Ivanpah – Glass Roof – Nanotech – all Support Energy Efficiency
Ivanpah is going to produce some major power.
by Don Ames
That’s California to all you folks - Ivanpah, California. Actually, real close to being Nevada. Think Mojave Desert and hot sunny days. So, what is going on in the world considering solar power?
Construction has already begun and the Ivanha Project and is set to be completed in 2013. The massive 392 megawatt solar farm is the first of its kind to use BrightSource’s solar thermal concentrating gear to tap into the sun’s heat. How much is 392 megawatt’s? About 140,000 homes worth. I was hoping for more.
House made of glass? No, just the roof.
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto
Preston at Jetson Green and Frida at In-habitat discuss these lovely looking glass roofing tiles from SolTech Energy in Sweden. It is a solar thermal system, that transfers heat from the air to water that can be used for heating. Frida describes it at In-habitat:
For starters, the tiles are made from ordinary glass and have about the same weight as those made of clay. Secondly, the system doesn’t, like competitors’ versions, heat up water or vacuum pipes, but clean air. The tiles are installed on top of a black nylon canvas, under which air slots are mounted. The black colour absorbs heat from the sun and the air starts to circulate. The hot air is then used to heat up water, which is connected to the house’s heating system via an accumulator.
Solar thermal is the low-hanging fruit, much more cost effective than solar photovoltaic. This system looks quite lovely, but in Sweden and Germany, people build for generations and are used to paying a lot for roofs. In North America, everything is compared to asphalt shingles, which are cheap as dirt and almost universally used.
Nanotechnology Kicks Elephant Butt
by Don Ames
All things considered, elephants are not all that important. As scientist and researches keep digging into things, they’re finding small is a lot more important than big. Nanotechnology is creating things at a molecular scale, and everything from microscopic robots to more efficient energy storage is possible. Check out a few inventions that would make a elephants head spin.
Energy efficient storage: Scientists from the University of Texas as Austin have announced that they have made a nanotech breakthrough using Graphene, a one atom thick carbon material, which they say could lead to new energy storage solutions.
Boost solar power efficiency: A nanostructure film will reduce the amount of light that reflects off solar panel glass, more light reaches the silicon therefore, more juice is produced.
Nanotech “Tea Bag” cleans water instantly: A solution to clean water in all areas that don’t have clean water. Stellenbosch University in South Africa hope they have found a solution to providing drinking water. Lining the interior of a special tea bag with ultra-thin nanoscale fibers can filter out contaminants.
Nanotech outfit protects wearer from air pollution: Fabrics created by dipping them in solutions containing electrostatically charged nanoparticles protects the wearer from air pollution.
Nanorods increase bubbles 3,000%: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute unexpected discovery - add an invisible layer of nanomaterial to the bottom of a metal pot and the efficiency of bring water to a boil is greatly increased.
Whether it’s a virus taking it’s toll on human health or a nanoparticle increasing energy efficiency, its the small things that matter most in this world.
Thanks for stopping by Detect Energy, come back soon, but hurry, I won’t be leaving any lights on for you…Don Ames