Founded in 2006, Ausra is a technology company which focuses on solar-thermal electrical (STE) power production. STE power is an advanced form of solar power generation that utilizes heat rather than light (the method more commonly found in solar panels). Based in Palo Alto, California, this relatively young company has already netted over $40 million in investments from firms such as Khosla Ventures and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. The attraction of investors to Ausra is that their approach to solar power focuses on utility, large-scale, and cheaply produced panels which are also able to generate more power than other designs. This improved approach utilizes compact linear fresnel reflectors (or CLFRs). According to IeeeSpectrum.com, “The mirrors appear to be solid but are actually made up of many smaller, movable reflectors, each with a slight curve. The system uses nearly flat mirrors at ground level that focus the sun's light onto water-filled steel tubes. When the water boils, it directly drives a steam turbine to generate electricity.”

Ausra’s innovations are based on technological designs by the company’s CEO, David Mills. Mills has been a researcher since 1975, and from 1980 to 2006, he conducted solar energy research at the University of Sydney in Australia. Although Fortune reports that solar power only represents roughly 1% of the power grid in the U.S., it is a booming field. In July, 2008, Ausra opened its first factory in Nevada to begin production of its thermal solar panels and mirrors. The demand for land, particularly in the ‘sun rich’ American southwest has increased dramatically in recent years. Companies such as BrightSource Energy are making a grab for acreage to get a share of what is estimated to be a solar power market worth 45 billion by 2020. With immense national and international attention being paid to the development of green technologies and renewable energy sources, it can be expected that investment in the development of solar-energy will increase. An economically viable and productive method, Ausra’s solar-thermal electrical (STE) approach is on the cutting edge of innovation for solar-energy technology.

There are numerous economic and political implications that go along with the wide-spread implementation of solar-thermal power in the United States. Ausra claims that it would only require about 8500 sq. mi. (92x92, specifically) of its CLFR panels to reduce United States green house gas emissions by 50 percent. Going further than that, it may be possible for Americans to get a majority of their power from solar energy, particularly from solar-thermal electricity, because solar-thermal is capable of being stored, and generated on demand during day or night. Such a shift towards solar-thermal and away from dependence on foreign oil would have dramatic impact on U.S. political relations with various countries around the world, particularly members of OPEC. Austra’s innovative technological foundations paired with the emerging clean-energy market (and the demand for that energy) give Ausra the potential for a strong, successful future.

Labels: Advanced Energy

Based in Alameda, CA, Aurora Biofuels is a renewable energy startup company which uses algae generated oils as a source of biodiesel fuel. Founded in 2006, Aurora explores new sources of biofuels which are designed to come from a non-agricultural source. The company’s genetically engineered microalgae are able to rapidly produce bio-oil in large quantities. Unlike other biofuel sources such as corn or soy, using algae does not reduce feedstock for human consumption. As a result of photosynthesis, the algae remove carbon-dioxide from the air while it grows, further contributing to reducing green house gases. Algae produce more bio-oil per acre than traditional biodiesel crops and Aurora plans to utilize open-pond systems for bio-oil production, which are large and relatively inexpensive to construct but may be subject to intrusion by ‘weed’ organisms.

Aurora Biofuels energy solutions are based on technology previously developed by microbial biology professor and hydrogen fuel pioneer Tasios Melis, a professor at the University of California at Berkley. Since it is such a young company and the market for biofuels is constantly changing, it is difficult to estimate the exact market value for Aurora Biofuels research or innovation. However, investors are clearly taking an interest in the future prospects of algae-based biofuels. Aurora recently received 20 million in investment from several firms including Oak Investment Partners, Gabriel Venture Partners, and Noventi. It is estimated that the Compound Annual Growth Rate (or CAGR) for the biofuel market will grow by 12.3 percent between 2007 and 2014, which is very attractive to investors. The fact that algae produce 125x higher yield bio-oil than corn (ethanol) at 50 percent of the cost makes the future of algae generated biodiesel look promising. Currently, there are only a few other companies such as Solix Biofuels and Synthetic Genomics, which are also developing algae based bio-oils.

