Tesla unveils residential ‘solar roof’ with new battery storage system

Tesla will build and sell its own line of solar panels with integrated batteries.he Powerwall 2 will allow residential homeowners to replace their entire roof with solar panels and an updated Powerwall 2 battery system, making it much simpler for homes to be entirely powered by solar power.

The roof is made of a textured glass tile with integrated solar cells. The roofs look "as good or better" than conventional roofs, according to Musk. 

They look like normal roofing tiles from the ground, but are completely transparent to the sun. The tiles are hydrographically printed, which, Musk says, makes each one a "special snowflake tile," and no two roofs will be the same.

 "You can take any two roofs that look like that and they will be different — because they are different," said Musk.

There are a number of different versions of solar panels: Textured Glass Tile, Slate Glass Tile, Tuscan Glass Tile, and Smooth Glass Tile. Tesla says its glass tiles are much more durable than conventional roof tile — something that’s important in areas with risk of hail.

The Powerwall 2 can store 14 kWh of energy, with a 5 kW continuous power draw, and 7 kW peak. The battery is warranted for unlimited power cycles for up to 10 years. It can be floor or wall mounted, inside or outside. It can be used for load shifting or back-up power.

Musk says there are three parts to the solar energy solution: generation (solar panels), storage (batteries), and transportation (electric cars). Musk’s plan is to sell all three of those products through Tesla.

Those wishing to go entirely solar, with minimal draw off the electrical grid, would need to buy solar panels from a separate company (like SolarCity) as well as Powerwall batteries from Tesla. Now, customers will be able to buy both products from Tesla directly.

Availability and pricing of the solar roof — not to mention how the thing is actually installed and works — was not announced. The Powerwall is $5,500.

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Tesla doubles the energy density for battery

While Tesla's solar roof / Powerwall event isn't until tomorrow, the product that preceded both, its commercial... cousin, Powerpack, has been upgraded and is already shipping to companies. The company says Powerpack 2 has double the energy density than the original model, paired with a new inverter (made at its Gigafactory), that's apparently the lowest-priced, highest efficiency utility-scale inverter available. Arguably just as important, the new inverter also simplifies the installation process, with several once-separate components now baked into it.

Tesla's blog calls the new system a "a cost-competitive alternative to other traditional utility infrastructure solutions". It adds that nearly 300 MWh of Tesla batteries have been deployed so far

source:  https://www.tesla.com/blog/gaining-momentum-tesla-powerpack


 

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Researchers accidentally convert carbon dioxide into ethanol

In a new twist to waste-to-fuel technology, scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed an electrochemical process that uses tiny spikes of carbon and copper to turn carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into ethanol.

Accidentally discovery Science has a long and storied history of looking for one thing but finding something better instead. Penicillin, radioactivity, science boxes...I mean microwave ovens -- all of these discoveries came in the the search for something else accidentally.

On Monday, researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee announced that they too had unintentionally discovered something incredible: a means of transforming carbon dioxide directly into ethanol using a single catalyst.

The team was already looking for a way to convert C02 into ethanol but were convinced that doing so would require multiple steps and catalysts. Turns out they were wrong. The system is surprisingly simple. The team created a tiny array of nanoscale copper and carbon spikes mounted on a silicon surface.

A nanodroplet of nitrogen sits on the tip of each point. When exposed to carbon dioxide and a small electrical charge, this catalyst sets off an complex chain reaction that essentially reverses the combustion process and converts the gas into liquid ethanol. What's more, because the catalyst is so small, there is virtually no side reactions so the ethanol is quite pure. I mean, you wouldn't want to make a martini with it but it can go straight into a generator and work. Plus, the entire reaction works at room temperature.


Were this technology ramped up for commercial or municipal use, it could provide a viable alternative for utility-scale batteries, like the one's Tesla sells. That is, in times of excess energy production from renewable resources, rather than store that electricity in a giant battery, we could instead convert it to ethanol and use that to power generators when renewable sources aren't producing. Plus it would be carbon neutral since the carbon dioxide generated from burning the ethanol would be reclaimed by the catalytic process. There's no word, however, on when this accidental invention will make it out of the lab.

source:  Oak Ridge National Lab 

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Tesla and Panasonic will make solar cells in Buffalo facility if SolarCity deal succeeds

Tesla and Panasonic have agreed to begin production of photovoltaic (PV) cells for use in solar power home installations that works with Tesla’s Powerwall and Powerpack solar storage products. The arrangement is non-binding at this stage, however, and will depend on the Tesla acquisition of SolarCity going through to take effect.

