New nanocrystals let solar panels generate electricity ... and hydrogen gas

Scientists have developed new nanocrystals that allow solar panels to generate both electricity and hydrogen gas (Photo: Shutterstock)
2.7V to 3.0V rated / 1F to 600F for UPS, AMR, Lighting backup

At first glance, photovoltaic solar panels are brilliant. They’re self-contained, need no fuel and so long as the sun is shining, they make lots of lovely electricity. The trouble is, they’re expensive to make, batteries are poor storage systems for cloudy days, and the panels have a very short service life. Now, Dr. Mikhail Zamkov of Ohio's Bowling Green State University and his team have used synthetic nanocrystals to make solar panels more durable as well as capable of producing hydrogen gas.
Solar panels using inorganic molecules as part of their construction have a short service life. The effects of UV radiation and heat degrade them, and they end up with a life of only about 20 years. Given how expensive it is to make solar panels, it’s not surprising that the cost per kilowatt is so much higher than conventional energy sources. In a video paper published in the Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE), Zamkov outlines his team’s process that involves replacing the organic molecules with two inorganic nanocrystals made from zinc selenide and cadmium sulfide, with a platinum catalyst added.

Structure of the nanocrystal (Image: Bowling Green State University)

According to Zamkov, "The main advantage of this technique is that it allows for direct, all inorganic coupling of the light absorber and the catalyst." In other words, these are very durable crystals compared to their organic counterparts. Not only are they less susceptible to heat and UV radiation, they also don’t suffer from degradation problems that plague their organic counterparts – where those are often irreversibly “poisoned” while in service, the nanocrystals can be recharged with a methanol wash.
The other advantage is that the nanocrystals don’t just generate electricity, they produce hydrogen gas as well. When immersed in water and exposed to light, the rod-shaped cadmium sulfide nanocrystal breaks down the water into hydrogen and oxygen.
Meanwhile, the nanocrystal – that is composed of stacked layers of zinc selenide – is photovoltaic and generates electricity. With this dual capacity, a panel made with the nanocrystals would not only generate power during the day, but also hydrogen to run a fuel cell at night.

NO COIL , NO BURNING , NO FOSSIL FUELS

CLICK ON PHOTO TO SEE ANIMATION

Years ago, when the phrase "Global Warming" began gaining popularity,it was  good idea to re place asphalt and concrete surfaces with SOLAR PANELS that could be driven upon.
The heart of the Solar Roadway™ is the
Solar Road Panel™.

When multiple Solar Road Panels are interconnected, the intelligent Solar Roadway is formed. These panels replace current driveways, parking lots, and all road systems, be they interstate highways, state routes, downtown streets, residential streets, or even plain dirt or gravel country roads. Panels can also be used in amusement parks, raceways, bike paths, parking garage rooftops, remote military locations, etc. Any home or business connected to the Solar Roadway (via a Solar Road Panel driveway or parking lot) receives the power and data signals that the Solar Roadway provides. The Solar Roadway becomes an intelligent, self-healing, decentralized (secure) power grid.

The Solar Roadway is a series of structurally-engineered solar panels that are driven upon. The idea is to replace all current petroleum-based asphalt roads, parking lots, and driveways with Solar Road Panels that collect energy to be used by our homes and businesses. Our ultimate goal is to be able to store excess energy in or alongside the Solar Roadways. This renewable energy replaces the need for the current fossil fuels used for the generation of electricity. This, in turn, cuts greenhouse gases literally in half.

Each individual panel consists of three basic layers:

     Road Surface Layer - translucent and high-strength, it is rough enough to provide great traction, yet still passes sunlight through to the solar collector cells embedded within, along with LEDs and a heating element. It is capable of handling today's heaviest loads under the worst of conditions. Weatherproof, it protects the electronics layer beneath it.

Electronics Layer Contains a microprocessor board with support circuitry for sensing loads on the surface and controlling a heating element. No more snow/ice removal and no more school/business closings due to inclement weather. The on-board microprocessor controls lighting, communications, monitoring, etc. With a communications device every 12 feet, the Solar Roadway is an intelligent highway system.

