City of Cologne Votes to be 100 Percent Powered by Solar

 

Louis Hall and Fire Station with Water Tower in background Cologne 2010 Census As of the census of 2010, there were 1,519 people, 539 households, and 398 families residing in the city. The population density was 868.0 inhabitants per square mile (335.1/km2). There were 562 housing units at an average density of 321.1 per square mile (124.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.9% White, 0.9% African American, 1.2% Asian, 1.4% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.2% of the population. There were 539 households of which 45.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.8% were married couples living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 26.2% were non-families. 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.29. The median age in the city was 32 years. 32.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 37.2% were from 25 to 44; 18.5% were from 45 to 64; and 6.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 52.1% male and 47.9% female. City of Cologne to be first city in the state of Minnesota to use community solar for 100 percent of electric energy needs Minneapolis, MN- After a historic vote last Monday, the city of Cologne signed a contract this morning to power up to 100 percent of its city facilities’ energy needs from Community Solar. The energy will be generated by over 2,700 solar panels in SunShare’s solar gardens currently under development through the Xcel Energy’s Solar*Rewards Community program. This is enough energy to power about 140 homes for 25 years. The decision by the City of Cologne marks the culmination of their public process lasting about two months, including a presentation by SunShare, public meetings, and a several hour discussion among City Council members. Not only an environmental choice but also an economic one, the City of Cologne will fix the city’s energy costs at today’s levels, protecting the city from volatile fossil fuel prices. Meanwhile, the city is promoting innovation and leadership as part of a broader goal to attract new businesses and young professionals to the community, according to Jesse Dickson, City Administrator. “This decision creates a win-win for our community members and the City,” said Dickson. “By joining SunShare’s Solar project, the City is both doing the right thing environmentally and cutting down on our electricity costs, our taxpayer dollars can more efficiently be used for additional projects and infrastructure. Whatever we save can be put back toward the community.” To date, the City of Cologne is the first city in the state of Minnesota to choose to source 100 percent its energy needs from Community Solar. About a year earlier, SunShare enrolled the first city in the nation- the City of Manitou Springs, Colorado- to power 100 percent of its city facilities with Community Solar. In 2013 the Minnesota State legislature passed the Solar Energy Jobs Act, allowing Community Solar to be possible. Community Solar was designed to broaden citizen and community access to locally generated solar energy. Residents living in apartments, small businesses and homeowners that couldn’t afford their own systems, or large organizations without the proper roof space now have the option to choose. “The City of Cologne has set an example for communities across Minnesota that renewable energy is a serious priority for cities,” said Ken Bradley, Director of Business Development at SunShare. “Leadership from the City of Cologne and the hundreds of citizens choosing Community Solar will drive greater adoption of renewable energy in communities in Minnesota and across the nation,” Bradley added. For more information on the Community Solar Garden program, visit www.mysunshare.com. Customers interested in becoming a part of SunShare’s Community Solar gardens should email contactus@mysunshare.com or call 612-345-8881. ABOUT SUNSHARE SunShare is transforming the energy industry with locally-generated community solar power. Anyone can choose to purchase electricity from SunShare’s solar farms while their utility continues delivering their energy. SunShare customers simply receive credits on their utility bills which protect them from rising electricity rates. Our team is driving innovation and making solar an easy choice. As one of the nation’s first community solar companies, we have enabled hundreds of citizens, businesses and organizations to play a part in creating a cleaner, better future. Learn more at www.mysunshare.com. ABOUT THE CITY OF COLOGNE The City of Cologne is located in Carver County West of the Twin cities. Incorporated in 1881, Cologne grew around the Hastings and Dakota Railroad Company line. Cologne now has a population around 1,500 and continues to grow with the help of new housing developments. Residents of Cologne get the best of both worlds by being far enough from the big cities to enjoy quiet evenings and a nice plot of land while still being able to quickly access all the amenities and fun that the Twin Cities offers. Cologne boasts a rich German heritage and has all the charm of small town Minnesota. For more information on Cologne visit www.colognemn.com. Source : DOE Green Power Network

