Prayer wheels & Energy

People in Bhutan and Tibet or any other avid buddhist would love love this fantastic design of kinetic prayer wheels transforming prayers into energy! Prayer wheels in Bhutan and Tibet are used to accumulate wisdom and merit or good karma and to purify negative energy, and now they may generate electricity as well with the ingenuity of this very design.

“The Prayer Wheel Energy Generator, designed by Taikkun Yang Li does just this by transforming all of those good vibes into electricity that could be used to provide reliable energy for daily needs such as evening lighting.”

wind and solar energy-use with style

Much opportunity abounds to be creative and harvest wind and solar energy.  To be eco-friendly and stylish at the same time, how cool and sustainable is that? I spied some of the neatest designs that do just that:

All images courtesy of trendir. thanks.

Mariah Power’s Windspire is a plug-n-produce vertical axis wind turbine that stands 30 feet tall and 2 feet in radius, the Windspire stands out from the crowd due to is sleek propeller-free design. It operates quietly.  With an affordable price tag this Mariah Power vertical wind turbine comes complete with a high-efficiency generator, integrated inverter, hinged monopole and wireless performance monitor. Ideal for rural and suburban homes. Using a rotor, generator and inverter, the 1.2kW turbine produces about 2,000 kilowatt hours a year in winds gusting 12 miles an hour. It even comes with an internal wireless modem – you can check your power production from your computer at any time. Available in a corrosion-resistant silver paint, you can repaint it in any color you choose. It’s also easy to install and comes complete with everything needed to set it up.  Via trendir

Marlec Rutland 504 Windcharger is designed for the eco-friendly boater. You’ll never worry about flat batteries, or have to hassle with refitting them – the Rutland 504 is a small wind generator that charges your battery, giving you the peace-of-mind that you’ll have power whenever you need it. Ideal for boats less than 10m in length and with battery banks around 100Ah, this Marlec wind turbine charges the battery while your boat is docked, and when you’re on the water, will continually top it up. Lightweight and portable, this wind turbine charges in windspeeds as low as 5 knots and is equipped with a safety turbine that joins the six aerofoil blade tips with an outer ring. Its low friction 3 phase alternator runs silent, and offers 360-degree free rotation on its mounting pole. You can even take it off and bring it home with you to use to run a garden pump, fountain or to provide low voltage lighting to a shed or garage.

Ideal for farms and remote locations, the Magenn Power Air Rotor System (MARS) wind turbine floats in the air while tethered to the ground, and removes any obstacles related to placement. This lighter-than-air wind turbine rotates around a horizontal axis wherever the wind is blowing and generates electrical energy. This electrical energy passes down the tether to a transformer and then transferred to the electricity power grid. The MARS Air Rotor is sustained by helium, which transports it to an altitude where it will find the best wind, and its rotation produces a Magnus effect, giving it a extra boost, keeping it stabilized and placing it in a optimal position. Capable of operating in a wider range of wind speeds, the 10 to 25 kW MARS will be available in 2009/10, and is expected to cost between the $5 USD to $10 USD dollar per watt.  via trendir

Multi Directional Wind Turbine Helix Wind S322. It is an inexpensive, reliable and simple turbine, ideal for urban environments with low draw and off-grid applications. Mounted up to 35 feet high, the S322 works well in low speeds and its savonius design features a long helical blade that collects wind from every direction, forcing it through the turbine. This Helix turbine uses the wind to spin the electric generator, which is plugged into your home. During the times of no wind, your home will draw its power from the energy grid like it usually does, and at times when it’s gusting, the multi directional S322 uses the excess energy to roll your meter backwards. You’ll also enjoy its silent operation and its 3D blade is built for easy assembly and toughness. via trendir.

Ikea’s cute and adorable LED lights. They use 70% less energy while lasting four times as long as regular blubs.

Made in the UK, the Inflatable Solar Collecter for Hot Water – SolarStore uses solar heat to warm domestic water – in fact, it can heat up to three full tanks of water, reaching temperatures close to 80°C! Selling for under £100 (about $150 US), the inflatable solar collector is not only cheaper than conventional solar hot water systems on the market (compare at $2,000-$3,000), but can also be used in developing countries as well as on camping trips. Using the process of heat transfer, sunlight passes through the SolarStore’s clear outer layer, and travels down to a black inner layer that holds the water. To keep water hot, it uses the surrounding air between the clear and black layers as insulation. The SolarStore is set to hit the market in the spring of 2009.

Renewable Devices’ Swift rooftop wind energy system is safe, efficient, and a silent building mountable turbine that cuts carbon emissions while reducing your electricity bill. Designed in the UK, this turbine uses aerodynamic technology to generate electricity only when you need it. Ideal for both residential homes and businesses, Swift features an overpower regulation mechanism that controls rotation speed, which comes in handy when you’re dealing with high winds. And you control how much energy is used, thanks to its sophisticated electronic control system. It can be mounted on a rooftop or wall, and works as a stand-alone as well as off grid.

the cons of corn biofuel

Ethanol. Corn-based ethanol is neither cheap nor ‘green’ it seems. Did its proponents claim that it will solve the world’s energy problems? I am not sure. But what I am sure of is that far more of its negative outcomes outwiegh the positives, when producing corn-based ethanol.  An article by Phil Mckenna from technologyreview.com lists them;

- Ethanol derived from corn consumes up to three times more water than previously thought, according to a new study.

– Corn ethanol is already plagued by environmental concerns such as pollution from fertilizer, pesticides, and herbicides; soil erosion; greenhouse-gas emissions from production; and competition for agricultural land with food crops.

– “This is one more nail in the coffin for ethanol,” says David Pimentel of Cornell University, in Ithaca, NY, whose own studies have shown that ethanol requires more energy to produce than it releases when burned, and that the fertilizer used to grow corn for ethanol has contributed significantly to dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico (areas of the ocean with low oxygen content due to increases in chemicals in the water).

Read the whole article here.

And in the seattlepi.com from the economist this article says,

Ethanol is not much used in Europe, but it is a fuel additive in the U.S., and a growing number of cars can use either gasoline or ethanol. It accounted for only around 3.5 percent of U.S. fuel consumption last year, but production is growing by 25 percent a year because the government subsidizes domestic production and penalizes imports. As a result, refineries are popping up like mushrooms all over the Midwest, which sees itself as the Texas of green fuel.

Despite all the controversy, it has apparently been very agreeable to most, in the U.S. anyway – the government, the auto industry, farmers, taxpayers, the hawks and even the oil industries themselves;

Why is the government so generous? Because ethanol is just about the only alternative-energy initiative that has broad political support. Farmers love it because it provides a new source of subsidy. Hawks love it because it offers the possibility that the U.S. may wean itself off Middle Eastern oil.

The automotive industry loves it, because switching to a green fuel will take the global-warming heat off cars. The oil industry loves it because ethanol as a fuel additive means it is business as usual for the time being.

Taxpayers seem not to have noticed they are footing the bill.

Ethanol is not at all popular in Europe nor elsewhere in the world. This short-term, instantly gratifying, fast-paced life is exactly American. I would know after having lived in New York City for more than a decade’s worth of my time.