Intel's Solar Powered Processor on a Linux PC

Intel recently showcased a new processor codenamed “Claremont”. To the naked eye this processor would make little impact on a casual on-looker, except perhaps for the lack of a heat sink, that pointy piece of metal clamped to most modern processors to remove heat quickly.

Claremont is a near-threshold voltage (NTV) processor. Most processor designs operate at around 1V, but Claremont operates in the 400-500 millivolts range, close to the threshold at which transistors start to conduct current. Computer processors use differences in voltages to distinguish between 1's and 0's, the binary building blocks of computer logic. In the range at which the Claremont operates these differences become so small that they become ultra-susceptible to noise from a variety of sources.

To overcome these difficulties the designers were forced develop new design techniques, but after several years the result is a heat-sink free processor that can be used in NTV mode at less than 10mW and 5X better energy efficiency. To demonstrate this efficiency the new processor was used to run a Personal Computer running Linux. The power source for the processor was a post-it sized solar cell.

While the Claremont will never be commercially available itself the implications of its design are far-reaching. Currently chip manufacturers produce different processors for mobile devices than for PCs. An NTV processor could be used in both, in a one-size-fits-all environment. Such devices could be powered not just by solar cells, but by ambient heat, vibrations or even the radio waves that are present in the air all around us. At a time when energy is becoming more expensive (to our wallets and the environment) NTV technology could be the start in a low power silicon revolution.

Cool Biofuel

I've written before about the importance of choosing the right biofuel. This post can be seen as a follow-up to that previous post.

Originally, biofuels were heralded as a green replacement for fossil fuels, reducing the impact of climate change and reducing our reliance on imported oil. Simply put, fossil fuels release “new” carbon into the atmosphere when they're used (or at least carbon that hasn't been part of our atmospheric carbon-cycle for many millions of years), whereas biofuels are fabricated from carbon which is already part of the carbon-cycle.

Ironically, it soon became apparent that many of the techniques for producing biofuels had wide-reaching environmental consequences. Bioethanol, fermented from sugars and starches, used valuable food crops and farm land; and biodiesel made form palm oil also lead to the destruction of millions of hectares of rainforest.

Despite these negative side effects consumers and industry seemed enamored with biofuels, perhaps spurred on by the work of pioneering companies (such as the Aquaflo Group that develops processes to produce biofuel from purely sustainable sources that did not impact the environment) even the military got in on the act. In April 2010 the U.S. Navy test flew an F/A-18 Super Hornet powered by a biofuel blend as part of their stated intention to increase their use of alternative energy to at least 50% of their energy requirements by no later than 2020.

This is a noble objective, if not entirely motivated by self interest (fossil fuels are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive). However, if the biofuel project is to be successful in the long-term increasingly more novel production methods are needed. In particular the shift away from using agricultural sources in biofuel production is essential as those sources come under increasing strain from climate change and population growth.

One very interesting development appeared recently from a Colorado based company called OPXBIO. They are pioneering a process to produce diesel from carbon dioxide and hydrogen directly! The process being developed by OPXBIO in conjunction with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Johnson Matthey works by mixing carbon dioxide gas and hydrogen gas in water with a microorganism. The microorganism consumes the gases and produces  diesel fuel, which can be used directly as biodiesel, or enhanced using a catalyst to power standard diesel engines, or even jet aircraft.

The process was made possible by OPXBIO's proprietary EDGE (Efficiency Directed Genome Engineering) technology. EDGE uses a massively parallel, full genome search technology to identify microbial genomes with the potential to produce fuel. The EDGE system takes the genome of an existing organism, such as yeast, makes tiny changes to it and then measures the new organisms potential for fuel production. However, because genomes are so large this is a laborious process, as the number of possible changes that can be made to a genome are huge. OPXBIO claim that their system can create optimized microbes within months rather than years. If this claim is true then we may be seeing the birth of a new breed of biofuels that have little-or-no environmental impact and can be manufactured from readily available materials.

Your Flying Saucer Will Depart Shortly From Gate 7.

Will the aircraft of tomorrow be flying saucers? As outlandish as it seems an associate professor at the University of Florida has designed a plasma propelled flying saucer. Professor Subrata Roy has submitted a patent application for a circular, spinning aircraft design, eerily reminiscent of the flying saucers seen in many Hollywood films. Perhaps it's just as well then that Professor Roy has named his invention the "wingless electromagnetic air vehicle," or WEAV.



The vehicle will be powered by a phenomenon known as magnetohydrodynamics, the force created when a magnetic or electrical field is passed through a conducting fluid. In this case the fluid is plasma created by a series of electrodes covering the surface of the vehicle and ionizing the surrounding air. The resulting high pressure zone is used to create thrust and stabilize the aircraft.

The peculiar shape of the aircraft is necessary in order to maximize the area of contact between the surface of the vehicle and the surrounding air and reduce drag. Indeed this is not the first time that aeronautical engineers have used the saucer shape in aircraft design. The Russian EKIP aircraft exploited it's semi-saucer design to avoid needing large airfields for takeoff and landing. Unlike the EKIP though, Professor Roy's aircraft will be capable of vertical takeoff and landing.

