Eco Wanderer

Ecowanderer visits World’s 8th Largest Solar Platform in Amareleja, Portugal

hayenmill — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 21:12:56 +0000

Following the visit to Europe’s Biggest Dam: The Alqueva Dam located in Alentejo, Portugal, we also decided to visit the nearby solar platform, the 8^th largest in the world: Central Solar Fotovoltaica de Amareleja.

The project began in late 2007, taking 13 months to build. The first three MegaWatts (MW) were built right in the beginning, whereas the rest of the facility only began to take shape during the year of 2008. On the 29^th of December of 2008, the Spanish company Acciona Energia announced that the solar platform had started working in its entirety, after an initial investment of 261 million euros.

Entrance Logo

The company Acciona Energia, which owns the facility 100%, initially bought it in January 2007 from Moura’s Municipality (88%), from company Comoiprel (2%) and from company Renatura Networks consultant (10%).

Solar platform view with overview of municipality

The solar platform has an installed capacity of 46 MW and will produce 93 million kilowatts/hour (kWh), per year, equivalent to the consumption of 30 000 families, and avoiding the emission of 89.383 tons of annual carbon dioxide (CO2).

The platform also occupies 250 hectares (2500000 square meters), and is composed of 2.520 solar followers, with 262.080 photovoltaic modules.

Close-up on modules

More pictures and video footage available in the following youtube video:

History and numbers source: Radio Notícias TSF

Ecowanderer goes to Europe’s Biggest Dam and Artificial Lake

hayenmill — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 19:04:39 +0000

Ecowanderer recently had the opportunity to visit Europe’s Biggest Dam: The Alqueva Dam located in Alentejo, Portugal, and travel only a portion of the greatest artificial lake made possible by the dam: The Great Lake (also known as Albufeira of Alqueva)

The project began as late as 1975, with the approval of the Portuguese Ministry Council. However, the construction was interrupted in 1978 and only got up back on its feet in 1995. On 2002, the gates were opened and the lake started to be filled (8^th March). In 2004, the Hydroelectric Station was formally opened.

The project is estimated to have cost 1800 million euros, the cost of maintaining the irrigation network, the logging of 1.2 million trees and the deforestation approximating 19.4 million euros until 2003.

Current lake landscape

The lake can reach, in its full capacity, 250km2, and it has brought many benefits for the population. Tourist attractions and renting of boats have grown in the region, as well as the practice of bass fishing.

Lake extension

Furthermore, the dam can produce up to 250MW of electric energy, which is used to supply the Alentejo Region.

Hydroelectric Station

Please check out the youtube video below for more pictures and video footage of the Alqueva dam.

Since the Alqueva Dam is close to a town known as Amareleja, Ecowanderer also took the time to visit a special project which is located there: World’s 8th largest solar platform. So make sure you don’t miss our next post!

First Recyclable USB Pen

hayenmill — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 13:11:45 +0000

The ATP EarthDrive is the first recyclable USB pen of the world, made out of a biodegradable polyester derived from renewable resources, such as corn.

After extensive years of intense research and development, EarthDrive was built with the largest amount of biodegradable materials possible, which allows it to assume itself as an entirely recyclable product but also as the best environmentally-friendly device available in the market.

It is water proof, shock proof, dust proof and it is equipped with safety software which allows for passwords that assure the protection of personal information. Its storage capacity is of 1GB up to 8GB, and the package is made out of paper and other recycled materials.

DIY: Solar Powered Water Heater

hayenmill — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 22:09:01 +0000

In this first Ecowanderer DIY instructable you will learn, step-by-step, how to make a simple solar water heater from simple household items.

Here is a brief description of the process: Water, inside a water reservoir, will flow through a pvc pipe which is being heated through a simple parabola which reflects sunlight .

Here’s the list of the materials you’ll need:

- Round-shaped plastic bucket

- Aluminum foil

- Water barrel (or another round-shaped bucket)

- 1 metre long pvc pipe, with 5cm of diameter.

- 2 pvc adaptors: one to join two pvc pipes, and one with a 90 degree angle (both to fit a 50cm diameter pvc pipe)

- Black spray paint

- Strong glue/plastic weld

- Saw

- Kitchen knife and a lighter

- Duct tape

- Black&decker with a small drill piece and an abrasive piece for polishing

- Protective mask and eyewear

STEP 1: BUILDING THE PARABOLA

Let’s start with the round-shaped bucket. Start by cutting the bottom with the saw or a heated kitchen knife so as to end up with a plastic cylinder (the cover of the bucket is not needed). Now the purpose will be to cut this cylinder in half. Start by marking or finding a straight line that is parallel to the height of the bucket (place the bottom-cut part facing your workbench and use your saw to cut through it.