Vitamin C related to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, early death

 

New research from the University of Copenhagen and Herlev and Gentofte Hospital shows that high vitamin C concentrations in the blood from the intake of fruit and vegetables are associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and early death. The study, which has just been published in the well known American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, is based on the Copenhagen General Population Study. As part of the study, the researchers had access to data about 100,000 Danes and their intake of fruit and vegetables as well as their DNA. "We can see that those with the highest intake of fruit and vegetables have a 15% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease and a 20% lower risk of early death compared with those who very rarely eat fruit and vegetables. At the same time, we can see that the reduced risk is related to high vitamin C concentrations in the blood from the fruit and vegetables," says Camilla Kobylecki, a medical doctor and PhD student at the Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital. Vitamin C from food rather than supplements Among other things, vitamin C helps build connective tissue which supports and connects different types of tissues and organs in the body. Vitamin C is also a potent antioxidant which protects cells and biological molecules from the damage which causes many diseases, including cardiovascular disease. The human body is not able to produce vitamin C, which means that we must get the vitamin from our diet. "We know that fruit and vegetables are healthy, but now our research is pinpointing more precisely why this is so. Eating a lot of fruit and vegetables is a natural way of increasing vitamin C blood levels, which in the long term may contribute to reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and early death. You can get vitamin C supplements, but it is a good idea to get your vitamin C by eating a healthy diet, which will at the same time help you to develop a healthier lifestyle in the long term, for the general benefit of your health," says Boerge Nordestgaard, a clinical professor at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, and a consultant at Herlev and Gentofte Hospital. The researchers are now continuing their work to determine which other factors, combined with vitamin C, have an impact on cardiovascular disease and death. Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by University of Copenhagen The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Cancer drug 49 times more potent than Cisplatin

 

Tests have shown that a new cancer drug, FY26, is 49 times more potent than the clinically used treatment Cisplatin. Based on a compound of the rare precious metal osmium and developed by researchers at the University of Warwick's Department of Chemistry and the Warwick Cancer Research Unit, FY26 is able to shut down a cancer cell by exploiting weaknesses inherent in their energy generation. The researchers argue that the drug could be cheaper to produce, less harmful to healthy cells than existing treatments and has been shown to be active against cancer cells which have become resistant to platinum-based drugs. The experiments conducted by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute comprising 809 cancer cell lines found that FY26 was 49 times more potent than cisplatin. Similar results were obtained by the National Cancer Institute USA in tests conducted on 60 cell lines. The new drug works by forcing cancer cells to use their mitochondria, the 'power house' of a cell, to generate the energy necessary to function. Whilst healthy cells use mitochondria to generate energy, cancer cells contain defective mitochondria which are incapable of sustaining the cell's energy requirements. In the absence of FY26, cancer cells switch from using their defective mitochondria to using metabolic activity in their cytoplasm to generate energy. By stopping this switch of energy source, the drug causes the cancer cell to die. Lead researcher Professor Peter Sadler, of the University of Warwick's Department of Chemistry, said explains: "Healthy cells generate their energy in organelles called mitochondria, but cancer cells have defective mitochondria and are forced to generate energy through glycolysis in the cytoplasm. Our new compounds work by attacking the energy balance in cancer cells." Commenting on the drug's benefits when compared to existing platinum-based drugs, such as Cisplatin, Professor Sadler says: "Platinum-based drugs are used in nearly 50% of all chemotherapeutic regimens and exert their activity by damaging DNA and cannot select between cancerous and non-cancerous cells. This can lead to a wide-range of side-effects from renal failure to neurotoxicity, ototoxicity, nausea and vomiting." "Existing platinum-based cancer treatments often become less effective after the first course, as cancer cells learn how they are being attacked, but our new osmium compound with its different mechanism of action, remains active against cancer cells that have become resistant to drugs such as Cisplatin." The research could also lead to substantial improvements in cancer survival rates, suggests co-researcher Dr Isolda Romero-Canelon: "Current statistics indicate that one in every two people will develop some kind of cancer during their life time, with approximately one woman dying of ovarian cancer every two hours in the UK according to Cancer Research UK and two deaths every hour from bowel cancer. "It is clear that a new generation of drugs is necessary to save more lives and our research points to a highly effective way of defeating cancerous cells." The research, supported by the European Research Council and titled Potent organo-osmium compound shifts metabolism in epithelial ovarian cancer cells, is published by PNAS. The paper describes the comprehensive systems biology approach used to elucidate the mechanism of osmium action of FY26, led by PhD student Jess Hearn. Importantly this analysis also pinpointed 3 mutations in the mitochondrial DNA of ovarian cancer cells. Following the successful test results the researchers have been awarded a Wellcome Trust Pathfinder grant to begin preclinical development of organo-osmium compounds.

