renewable energy source

TEDxNASA@SiliconValley – Bilal Bomani – Cutting edge biofuels

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Bilal Bomani wants to create a biofuel that is “extreme green”— sustainable, alternative and renewable. At NASA’s GreenLab Research Facility, he uses algae and halophytes to create a self sustaining, renewable energy ecosystem that doesn’t consume arable land or fresh water. Bilal Bomani currently serves as the lead scientist for NASA’s biofuels research program focusing on the next generation of aviation fuel. The intent is to use algae and halophytes with the goal of providing a renewable energy source that does not use freshwater, arable land or compete with food crops. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)
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Sustainable Housing Guide: Biomass Energy Explained

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Going green, making life as eco-friendly as possible; of course there are simple steps and tricks to adapt every home and garden. Surely the biggest change to come will be that of energy – where will it come from? Solar panels? Biomass?

A great place to practically see renewable energy in a working environment is its use in contemporary sustainable housing. Modern eco-architects love nothing more than passive buildings i.e. zero carbon footprint, no energy input our damaging output. Indeed that case is fairly rare even now, but in the struggle to go 100% green those very designers are creating fantastic garden buildings that give a fabulous little insight into the future of eco-living.

But while it’s great to read the words “eco-friendly biomass water heater” who actually understand the workings behind them?

Smog and greenhouse gases are caused by the burning of fossil fuels which causes the production of harmful chemicals like COv(2) to be, in turn, released into the atmosphere.

Whilst biomass is technically a fuel, the rate at which COv(2) is released into the atmosphere during incineration is proportional to that removed from the atmosphere by new plant growth (plants which will be used as future biomass fuel), making biomass a zero carbon renewable energy source.

The most prevalent application of biomass in the home is for water heating. Biomass boilers are already a prevalent facet of eco-designed garden buildings, and their place in the modern home could encourage savings of around £450 annually.

The current immaturity of the UK biomass fuel market is a key consideration, however future eco-living will rely heavily on such renewable sources, making the use of fossil fuels in the home an obsolete practice. Although part of a burgeoning market, the technology and environmental applications of biomass fuel are mushrooming wonderfully year after year, ensuring its place in the future of contemporary eco-home design.

The Article is written by ecospacestudios.com/ providing sustainable housing and garden rooms Services. Visit http://www.ecospacestudios.com/ for more information on ecospacestudios.com/Products & Services___________________________Copyright information This article is free for reproduction but must be reproduced in its entirety, including live links & this copyright statement must be included. Visit ecospacestudios.com/ for more services!

The History of Biodiesel and How it May Effect Our Future

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Amid all the panic regarding the diminishing supplies of fossil fuel as well as its expense. What would you say, if I told you that the history of biodiesel tells us that the knowledge of this renewable energy source has been available for hundreds of years? They are just as effective as petroleum and they are manufactured from renewable sources such as peanut, canola, hemp and soybean oil.

This history started with Rudolph Diesel when he designed a compression engine. He made use of peanut oil for this purpose, and he wanted to prove that this was the only fuel source which would ever be required. Way back then he knew that using renewable oil resources were a better option than using fossil fuels.

In actual fact biodiesel was used in diesel engines until the 1920’s it was only then that manufacturers decided to make use of petroleum fuel.

Both methanol and ethanol are able to be produced from these fatty acids. Even Henry Ford believed in the concept propounded by Rudolph Diesel and he build a factory which was equipped to mass produce biofuels. He believed that this was the oil of the future and wanted to manufacture all his automobiles to run on this fuel.

When he commenced with this, he was in the top of his market and embarked on partnerships with natural oil companies. However in the 1940’s petroleum based companies started advertising and as petroleum fuel was cheaper at the time, this fossil based fuel soon became the number one best seller.

Biodiesel was originally produced with oils which did not allow a very high yield of fuel, making this fuel expensive. Then they discovered hemp oil. Hemp had been grown for a long time in the US for its many useful purposes. When tested hemp oil was found to be stable and also able to produce greater yield of fuel. Henry Ford went back to the drawing board on manufacturing fuel for his vehicles from hemp oil.

In the same breath, many oil wells had been found in the US and people were getting extremely rich from selling this oil to manufacture petroleum. They were not prepared to give Henry Ford a market share with his products and started a campaign against the hemp oil product, calling it Marijuana.

This campaign was supported by the newspapers of William Randolph Hurst and he had a great amount of sway with the US government. This campaign got the Marijuana Tax Act brought into legislation and people who used hemp oil products were afraid to use it as a certificate was require for any products of this nature. The Government would not issue certificates to anyone and as far as the history of biodiesel goes, this is where the manufacture of this renewable energy source came to an end.

For more useful information about the History Of Biodiesel and how it can effect our future be sure to visit: http://www.energysolutionshub.com

How Does Renewable Energy Meet Our Future Energy Needs?

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The question of how we are going to meet our future energy needs is something that all energy suppliers have been thinking about for years and are now working out. With the five main sources of renewable energy already being tapped to create the electricity that we need more and more and crops like corn and soybeans being used to create the biofuels that are being used more and more there is no doubt that we will never run out of electricity or fuels to run our vehicles. The main question here is this: can we get rid of our long dependence on fossil fuels and switch totally over to the renewable energy sources that will more than meet our future energy needs? Let’s look at how each of the renewable energy sources will meet out future energy needs.

Solar Energy

Solar energy is one of the most useable and abundant of the renewable energy sources that we have on this planet. The next question that is likely to be coming is how viable is solar power as a future energy source when the Sun’s core will burn out in time thus rendering it useless. Well, put it this way, the Sun’s core will not be burning out any times in the next 100, 1,000 or even 10,000 years! It will take more like a few hundred thousand or a few million years before the Sun even gets close to extinction and goes supernova.

Wind Power

Given the fact that the wind the drives our weather patterns is so prevalent, there really is no question as to how viable wind power is as a future energy provider! As it is, wind power already provides a great deal of the fuel that powers many electric plants. This is why we have been seeing wind turbines popping up all over the place in the past few years. What do you think the wind mills in Holland and the Netherlands are there for? These wind mills aren’t only for decoration; they are actually part of the plan to harness the power of the wind to meet the future energy needs of that area of Europe.

Water/Hydroelectric Power

Using the power of water and waterfalls in creating hydroelectric power is one of the future energy sources that no one can really say is not that effective. When you stop to think about the pure, sheer power that running water possesses and passes along to us in the form of currents; it is any surprise that this renewable energy source is also one of the most dependable sources for our future energy needs? Only having all of the water evaporating and bodies of water disappear will change this.

Biofuels

Biofuels are another great renewable source that can easily meet our future energy needs. This is due to the fact that biofuels are made from corn, soybeans/soybean oil and vegetable oil. How’s that for renewable energy folks?!

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Renewable energy is our future so check out my blogs for way you can create your own renewable energy [http://www.renewable-energy.infoarticles.org/renewable-energy-is-here-already-folks.php].

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