Although not harmful to the project, try to cut in a straight line the best you can. Repeat the process in the exact opposite line of that which you just cut. You should not have 2 small parabolas! To take the best advantage of the power of the sun, glue them together with strong glue or a plastic weld.

Now, to achieve the mirroring effect, grab some aluminum foil. In order to glue/fix it to the plastic without wrapping the foil or creating any crumbs, cut small pieces (in length) but that are large enough in width to cover the width of the parabola. Use simple glue or duct tape to fix it in place.

STEP 2: GETTING THE PVC PIPE

Now that the parabola is completed, let’s focus our attention to the pvc pipe. You can find one in your local hardware store or in a gardening shop. It is important that the length of the pvc pipe is greater than the length of the finished parabola.

In our particular case, we used a 1 metre long pvc pipe which had 5 cm of diameter (50 dm). Afterwards, get a black spray can. It is crucial that the type of paint chosen does not reflect light. In the project, we used jet black paint, so look it up.

Before painting, we passed the scrubbing sponge through all the pipe in order to make the paint more adherent to the pvc plastic.

Put on your protective mask and eyewear and start painting the pvc pipe. Remember to do this in a fully ventilated area!

STEP 3: BUILDING THE WATER RESERVOIR

Now all you need left is a water barrel as a water reservoir. You should be able to find one at a local hardware or gardening store. If you can’t find one, a plastic bucket will do, although make sure the plastic is not composed of any dangerous chemicals that can be transported to you when the water is going by.

To finish, you need to mount together all parts. The most efficient solution to connect the pvc pipe to the water barrel is to buy a 90º pvc adaptor and an union pvc adaptor (remember to check if the adaptor’s diameter and your pvc pipe diameter are the same!)

Place your water barrel bottom up and, with a pen, mark the diameter of the adaptor in the bottom of the barrel. Get a drill with a small diameter and, inside the drawn circular line, drill holes next to each other. Use a knife to cut the hole and attach a polisher to your drill to manually increase the size of the hole until the 90º adapter can fit in.

Then insert the union adapter through the inside of the water barrel and connect it to the 90º adapter. Make sure you make enough pressure, because the point of the union adapter is to serve as a physical barrier so water does not leak away.

After that, just mount everything together and you’re done! Easy, right?

If you wish to see more detailed instructions, please visit the respective instructables post, or the youtube video

New DIY page added

hayenmill — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 22:50:47 +0000

After some months of inactivity, Ecowanderer has recently introduzed the page DIY/Do It Yourself. It will feature several homemade projects, with detailed instructions and many pictures and videos to help anyone interested get around more easily.

Expect to see how to make your very own Solar Powered Water Heater in a couple of days.

Seasteading for Climate Change

hayenmill — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 15:55:55 +0000

The idea of floating cities that could one day house climate change refugees is not new. There have been some older news regarding that solution in case rising sea levels force people out of their homes. It is with great hope that a new idea will be shared.

It was with this scenario in mind, that an interest idea has sprung. The Seasteading Institute has as a mission “to further the establishment and growth of permanent autonomous communities, enabling innovation with new political and social systems”. One of its founders, Patri Friedman, said:

“Floating cities are already real – millions of people take cruises every year, and they’re cheaper than the cost of living in some US cities. We have many differences in mind, but cruise ships prove that the idea is possible. Now we just have to make something safer, stabler, more spacious, more modular, incrementally built, cheaper, permanent, and worth visiting even though it mostly stays put!”

Example of a Floating City

One of the main engineering problems faced by the Seasteading Institute was precisely how to reduce the cost of floating platforms in order to make the prospec of living in the sea more attractive. These and other concerns are mostly addressed in the Seasteading Institute’s Frequently Asked Questions.

Here is a video where Patri Friedman mentions his Seasteding Institute a bit further:

Such advances in floating platforms will reduce the cost of building those platforms and will allow for more of them to be built and to house more climate change refugees. Let us hope the cost will be even more reduced by further developments on this field.

Global Warming Health Threat?

hayenmill — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:05:18 +0000

Despite the clear timeframe of the two following news that come from BBC, one really has to wonder if the consequences of Global Warming can have some positive side or none at all. It is ultimately up to the reader that he must look the matter by himself in order to find out the truth.

Consider the following two news:

“Climate change is “the biggest global health threat of the 21st Century”, according to a leading medical journal…

“…The Lancet, together with University College London researchers, has published a report outlining how public health services will need to adapt.

“…The authors aim to add their voice to the call for carbon mitigation and will focus on making clear the ways in which climate change will affect health.”

