Bacteria breakthrough: Team honored for turning dirt into a battery

Popular Mechanics has just named a start-up called Lebone the winner of one of its Breakthrough Awards for finding a way to get electricity out of something as common as dirt -- namely, dirt.

What makes it work is that the dirt is full of bacteria. Scientists have long known that bacteria's metabolic reactions produce a steady trickle of electricity. The key is how to harness it.

Lebone (pronounced La-bo-nay) gets its name from the Northern Sotho word for light, lamp, or candle, and its focus is on "finding ways of passively harvesting energy to power lights and cell phones" for the poor in Africa. Right now, notes a story in the Irish Times, "African students often walk miles to reach on-grid lighting for night-time study." Cell phones function as light sources for some Africans.

Last year the Lebone team went to Tanzania to test a "microbial fuel cell" or MFC, described by Popular Mechanics this way: "Simple and cheap, the MFC came in a 5-gallon bucket. It consisted of a graphite-cloth anode, a chicken-wire cathode, manure-rich mud for fuel, a layer of sand to act as an ion barrier and salt water as an electrolyte — all attached to an electronic power-management board."

To boost power, the team found a way to link the batteries, putting them in canvas bags that are buried in the dirt. "When watered to keep the microbes munching, the buried cells can produce power for months," the magazine says.

“You can just literally make energy from dirt,” Aviva Presser, a Lebone team member, told the New York Times a year ago when the group was first starting out. “And there’s a lot of dirt in Africa.”

Craig Pittman, Times Staff Writer

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U.S. subsidizes renewable energy for $36B -- but spurns nuke project

The U.S. Department of Energy is making available $36 billion in loan guarantees for renewable energy projects and for modernizing the electricity grid, the Associated Press reports.

"The government-supported loans are expected to help companies involved in solar, wind, biofuels and other renewable energy projects get private financing," says AP. "It also aims to spur investments in power grid improvements."

"These investments will be used to create jobs, spur the development of innovative clean energy technologies and help ensure a smart, strong and secure grid that will deliver renewable power more effectively and reliably," Energy Secretary Steven Chu said in a statement.

But the DOE hasn't been so giving when it comes to a $3.5-billion nuclear-enrichment plant in Ohio, notes the Washington Post.

"The Energy Department said that the proposed plant, which would use a series of giant centrifuges to enrich uranium for nuclear power plants, was not ready for commercial production and therefore ineligible for the loan guarantees," the Post reported.

So the owner, Maryland-based USEC, plans to suspend the project. Company CEO John K. Welch said he was "shocked" by the Energy Department decision, especially since President Obama had endorsed the project while campaigning in Ohio last year.

"It is unclear how DOE expects to find innovative technologies that assume zero risk," Welch said.

--Craig Pittman

Gulf of Mexico oil spill tops 58,000 gallons as debate continues on expanding offshore drilling

An underwater pipeline leaked more than 58,000 gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday, the New Orleans Times-Picayune is reporting. The spill, which occurred about 30 miles off the Louisiana coast, has now spread to cover 80 square miles -- up from just 28 square miles on Monday. The cause is still under investigation.

The spill "was among the largest in recent years in U.S. waters," Reuters reports.

The spill from Shell Oil's pipeline may not reach land, but its effects are rippling through Florida. Opponents of expanding drilling in the gulf spread the story as yet another reason to keep the eastern gulf clear of offshore rigs (and the pipelines that would bring the oil onshore).

Legislation was introduced this week by Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Mary Landrieu, D-La., that would bring oil drilling to within 45 miles of the coast. Gov. Charlie Crist, who flip-flopped on offshore drilling during last year's presidential race, dodged questions Tuesday about whether he would support this latest bill.

"I've always said it needs to be far enough, clean enough and safe enough to protect Florida's beautiful beaches,'' Crist said. "I also am cognizant of the fact that it sure would be nice to be energy independent. That's a growing concern of an awful lot of people including myself." 

However, state legislators told the Bradenton Herald that they don't think offshore drilling will solve that problem. "“I don’t believe that we’ll ever drill our way to renewable energy,” state Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, said. “Anything that we do in the Gulf of Mexico only delays the inevitable.”

In fact, a study released last week by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory found that Americans used less energy last year, and more of what they used came from renewable sources. "The nation used less coal and petroleum during the same time frame," the report found, "and only slightly increased its natural gas consumption."

--Craig Pittman

Wave power generator company hits rough water, bad puns

The British company that was putting the world's first commercial wave-power generator in place off the coast of Portugal, Pelamis Wave Power, has hit some rough water and may be going down for the last time, according to the New York Times.

Pelamis' majority owner, Babcock & Brown, was once one of the biggest in Australia. Now it "ranks as Australia’s highest profile casualty of the global credit crisis," reports the Financial Times, and has filed for bankruptcy.

As a result Pelamis is now searching for another big investor. In the meantime, the Portugal project is on indefinite hold -- adrift, you might say, without a rudder.

Several other proposed wave-power projects have been withdrawn from consideration by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, notes the Times.

