Melbourne researchers say it may only be a matter of years before the artificial leaf is fuelling every community, house and car on the planet.
The machine they have designed relies on a so-far largely untapped fuel source ”” hydrogen ”” and draws heavily on the plant process of photosynthesis, in which a plant converts sunlight into energy.
"We have to learn as much as we can from photosynthesis, which is what goes on in leafy plants, because that's where most of our energy comes from in terms of fossil fuels or current kinds of carbon materials that we use either as food or fuel," said Professor Doug MacFarlane from Monash University's School of Chemistry.
Photosynthesis is nature's most efficient way to make fuel.
"If we can learn what plants do with sunlight and use it to make carbon compounds, then we can potentially make artificially produced fuels for all of the reasons we need fuels currently," Professor MacFarlane said.
Over the years, other researchers have used a variety of metals as an artificial catalyst for the process, but many were rare and expensive.
By using nickel as the catalyst, Professor MacFarlane and his colleagues have been able separate hydrogen from water at a reasonable cost.
"Obviously the devices we're talking about are expensive to build and install," he said.
"So the efficiency in terms of producing fuel that it achieves has to be fairly high to make it worthwhile."
more at
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-17/27artificial-leaf27-an-untapped-fuel-source/6703364
Lets hope they can get this working, it sounds like a game changer
Artificial leaf could soon fuel the planet, Melbourne researchers say
So what's holding us back ?
Coal.
South African team may have solved solar puzzle even Google couldn't crack
Pioneering technology to deliver the cheapest, small-scale concentrated solar power plants in the world could revolutionise the renewable energy market
These heliostats, or mirrors to concentrate the sun, in a field near Stellenbosch in South Africa could become the most affordable, small, plug-and play solar solutions in the world. Photograph: Jeffrey Barbee/jeffbarbee.com
Jeffrey Barbee in Stellenbosch
Monday 24 August 2015 20.44 AEST
It is a problem that has so far stumped even Google’s brainy engineers – how to generate cheap solar electricity using a small-scale array of mirrors to concentrate the sun’s energy.
Now a team at a South African university – led by a former Intel strategic planner – believes they have cracked it. Once they have completed a prototype system in October they have big plans for rolling out the technology.
The idea behind the design – so-called Concentrated Solar Power or CSP – is simple. A field of mirrors on the ground tracks the sun and concentrates its rays on to a central point which heats up. That heat is converted into electricity.
...His team’s aim is to produce CSP technology that will be cheap and quick to install. “We are developing plonkable heliostats. Plonkable means that from factory to installation you can just drop them down on to the ground and they work.” So no costly cement, no highly-trained workforce, no wires, just two workers to lay out the steel frames on the ground and a streetlight-style central tower.
All-in-one solution for homes meet Samsung SDI’s newest All-in-one energy solution that can be directly connected to your PV system.
With Samsung SDI’s "AWARD WINNING" All-in-one energy solution, you can save space to optimize power consumption and significantly reduce maintenance cost with amsung SDI’s monitoring system that can detect errors in advance and be controlled remotely.
The 3.6kWh All in One has two solar energy inputs (PV1, PV2). For each input, 3.3kW (per string) is the maximum output. The AC output of the All in One is connected to the Home Load and the Grid. Between the Home Load and the Grid, a Digital Energy Meter (Smart Meter) is placed for power metering. This is a true plug and play system.
Tour time again!
Tungatinah Power Station - Saturday 10th October. 10am - 2pm.
Paloona Power Station - Saturday 24th October. 10am - 2pm.
And after a lot of requests over many years, Poatina Power Station tour will be on Saturday 14th November, 10am - 2pm.
The above are real, working power stations and all located in Tas.
Not too many rules regarding public entry - basically just proper shoes, long sleeves and no drinks, food or bags inside. Cameras are OK. No bookings required, just turn up.
Note - Poatina is underground and yes that's where the tour goes - underground. The other two are above ground.
Details here: http://www.hydro.com.au/community/power-station-tours
Could this have something to do with the massive supply charge increase (39% in 1 year) ?
