When electricity flows at  a trickle pace, it’s not very useful for a lot of our high-power applications. That’s why, as we all know, finding a way to store that energy so that it can build up slowly over time is critically important.

One way to store that trickle is to run a chemical reaction that will leave us with some combustible fuel.  For example, scientists are working on catalysts that will make it easier to split water into O2 and H2 – the latter being combustible hydrogen - using electricity derived from photovoltaic power.

In the same vein, scientists recently developed a process called electromethanogensis.  If you break down the name, you see that the process involves generating methane (natural gas) from electricity.  How does this happen?  The answer lies in a species of bacteria known as Methanobacterium palustre (see the word “methane” in there?), which is able to chemically reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) into methane (CH4).

The bacteria is used as part of an electrolytic cell.  An electrolytic cell is the opposite of a battery – a battery takes two compounds that want to react with each other and taps that potential in the form of electricity.  In an electrolytic cell, the electrons are pumped in and they drive the reaction uphill, so to speak.  In this case that uphill reaction is CO2 turning into CH4 (the opposite of the downhill version, which happens when we burn CH4, or any other fossil fuel).  The bacteria’s job is to catalyze the process, which means that you get a lot more natural gas for the same amount of electricity fed in.

What’s interesting is that the scientist primarily involved, Dr. Bruce Logan of Penn State University, has also used bacteria for the opposite process – microbial fuel cells (in fact he wrote a book on the subject).  In that process, bacteria are harnessed to eat nasty molecules from sources such as municipal waste pools, break them down and release electric energy as a byproduct. 

This is the kind of thing that makes biological-based energy sources so intriguing.  In reality, bio-energy makes up a tiny fraction of all renewable energy out there, and some suggest that it will always be that way.  But in principle, bio-energy holds so much potential that it’s hard to say where the technology will be in 10 years from now.  We’ve been tweaking microbes to make drugs and natural products for a while, but we’ve only begun thinking about incorporating them into the energy infrastructure, be it in methane synthesis such as this, bio-diesel production or algae fuel.

Via Green Car Congress
Image via Penn State

When you live in Australia, droughts are very real, and water conservation is a part of life. One Australian recently came up with a household invention to help reduce the amount of water being used in the shower. The device, called the Aqualim (presumably the “lim” refers to “elimination” of water waste, or possibly “limit”), rations out a certain quantity of water per shower. After the quantity is used, the shower reduces its flow as a warning, and soon afterwards shuts off.

Thus, if you say to yourself, “I want to get my water usage under X gallons”, the Aqualim makes it extremely easy to do so without constantly worrying if you’ve gone over. Of course – as is the case with many self-control devices – if you’re the kind of person who’s sensitive enough to buy an Aqualim, you are probably more water-conscious than most people already. Also, there is a reset button; if you really want a longer shower you can just hit it.

But the device does address the tendency people have to linger in the shower after they’ve already washed up. Even someone who truly does not want to waste water might lose track of time, or simply not shut off the shower because hey, it feels nice in here and it’s pretty early in the morning.

That’s why I’m going to vote in favor of this device. Think of it as an alarm clock for the shower. If we had to rely on our own will power to wake up in the morning, we’d all be late for work (bloggers excluded). Plus, the Aqualim could work synergistically with a low-flow showerhead to reduce water usage even further.

Via Inhabitat

Studies show that mountaintop removal mining isn’t good for the local economy as the coal industry purports. Here’s the facts.

Eco Factor: Portable solar thermal generation systems from Aora Solar.

The photovoltaic market of today is broadly classified into two main categories – photovoltaic panels for even the smallest of uses and solar thermal generators, which span over acres of land and potentially generate megawatts of solar electricity for a city or two. Aora Solar has recently powered up a small-scale solar thermal generating system at the Kibbutz Samar in the Avara Valley, which with its small size can be used to generate solar thermal electricity for small communities or apartment blocks.

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Eco Tech: Aora Solar’s ‘Lego-like’ units for small-scale solar thermal generation

Leaders at the G-20 summit should go in a green direction to jump-start protection of the global climate.

Yesterday we wrote about how not only our bedroom slider window but also one of the large picture stationary windows in our family room had developed moisture condensation inside between the two panes of glass caused by air leaks.