Reducing American dependence on foreign oil and finding sustainable, renewable energy sources is currently a key area of interest and investment. The benefits Aurora Biofuels presents through the harvesting of bio-oil from algae is a positive contribution to this effort, and helps to solve contemporary energy needs. There are numerous potential implications from the utilization of Aurora Biofuel technology including political, environmental, and economical. A successful reduction in national dependence on oil could have significant political impact on U.S. relations with oil producing nations. Algae based biodiesel production would help reduce carbon dioxide, thus lowering green house gases while also producing oxygen; both are positive for the environment. Economically, algae require less space and resources (e.g. water) while producing more bio-oil than other crops which gives it a potentially high profit margin and low cost-benefit ratio. Aurora Biofuels research and technology offers a potentially profitable, environmentally beneficial renewable energy resource which is at the leading edge of biodiesel and clean energy development.

Labels: Advanced Energy

GreenPeak Technologies was formed in 2007 with the merger of Ubiwave and Xanadu Wireless with the goal of being the foremost provider of green wireless networking services. The company’s core technology combines existing technologies in the fields of wireless networking, alternative energy, and advanced programming to produce a truly breakthrough innovation. The Lime CM-09 module, GreenPeak’s main product, combines advances in hardware and software to best serve the customer. With a retail price of $1390 for the Starter Kit and $6950 for the Development Suite, the Lime CM-09 is relatively cheap considering the technology. The module, less than 1 square inch in size, has three particularly innovative features: an advanced mesh networking protocol patented by GreenPeak, an energy harvesting-capable interface, and an ultra-low-power operating system. Wireless mesh networking allows for long range communication by utilizing several nodes to transmit a message along the most efficient path possible. GreenPeak’s mesh network protocol is similar to traditional mesh networking architectures but was cleverly adapted to operate without batteries. However, GreenPeak does produce variants of the Lime CM-09 that are compatible with traditional power sources. Moreover, all of GreenPeak’s products are compliant with Zigbee and IEEE 802.15.4 standards. The module was designed using GreenPeak’s radio silicon to be extremely energy efficient. As such, incorporated in the software is a network clock that switches nodes on only when they are receiving or transmitting a packet. Finally, the Lime CM-09 includes software capable of interfacing with various energy harvesting technologies. While the module itself does not harvest energy, its ability to interface with such technology means customers may utilize energy harvesting if they desire.

If adopted on a broad scale this technology may very well have a ripple effect on the world of wireless networking. The energy conserved makes GreenPeak’s products more environmentally friendly than those of competitors. The technology also proves extremely cost efficient since battery replacement and cabling is not an issue. GreenPeak’s revenue model is based on the adaptability and efficiency of its core technology. For this reason, the company’s products may be applicable in various deployments. GreenPeak primarily targets four main industries: building automation, safety and security, healthcare, and asset management. Each of these industries is rich with market potential for low-power wireless sensors. Moreover, GreenPeak offers its customers the ability to completely customize their chips and modules. For example, OEM companies can integrate GreenPeak’s modules into their products for monitoring and control and can retrofit the modules with virtually any type of energy harvester. Additionally, companies can add their own applications to the modules, thus reducing overall cost to the companies using Green Peak’s technology. While there are some well-established companies (Ember Corp., Freescale, TI) currently operating in the same space as GreenPeak, according to GreenPeak’s CEO Cees Links "We are coming at this from a different perspective—focusing on end nodes—and not as a means to sell unit volumes of MCUs or processors.” Therefore, GreenPeak has little competition to hinder its progress as a lead provider of innovative and clean wireless sensor solutions.

Labels: Advanced Energy

A proposed energy project in Europe would supply so much renewable energy to the continent that fossil fuels may no longer be necessary. Consisting mostly of wind farms and using high voltage direct-current lines as main arteries, this supergrid would be more efficient and less costly than any counterpart. It does this by dealing with the biggest hurdle in wind-driven energy: unreliability. All the wind turbines across Europe would be massed and contributed to a centralized grid, so no matter what - wind will be blowing somewhere.

The only step that separates this project from reality is the political will of the citizens of Europe to accept the $80bil price tag that comes with it. Given the enthusiasm shown for greener forms of production and the promise of a fossil-free existence, it sounds like all the European people need is assurance of success. The plan's creator, German Gregor Czisch says that Europe's grids are outdated and in bad need of replacement. He is confident such a plan could be implemented within 5 years.

Labels: Advanced Energy

About a billion people worldwide suffer from a lack of clean water. In order to help alleviate this global problem, the British engineering firm Arup and poverty relief charity WaterAid invited engineers to present their solutions. The prize-winning entry, called WatAir, was developed by a team of Israeli architects. The team derived the model's foundations from nature. The spider web, they observed, has an impeccable ability to gather moisture, condensing water vapor into droplets of liquid water. Their design captures water vapor from the air and coverts it into water. It is then processed through an onboard filter.

