Michael Edwards | BlackCelebrity.info

October 15, 2009

Using The Sun’s Energy In A Stirling New Way

Filed under: General — Tags: alternative energy, energy, energy conservation, environmental, General, government, green, green energy, home, renewable energy, solar energy, solar power, technology — Michael Edwards @ 7:18 pm

In the process of doing research for an article I did on solar green products, I came across the Stirling air engine. The engine was once called a hot air engine because it requires no internal diesel or fuel to run. Let’s take a deeper look at this unique engine that requires no fuel and has recently been adapted for use on solar collector dishes.

This system is not new; it was originally conceived in 1816 as an industrial rival to the steam engine. It has been largely underutilized for the past century. With the need for renewable energy sources caused by the overuse of the fossil fuels interest has resurged in solar designs, and it is now being designed into many new solar collector systems.

Sense its incarnation there have been many variations of the Stirling engine and many patents. The engine’s simple design demands tinkering – everyone wants to add or change something to make it better. The engine has very few moving parts, requires only a single external heat source, is very efficient, and is quiet. With the new space age materials available, the problem of piston overheating is no longer a problem like it once was.

To operate the Stirling engine only an external heat source is required, which could be anything from solar heat to the heat produced by decaying plants. In one model, the heat from a human hand powers a small version of the Stirling engine!

Operation is simple: the gases are heated by an external source, causing the hot gas to move toward a cold chamber, in the process, a piston is driven and a flywheel rotated. To put it simply, movement is achieved from heat expansion. A few knock-offs of the Stirling engines are small enough to fit in your hand. Others system are designed to drive electrical generators. They are a about the size of a fifty-gallon drum.

The reason the Stirling engine works so well for a solar application is that heat from the sun can easily be concentrated to heat the hot chamber. A parabolic mirror much like that seen with the roof mounted satellite dishes is used to gather and focus the sunlight. With the sunlight focused onto the hot chamber of the engine, the temperature raises and the engine starts running. Connect the output shaft to a generator, and electricity is the product.

With better-designed engines and new types of material, a movable (tracking) parabolic mirror, and a single Stirling engine you can produce 25 kilowatts of electricity.

I will compare the different solar technologies in a later article. For now, I need to lay a foundational understanding of each of the green products used to produce power so a comparison can be made.

Michael

See more of Michael’s concern for your carbon footprints at Green Products

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July 24, 2009

A Little Short on Cash?

Filed under: General — Tags: alternative energy, energy, energy conservation, environmental, General, government, green planet, home, international, renewable energy, solar energy, Solar Panels, solar power, technologies — Michael Edwards @ 11:37 pm

by Michael Edwards

Try a few of these energy saving tips using new green products to put cash back in your pocket unless of course you are trying to do your part to keep your electric company’s revenues up.

Throw out all the incandescent bulbs

The abbreviation for Compact Fluorescent Lamp is CFL, sometimes known as a circular fluorescent bulb.

CFLs produce light on a different principle than incandescent bulbs. When an incandescent bulb is turned on, current is sent through a wire filament. The filament heats up until it starts to glow, and the glow produces light. A CFL is a sealed tube of glass filled with argon gas. Mixed with the argon is some mercury vapor. When an electrical current is applied, an invisible ultraviolet light is generated. When the ultraviolet light hits the fluorescent coating (called phosphor) on the inside of the tube, visible light is emitted.

You have heard this before, but unless you are only going to turn on that incandescent bulb a couple of times a year, you are wasting money (no matter how cheap the bulb is). Green products help you save money. One of the new Energy Star compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) saves around 75% over an equivalent incandescent bulb. In one year, that could add up to a $30 savings – per bulb!

CFLs have been out several years now. Along with the bulb style, you can now choose the shade of white light you like. This can really enhance the mood of a room, home office or family room. The CFL colors vary from a warm yellow to daylight blue. If you prefer the look (color) of incandescent bulbs, choose a warm light.

When using the Daylight or bluish bulbs be aware that their light appears harsh to many. People with light sensitivity could be adversely affected. If you notice them squinting or avoiding areas where this light is used, then try using a warmer light.

You will find on most CFL packages a number like 2700K. The K stands for Kelvin or color temperature range the bulb will produce when lit. The lower the number, the warmer (or more yellow) the color. Most Soft White bulbs will produce color in the 3500K-4100K range. Bright white or Daylight bulbs will be found in the 5000K-6500K range. Higher numbers are very blue and harsh.

To replace a 40 watt incandescent bulb, use a 9-13 watt CFL bulb; for a 60 watt incandescent bulb use a 13-15 watt; for a 75 watt incandescent bulb use an 18-25 watt CFL; and for a 100 watt incandescent bulb, use a 23-30 watt CFL.

