermeable

Graphene is one of the wonders of the science world, with the potential to create foldaway mobile phones, wallpaper-thin lighting panels and the next generation of aircraft. The new finding at the University of Manchester gives graphene's potential a most surprising dimension – graphene can also be used for distilling alcohol.In a report published in Science, a team led by Professor Sir Andre Geim shows that graphene-based membranes are impermeable to all gases and liquids (vacuum-tight). However, water evaporates through them as quickly as if the membranes were not there at all. This newly-found property can now be added to the already long list of superlatives describing graphene. It is the thinnest known material in the universe and the strongest ever measured. It conducts electricity and heat better than any other material. It is the stiffest one too and, at the same time, it is the most ductile. Demonstrating its remarkable properties won University of Manchester academics the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010. Now the University of Manchester scientists have studied membranes from a chemical derivative of graphene called graphene oxide. Graphene oxide is the same graphene sheet but it is randomly covered with other

Blue marble 2012: Amazing high definition image of Earth

A 'Blue Marble' image of the Earth taken from the VIIRS instrument aboard NASA's most recently launched Earth-observing satellite Suomi NPP. This composite image uses a number of swaths of the Earth's surface taken on January 4, 2012. Credit: NASA/NOAA/GSFC/Suomi NPP/VIIRS/Norman Kuring. A new high-definition version of the ‘Blue Marble’ has been taken from the newest Earth observation satellite. The just-renamed Suomi NPP satellite took numerous images on January 4, 2012 and this composite image was created from several “swaths” of Earth. It is a stunningly beautiful look at our home planet, with the largest versions of the image showing about 1.6 km (1 mile) per pixel. This Sun-synchronous Earth-orbiting satellite is 824 kilometers (512 miles) above Earth, and it gets a complete view of our planet every day. It is the first of a new generation of satellites that will observe many facets of how our Earth may be changing. Originally launched as the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP), it was just renamed ‘Suomi NPP’ on to honor a pioneer in the use of satellites, the late Verner E. Suomi. See

WHISKY POWER: New Company Celtic Renewables Turns Whisky Byproducts into Biofuel

Scottish whisky is becoming quite the green business these days – with whisky power plants and brand new green distilleries popping up throughout the country. Last year we reported that Edinburgh Napier University transformed pott ale and draff from the making of whisky into fuel to run a vehicle, and now the university has turned that process into a business called Celtic Renewables Ltd.! Celtic Renewables Ltd. was founded by Prof Martin Tangney who is also the director of Napier University’s Biofuel Research Centre and was also the lead researcher on the study that lead to the forming of this new business. The main goal of Celtic Renewables is to produce biofuels on a commercial scale from whisky byproduct that act as a direct replacement for gasoline. “The Scottish malt whisky industry is a ripe resource for developing biobutanol,” Tagney told the BBC. “The pot ale and draff could be converted into biofuel as a direct substitute for fossil-derived fuel, which would reduce oil consumption and CO2 emissions while also providing energy security – particularly in the rural and remote homelands of the whisky industry.” Scotland has set a goal of running entirely on renewable energy by

HyperSolar harnesses sunlight to produce cleaner-than-clean hydrogen fuel

HyperSolar claims it is developing a zero carbon method of producing hydrogen gas from wastewater by harnessing solar energy. Hydrogen gas is a clean source of fuel in that, theoretically at least, the only waste product is water. But hydrogen gas does not occur naturally on Earth, and requires energy to create. Typically that energy comes from traditional, carbon dioxide-emitting sources, rendering hydrogen fuel rather less environmentally friendly than it has the potential to be. HyperSolar's work may mean truly clean, renewable hydrogen fuel could be a commercial reality sooner than we might have imagined. "If hydrogen is meant to be the ultimate fuel that will enable a clean energy future with zero carbon emissions, then its production must also be zero carbon," said HyperSolar CEO, Tim Young in a press release on Monday. "Powering cars with fossil fuel based hydrogen is not sustainable, not renewable and not much cleaner than today's fuels." Young has a point. Because hydrogen fuel has to be made, it is better to think of it as an energy store rather than an energy source after all, energy had to go into making it. A car running on HyperSolar