Since the contest, the developers have built a prototype model. A simple canvas, 10 meters in diameter and held up by ropes tied to trees, extracted 20 liters of water from the air. Canvas, to be sure, is not the ideal material for water extraction. The team is currently seeking improved materials which can more efficiently harvest the available water vapor.

This method of water extraction may have far reaching uses, beyond supplying clean water to impoverished regions. For example, in the face of an impending irrigable land shortage, a farming technology which stacks greenhouses into towers is in development. These towers will require an efficient system for water consumption.

The developers of the WatAir system are also involved in the development an alternative energy source based on helium balloons.

Dew-harvesting Technology

Labels: Advanced Energy

A coalition of lobbying groups in Australia is looking towards solar conscious residents to help spur the government and economy in a more green direction. It's an interesting approach to take advantage of already existing infrastructure, instead of spending money building costly fields of solar panels or wind farms. The plan calls for willing homeowners to sell back the energy received from panels placed on their roofs straight into the power grid. What's different about this plan, however, is that these groups are lobbying for homeowners to be paid at a premium market price, in order to boost incentive for more homes to participate.

Australians are no strangers to the solar market. On a continent with such abundant sunshine, solar-capturing products and services are readily available. One company has even developed a solar sail that can be mounted on a boat, turning the boats energy source into a hybrid of sun and fuel. With continued efforts like these, cities and towns are learning to become totally energy self-sufficient, emitting no carbon and setting an example for the rest of Australia, and the rest of the world.

Labels: Advanced Energy

After posting over $60 million in losses, the Biodiesel company Earth Biofeuls has been sued by its investors for involuntary bankruptcy. Despite celebrity endorsements, the sale of biofeuls has remained dismal. Despite their losses, Earth Biofuels maintains that it will continue its operations and will strive to bring biofuels to the mass market.

The failure of biofuel companies to evolve into self-sustaining entities has serious implications for the alternative energy industry. With its proven advantages, huge numbers of famous supporters, and abundance of biodiesel-related companies, biofuels appear to be the among the most plausible forms of alternative energy. Despite its promise, one of the largest Biofuel companies in America has proven unprofitable. This signals just how far alternative energy developers still have to go in bringing down its costs.

Labels: Advanced Energy

Officials in southeast Alaska and northwest Washington are singing the praises for a new alternative energy project slated to begin construction in the region soon. The idea is centered around Swan Lake, north of the southeast Alaskan town of Petersburg. Because of the lake's high altutitude, its hyrdoelectric energy potential ranks is comparable to that of a large dam. Canada has recently constructed a power transmission line near the area, which would allow for easy transportion to areas in the Pacific Northwest. County officials are also hoping to lure power companies to the area to take advantage of the cheap resources the lake will produce.

Washington County to explore renewable energy project

Labels: Advanced Energy

Solar panels constructed with amorphous silicon (A-Si) were recently installed Mattituck, NY, the first of its kind in Long Island. The silicon panels offer more versaility than their crystalline counterparts by operating in poor temperature and low-light conditions, while also not fracturing as easily. They are environmentally friendly and substantially thinner then older versions, while remaining in the same price range.

This material is not only revolutionizing solar energy capabilities, but is now being used in plasma TV screens, digital imagery and x-ray technology. They're more aesthetically pleasing than older forms of solar power and are becoming increasingly more powerful as manufacturers improve their capabilities.

Residential Framed Thin Film solar Electric Application Debuts in Long Island

Labels: Advanced Energy

NANOGLOWA is a pan-European research project based in Holland. It brings together academic specialists, power plant owners, and other energy industry experts from 14 European countries. The project has set out to eliminate the problem of CO2 in the atmosphere. The solution, according to the project founders, is to capture the CO2 and bury them in underground "gas fields."

The primary goal of the project is to develop the most efficient way to capture the CO2 emissions in order to move them to the underground holding stations. The project aims to employ the latest in nanotechnology to find their solution. They believe that nanostructured membranes have the capacity to capture and separate carbon dioxide emissions for safe storage. Currently, the cost of installing and maintaining the system is too high to be cost-effective, but the project sponsors are working diligently to create an affordable system.

