A Renewable That Could Pollute More Than Non - Renewables

Every green lover (sometimes non green lovers too) will feel enthusiastic when some one show a new method for producing Electricity from waste. They won't even fail to praise (even I won't) those innovative ideas of generating Electricity from waste and unfortunately they forgets to analyze how the Electricity is generated. Some times this waste to energy conversion may be harmful than that of some other methods of generating Electricity, like from coal.

Waste To Electricity Conversion. Image Credit : tx.us

Recently, I went to a college exhibition where they placed a miniaturized (not so small) model of Waste to Energy converter. Like the most of the existing converters, they too employed the method of burning the waste and then converting the heat generated into electricity. When I asked the student who gave the demo of that converter, "don't you think it could still pollute our environment?". He saw me like an unresolved quest and asked me "how?".

This is because, most of the people's forget to talk about the by-products generated through this burning of waste. Although the by-products generated varies according to the type of wastes that we burn, but they mostly were plastic and electronic wastes. When we burn these type of wastes, they not only increase the carbon footprint but also pollute the environment through harmful mercury, lead, ash and other polluting gases. They were strong enough to bring in the acid rains to your city and cause some severe damages to human health.

Image Credit : Green Building Press (UK)

I do support the waste to energy conversion, than any one else, just because they solve two of our problems. First by clearing the tonnes and tonnes of wastage that were keept on stealing more space in our earth and then by generating Electricity, that runs our present world. But, how do they do it also an important thing to be considered. It should be in a way, without polluting our environment. Next time when some one tell/show you a method for generating Electricity from waste, don't forget to ask them, "how do they do it?".

Low Cost, Green Electricity From Japan's New Wind Technology

Japanese people were always being good at doing some great things silent. The latest invention from the Japan was a new aerodynamic design of wind turbine. This newly designed turbines called 'Wind Lens' were capable of producing triple the power currently produced by the existing turbines from the same wind power. Already with the current turbines, we can produce electricity for low-cost compared to electricity produced from coal (when the wind system was operated under efficient condition).

WIND LENS - a new wind turbine design

No one can do forget easily the nuclear disaster happened in japan recently because of a bone crunching earth quake. Still, the rumors (may be true) are out there saying that this disaster contaminated a large volume of sea water and the radioactive containing water was found around the seas in Japan. "Why am I need to talk about this right now?". Sure, I have to mention this incident before saying that this newly designed aerodynamic system can generate electricity from wind power at a less cost compared to electricity generated from atomic power.

This innovation is not only quite a relief for Japan from atomic power plant problems, but also to the whole world which is seeking for a low cost power generating method in a green way. Particularly, for a nation like India, which is trying to build more nuclear power plants to meet the growing demand of electricity in the nation. This new design could be a solution to go in a green way without worrying about the future disasters.

Source: mnn

IMPACT OF RENEWABLE(DISTRIBUTED GENERATION) ENERGY IN POWER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

       Long transmission is one of the main cause for electrical power loss. Even a high school kid may know this fact these days. But the power quality problem is not only due to these losses. Approximately 70 to 80% of all power quality problem can be attributed to faulty connections or wiring(a research says not me). Also some other things like harmonics, transients, electromagnetic interference and LPF(low power factor)also damage power quality but they all share the remaining 20-30% only. So we will worry about them later.

DISTRIBUTED GENERATING STATION

      Okay then, now how we are going to take care of the power quality problems due to long transmission power losses. Are we going to "lay superconductors instead of aluminium alloys and copper conductors?" or "increasing voltage level to extreme levels and implementing HVDC?". These things may happen(exclude that superconductor idea please), but with very large investment. This remedy measures also will look reasonable when we implement them for new long power transmission projects. Then what about the older lines staying out there wasting not only the power but also our money(for losses too we are paying the electricity boards).

       To resolve this problem we got to ask the help of renewable energy. The solar, wind, wave and some other power plants scattered all over a country can not only help us to meet the growing demands with depleting fossil fuels. They were like a bonus to us in resolving power quality problems. The irritating incidents like switching off of T.V's while watching a football game and shutting down of A.C in a hot day due to low voltage problems and faulty lines may end now. Integrating these scattered power houses(Distributed Generation) with the existing system surely can deliver us a good quality power. If a feeder from centralized generating station to your area encountered fault, don't worry you will still get power from a near by distributed generating station. For that we need to install solar, wind or whatever that suits to your geographic location.

But we got to be too careful while designing these integration of centralized system with distributed power generating system. Improper designing in power electronic devices may inject harmonics into the system which will further destroy the power quality instead of making it up.

DISTRIBUTED GENERATING STATION IMAGE SOURCE - http://www.performanceenergy.com

PAPER PP ALLOYS CAN SAVE THE COMPUTER INDUSTRY FROM PLASTICS

           The plastics that always sticking with the consumer electronics is now going to get replaced by a new material. PEGA Design and Engineering found a new material to make the computers, laptops and other consumer electronic devices an environmental friendly one. Currently we are in the trouble of disposing the electronic wastage's. The main reason for that is the plastics which are cheap and strong always partnering with electronics.

          The PEGA D&E got this new material called Paper PP Alloy which has all the advantages that the plastic materials having with an extra qualification of environmental friendly(biodegradable, reusable and recyclable). This Paper PP Alloy has the characteristics of paper which makes it biodegradable. It is only made up of paper and polypropylene.

Laptop Shell made from Paper PP Alloy

                                    

                                      Bio Degradable Material

            The materials needed to make Paper PP Alloy are easy to retrieve drawn the attention of consumer electronics manufactures towards this material. An even more exciting feature is Paper PP Alloy can be molded using injection molding method; it can be easily adapted without changing the manufacturing process.