Don’t forget that even though a CFL is one of the new green products, it cannot be thrown in the regular trash. In fact some states have laws that forbid this. I am told that a CFL contains about five milligrams of mercury, and should not be put in landfills.

Many retailers in your area like ACE Hardware, Home Depot and Orchard have recycling programs that will accept your used CFL green products.

For decorative lights, consider choosing Energy Star qualified light emitting diode (LED) bulbs. The LED units are great green products and use up to 90% less energy than an equivalent incandescent bulb to produce the same amount of light. I have been told that the power required to burn a single seven-watt incandescent bulb could power up to 140 LEDs! So wherever you used incandescent bulb in the past, replace them with a new CFL, and for outside lighting use the new LED decorative lights. This will save you money and reduce your carbon footprint.

One of the next green products will look at is small appliance power supplies.

Michael

About the Author:

Michael Edwards writes cool stuff. Get more of it at alternative energy and Green Funding

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July 11, 2009

Converting The Sun’s Heat Into Electricity

Filed under: General — Tags: alternative energy, energy, energy conservation, environmental, General, government, home, international, renewable energy, solar energy, solar power, technologies, technology — Michael Edwards @ 3:03 pm

by Michael Edwards

During the process of researching an article about green products on photovoltaic cell systems (solar panels), I came across another way to convert the sun’s light into electricity. So let’s take a look at another type of solar energy system.

The operation of the Stirling engine is not complex, it only requires an external heat source. Some heat sources have been fuel, while some solar designs use a Fernell lens, and the latest source is large parabolic mirrors.

The Stirling cycle is pretty simple. When a heat source is applied to the large end, it causes the air to expand which moves a piston. A flywheel is used to maintain movement between cycles and add a convenient place to tap the power from the engine. What is so amazing about this design is that the design is very scalable. Engines have been produced that are as small as your hand to a large as a car but the concepts remain the same.

The Stirling engine is ideal for use in a solar power generating system. With one of the hottest heat sources available (sunlight), the hot chamber will continue to operate without external fuels as long as there is daylight. This makes it ideal for use as a peaker type power plant when the demands for electricity are at there highest.

With better-designed engines and new types of material, a movable (tracking) parabolic mirror, and a single Stirling engine you can produce 25 kilowatts of electricity.

In another article on green products, I will be doing a comparison of the different types of solar energy producing products to see how they play out and if they are a viable alternative power source or just a bunch of fancy equipment.

Michael

About the Author:

Concerned about you environment like Michael is take a look at the other products available at Green Products Online

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July 6, 2009

Green Products Has Found a Low Cost Balloon Shaped Solar Design That Is Highly Efficient

Filed under: General — Tags: air pollution, alternative energy, energy, energy conservation, energy savings, environmental, General, global warming, green planet, renewable energy, solar energy, Solar Panels, solar power — Michael Edwards @ 7:44 am

by Michael Edwards

Can you imagine getting electrical power from balloons? This is what Cool Earth of Livermore, California, has designed the next generation of solar collectors to look like. The basic concept hasn’t changed; convert sunlight into electric power using solar cells; but the packaging has changed, and this is where the solar balloons are unique.

The current installed solar plants use flat-panels. Each panel is heavy, large, easily damaged, and costly to repair. This means the cost to produce a watt of electricity is 5-7 times greater than using natural gas and is not a feasible alternative to fossil fuels. This is no longer true with the Cool Earth solar balloon system.

One side of the balloon is made from reflective silver Mylar plastic. The other half is transparent to allow in sunlight. The silver material is parabolic-shaped to concentrate the sunlight on to a single point to achieve maximum light concentration. This is why high performance solar cells are used.

The orb’s design will concentrate the sunlight 300 to 400 times better than traditional roof mounted solar panels. By design, this reduces the cost of each balloon and greatly increases electrical output per cubic inch of solar cell material. This means that the cost of the electricity produced will be on par with current natural gas power plants.

The orb has a simple circular metal frame that is used to hold the Mylar in the proper shape. An arm extends from the ring to the top center of the orb. This holds the solar cells that produce the electricity at the proper focal point. The shape of the balloon and consequently the focal point is altered by adjusting the internal air pressure.

Like all solar designs, the system will not be used as a base power plant because the energy collected during the day cannot be economically stored for nighttime operations. On the other hand, the system will be an ideal “peaker” power plant to be used during the hot summer months when energy demands are high.

Another of the aspects we find most interesting at Green Products is how the balloons are linked together with wire, wood and sheet metal. We are also impressed at the lack of limitations that are imposed when the systems are installed and how they eliminate the destructive heat that destroys most solar cells. Soon this system will be installed and go online. Check it out.