Optical 'dog’s nose' may hold key to breath analysis

 

University of Adelaide researchers are developing a laser system for fast, non-invasive, onsite breath analysis for disease, potentially enabling screening for a range of diseases including diabetes, infections and various cancers in the future. The researchers have developed an instrument they equate to an "optical dog's nose" which uses a special laser to measure the molecular content of a sample of gas. "Rather than sniffing out a variety of smells as a dog would, the laser system uses light to "sense" the range of molecules that are present in the sample," says Dr James Anstie, Australian Research Council (ARC) Research Fellow with the University's Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS). "Those molecules are by-products of metabolic processes in the body and their levels change when things go wrong. There have been good studies undertaken around the world which show that diseases like lung and esophageal cancer, asthma and diabetes can be detected in this way, even before external symptoms are showing." Breath analysis is a relatively new field being pursued around the world. But the system being developed offers almost-instant results, high sensitivity and the ability to test for a range of molecules at once ─ making it promising for broadscale health screening. Published in the journal Optics Express, Dr Anstie and colleagues including Masters student Nicolas Bourbeau Herbert, PhD student Sarah Scholten, senior research associate Dr Richard White and IPAS director Professor Andre Luiten detail their use of optical spectroscopy to detect the light-absorption patterns of different molecules, with high levels of accuracy and speed. The system uses a specialised laser -- an optical frequency comb -- that sends up to a million different light frequencies through the sample in parallel. Each molecule absorbs light at different optical frequencies and therefore has a unique molecular fingerprint. "We now have a robust system to be able to detect the presence and concentrations of molecules in a sample," says Dr Anstie. "The next step is to work out how to accurately sample and interpret the levels which will naturally vary from person to person." Dr Anstie believes the group will have a working prototype in 2-3 years and a commercial "plug and play" product could be available in 3-5 years. Other potential applications include measuring trace gasses, such as atmospheric carbon dioxide, and detecting impurities in natural gas streams.

Nutritional supplement boosts muscle stamina in animal studies

 

