NASA is providing Artemis Innovation Management Solutions with seed money to build a satellite that could collect solar energy and beam it back down to Earth. Harvesting solar energy from space has been talked about for a long time, but has been deemed too expensive or the technology just wasn't there. Now with former NASA engineer John Mankins at the helm, it looks like this concept is finally set to take off.

The turning point for this technology is all due to the biomimetic design that Mankins came up with, which mimics how flower petals collect solar energy. The petals would be covered with small, thin-film mirrors that could be curved to direct sunlight to solar cells. The satellite would be positioned far enough away from the Earth so that it will never be in the dark. The energy collected would be converted into microwaves that could be beamed or broadcast back to Earth where electricity would be generated. The design allows for the use of small, lightweight mirrors and solar cells so that the satellite could be constructed and transported at a not-ridiculous cost.

The potential for this technology is huge. The satellite could feasibly send a constant stream of microwaves because of its position -- possibly thousands of megawatts worth. That constant stream of unlimited energy would utlimately make any upfront costs totally negligible and could bring a huge leap in amount of renewable energy fed to the grid. Truly, this is the stuff that clean tech dreams are made of.

The NASA funding is for a proof of concept study that could lead to a prototype being built if all checks out. That prototype would then be tested in near-Earth orbit and then, fingers crossed, full scale satellites would be built and launched.

via Phys.org

Images via John Mankins

A recent report suggests that electrical vehicles (EVs) are not always the cleanest option among automobiles when you take into account the source of the electricity used for recharging. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists report on emissions and electric vehicles, in some instances, electric vehicles may sometimes be responsible for more emissions than some very efficient conventional vehicles.

Obviously, the electricity used to charge the vehicle must come from somewhere, and the fuel mix used to produce electricity varies regionally across the US. In areas where the oldest coal-fired plants are a large part of the electrical grid, powering an electric vehicle may be responsible for emissions equal to as much as 340 grams/mile. But, only about 18% of the US population lives in these areas. For the great majority of the country, the mix used to produce electricity is cleaner, meaning that EVs are that much cleaner, too.

Although the UCS report does help make the important point that an electric vehicle is not somehow the perfect solution, it nevertheless should not be taken the other way and presumed to suggest that electric vehicles are some sort of scam being perpetrated on the public. Even in regions with the dirtiest grid, an electric vehicle is still about 20% better than the average new compact car in terms of global warming emissions measured in grams per mile.

EVs also have the potential to get better. If old coal plants are taken offline, and new, cleaner power plants or more non-polluting, renewable energy sources are added to the mix, then the emissions of the EV go down. Vehicles with conventional engines don't have the ability to do anything like that at all.

via: AutoGuide.com

Cement production is the second largest human-caused contribution of CO2 to the atmosphere responsible for five to six percent of all human-caused CO2 emissions. So far, many researchers have concentrated on creating cement that can sequester CO2 to balance out the CO2 its production releases, but now researchers at George Washington University are going to the root of the problem and eliminating CO2 emissions at the source.

The researchers have found a way to use solar thermal heating to create a method of cement production that has zero CO2 emissions. The release of CO2 during cement production is in two key places: first is when limestone is converted into lime, which involves decarbonation and releases CO2 as a byproduct; second is from burning fossil fuels to heat the kiln reactors that allow that chemical reaction to occur.

The team's Solar Thermal Electrochemical Production (STEP) process eliminates CO2 from both of those places. Solar thermal heating replaces the burning of fossil fuels and the heat also is essential in the electrolysis of the limestone. Using electrolysis to convert limestone into lime creates a byproduct of either oxygen and graphite or carbon monoxide, not CO2.

The STEP process would also be cheaper than the existing cement production process and if the carbon monoxide byproduct were sold to other industries, it would actually create a net positive of $298 per ton compared to the cost of $70 per ton for conventional production.

The researcher say the STEP process could be utilized in other industries that require limestone being converted to lime, like iron and aluminum purification, glass, paper and sugar production and agriculture.

via Phys.org

The Envisat, the largest environmental monitoring satellite in history, has gone silent after a decade of operation. The satellite was launched in March 2002 by the European Space Agency and has been sending information on the planet's oceans, ice, land and atmosphere since then. The ESA says it failed to make contact on April 8 as it passed over a Swedish ground station.

Envisat is equipped with 10 different instruments for collecting environmental data that has been used in 4,000 science projects by 70 countries. The data has been crucial in studies on climate change.

