{"id":675,"date":"2021-03-11T19:13:48","date_gmt":"2021-03-11T19:13:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.terc.edu\/innovatetomitigate\/?page_id=675"},"modified":"2021-03-11T20:09:04","modified_gmt":"2021-03-11T20:09:04","slug":"renewable-energy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.terc.edu\/innovatetomitigate\/promising-ideas\/renewable-energy\/","title":{"rendered":"Renewable Energy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Mitigation Ideas: Renewable Energy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. <\/strong>Bio Energy Generation<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Biomass energy generation refers to the use of biological material, such as wood, human waste, farm waste, and so on, to generate power. Energy is generated by burning the material, either directly or after using microbes to convert it into flammable gas. While there are harmful ways to do this, there are also opportunities\u2014like using sewage treatment plants to generate energy\u2014to use matter that is going to decompose or be burnt and release greenhouse gases anyway. Harnessing biomass lessens the damage by replacing more carbon-intensive energy sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robotic lawnmower<\/a><\/strong>
This robotic lawnmower<\/a> is powered by the grass it clips and can store the grass-power for later use.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using household waste to generate fuel<\/strong><\/a>
Biogas<\/a> generation can take any organic material, from human and pet waste, to kitchen scraps or yard waste, and turn it into fuel for many uses. Because the material has been pulled out of the biosphere recently, burning it just re-releases carbon, so it doesn’t add to global climate change. The technology is simple enough that you can use it too! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This biogas generator<\/a> was built with easily available materials and allows the use of kitchen waste to generate cooking gas.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using swamp muck to generate electricity<\/strong><\/a>
Biochemical electricity comes from living organisms like bacteria, algae, and viruses. This guide<\/a> shows how to use swamp muck and a few other materials to create a microbial fuel cell that can harvest electricity generated by bacteria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Green<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

2. <\/strong>Hydropower<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hydropower most commonly brings hydroelectric dams to mind. Dams let water flow through a set of pipes, driving large generators in the process. Hydropower can also mean power generated by oceanic currents, the advance and retreat of tides, and the up-and-down motion of waves on large bodies of water. On a planet whose surface is 70% water, it\u2019s a resource that cannot be ignored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spiral water pumps<\/strong><\/a>
Running water operates t<\/a>hese spiral water pump designs<\/a>. They\u2019re simple, and sustainable by design, because they won\u2019t run if there’s too little water. Additionally, the basic design could be adapted to work with other power sources (like wind, for example) to move water in standing bodies like ponds or lakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waves from swimmers power pool<\/ins> lights<\/strong><\/a>
Swimmers’ waves power pool lights<\/strong>
A college student has developed a generator<\/a> that uses the motion of water in a swimming pool to power the lights for the pool.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using seafloor \u201ccarpets\u201d to harvest wave energy<\/strong><\/a>
People have been working to harvest energy from the ocean for years. This \u201ccarpet\u201d<\/a> would take advantage of the constant presence and pressure of waves to generate power through a hydraulic system, without little to no damage to sea life, boats, or even the scenery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Green<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

3. <\/strong>Wind Power<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Like the sun, wind is a reliable resource on planet Earth. While it\u2019s not always blowing in any one location, it\u2019s always blowing somewhere<\/em>. Because energy can be stored, transported, or transmitted, wind power can be very, very useful. There are a number of ways to get power from wind, but most of them involve turning the linear motion of wind into rotary motion of machines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flapping wind generators<\/a><\/strong>
Most wind turbines use fan-like blades to spin a turbine. This wind turbine uses wings that \u201cflap\u201d<\/a> in the wind to generate electricity. This design could be used in different situations from conventional turbines, and might avoid some of the dangers to wildlife presented by large, spinning blades.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mini wind turbines for homes<\/strong><\/a>
A white and silver metallic structure about the size of a garden shrub, this turbine has three vertical blades<\/a> that spin carousel-like around a central axis. It spins constantly and is completely silent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Green<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