This news, which can be found in BBC NEWS, was written on the 14th May 2009. However, this particular piece of news appears to contradict what was said roughly one year and five months ago, in another article in BBC NEWS:

“The risk of a fatal heatwave in the UK within ten years is high, but overall global warming may mean fewer deaths due to temperature, a report says…

“…A seriously hot summer between now and 2017 could claim more than 6,000 lives, the Department of Health report warns.

“…But it also stresses that milder winters mean deaths during this time of year – which far outstrip heat-related mortality – will continue to decline.

“…The report is to help health services prepare for climate change effects.”

So, is there a health threat after all or not?

Despite the more tragic news having appeared later, it never mentions the previous one and whether the initial news report was accurate or not.

In the end, it is up to you, the reader, to have to search this matter by yourself, because apparently BBC News hasn’t quite nailed it yet.

Wind Power Revolution

hayenmill — Fri, 29 May 2009 18:30:43 +0000

Ever considered having a wind turbine? What if you were told you could build your own device to harness the wind power which were ten to thirty times more efficient and cheaper than building your own wind turbine?

Well look no further, the next wind power has arrived. And it’s called Windbelt.

Inspired by the collapse of Tacoma Narrows Bridge in 1940, the young inventor Shawn Frayne came up with the idea of generating electricity through a science known as aeroelasticity, by looking into an effect known as the aeroelastic flutter effect.

Shawn Frayne and a Windbelt charging 2 LED lights

Basically, when the wind goes through a membrane that is attached to two magnets on both its extreme ends, the ressonance on the membrane increases its vibrations, making the magnets move up and down next to electromagnetic coils, therefore inducing current in the wires that make up the coil.

The benefits when comparing to micro wind turbines are obvious: micro wind turbines have too much friction in gearbox and other components, which reduces their efficiency.

“With rotary power, there’s nothing out there that generates under 50 watts,” Frayne says.

A new upgraded device, recently developed, is now 100 times more efficient than before, generating between 3 to 10 watts in power at around $2 per watt. Frayne is hoping these kind of technological solutions will help overcome many energy problems in developing countries.

Upgraded “micro” windbelt

Here is a video showing one of his firsts windbelts working:

For those interested in making their own, here are some instructables links:

Windbelt Using Hard Drive Components

Windbelt Redux

Solar Powered Stirling Engine

hayenmill — Wed, 20 May 2009 20:01:45 +0000

Given the rise, in recent years, of liquid fuel prices and concerns such as peak oil and climate change, it is no wonder there has been a tremendous interest on new ways to produce energy. Today we would like to share one that we have found out about: Stirling Engines.

A Stirling engine is a device that converts heat energy into mechanical power by alternately compressing and expanding a fixed quantity of air or other gas (the working fluid) at different temperatures.

Point focus parabolic dish with Stirling engine and its solar tracker at Plataforma Solar de Almería (PSA) in Spain

Solar Powered Stirling Engine Video

Even though originally conceived in 1816, it is still noted for its high efficiency, quiet operation and the ease with which it can utilise what would otherwise be wasted heat. Usually it is ran by the combustion of a fuel. Recently, however, stirling engines have been increasingly designed towards using another source of heat: the sun. New stirling engines can work using the heat of the sun and provide a new way for one to harness that energy without only relying on photovoltaic panels.

Furthermore, stirling engines are very easy to make with simple materials. Below are some links that where you can find instructions on how to make your own stirling engine. If you want it to be more environmentally friendly, simply use mirrors in order to link the sun’s rays into the stirling engine’s heat sinker.

Custom made Stirling Engine Solar Reflector

Links with instructions:

Soup Tin Stirling Engine

Easy to Build Stirling Engine

Let’s build a Can Stirling Engine

Stirling Engine Project Instructables

Seed Bombing

hayenmill — Sun, 17 May 2009 21:27:41 +0000

After the past article on how a bacteria could help stop desertification, here comes some other news on alternative ways to solve the same problem. This new idea is called Seed Bombing, which involves a bomber aircraft and charges full of the Seed Capsules. Essentially the project involves artificial dispersal of seeds over arid areas where natural vegetation has lapsed due to man-made follies like deforestation leading to desertification. Each capsule contains artificial soil and seeds, and are air-dropped over the selected regions.

By being inside a biodegradable plastic, the artificial soil will provide the necessary conditions of moisture to the seed until it grows out to be a strong enough plant to sustain itself. As the plant matures, the plastic will be naturally degraded , leaving behind a new generation of plant in a former arid area.

Even though there clearly needs to be more reasearch in the field, especially since the new plant will face very hard environments, this solution could prove an effective mass scale solution to the problem. Perhaps a joint effort by seed bombers and bacteria could protect the first bomb plants from the harsh environments with the bacteria-created structures.