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Max
 
93%
By building a power plant deep beneath the ocean, researchers hope to generate energy by harnessing the pressure of the ocean water. The plan would involve placing large tanks in the water at depths between 1300 and 2600 feet. Valves on the tanks would allow them to be opened, exposing the connected turbines to the pressure of the water as it rushes into the tanks. When full, the turbines could pump the water to the surface as saved as a sort of battery, a method known as 'pumped...
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Jared
 
92%
A new breed of artificial trees able to scrub carbon dioxide from the air could help to reduce greenhouse gas pollution. The air filtering device will feature strands of a resin-based material that will attract the CO2 and bind to it - capturing the carbon dioxide directly from the air and creating bicarbonate salt. It could take as many as 10 million 'artificial trees' to lower the atmospheric CO2 concentrations by 0.5ppm per year. While this application may be a bit in the...
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Jocker
 
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Featuring a wide-mouth funnel design, a new wind turbine could lower the cost of wind power to a price that is competitive with natural gas. The new design will capture the wind with its wide-mouthed funnels, directing the wind though narrow passages that will naturally speed up its flow. The accelerated wind will then be sent to a ground-level turbine, which will make maintenance both easier and safer while also reducing noise and vibration. The new technology will generate...
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Harry
 
93%
The sleek and intuitive window socket concept will be a portable, solar powered socket designed to be easily attached to a window. Meant to be easy to use with no special training, the small, round window socket will feature a solar panel surrounded by a suction plate and a converter that will convert the energy to electricity. A battery on the device will store the power for later use, and it will provide up to 10 hours of continuous power when fully charged.
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Max
 
93%
Why not develop a way to harvest the energy generated during photosynthesis to create a greener form of energy and a new generation of solar panels? During photosynthesis, light is turned into chemical energy by the splitting of water atoms into hydrogen and oxygen. The electrons are then used to create sugars to feed the plant. The idea is to find a way to collect those electrons before they are turned to sugars. The technique will involve interrupting the paths along which...
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Jared
 
92%
Instead of the conventional roof-mounted solar panels, the new design concept will feature a flexible, solar cell-embedded façade able to move with the sun and shift positions for maximum energy efficiency. The façade of the house will made up of a network of textile strips embedded with photovoltaic cells. With its two axis solar tracking system, the façade will be able to move to follow the sun and gather the maximum amount of energy. The flexible façade will also be altered to...
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Harry
 
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Glow-in-the dark nanoparticles will serve as an early warning for food-borne contaminations and bio-terrorism. The technique will use antibodies that will recognize botulinum toxin--a common poison in contaminated food. One side of the antibodies will be coated with a group of nanometer-sized particles carrying dye designed to glow under ultraviolet light. The new method will be much simpler and faster than current methods, which usually involve injecting a mouse with a...
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Jay
 
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04/24/2013
The thermal system will be able to concentrate the power of 2000 suns while also delivering fresh water. The system will follow the sun and will be made up of hundreds of photovoltaic chips that will gather energy at the center while being cooled by a microchannel water cooling process. This will allow the each chip to concentrate the solar energy without being damaged by extreme heat. And since the water in the microchannels reaches up to 194 degrees, it will be used to heat a...
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Jack Brown
 
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04/22/2013
A hybrid solar system could help increase the efficiency and eco-friendliness of natural gas power plants while also creating a synthetic fuel for vehicles. The system will feature a parabolic mirror that will focus sunlight on a small chemical reactor lined with narrow channels containing natural gas. A catalyst will break down the molecules of the sunlight-warmed gas to create a mixture of carbon dioxide and hydrogen called syngas (synthesis gas). The waste heat from this...
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Harry
 
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The idea is to develop a way to extract large quantities of hydrogen from plants, opening the door to a new low-cost, environmentally friendly fuel source. The technique will involve using a combination of a polyphosphate and a blend of enzymes to extract hydrogen from any biological element that contains xylose--which can be found in every plant. The process will also be more efficient and eco-friendly than conventional hydrogen extraction methods.