AboutMyPlanet.com

The Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Technology

L.Angelina — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:00:21 +0000

You probably know that one of the main constraints of solar power is the cost it involves to make the energy collectors and the vast acreage it consumes in setup. But did you realize that nature has its very own natural solar collector in the form of water?

The ocean makes up most of the earth’s surface and located throughout the equatorial zone, the tropical oceans store sufficient solar energy in its upper layers to power over 300 times the world’s present electricity consumption.

Sea solar power works on the science of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) or Ocean Thermal Energy (OTC) for short.

In OTC, electricity is generated through the manipulation of temperature differences between the waters drawn from the ocean’s sun-warmed surface and frigid inner depths.

There are essentially 10 major elements to the OTC system. They are the:

Integrated floating structure/plant/ship,
warm water pump,
cold water pump,
cold water pipe,
working refrigeration fluid (propylene),
working fluid pump;
vapour turbine generator;
electric cable to shore;
boiler;
condenser

Much like a solar power plant, the ocean solar power plant relies on the energy of the sun to create the vapour that will run the turbine generator to generate electricity.

The stationary floating structure will be responsible to skim off a small percentage of the heated ocean surface layer. That solar heated water is then pumped into the boiler to function as the heat source where the working refrigeration fluid, propylene is easily converted into high pressure vapour.

The vapour will then be channelled into the turbine where electricity is generated before flowing into the condenser, where frigid water, pumped from the lower depths of the ocean will work to return the vaporised propylene back into its liquid state, where it can then be redirected back into the boiler for reuse. The electricity will be transmitted to shore (power grid) via the underwater electric cables.

Now another beauty of the OTC system is its by-products. Not only are they harmless to the environment, they are downright beneficial! Just to name a few, the OTC system would results in the generation of:

Delightful tasting desalinated ocean water, usable as drinking water or for agricultural purposes

Fertilization of ocean surface layers with nutrients/food for the fishes as the rich cold water from the ocean’s depths are pumped out from the plant.

And there you have it, the basic mechanism behind Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion, another wonderful nature inspired technology that goes to show us the earth was designed to sustain itself.

AboutMyPlanet Launches Hub Pages

Bart Dabek — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:38:07 +0000

We’re happy to announce that we have just launched a new feature on our site called Hub Pages.

What are hub pages?

Hub pages are specialized information pages about a certain topic. We recognize the fact that certain areas of our site get many more visitors daily then others and with Hub Pages we will be able to highlight those areas and bring the best content possible for those visitors. These pages will be the resource pages which will be updated weekly so you can stay in touch with that specific topic whenever you visit our site.

What can I find out hub pages?

Each hub page is different and depending on the topic we will be highlighting the best content on our site and other sites that’s relevant to the topic at hand. Some hub pages will feature photo galleries, video galleries, polls, reader comments.

We are releasing two hub pages today and more will follow in the future. If you would like to see a certain topic covered please let us know and we’ll schedule a creation of that page in the future.

Thanks everyone and we enjoy.

Bleaching For Hygiene’s Sake

Hilary Feldman — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:00:04 +0000

Whether at home, in the workplace, or at school, common chlorine bleach is used to eradicate bacteria. Used for more than 200 years, bleach is inexpensive and effective. A diluted solution of bleach and water can be applied to most antibacterial uses, from floors and other surfaces to toys and laundry. In fact, while it is a widespread cleanser and disinfectant, bleaching action has not been fully understood - until now.

A study in Cell describes how bleach’s active ingredient - hypochlorous acid (HOCl) - kills bacteria. Like heat, it causes proteins to lose their structure and clump. Many proteins affected by bleach are essential for bacterial growth, so that bacteria die without intact proteins. Even removing the bleach will not allow protein reformation - once dissociated they cannot return to their original structure.

The finding has several applications. For a start, it allows a better understanding of bleaching action on bacteria. It also provides valuable insight into human immune function. In fact, human immune cells produce hypochlorite (a salt of hypochlorous acid) as a response to foreign microorganisms. The problem is that hypochlorite does not discriminate and damages bacteria along with human cells. Areas of chronic inflammation - caused by infection, persistent exposure to pathogens, or autoimmune disorders - are exposed to high levels of hypochlorite, resulting in tissue damage.

Some bacteria have evolved mechanisms to counteract the effects of bleach and other stressors. They produce heart shock protein 33 (Hsp 33), which protects other bacterial proteins from denaturing effects. In this capacity, Hsp 33 is known as a molecular chaperone.

