night sky crafts

renewable energy: solar, cells, or biomass?

We need to install a small system that is able to produce at least 1MW/h of electrical energy.

biomass is a small fraction of solar energy, indeed it is solar energy converted to chemically stored energy via photosynthesis. The maximum theoretical efficiency of photosynthesis is only 6.6%, when you take into consideration that first generation bio-fuels only use the food grade part of the plant then you can see that it’s only a fraction of a fraction of 1% efficiency that you get. Compare this with the current photovoltaic record efficiency of 42.8% Fuel cells are a matter of storing energy chemically as hydrogen, the energy can be generated through solar photovoltaics, solar thermal, wind, hydro, tidal, geothermal, nuclear or even ancient stored solar (fossil fuels). Unfortunately hydrogen is a terrible way to store energy as it’s volumetric energy density is extremely low (405 WH/l for compressed hydrogen compared to gasoline’s 9,000 WH/l). It’s an irony of nature that a gallon of gasoline contains more hydrogen then a gallon of liquid hydrogen. Hydrogen is also difficult to contain for any period of time as it’s the second smallest gas molecule possible and will diffuse through any material you wish to make the pressure vessel out of. When Sandia Labs investigated more efficient ways of obtaining hydrogen from water, they concluded that it would be better to use the methods found to synthesize liquid hydrocarbon fuels such as gasoline and diesel instead of just producing hydrogen. The liquid fuels could be distributed by existing infrastructure and used in existing vehicles and avoid all the containment and density problems of hydrogen.

Ultimately solar is the future but 1 MW of solar photovoltaic panels can cost 5 million to 10 million dollars US. Megawatts is a unit of power which is energy per unit time so there is no MW per hour with it, however a MWh is a unit of energy ie.: power multiplied by time.

You could reduce this cost by going with solar thermal which should be one tenth the cost of solar photovoltaics but then you are producing steam to drive a steam turbine hence have the added cost of the turbine generator and it’s maintenance.

Wind power turbines are typically available in 3 MW turbines so that may be an option, but these costs millions of dollars as well plus they have a high maintenance cost.

You could use gasifers to burn biomass in the form of woody matter, trash, old tires, and dried sewage to form syngas which can then be used to run gas turbines. You would have the option of using natural gas for the gas turbines should there be a problem with the logistics of getting the biomass but that is the achilles heel of this method, collecting and handling the biomass.

Small portable gasifiers could be brought out to the biomass sources and portable Fischer Tropsch reactors could then convert the syngas to liquid hydrocarbons like diesel for transport to where you need to generate the power or sold to the nearest refinery to avoid transportation costs and power then purchased as needed with the proceeds. The portable solution will allow you to take advantage of storm debris cleanups. This technique has been proposed for recovering stranded natural gas from remote wells.

Now if it’s 1 MWh of energy that you need over a month not 1 MW of power then since there’s about 700 hours in a month of which you can expect a third to be useful solar power, you would only need 4.5 KW of generation capability and that would only be 25 thousand to 45 thousand dollars.

As this is a business, and hence not as likely to be subject to home owners associations or deed restrictions then wind power will be the most cost effective, again only expect a third of the time to be useful for generation as the steadiest winds blow at night.

Microhydro is very cost effective provided that you have access to a water resource (stream or river) and that you actually have water rights to tap that energy. Hydro is also more consistently available so the generation capacity can be a third that of solar or wind to achieve the same total monthly energy generated ( i.e.: 1.5 KW instead of 4.5 KW ). The water rights can be very complicated and could result in you having to pay anyone upstream who has the capability of retaining water since their reserves act as reserves for your flow as well.

First, you need to determine if it’s 1 MW of power that you need or 1 MWh of energy per month that you need. Some details as to what you intend to do with the power would help us comment on what’s suitable.

