Lifeboat Foundation

Exponential progress can be expected in the decades ahead, if all goes according to plan. […] Combined with emission reductions, and natural methods such as forest restoration, it could finally begin reversing the centuries-long build-up of CO₂, which is today approaching a cumulative total of nearly 2,000 GtCO2 since the Industrial Revolution.

The first comprehensive, global assessment of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) – including both current developments and projected future trends – has been published this week by Oxford University.

The detailed analysis finds that natural methods (such as tree and soil restoration) will need to double, while new technologies such as direct air capture need a 1,300-fold capacity increase by 2050.

It generates energy by forcing the stream to form a vortex.

Without employing any blades, the transportable hydraulic turbine SETUR from Vortex Hydrokinetics serves as a power source. The water source could be rivers, tidal streams, ocean currents, or even canals.

Continue reading “This 3D-printed hydraulic turbine provides energy without blades” »

After solar power, it’s time we tried snow power.

Researchers from the Japanese city of Aomori have begun to study methods to create electricity from snow to provide a sustainable energy supply and meet any power shortages.

Continue reading “A city in Japan is trying to generate electricity from snow” »

The Ford Mustang Mach-E is being transformed into an electric hearse courtesy of Coleman Milne, giving you a silent way to go to the great beyond. But not wanting to leave out the living, the specialty vehicle manufacturer has also revealed plans for a Mustang Mach-E limousine.

This is not the first time Coleman Milne has dabbled in electric hearses, previously turning a Tesla Model S into a chariot of the dearly departed called the Whisper hearse, but the company claims it will be doing more of this sort of thing heading into 2023, with the Mach-E also forming the foundation of an electric limousine — another concept we’re no strangers to but will have to get used to in coming years.

Joby makes EVTOL vehicles intended for small trips like Austin to Houston. A year ago they were the first EVTOL company to complete a 150 mile all electric flight. Check out this video to see the engineering innvolved.

PCB boards, CNC machining, Sheet metal fabrication, Injection molding, and 3D printing ➡️ https://www.pcbway.com/

Continue reading “The Insane Engineering behind the Joby S4” »

Scientists from UNSW Sydney have demonstrated a novel technique for creating tiny 3D materials that could eventually make fuel cells like hydrogen batteries cheaper and more sustainable.

In the study published in Science Advances, researchers from the School of Chemistry at UNSW Science show it’s possible to sequentially “grow” interconnected hierarchical structures in 3D at the nanoscale which have unique chemical and physical properties to support energy conversion reactions.

In chemistry, hierarchical structures are configurations of units like molecules within an organization of other units that themselves may be ordered. Similar phenomena can be seen in the natural world, like in flower petals and tree branches. But where these structures have extraordinary potential is at a level beyond the visibility of the human eye—at the nanoscale.

Imagine you’re driving your Tesla, or an equivalent electric car, down the highway. Your battery is running low. Sure, you could pull off at the next exit and spend time, and energy, searching for a recharging station. Or you could simply change lanes and drive over special charging strips embedded in the road.

That’s the vision of Khurram Afridi, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering in the College of Engineering. He’s pioneering an innovative approach for the wireless charging of electric vehicles, autonomous forklifts and other mobile machines, while they remain in motion.

Continue reading “Research paves way for wireless charging of electric vehicles” »

Future smartphones, sensors, solar panels and wind turbines will contain electronics in which graphullerene is present.

Plants are often thought of as sources of food, oxygen, and decoration, but not as a source of electricity. However, scientists have discovered that by harnessing the natural transport of electrons within plant cells, it is possible to generate electricity as part of a green, biological solar cell. In a recent study published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, researchers for the first time used a succulent plant to create a living “bio-solar cell” that runs on photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis is how plants and some microorganisms use sunlight to synthesize carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water.