Eectron micrograph of a muscle fiber and subpopulations of intermyofibrillar mitochondria (mt). Credit: Leigh Thorne, M.D. The benefits of exercise are well known, but physical fitness becomes increasingly difficult as people age or develop ailments, creating a downward spiral into poor health. Now researchers at Duke Medicine report there may be a way to improve exercise tolerance and, by extension, its positive effects. Reporting in the July 7 issue of the journal Cell Metabolism, the research team describes a small molecule and its metabolic pathway that work together to optimize energy use in exercising muscles. In mouse studies, animals that received a nutrient supplement that increased activity of this pathway ran longer and farther than those that were not supplemented. "We don't know yet if these results will hold true in humans," said senior author Deborah Muoio, Ph.D, director of basic research at the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute and Sarah W. Stedman Nutrition and Metabolism Center. "Exercise intolerance becomes a problem when reduced strength and stamina prevent normal, routine activities such as mowing the lawn or climbing stairs, or when physical activity causes extreme discomfort," Muoio said. "So finding ways to optimize exercise could have tremendous impact to improve overall health." Muoio and colleagues focused on a metabolic enzyme called carnitine acetyltransferase, or CrAT, which uses the micronutrient carnitine to boost the energy economy within mitochondria, the tiny engines of cells. CrAT has been known for many years, but its role in exercise was unknown. The Duke researchers engineered mice that lack the gene encoding CrAT, specifically in skeletal muscle, and evaluated their ability to perform exercise. The CrAT-deficient mice were compared against a control group of mice that were identical, except they had the CrAT gene. As suspected, mice that lacked the CrAT gene tired earlier during various exercise tests because their muscles had more difficulty meeting the energy demands of the activity. The researchers then introduced a carnitine supplement. Exercise tolerance improved only in animals with normal CrAT activity in muscle. Muoio said these results strongly imply that carnitine and the CrAT enzyme work together to optimize muscle energy metabolism during exercise. "We were actually quite surprised that carnitine supplementation proved beneficial in young, healthy mice because our presumption was that carnitine availability was not a limiting factor under these circumstances," Muoio said. "We don't know yet if these results will hold true in humans." Muoio said the findings suggest that CrAT and the metabolite it produces help the mitochondrial engines respond more efficiently when muscles transition from a low to higher work rate, and vice versa. She said more research is needed to fully understand how this system improves energy economy during exercise. "Responses to any given exercise regimen or intervention can vary tremendously among individuals, which means that both genetic and environmental factors influence exercise-induced improvements in physical fitness and overall health," Muoio said. "Nutrition is one of those factors, and we are interested in identifying nutritional strategies to augment the positive effects of physical activity. Our recent studies suggest that the CrAT enzyme might be targetable through such strategies." Clinical trials and additional animal studies are underway to define the role of CrAT in muscle energy metabolism. Muoio said the short-term goal is to determine whether carnitine supplementation enhances the benefits of exercise training in older individuals at risk of metabolic disease. Long-term plans include efforts to identify other genes and metabolic pathways that influence individual responses to exercise intervention, with the goal of developing personalized programs to optimize the health benefits gained by physical activity. "This work is not meant to imply that everyone should be taking carnitine supplements," Muoio said. "We need to consider underlying genetics, lifestyle factors and acquired conditions." Explore further: How much exercise do you need, and what kind? More information: Cell Metabolism, Seiler and Koves et al.: "Carnitine Acetyltransferase Mitigates Metabolic Inertia and Muscle Fatigue During Exercise" dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2015.06.003

Informações projetadas no para-brisa podem prejudicar segurança

 

