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Tag: energy saving

Renewable energy battery systems could harness eggshell proteins for electricity conduction

Posted on by dishanth
Renewable energy battery systems could harness eggshell proteins for electricity conduction

Chicken eggshells may be the answer to developing safer, sustainable and cost-effective rechargeable battery storage systems, according to new research.

Murdoch University Associate Professor Dr. Manickam Minakshi Sundaram, from the Center for Water, Energy and Waste at Harry Butler Institute, for a doctoral thesis has successfully developed a new mechanism associated with electrode materials and electrolytes, offering an alternative to the expensive and impractical power storage technologies of the past and present.

“We’ve found that chicken eggshells can be used as electrodes—a conductor of electricity—in powering batteries. Eggshells contain a high level of calcium carbonate, and when they are baked and crushed, their chemical compositions change and they become a more efficient electrode and conductor of power,” Dr. Minakshi said.

“The current lithium-ion batteries used for renewable energy storage typically use fossil fuels.

“Repurposing a bio-waste product like eggshells could add considerable value to the renewable energy market. They also offer a potentially safer option, as the current lithium battery technologies are high-cost and potentially unsafe in the event of catastrophic failure.”

As the world continues to prioritize renewable energy sources, this breakthrough marks a significant step forward, offering hope for a greener and more sustainable future.

The study, conducted by Dr. Minakshi as part of his higher doctorate thesis with Flinders University, focused on the development of sustainable electrodes in aqueous-based energy storage technology.

“The implications of this study go beyond scientific discovery,” Dr. Minakshi said.

“Chicken eggs and related products are used in large quantities in the food processing and manufacturing sectors, households, the nutrition industry and even in the pharmaceutical industry, but their shells are typically sent as solid waste to landfill.

“However, eggshell and shell membranes contain a range of active chemical compounds that can be used. The reversibility of this new approach allows for efficient energy storage and retrieval. The study demonstrates that highly conductive aqueous lithium and sodium electrolytes with varying salt concentrations have the potential to replace existing non-rechargeable primary batteries. The discovery holds the promise of high energy capacity, long cycle life and affordability in aqueous batteries.”

By incorporating suitable additives such as biodegradable redox polymers, titanium boride/sulfide (TiB2, TiS2), or bismuth oxide (Bi2O3) compounds, the electrodes can be further modified to improve their performance.

“The potential applications of this breakthrough are immense,” Dr. Minakshi said. “We could transition from a linear economy to a circular economy, reducing, reusing and recycling waste improving both sustainable development and addressing waste management.”

The studies on sustainable electrode materials have also been extended to other biowaste including chitosan derived from crustaceans, mango seed husk, and grape marc from wineries. From these biowastes, N-doped carbon was derived, which exhibits excellent electrochemical performance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source –  Tech Xplore

Four cheap ways to save energy at home

Posted on by dishanth
Four cheap ways to save energy at home
Making your home more energy efficient can be costly and may not be possible if you’re renting, or you don’t have thousands of pounds stashed away to buy new heat pumps and double glazing.

But there are some cheap solutions to try to save money. We’ve looked at where you are likely to be losing the most energy in your home and come up with some simple solutions to help save money on your bills and keep warm this winter.

 

1. Doors

Warm air wants to leave your home and will find any nook and cranny to do so. As it does, cold air is sucked in to replace it, causing draughts. It makes your home cold and wastes energy.

Shutting doors and closing windows may not be enough as any gaps in the frames allow warm air to escape – and that costs money. On this thermal image, the draughts show up as the coldest areas around a front door.

The coolest temperatures are black, purple and blue and the draughts are shown around the door in these colours, says James Richardson, of IRT Surveys – which uses thermal imaging to help home owners identify where heat is being lost.

The letter box, often an escape route for hot air, appears warm (red and yellow colours) so it is likely to be well-sealed and insulated.

But by simply adding a draught excluder – or even a rolled up towel – the draughts can be blocked, as we can see in these before and after images:

 

 

Energy firms and energy-saving campaigners agree one of the simplest solutions to keeping out the cold is to use a draught excluder. Combined with draught-proofing of windows and doors, it could help cut around £25 a year off your bills.

Having a rolled-up towel by the front door may not be the most attractive household feature, but you can always try to make and decorate one yourself.

 

 

It is important to make sure the draught excluder covers the width of the door. And for a no-sew method, use strips of the discarded material to make ties and tie up each end of the trouser leg instead.

If you don’t fancy cutting up your jeans you could just use a rectangular piece of material to make a tube and fill in a similar fashion. You’ll end up with a more regular-shaped excluder.

For the really crafty, or Team GB Olympic gold medal-winning divers perhaps, Home Energy Scotland have a pattern for a knitted version.

 

2. Windows

Badly fitting windows or single panes of glass are another place heat is often lost.

If you can’t get windows replaced with double glazing, the Energy Saving Trust says it is worth getting some heavy curtains to help keep the heat in the room.

Again, the thermal images show how closing the curtains traps that heat in with you.

 

 

You may not want to sit in the dark all day, so look out for cheap DIY kits available that use a thin plastic sheet to cover the window, blocking draughts.