Both are ENERGY STAR rated windows. Yet, would we have issues with the window salesman and manufacturer?

I mean, the replacement windows were spot on a full year from their installation date.

I was especially concerned with the 4 foot by 4 foot stationary picture window. This window, and it’s counter part on the right, were the visual impact windows in our home as they gave the light into the family room and kitchen and through which the forested ravine behind our home can be seen.

So, I called up the window sales person who was very, very surprised, He asked, as would I if I were in his position, if I checked to see that the condensation was not on the inside or outside of the windows.

Once I told him that they were indeed inside, he simply confirmed which windows they were and wrote up the replacement order.

I did send him the pictures of the condensation build-up, the same ones in this and the prior articles just so he could see for himself.

But, who would pay for the replacement and installation cost?

Well, the terms of our purchase contract said that installation was covered for one year from installation date. However, the windows themselves had a lifetime warranty.

So, we are not expecting to pay for the replacement windows nor the cost of the installers to remove the defective windows and install the replacements.

Once this is done, we will report back, with pictures of course of how the replacement for the leaking windows went.

IdeaBlob is the name of a monthly contest put together by a group of small business owners and entrepreneurs. Contestants submit business ideas, and the ideas with the most votes win $10,000 in cash to start up their venture. Incidentally, it’s a great place to browse through some cool green ideas.

Take Seven Rivers, for example, one of the ideas up for this month’s prize. Seven Rivers (subtitle: “Water without the waste”) is a plan to provide clean, cheap, filtered water to people who don’t have clean tap water to drink, or people who don’t like tap water, and would otherwise buy bottled. They want to build a “water vending machine” – essentially a large water filter which will dispense clean, fresh drinking water for a small price.

They envision their customers using eco-friendly, reusable cups, as well. If people started using a system like Seven Rivers instead of buying bottled water, lots of good things would happen. We would cut down on waste, because less plastic bottles would be thrown out. We’d help reduce our consumption of petroproducts. And we’d save all the energy that goes into shipping water all over the world.

Other green ideas on IdeaBlob include local food programs for schools, green design competitions and green education for coffee growers.

As expected, the Department of Transportation announced today that they are raising the combined fuel efficiency standard for 2011 cars and trucks to 27.3 mpg, 2 miles per gallon above the 2010 average. This move is significant because it’s the first increase in passenger car standards in over two decades.

The new standard will require 2011 passenger cars to meet 30.2 mpg and trucks, SUVs and minivans to meet 24.1 mpg. It’s definitely a smaller increase than environmentalists were hoping for, but the administration is claiming it’s just the first in a series of more aggressive increases that will lead to meeting the 35 mpg standard by 2020 set by a 2007 energy law. Obama has promised that he will get the standard to 40 mpg by 2022.

The DOT says the increase will save 887 million gallons of fuel and reduce CO2 emissions by 8.3 million metric tons.

The DOT is already working with the EPA to set future fuel efficiency rules combined with emission regulations through 2015, which will be released later this year.

With the world facing a shortage of conventional energy sources, which in most cases are either too expensive or highly polluting, inventors all over the globe have focused their attention onto sources, which until now were never expected to be used to generate power. Though water has been used to generate electricity since long, recent development has made generating electricity from this renewable source cheap and portable. Here is a list of 12 such chargers and devices that use nothing other than clean water to generate clean electricity:

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12 amazing water-powered gadgets and more

Nissan is starting to ramp up their EV ambitions. Not only are they starting production of fleets of ZEVs in 2010, but their luxury Infiniti brand is making a major commitment to EVs.

Nissan announced earlier in the month that the Infiniti brand would be converting entirely to hybrids within the next decade. As a first step, the brand is launching their first hybrid model in 2010.

The first model undergoing the conversion is the M-series sedan. Unlike the Nissan Altima hybrid already on the market, the Infiniti hybrids won’t be using Toyoto technology. The line will reportedly be based on a combination series-parallel drivetrain that will enable the cars to be powered by electricity alone or electricity and gas at the same time.

At first, Infiniti will offer both hybrid and regular gas versions of its models, but the gas versions will be phased out within the ten year time frame.

via Left Lane News