If the SolarCity/Tesla deal does close, Panasonic will start production of PV cells and modules for Tesla at a Buffalo facility in 2017, with Tesla saying it’ll make a long-term commitment to buy cells produced by the supplier. Panasonic is already Tesla’s partner for producing the batteries that power its vehicles, as well as those in its home energy storage solutions.

In a blog post, Tesla noted that the continued partnership between itself and Panasonic is an important piece of their larger goal of creating sustainable energy product for home use, and for doing so with the best costs possible.

Tesla and SolarCity’s leadership have both expressed their desire to unify the two companies under the Tesla brand. The proposed deal has seen some pushback, however, including from shareholders who filed a lawsuit opposing the union. Meanwhile, Tesla CEO and SolarCity board chairman Elon Musk is planning to reveal how a combined Tesla/SolarCity solar roof, power storage and vehicle charging solution will all work together at an event on October 28. Tesla and SolarCity shareholders will vote on the proposed acquisition on November 17.

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The Continent of South Africa Now Has First Solar-Powered Airport

The world is still some way from its much-needed renewable energy revolution, but in the meantime, small projects all over the world underscore its potential. One such example can be found in the South African town of George, which now boasts the African continent’s very first entirely solar-powered airport.

As reported by AFP, from the control tower to the baggage carousels, everything is fueled by the Sun beating down on its 2,000 photovoltaic panels. South Africa has on average 2,500 hours of sunshine per year, and the annual 24-hour solar radiation average is over twice that of Europe. Thanks to this, even this airport’s relatively modest solar panels are generating 88 percent more electricity than required.
George Airport seems to be quite proud of itself. Within the terminal building, screens tell passengers just how many hundreds of households its energy infrastructure could actually provide for.

But remarkably, it’s not the world’s first solar-powered airport – that honor goes to Cochin Airport, found in southern India.

Once a private airport for government officials, this transport hub now services a modest 700,000 fliers every single year. Despite the numerous sunny days, there is a backup power grid connected to fossil fuel power generators just in case of the occasional rainy or overcast day triggered by the nearby mountains.

Since the solar panels were installed back in September 2015, the airport has reduced its carbon dioxide emissions by around 1,229 tonnes (1,355 tons). Not only has this saved the climate a teensy little bit, but it has also provided economic benefits to the airport – its electricity bill has been cut by 40 percent already.

This project may be insignificant in terms of the overall global effort to cut down on our carbon footprint, but like Costa Rica running on renewable energy for several months straight or Indonesia tapping its volcanic heat, these ambitious clean energy projects send out a positive message to the world.

Renewable energy is now cheaper, more accessible, and more abundant than ever before, and if anyone – from populous nations to small towns – can utilize it, they should. Solar power itself has come a long way since its inception. Nowadays, advanced solar power plants can power regions for 24 hours a day, and planes harnessing this energy source can circumnavigate the globe.

source: phys.org

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Poland Builds A Solar-Powered Bike Path That Emits A Ghostly Blue

Cyclist enthusiasts and citizens in Poland were in for a surprise last week when they received a unique, awesome present from the local authorities – a brand new sun-powered bicycle path that glows bright blue all night long.  The bicycle patch is fast becoming a tourist attraction because of the creepy ghostly blue that it emits in dark.

The path near Lidzbark Warminski in the Mazury region is illuminated by blue luminophores, a synthetic material that emits light after it’s charged by sunlight. Cyclists and ordinary Poles are making a beeline to get a glimpse of the newly laid bicycle track which evokes strange sort of romanticism in moonlit or moonless skies.

Created by construction company TPA Instytut Badan Technicznych in Pruszkow, the track is still in its testing phase. It chose the town of Olsztyn in the Masurian Lakes District of Poland to test it out, partly because the landscape created an attractive setting.