Should NONOGLOWA prove successful, it could change the current status of fossil fuels. The search for environmentally friendly fuel sources has focused on alternatives to fossil fuels. If the project succeeds, it may remove the high environmental cost of burning fossil fuels.

NANOGLOWA

Labels: Advanced Energy, Nanotechnology

A BMW plant near Greer, SC has successfully trapped enough methane from a nearby landfill to supply 60% of the energy it needs to operate. In partnership with Texas firm Waste Management, the plant receives the methane via a nine mile-long pipeline that runs from the Spartanburg County landfill and fuels turbines that generate electricity. In addition to reducing carbon output by about 60,000 tons annually, this innovation also makes the state more energy independent.

Landfill gases are created when microorganisms break down the organic material, and consist of mostly methane, which is then collected by the landfill power plants and converted to electricity. In addition to the plant near Greer, South Carolina has plans for two additional methane-based power systems, including one that would fuel a major power grid used to heat and provide electricity to homes and business. Trapping carbon-contributing gases and energies and converting them to usable fuel is an area of emerging technology that hold tremendous promise - additional avenues for this practice also include trapping carbon dioxide from the smokestacks of fossil fuel-burning power plants and trapping it in underground mineral deposits.

Labels: Advanced Energy

The GoingGreen Conference, a 3-day affair hosted by UC Davis earlier this month, brought together CEO's, Subject Matter Experts, and other decision-makers to discuss the present and future of Green business. The conference's hundreds of attendees were joined by thousands and thousands of interested home-viewers of the conference Webcast. This meeting of the best minds in Green Energy dealt with many different issues for Alternative Energy, including the relationship between Nanotech and Green Energy.

These two technology areas (Nanotech and Green Energy) are deeply intertwined and will evolve together, and the panel called "Emerging Technologies: Green Nanotech and MEMS (Microelectromechanical Systems)" dealt with just how the fields are related. Nanotech has a vast number of applications in Solar Power as well as other areas of Green Business. The entire Webcast Archives are available and deal with topics ranging from "The Biofuel Revolution" to "Smart Green Cities".

"Emerging Technologies: Green Nanotech and MEMS"

Labels: Advanced Energy, Nanotechnology

BioStorage Technologies, Inc. (BST) has taken a drastic step to reduce their carbon footprint. They have become the third largest company, and first which provides the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, to join the Indianapolis Power & Light Company Green Power Option Voluntary Program.

Under the agreement, BST will purchase energy made from 100% renewable energy resources. In doing so, they will become completely carbon neutral by 2009. BST joins the State of Indiana and other sizable Indiana companies in reducing carbon emissions. The investment of BST will save carbon emissions equal to 244 cars driven over a year and will save over 30,000 trees.

The Green Power Option Program permits companies to devote themselves to either 10%, 25%, 50%, or 100% sustainable power. Details of the cost have yet to be analyzed, but the number of private enterprises joining the programs speaks to its potential to entice from the private sector.

BioTech Company Goes Green

Labels: Advanced Energy

Hydrogen cars have been the developmental stages for years, but thanks to BMW, they're actually showing up on the road, being driven by those privleged enough to get their hands on one. The BMW Hydrogen 7 is no longer a concept car, but a production model vehicle that has made it through rigorous rounds of testing and product development. It essentially emits nothing by water vapors and runs on expensive hydrogen fuel cells and has the ability to run on gasoline for additional cruising time.

The Hydrogen 7 will be made available to select customers in the US and Europe throughout 2007, and celebrities like Brad Pitt and Jay Leno have already been seen driving them. BMW has certainly led the way in making hydrogen power more of a reality - for years concept cars were deemed successful but unlikely to succeed in a market that put so much emphasis on performance and affordibility. By developing a car that also utilizes gasoline, while simultaneously reducing its carbon emissions significantly, BMW has made this vehicle appealing to a public who is become more eager to reduce their dependence on gasoline.

BMW officially announces the Hydrogen 7

Labels: Advanced Energy

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development recently released a report calling for a drawdown in subsidies and other support system for biofuel manufacturers, the latest in a wave of criticism that has come towards the biofuel industries. Opponents have expressed concern about burning food crop for fuel, not only because it might lead to shortages, but because it also uses valuable land suitable for farming. These groups are running into the large support lobby composed of mostly agricultural industry, who argue that biofuels reduced pollution and dependency on foreign oil.

