The energy demand all over the world is expected to be 28 terawatts by 2050, which can lead to increase of energy consumption patterns and greenhouse gas production. (P.Alivisatos et al. 2005) One of the most significant issues the industrialised world is facing today is the energy challenge, issues associated with energy production, storage and reducing consumption of energy use. The use of energy has reason to rise over time due to an increase in the world population and the discovery of new technologies which require electrical energy. The electrical energy is used everywhere, from heating homes to manufacturing. The energy resources are divided into two types: alternative and traditional energy resources. The global energy challenge is primarily related to the limits of the traditional resources - major organic and mineral resources of our planet. For example, fossil fuels: coal, petroleum, oil and natural gas, whose use can damage the environment. In addition, due to their limited availability, they could one day run out. However, there is a possibility to use alternative energy resources, such as solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal and biofuel, which are renewable and do not harm our environment. A potential solution of energy crisis could be the use of nanotechnology, which can drive the exploration of a variety of alternative energy sources, from solar cells to hydrogen fuel cells to efficient batteries. Nanotechnology is the branch of engineering which studies objects measured by a nanometer – billionth of a meter. It is the collective term for a range of technologies, techniques and processes which involve manipulation of matter at the molecular and atomic levels. Nanotechnology materials are often not predictable from t... ... middle of paper ... ...011) 6) W. Luther. 2008. Application of nanotechnologies in the energy sector. p.36 http://www.hessen-nanotech.de/mm/NanoEnergy_web.pdf (accessed 25 January 2011) 7) http://www.dyesol.com/index.php?page=How+DSC+Works http://www.dyesol.com/index.php?page=History+of+Dyesol+technology 8)Ian Illuminato. 2010. Nanotechnology, climate and energy. Over-heated promises and hot air? http://www.foeeurope.org/publications/2010/nano_climate_energy_nov2010.pdf (accessed 2 February 2011) 9)NANO from the library 11)Hydrogen energy and fuel cells 12)www.konarka.com 13) Luisa Filipponi and Duncan Sutherland 2007 14) Yunjin Yao (2010). Hydrogen Storage Using Carbon Nanotubes, Carbon Nanotubes, Jose Mauricio Marulanda (Ed.), ISBN: 978-953-307-054-4, InTech, Available from: http://www.intechopen.com/articles/show/title/hydrogen-storage-using-carbon-nanotubes 15)Nikitin et al
Many main technological innovations in the 21st century is expected to be based on nanotechnology (Mukunthan et al., 2011). It is a rapidly growing multidisciplinary field which includes many branches of science like physics, chemical engineering, super molecular chemistry, mechanical engineering, material sciences, biotechnology and medicine (Dondaa et al., 2013). Bio nanotechnology integrates biotechnology and nanotechnology for developing biosynthetic and environmental-friendly technology for synthesis of nanomaterials (Kudle et al., 2013).
Hamer, Glenn. "Solar Power Can Help Fuel the Future." Energy Alternatives (2006). Print. 19 November 2014.
Carbon nanotubes with their amazing properties in terms of strength, thermal and electrical are composed to have a significant impact on future material sciences, electronics and nanotechnology. Due to their specialized structures, Carbon nanotubes can be used in creating very thin energy storage devices which could provide a new dimension and replace the capacitors and batteries which exist now. Research in carbon nanotubes is moving ahead discovering new forms, applications and Solar thermal storage is a result of one such research.
Our planet is home to over five billion people, all consuming natural resource, and most producing finished goods. From bicycles to automobiles and houses to skyscrapers, this constant production takes an immense amount of energy. Not only human energy, but electricity too. It is need to power the assembly lines that make bicycles and automobiles. It's essential to run your home appliances, and business computers, and its all produced using similar methods. You heat water to produce steam, which turns a turbine, and generates electricity. Its not quite that simple, but for the purpose of this paper it will suffice. By far the most widespread source of fuel are fossil fuels. They are still abundant, and are relatively easy to obtain. However there is one main problem with the burning of fossil fuels. It produces pollution, in the form of dirty air, polluted water, and greenhouse gasses. This pollution is one of the main causes of global warming, the impact of which has the potential to destroy the planet. It is unreasonable to ask humanity to give up electricity, but the two main problems still exist. Pollution, and an eventual exhaustion of fossil fuels. Therefore an alternative form of energy must be found. Several ideas exist. There is hydroelectric power, solar power, wind power, and nuclear energy.
Currently, Yi Cui and his team of scientists at Stanford University have discovered that you can demeanor electricity through producing an "ink" made of carbon nanotubes. Simply by coating an ordinary piece of paper with ink made of carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires, you can construct a highly conductive storage gadget (Cui, Y., 2009). Nevertheless, you can also make simply supercapacitors, which can store and discharge electricity much more swiftly than a battery. Paper supercapacitor in the future may prove to be very useful for many large applications, which depend on the quick transfer of electricity. With this discovery, battery made from paper can be able to generate large appliances such as electric or hybrid cars (PNAS, 2009). Compared to his earlier research that dealt with creating energy storage devices using plastics, Cui’s latest research with the paper battery has shown that a paper battery is more durable as th...
