A List of Possible Solutions for the Energy and Climate Change Crisis
Techs are sorted by chronological order of entry not importance
By: Logical Science

ENERGY PRODUCTION
(25 entries, the most recent entry placed at bottom of each table)

#1 Highly Efficient Cheap Alloy Solar Panels Discoverer: A University of Johannesburg Team led by Professor Vivian Alberts (University) IOL: SA solar research eclipses rest of the world Analysis: It’s a fraction of the less effective silicone solar panels.  They consist of a thin layer of a unique metal alloy that converts light into energy. The photo-responsive alloy can operate on virtually all flexible surfaces, which means it could in future find a host of other applications.  The new panels are approximately five microns thick (a human hair is 20 microns thick) while the older silicon panels are 350 microns thick.  The panels are so efficient they can operate through a Cape Town winter.	Photo: Anton Hammerl, Saturday Argus
#2 Universal Geothermal Visionary: Jefferson Tester, MIT (University) Technologyreview: Abundant Power from Universal Geothermal Energy Analysis: Potential to harvest 100 million exajoules of energy.  The world demand is merely 400 exajoules per year.  Geothermal “mines” are created on demand using a wide variety of drilling and rock cracking techniques.  If it works, every city could be powered by geothermal regardless of local geology.
#3 Smoke Stack Strubbing Discoverer: Isaac Berzin, MIT (University) http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2004/algae.html Analysis:  Algae greatly reduces CO2 and acid rain gases while producing biofuel for cars. The cleansed exhaust [from smoke stacks] bubbles skyward, but with 40 percent less CO2 (a larger cut than the Kyoto treaty mandates) and another bonus: 86 percent less nitrous oxide. Outlook: here today
#4 Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) Discoverer: Jacques Arsene d'Arsonval Funding: Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii, Japanese government (National Lab) http://www.nrel.gov/otec/what.html http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.06/craven.html Analysis: Creates pollution free energy from the ocean.  Hydrogen gas for cars, desalinated water, and air-conditioning are it’s byproducts.  The deep-drawn water which drives the process is perfect for growing commercially valuable fish and shellfish.  If 1/10th of 1% of the oceans thermal energy can be captured then we can satisfy the worlds energy needs. Outlook: here today, VIDEO
#5 Ethanol Fuel Discoverer: N/A Fermentation has been around a long time www.e85fuel.com/ Analysis: Here today.  It is a cleaner burning fuel and it does reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.  However, it does have some significant limitations and problems.  While some countries like Brazil are successfully implementing ethanol fuels the US would have to "drive only once in two weeks..... so one day we drive, 13 days we walk or bike" to become equivalent to the Brazilians. -Tad Patzek Ph.D, Berkeley.  Robert Rapier has spent an extensive amount of time covering subsidy corruption.  There are many varieties of ethanol.  Some forms of ethanol are viable but have problems with scalability.  Others, like corn, are a boondoggle and are little more than recycled fossil fuels.  The most reliable information can be found at Robert Rapiers blog.
#6 Tower of Power Discoverer: Spanish Colonel Isidoro Cabanyes (1903) Summary Article (money.cnn.com) Full Article (money.cnn.com) Analysis: Also known as a Solar Updraft Tower, solar heat is used to heat air via the greenhouse effect which is then carried up through a chimney taller than the Sears Tower to create a strong draft.  The air movement powers turbines at it’s base.  During the night warm water from a nearby lake is used to heat the greenhouse so power is maintained 24 hours a day.  Projected to be competitive with coal.  A 1600 foot tower is being built in Australia and a half-mile-tall version is in the works for China.  Lots of pictures are available at www.t-mation.com	Photo courtesy T-mation
#7 Solar Power: Carrier Multiplication Discoverer: Los Alamos (National Lab) http://www.physorg.com/news9583.html Analysis: Greatly increases solar cell efficiency.  Produces 2 electrons from one photon.
#8 Sliver solar cell technology Discoverer: Australian National University / Australian Greenhouse Office (National Lab) http://www.physorg.com/news4859.html http://www.physorg.com/news8236.html# Analysis: Cuts by up to 90% the expensive silicon used in conventional solar panels. Sliver solar cell technology can achieve electricity costs below retail electricity costs within five years, with the right investment.
#9 Wave Dragon Funding: Welsh European Funding Office, EU Commission, (Grant funded) http://www.wavedragon.net Analysis: Wave power could yield much more energy than tidal power.  Tidal dissipation is 2.5 terrawatts.
#10 Islay Wave Power Generator Discoverer/Funding: Wavegen and researchers from Queen's University in Belfast Funding: European Union. (Grant funded) BBC: How it works: Wave power station Analysis: Wavegen says that there could be sufficient recoverable wave power around the UK to generate enough power to exceed domestic electricity demands.