SOOM Multi Function Tripod System from Sachtler

Grizzly Spit Rotisserie $44.61 Just add food and flame. Portable and motorized Grizzly Spit Rotisserie, for that bistro – roasted taste anytime, anywhere. Rotisseries rotate food over heat for that thoroughly roasted flavor. With this Grizzly Spit Rotisserie, you can feast on rotisserie-cooked food whenever and wherever you get the hankering! It’s portable and battery-powered, so it goes where you go, from the boat to the backy…

Trigger Point Performance Self Myofascial Release and Deep Tissue Massage Quadballer Roller $51.10 The Trigger Point Performance Quadroller allows you to apply effective and safe deep tissue massage and myofascial release to most of your body’s major muscle systems and connective tissues. Combining the rolling motion of a typical foam roller with Trigger Point’s unique patented material, the Quadroller offers a more precise and targeted treatment–similar to what you would experience with a mas…

FREEDOM Grip® $59.95 Wake up with confidence knowing that you can get out of bed with ease. The FREEDOM Grip® is perfect for anyone with pack pain, arthritis or difficulty getting into and out of bed. The handle is made of tubular steel and has a foam cushioned grip. Come complete with a 20″ x 28″ bed board that easily slides between the box spring and mattress. Tool fee assembly…

Portable Tripod Projector Screen $270.00 Keystone eliminator tilts the screen forward to reduce picture distortion. Strong, yet lightweight aluminum legs with secure magnetic locks. Black steel case, with handle. Fire-resistant fabric cleans with soap and water. Screen Size: 60 x 60; Screen Style: Tripod, Forward-Tilting To Reduce Picture Distortion; Adjustability Features: Height; Material(s): N/A….

Nerf N-Strike Vulcan EBF-25 Blaster – Yellow $49.99 The Nerf N-Strike Vulcan EBF-25 gives you the auto-blasting advantage when you’re at foam-filled war with your friends and enemies. Children and adults ages 6 and up will love the EBF-25, the largest full auto blaster that Nerf makes. It lets you shoot 25 sonic micro darts at up to 3 darts per second for an offensive assault. .caption { font-family: Verdana, Helvetica neue, Arial, serif; font-si…

Orion SpaceProbe 3 Altazimuth Reflector Telescope $99.99 Orion’s surprising little Spaceprobe 3 has been picked by independent reviewers as one of the best telescopes in its price class. Unlike similar telescopes seen in discount stores, Orion has refined the Spaceprobe 3 by paying attention to the little details, and that make this telescope a great value. The Spaceprobe 3 comes with an unusually complete set of accessories. The package includes two …

Telescope $18.90 Inquisitive young astronomers and adults alike will enjoy investigating the universe with this durable, easy to use telescope. Great for both stargazing and nature watching this telescope is lightweight and simple to use and is perfect for on-the-go observation. This telescope features a 30mm objective lens, three powerful high-quality 20x, 30x, 40x magnification lenses and a table top tripod. Edu…

GoPro AHD3D-001 3D Hero Expansion Kit (Cameras Not Included) $60.00 Used for Motorosports Hero Digital Hero 5 Helmet Camera System…

Behringer ECM8000 Condenser Ultra-Linear Measurement Condenser Microphone $54.99 To get the best sound in any room, you must first understand the room’s acoustics. The ECM8000 is a specialized condenser microphone designed for use with real-time analyzers, such as our ULTRACURVE DEQ2496, to provide an accurate acoustic picture of the room. You can then use your graphic EQ to fine-tune your system’s performance to perfectly match the characteristics of any acoustic environment….

RAM Mount Handlebar U-Bolt Base w/Round 1/4-20 Threaded Stud $25.80 RAM Handlebar Rail Mount with Zinc Coated U-Bolt Base & Round Base Adapter that Contains a 1/4″-20 Thread for CamerasPart #: RAM-B-149Z-C1UThe RAM zinc coated u-bolt rail base consists of the 1″ diameter ball and socket system with RAM Universal 1/4″-20 thread centered on a 2.5″ diameter plate. This mount is designed to be a universal mounting solution for both still and moving cameras. The base h…