Solar Energy

The recent swings in oil prices again remind us that the world's supply of fossil fuels is finite. Roughly 85% of current energy use is being met by fossil fuels. Furthermore, rapid increase in energy demand by the developing nations is leading to ever increasing use of coal, oil and natural gas...

As concerns over U.S. energy security and global warming increase, the need to develop alternative and renewable sources of energy is more important than ever before. One promising renewable energy scenario involves the use of microalgae as feedstocks that convert solar radiation and CO2 into...

Traditionally, microalgae are cultivated in closed systems or open ponds, which are aerated or exposed to air to allow microalgae to capture CO2 from the atmosphere for cell growth. As the atmosphere contains only 0.03-0.06% CO2, it is expected that mass transfer limitation could slow down the cell...

Spinel ferrites of the form MxFe3-xO4, where M generally represents Ni, Zn, Co, Mn, Fe or other transition metals, have been shown to be capable of splitting water to produce H2 using solar energy according to the two step cycle shown below: MxFe3-xO4 xMO + (3-x)FeO + 0.5 O2 (1) xMO + (3-x)FeO +...

A solar thermal reactor receives concentrated solar irradiation and uses this energy to thermally convert biomass into synthesis gas (H2, CO and CO2). The operation of this reactor is affected by the presence of clouds, which act as a disturbance for this process. When clouds are partially covering...

Microalgae, producing oils that can be converted into biodiesel, are one of the promising candidates for the next generation of viable fuel to help solve the global energy crisis. However, the recent booming of research on microalgae, so far appears not benefiting from the booming of modern high-...

An organic-inorganic hybrid composite of cadmium selenide (CdSe) quantum dots with conjugated polymer poly (3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) was employed as an active layer for the bulk hetero- junction solar cell. CdSe quantum dots were synthesized by conventional hot injection method with...