#11 Tiny Biodiesel Reactor Discoverer: Goran Jovanovic Ph.D., Oregan State University  (University) Wired: Teeny Reactor Pumps out Biodiesel http://che.oregonstate.edu/research/jovanovic/ Analysis: Eliminates the need for tanker truck fuel delivery in agricultural areas.  It "consists of a series of parallel channels, each approximately the size of a human hair, through which vegetable oil and alcohol are pumped simultaneously. At such a small scale the chemical reaction process that converts the oil into biodiesel is very fast.  Although the amount of biodiesel produced from a single microreactor is a trickle, the reactors can be connected and stacked in banks to dramatically increase production. Using microreactors, biodiesel could be produced between 10 and 100 times faster than traditional methods."
#12a Thorium Reactors Discoverers: Kurchatov_Institute, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, & Thorium Power  (Government funding)   #12b Accelerator Driven System Discoverers: Italian Nobel physics laureate Carlos Rubbia http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/node/348 Analysis: Clean, Safe, nuclear energy
#13 Parabolic Mirror Powered Stirling Engines Original Developer: McDonnell-Douglas (Government funding) Partnerships: Sandia National Labs, Kockums Submarine Systems, NASA-Glenn Research Center, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Boeing http://www.stirlingenergy.com/ (Grant funded) Analysis: One dish on an annual basis can produce 55,000-60,000 kWh of electricity. This is equivalent to the total energy required for 8-10 homes in the U.S.
#14 Thin Film Climate Control Developer: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (University) Rensselaer: Harnessing the headtin and cooling http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2160151/boffins-chill-solar-powered Analysis: Thin transparent films combine solar power and heat pumps.  It can be used to heat or cool.  Could be used to cool everything from windows and walls to beer bottles.  "The ease of application would make it possible to seamlessly attach the system to various building surfaces, possibly rendering conventional air conditioning and heating equipment obsolete,"
#15 Coal from Biomass Discoverer: Max Plank Institute (Grant Funded) http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2071791,00.html Analysis:  More research is needed but a high yield process for converting plant matter into coal in a matter of hours has been discovered.  "The Max Planck Society only does basic research. But with enough engineering back-up, we could establish this in two to five years. It's very simple, there just has to be support for it." Could this laboratory coal be produced on a large scale? Antonietti says it makes economic sense.
#16 Giant Miscanthus Discoverer: Stephen P. Long Ph.D. & Emily A. Heaton Ph.D. - University of Illinois  (University) Eurekalert: Hybrid grass may prove to be valuable fuel source Analysis:  Besides being a clean, efficient and renewable fuel source, Miscanthus also is remarkably easy to grow. Upon reaching maturity, Miscanthus has few needs as it outgrows weeds, requires little water and minimal fertilizer and thrives in untilled fields.  … if 10 percent of Illinois land mass was devoted to Miscanthus, it could provide 50 percent of Illinois electricity needs.	Photo courtesy Eureka Alert
#17 E3 Biodiesel Discovery:  http://www.e3biofuels.com/index2.html Nationalgeographic: New Ethanol Plants to Be Fueld by Cow Manure Analysis:  "Fossil fuel usage is estimated to be 75% less than that of a standard grain ethanol plant. If these estimates turn out to be accurate, that would quadruple the [Energy Returned On Energy Invested] EROEI of the process....  if ethanol is going to be part of the solution to diminishing oil supplies, E3 Biofuels is the first in the U.S. to show the way toward making ethanol in a more sustainable manner. As natural gas supplies diminish, many ethanol producers are turning to coal as a fuel source. E3 Biofuels, on the other hand, may become the poster child for clean, "green" ethanol. As a long-time ethanol skeptic, the approach by E3 Biofuels is the first U.S. grain-ethanol process that I endorse."- Robert Rapier
#18 Hydrogen via Algae Farms in the Desert Discoverer: Tasios Melis of Berkeley (University) Growing hydrogen for tomorrow (newscientist.com) Analysis: Could completely replace US oil consumption for transportation and solve many 3rd world countries energy needs. "To displace gasoline use in the US would take hydrogen farms covering about 25,000 square kilometres." To put that in perspective, that's less than a tenth of what the US devotes to growing soya. …. The best areas [to farm] will be sun-drenched deserts…. Outlook: Realising the vision will require some formidable feats of bioengineering.   The US Department of Energy (DOE) is performing research to see if it can be made commercially viable.
#19 Nanotube Solar power Discoverer: Penn State (University) http://www.physorg.com/news10244.html Analysis: Greatly increases solar cell efficiency
