12 Year Old Revolutionizes Solar Power.
September 25th, 2008
A new invention could revolutionize solar energy – and it was made by a 12-year-old in Beaverton, OR.
Despite his age, William Yuan has already studied nuclear fusion and nanotechnology, and he is on his way to solving the energy crisis.
It all started with Legos – after he learned nanotechnology to make robots take off. The seventh grader then got an idea inspired by the sun.
“Solar it seems underused, and there are only a few problems with it,” Yuan said.
Encouraged by his Meadow Park Middle School science teacher, the 12-year-old developed a 3D solar cell.
“Regular solar cells are only 2D and only allow light interaction once,” he said.
And his cell can absorb both visible and UV light.
“I started to realize I was actually onto something,” Yuan said.
At first, he couldn’t believe his calculations.
“This solar cell can’t be generating this much electricity, it can’t be absorbing this much extra light,” he recalled thinking.
If he is right, solar panels with his 3D cells would provide 500 times more light absorption than commercially-available solar cells and nine times more than cutting-edge 3D solar cells.
“Which would make solar energy actually a viable energy source for the Pacific Northwest,” Yuan said.
While college students have come up with unusual solar cars and the state of Oregon recently unveiled solar panels to power highway lights, Yuan is thinking global.
“It’ll have a really positive impact on society and the environment,” he said.
His next step is to get a manufacturer and market it.
Yuan is flying out to Washington D.C. on Monday to accept a $25,000 scholarship for his research. He earned the Davidson Fellow award, which is for those 18 and under.
Saving Energy in Your Home Office
September 10th, 2008
Did you know that 40% of energy used in your home/office is consumed by consumer electronics when they are powered-down or turned off?
The New York Times article “Putting Energy Hogs in the Home on a Strict Low-Power Diet” outlines just how this happens.
Indeed, the Department of Energy estimates that in the average home, 40 percent of all electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off.
Then, the writer works through some alternatives to reduce power consumption.
Mostly consumption can be reduced by making sure your electronic items power down when not in use to use little to no electricity while not in use. Tweaking power consumption of computer and computer related electricity guzzlers can pay off.
Tweaking can pay off. Annually, my desktop PC is now using 73 percent less energy – saving me $119 a year and depriving the earth of 1,405 more pounds of CO2.
What about working through your home office? You could be able to make similar savings!
Green Basics – Thermostat
August 30th, 2008
Some of the best ways to save money and go green are surprisingly easy, and this is a great example. For anyone who works in a location away from home during the day, setting the thermostat to a higher temperature during those hours can save money in cooling costs. But, how much can you expect to save and what temperature differences make sense?
Taking the time to program your thermostat can net up to $180 per year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). With heating and cooling costing an average household about $900 per year, that’s sizeable cut!
Keep in mind though, that if the temperature in your home fluctuates too much, it will cause the air conditioning to run a long time to catch back up. The key is incremental adjustments. The EPA recommends “raising your home’s usual temperature setting by 7 degrees when you’re away and 4 degrees when you’re asleep”.
When you plan to be away from home for a while, turn the air conditioner off by using the hold feature on your thermostat.
And just like cars that require regular maintenance, heating and cooling systems can benefit from the same sort of attention. Checking for air leaks replacing air filters regularly are just a few examples.
Energy Star has produced a video podcast that gives a good overview of how to purchase a good programmable thermostat.
This sort of planning becomes especially important as fuel sources like propane and electricity continue to increase their prices. It’s possible to save money using a manual thermostat as well, but requires more active participation from the household.