The ESA hasn't given up hope for the satellite. It has brought together engineers, flight dynamics scientists and mission operators to work on re-establishing contact. But even if that is not possible, climate change science won't suffer for long; the ESA already had plans to launch seven Sentinel satellites in 2013 to replace the Envisat.

via Phys.org

Image via ESA

A battery pack undergoing "extreme testing" caused an explosion at the GM Technical Center in Warren, Michigan earlier this week. Local news reports indicate that 5 people were injured in the explosion. According to a statement from the company, the battery that caused the blast is "unrelated to the Chevrolet Volt or any other production vehicle."

The GM statement also indicated that, "Chemical gases from the battery cells were released and ignited in the enclosed chamber. The battery itself was intact." Conventional automotive batteries can produce hydrogen gas which can explode in the presence of a spark or flame, as well.

This kind of news is likely to spur concers about the safety of electric vehicles from some corners, and GM has been quick to note that the accident was not related to any of their production vehicles in order to allay concerns from drivers of their vehicles. Accidents are an occasional consequence of stressful testing, and this shouldn't be taken as a sign that electric vehicles are somehow far more dangerous than previously thought.

link: Edmunds Inside Line

via: Michigan Radio

image: WXYZ News

The world's largest solar thermal system, with a collector area of nearly 400,000 square feet (over 36,200 square meters). The system is providing hot water and heat for the entire campus of the Princess Noura bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The campus covers 8 square kilometers (over 3 square miles) and houses 40,000 students and faculty.

Special solar glass as well as a special mounting system for the panels were used to help protect them from the region's sandstorms, which could otherwise ruin the $4.7 million dollar array. The array is nearly twice as large as the previous record holding array, located in Denmark. Panels for the project were built by Austrian manufacturer GREENoneTEC

via: Engineering News-Record

US agricultural policy provides billions of dollars of subsidies to corn farmers every year, which helps to support the industries that produce ethanol for fuel and corn syrup for sweetening (among many other products).

In this week's Sci Show, Hank looks at high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) - the new "dark lord of nutrition" - and the controversies around its increased use as a sweetener in many of the processed foods. Some studies have indicated that HFCS may be linked to increased obesity.

But HFCS is pretty similar to "regular" cane sugar or table sugar, and other studies are less conclusive about the negative effects. Watch this episode for some further information on the ambiguities around all the claims being made about this sometimes controversial food product and the American diet.

Reference information from this episode is posted in this Google Doc.

Yes, you read that right. An all-electric DeLorean made its debut at the New York Auto Show last week and not just as a cool concept, but with an actual plan for production -- and soon. According to Autoblog, DeLorean Motor Company president Stephen Wynne said the DMCev should hit the market in early 2013.

High altitude wind power systems continue to be explored with new systems and new approaches. The latest comes from Altaeros Energies, who recently tested the Altaeros Airborne Wind Turbine (AWT), a prototype 35-foot diameter, helium-filled, tethered structure with an onboard turbine. The prototype turbine is able to be transported and deployed from a trailer, which makes it potentially very useful for use at remote locations.

Using a Southwest Skystream turbine, the test model of the AWT was flown to an altitude of 350 feet where it produced more than twice the power as what is generated at a conventional tower height. The company is interested in developing high-altitude wind resources at elevations over 1,000 feet (over 300 meters) above the ground, where the winds are stronger and more regular.

According to the company, "The Altaeros AWT will displace expensive fuel used to power diesel generators at remote industrial, military, and village sites. In the long term, Altaeros plans to scale up the technology to reduce costs in the offshore wind market."

link: Altaeros Energies Press Release (PDF)

via: Ubergizmo

Two electric bike enthusiasts and environmental crusaders will set off this weekend on what they're calling the Trans-American Electric Bike Tour, a cross-country trip where they're traveling only by electric bike to show off the eco-friendly mode of transportation.

Boris Mordkovich, an original team member of RelayRides, a peer-to-peer carsharing service, and Anna Mostovetsky, an environmental scientist, will begin their 4,000-mile journey in New York this Saturday that will take them to 25 cities, ending in San Francisco in mid-June. Along the way, they'll be doing talks and presentations, attempting to turn people on to commuting via e-bike. Their trip has three goals:  increasing awareness of e-bikes, proving they're reliable and efficient, and gathering information on commuting via e-bike in the various cities they're visiting.

The bikes they'll be using are the Aries and Aurora from EVELO bikes, who is sponsoring their tour. The bikes have a 40-mile range per charge, so they'll each be carrying a spare battery to extend their range. They'll also be towing cargo trailers to hold all of their essentials for the trip.

You can follow their progress and see a schedule of events at the tour's website.