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"A North African company has developed what it contends is a paradigm-shifting wind turbine technology based on the flapping of hummingbird wings. Any potential paradigm shifts are down the road a bit, but based on some remarkable images and new demo videos, the clean energy machine may be the prettiest wind turbine ever invented. Developed by Tyer Wind, a startup based in Tunisia, the turbine uses biomimicry principles to replicate the mechanical action of hummingbird wings. The design is fundamentally different from standard rotor-based wind turbines because instead of converting linear motion - wind blowing across the land - into a circular motion, it converts it into a figure-eight pattern. Not only is that shape the same as the one hummingbird wings make while the birds hover, but it also generates energy on both the upstroke and the downstroke.
Scientists have developed a new prototype battery inspired by the anatomy of the human intestine, and the biologically informed approach could pave the way for much more powerful energy sources for our digital devices.
The prototype – which offers up to five times the energy density of the lithium-ion batteries we use in smartphones and laptops – uses a lithium-sulphur cell instead, and its intestine-mimicking design could finally make these energy-dense batteries long-lasting enough for commercial use.
The Canadian company WhalePower has granted an exclusive, worldwide, manufacturing license to TEG, a German company specialized in efficient, green forms of energy generation, to use WhalePower’s Tubercle Technology to create retrofit blade kits for wind turbines. Tubercle Technology is inspired by the flippers of Humpback Whales and can be used to improve the efficiency of turbines, compressors, pumps and fans.
"A new bio-inspired method of harvesting energy from the ocean has completed its shakedown on land, and now it’s finally ready for its first real test offshore. Called bioWAVE, the wave energy device won’t be venturing too far — Port Fairy in Australia is as far as it’s going — but we can hardly contain our excitement because we’ve been waiting 7 years for this moment."
The atomic structure of a moth’s eye and lotus leaves have inspired scientists to create a new glass coating that could increase the efficiency of solar panels by up to six per cent. “While lotus leaves repel water and self-clean when it rains, a moth’s eyes are antireflective because of naturally covered tapered nanostructures where the refractive index gradually increases as light travels to the moth’s cornea,” said Tolga Aytug, member of ORNL’s Materials Chemistry Group. “Combined, these features provide truly game-changing ability to design coatings for specific properties and performance.”"
"Have you noticed the tiny contours and crinkles on the surface of a leaf? All those folds bend and absorb light better than if it was flat, helping it receive more rays. It turns out, this same advantageous trait inspired engineers at Princeton University to use similar micro-folds to improve the efficiency of plastic solar cells in solar panels. These man-made energy-collectors are one example of the growing field of engineering known as biomimicry."
Research in laboratories around the world is moving the promise of artificial photosynthesis closer to reality Photo details: A Leaf, Jon Sullivan, Wikimedia Commons, 2003, Public domain.
Here's how two U.S. firms pursued the holy grail of bioinspired design: artificial photosynthesis.
"Biomimicry provided the inventive spark for the latest, and most promising, revamp of the rechargeable battery. The rechargeable battery, which so often lets us down at the worst moments, has been due for an overhaul for some time now. Indeed, scientists have been slaving away for years on a lithium-ion battery with a longer lifespan. But who would’ve thought that the inspiration for the most promising new design would come from inside a pomegranate?"
"With heat waves gripping much of the planet, electricity grid operators are sweating even more than their customers. Air-conditioning uses a tremendous amount of energy, but a new group of designers think they can solve the problem by mimicking Mother Nature's craftiness."
Sometimes, a trick gets pulled off better in nature than it does in a laboratory. That might be the case with new research claiming fireflies' unique
The improvements to solar energy technology have been impressive, such as going from the conventional and bulky first generation solar cells/modules to the flexible second generation thin-film solar cells/modules. Accompanying this has been a significant reduction in the cost of manufacturing solar cells and modules, with an average price of roughly US$1 per Watt for first-generation and second-generation modules. With further technological breakthroughs expected in the next few years, the future is rosy for the solar industry. However, instead of patiently waiting for this next wave of advancements, academics have devised ways to further tweak solar energy technology and these tweaks are based on observations in nature.