Nevertheless, the Wall Street Journal reported recently in a story headlined "Surf's Up," other companies are jumping headfirst into wave power because "unlike wind power, it is more predictable and consistent." Scotland, for instance, is encouraging utilities to test the waters there with a goal of eventually producing one gigawatt of electricity -- enough to power roughly 940,000 homes -- from its coastal waters by 2020.

--Craig Pittman

New alternative energy business solutions: ultrathin solar tech, ocean thermal conversion, C02 to liquid fuel...

Smart metering, embedded solar cells, ocean thermal, C02 recycling, energy passive houses - these are all high tech alternative energy solutions discussed in a special section of The New York Times today, Business of Green.
Most of these technologies are still a ways from commercial viability, but they hold great potential. All are being performed in lab conditions, and some have limited commercial exposure already. Smart metering and home insulation, are both concepts that the Obama administration is pushing in its stimulus package to help us improve the efficiency of the grid and allow homeowners to improve their energy consumption, even by remote control.
* Companies like Semprius are already developing new ultrathin, semitransparent flexible solar cells that can be implanted in windows, building materials, and even clothing to maximize the capture of the suns rays.
* Lockheed Martin is looking at thermal energy conversion from the difference in temperature between the warmer and cooler layers of the ocean is another untapped source scientists are looking at.
* Carbon Sciences, a company in California is looking at turning sequestered carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and turning it into liquid fuel.

- David Adams, Times staff writer.

Ever thought of a hybrid electric bicycle? They're all the rage in China

The Economist magazine this week highlights the case for electric bikes in this article.
Some 21 million of them were sold in China last year, according to Frank Jamerson, author of Electric Bikes Worldwide Reports. They are also popular in South East Asia. But they have yet to catch on in the US or Europe.
Typically, an electric bike can run for 20-30 miles between charges, The Economist reports, though some advanced new bicycles can store energy when they brake, meaning they can go much further (much like the Toyota Prius braking system).
Check out the Ultra Motor A2B hybrid bicycle (see photo).

- David Adams, Times staff writer.

Obama science adviser: Radical measures being considered to fix climate

The Obama administration is discussing "radical technologies to cool Earth's air," according to Obama's new science adviser.

Science adviser John Holdren told The Associated Press that "the idea of geoengineering the climate is being discussed. One such extreme option includes shooting pollution particles into the upper atmosphere to reflect the sun's rays. Holdren said such an experimental measure would only be used as a last resort."

"It's got to be looked at," he told the AP. "We don't have the luxury of taking any approach off the table."

Geo-thermal pumps - a natural solution to cut your home cooling/heating bills

Could geo-thermal pumps be the new way to cool or heat your home? It's a solution right there under our feet, and it's simple and free, after the installation costs.

"By some estimates, home­owners can cut their heating and cooling bills by 50 percent or more. The technology has been around for decades but has only recently begun to gain traction," according to this article in the St Pete Times today by Asjylyn Loder.

The way the system works is similar to an air-conditioner, except it exploits underground temperature (cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter) to as a natural mechanism to heat and cool.
Companies have begun installing these systems around the country, with incentives for consumers. The Obama administration recently included in its stimulus plan passed by Congress a homeowners tax credit that covers 30 per cent of the cost of installation of a system.

- David Adams, Times staff writer.

Smart grid could save money, deliver clean energy

Have you seen GE's 'smart grid' ad that shows a scarecrow singing "If I only had a brain" from The Wizard of Oz on an old high-tension power line? (See add here.)
The smart-grid concept has been around for years. But it's getting a lot more attention these days. President Obama’s stimulus package contains about $4.5 billion in grants for smart-grid investments.
Obama argues it could not only save money, but could also more efficiently deliver cleaner, alternative forms of energy.

An article in this week's The Economist explains that a smart grid "would use digital technology to collect, communicate and react to data, making the system more efficient and reliable." (Read article here.)

Sensors would help utilities locate problems and fix them quickly. A smart grid would integrate electricity from both predictable sources, such as coal, and less reliable sources, such as the sun and wind.

David Adams, Times Staff Writer

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Obama still touting energy as key to solving economy

As we previously reported here, President-elect Barack Obama said during last year's campaign that he sees energy issues as key to reviving the economy.

After his election and the economic meltdown, a lot of critics predicted that pledge would fall by the wayside. But in a speech today,  -- his first major address since his election night victory speech in Chicago -- Obama said he's still pursuing that goal:

"To finally spark the creation of a clean energy economy, we will double the production of alternative energy in the next three years," Obama said. "We will modernize more than 75 percent of federal buildings and improve the energy efficiency of 2 million American homes, saving consumers and taxpayers billions on our energy bills.

"In the process, we will put Americans to work in new jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced, jobs building solar panels and wind turbines, constructing fuel-efficient cars and buildings, and developing the new energy technologies that will lead to even more jobs, more savings, and a cleaner, safer planet in the bargain."

However, not everybody is buying Obama's plan -- for instance, Reuters reports the CEO of Exxon-Mobil expressed strong doubts about making it work. "He said the U.S. will not be able to double biofuels output during that period and there is not enough manufacturing capacity to build the wind turbines needed to meet Obama's goal," the wire service reports.

--Craig Pittman