Queensland Budget: $4.1 billion of State debt to be transferred to power distributors
The Queensland Government's dividend from state-owned power companies has tripled in one year, prompting a call for profits to instead be passed onto consumers via lower power bills.
The Energex annual report, released last week, shows dividends paid to the State Government rose from $406 million in 2014 to $1.3 billion in the 2014-2015 financial year.
Alliance of Electricity Consumers lobby group spokesman Jonathan Pavetto told 612 ABC Brisbane Ergon dividends rose from $400 million to $1.9 billion over the same period.
He said profits for Ergon and Energex doubled in one financial year.
"It's quite clear that electricity prices are too high," he said.
"These are companies that make money off electricity prices and electricity consumers, and if you're making this sort of money by selling a single product it just shows the price must be too high.
"Energex and Ergon are responsible for moving the electricity from the power station through to your house or business or industrial centre. They're the poles and wires that run up and down your street.
"The cost of running their businesses hasn't materially changed in the past 10 years, yet the price of their services has increased by 300 per cent."
Well, well, well...look what turned up...Glad I got my solar system in last quarter.
Ergon and Energex dividends to Queensland Government triple, electricity lobby group says prices too high
Apart from hydro.
After reading your posts it has only just dawned on me now that hydro schemes are just like a big battery.
Are there any of these schemes where wind power is used to run pumps that pump water back above the hydro turbines during high wind and allows water through to generate power the rest of the time? With a big enough wind scheme and pump and storage you would have power all the time even if you had only enough water inflow for losses. You could potentially run the pumps directly from wind rather than an electric pump. Say a direct wind over hydraulic pump.
Apologies if you have explained all this previously in this thread, as I am new here I haven't had time to read through the 333 pages yet but am considering going back and doing that now.
Anyway what I am trying to get my head around: when figures are quoted for power generated by coal v hydro do they take into account or reduce the coal generated power by the amount of coal used to pump water up in the hydro schemes?
what a great thread this is.
About solar: Never had to do the calcs on solar for our house. We look over a golf course and our North facing roof also faces a par 4 tee about 130m from the tees 50m odd off the centre of the fairway.... Solar will never be economic under those conditions.oddly enough before our new neighbours moved in two years ago they installed solar and the tragedy is the company that installed it didn't warm them they don't work on golf courses.
why would solar not work on golf course?
do you have trees/shades?
why would solar not work on golf course?
do you have trees/shades?
One benefit around the pool heating I have discovered and never read anywhere is that the pool heating appears to keep the house cooler due to taking a few degrees off our north north west facing roof which has what seems like a profound influence on allowing our evaporative air con to keep the house cool on all but the most humid days. Perth of course doesn't get humid days (in summer) very often.
In your case, I would protect it with a wire mesh, you would still get a lot of output.Agree about solar pool heating, does indeed cool down the house, when you actually need it so double gain!!!First up big thank you to smurf for the posts above in this thread.
Qldfrog, yes, Golf ball strikes are very potent against hard objects.
So solar panels will never work on every roof.
As I said in the post above the pool solar and hot water heater, minus its glass cover (that we lost to a ball strike) are both fine but solar panels would almost certainly break every time they were struck.
They wouldn't get struck often but in my case I would be lucky to get 2-3 years out of them.
We get around 1 ball a week so there would be parts of the roof that would be shielded enough, however our north and East facing roof is toward the golf course.
Don't get the idea I am complaining though. You gotta take the good with the bad when you cannot afford front row water views. Manicured fairways look ok to me too and the golf balls I expect keeps the price down a little. IMO Champagne views on a chardonay budget.
On the two forms of water heating both run quite efficiently due to a dark roof.
One benefit around the pool heating I have discovered and never read anywhere is that the pool heating appears to keep the house cooler due to taking a few degrees off our north north west facing roof which has what seems like a profound influence on allowing our evaporative air con to keep the house cool on all but the most humid days. Perth of course doesn't get humid days (in summer) very often.
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