Chlorine bleach has already been flagged as a potential environmental contaminant. On the domestic front, chlorine bleach is corrosive and releases chlorine vapours. It reacts readily with many other cleaning agents, often resulting in toxic gas. Bleaching laundry has been associated with chloroform production - a possible carcinogen. Chlorine can also react with organic matter in drinking water resulting in trihalomethanes, which may be carcinogenic and linked to developmental effects. Alternatives to bleach include using soap and hot water for many surfaces. Non-chlorine bleach, usually hydrogen peroxide, can be used for laundry.

Photo credit: laddphoto@Flickr.com

How consolidating my PCs saved me $550 a year, for life!

Bart Dabek — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:02:23 +0000

About 10 months ago I stumbled onto something purely by luck, and it’s made a huge difference in my life; so I wanted to share it with you today.

I’m a software developer by profession and I spend a lot of time on my computer developing websites and writing code.

Over the past few years I started getting more computer screens; having two monitors vs. one allows, a big difference in productivity… I went a bit overboard though Over the years I ended up getting 5 LCD monitors…. see the picture below. it really got out of control! It took a bit of time but I realized that anything more then two screens is actually destructing and less productive.

Also at home I had my main computer that I used for work, I had an entertainment PC that was hooked up to my TV for watching movies, and of course I had a laptop. I know… I know… a bit overboard. Anyway, about 10 months ago now I tried Vista and I hated it. I got tired of sub par computers and software so I decided to make the biggest life changing decision in my life, I bought my first Mac.

I first bought a Mac mini, it was small… quiet and yes, sexy. I fell in love with it, so I started liquidating all my old computers. I sold all my monitors but one and I sold all my old computers. Then I purchased a Macbook Pro, so I was now using my Mac Mini for the entertainment computer and Macbook Pro for development.

Now you’re asking how is this in anyway related to the environment… don’t worry, I’m getting to that part

About 6 months prior to this we just moved into our condo and our energy bill had averaged about $100 each month. Not too bad, but I talked to a few other people and they said that they paid that much for their electricity use for their entire house and our condo is only 737sq feet.

The Mac switch was easier than I thought, and I was happy. A nice surprise came the following month when we got our energy bill, it dropped by 10% even though we started using our heating. Then the following month it dropped another 32%!!! That’s huge… it’s now winter and we’re using our heating and our energy has dropped 42%. I believe the 1st month was only 10% because during the previous month was when the transition was taking place of selling the old equipment. Now I can say that our total drop from last September till now is 46% which is amazing; on top of that, if you look at your bill if you use over 600 units of electricity here in Toronto they start charging you more so the dollar value you’re saving is even higher then 46%!!!

I thought that it was a mistake, maybe the changing of the weather? My girlfriend was skeptical that it was the computer change, and so was I.

Switching to a Mac definitely has advantages, the Mac mini is very tiny and the energy usage is very low. Same thing goes for the Macbook Pro, it’s a top of the line laptop and every new version that comes out always is more powerful and uses less power then the previous model.

If you add up the savings for the year we’re looking at saving up to $550 per year. That’s some serious money.

The biggest thing that I learned from this was that there are things you can do in your life that may have significant affects on the environment and your monthly bill…. just take a look at the bill below (pay attention to the history area) to see the difference on my monthly bottom line. I always knew that saving energy was important, but I would have never realized that with this one small energy saving tip, I would save $550 a year.

Take a look at your life and see where you can make small changes and who knows you might be able to save some major dollars as well.

P.S. We have just revamped our entire green tips section of the site… so make sure you check it out daily.

UPDATE *** I’ve had numerous comments saying that the mac isn’t the reason why I’m saving money; I’m not claiming that it’s purely because of the mac but the overall change. The Mac has had some impact if you consider that mac mini, it’s got a laptop based hd, smaller fans, all small components same thing goes for the tower pc, going from a tower to a laptop will always save you money that’s a given.

In conclustion I didn’t want to start a Mac vs PC war again I just wanted to highlight the fact that I was able to save 50% of my energy usage doing what I did above, that’s all.

Cold Weather Means Time To Help The Birds

Craig Baird — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:00:32 +0000

Not all birds head south for the winter. While we see the geese flying south, there are many birds who stay in our backyards and battle through the frigidly cold Canadian winters. While many people are happy to have seeds put out for birds during the summertime so that they can enjoy the sounds of birds while they drink coffee on the deck, they don’t seem to do the same in the winter. Perhaps it is because we spend our time indoors during the winter, but for whatever reason, when birds need the most help, we often forget about them.

Helping out the birds in the winter does not entail a great deal of effort on our side. Putting up some birdhouses is a good start. By putting up birdhouses, you are giving the birds somewhere that they can go that will keep them out of the cold winter wind. This is a big help to those birds, but it is not the only thing that you can do.