Kepler announces 11 planetary systems hosting 26 planets

The artist's rendering depicts the multiple planet systems discovered by NASA's Kepler mission. Out of hundreds of candidate planetary systems, scientists had previously verified six systems with multiple transiting planets (denoted here in red). Now, Kepler observations have verified planets (shown here in green) in 11 new planetary systems. Many of these systems contain additional planet candidates that are yet to be verified (shown here in dark purple). For reference, the eight planets of the solar system are shown in blue. Credit: NASA Ames/Jason Steffen, Fermilab Center for Particle Astrophysics NASA's Kepler mission has discovered 11 new planetary systems hosting 26 confirmed planets. These discoveries nearly double the number of verified Kepler planets and triple the number of stars known to have more than one planet that transits, or passes in front of, its host star. Such systems will help astronomers better understand how planets form. The planets orbit close to their host stars and range in size from 1.5 times the radius of Earth to larger than Jupiter. Fifteen of them are between Earth and Neptune in size, and further observations will be required

Jumpstarting computers with 3-D chips

EPFL scientist are among the leaders in the race to develop an industry-ready prototype of a 3D chip as well as a high-performance and reliable manufacturing method. The chip is composed of three or more processors that are stacked vertically and connected together—resulting in increased speed and multitasking, more memory and calculating power, better functionality and wireless connectivity. Developed at the Microelectronics Systems Laboratory (LSM), Director Yusuf Leblebici is unveiling these results to experts on Wednesday the 25th of January in Paris, in a keynote presentation at the 2012 Interconnection Network Architectures Workshop. "It's the logical next step in electronics development, because it allows a large increase in terms of efficiency," says Leblebici. Up to this point, chips could only be assembled horizontally via connections along their edges. Here, they are connected vertically by several hundred very thin copper microtubes. These wires pass through tiny openings, called Through-Silicon-Vias (TSV), made in the core of the silicon layer of each chip. 3D processors "This superposition reduces the distance between circuits, and thus considerably improves the speed of data exchange," explains LSM researcher Yuksel Temiz, who is doing his PhD thesis on the subject. To reach this result, the team

Dawn of Social Networks

Ancient humans may not have had the luxury of updating their Facebook status, but social networks were nevertheless an essential component of their lives, a new study suggests. The study’s findings describe elements of social network structures that may have been present early in human history, suggesting how our ancestors may have formed ties with both kin and non-kin based on shared attributes, including the tendency to cooperate. According to the paper, social networks likely contributed to the evolution of cooperation. “The astonishing thing is that ancient human social networks so very much resemble what we see today,” said Nicholas Christakis, professor of health care policy (medical sociology) at Harvard Medical School and professor of sociology in the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and senior author on the study. “From the time we were around campfires and had words floating through the air, to today when we have digital packets floating through the ether, we’ve made networks of basically the same kind.” “We found that what modern people are doing with online social networks is what we’ve always done—not just before Facebook, but before agriculture,” said study co-author James Fowler, professor of medical genetics and political science

How farms are using permaculture design to survive and prosper

The rise in fuel prices has seen greater awareness and a wider concern for what life will be like when the oil runs out. This has seen interest in less chemical dependant farming methods bringing permaculture to the forefront of discussion and debate.A handful of farms in the UK have been using permaculture for many years as a systematic way of designing, developing and maintaining their various enterprises. These early adopters, with the help of the UK's permaculture charity, the Permaculture Association, began designing and experimenting long before peak oil and climate change were widely recognised.As these farms evolved, their original designs developed and morphed. Their evolution has created systems that have helped to inspire others creating a catalyst for change. Farmers and smallholders are beginning to recognise that applying the ethics and principles of permaculture can create resilient multi-yielding systems that in turn build livelihoods and strengthen local communities.As coordinator for the LAND project1 I have visited several established farms using the ethics and principles of permaculture. Below are three examples that have been practising permaculture and experimenting with different ways of