Engineers from the University of Cincinnati devise a foam that captures energy and removes excess carbon dioxide from the air — thanks to semi-tropical frogs.
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"Wind turbines produce 4% of the planet’s energy, but they only work well when the wind is blowing just right. Now, by drawing inspiration from the flexible wings of insects, scientists have found a way to make wind turbine blades 35% more efficient at producing energy. If commercialized, the advance could make this green technology a more viable alternative to fossil fuels in the coming years."
A tree's leaf, a blade of grass, a single algal cell: all make fuel from the simple combination of water, sunlight and carbon dioxide through the miracle of photosynthesis. Now scientists say they have replicated—and improved—that trick by combining chemistry and biology in a "bionic" leaf.
"Energy storage could be the next item on the list when it comes to listing all the reasons we need to save the world's bee population from collapse. A research team at Purdue University has found that bee pollen can be used as an efficient, renewable source for anodes in lithium-ion batteries. The team also tested pollen sourced directly from cattails and got even more encouraging results."
"Moving silently through the air is not just for the birds. Wind farms inspired by the stealthy flight of owls could generate more energy without annoying those who live nearby, say researchers."
"The latest development by engineers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT, Germany) is inspired by nature. To fill the porous electrodes of lithium-ion batteries more rapidly with liquid electrolyte, they use a physico-chemical effect that also provides for transport in trees. increases the throughput of battery production and reduces investment costs."
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Julia LeMense
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"... a French company called NewWind has been developing aesthetically pleasing, tree-shaped turbines meant to run silently within cities, at ground level. The innovation is simple named “L’Arbre à Vent” or in English “The Wind Tree”. The tree features 72 artificial leaves where each leave is a small turbine that rotates around a vertically directed axis. The leaves are very light-weight, which means that they can generate power from very small amounts of wind. Actually it takes nothing more than 4.4 mph (2 meters/second) of wind for them to function, and this is amount of wind is equal to a gentle breeze."
Photo: Michaud LARIVIERE, http://www.cite-telecoms.com/decouvr/arbre-a-vent/
"A new piece of solar technology from IBM not only provides electricity – it can desalinate water for sanitation and drinking. [...] IBM and Airlight Energy’s 30ft concrete ‘sunflower’ was inspired by the branched blood supply of the human body."
Energy efficiency in living things often means combining material and fuel recycling with hitching a free ride. Soaring birds, drifting larvae and even prairie dogs make use of dependable physical forces in order to survive with the least amount of expended energy. Putting these principles into practice, however, demands a deep knowledge of the processes involved. Photo details: Heermann's Gull , City Wharf, Huntington Beach, California. Copyright © 2006, Alan D. Wilson. http://www.naturespicsonline.com
"Gizmag takes a deeper look at John Dabiri's school of fish wind turbine array concept, and wonders whether the idea of packing turbines into as tight a space as possible might overlook some wind energy fundamentals."
"The great artist Leonardo Da Vinci once said, “Those who are inspired by a model other than Nature, a mistress above all masters, are laboring in vain.” The developing field of biomimicry seeks to learn from “the world’s greatest teacher” by modeling technology after organism’s unique features. This form of engineering is now being applied to the world of renewable energy sources as shown in two of the devices discussed below: BioSTREAM, a tidal energy device, and turbine blade tubercles, a wind harnessing device."
Scientists have long been trying to mimic the photosynthesis perfected by leaves -- turning sunlight and water into energy that can be stored. While many have made attempts, there seems to be one group of scientists that have pulled it off. The news comes from the 241st National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, where the researchers made their announcement. The "artificial leaf" would be used to generate power for off grid homes in developing areas, and the hope is that one such "leaf" could provide enough energy for an entire household.
Industrial design student Anthony Reale has borrowed from the basking shark to create ‘strait power,’ a water-powered turbine generator that tests have shown is 40 percent more efficient than current designs.
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