4. <\/strong>Solar Power<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The sun is the single greatest power source for Earth. There are multiple ways of generating electricity from sunlight, from direct conversion (photovoltaic) techniques to concentrating and gathering the heat from sunlight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using physics to heat and move water without needing a pump<\/strong><\/a>
These heaters<\/a> use the sun to heat water, and the thermal expansion of water and steam to move that water to where it’s needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Solar water heating in batches<\/strong><\/a>
This website<\/a> has multiple designs for solar water heaters that save energy by heating a set amount of water at a time.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using sun to prevent pipes from freezing<\/strong><\/a>
These designs are for solar water heating systems<\/a> that can prevent water pipes from freezing in cold weather.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Increased photovoltaic efficiency from tree leaf patterns<\/strong><\/a>
Taking inspiration from the way trees get enough sunlight to grow even in a forest, a 13-year-old developed a new layout of small photovoltaic cells<\/a> that increased the efficiency of existing technology.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Solar cells from plants<\/strong><\/a>
This technique<\/a> to create photovoltaic cells can even use grass clippings to make solar cells.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crystal balls to concentrate sunlight<\/strong><\/a>
This architect has designed a system that uses a huge, water-filled glass sphere to concentrate sunlight<\/a> on a photovoltaic cell, increasing its efficiency by 35%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scalable ball lens technology<\/strong><\/a>
Ball (sphere-shaped) lenses are being used to make solar cells more efficient, because of how they concentrate, diffuse, and direct light. This one<\/a> concentrates sunlight on a photovoltaic panel one centimeter square\u2014showing that ball lenses can be used at any size.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mirrored tubes guide direct sunlight into your home<\/a><\/strong>
These mirrored tubes<\/a> reduce electricity use by directing sunlight in to light any part of a home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Green<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

5. <\/strong>Other Power Generation Techniques<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

These ideas may be out of reach for a school project but could be feasible if scaled down. For example, could the idea of an inflatable wind turbine inspire you to build and test a prototype using a helium balloon and mini \u201cwindmill\u201d to generate a current?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inflatable wind turbine that generates power 1,000 feet in the air<\/strong><\/a>
This turbine<\/a> uses a helium shell to get up into the atmosphere, is held in check by a long tether, and generates power from the constant winds at altitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Solar hybrid technology for 24\/7 power generation<\/strong><\/a>
This tower<\/a> uses air heated by solar power to drive hot air turbines to produce electricity during the day, using no water, which is ideal in more arid climates. Methane produced by cows produces electricity at night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Solar Roadways<\/strong><\/a>
Solar Roadways is a company using solar power, engineering, and programming to create a new kind of road<\/a> that could work for transportation, power generation, power transmission, internet,\u00a0and emergency lighting all rolled into one!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Locomotive system for clean energy storage<\/strong><\/a>
Potential energy can be stored and released later to perform a task. Clock springs are an example, and compressed air is another. This company has set up a system that uses a train engine<\/a> to move 230 tons of stone up a hill when the grid has more electricity than it is using at the time. When there is an electricity shortfall, the train is allowed to roll downhill. Its electric motor runs backwards, turning the motion into electricity, and feeding it back to the grid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New flywheel design<\/strong><\/a>
Kinetic energy storage is the use of motion to store energy, generally for short periods of time. The most common way to do this is with a flywheel\u2014a weighted wheel that is spun as fast as possible using excess energy. When that energy is needed, the rotary motion of the wheel is harnessed to turn kinetic energy into electricity. Alternatively, that energy could be used to power mechanical devices directly. A new flywheel design<\/a> could re-establish flywheels as a competitive energy storage method.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using pennies to generate small amounts of power<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>
This tutorial<\/a> tells you how to use spare change and a few other commonly available products to make a battery that can run small things like calculators or LEDs. The battery can be scaled up, depending on your needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Load-reducing backpack powers electronics by harvesting energy from walking<\/strong><\/a>
Researchers have developed a prototype backpack<\/a> that not only makes loads feel about 20% lighter, but also harvests energy from human movements to power small electronics. The new backpack could be especially useful for athletes, explorers, and disaster rescuers who work in remote areas without electricity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mitigation Ideas: Renewable Energy<\/p>\n

1. Bio Energy Generation<\/a><\/p>\n

Biomass energy generation refers to the use of biological material, such as wood, human waste, farm waste, and so on, to generate power. Energy is generated by burning the material, either directly or after using microbes to convert it into flammable gas. While there are harmful ways to do this, there are also opportunities\u2014like using sewage treatment plants to generate energy\u2014to use matter that is going to decompose or be burnt and release greenhouse gases anyway.  » Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"parent":536,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-675","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.terc.edu\/innovatetomitigate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/675","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.terc.edu\/innovatetomitigate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.terc.edu\/innovatetomitigate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.terc.edu\/innovatetomitigate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.terc.edu\/innovatetomitigate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=675"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.terc.edu\/innovatetomitigate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/675\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":710,"href":"https:\/\/www.terc.edu\/innovatetomitigate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/675\/revisions\/710"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.terc.edu\/innovatetomitigate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.terc.edu\/innovatetomitigate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}