This Issue : Porous 3D Electrode creates  Lockheed announces Revolutionary Battery breakthrough on fusion energy P2  Discarded water bottles become cheap solar lights P2  The forest man of : Jadav Payeng P3  Water and sunlight: The Fabrication of hollow carbon nanosphere-coated electrode formula for sustainable fuels P3 Researchers at the University of Illinois The new Illinois battery has a porous,  Comic sense P4 have developed a new lithium-ion battery three-dimensional anode and cathode. To technology that is 2,000 times more create this new electrode structure, the  Crack It & Quiz P4 powerful than comparable batteries. researchers build up a structure of Currently, we can have lots of power or polystyrene (Styrofoam) on a glass Amazing Energy Facts lots of energy but we can’t generally have substrate, electro deposit nickel onto both. Super capacitors can release a the polystyrene, and then electro deposit  In the average home, 75% of the electricity used to power home massive amount of power, but only for a nickel-tin onto the anode and manganese electronics is consumed while the few seconds; fuel cells can store a vast dioxide onto the cathode. products are turned off. amount of energy, but are limited in their The end result is that these porous peak power output. This is a problem electrodes have a massive surface area,  In the Philippines, geothermal because most modern applications of allowing for more chemical reactions to power provides 18% of their bleeding-edge tech smartphones, wearable take place in a given space, ultimately energy thanks to the presence of volcanoes. computers, electric vehicles require large providing a massive boost to discharge amounts of power and energy. speed (power output) and charging. So  Enough sunlight reaches the It brings us neatly onto the University of far, the researchers have used this tech to earth’s surface each minute to satisfy the world’s energy Illinois’ battery, which has a higher power create a button-sized micro battery. demands—for an entire year. density than a super capacitor, and yet In real-world use, this tech will probably comparable energy density to current be used to equip consumer devices with  About half of worldwide produc- nickel- zinc and lithium-ion batteries. batteries that are much smaller and lighter tion of solar panels is consumed According to the university’s press — imagine a smartphone with a battery by Japan. Their purpose is mostly release, this new battery could allow for the thickness of a credit card, which can for grid connected residential applications. wireless devices to transmit their signals be recharged in a few seconds and many 30 times farther . If that wasn’t enough, more fairy things will come true. Source : facts.randomhistory.com this new battery can be charged 1,000 Source : www.extremetech.com times faster than conventional li-ion batteries. Lockheed announces Breakthrough on Fusion Energy ockheed Martin Corp announced at the heart of the process generates L that it has made a technological so much heat and pressure that con- breakthrough in developing a power taining it, especially at smaller scales, source based on nuclear fusion, and has been an elusive goal. the first reactors, small enough to fit A high beta fusion reactor is based on on the back of a truck, could be ready principles of so-called “magnetic mir- for use in a decade. ror confinement.” This approach tries Researchers have been working on to contain plasma by reflecting fusion energy for about four years, particles from high-density magnetic but are now going public to find fields to low-density ones. potential partners in industry and It is a solution to climate change as government for their work. Initial than current reactors based on nuclear future planet’s entire electricity work demonstrated the feasibility of fission. The advantages of fusion over production could be carbon neutral. building a 100-megawatt reactor. fission are paramount. For one, fusion Since no radioactive waste is pro- This project would mark a key break- generates three to four times more duced, the dangers of a meltdown are through in a field that scientists have energy than fission does. It would non-existent. Engines fuelled by long eyed as promising, but which use deuterium-tritium fuel, which can fusion will radically transform our has not yet yielded viable results. The generate nearly 10 million times more ability to explore space. Fusion also effort seeks to harness the energy re- energy than the same amount of fossil provides a virtually limitless supply leased during nuclear fusion, when fuels and it is a scope for future reac- of fuel as sea water is used. atoms combine into more stable tors and can eliminate radio active There is no end to the ways such an forms. waste completely. Controlling a energy source could radically trans- Nuclear fusion is a potential energy fusion reaction has proven to be an form the world. source that is safer and more efficient engineering nightmare. The reaction Source: The Guardian Discarded Water Bottles become Cheap Solar Lights n big cities we take for granted package that can be placed in a dis- I how easy it is to use electrical carded plastic bottle. light, but over a billion people living Because plastic bottles are accessible in developing countries and rural are- to even the very remote communities as don't have access to the power grid. around the world, people interested in In rural India, if someone wants to setting up these solar lanterns will just study at night or walk home in the need the internal parts to be shipped dark, they'll often have to light a kero- to them. This helps keep the initial sene lamp, which is expensive to costs down, and also means that rub- maintain and smoky, plus it’s a pretty bish that was destined to become dangerous fire hazard if it’s acci- landfill can now enjoy a continued dentally tipped over. existence as a useful appliance. So designers at Designnobis, a firm The design won the Green Dot based in Turkey, have come up with frame holds everything together, and Award, which is an initiative that en- ‘Infinite Light’, a lantern made up of includes a handle at the top that al- courages businesses to produce envi- a flexible solar panel, some batteries, lows the lantern to be held and carried ronmentally friendly products, and the and an empty plastic bottle. around, or strung up from a ceiling or team at Designnobis is now working The solar panel sits inside the bottle an outdoor post. on getting their solar lanterns on the and collects sunlight during the day, The team aimed to create a sustaina- market. and at night, the lantern switches over ble lamp with minimum cost. The to battery power when the solar ener- lighting unit does not require any in- Source : www.sciencealert.com gy has been exhausted. A simple frastructure, and it is a ready-to-use Water and Sunlight: The Formula for Sustainable Fuel