They are sometimes shrink-fitted into place with a hairdryer and can be removed and replaced as required.

 

3. Loft hatch

Insulating your loft is like wearing a woolly hat – trapping the warmth below to keep you cosy. However, that hatch is just like any other door and needs attention too.

Even James was surprised by the thermal image showing heat being lost around the frame. But it’s an easy fix, making sure it is snugly insulated around the edges.

One suggestion online is to glue a plastic bag to the back of the hatch, fill it some of the loft insulation and then seal it up. It should help insulate the hatch and flop over the edges when you pull it shut, stopping draughts escaping.

 

 

4: Behaviour

There are lots of little things we can do around the home that will help save energy and money that just require tweaks to our behaviour rather than installing, fitting or making anything.

Most energy companies will install a smart meter for free so you can help monitor your energy use and spending.

But there are other small changes to your daily routine that cost nothing and save energy. The obvious ones are spending less time in the shower (potentially saving about £10 a year), turning off the lights (£14) or turning down the thermostat (saving up to£55).

The Eco-Experts blog recommends “heating the humans, not the building” – so perhaps don’t keep the central heating on all the time if you’re not cold, and don’t heat rooms you’re not in.

Other ideas include:

  • Put lids on pots and pans when cooking – it’ll be done quicker
  • Use a microwave to reheat food rather than the oven
  • Don’t overfill the kettle. Filling a kettle for two cups of tea rather than boiling a full kettle could save you around £45 a year
  • Defrost your fridge – it will work more efficiently
  • Buy a smaller telly – Age UK says in general smaller TVs cost less to run and plasma screens use more electricity

And finally there is the old favourite – repeated by parents down the ages and still on the advice the elderly by Age UK – if you’re cold, put on an extra layer – several thin layers of clothing will keep you warmer than one thick layer, as the layers trap warm air between them.

 

 

Source BBC

UK government commissions space solar power stations research

Posted on by dishanth
UK government commissions space solar power stations research

 

The UK government has commissioned new research into space-based solar power (SBSP) systems that would use very large solar power satellites to collect solar energy, convert it into high-frequency radio waves, and safely beam it back to ground-based receivers connected to the electrical power grid.

It is an idea first conjured by science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov in 1941, and is now being studied by several nations because the lightweight solar panels and wireless power transmission technology is advancing rapidly. This, together with lower cost commercial space launch, may make the concept of solar power satellites more feasible and economically viable.

Now the UK in 2020 will explore whether this renewable technology could offer a resilient, safe and sustainable energy source.

 

Science Minister Amanda Solloway said:

Solar space stations may sound like science fiction, but they could be a game-changing new source of energy for the UK and the rest of the world.

This pioneering government-backed study will help shine a light on the possibilities for a space-based solar power system which, if successful, could play an important role in reducing our emissions and meeting the UK’s ambitious climate change targets.

 

The study, led by Frazer-Nash Consultancy, will consider the engineering and economics of such a system – whether it could deliver affordable energy for consumers, and the engineering and technology that would be required to build it. One of the biggest issues to overcome is assembling the massive satellites in orbit, which has not been done before at this scale.

 

Dr Graham Turnock, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, said:

The Sun never sets in space, so a space solar power system could supply renewable energy to anywhere on the planet, day or night, rain or shine. It is an idea that has existed for decades, but has always felt decades away.

The UK is growing its status as a global player in space and we have bold plans to launch small satellites in the coming years. Space solar could be another string to our bow, and this study will help establish whether it is right for the UK.

 

Historically, the cost of rocket launches and the weight that would be required for a project of this scale made the idea of space-based solar power unfeasible. But the emergence of privately-led space ventures has brought the cost of launch down dramatically in the last decade.

 

Martin Soltau, Space Business Manager at Frazer-Nash outlined what the study will involve:

Decarbonising our economy is vital. We need to explore new technologies to provide clean, affordable, secure and dependable energy for the nation. SBSP has the potential to contribute substantially to UK energy generation, and offers many benefits if it can be made practical and affordable.

Frazer-Nash is studying the leading international solar power satellite designs, and we will be drawing up the engineering plan to deploy an operational SBSP system by 2050. We are forming an expert panel, comprised of leading SBSP experts and space and energy organisations, to gain a range of industry views.

We will compare SBSP alongside other forms of renewable energy, to see how it would contribute as part of a future mix of clean energy technologies.

We have also partnered with Oxford Economics, who have significant experience in the space sector and who will provide additional insight to the economic assessment of the system, and the benefit to the UK economy.

 

As the effects of climate change become more pronounced, prominent research institutions and government agencies are focusing new money and attention on novel approaches to reduce global warming.

In 2019, Britain passed an important milestone, with more electricity generated from sources like wind, solar and nuclear power, that produce almost no carbon dioxide emissions, than from carbon-emitting fuels like natural gas and coal.

According to the World Resources Institute – a Washington-based non-profit that tracks climate change – Britain has reduced carbon dioxide generated in the country by about 40 per cent, which is more than any other major industrialised country.

As the National Space Council sets a new direction for our space policy, the UK Space Agency is committed to understanding the future opportunities space technologies open up.

 

 

From UK Space Agency and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

Source Gov.UK