#20 Efficient Organic Solar Cells Discoverer: Bernard Kippelen, Georgia Institute of Technology (University) http://www.physorg.com/news2339.html Analysis: Once fully developed, organic solar cells could revolutionize the power industry. Their flexibility and minimal weight will allow them to be placed on almost anything from tents that would provide power to those inside, to clothing that would power personal electronic devices.
#21 Cellulase Producing Microbes Discovery: Ari Patrinos, Greg Stephanopoulos Department of Energy, NREL (National Lab) http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=17052&ch=biztech
#22 Dirty Silicon Discovery: Lawrence Berkeley National, Argonne National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley (University & National Labs), http://www.physorg.com/news5831.html Analysis: One of the biggest problems with solar panels is creating ultra-pure silicon.  Researchers have found a way around this expenive problem:   "We found that one way of managing these nano-sized metal defects is to round them up into large groups so that they are less disruptive to the electrons," said Buonassisi. "Compare the metal particles to having hundreds of horses scattered loose on the streets of Berkeley. They would be very disruptive to traffic. But if we corralled the horses together in one pen, people and traffic could move around them more freely."
#23 Laddermill Discovery: Delft University of Technology Delft Laddermill Analysis: There is an enormous amount of energy hidden in the winds over our heads. At an altitude of 30.000 feet, the wind energy is twenty times as large as at sea level. The laddermill is a new and novel idea to harness this immense energy resource.  The loop of kiteplanes can ultimately go up to 30.000 feet, which would generate approximately 100MW.  (video)
#24 Magenn Rotational Energy Discovery:Fred Ferguson Funding/Research: Lockheed, Fed Ex, Vistar, NASA-JPL, Lear Astronics, CNES (France), JCS, SDIO, DARPA, Texas A&M, Canadian Star Wars project,  University of Toronto, Av-Intel http://www.magenn.com/ Analysis: Will produce about 4kw of power each.  The units will be held 200-1000 feet above the ground and will last for about 20 years. (video)
#25 ITER (Hot Fusion) Discoverer: Worldwide effort (Grant funded) www.iter.org History: The US has dragged it’s feet for 25 years and the European Union almost left us behind.  More info on the history can be found here: http://fire.pppl.gov/ Analysis: Clean, limitless energy but the costs are in hot debate Outlook: Physicists widely consider the success probability to be high.  The construction timeline is lengthy and the first 500MW pulse is projected at 2022 and commercial fusion isn't expect unil 2040.  Skeptics claim 2050 will be the earliest.  Hot fusion is very different than the cold fusion that many consider to be a pipedream.  One major drawback is that the technology is a very long way off.  It will not get here in time to ease anthropogenic climate change or an energy crisis in the short term.  A few physicists question if it will ever be economical.  One the other hand, Albert Einstein once said ""There is not the slightest indication that nuclear energy will ever be obtainable."
#26 Not-So-Hot Geothermal Developers: United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) Technologyreview: Power from Not-So-Hot Geothermal Analysis: Similar to steam engines, except that steam or hot water vaporizes a hydrofluorocarbon refrigerant that drives the turbine.  Water temperatures as low as 165°F can be used to power the turbines.  This allows geothermal power to be spread all over the world.  In Texas alone, more than 12 billon barrels of water are produced from oil wells during the extraction process.  The heat from this water can be used to create energy.
#27 Giant 'Invisible' Wind Turbines Developers: Paul D. Sclavounos (MIT),  National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)  (University & National Lab) Source: Deep-sea oil rigs inspire MIT designs for giant wind turbines Analysis:  An MIT researcher has a vision: Four hundred huge offshore wind turbines are providing onshore customers with enough electricity to power several hundred thousand homes, and nobody standing onshore can see them. The trick? The wind turbines are floating on platforms a hundred miles out to sea, where the winds are strong and steady.
#28 KiteGen Developers: Sequoia Automation Wired: Generating Power from Kites Analysis: Research by Sequoia Automation, the small company near Turin heading the project, estimates that KiteGen could churn out one gigawatt of power at a cost of just 1.5 euros per megawatt hour. That's nearly 30 times less than the average cost in Europe of 43 euros per megawatt hour.  Proponents say other plusses of the merry-go-round generator are the contained cost of 360,000 euros and limited amount of space needed. Even with a modest diameter of about 320 feet (100 meters), they estimate KiteGen can produce half a gigawatt of energy. Emulators for the scalable project envision a 2,000 meter-version that would generate 5 gigawatts of power.  That would make this device 5x more powerful than a typical nuclear power plant.