Additionally, environmentalists are torn between their support for greenhouse-reducing biofuel use and their desire to put in place a cap on all carbon emissions. States that support biofuels (mostly in the midwest) are unlikely to support such a cap given their strong automotive and manufacturing industries. This has also left Brazil, who has perfected ethanol manufacturing, without a way to penetrate the US and European markets, which are too protected by the ag lobby.

The Biofuel Backlash

Labels: Advanced Energy

Researchers at Columbia University have set out to solve the impending sustenance crisis which will emerge due to population growth and a future shortage of irrigable land. By 2050, global population will increase by 3 billion. Currently, 80% of available farmland is in use. Clearly, a food shortage is eminent.

In efforts to solve this problem, Dickson Despommier, a professor in environmental science at Columbia University, has developed a plan to build vertical farming systems. These systems will act as greenhouses, but will be housed in skyscrapers. By taking advantage of existing forms of clean energy, including solar panels which will provide 24 hour light, and a NASA system of extracting water vapor from the air, the towers may be generally self-sustaining agriculture infrastructure. A single 21-story tower will produce the same output as 588 acres of land.

Dr. Despommier is currently marketing his idea to venture capital firms. The potential for this technology is unknown. However, should this prove an able alternative to farmland, the results could shake the foundations of population dispersion and rural life. Cities could become independent units, with little economic relationship with rural areas. Compounded with the fact that the majority of population growth occurs in cities, cities may see massive growth in area, swallowing up vacant rural lands once used for farming.

Farming Goes Vertical

Labels: Advanced Energy

Researchers at New Zealand's Massey University have developed an incredibly inexpensive alternative to standard solar panels. The technology relies upon "solar dye", synthetic dyes made up of natural compounds. The dyes are then paired with dye-sensitive solar cells. The dyes create solar power at a tenth of the price of standard solar panels.

Developers at the University's Nanomaterials Research Center plan to optimize the cell construction for maximum efficiency before releasing the technology commercially.

Once commercially available, the "solar dye" technology will catapult solar energy nearer to the forefront as a potentially viable source of alternative fuel. Currently, even the least powerful solar panel systems costs well into the thousands. Despite proving an effective source of energy, the high expense has prevented potential users from obtaining solar power infrastructure. Solar dye, at a tenth the price, will permit corporations to make massive energy overhauls at a fraction of the price. The technology will make solar energy available to a large population of residential users as well.

New Zealand's Solar Dye

Labels: Advanced Energy

Gussing, Austria was for years a rusted Cold War relic of a town, never attracting much attention and struggling to survive. However, thanks to the work of a few energy-savvy local leaders and a population that was willing to lead the way for change, Gussing is the first European community to reduce its carbon emissions by 90%. It does so by relying on the sun, sawdust, corn and cooking oil to produce the fuel it needs to sustain itself, with the added bonus of creating new jobs and attracting investors from around the world.

The town was struggling to meet its electricity bill some 15 years ago when local leaders brought in engineers and other energy experts to construct a wood-burning plant that heats homes in addition to technology that manufactures rapeseed to fuel cars. Other breakthroughs came later, when technology to create natural gas from scrap lumber helped run the town's power plant. Solar power technology companies have also taken note of Gussing's innovative platform, and Germany's Solon AG Fuer Solartechnik is expected to finish construction on a solar-fueled power plant in the town soon.

Gussing is an example of what is possible when local and national leaders come together to make realistic goal to reduce carbon emissions while at the same time creating growth economically. Europe has long been a leader in green technology and manufacturing, most likely brought on from their desire to detach themselves from the stronghold of foreign-produced oil and the reality of shrinking natural resources. The model of Gussing's success is something to be studied and duplicated for other small towns with the capability of overhauling their infrastructure, however, larger cities and regions will undoubtedly face more challenges in overcoming legacy systems and weening populations off of oil addiction.

'Dead-End' Austrian Town Fuels Boom With Green Energy

Labels: Advanced Energy

Canadian energy group Plasco is attracting investors from far and wide with its first nearly operational waste to energy processing plant in Ottawa, Ontario. By using a unique plasma torch process, Plasco is able to use intense heat applied to waste materials in a controlled environment that produces various levels of output. Ranging from synthetic gas for engines to potable water, Plasco's technology creates valuable forms of usable energy and emits zero hazardous byproduct into the atmosphere.

