Off Grid

The development of next generation solar power technology that has potential to be used as a flexible 'skin' over hard surfaces has moved a step closer, thanks to a significant breakthrough.

Aggreko plc has signed a 4-year contract with a leading oil and gas Argentinian company to provide a hybrid power solution at its plant in Sierra Chata, in the province of Neuquén.

Significance of Alphabet Exiting Giant Drones Including Airborne Wind Energy.\r\n\r\nAlphabet/ Google and Facebook exiting large drones does not mean such aircraft are a failure. \r\n\r\nIn Alphabet, a sister company of Google, was acquisition Makani in California and later Hawaii trialling a huge drone with eight propeller-generators and a 70 meter wingspan.

Technology researched at Cranfield University that harnesses concentrated solar power to desalinate sea water is being adopted by a new smart city under construction in Saudi Arabia.

The 100-megawatt Minety power storage project in south-west England is expected to be completed by the end of 2020. The two 50-MW batteries will enable SEEL and Shell subsidiary Limejump to optimise the use of renewable power in the area.

Rio Tinto has approved a $98 million (100 per cent basis) investment in a new solar plant at the Koodaideri mine in the Pilbara, Australia, as well as a lithium-ion battery energy storage system to help power its entire Pilbara power network.

It is well known that face masks do not protect you from bacteria and certainly not from the latest coronavirus. They stop you emitting as much when you sneeze. Beyond infection, there is increasing concern about fine particulates in the air, now proven to pass through your whole body. These are no longer seen as leading to only respiratory diseases and heart failure. Research now links them to depression, birth problems and more. \r\n\r\nHow can we make more effective face masks and air filters generally?

Makani was founded in 2006 by a group of kitesurfers who were curious about the potential for kites to unlock wind energy in more places around the globe. Makani spent the past seven years at Alphabet, during which time the technology advanced from a 20kW demonstrator kite, to a utility-scale kite capable of generating 600kW.

Electrical engineers and microbiologists have created a device they call an 'Air-gen' or air-powered generator, with electrically conductive protein nanowires produced by the microbe Geobacter. The Air-gen connects electrodes to the protein nanowires in such a way that electrical current is generated from the water vapor naturally present in the atmosphere.