Algae to energy, seems simple enough

Schematic drawing of an algae farm for the production of biofuels.

The tide turns towards microalgae

Philip Hunter

• EMBO reports (2010) 11, 583 - 586 
• doi:10.1038/embor.2010.103

Quantum mechanics drives photosynthesis - you lost me at quantum

-Everyone has heard of photosynthesis - a process used by green plants to convert sunlight into electrochemical energy at an efficiency of nearly 100%.
-Although the overall pathway and major players are known for this process, the nitty-gritty details have eluded scientists, until now.
-Physical chemists at UC Berkeley observed 'entanglement' (a distinctive property of quantum mechanical systems) in the light harvesting complex in plants.
-Importance: huge step towards developing (a) artificial photosynthesis systems as renewable, non-polluting electrical energy sources and (b) quantum-based technologies e.g. quantum computers which are potentially thousands of times faster than conventional computers.

http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2010/05/10/untangling-quantum-entanglement/

It's about time windmills grew sea-legs

Regulators Approve First Offshore Wind Farm in U.S.

After nine years of review, the approval of the 130-turbine farm off the coast of Cape Cod gives a significant boost to the nascent offshore wind industry n the U.S.

Low battery? Just plug it in...to yourself

MEMS device generates power from body heat -- In an attempt to develop a power source that is compact, environmentally friendly, and has an unlimited lifetime, a team of researchers from Singapore has fabricated an energy harvesting device that generates electricity from body heat or any environment where there is a temperature gradient. Their device, called a thermoelectric power generator, attaches to the body and generates a power output of a few microwatts, which could be useful for powering implanted medical devices and wireless sensors.

Nuclear fusion power - the ultimate clean energy

(PhysOrg.com) -- Imagine if you could generate electricity using nuclear power that emitted no radioactivity: it would be the answer to the world's dream of finding a clean, sustainable energy source.

Solar cells - I think they can, I think they can

Solar cells: UQAM researcher solves two 20-year-old problems
Thanks to two technologies developed by Professor Benoit Marsan and his team at the Universite du Quebec a Montreal (UQAM) Chemistry Department, the scientific and commercial future of solar cells could be totally transformed. Professor Marsan has come up with solutions for two problems that, for the last twenty years, have been hampering the development of efficient and affordable solar cells.

http://www.er.uqam.ca/nobel/dep_chim/rindex.php?dossierprof=prof&pagehtm=marsan.htm

Putting oil profits to good use

(PhysOrg.com) -- A new eco-city being built in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Masdar City, will be the world’s first clean technology city, relying entirely on renewable energy sources, and being free of cars, skyscrapers and waste.

Frogs, foam and fuel: Solar energy converted to sugars

ScienceDaily (2010-03-17) -- In natural photosynthesis, plants take in solar energy and carbon dioxide and then convert it to oxygen and sugars. The oxygen is released to the air and the sugars are dispersed throughout the plant -- like that sweet corn we look for in the summer. Unfortunately, the allocation of light energy into products we use is not as efficient as we would like. Now engineering researchers are doing something about that.

Splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen, sort of like the Moses of chemistry

ScienceDaily (2010-03-18) -- Chemists have developed the most potent homogeneous catalyst known for water oxidation, considered a crucial component for generating clean hydrogen fuel using only water and sunlight.

Magnesium: Alternative Power Source

PhysOrg.com) -- There is enough magnesium to meet the world's energy needs for the next 300,000 years, says Dr. Takashi Yabe of the Tokyo Institute of Technology.

Harnessing Sunlight to Convert Carbon Dioxide to Liquid Fuel

(PhysOrg.com) -- A startup company, Joule Biotechnologies, Inc., has developed an alternative solution of producing liquid fuel by harnessing sunlight to directly convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into liquid energy (SolarFuel).

ASU's solution for the world's looming energy crisis, bacteria

• Bacteria normally make energy-rich fatty acids (Oil) for their own use.
• Specialized microbes called cyanobacteria use photosynthesis to convert sunlight into energy, just like plants.
• Researchers at The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University (who said ASU was just a party school?) found a way to utilize this process as a source of renewable energy.
• How'd they do it? Genetic modifications permitting the bacteria to significantly increase their lipid (stored energy) production and secretion (so we can collect & use them) without dying in the process.
• Big-time pros:
• Oil produced and processed in 1 step.
• Only energy input required is sunlight.
• No need to use/maintain cropland (e.g. for plant-based sources)
• Questions I have:
• How much processing after collecting the bacterial oil would be needed in order to use it?
• What other resources are needed for the bacteria to survive & how much do they cost?
• Cost-effective for large-scale energy production?

Microbes ooze oil for renewable energy from Biodesign Institute on Vimeo.


http://www.biodesign.asu.edu/news/microbes-reprogrammed-to-ooze-oil-for-renewable-biofuel