Free street solar chargers in New York

This is a joint effort pilot initiative by several companies. It provides free solar mobile charging stations at selected locations in New York City where the public can charge their phones, tablets and other mobile devices.

The charging 'tree' is about 12.5-foot high. Photo credit: AT&T


Specification and features

Solar panel            : 3 x 15-watt solar panels
Battery                  : 168 watt-hour, Lithium ion pack
Charging capacity  : Up to 6 devices for several days without exposure to the sun.
Power outlet          : 5V, max output 2 Amp
Socket                  : Old and new iPhone power plug, micro-USB
System providers   : Funded by AT&T, solar panels technology by Goal Zero, designed by Pensa.

The pilot project is intended to provide a sustainable, green solution for mobile charging.
Photo credit: AT&T

All major mobile devices will be supported through multiple connectors at each station, and an integrated battery will allow for charges even during nighttime. Photo credit: Engadget


TheGreenMechanics:

First, there's this security issues with regards to would-be thief lurching, but this is something the service provider needs to address; together with the local/city authority.

Secondly, it's probably impractical to wait there to recharge your mobile device battery completely, but if you have a few minutes to spare, it'll be very handy while you are out there taking a walk or chatting with friends.

Nonetheless, this is something our town council or city hall can replicate here in Malaysia. In fact there's already pilot project in Kota Kinabalu city to build a Green Taxi Station that provide essentially the same as what AT&T offers in NYC.


Source: AT&T, Smartplanet.com

Personal-sized hydroelectric power generator you can bring anywhere

This invention reminds me of the small gasoline generator we used when spending a weekend at one of the electricity-deprived areas in Sabah.

Speaking of creativity, you can turn water into food, weapon, house, or you can turn a falling water into electricity. One such creative use of  falling water is the following small-sized hydroelectric power generator.

Powered purely by water, this generator can produce about half the power of what your typical 600W gasoline generator is capable of.

Cappa, the 250W generator, is ideal for mobile applications

The concept behind the blade

The developer, Ibasei shows how the ultra small hydroelectric generator is placed in a small stream

As long as rainfall continue to fill streams and rivers, water can be a renewable source of energy.


Compact hydropower generator

Japanese company Ibasei has unveiled a new idea in hydroelectricity generation; a turbine that can be placed in virtually any fast moving stream or river to generate small amounts of electricity for immediate use or as a charging station. Called the Cappa, it resembles an engine on a jet aircraft and can be easily placed into a location in just minutes.

The idea behind the Cappa is that not all hydroelectric systems need to be huge, and they don't have to plug a river or be situated at an optimal location either. Instead, any spot where the river narrows causing swift movement of the water can be used.

The Cappa is put in place by fashioning a couple of spans of some sort across the river or stream to form bridges. The turbine is then lowered into the water and held in place by the frame resting on the span. Once in the water, the Cappa goes to work without any further ado.

For water running at 2 m/s the turbine will generate about 250 W of electricity. Placing five of them in a stream could conceivably produce up to a 1 kW (allowing for control losses). To increase the efficiency of the turbine, engineers have tailored a diffuser that causes water flowing over the blades to move faster.


Suitable applications

The Cappa was developed for a variety of purposes, from use as in-place generators at outdoor parks to emergency backup systems, particularly in the event of a flood. It can also be used as an alternative to gas powered generators that people use when the electricity goes out.


TheGreenMechanics' two cents:

This is essentially a venturi tube with a propeller in its' throat. With a design like that, it is easy to duplicate at a much lower cost. Add a mesh screen on the front of it and you would take care of the debris that could have surely hit the blades.

The downside, however, is that at a price of a compact car, (say, Myvi @RM35,000 or US$11,000) many would give this a pass. 'Tree huggers' would love it but the cost would be too prohibitive.

Kudos to a bright idea though, it opens up a lot of possibility for the folks in the interior.


Reference: diginfo.tv

Open bidding for solar power Feed-in Tariff

In Malaysia, the 4 renewable energies covered under the government's feed-in tariff  are biogas, biomass, small hydro, and solar PV.

Of these, Solar PV is the most popular and the current first-come-first-served system utilized by SEDA in granting FiT to consumers has so far received some criticism from political figures because of the perceive transparency issues. "The PV quota is snapped up within minutes of opening" seems to be the complaints. This is especially the case for non-individual quota.

So, the Energy, Green Technology and Wa­­­ter Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili, has an idea: Those intending to cash in on renewable energy (RE) production using solar power may need to go through an open bidding process in the future if demand continues to outstrip the funds available.


Response on solar PV overwhelming

Response to the solar photovoltaic (PV) segment of the Government’s Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) system – which pays consumers monthly for energy sent back into the national power grid – had been overwhelming since it was launched in 2011.

Under the FiT system, which has an annual fund size of RM300mil and currently only applies to the West Malaysia, participating consumers are paid for feeding energy produced using renewable power sources back into the national grid.

For example, a medium-sized house with a 4kW solar PV system can earn around RM550 a month based on monthly generation of 400kWh (units) of power fed back into TNB grid.

Dr Maximus spoke to reporters at the launch of Alliance Bank’s Home Complete PlusSolar Panel Financing scheme at the Sustainable Energy Development Agency office in Putrajaya.

Solar PV, which cover both individual and non-individual categories, accounts for around 41% of the total power production quota set aside under the FiT:-

• Solar PV (141.58MW)      - 41%
• Small hydro (99.35 MW)  - 28.8%
• Biomass (88.89MW)        - 25.7%
• Biogas (15.53)                 - 4.5%

Solar PV quota a good problem to have?

The minister in charge of energy indicated that this was a good problem to have as the government was keen on increasing the number of households and commercial operations involved in RE production, adding that the quotas would likely be revised upwards if there was a strong enough demand.

That is good but he must also look at the loopholes in awarding solar PV quota, especially with questions raised previously on companies (or companies under the same roof) sweeping most of the quota.