Michael

About the Author:

Michael Edwards has more than one interesting article- checkout his going green

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July 2, 2009

New Unique Solar Design Is Highly Efficient

by Michael Edwards

You would not believe what we at Green Products found (and no they are not UFOs). Can you imagine a field planted with silver balloons as far as the eye can see, or a hillside covered with silver balls? It’s not Christo’s latest pop-art install, but rather, a solar farm. This is what Cool Earth out of Livermore, California envisions in the very near future. The solar collection concept is not new, but the concentrator is different from anything seen before on any renewable energy product.

The cost to install and maintain the current flat-panel solar cell design is prohibiting its large scale adoption. The glass cover is easily damaged by windstorms, hailstorms or vandalism. When this happens, it leaves the solar array exposed to the elements where they can be damaged. The unique balloon design by Cool Earth eliminates many of these shortcomings.

Each balloon is eight feet in diameter and can withstand over 100 mile per hour winds. The balloons are linked together in series, with the initial installation able to produce 10 megawatts, enough to power 3,500 homes during the day.

One of the areas under consideration is the need to add more peaking power plants, also known as peaker plants. A peaker plant is operational only when demand for electricity is at the greatest, like during the hot summer months. This green product could be used to eliminate rolling brown outages that we have encountered in the past few years.

Michael

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See more of Michael’s concern for your carbon footprints at Green Products

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June 25, 2009

Green Products Has Located an Incredible New Low-cost Solar Design

by Michael Edwards

At Green Products, we have come across a product from Cool Earth: Solar Balloons. Cool Earth was created with the mandate of producing electricity using solar power, specifically solar cells. Solar power is not a new concept, but how the sunlight is collected and concentrated is truly unique.

One of the areas of concern with the current flat-panel solar design is cost. Flat-panel designs require metal cases, rigid mounting hardware, heavy glass and large amounts of cell material. The cost per watt for solar panels is generally 5 to 7 times greater than conventional power plants. This is no longer true with the solar balloon system.

The system’s design is centered on the concept of an air-filled Mylar balloon like a children’s birthday balloon. One half of the balloon is a highly reflective mirror-like surface and the other half is transparent. The solar cell is located at the center of the clear side allowing sunlight to pass by, be collected and focused back onto the solar cell.

This unique design can concentrate the sunlight so well, it produces 300 to 400 times more power per square inch of solar cells than traditional flat-panel solar systems. By regulating the air pressure inside the balloon, they can focus the concentrated sunlight directly on the photocell. The air regulating system is designed to maintain the proper balloon size as the outside air temperature increases or decreases.

Some of the more interesting aspects of this solar power station are how simple the design is and how multiples are pulled together to produce a solar power plant. Check it out.

Michael

About the Author:

Michael Edwards writes cool stuff. Get more of it at alternative energy

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June 22, 2009

Paying Off That New Alternative Energy System for Your Business or Home

Filed under: General — Tags: alternative energy, energy, energy conservation, environmental, General, government, green planet, home, international, renewable energy, solar energy, solar power, technology, World — Michael Edwards @ 9:33 am

by Michael Edwards

Let’s turn to financing in this edition of Green Products. Why financing? To go green, someone has to pay the initial costs, and sometimes these costs are high. With some of the current economic challenges, here are some thoughts

First, how is the seller/manufacturer of green products affected during a downturn? Businesses that produce alternative energy/green products are facing the same (if not more) pressure than the average consumer. This means that most alternative energy businesses will be more willing than ever to negotiate price, and may have discounts or incentives in place.

The next incentive to look at is the one that began on February 17, 2009 when President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Re-investment Act of 2009. This new law set aside money in the form of tax credits to offset the cost of installing alternative energy systems and green products.

With this new law in effect you can realize a 30% tax credit when you install an alternative energy source in your home or business. If you own a small business, you also have an option to get cash in the form of cash grants instead of the tax credit.

Third – what about your energy cost savings? Spending money on green products during this time may make more sense than you think. With businesses willing to negotiate, tax credits and a reduction in your energy costs, you are putting money in the bank over the long haul. If you plan well, your investment could pay for itself in months, not years.

At last count, 30+ states offer tax incentives, rebates and cash-back programs. The cash back programs require the utilities to reimburse you when you generate more electricity than you use.

We all win by reducing our dependence on foreign oil, reducing emissions, reducing your carbon footprint and a reducing your environmental impact. A final upside is you help keep contractors working, businesses producing green products and reduce the loss of jobs.

Michael

About the Author:

Michael Edwards writes cool stuff. Get more of it at alternative energy

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