Probably the most important thing you can do is to put out food for the birds so that they have a healthy and steady supply of food throughout the winter. Food can be scarce during this time, so it is important to provide birds with something to eat. It is also during this time that you can get some great deals on bird food containers and bird food because it is the off-season for that type of home and lawn decoration.

Birds are wonderful to have around your home. They clean up seeds laying on the ground, they kill insects that may be bothering you and they create a wonderful sense of belonging and peace when you are able to listen to them chirping as you walk outside your house. Sadly, many of the birds that we see in the winter do not always do well in -40 Celsius weather.

If you want to hear the chirping of the birds around your home in the spring, and you want to help provide food and comfort for the wonderful birds that populate your property, then all you have to do is provide them with a small birdhouse and a steady supply of food throughout the winter. They can’t live in your house, so why not give them a house of their own with steady meals? They may appreciate it so much, they make their song extra beautiful come spring.

Sponge Secrets

Hilary Feldman — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:00:49 +0000

There are few animals more humble and unassuming than the sponge. Many people assume, mistakenly, that these sedentary organisms are plants or even something else. In fact, they are some of the oldest animals on the planet. Yet despite their simple anatomy and life cycle, sponges have hidden complexities.

New research published in the Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology reveals that sponges can transmit light internally. Unlike other animals, which use nerve cells to carry electrical signals, some sea sponges use light to promote biological functions.

Sponges are members of the Phylum Porifera. They live attached to surfaces, catching food through a form of filter-feeding. Each sponge is made up of many small pores (ostia) that lead to canals and empty into larger holes (oscula). Canals are lined with collar cells (choanocytes), each of which sports a whip-like flagellum. Flagellar movement creates a current to ensure water flow through the canals, while sticky areas on the cells allow food to adhere. Nearby amoebocyte cells can move and transport these food particles throughout the sponge.

The body structure of a sponge is supported by tiny crystalline spicules or a protein mesh. Some species have a combination of both. It turns out that many deep-sea sponges incorporate silica spicules into their skeletons, allowing them to maximize the use of light. The natural structure is very strong due to concentric ring growth. The spicules act like fibre optic cables, allowing light transmission into deeper parts of the sponge and promoting growth through symbiotic photosynthetic microorganisms (algae and cyanobacteria).

Currently, man-made fibre optic cables transmit light signals across long distances, enabling telephone, television, and computer transmissions. Information is encoded as light. Standard cables are made with a core of thin glass fibres, making them susceptible to damage through cracking. Studying sponge spicules may illuminate ways to improve on the present technology. For a start, they are stronger and more efficient than synthetic versions. If the manufacturing process could replicate the concentric structure, perhaps man-made cables would share more sponge benefits. Deep-sea sponges grow slowly and at low temperatures. Fibre optic cables are created, at great expense, using very high temperatures. A better understanding of natural processes could prove beneficial.

Sponges boast other amazing possibilities. For example, one sponge extract called candidaspongiolide has demonstrated cancer-fighting properties. Much more is yet to be discovered, again proving that preserving biodiversity is beneficial for the whole planet and its human occupants.

Photo credit: Littoraria@Flickr.com

Google Plans To Go Into the Seas in Green Move

Saikat — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:00:57 +0000

Going by the sheer number of there servers alone, Google could be one of the largest ‘heat engines’ in the world. The world of the web is antiseptic, but it is its virtual avatar. Behind each page is the technology. In Google’s case, the search engine might be trim rather than slick, but behind the vanilla interface are nearly 450,000 servers (as counted in 2006) spread out over 20 datacenters worldwide. And that is a lot of power, not just in terms of bits and bytes but in more ‘heated’, joules and watts. Servers are greater power guzzlers than an average desktop PC…now just multiply it by 450,000. It’s not just the raw heat generated from their running but also from the energy to keep them running. Electricity and air conditioning for 24×7 makes for a pretty inordinate bill.

A study done by Stanford University professor, Jonathan Koomey says that ‘the energy consumption of data centers doubled in the period from 2000 to 2005.’ The annual power bill at that time was about $7 Billion Dollars. Since then, power costs would have increased manifold. Google is one among the many companies which are looking to cut corners with this ‘overhead’. But it is among the minuscule little which is taking a radical approach. Google is going offshore…literally, seven miles into the seas.

Google is seriously looking at developing water based data centers. To be located on floating barges, the data center would have its own renewable power source in the Pelamis wave energy converters. Just to look back at the development of wave energy platforms, Pelamis uses the motion of the waves to generate electricity. Several such units can be combined into wave farms. Google has filed a patent to develop such a wave farm using 40 such units to output 40 megawatts.

