Although the world’s leaders have not come to a mutual decision on how to cut their carbon footprints, they have at least joined hands in the search for new technologies that can help pave the way for sustainable future. Several private firms around the world have also joined hands to fund programs in clean energy research. Accordingly, here are 6 new developments in the field of sustainable energy generation that may show promise for a greener future.
Nikola Lab Case
Nikola Labs has launched a smartphone case that uses the abundant RF signals in the air to generate electricity. Modeled for the iPhone 6/6s, the case is able to harvest at least 90% of wasted energy in the air in the form of cellphone and other wireless signals. The case can effectively harvest the energy from these signals and transform it into power that can be used to charge the device for at least up to 30% longer. Nikola Labs has announced that it plans to integrate the same method to power wearable technology, medical devices, internet devices and even embedded sensors.
Body Heat Powered Wearable Technology
With the world moving towards wearable technology, the time has come to find a way to charge these devices easily without having to plug them into the socket all the time. New developments have in fact indicated that simply wearing these devices will produce enough power to charge them up. The secret? Body heat!
The Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology has in fact, already created such a technology in the form of an ultra-thin, bendable and flexible wristband device. The device can use body heat to produce 40mW of electric power which can be used to charge the device.
Charging Phones with Seebeck Exhaust Heat Recovery System
The internal combustion engine found in most motor vehicles waste up to 80% of energy in the form of heat. However, the advent of one technological device can help harvest this wasted heat and use the same to charge phones and other mobile devices that don’t require a lot of energy. Called the Seebeck module, the device manipulates temperature differences to generate electricity. When attached to the exhaust, the module can generate enough power to charge a cell phone.
Generating sustainable energy from noise and vibrations via Soundscraper
What if an entire building acted as an energy harvester? The soundscraper is one such state of the art structure that resembles a normal skyscraper. However, the specialty of the soundscraper is that its exterior will be covered with noise sensitive cilia or material which can absorb sounds from the surrounding areas. Located near areas like airports, motorways and railway junctions where the noise pollution is highest, the soundscraper will detect and capture sounds from these areas, transferring the same to an energy harvester and transducer cells which transform these vibrations into kinetic energy and then, electricity. The electricity thus generated, can either be stored for later use or connected directly to a grid.
Energy Production via Artificial Leaves
Research by an international team has led to the creation of artificial leaves that can be used to generate energy. The artificial leaf mimics the habitual characteristics of a real leaf, including the ability to resemble the efficient light antennae of the bacteria present in the leaf. By doing this, the team is on the path to using the artificial leaf to convert sunlight into usable energy.The use of these leaves in nano-scale artificial forests can then help produce enough clean energy to power households and even entire cities.
Energy Harvesting via TREES
An astounding new energy source discovered by the scientists at the Climate/Energy Design and Research Institute promises to be the perfect solution for humanity’s energy dilemmas. Called TREES aka Totally Renewable Energy, Emissions Capture and Storage, the energy source is renewable and uses no fuel or non-renewable materials for energy production. The TREES can also capture abundant sunlight to produce energy. A radical innovation called SEEDS aka Self Reproduction through Endo-Encrypted Data Simulation also enables the TREES to self-replicate into endless copies of themselves.
New developments in the field of sustainable energy have paved way for the promise of a greener future for the residents of earth. These new developments could very well fuel a movement towards green energy benefitting one and all in the long run.