“The glow is a very nice complement to the area’s lovely nature, lakes, small hills and countryside”.

The officials added: “Right now, it’s only about 100m”

While the luminophores can emit a variety of colors, the engineers picked up blue color for the path, as they thought it would best fit in with the surrounding landscape.

TPA president Ruttmar told Polish publication Gazeta Wyborcza that the material used in the bike path can emit light for more than 10 hours, which means that it can glow throughout the whole night and re-charge the next day as it absorbs the sun’s rays.



Waldemar Krolikowski, director of the Board of Regional Roads in Olsztyn, said that the luminous bike path is meant to improve the safety of people biking at night. They also researched the sustainability of the materials they used, and how to make the materials as cost effective as possible since this illuminated bike path does cost more than traditional lanes. The hope is also that the environmentally friendly cycle route will help prevent accidents without the city having to resort to installing costlier street lamps.

While the Starry Night bike path in Netherlands provided inspiration, the technology utilized in the Polish bike lane is quite different. The Dutch path lights up via solar-powered LEDs, whereas the Polish path requires no additional power supply.

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Six future next-gen battery technologies that last longer with less harmful materials

We all love our battery-powered gadgets, but portable power cells can be devastating to the environment. Fortunately, recent developments have proven that greener batteries are coming in the not-too-distant future. Engineers are replacing toxic components with less harmful materials.
Other innovations on the rise look to nature to help make batteries last longer, perform better and leave less of a trace once they've been discarded.



Edible saltwater battery

Although there's probably no need to eat a battery, you could chow down on parts of this one if you really felt compelled. In an attempt to demonstrate how natural and eco-friendly his company's new battery really is, Jay Whitacre at Aquion Energy has eaten parts of the saltwater-based battery, and lived to tell. The battery's components are comprised largely of naturally derived materials such as dirt, cotton, carbon and saltwater acting as an electrolyte solution. While hardly a delicious meal, the battery components demonstrate an ecological sensitivity not often found in the energy storage field.

This battery is designed for large-scale jobs, such as providing backup power for a home or business equipped with a renewable energy source, such as wind or solar. It can also be charged up with off-peak grid power, to save money on energy use during peak times when prices are higher.

 Self-destructing battery dissolves in water

A self-destructing battery won't come in handy for everyone, but the development of this dissolving energy storage device is a key innovation for certain applications where single-use batteries are currently being left behind to pollute the surrounding environment. Created by a team at Iowa State University, this battery is designed to self-destruct when triggered by light, heat or liquid, so it's well suited for military applications and other so-called "transient" devices that require a power source for a finite amount of time. Certain medical devices and environmental sensors might fall into this category, and since the battery simply dissolves in water once it has served its purpose, its lasting impact on the environment is approximately nil.

Gold-based battery that can last basically forever

An accidental discovery by researchers at University of California, Irvine led to a technological breakthrough that could leave lithium-ion batteries in the dust. The team built a nanowire battery using gold and some new-fangled materials, and it can be recharged hundreds of thousands of times without slacking in the performance department like lithium-ion batteries are known to do over time. The battery consists of protected electrode nanowires made from a thin core of gold, surrounded by layers of manganese dioxide and a Plexiglas-like electrolyte gel. Although the team had initially been searching for innovations to increase the power capacity of batteries, they stumbled upon this method of building a battery that can last basically forever without showing any signs of wear. 

A battery fueled by sugar

A Virginia Tech team developed a sugar battery that lasts longer than any previous sugar-based prototypes could. Maltodextrin, a polysaccharide made from the partial hydrolysis of starch, is isolated from natural sugar and then used as fuel. When combined with air, the battery releases electrons from the sugar solution to generate electricity. Sugar is cheap and abundant, so it makes for a battery that's not only affordable, but biodegradable as well.

Graphene battery that charges in an instant
 

Scientists are working hard to create rechargeable batteries that can withstand more use. Australia's Swinburne University has created a new graphene-based battery that shows rapid charging abilities -- and it has enough durability to last virtually forever. Super strong graphene replaces lithium in the battery's supercapacitor, addressing all of the shortcomings of that widely used material while also reducing the environmental impact of battery production. The graphene-based supercapacitor allows the new battery to charge to 100 percent power in just a few seconds, it can withstand many more recharging cycles and it also costs less to produce than traditional lithium-ion batteries.