The Google patent application states – ‘Computing centers are located on a ship or ships, anchored in a water body from which energy from natural motion of the water may be captured, and turned into electricity…’

The development goes further by looking at the relatively cooler sea water to absorb the heat generated from the servers. Sea-powered pumps could be used to pull in seawater and pass it through seawater-to-freshwater heat exchangers.

The intent of Google’s purpose can be seen from the patent application. The data centers are being designed as completely self sufficient operations generating their own power and connected to other datacenters through undersea fiber optics. Google has already invested a fortune to develop its undersea communication network.

Then again the intent is not merely environmental philanthropism…but more of business pragmatism. Today going green also translates into hard cash savings in the long term. As Google seeks to reduce its carbon footprint, it gives a hope that many other behemoths would follow in its footsteps.

Source: Celsias.com

How does solar power work?

L.Angelina — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:00:26 +0000

You’ve heard about the solar revolution and the dreams to one day have a world powered entirely by solar energy. So what exactly is solar power and how does it work?

Solar is derived from the word ‘Sol’ which is Latin for Sun. Therefore solar power or solar energy is simply a system of collecting the sun’s energy and then transforming it into another form of useable energy.

A form of renewable energy, it reduces the world’s dependence on fuels, improves air quality, and offsets greenhouse gas emissions. Solar power can be used as a heat source or an energy source, leading to a promising solar industry that can stimulate the economy through the creation of work opportunities in its manufacturing and installation sectors. However as ideal as that sounds, the solar energy system is not yet perfected and it still has its cons.

Moving on, how does solar energy work? What does it take to convert the rays of the sun into thermal and electric energy?

Briefly, you can convert the energy via the 2 methods of Photovoltaic (solar energy technology) and solar thermal technology.

Photovoltaic

Photovoltaic technology literality would translate as light-electricity technology; as its name is derived from the words photo and volt.

Photovoltaic devices therefore work the simple physics of changing sunlight directly into electricity. Though also known interchangeably as PV devices or photoelectric cells, photovoltaic devices are much more commonly known as ‘solar cells’.

Solar cells are made from semiconductor materials -commonly thin wafers of monocrystalline, polycrystalline or amorphous silicone that produce electricity by absorbing enough photons.

They come in a variety of sizes that range from anything small to large. A group of these individual solar cells make a solar module and a link of solar modules would result in a solar array.

A photovoltaic system commonly includes solar panels, an inverter and a metering system or charge controller, battery bank and a backup generator, all depending on if the on grid or off grid method is used.

The solar panel serves to gather the energy from sunlight and create direct current (DC) from it, while the inverter serves to convert that direct current into alternating current.

With the on grid solar system, a metering system exists to connect the photovoltaic system to the main electricity network (utility network), stabilizing the power and allowing for the use of traditional electricity when there isn’t enough solar energy and the selling of any access power back to the power grid when there is too much. With the on grid system, you are linked to the utility company and need not worry about energy storage or energy shortage.

Alternatively, if the off grid system is used, the solar power generated is kept regulated by the charge controller and stored in the battery bank. A backup generator set is present to provide power when there isn’t sufficient solar energy left in the battery bank. In the off grid system, you are not linked to the utility company. Your energy system is a standalone unit, independent from the utility power grid.

Solar Thermal Technology

Solar thermal technology is essentially the use of solar thermal collectors to generate heat that will produce enough steam to power a generator, thereby creating electricity. The science is identical to that of the conventional steam power, only in solar thermal technology; photons from the sun are used instead of fuel to generate the heat.

There are solar power plants and solar power towers. Both apply the technology of solar thermal power amidst some differences in the appliances used.

Solar Power Plant

The main elements employed in a solar power plant are:

Parabolic trough collectors,
Evacuated absorber tube receivers;
Heat transfer fluids,
Heat exchanger,
Turbine generator, and
Condenser/cooling tower

These elements work together in a fairly straightforward manner. Troughs will focus the sun’s energy into the receiver tubes, heating the thermo oil within with solar radiation, thus allowing it to generate steam in the heat exchanger.

After which the steam is then directed into the turbine generator where is it pressurised to produce electricity. The cooling tower then serves to transfer the waste heat back into the atmosphere.

Solar Power Towers

Also known as the Heliostat Power Plant, the main elements engaged in this system are:

Heliostats which are large sun tracking mirrors
Collector tower
Heat transfer fluid/material such as molten nitrate salt
Thermal storage tank
Steam generator
Turbine generator
Condenser

Just as with solar power plants, solar power towers also employ solar radiation to generate electricity via steam. The main difference is the use of heliostats, which work to focus the sun’s rays at the receiver on top of the collector tower.