It will be some time however before we see the WEAV replacing commercial airliners. The proposed prototype, on which a patent is currently pending, is only six inches in diameter. However, professor Roy says that theoretically their is no obstacle to scaling up the design to a much larger form.

Despite the diminutive nature of the initial design there are still plenty of applications for the prototype, including surveillance and navigation. Roy says that the miniature version of the aircraft could be fitted with cameras and lights and controlled from substantial distances. However, perhaps most intriguingly Roy believes the aircraft may be an ideal vehicle for the exploration and colonization of other worlds. Mars with it's lower gravity than Earth or Saturn's moon Titan with lower gravity and thicker atmosphere are obvious candidates, Roy believes.



The design for the propulsion system, on which the WEAV is based, was developed by Roy as part of his U.S.A.F-funded plasma actuator research. Both the U.S. Air Force and NASA have expressed great interest in the aircraft. The University of Florida is currently seeking to license the design. This is a very novel concept and if it's successful it will be revolutionary," Roy says.

Revolutionary indeed. The design will have no moving parts. Roy believes that the lack of components, such as jet turbines and propellers will prove the vehicle tremendously reliable. "The risk is huge, but so is the payoff ... If successful we will have an aircraft, saucer and helicopter in one embodiment," he says.

Several obstacles remain to be overcome though. No plasma vehicle has ever flown successfully within the Earth's atmosphere. Some designs have succeeded in space where gravity and drag are limited, but professor Roy notes that a vehicle in the Earth's atmosphere will need an order of magnitude more thrust.

Light weight power sources capable of producing enough plasma will be needed to create that thrust and the plasma itself will interfere with communications to the craft. However, Roy is confident that with such a unique design he will overcome all of these obstacles.

The production of the aircraft will be managed jointly by the University of Florida's mechanical and aerospace engineering department and its electrical and computer engineering department. So who knows. Perhaps some day the WEAV, or other flying saucers will be more than just fiction.

Cyborg Eye - A Light of Hope for the Blind

Not too long ago the idea of artificial vision was little more than science fiction. The concept has been portrayed time and time again in movies and on T.V. From the cyclopean eye of the HAL 9000 in Stanley Kubrick's epic 2001: A Space Odyssey to the visor of Geordi La Forge in Star Trek, the idea of being able to enhance machines and return sight to the blind has captured our imagination for decades.

However, mimicking human vision, a sense that took nature millions of years to perfect, is no easy task. In the year 2000 a man was fitted with the first functional electronic eye. A camera sent images to a brain implant, via a computer, allowing the man, identified only as Jerry, to perceive black objects against white backgrounds. Composed of a mere hundred sensors, this limited vision allowed Jerry to discern a two inch tall letter E and navigate the New York subway. A useful visual aid perhaps, but not yet approaching the sophistication of human vision.



One of the major stumbling blocks in the quest for artificial vision is the shape of the retina, the light sensitive inner layer of the eye. The retina contains millions of photoreceptors which capture light and transmit it as electrical signals along the optic nerve to the brain. In animals the retina is curved in order to better sense the 3D world in which we live. Until recently however, scientists were unable to place such a large number of artificial photoreceptors on a curved surface. Now, new research may point the way to true artificial sight.

Scientists at the University of Illinois and Northwestern University have constructed a device which weaves a network of photoreceptors into a flexible mesh. The mesh is laid across a curved rubber membrane to produce a device roughly the size and shape of a human eye. "This approach allows us to put electronics in places where we couldn't before," said Professor John Rogers, who led the research group. Up until now artificial vision systems have been limited by flat silicon based image sensors. Silicon is brittle and shatters when bent, restricting cameras and other imaging equipment to flat receptors, which distort images.



Professor Rogers and Professor Yonggang Huang overcame these limitations by linking tiny silicon light sensors together with minute flexible wires that are capable of bending by up to 40 percent. A curved array of detectors is "much better suited for use as retinal implants," Rogers said.

It's hoped that the breakthrough research, which was published in the science journal Nature, will herald the advent of new classes of imaging devices and work is already underway to examine other potential applications for the technology.

Could MARS Power Your Home

Not the planet Mars, but the lighter-than-air wind turbine developed by a Canadian company called Magenn Power. The Magenn Power Air Rotor System (MARS) rotates about a horizontal axis in response to wind. The company claim that the system can generate electricity more cost effectively than any competing system.

Helium (a totally inert gas) raises MARS to an altitude of 1000 feet. Once deployed to this altitude the wind causes the system to rotate producing additional lift due to the Magnus Effect. This effect also helps to stabilize MARS, restricting it to a small area and preventing it from drifting downwind of it's tether.

The system can generate power for immediate use or transmission to the power grid. Unlike traditional wind turbines MARS can be deployed almost anywhere because it utilizes the 600-1000 feet lower level jet streams that are available almost everywhere. This fact combined with it's comparatively low manufacturing and deployment cost means that the usual placement restrictions don't apply to MARS. In the future, using this technology, wind farms could be placed closer to, or possibly within, large urban centers where energy needs are greatest. This would lead to less energy being lost due to transmission over long distances.

