Cleantech Update

This is the Executive Summary from the 2006 US Departement of Energy White Paper "Partial Roles of Ammonia in a Hydrogen Ecconomy" by George Thomas and George Parks. -Editor Ammonia has a number of favorable attributes, the primary one being its high capacity for hydrogen storage, 17.6 wt.%, based on its molecular structure. However, in order to release hydrogen from ammonia, significant energy input as well as reactor mass and volume are required. Other considerations include: safety and toxicity issues, both actual and perceived The incompatibility of polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells in the presence of even trace levels of ammonia (> 0.1ppm). Given the state of the art in ‘cracking’ ammonia to produce hydrogen, there are many issues in the on-board use of ammonia similar to those identified for on-board fuel processors. Specifically, these include: high operating temperature (>500° C) Longevity and reliability of catalysts and other components (at high te...

Ammonia Fuel Network Mission: To promote the implementation of anhydrous ammonia as an affordable, sustainable, carbon-free fuel for transportation and stationary power applications, thereby enhancing economic security, reducing fossil-fuel dependence, and helping save the environment. Anhydrous ammonia is an ultra-clean, energy-dense alternative liquid fuel. Ammonia is the only fuel other than hydrogen that produces no greenhouse gases (GHG) on combustion. Ammonia will power diesel and spark-ignited internal combustion engines, direct ammonia fuel cells, and even combustion turbines. And, ammonia can be manufactured from simply water and air using clean renewable energy. info@ammoniafuelnetwork.org

Flywheel energy storage (FES) works by accelerating a rotor ( flywheel ) to a very high speed and maintaining the energy in the system as rotational energy . The energy is converted back by slowing down the flywheel. Most FES systems use electricity to accelerate and decelerate the flywheel, but devices that directly use mechanical energy are being developed. [1] Advanced FES systems have rotors made of high strength carbon-composite filaments that spin at speeds from 20,000 to over 50,000 rpm [2] in a vacuum enclosure and use magnetic bearings . Such flywheels can come up to speed in a matter of minutes -- much quicker than some other forms of energy storage.[2] Source: Wikipedia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation , search A lead-acid gel battery A deep-cycle lead-acid battery is designed to deliver a consistent voltage as the battery discharges. In contrast, starter batteries (e.g. most automotive batteries) are designed to deliver sporadic current spikes. Battery-driven vehicles, such as golf carts, forklifts and floor sweepers commonly use deep-cycle batteries. While a deep-cycle battery can be used as a starting battery (and may work better than a traditional starting battery with the myriad of electronic components attached to most modern vehicles), the lower "cranking amps" imply that an over-sized battery may need to be used in an older vehicle that lacks fuel injection. Deep cycle batteries can be charged with a lower current than regular batteries. The key structural difference between deep cycle batteries and cranking batteries is the Lead plates, which are solid in deep-cycle batteries and composed of porous sponge-l...

Emergency power system A backup generator for a large apartment building Emergency power systems are a type of system, which may include lighting, generators and other apparatus, to provide backup resources in a crisis or when regular systems fail. They find uses in a wide variety of settings from residential homes to hospitals , scientific laboratories, data centers [1] , telecommunication [2] equipment and modern naval ships. Emergency power systems can rely on generators , deep cycle batteries , flywheel energy storage or hydrogen fuel cells [3] [4] . Finally, some homebrew emergency power systems use regular lead-acid car batteries, but these do not make a very efficient or reliable system. [5] Source: Wikipedia

An uninterrupted power supply (UPS), also known as a battery back-up, provides emergency power and, depending on the topology, line regulation as well to connected equipment by supplying power from a separate source when utility power is not available. It differs from an auxiliary or emergency power system or standby generator, which does not provide instant protection from a momentary power interruption. A UPS, however, can be used to provide uninterrupted power to equipment, typically for 5-15 minutes until an auxiliary power supply can be turned on or utility power is restored. While not limited to safeguarding any particular type of equipment, a UPS is typically used to protect computers , data centers , telecommunication equipment or other electrical equipment where an unexpected power disruption could cause injuries, fatalities, serious business disruption or data loss. UPS units come in sizes ranging from units which will back up a single computer without monitor (around 200 ...

How An Ultra Capacitor Works Ultra capacitors & Super Capacitors store electricity by physically separating positive and negative charges— different from batteries which do so chemically. The charge they hold is like the static electricity that can build up on a balloon, but is much greater thanks to the extremely high surface area of their interior materials. An advantage of the ultracapacitor is their super fast rate of charge and discharge... which is determined solely by their physical properties. A battery relies on a slower chemical reaction for energy. A disadvantage of an ultracapacitor is that currently they store a smaller amount of energy than a battery does. Ultracapacitors are very good at efficiently capturing electricity from regenerative braking, and can deliver power for acceleration just as quickly. With no moving parts, they also have a very long lifespan - 500,000 plus charge/recharge cycles. Ultracapacitors are currently used for wind energy, solar energy, and ...