The heated heat transfer material within the receiver is then directed into a thermal storage tank and pumped as required into the steam generator. The steam generated then powers the turbine to generate electricity and the condenser completes the Rankine cycle.

The use of solar power is time old and the idea behind it is simple. It is the mechanisms it involves that makes it take more complex as cost and environmental factors leaves us with much more to consider.

Image source: NASA

Green Giving

Marina Hanes — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:00:47 +0000

Thanksgiving and Christmas are times to show your compassionate side. While they are great holidays involving food and presents, often the important message of them becomes forgotten or lost. These days are meant to spend with your family and friends, but you can also spend more valuable time together by helping save the environment.

Volunteering at a local soup kitchen is an activity that your family can do together. If you are unable to volunteer your time, you can at least donate hearty foods such as wheat bread, wheat pasta, beans, etc. Feeding the poor is cheaper and more practical when you serve meatless meals. Whole wheat and various types of beans are more filling and nutritious with protein. Plus, if you have too many leftovers, a soup kitchen is the perfect place to take them so they are eaten and not thrown out.

Although winter is settling in, you might still have mild weather on Thanksgiving Day. In the case that you can go outside and breathe in the fresh air, you can take your family to a local park or public recreation area and clean up the litter. Spending a half an hour can make a difference.

Since the family is usually together on these two holidays, it’s the perfect time to make your house more eco-friendly. You might want to get an early start during Thanksgiving so you have a method for recycling plastic and paper products before you get hit with all of those Christmas gifts. Starting your recycling center can be a fun and creative process, especially for children. It’s also a good idea to start a compost bin if you don’t have one already.

Holidays are wonderful events, because you get to eat delicious food and catch up with family that you rarely get to see or talk to. These times are precious and are about making memories. While you might not have thought about volunteering, donating or recycling, these activities can bring the family together and show your compassion for others and the environment. You might even make new traditions and unforgettable memories.

Antibiotic Alternatives

Hilary Feldman — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:00:24 +0000

Modern society spends a lot of time trying to avoid and combat germs. While viruses remain a continuing challenge, some progress has been made with fighting bacteria. In fact, a wide range of items claim to have antibacterial effects, from household sponges to hand sanitizer. But when it comes down to doing battle with bacterial infections, our existing strategies are faltering. Many bacteria have proven resistant in recent years, no longer succumbing to conventional treatments.

Back in 1928, Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin and revolutionized medical treatments. Through the last century, more antibiotics have been developed to kill or inhibit bacterial growth. Initially, these discoveries involved describing new classes of compounds from soil bacteria and fungi. Later advances concentrated on derivatives within the same antibiotic classes. In fact, there have been few new sources and types of antibiotic in the past decade or so.

A new patent is touting a surprising source of antibiotics. Korean scientists from Pusan National University have been testing the effect of muskrat feces on various potent bacteria. To date, Salmonella, E. coli, and Vibrio - linked to food poisoning - as well as infection-causing Staphylococcus aureus have been treated successfully in the lab. The patent proposes that muskrat extracts might be used both to prevent food poisoning and to treat it.

Additionally, in the lab, muskrat droppings have treated plant pathogens such as Rhizoctonia solani, Pythium ultimum, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Phytophthora capsici and Fusarium oxysporum. The extract has also killed termites, mites, and other acarids, potentially providing a nontoxic and environmentally friendly source of pest control.

Muskrats are nocturnal rodents in the Family Muridae, with thick glossy pelts like their beaver cousin. Originally found in North America, muskrats were introduced to Europe around 1905. In the past century, they have spread throughout Europe and parts of Asia. They live in wetlands, preferring marshes and lakes with abundant vegetation. Muskrats feed on aquatic plants like cattails, water lilies, grasses, and bulrushes, as well as occasionally eating shellfish and carrion. They are named after their smelly secretions, made by males in special anal glands. A single male produces about 5-8 grams of musk annually, with greater amounts made in the breeding season.

Muskrat feces are collected and then dried thoroughly. Organic solvents - ethyl acetate, ethanol, dichloromethane, acetone, and chloroform - are used to extract the active compounds. Each technique and solvent combination leads to a different extract. These extracts can be used separately or in conjunction for different treatments (e.g. pest control, plant pathogen treatment, antibiotic). However, much more testing is necessary to ascertain side effects, safety, and possible hazards to humans.

Photo credit: Kent Nickell