Good morning/ afternoon ladies and gentleman, my name is Gurkaran Banipal, and my presentation is on Carbon Nanotubes or also known as CNTs. Did you know theses nanotubes are constructed with a length-to-diameter ratio of up to 132,000,000:1, significantly larger than for any other material present and they are lighter than plastic, stronger than steel, harder than diamond, and conduct electricity better than copper. Carbon nanotubes are a revolutionary development that has a very distinguished structure and unique properties which allows it to have significant applications in the fields of: nanotechnology, electronics, and other fields of materials science and technology that are applying to our everyday lives and improving them without us even noticing, and have a very small negative impact on our environment compared to their potential contributions to our world. The structure the CNTs possess is so unique and distinct it allows it to have very peculiar properties. The structure of the CNTs allows it to have very unique bonding properties, strength, electrical conductivity and Kinetic properties that are helping to change the world we know. I will discuss all of these properties, but first let me properly introduce you to these aforementioned Carbon Nanotubes.
Although Solar Energy is a flexible source of where energy could be directly or indirectly converted into forms of energy, it’s still not perfect. With its inefficiency, scientists are trying to find alternative solution to store solar cells for as long as possible. The main process of capturing solar energy happens at the nanoscale. With solar cells, it gets more efficient the tinier it gets. The converting rate of solar energy is equally price competitive as fossil fuel, with a dollar per watt of solar energy. With the help of nanotechnology, it could help raise solar energy conversion efficiency and help lower costs making it the ultimate method of raw energy conversion. To make sure the process of generating energy is kept at a low cost and energy output...
Artificial photosynthesis could revolutionize our energy source and could solve the global warming crisis. Since the artificial photosynthesis is a renewable and clean energy with zero carbon dioxide emission and only harnessing the sun energy. This innovative works that mimic the process of plants by splitting the water molecules and produce products of Hydrogen and oxygen only by using the energy from the sunlight. With this the technology, it can produce products of hydrogen that can be converted into fuels that give many benefits to human for instance, transport, electricity generation and industries. In the process of artificial photosynthesis also give out a by-product of oxygen to the surrounding that reduce the level of carbon dioxide. However, there are several issues regarding this artificial photosynthesis one is the materials to manufacture it and the other one is the energy require to split the water molecules perform by this technology. Through breakthrough of advance research and nanotechnology, scientist and technologists are able to tackle these problems and make artificial photosynthesis a reality and one day could be used as an energy resources.
1. Energy for the future - Hydrogen and Fuel Cell industry sets out its blueprint. European Commission. 3-17-05
One of the most compelling arguments for the use of renewable energy is how many forms exist of it. Nuclear power, solar power, wind power, tidal power, hydroelectric power, pumped storage, wave power, geothermal power, biomass, and biogas are the most widely known renewable energy sources (Darvill, 2013). This large selection of fuels supports the idea of renewable fuels one day powering the entire planet. All the sources of energy have different niches and benefits. Solar energy is extremely ef...
Nanotechnology is basically “an extension of existing sciences” (M.H. Fulekar 2010), only at a much smaller, nano, scale. Nanotechnology is the understanding and controlling of matter at sizes of roughly 1 to 100 nanometers, smaller than a strand of human hair, which is nearly 80,000 nanometers thick. figure 1 Using nanoscale science, phenomenal engineering, technological, and medical ideas, it covers a whole range of various developments. Although it contributes to many areas of science, chemistry plays the most important role to its use and development.
Delucchi, Mark A., and Mark Z. Jacobson. "Meeting the World's Energy Needs with Wind, Water, and Solar Power." Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (2013): 31-40. Web.
Energy is the basic necessity of daily life. Nowadays, dependence on fossil fuels for energy needs becoming lower in numerous countries due to the potential of renewable energy to supply sustainable energy to the huge populations in many developing countries who are short of clean and continues energy. Generally, renewable energy can be defined as energy that is derived from natural resources which are constantly replenished and theoretically inexhaustible. Fossil fuels on the other hand can be described as energy that cannot be renewed and will eventually diminish. Thus, in many developing countries renewable energy is the alternative energy to replace non-renewable energy or commonly known as fossil fuels. In addition, according to Sorensen (2004), there is a greater demand for renewable energy sources nowadays due to the uncertainty of fuel price rise in living expenses. Commonly, there are many types of renewable energy available in our world such as wind power, biomass energy, solar energy, hydroelectric power and geothermal energy. However, the main three example of renewable energy are hydroelectric power, solar and biomass energy (Refer to Figure 1 in Appendix 1).
There are many alternative means of power that have been suggested: solar, wind, hydro, and hydrogen fuel cells to name a few of the more popular ideas. The focus of this research paper is hydrogen fuel cells.
The area of study of Green Technology is very vast. It includes number of topics like green energy, green building, environmentally preferred purchasing, green chemistry, green nanotechnology and green manufactu...