Base Plate LayerLayer - While the electronics layer collects energy from the sun, it is the base plate layer that distributes power (collected from the electronics layer) and data signals (phone, TV, internet, etc.) "downline" to all homes and businesses connected to the Solar Roadway. Weatherproof, it protects the electronics layer above it.
Everyone has power. No more power shortages, no more roaming power outages, no more need to burn coal (50% of greenhouse gases). Less need for fossil fuels and Much less pollution. How about this for a long term advantage: an electric road allows all-electric vehicles to recharge anywhere: rest stops, parking lots, etc. They would then have the same range as a gasoline-powered vehicle. Internal combustion engines would become obsolete. Our dependency on oil would come to an abrupt end.

It's time to upgrade our infrastructure - roads and power grid - to the 21st century.

Solar cells printed on paper may make power more portable

The next generation of solar cells may be printed on ordinary paper.
Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have created ultrathin paper cells that gather enough juice to power an LCD clock and can be glued to a briefcase, stapled to a hat or folded into a pocket. The research is a first step toward a cheap and lightweight source of renewable energy that, within two years, may be used for everything from charging an iPad to warming up clothing, researchers said.
"Rather than confining solar power to rooftops or solar farms, paper photovoltaics can be used virtually anywhere, making energy ubiquitous," said Karen Gleason, associate dean of engineering research at MIT in Cambridge, Mass., and leader of the team that produced the cells.

Paper cells would have the potential to create a new market based on the popularity of low- power electronic devices that are now mostly fed by batteries, such as mobile phones

brain-controlled prostheses

The government’s National Science Foundation will work on robotic devices that interact with, assist and understand the nervous system,’ said director Yoky Matsuoka, Washington University’s associate professor of computer science and engineering.It will combine advances in robotics, neuroscience, electromechanical devices and computer science to restore or augment the body’s ability for sensation and movement.’Researchers will develop technologies for amputees, patients with spinal-cord injuries and those with cerebral palsy, stroke, Parkinson’s disease or age-related neurological disorders.

‘We already see chips that interface with neural systems and then stimulate the right muscles based on that information, and we have purely mechanical lower-limb prostheses that are fast enough to compete in the Olympics,’ said Matsuoka.
‘Our centre will use sensory and neural feedback to give these devices much more flexibility and control.’

Early systems might involve remote or wearable devices that help to guide rehabilitation exercises to remap brain signals and restore motor control.
Ultimately, the researchers hope to develop implantable prosthetics that are controlled by brain signals and include sensors that shuttle information back to wearers so they can react to their environment — creating robotic systems that are truly integrated with the body’s nervous system.
‘I think the really interesting development is literally where the silicon meets the collagen,’ said Thomas Daniel, the centre’s deputy director and a Washington biology professor. ‘It remains an open challenge — one of the current problems in neural engineering.’

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mechporch/153450381373244

Siemens PLM introduces new mobility App for iPad

Siemens PLM has launched an App that gives mobile users access to product data and workflows captured by Siemens Teamcenter software.
The App, called Teamcenter Mobility, will initially only be available on the Apple iPad.
Siemens said the App helps provide data access to traveling executives and managers who would traditionally, need to rely on office-based personnel to give them information from office systems and software.
Using the App, moreover, mobile workers will be able to enter data into PLM systems from remote locations.

“Teamcenter Mobility enables these individuals to quickly search, view and interact with product and process workflow information on the spot using a convenient mobile device,” Siemens said in a press release.

Wave-modelling tool could improve offshore structures

The project is a collaboration between City University London and engineering consultant GL Noble Denton and is in response to oil and gas exploration moving into deeper waters and the take-off of renewable projects.
‘You need to estimate the wave force produced by very large waves, particularly overturning waves, and the impact of these on structures must be accurately modelled. At the moment there is no efficient tool to do this — people are using empirical, linear formulae to estimate waveload, which are not accurate enough,’ said project lead Prof Qingwei Ma of City University London.
The software tool will help design engineers build optimised structures that are resilient to a range of conditions. In addition, it will help insurers create risk profiles and inform the decision-making process around existing structures.
‘Some structures, such as offshore pipes, might have been built 20 years ago, when we had a poorer understanding of waves, and in addition to that, climate change has perhaps made wave conditions different. So we need to know if we can continue to use this structure for the same purpose or for other purposes — for example, we might want to build wind turbines on existing structures and we need to know if it will be sufficiently strong .
The university has received £103,000 from the EPSRC and Finance South East to commercialise research by its Hydrodynamic Engineering Group, and GL Noble Denton will also contribute £50,000 to the work.