The leafy green battery



A team of University of Maryland researchers sought to develop an inexpensive material to serve as their batteries' negative terminal (anode). In the end, they found the perfect material right on campus. The team found that oak leaves could be heated to 1,000 degrees Celsius to destroy the existing carbon structures, and then introduced the electrolytes to the leaf's natural pores for absorption. The result is a plant-based anode that performs similarly to traditional battery components. Research is ongoing to test other natural materials, such as peat moss, banana peels and melon skins in search of the nature-based battery of the future.


source: inhabitat

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UK Renewable Energy Powered by Kite

One of the world's first non-experimental, kite-driven power stations will be established offshore in Southern Scotland, at the Ministry of Defence's West Freugh Range near Stranraer. UK company Kite Power Solutions plans to install a 500 kilowatt system that it expects will generate 'several hundred megawatts' of energy by 2025, Independent reports.

The project is backed by multinational oil company Royal Dutch Shell and the UK government, though Kite Power Solutions business development director David Ainsworth says the project will be "tariff-free." For one, the cost of mooring the kites is far less than mooring wind turbines, since the kite system essentially floats. The kites fly up to 450 meters in a figure-eight pattern and pull a tether attached to a turbine to produce electricity. Two kites alternately rising and falling ensures continuous power.

A single 40-meter-wide kite generates two to three megawatts of electricity and a field of roughly 1,000 kites "would produce as much electricity as the planned Hinkley Point C nuclear power station if the wind blew constantly," according to Independent.


The Stranraer region is inundated with wind and Kite Power Solutions expects just 10 days a year when the system won't generate power. In these cases, the company will use a small fan to keep the kites afloat as they wait for more wind.

Kite Power Solutions already established a small kite-power system in England's Essex county, and there's a large research project in Italy that uses kites to generate energy.

source: independent.co.uk

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Solar Roadways tiles get their first public test in an Idaho town

After years of work (and some last-minute delays), Solar Roadways has installed its first public energy tiles in Sandpoint, Idaho as part of a test. On top of producing a light show, the panels will generate power for the fountain and restrooms in a public square. They have heating elements, too, so they should keep running even in the heart of winter. And if you're not sure how well they'll work in practice, you can check on them yourself -- Sandpoint has a live webcam pointed at the tiles.

World’s first ever public installation of Solar Roadways!

• Solar Roadways Installation
• 150 square feet
• 30 Solar Roadways SR3 panels
• Walkable/bike-able surface
• Heating technology built into the panels creates a virtually maintenance-free surface
• Intended to be a dynamic installation that will be updated with the latest product developments and panels
• Future interactive capability to allow site visitors to change the LED programming  

It's a modest dry run with just 30 panels, and it'll be a long while before you see them on the streets they were designed for. However, it shows that they're more than just theoretical exercises. And if a small number of tiles can power a town square by themselves, it's easy to imagine full-fledged solar roads shouldering a significant amount of the energy demand for whole cities.

source: Sandpoint, Solar Roadways 

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Japanese engineer invent's typhoon turbines harness storms' energy

A Japanese engineer named Atsushi Shimizu has designed a new type of wind turbine that can harness energy from something more powerful than a strong breeze. Shimizu's creation, which looks like a huge, upright egg beater, can withstand typhoons (or hurricanes, depending on where you live) and turn their destructive power into usable energy. Unlike ordinary turbines, it can stay standing even when assaulted by intense winds and rain, thanks to an omnidirectional vertical axis and blades with adjustable speeds. That makes them perfect for their creator's home country, as well as other places frequently visited by storms, such as China, the Philippines and the US.

Shimizu says the energy from a single typhoon can power Japan for 50 years, and with the help of his turbines, the country could become a "super power of wind." Even if his creation can capture all that energy, though, it will likely be tough finding a way to store 50 years' worth of power at this point in time. We might not have the battery tech capable of that just yet.


Shimizu's company installed a prototype earlier this year in Okinawa, and it's now gunning to build one either on the Tokyo Tower or at Japan's National Stadium, where the Olympics will be held in 2020.

Source:  Challenergy

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