Technology
Energy
harvesting is advancing. The technology to change radio waves from TV
broadcasting, mobile phone, wireless LAN to electricity was developed by Nihon Dengyo Kosaku. This technology is called rectifying antenna, or rectenna for
short. Catching radio waves in the air makes it possible to generate
electricity anywhere. That is, outside equipment with built-in rectenna
technology can receive radio waves for power supply. The company plans to put
the technology into practical use within the year. Murata Manufacturing, Ceratec Engineering, and Sound Power are
developing piezoelectric vibration generation technology that changes pressure
and vibration into electricity. That is, a remote controller that incorporates
piezoelectric vibration generation technology does not need a battery because
it can generate electricity when one of its buttons is pushed.
Kobe Steel launched a binary
cycle system that generates electricity using hot spring. The system heats the
alternative for chlorofluorocarbon that flows inside the system to boiling
through heat exchange. It can boil hot water of 70 degrees centigrade and create
steam, and the created steam generates electricity of 70 kW. This output is
enough to satisfy the power demand of a hotel. Xenesys has been conducting
research on ocean thermal energy conversion for the past more than 10 years.
The technology is to run a turbine with steam created by surface water. The
created steam is liquefied after it is cooled down with deep ocean water. The
principle is the same as binary cycle. Sea areas suitable for thermal energy
conversion need to have surface water of 25 degrees centigrade and deep ocean
water of 5 degrees centigrade. There are not so many suitable sea areas except
off Okinawa Island in Japan, but there are lots of suitable sea areas in the
world. The potential amount is estimated at 1,000 billion kW. The company plans
to commercialize the technology as the power station for isolated islands.
Rectenna
to harvest terresterial digital broadcasting
A sample
of piezoelectric vibration generation
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