Informações projetadas nos para-brisas dos veículos, à altura dos olhos do motorista, podem causar distração, ameaçando a segurança. A conclusão é de um estudo divulgado pela Universidade de Toronto, no Canadá, e contraria a percepção comum de que, sem precisar deslocar os olhos para o painel de instrumentos, o motorista não perderia a concentração ao verificar dados como a velocidade ou instruções de navegação com o carro em movimento. Presentes em vários veículos, de muitas marcas, os mostradores virtuais conhecidos como head-up displays (ou HUDs) podem exibir, além das informações mais básicas, dados sobre chamadas telefônicas e alertas de sistemas de segurança, entre outras. Esses dispositivos são inspirados nos usados na aviação, principalmente em aeronaves de combate. Segundo os pesquisadores canadenses, o problema é que, na prática, qualquer alerta pode causar distração, forçando o motorista a dividir sua atenção entre o que acontece à sua frente e o aviso que está recebendo. Para verificar o efeito das informações adicionais colocadas na linha de visão dos motoristas, os pesquisadores realizaram dois testes. No primeiro, os motoristas eram solicitados a dizer quantos pontos eram projetados aleatoriamente à sua frente. Além disso, um quadrado com bordas pretas também aparecia de quando em quando e os condutores deveriam dizer quando isso acontecia. O resultado mostrou que, quando apenas os pontos eram projetados, sem o quadrado, o índice de acerto era alto. Já quando o quadrado aparecia ao mesmo tempo que poucos pontos, deixava de ser percebido uma vez em cada quinze. Se houvesse mais pontos, o quadrado era ignorado até dez por cento das vezes em que surgia. Além disso, quando o número de pontos era aumentado, independentemente da presença ou não do quadrado, o índice de erros na contagem aumentava. Para os autores do trabalho, os resultados mostraram que a atenção numa tarefa inicial foi reduzida quando outras informações foram transmitidas aos participantes. Isto significa que, numa situação real, os motoristas podem não responder a estímulos múltiplos com eficiência suficiente para distinguir entre um aviso de perigo iminente e uma informação rotineira, por exemplo, uma recomendação para entrar à esquerda e um alerta de colisão. No segundo teste, os motoristas deveriam identificar formas – um triângulo, um quadrado e um losango – que apareciam juntamente com os pontos subitamente e sem aviso prévio, como ocorre com alertas de perigo mostrados nos HUDs reais. Como no teste anterior, quando o número de pontos era alto, muitos participantes confundiam os formatos ao identifica-los ou, até mesmo, deixavam de perceber sua aparição, além de aumentar o índice de erro na contagem dos pontos. Ter que executar duas tarefas visuais também reduziu a velocidade de reação em até 200 por cento. Para os coordenadores do estudo, as falhas na percepção e a queda na velocidade de reação são ameaças reais à segurança no trânsito. Além disso, a disputa pela atenção do motorista tem mais chance de ocorrer exatamente quando as situações de trânsito são mais complexas. Publicado em 30/06/2015  - fonte :autoestrada.uol.com.br

Electric truck takes up delivery duties for BMW in Munich

 

BMW's electric truck can cover 100 km on one charge BMW's electric truck has been let loose on the Munich roads, ready to take up service delivering materials between supplier SCHERM and BMW's manufacturing plant. The 40 ton (36 tonne) truck has a range of 100 km (62 mi), allowing it to work all day without needing a charge. Based on the Type YT202-EV 4x2 from Dutch manufacturer Terberg, the all-electric truck takes between three and four hours to charge and will complete the 2 km (1.2 mi) trip between SCHERM and BMW eight times a day, for a total daily commute of just 16 km. While the distances may be relatively short, the trucks are doing some seriously heavy hauling, and the environmental benefits of not using diesel powered trucks on that route are significant. How significant? BMW has committed to charging the trucks using only electricity from renewable sources, which contributes to a saving of 11.8 tons of CO2 every year compared to a standard diesel truck. That's the same amount of CO2 as a 320d would use if you were to drive it around the world three times! The initial project for the electric truck will last one year, but both partners will look to extend the project if it proves successful – and both will be hoping it is a big success, because of the six figure investment each made in the project initially. Source: BMW

NASA Book Shows How Space Station Research Offers "Benefits for Humanity"

 

July 7, 2015

A new book from NASA is showing how research aboard the International Space Station helps improve lives on Earth while advancing NASA's ambitious human exploration goals.

NASA will release “Benefits for Humanity” online and in print at the fourth annual International Space Station Research and Development Conference, which is being held Tuesday through Thursday in Boston. The book highlights benefits in a number of key areas including human health, disaster relief and education programs to inspire future scientists, engineers and space explorers.

NASA's "Benefits for Humanity” book highlights International Space Station research off the Earth for the Earth that improves lives.

Credits: NASA

"Some 250 miles overhead, astronauts are conducting critical research not possible on Earth, which makes tremendous advances in our lives while helping to expand human presence beyond low Earth orbit," said William Gerstenmaier, NASA associate administrator for Human Exploration and Operations. "Since 2012, this research has been carried to orbit by our U.S. commercial cargo providers Orbital ATK and SpaceX. Both companies will return to flight soon, having learned from recent challenges to perform even stronger. In the next few years, SpaceX and Boeing will send our crews to orbit from the United States, increasing the size of space station crews to seven, doubling the amount of crew time to conduct research for all of humanity." 

