Thermoelectric Generator on Glass Fabric for Wearable Gadgets
Wearable devices have been hailed as the next generation of mobile gadgets. But, for electronics to be worn, they must be light, flexible, and equipped with a power source. Scientists from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) are now developing a glass fabric-based thermoelectric (TE) generator that is extremely light and flexible and produces electricity from the heat of the human body. When using KAIST’s TE generator (with a size of 10 cm x 10 cm) for a wearable wristband device, it will generate around 40 mW electric power based on the temperature difference of 31 °F between human skin and the surrounding air.
Tepco Seeks Bids for Thermal Power as Nuclear Reactors Remain Idled
Tokyo Electric Power Co. is seeking bids to expand its thermal-generating capacity as its nuclear plants remain offline three years after the Fukushima Dai-Ichi atomic plant incident. Japan’s biggest utility will ask for bids to generate 6 GW of capacity, which would be equivalent to six nuclear reactors. Tepco’s request for bids is part of the company’s plan to replace aging thermal plants and cut 150 billion yen in coal and liquefied natural gas costs.
Jaguar Land Rover Now Has the Largest Rooftop Solar System in the UK
Jaguar Land Rover has switched on its 5.8 MW, 21,000-panel solar system – the largest rooftop solar PV power plant in the United Kingdom. The rooftop solar installation is supplying Jaguar Land Rover’s Engine Manufacturing Center with 30 percent of its electricity needs, cutting emissions by an estimated 2,400 tons annually. Jaguar Land Rover has also made strides in reducing HVAC energy usage by making improving its ventilation and insulation systems. The luxury car maker already has plans of expanding the PV power system to 6.3 MW this year.
IKEA Makes its Largest Renewables Investment, Enters Wind Market
In its effort to produce more renewable energy than it consumes by the end of the decade, IKEA announced last week that it has purchased the 98 MW Hoopeston wind farm in Illinois, marking the retail giant’s first wind project investment in the U.S. as well as its biggest renewable investment globally. To be fully operational in early 2015, the Hoopeston project is expected to produce 380 GWh of power annually, which is equivalent to 130 percent of the energy used by all IKEA stores in the United States or 10 percent of its global operations.