Edit: people were getting confused about which quote was for what, so I added dividers and titles to separate it all better. Sorry for the confusion.

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Kinetic Tiles

Many years ago now, I was watching an NHK (a Japanese broadcaster) program about how kinetic energy was going to be utilized in the busiest stations in Japan. The theory was simple; as people walk over a mat, their steps would produce electricity to help power the station. In any other station it might not work, but in a station that typically has 1.57 million passengers per day, that is a lot of people power.

Since then, there have been many companies attempting to utilize kinetic energy, with the biggest company likely being "Pavegen." They have their system in certain city sidewalks, airports, and even under sports turfs.

>"The downward force drives an energy-storing flywheel inside the tile, which spins to convert kinetic energy into electrical energy through electromagnetic induction. It’s like a generator — only instead of spinning a turbine with wind, water, or coal, it’s spinning a flywheel with footsteps." Grist

More Info On Kinetic Pavement:

• https://youtu.be/VD15-2Uriyc
• https://youtu.be/vnAwsEUOUxw

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Kinetic Shoes

If tiles are not unique enough for you, that same tech can be used in shoes.

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>"The researchers say that this method can produce a lot of watts relative to the surface area of the generator, with the proof-of-concept device generating around 10 watts per square meter in early experiments. They claim that theoretical estimates indicate up to 10 kW might be possible." NewsAtlas

More Info On Kinetic Shoes:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNjc9tUs96Y&t=9s
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svK6Gv7oM6U

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More work needs to be done to make kinetic energy more efficient, but there is just something fascinating to me about power generation that can fit seamlessly into our world without us noticing.

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> To ensure his plans were based on historic originals, Gareth purchased over 1,700 survey drawings of the Bourn Windmill in Cambridgeshire, approximated the measurements, and then reconstructed a quarter-size copy in his garden.

>Gareth relied on his skills and education as a classical boat builder at the Falmouth Marine School, which also serves him at his day job repairing furniture. The windmill is built mainly of green oak and can rotate to be directed at the wind. He sewed the sails himself from a curtain he bought in a thrift store.

>The mill’s generator produces 100 amps at 12 volts when spinning at its optimum speed.

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/man-builds-an-electricity-generating-windmill-in-his-own-garden/

I just thought I would share some different solar projects I think are interesting.

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Terracotta Solar:

>"Designed to be indistinguishable by the naked eye from regular terracotta roof tiles, “Invisible Solar” tiles are made to improve the energy efficiency of heritage buildings without compromising their historic appearance. >They make each tile out of a non-toxic and recyclable polymeric compound they themselves developed, and the tiles allow for sunlight to pass into a hidden bank of photovoltaic cells without the human eye being able to tell they are translusent." | Good News Network

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Apartment Balcony DIY Solar

If you have a sunny apartment balcony and have ever been interested in solar, there are many options; including some designed to look like privacy walls. It is supposed to be as easy as strapping on and connecting the panels, then plugging the system into your outdoor wall socket.

>“In the best case scenario, a 600 W balcony panel pays for itself after just a few years,” said Hermann Dinkler, an energy expert at the German technical inspection association TÜV. With a shade-free southern orientation, an optimal inclination angle of 35 degrees without shade and 2,000 kWh of electricity consumption per year, a typical 600 W system pays for itself after about five years, according to German institute HTW Berlin. - PV Magazine

To find out if solar would work for your apartment balcony, make sure to do the calculations(such as with a solar panel calculator), ensure you have an outdoor socket, and check the rules of your building.

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Solar Glass Bricks

These ones (amusingly) do remind me of the 1980s glass brick wall fad, but these are made to used to replace windows or other glass in office blocks, buildings and even bus stops. The inventors at Build Solar think they look better than solar panels and take up less space, so could be an eco-friendly alternative to current building materials.

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Adding Solar to More Devices

The company Ambient Photonics showcased a bifacial solar cell. It can harvest from both the front and back simultaneously, and aims to charge small electronic devices; such as remote controls. It is supposed to work even in low-light, including indoors.

Its flexible and thin design means it could work in many different device types.

Funnily, the tech is reminding a surprising amount of people of the solar-powered calculators that used to be everywhere.

One of the easiest ways to help the planet might come from...human waste. 💩

Natural gas is a commonly used fossil fuel. The secret? Natural gas is mostly just methane; the same gas created from human waste.

In fact, toilets exploding can absolutely happen, which is why bringing a candle into an outhouse is a very bad idea. Some places even put this to use, such as using sewers to fuel street lamps(called sewer gas destructor lamps), which have the duel-purpose cutting down on smells and dangerous gas buildups

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There’s also more 💩 can do for us. For example…

• ⚡️Generate power (use the methane to replace natural gas).
• 🚗 Create fuel for vehicles
• 🔥 Create fuel for gas burners
• 🌱 Create compost (biosolids from the sewage treatment/methane plants) to help with phosphorus mining shortages

These options could greatly help with the transition from fossil fuels, and provide incentives for all cities to stop dumping raw sewage(yes, many places still do this).

Videos for more learning:

• https://www.youtube.com/shorts/NZA5aEEIzhQ?feature=share
• https://youtu.be/p6CF-umWLZg

Vintage educational film

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/25296918

This is an interactive piece. Access is free for two weeks, but does require registration.

The head of the Australian energy market operator AEMO, Daniel Westerman, has rejected nuclear power as a way to replace Australia's ageing coal-fired power stations, arguing that it is too slow and too expensive. In addition, baseload power sources are not competitive in a grid dominated by wind and solar energy anyway.

This is hilarious because the sentiment (look at me trying not to use provocative language) regarding China has meant there's been an outwardly view that they only care about polluting and yet, not only are they producing the bulk of the world's solar panels, they're actually implementing green energy policies at a rapid rate. Funny thing is, this isn't even a pro-China thing, it's a pro-planet thing. We absolutely need our biggest nations to lead the way in replacing coal and the likes with renewables. I will happily celebrate the small wins along the way.

Stop voting for dickheads please!

Researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) have discovered a new method to increase the efficiency of solar cells by a factor of 1,000. The team of scientists achieved this breakthrough by creating crystalline layers of barium titanate, strontium titanate, and calcium titanate, which were alternately placed on top of one another in a lattice structure.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/25127295

This post uses a gift link which may be subject to a view count limit. Archived copy for after that

cross-posted from: https://kbin.run/m/[email protected]/t/553659

> A decline in fossil fuel power is now ‘inevitable’, the report's authors say.

The government has announced the immediate lifting of the de facto ban on onshore wind development in England, among other actions to speed up planning decisions.

The move, announced by chancellor Rachel Reeves in her first major speech since taking office, has been made as it sets a commitment to double the capacity of onshore wind in Britain by 2030 and boost energy independence.

https://archive.ph/LWoov