Tag Archives: green tech

Volcano power plan gets U.S. go-ahead

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The starting point for creating a new geothermal reservoir is a deep well into hot, dry rock. Well NWG 55-29, drilled by Davenport Newberry in 2008, is well suited as the foundation for a geothermal reservoir. It is 10,060 feet (3066 m) deep into hot rock with very low water permeability.

via Volcano power plan gets U.S. go-ahead.

On October 18 the pumping equipment was running and a water pressure of 1600 psi (10.9 MPa) was built up inside NWG 55-29. The diagnostics (pumping rate, microseismic detectors, etc.) indicated that hydroshearing and expansion of a network of cracks in the hot rock had begun. However, an unexpected night of freezing weather on October 20 damaged some of the auxiliary equipment, leading to a temporary shutdown of operations. AltaRock hopes to resume testing the stimulation process later this week. The following video gives a very good (if slightly lengthy) description of the project.

OSU’s New Microbial Fuel Cell Can Generate 10-50 Times More Power From Wastewater

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A team of engineers from Oregon State University has developed a breakthrough microbial fuel cell that is capable of generating 10 to 50 times more electricity from waste than other MFCs. The team hopes that their innovation will enable waste treatment plants to not only power themselves, but also sell excess electricity back to the grid.

via OSU’s New Microbial Fuel Cell Can Generate 10-50 Times More Power From Wastewater | Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building.

Solar ‘towers’ beat panels by up to 20x

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Now, a team of MIT researchers has come up with a very different approach: building cubes or towers that extend the solar cells upward in three-dimensional configurations. Amazingly, the results from the structures they’ve tested show power output ranging from double to more than 20 times that of fixed flat panels with the same base area.

via Solar ‘towers’ beat panels by up to 20x | ScienceBlog.com.

Kite-Like Turbines Harness Wind Power At Altitude

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The Makani Airborne Wind Turbines, which resemble a fleet of mini airplanes, are launched when wind speeds reach 3.5 meters per second. Rotors on each blade help propel it into orbit, and double as turbines once airborne. The blades are tethered to the ground with a cord that delivers power to throw them into the sky and receives energy generated by the turbines to be sent to the grid-connected ground station.

via Kite-Like Turbines Harness Wind Power At Altitude | TechCrunch.