The MARS wind turbine can operate in winds from 4 mph to 60 mph, unlike traditional wind turbines which must shutdown in high winds to avoid damage. The system can be deployed, deflated and redeployed without the need for heavy machinery or large towers. This, coupled with it's other benefits, make it ideal for disaster situations, and the Third World where infrastructure is limited.

So how soon will it be before we see fields of these wind turbines above us? Well the company plan to begin shipping their MARS 10 product in 2009. So watch the skies!

Tide and Time Wait for No One

Ireland's Strangford Lough is to be the site of the worlds first commercial tidal turbine.The lough has one of the fastest tidal flows on earth and is reasonably sheltered from inclement weather, making it an attractive location for the tidal power project. The technology was developed by Marine Current Turbines at a cost of £10 million and works on a similar principle to a terrestrial windmill. Two rotors, 15 to 20 meters in diameter, are fixed to the sea bed on a 300 ton rig. The turbines can pitch at up to 180 degrees allowing them to capture energy from the tide as it flows in and out of the Irish lough at 4 to 8 knots (roughly 7 to 15 kilometers per hour). When in operation the 600kW turbines generate enough energy to power 1000 U.K. homes. Up until mid July 2008 the turbines were supplying electricity to the national grid on a test basis. Then on July 17 the two turbines were damaged. The company states that the damage was caused by a "control system fault." Work began immediately to replace the turbine blades.

Despite the fact that this technology produces zero emissions British government support for this, and other similar projects, has been tepid at best. Most of the funding for this project was raised privately. Bernie Bulkin of Britain's Sustainable Development Commission says that Britain has " a number of highly competitive devices... some of which are ready to go into the water... government should be backing innovation and technology on this." However, as reported previously on this blog, the British government has decided to throw it's tax payer's money behind the construction of a new generation of nuclear power plants.

Strangford Lough is a protected habitat with a host of diverse marine life making their home there. Dr David Erwin, a former Chief Executive of the Ulster Wildlife Trust, and Chair of the independent group overseeing the project, noted that "small animals will pass right through the turbines..." However, he also stated that he is "a bit concerned" about larger animals, such as seals and basking sharks. They "just might get caught up in the turbines." He says.

The marine laboratory of Queen's University Belfast are in the process of carrying out a two year study to monitor seals, porpoises (whales, dolphins) and seabird activity in the Strangford Narrows near the £10 million tidal turbine. The influence of changes in the water flow pattern caused by the presence of the turbines will also be studied. In an unrelated topic Queen's University recently received an £850,000 grant for marine energy research. If their study shows any serious impact on the wildlife of Strangford Lough caused by the presence of the turbines the project will be stopped.

In our haste to solve the urgent problem of global warming let's hope we don't sacrifice the more vulnerable in our environment.

Do Geothermal Revolutions Power Your Home?

Italy is a country with an enormous cultural heritage, but did you know that the worlds first geothermal energy plant was invented in Italy? Would it surprise you to know that the technology was invented in 1904? Astonishingly, in the more than one hundred years since the invention of geothermal technology humanity seems to have ignored this gift from the earth in favor of fossil fuels.



In fact, despite the lack of support from government, a small number of forward thinking, progressive, U.S. companies have invested in geothermal technology and are actually providing clean renewable power to the U.S. power grid. In California's Salton Sea CalEnergy operate 10 geothermal energy plants with a combined output of 327 MW of power. A tiny proportion of America's power needs, yet a source which could be cultivated with the proper support.



So what's stopping us from using this clean renewable energy to power all of our homes? Well until recently the political will wasn't there. However, with the price of oil continuing to go up and up people, governments and industry are starting to look down for alternatives.

Germany, a country not known for it's hot springs or it's volcanic activity, has recently seen a massive jump in interest in geothermal. In Unterhaching near Munich a community driven geothermal project went online in June 2008. The plant is capable of producing up to 3.4 MW of electricity. This is the most modern geothermal plant in Germany and was delayed for almost a year due to competition from the oil industry for drilling resources.

With this abundant clean energy at our fingertips (under our feet would be more apt) why are governments still investing in fossil fueled power stations? What's extremely worrying is that not only are our governments not putting enough resources into renewable energy technologies, they are are about to compound their mistake and go nuclear. In January 2008 the British government announced that it was authorizing the construction of a new generation of nuclear power plants. Despite protests from the Irish government and others, they seem hell bent on following through with their plans.

It seems regardless of the danger to human life that nuclear plants pose, the radioactive pollution caused by their operation and the enormous hazard caused by the huge amounts of radioactive waste they generate, governments seem set to branch off in the wrong direction yet again.

In a speech given in Washington D.C. in July 2008 Al Gore challenged the American people to produce 100% of their energy from renewable sources within ten years. Are they up to that challenge? Are we?