itsfullofstars: The Solar Revolution Is HappeningChile has just...

itsfullofstars:

The Solar Revolution Is Happening

Chile has just contracted for the cheapest unsubsidized power plant in the world, Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) reports.

In last week’s energy auction, Chile accepted a bid from Spanish developerSolarpack Corp. Tecnologica for 120 megawatts of solar at the stunning price of $29.10 per megawatt-hour (2.91 cents per kilowatt-hour or kwh). This beats the 2.99 cents/kwh bid Dubai received recently for 800 megawatts. For context, the average residential price for electricity in the United States is 12 cents per kilowatt-hour.

👏🏻

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thebeakerblog: skunkbear: Morocco just switched on a massive...

thebeakerblog:

skunkbear:

Morocco just switched on a massive solar power plant in the middle of the Sahara Desert. It’s called Noor I. When Noor II and Noor III are built next door, it will be the largest solar power production facility in the world.

Full story here.

Image credits: Fadel Senna/AFP/Getty Images, NASA

Fascinating! -Patrick

Why isn’t the US focusing more of our desert space on solar energy production?

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materialsscienceandengineering: New battery made of molten...

materialsscienceandengineering:

New battery made of molten metals may offer low-cost, long-lasting storage for the grid

A novel rechargeable battery developed at MIT could one day play a critical role in the massive expansion of solar generation needed to mitigate climate change by midcentury. Designed to store energy on the electric grid, the high-capacity battery consists of molten metals that naturally separate to form two electrodes in layers on either side of the molten salt electrolyte between them. Tests with cells made of low-cost, Earth-abundant materials confirm that the liquid battery operates efficiently without losing significant capacity or mechanically degrading—common problems in today’s batteries with solid electrodes. The MIT researchers have already demonstrated a simple, low-cost process for manufacturing prototypes of their battery, and future plans call for field tests on small-scale power grids that include intermittent generating sources such as solar and wind.                                

The ability to store large amounts of electricity and deliver it later when it’s needed will be critical if intermittent renewable energy sources such as solar and wind are to be deployed at scales that help curtail climate change in the coming decades. Such large-scale storage would also make today’s power grid more resilient and efficient, allowing operators to deliver quick supplies during outages and to meet temporary demand peaks without maintaining extra generating capacity that’s expensive and rarely used.

Read more.

This would be cool

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More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About Electrical Engineering, Part 24: AC Power

Scientists see the light on microsupercapacitors.

technology-org:

Rice University researchers who pioneered the development of laser-induced graphene have configured their discovery into flexible, solid-state microsupercapacitors that rival the best available for energy storage and delivery. Rice University scientists are making small, flexible…

Read more

If supercapacitors can be shrunk, then synthetic batteries can be a thing, and that’s huge.

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txchnologist: Bacteria, Graphene and Nanotech Produce Usable...

txchnologist:

Bacteria, Graphene and Nanotech Produce Usable Electricity From Wastewater

Check out the kitchen timer counting down in the gif above. There’s nothing special about it except for how it is being powered. The instrument isn’t equipped with batteries. In fact, its electricity comes from the vial behind it, where bacteria are eating organic matter in wastewater and producing electricity as a result. 

It’s the first time that researchers have produced enough electricity for practical use from what are called microbial fuel cells. Scientists in China reported their breakthrough late last week in the journal Science Advances. Their work could one day help provide the huge amounts of power needed to treat wastewater, a process that currently consumes up to 5 percent of all the electricity produced in the U.S.

Keep reading

Sweet!

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txchnologist: Scientists in India and Germany have unveiled a...

Short circuit measurement of the nanogenerator caused by slapping it with a hand.


The piezoelectric generation caused by lightly pressing the nanogenerator with a finger.


Slapping the nanogenerator produced enough power to instantly light 55 blue LEDs.

txchnologist:

Scientists in India and Germany have unveiled a material that generates tiny amounts of electricity from mechanical stresses like a person’s touch or step. The idea is to create a biodegradable energy source that can pump electricity into a storage supercapacitor to power electronics, replace batteries and safely break down without polluting the environment. 

Their material, described in the journal Applied Materials & Interfaces, is a biodegradable plastic polymer called polyvinylidene difluoride sandwiched between conducting carbon electrodes. Interestingly, they mixed DNA with the plastic because the genetic material is biodegradable while having properties that help harvest electricity. In fact, DNA is known for its ability to accumulate electric charge when mechanical stress is applied to the molecule, a property called piezoelectricity.

In lab tests, a researcher pressing on a small piece of the prototype material generated enough electricity to light 55 blue LEDs. Putting the material on a shoe and then juggling a soccer ball, they recorded small bursts of electricity with every hit.

Keep reading

Energy generated from a sidewalk as you walk on it.

Electricity to recharge your electric car generated as you drive your car (or a computer drives the car for you).

That’s what’s at stake here. This could be huge.

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