The space station, which has been continuously occupied since November 2000, has been visited by more than 200 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft. It is an unprecedented success in global cooperation to build and operate a research platform in space. In a partnership between five member space agencies representing 15 countries, it advances a unified goal to utilize the orbiting laboratory for the betterment of humanity. The partner agencies include NASA, the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

"People do not realize how much their lives today have been made better by the space station," said Julie Robinson, NASA International Space Station chief scientist. "You would be surprised to know that station research has resulted in devices that can help control asthma and sensor systems that significantly improve our ability to monitor the Earth and respond to natural hazards and catastrophes, among many other discoveries." 

Scientists use the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM), also known as Kibo, to research effective drugs that may improve the lives of patients suffering around the globe.

"The International Space Station and Kibo remind me of a computer," said Kazuyuki Tasaki, deputy director of the JAXA JEM Utilization Center. "After being invented, the computer disseminated diverse public knowledge applicable in many fields, such as computing, simulation, word processing, games and the Internet. The space station and Kibo also offer huge potential for benefitting humankind."

Since 2010, the Vessel-ID System, installed on ESA’s Columbus module, has improved the ship tracking ability of coast guards around the world and even aided rescue services for a lone shipwreck survivor stranded in the North Sea. 

"The International Space Station with its European Columbus laboratory is steadily producing lots of important research results which are relevant for many areas of life on Earth," said Martin Zell, head of ESA’s Space Station Utilisation and Support. "Experimental demonstration of new technologies, as well as the interaction between astronauts and younger generations on Earth for educational activities are invaluable benefits from the permanent human space laboratory in low-Earth orbit."

CSA’s robotic heavy-lifters aboard the space shuttle and station, Canadarm, Canadarm2 and the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (Dextre), inspired medical technology that is changing the lives of patients on Earth.

"Technologies developed for the assembly and maintenance of the station are helping to save lives here on Earth," said Nicole Buckley, CSA chief scientist, Life Sciences and ISS utilization. "The Canadian robotics system that helped build and now operates on the International Space Station has led to tools that give doctors new ways to detect cancer, operate on sick children, and perform neurosurgery on patients once considered to be inoperable."

In addition to the updated benefits book, NASA released its third iteration of the International Space Station Reference Guide, which explains what the space station does and how it works. This release focuses on the station’s capabilities to perform pioneering science in its microgravity environment. To date, 83 countries have taken part in more than 1,700 experiments and educational efforts on this world-class laboratory in space.

The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), who is hosting the conference in cooperation with the American Astronautical Society and NASA, is releasing a new research-focused, interactive website that provides tools, information and resources to give researchers a competitive edge sending new investigations to the space station. Visit the website at:

http://SpaceStationResearch.com

For more information about the International Space Station and research aboard the orbiting laboratory, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

Live-streaming of the International Space Station Research and Development Conference is available at:

http://www.issconference.org

Are bridge-mounted wind turbines a viable option?

 

An artist's take on how wind turbines underneath bridges might look (Credit: José Antonio Peñas/Sinc) Wind turbines might be common sight all around the world, but situating them in open fields or on breezy ridges isn't always a practical option. Ideas like placing turbines under bridges have been proposed, but is that a viable alternative? According to new research out of Europe, the answer is yes. The study is based in models and computer simulations, which were carried out by researcher Oscar Soto and his colleagues in Kingston University (London) The researchers from Spain and the UK, used the Juncal Viaduct in the Canary Islands as a basis for computer simulations designed to establish whether the wind blowing between the pillars on bridges is sufficient to move turbines and create energy. The study showed that the best way to create power would be to use two different-sized turbines, or even to create a matrix of 24 small turbines because of their low weight and the amount of power that can be produced by each unit. In terms of practicality, however, the study suggests that the best option would be to use two identical medium sized 0.25 MW turbines, which could theoretically generate enough energy to power 450-500 homes, as well as reduce CO2 emissions compared with fossil fuel sources. "This kind of installation would avoid the emission of 140 tons of CO2 per year, an amount that represents the depuration effect of about 7,200 trees," said researcher Oscar Soto. A paper outlining the findings has been published in the journal Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. Source: Sinc