 

 

ENERGY STORAGE/TRANSFER (10 entries)

 

#1 Solid State Batteries Discoverer/Funding: MIT, Johnson Space Center (NASA), DARPA (University & National Lab) http://www.computerworld.com/printthis/2005/0,4814,98804,00.html Analysis: Could very easily make gasoline powered vehicles a thing of the past.	Image courtesy U. of Virginia
#2 Ultra-Capacitor Battery Discoverer: MIT (University) http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=16326&ch=nanotech http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2006/batteries-0208.html Analysis: “the technology has the potential to provide an energy storage device ten times more powerful than even the latest batteries in hybrid cars -- while outliving the vehicle itself.” Outlook: It’s here today, only production cost is prohibitive.  "However, the MIT researchers hope that over time, and with help from economies of scale, nanotube ultracapacitors can be made for the same cost as batteries.  The next step is to measure the performance of a device using the carbon nanotubes and to grow the nanomaterials on a flexible substrate that can be rolled into a large-scale ultracapacitor."1
#3 Lithium Manganese Batteries Discoverer: MIT (University) http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2006/battery-hybrid.html Analysis: Cheap, 10 minute charge, and powerful.  Outlook: here today
#4 Carbon Nanotube Powerlines Discoverer: Richard Smalley, Rice (University) Nano.gov website http://smalley.rice.edu/ Analysis:	Photo courtesy Rice
#5 MRI for Fuel Cells Discoverer: Scott A. Barnett, Northwestern (University) http://www.physorg.com/news69692648.html Outlook: here today.  It will allow scientists to look into and analyze fuel cells.	Photo courtesy NASA
#6 Zeolite Discoverer: NASA (National Lab) http://exploration.nasa.gov/articles/17apr_zeolite.html Analysis: Will allow safe hydrogen storage for cars Outlook: Working prototypes are here but research is still being done.	Photo courtesy NASA
#7 Storing Sunlight in Zinc Discoverer: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich Paul Scherrer Institute (National Labs) http://www.physorg.com/news4749.html PSI: Solar energy stored efficiently Analysis: Industrial size plants, for which this is a prototype, can reach efficiency levels of fifty- to sixty-percent. The success of this solar chemistry pilot project opens the way for an efficient thermo-chemical process whereby the sun's energy can be stored and transported in the form of a chemical fuel.
#8 Water and Boron Powered Cars Discoverer: Tareq Abu-Hamed, University of Minnesota (University) http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/07/28/1750967.htm Analysis: Boron is used to extract hydrogen from water.  The powder is shipped back to the factory where solar power plants turn the boron oxide back into regular boron.  This solves many of the problems associated with storing gaseous hydrogen.  “The team calculates that a car would have to carry just 18 kilograms of boron and 45 litres of water to produce 5 kilograms of hydrogen, which has the same energy content as a 40-litre tank of conventional fuel.”
#9 EEStors Supercapacitor   Discoverer: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), then EEStore (National Lab)   http://tyler.blogware.com/blog/_archives/2006/1/19/1715549.html   Toronto Star Analysis: Charges in minutes, million recharge cycles with no material degredation, no possibility of overheating, cost competitive with lead-acid technology.
#10 Flow Batteries Discoverer: Unknown, has been around since 19th century TheStar - Storage: the next generation Analysis:  Somewhat similar to a fuel cell.  These batteries are ideal for storing large quantities of energy  They are ideally suited for home or even off peak power storage by power plants as they are capable of producing megawatts of power.  They have high efficiency (75%), long cycle life, ease of scalability and negligible environmental impact.
#11 Flywheel Developer: NASA NASA: Flywheel Analysis:  Stores and releases energy quickly and efficiently.  Mechanical versions are already being used to make the stopping and starting of european streetcars far more efficent.