This type of incineration is much more cost effective than older or other forms of disposing waste, including gasificiation. By keeping oxygen minimally involved in the process, they are able to generate about twice as much power, while only leaving 1.3 kilograms of leftover waste material (mostly lead and other metals that must be filtered out). Their current permit with the city of Ottawa allows for 4 MW of power a day, enough to power 3,600 homes in the area.

Plasco's technology is promising for several reasons -- although biofuels are becoming increasingly popular, there is growing concern that the cost needed to produce them is not necessarily outweighing the benefits of a fuel that emits lower levels of carbon dioxide. Room must be made to grow these biofuels, and that means more deforestation (especially in countries like ethanol-hungry Brazil) with devasting land-use effects. However, if energy can be generated from a source that is not only already available, but is something society wants disposed of anyway, then Plasco is sitting on a very promising capability. It's no wonder that governments from Mexico, Spain and the United Kingdom are starting to take notice.

Garbage in, clean energy out

Labels: Advanced Energy

The U.S. has for some time been making strides to make its capabilities more efficient and geared towards the needs of the future, and a recent development has pushed that goal a step further. London-based BAE Systems has successfully demonstrated a hybrid-powered combat vechicle with an integrated system of energy storage, power generation, and enhanced braking ability, all adding to the unit's capabilities and flexibility. Additionally, the first system to use the hybrid electric drive will be the Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon, a fully automated howitzer, scheduled to be produced next year.

The test was done in conjunction with BAE's partners in this specific effort, General Dynamics Land Systems and the FCS Lead Systems Integrator team of Boeing, both working in tandum with the Army's needs. Given the growing need for armed forces to become more adaptive not only to changing technologies but to changing environmental demands and pressure, this sort of development will offer promising flexibility and reactivity for transporting troops and weapons systems. Additionally, these vehicles will operate more efficiently by working in a more integrated fashion and conserving energy rather than wasting it.

US Army Going Hybrid

Labels: Advanced Energy

Researchers at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a nanoengineered storage device. The paper-thin batteries are 90% cellulose infused with carbon nanotubes. This technology has a great number of potential uses. Its incredible size and weight, its power source, and its ability to function in extreme temperatures make it potentially revolutionary in electronics, medical technology, heavy engineering, and more.

The flexible and lightweight energy source has the capability to use human blood or sweat to help power the battery. It can exist and function properly in temperatures ranging from 300 degrees Fahrenheit and down to 100 below zero. This technology could be used to power future nanotechnology, or to reduce the weight of any number of battery-powered technologies.

Although the materials in the battery are inexpensive, there is not yet a means for effective mass-production. The goal is to develop a system similar to the printing of newspaper--a viable option to due similar specifications and base materials between the nanocomposite paper and newspaper.

http://www.physorg.com/news106245164.html

Labels: Advanced Energy, Nanotechnology

Researchers at the Israeli Technion Institute of Technology have developed a way to produce electricity using helium balloons coated with solar cells. The techonlogy effeciently harnesses solar power by sending absorbtion panels further into the sky. A cable running from each balloon will send converted electricity to the ground while also sending helium into the balloon to keep at afloat.

According to the researchers, a home would require two balloons to supply ample power. The current cost is $700 for each cubic meter of cellular cell; but that price is expected to plummet should the balloons enter mass production.

Researchers harness energy from helium balloons

Labels: Advanced Energy

One of the oldest and most widely-used forms of storing energy, the flywheel, is getting a much-needed update, making it more applicable to today's energy needs. The same tool that powers the pottery wheel and helps hybrid cars store spare energy could now help trains or buses get an extra boost.

A team of engineers at the University of Texas at Austin, under request from NASA (who wanted a more efficient way to help store electricity the International Space Station), have developed a carbon-composite prototype flywheel that reached more than 50,000 rotations per minute. Not only does it have energy-saving benefits for space travel and research, but it can also help alleviate stress on the electric power grid by supplying extra boosts of reserve energy when demand is high, therefore alleviating blackouts.

Meanwhile, a company called LaunchPoint Technologies, based in Goleta, Calif., is improving upon the flywheel design in order to the reduce the centrifugal stress while still maintaining power. Their more hollow design is said to reach a capability of at least 1 megawatt-hour, which is more than 6 times the Austin team's record.

Castelvecchi, David. "Spinning into Control." Science News. 171.20 (2007): 312-313.
University of Texas Flywheel Spins to a Milestone Record

Labels: Advanced Energy