Now, electricity from nose?

Electricity from the nose? Well, it may appear weird, but engineers claim they are working on a technique which would generate power from human respiration.

A team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison says that it is actually working on a method which would someday power sensors in one's body via the respiration in one's nose, the 'Energy and Environmental Science' journal reported.

The engineers have already created a plastic microbelt that vibrates when passed by low-speed airflow such as human respiration. In certain materials, such as the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), an electric charge accumulates in response to applied mechanical stress.

This is known as the piezoelectric effect.

The team engineered PVDF to generate sufficient electrical energy from respiration to operate small electronic devices.
Professor Xudong Wang, who led the team, said: "Basically we are harvesting mechanical energy from biological systems. The airflow of normal human respiration is typically below about two meters per second.

"We calculated that if we could make this material thin enough, small vibrations could produce a microwatt of electrical energy that could be useful for sensors or other devices implanted in the face."

india vies to climb wind power ranks with new subsidies

india vies to climb wind power ranks with new subsidies

December 17, 2009 | Tom Slater | Comments | 

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India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has announced a new plan to subsidize wind energy, earmarking $81 million (3.8 billion rupees) to lower the price of each kilowatt-hour generated by wind turbines by half a rupee (about a penny), bringing down the average price of wind power in the country, which currently hovers around 3 rupees per kilowatt hour.

While this doesn’t sound like much, it could be a good start for India, which has so far been talking a big game about adopting greener policies. While there is a lot of pressure for developing nations with large populations to convert to clean sources of energy now, especially right now with the climate talks in Copenhagen. But, considering how expensive this could be, and how much it could stunt important growth over the next few years, it makes sense for countries like India to walk before they can run.

That’s why its government is capping its new wind incentives at 6.2 million rupees per megawatt hour. On top of that, wind farms with capacities exceed 4,000 megawatts will not be eligible for the money. The latter restriction won’t apply to many, seeing as how the world’s largest installation puts out 782 megawatts. The subsidy program will remain in effect anywhere between four and 10 years, depending on how much growth and business it stimulates.

The announcement is just the latest in a series of incentive package launches for wind power in India. Others include tax exemptions for the first ten years of wind farm operation, sales tax exemption, and 80 percent accelerated depreciation. However, project developers will have to choose between cash subsidies or accelerated depreciation — not both.

Right now, India has 10,500 megawatts worth of wind power installed. But its potential is estimated to be over 45,000 megawatts. The country is ranked fifth in installed wind power globally, behind the U.S., Germany, Spain and China.

It also raised energy tariffs this year to bolster domestic manufacturing and green industry. In June, the tariff jumped from 2.90 rupees to 3.30 for wind power. Biomass went from 3.15 to 4.50, and solar tariffs were hiked to 3.15 rupees per kilowatt hour.

With direct cash benefits for domestic wind developers and increased tariffs for outside suppliers, conditions are favorable for wind companies in India. The government is hoping to stimulate new growth in that sector, generating more economic activity as well s power. The move should also reduce carbon emissions — although it is unknown by how much.

Bad Bottles of Wine Can Be Used for Energy

By Clay DillowPosted 12.15.2009 at 1:16 pm5 Comments

Got a Bad Bottle? Not to worry, researchers can still salvage some electricity from a vintage that's going bad. Jairo

A bad bottle can throw a wrench in your dinner party, but researchers in the U.S. and India say it could also lower your energy bills. Using the leftover vinegar and sugar in improperly fermented wine, those scientists are devising novel methods to turn wastewater from vineyards into electricity and hydrogen, cleaning the water in the process.

It takes a good deal of water to process grapes into the fermented sugars that give wine that lovely, drowse-inducing quality. The wastewater coming out of vineyards is packed with unfermented sugars, biomass, and improperly fermented vinegar. Generally, all that wastewater has to be cleaned, and that can be costly; something like 1.5 percent of American electricity goes toward wastewater treatment, and up to five percent goes toward other water management systems.

So Penn State researchers are using microbes to convert those waste products into energy rather than dumping them into an energy-wasting treatment cycle. Using widely-available bugs, a fridge-sized microbial electrolysis cell converts the wastewater to power by first converting the sugar and vinegar into electricity and then using that electricity to split the water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, which slip harmlessly back into the atmosphere.

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Science, Clay Dillow, biomass, energy,fermentation, fuel cells, green tech, microbial fuel cells, wine

A much larger unit would be needed to clean the wastewater of an entire winery, but the proof-of-concept electrolysis cell seems to be a viable way to clean a winery's wastewater without pulling tons of power off the grid. Later iterations of the device could trap the hydrogen and methane produced in the process, burning methane for heat or using the hydrogen to power a fuel cell.

But while the Penn State team is saving energy at wineries, a group in India is working on a means to generate power by intentionally spoiling wine. Using two different bacteria that render a vintage undrinkable, they've designed a fuel cell that allows one bacteria to break the sugar into acetic acid and the other bacteria to convert that acetic acid into electricity.

While we don't necessarily like the idea of spoiling a perfectly good pinot just to generate a few milliwatts, the fuel cell could take generate power from wine that doesn't make the vintner's cut -- that is, wine that would usually be wasted. That power could eventually treat wastewater or power day-to-day operations without the use of hydrocarbon-based energy. We'll raise a glass to that.

Himachal saves Rs.1 bn-worth power through CFLs

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Himachal saves Rs.1 bn-worth power through CFLs
on January 4th, 2010

By distributing compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) to 16.5 lakh households, Himachal Pradesh conserved about 270 million units of energy worth Rs.1 billion (Rs.100 crore) in a year.

Under the scheme, Atal Bijli Bachat Yojana, named after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a pack of four CFLs were provided each to 16.5 lakh domestic consumers in the state free of cost.

“The Atal Bijli Bachat Yojana has enabled us to conserve about 270 million units worth Rs.1 billion (Rs.100 crore) in a year. It a great energy-conservation drive,”  said Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal.

He said the hill state was the first state in the country to adopt this scheme.

“We have been the first state in the country which has successfully implemented a scheme aimed at efficient energy saving. Under the scheme, all the domestic consumers have been provided four CFL bulbs. It has benefited 16.5 lakh households,” said Dhumal, who also hold the power portfolio.

The Atal Bijli Bachat Yojana was launched in November 2008. A pack of four CFLs – two each of 15 watt and 20 watt – were provided to every household.

The chief minister said the scheme has not only benefited the households but also enabled the government to earn revenue.

“The scheme benefited not only the consumers with reduced power bills of 25-30 percent but also the state to earn revenue by selling the saved (domestic) power to commercial consumers,” Dhumal said.

“Now, efforts are on to motivate the commercial users to use CFL lights. Our priority is energy conservation which would not only result in monetary gains but also help reduction of carbon emissions.”

Himachal Pradesh has already taken various initiatives towards earning carbon credits and saving the environment. The government has community-driven plantation schemes to boost its depleting green cover.

The government imposed a total ban on the production, storage, use, sale and distribution of all types of polythene bags made of non-biodegradable material in the state Oct 2.

The state has also imposed a voluntary ‘green tax’ on all vehicle users with cabinet ministers deciding to contribute Rs.100 per month towards creating the corpus.

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