 

 

 

CARBON SEQUESTRATION (3 entries)

 

#1 Ocean Fertilizing Discoverer: Jim Bishop, Berkeley (University) / Ken Caldeira (National Lab) http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/sea-carb-bish.html Analysis: Iron pellets are sprayed onto the ocean.  Phytoplankton grows and fixes carbon.  This carbon then sinks to the bottom of the ocean where it hopefully turns into oil. Outlook: here today, more research needs to be done though.  Sequestration efficiency, ocean impact, and other matters are of concern. Relevant scientific journals: Buesseler et al and Boyd et al
#2 Smoke Stack Strubbing Discoverer: Isaac Berzin, MIT (University) http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2004/algae.html Analysis: The cleansed exhaust [from smoke stacks] bubbles skyward, but with 40 percent less CO2 (a larger cut than the Kyoto treaty mandates) and another bonus: 86 percent less nitrous oxide.  Also creates biofuel for cars. Outlook: here today
#3 Deep Sea Sediment Sequestration Discoverer's: Daniel Schrag, Harvard /  Charles Harvey, MIT (University) http://www.physorg.com/news74253949.html Scientific American Article Analysis:  "CO2 injected underground on land is buoyant, and hence has the potential to escape back to the surface," Harvey said. "This is not the case under the deep ocean. Because the ocean floor is so cold, liquid CO2 stored beneath the floor is denser than water and will not rise to surface. Furthermore, the top of the injected CO2 plume will form a hydrate, an ice-like solid that plugs up the pore spaces, 'self-sealing' the injected CO2 plume into the deep sea sediments."1  "it would also likely raise the cost of generating electricity from a coal-fired power plant by at least 50 percent to $0.06-$0.10 per kilowatt hour from $0.04-$0.05 on a power plant with no filters."1	Photo courtesy Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
#4 Basalt Sequestration Department of Energy SEED Magazine: Carbon Dioxide Goes Underground Analysis:  Initial Tests show that sequestered CO2 mineralizes into rock within a year and a half when injected into basalt.  This is much faster than the thousands of years the process takes in sedimentary formations.