New energy cell can store up solar energy for release at night

 

Researchers have, for the first time, found a way to store electrons generated by photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells for long periods of time (Credit: UT Arlington) A photoelectrochemical cell (PEC) is a special type of solar cell that gathers the Sun's energy and transforms it into either electricity or chemical energy used to split water and produce hydrogen for use in fuel cells. In an advance that could help this clean energy source play a stronger role within the smart grid, researchers at the University of Texas, Arlington have found a way to store the electricity generated by a PEC cell for extended periods of time and allow electricity to be delivered around the clock. Currently, the electricity generated by a PEC cell could not be stored effectively, as the electrons would quickly "disappear" into a lower-energy state. This meant that these cells were not a viable solution for a clean-energy grid, as the electricity had to be used very shortly after being produced. That is, on sunny days, at a time when standard PV panels would already be producing energy at full tilt. Now, researchers Fuqiang Liu and colleagues have created a PEC cell that includes a specially designed photoelectrode (the component that converts incoming photons into electrons). Unlike previous designs, their hybrid tungsten trioxide/titanium dioxide (WO3/TiO2) photoelectrode can store electrons effectively for long periods of time, paving the way for PEC cells to play a bigger role within a smart energy grid. The system also includes a vanadium redox-flow battery (VRB). This is an already established type of energy storage cell that is very well-suited for the needs of the electrical grid as it can stay idle for very long times without losing charge, is much safer than a lithium-ion cell (though less energy-dense), is nearly immune to temperature extremes, and can be scaled up very easily, simply by increasing the size of its electrolyte tanks. According to the researchers, the vanadium flow battery works especially well with their hybrid electrode, allowing them to boost the electric current, offering great reversibility (with 95 percent Faradaic efficiency) and allowing for high-capacity energy storage. "We have demonstrated simultaneously reversible storage of both solar energy and electrons in the cell," says lead author of the paper Dong Liu. "Release of the stored electrons under dark conditions continues solar energy storage, thus allowing for continuous storage around the clock." The team is now working on building a larger prototype, with the hope that this technology could be used to better integrate photoelectrochemical cells within the smart grid. A paper describing the advance appears in the latest edition of the journal ACS Catalysis. Source: UT Arlington via Kurzweil AI

Optical and Microwave Waveform Synthesis

 

Summary: We use femtosecond-laser frequency combs to generate optical and microwave waveforms with unprecedented noise performance. Description: A typical optical frequency comb consists of thousands to millions of phase coherent modes (the "teeth" of the comb) that can all be used to synthesize precisely controlled electromagnetic waveforms.  Our main research thrust in this area has been focused on the generation of microwave and millimeter wave signals with extremely low phase noise (or timing jitter); however, the basic principles we are developing can be extended to the generation of waveforms of arbitrary shape and frequency composition that would extend well beyond current electronic limits. Agile optical signal processing, based on synthesis and control of light, holds the potential to dramatically improve technology and metrology, including applications in radar and sensing, high-speed signal processing, communications and navigation, and data encryption.  Our photonics approach to low-noise microwave generation has enabled 10GHz signals with close-to-carrier absolute phase noise less than −100 dBc/Hz, a value 40 dB lower than the best room-temperature electronic oscillators. The exceptionally low phase noise arises from the frequency division of a stable optical oscillator using a femtosecond laser frequency comb. In our technique, which we call "optical frequency division" (OFD), the stability of the optical reference is transferred to the timing in the pulse train of a modelocked laser.  Photodetection of this stable optical pulse train generates an electronic pulse train with a spectrum composed of high spectral purity harmonics of the pulse repetition rate, up to the cutoff bandwidth of the photodiode. www.nist.gov NIST Home > PML > Time and Frequency Division > Optical Frequency Measurements Group > Optical and Microwave Waveform Synthesis