Solar Energy from Plant Protein Structure

Solar energy systems are still inefficient in terms of running in not desert environments. Scientists have proposed a model for developing green energy, using complex peas to form small battery chargers. To generate energy, plants have evolved to give perfect quantum yield called Photosystem I (PSI) complex. Although this will not solve the world's energy problem but it can be assembled in power switches for low-power solar needs.

Reference: Science Daily

Electrical Current to Nanoscale System

Material scientists have demonstrated the transduction of optical radiation to electrical current in a molecular circuit. The system with an array of nano-sized molecules respond to electromagnetic waves. Therefore, it simplifies to a higher efficiency in energy harvesting nano-sized circuit. A potential application of photovoltaic circuits include data storage where the data corresponding to wavelengths of light. A new series of devices in which plasmon-controlled electrical properties of a single molecule can be designed with diverse applications such as plasmonic circuits and energy harvesting devices.

Reference: Science Daily

Organic PV Inexpensive

A senior scientist at Denmark's National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy has found a cheap method to integrate LEDs, photovoltaic (PV) cells and ultrathin lithium batteries into a potentially useful lamp. It may be the solution to the lack of access to electricity in the developing countries. Most organic PVs are composed of conducting polymers and carbon nanostructures, which in the right combinations mimic the p-n junction of silicon and other inorganic photovoltaics.

Reference: IEEE Spectrum

Runway Test of Solar Plane

The Solar Impulse team have taken the prototype solar aircraft, designed to be the first to fly around the world powered only by solar energy, for successful test runs in Switzerland.



Reference: Wired

Harnessing Energy from Natural Motions

Scientists have been havesting electricity from the motions of everyday life for years, but efficiencies and methods to capturing energy is limited. The success of these devices is limited because they can only perform well under a narrow band of frequenies. The strategy is to develop a device that can convert a range of vibrations by using magnets to 'tune' the banwidth of the experimental device. The potential of the new approach surpasses conventional linear devices.

Reference:
Samuel C. Stanton, Clark C. McGehee, and Brian P. Mann. Reversible hysteresis for broadband magnetopiezoelastic energy harvesting. Applied Physics Letters, 2009; 95 (17): 174103 DOI: 10.1063/1.3253710

The State of Hydrogen Research

Hydrogen fuel cell research is in the midst of a raging debate. There are great challenges to the electric-vehicle infrastructure and most people will overlook the challenges. Many people do not have access to plug-in garages and it would take billions to upgrade the smart grid to coupe with the demand. On the other hand, the cost of mass-producing fuel cells is going down. The biggest issue with electric vehicles is the fact that people lose interest in things that do not produce results quickly.

Reference: Popular Mechanics

Turning Seawater into Jet Fuel

Due to climate change and oil shortage, the US Navy is experimenting with making jet fuel from seawater by the process making kerosene-based jet fuel from unsaturated short-chain hydrocarbons in seawater. Extraction of carbon dioxide in the water and combining it with hydrogen - a variant of the chemical reaction called 'Fischer-Tropsch process'. The goal is to produce as little unwanted methane through this process, the main concern. Other issues include the need to use a carbon-neutral energy source and process consumes more energy than the fuel it produces.

Reference: slashdot.org