 

 

 

MISC (10 entries )

 

#1 Electric Motors Faster than a Ferrari Discoverer: IMP and Welsh Development Agency (Grant funded company) http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/motoring/2005/0601/842660298MOT01STORYP8.html Analysis: Faster than Porsche or Ferrari Outlook: here today
#2 Water Filtration/Desalination Carbon Nanotubes Discoverer : Livermore National Laboratory (National Lab) http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?ch=nanotech&sc=&id=16977&pg=1 Analysis: A water desalination system using carbon nanotube-based membranes could significantly reduce the cost of purifying water from the ocean. The technology could potentially provide a solution to water shortages both in the United States, where populations are expected to soar in areas with few freshwater sources, and worldwide, where a lack of clean water is a major cause of disease.
#3 Titanium Super Cheap Discoverer: MIT (University) http://www.techreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=16963&ch=nanotech http://masshightech.bizjournals.com/masshightech/stories/2006/05/15/story9.html Analysis: Cheap titanium will be here very soon, strong and light. Outlook: In NASA's quest to find a way to create oxygen from lunar soil, MIT accidently found a way to make super cheap titanium.
#4 Carbon Glass Discoverer: Mario Santoro and Federico Gorelli, University of Florence (University) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5083222.stm Analysis: This carbon sink and will open up a whole new range of materials Outlook: here today
#5 Sugar Plastic Discoverer: James A. Dumesic, University of Wisconsin (University) http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn9440-sugar-plastic-could-reduce-reliance-on-petroleum.html Science 30 June 2006: Vol. 312. no. 5782, pp. 1933 – 1937 DOI: 10.1126/science.1126337 Analysis : Will greatly reduce the number of plastic bottles and other products that are made from petroleum.
#6 Painting the Town White -- and Green  Discovery: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (National Lab) http://eetd.lbl.gov/HeatIsland/PUBS/PAINTING/ Analysis: If 2/3’s of the Los Angeles basin added white roofs and trees, then $100 million would be saved in air conditioning expenses each year.
#7 Modern Sails for Tankers Discoverer: Unknown, sails have been around for thousands of years.  The parafoil was invented by Domina C. Jalbert  in 1964. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13325827/site/newsweek/ http://www.skysails.info/  Analysis: SkySails claims it will save one third of fuel costs. It recently signed its first contract with Beluga Shipping of Bremen, Germany, for one kite, but says it expects to sell 300 more within five years.
#8 GeoMelt http://www.geomelt.com/ telegraph.co.uk article http://www.esemag.com/1105/amec.html Analysis: The holy grail of nuclear waste storage.  Mixing nuclear waste with soil or other "glass-formers" in large, lined metal tanks. The mix - 20 per cent waste and 80 per cent soil - is heated to temperatures of up to 3,000C. The molten substance is then allowed to cool and forms a large glass block that is harder than concrete.  This will enable nuclear waste to be stored safely for 200,000 years - longer than the radioactivity will last.
#9 Hydraulic Hybrid Truck Discoverer: EPA's Clean Automotive Technology Program (National Lab) http://www.seedmagazine.com/news/2006/07/punishing_success_at_the_epa.php Analysis:  Electric hybrids recover 20% of the car’s moving energy.  This will recover 60-70% of a trucks energy when stopping.  Their funding has been slashed so development has been stalled.
#10 Hybrid Solar Lighting Discoverer: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (National Lab) http://www.ornl.gov/sci/solar/ Oak Ridge Press Release Analysis: The system can save about 6,000 kilowatt hours per year in lighting and another 2,000 in reduced cooling needs for a total of 8,000 kilowatt hours annually, according to Sunlight Direct estimates. Over 10 years, for parts of the country where the utility rates are 10 cents per kilowatt hour, that can result in savings up to $8,000 per hybrid solar lighting unit. For large floor spaces - 100,000 to 200,000 square feet - this translates into energy cost savings of between $1 million and $2 million over 10 years, according to Sunlight Direct. Operation and maintenance savings could account for another $300,000 in savings over the same period.	Photo courtesy Phil Toledano

 

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