cientists have replicated one of And at the end of the usage cycle it S the crucial steps in photosynthe- goes back to water. sis, opening the way for biological The team of researchers modified a systems powered by sunlight which much-researched and ubiquitous pro- could manufacture hydrogen as a tein, Ferritin, which is present in al- fuel. most all living organisms. Ferritin's Water is abundant and so is sunlight. usual role is to store iron, but the It is an exciting prospect to use them team removed the iron and replaced it to create hydrogen, and do it cheaply with the abundant metal, manganese, and safely. Hydrogen offers potential to closely resemble the water splitting as a zero-carbon replacement for This research opened up new possi- site in photosynthesis. petroleum products, and is already bilities for manufacturing hydrogen The protein also binds a haem group, used for launching space craft. How- as a cheap and clean source of fuel. which the researchers replaced with a ever, until this work, the way that This is the first time they have repli- light-sensitive pigment, Zinc Chlorin. plants produce hydrogen by splitting cated the primary capture of energy When they shown light onto the water has been poorly understood. from sunlight. It's the beginning of a modified ferritin, there was a clear The team created a protein which, whole suite of possibilities, such as indication of charge transfer just like when exposed to light, displays the creating a highly efficient fuel, or to in natural photosynthesis. electrical heartbeat that is the key to trap atmospheric carbon, and also we Modified E. Coli has the gene to photosynthesis. The system uses a know that carbon free cycle is essen- create ready made artificial photosyn- naturally-occurring protein and does tial and indefinitely sustainable. thetic proteins. It would be a self- not need batteries or expensive met- Sunlight is extraordinarily abundant, replicating system and all you need als, meaning it could be affordable in water is everywhere and the raw to do is shine light on it. developing countries. materials we need to make the fuel. Source: www.anu.edu.au/media The Forest Man of India: Jadav Payeng ince 1979, forestry worker Jadav efforts, the government has S Payeng has been cultivating a named the forest he helped grow after forest in northeast India that now him, as Mulai Kathoni Bari or the spans 550 hectares. Thirty-four years forest of Mulai, Payeng’s pet name. ago when he began to plant trees, no "Payeng is a true conservationist who one, including him, had the slightest is working generously on the issue, idea that his effort would give birth to and he has shown what an ordinary an entire forest. person with good motive and will It all began with a dream he had in power can do," said Assam chief 1979 to plant trees on barren land for minister Tarun Gogoi. small animals and birds to build their adjacent to the first forest he helped India’s premier educational institu- homes on the tree tops. Chasing his plant. tion, the Jawaharlal Nehru University dream, Jadav Payeng, then a young Payeng’s work has been credited with (JNU) named him the ‘Forest Man of lad, belonging to the Mishing tribal significantly fortifying the island, India’. community in district, in the while providing a habitat for several Payeng’ s story of afforestation brims north eastern state of Assam, began to endangered animals which have with country wisdom that needed no plant trees regularly. returned to the area; a herd of nearly alarming statistics about the ill effects Decades later, the trees have trans- 100 elephants (which has now given of deforestation, shrinking animal formed into a lush forest covering birth to an additional ten), Bengal habitats and providing sanctuaries for 550 hectares of land, home to wild tigers, and a species of vulture that natural wealth to survive, but only elephants, tigers, rhinos and deer. hasn’t been seen on the island in over homespun instinct. Similarly, he is growing trees on 40 years. Source : Al Jazeera another 150 hectares of land, which is In appreciation of his single handed

COMIC SENSE CRACK IT Scrambled words are given below that have something to do with energy. Unscramble the words and write down the answers in given space. 1) DNMLILW ______2) LCRCTEETIIY ______3) LOCA ______4) NAGTUARASL ______5) RREAWLOOPS ______6) THOGLAMEER ______

For more crosswords, puzzles see our Facebook “ENERGY HEADLINE” page.

QUIZ CREDITS

1.On which date World Environment Protection  Nitin Kumar (II Year, Civil Engg.) Day is celebrated?  Sachin Kumar (II Year, Mechanical Engg.) 2.The ‘thickness’ of stratospheric ozone layer is measured in?  Sadu Pradeep Teja (II Year, Mechanical Engg.)

3.When was Royal society for the Protection of  Shailesh Kumar (II Year, Electrical Engg.) Birds was formed?

Send your entries to [email protected]  Dr. –Ing Jyotirmay Mathur

Winning entries to win exciting prizes. ( HOD , Centre for Energy and Environment)

Disclaimer: This newsletter is for internal circulation within MNIT . All information/articles have been compiled from newspapers, technical magazines and other sources. For quiz answers, suggestions, feedback, and any other article you want to read on some particular topic or want us to publish in our reader’s column then mail us to [email protected] or write to us on our blog http://www.theehblogmnit.blogspot.com Also follow us on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/EH.MNITJaipur.in Answers for Crack It 1) Windmill 2) Electricity 3) Coal 4) Natural gas 5) Solar power 6) Geo thermal