Tuesday, 15 March 2016

Solar and pedestrian powered street lights

The following was shared because I was working a similar concept in that, I was proposing that the sidewalks in Jamaica could be built so that they produce energy as people walk on same. I started building some piezoelectric paving stones that would generate electricity as is being purported in this article. They worked as expected but further improvements are needed to make them water proof and to generate more energy.

Sin City going green: Las Vegas to use solar and pedestrian power for street lights

Stanley Goodner March 10, 2016

Each time a person steps on a kinetic tile, up to 7 W of power is generated for the EnGoPLANET Street Light (Credit: EnGoPLANET). View gallery (3 images)

Cities consume a considerable amount of energy per year on lighting. And if that city happens to be Las Vegas, you can expect the bill to be a doozy. But a recently announced partnership with a New York City-based start-up is set to bolster Las Vegas' commitment to renewable energy sources. Soon enough, some of "Sin City's" sidewalks will be illuminated by EnGoPLANET's innovative sun- and people-powered street lights.

EnGoPLANET focuses on developing off-the-grid solutions and infrastructure to harvest energy from alternative sources. Installations of EnGoPLANET's latest, the Street Light, is expected to be a first-ever for the company. Together with the city of Las Vegas, the solar-kinetic lights will be placed throughout Boulder Plaza. Not only are these street lights designed to be powered by the sun, but footsteps of passing pedestrians will help keep them illuminated all through the night.

EnGoPLANET Street Lights can be connected to durable, strategically-placed kinetic energy tiles that are designed to turn motion into useful energy. Each time someone steps on one of these pads, up to 7 W of power is created and then stored in a battery for later use. The lights are equipped with the latest LED technology, ranging from 25 to 75 W depending on the chosen design. Motion sensors can be incorporated so that the lights illuminate only as-needed, thus potentially reducing the amount of energy waste.

Optional features help to transform the EnGoPLANET Street Light into smart tech for cities. Additional sensors measure air quality, temperature, humidity, and water, as video surveillance cameras monitor and analyze traffic. Similar to the Bigbelly solar-powered recycling/garbage bin, built-in Wi-Fi transmits real-time data while doubling as a hot spot for mobile devices. Benches and EnGo Charge Spots can be provided so that people have a place to sit and charge devices via USB or wireless pad.

"If you look at traditional street light poles, you will see that they are useless. They simply hold the lighting," says Petar Mirovic, CEO of EnGoPLANET. "With our solution, we've changed that by incorporating useful features into the pole and transforming it into a free service spot where people can rest, charge their portable devices, or connect to Wi-Fi."

Tuesday, 19 January 2016

Charge your phone using a dc motor or bicycle generator

In Jamaica especially during the hurricane season we are going to experience lost of electricity and most of us would still like to be able to charge our phone and our neighbours' phones (at least). Well if you have a small motor to make a quick and easy wind turbine or if you have a bicycle with a generator on it, the following circuit can be attached to same and then used to charge your phones.

This device will work to power not only a mobile phone, but anything which requires 5V. Of course, it’s pretty easy to swap out the L7805 for any other similar voltage regulator.

Resources Required

This device was very cheap to make, probably $500 worth of parts (that is if you dont already have them at home).

L7805/7805 voltage regulator
100 µF electrolytic capacitor
10 µF electrolytic capacitor
1N400x rectifier diode
the dc motor usually found in old toys or a bicycle generator
USB cable

Procedure

Take a look at the following circuit diagram, it’s very simple to follow and understand. Notice the diode which ensures current flows in only one direction (we don’t want any mishaps). Of course, diodes do have a drop voltage, but it’s low enough to keep everything working great. Then we have two decoupling capacitors to smooth out the voltage coming in, and going out. Of course, we have the 7805 which regulates the voltage. The IN pin accepts the inward voltage, the GND pin connects to the negative terminal of the voltage source, and OUT delivers the outbound voltage.

Caution

Only attempt if have at least the basics in electronics.

Reference: Tree House Projects

Thursday, 14 January 2016

Potential of Electric Vehicles in Jamaica

Hi!

The following might be lengthy but it shows how if only 10% of Jamaican vehicles were electric operated how the country would be saving over $5 Billion Jamaican dollars per year.

The tale of electric vehicles on Jamaican roads

Jamaica, astonishingly has 200-300 roads per 100km square, ranking it the fourth country in the world in respect to road density. Our problem? Many of these roads are in a state of disrepair giving us nothing to boast. Having an efficient and effective transportation system is crucial to the economic and social development of a country and of course this is known by the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) as same is seen being manifested in the fact that the GOJ has embarked on a nationwide upgrading of the road network. Such a system is also vital if we are really serious about becoming an internationally recognized logistic hub. However, any good transportation system can still be improved upon by being, environmentally friendly while reducing the negative social and economic externalities associated with its operation, and this is where electric vehicles (EV) can come into play. The introduction of EVs would seek to plug a leak in our economy caused by some aspects of our transportation sector, while simultaneously saving the country $J5.9 billion per annum.

The future is as far or as near as we want it to be and whether or not we are prepared for it, it is coming. It is therefore my recommendation that EVs be quickly introduced to the Jamaica Automobile Industry/market, then to the Jamaican Public Transportation Sector; both of which, is currently entirely composed of vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICE). This can be done by opening the door to EVs and Hi Performance Electric Vehicles (HPEVs) by encouraging and fostering their importation, sale, and use.

Although we will never be independent of imported oil we can incrementally make decisions and plans that will reduce our dependence. Presently, the transportation industry consumes about 21% of the oil that the country imports according to the 2009-2030 Energy Policy.

In order to start the introduction of EVs and HPEVs, I recommend that the government:

Continue and fine-tune this discussion with all the relevant stakeholders
Charge no importation taxes/duties on these vehicle
Grant at least a 15% and 10% concession on all EVs and PHEVs and eligibility of same to all government employees and other customers respectively.
Ensure that a minimum of 10% of motor vehicle importation is allocated especially to EVs and a quota be placed on new and used ICE vehicles. Over the successive years the quota allocated to EVs should be increased by 2% each year for the next ten (12) years.
Encourage the insurance companies to offer a lower insurance package on these vehicles as comparatively worldwide they are involved in less motor vehicle accidents.

No doubt an electric vehicle infrastructure will have to be built, however this investment can be made by members of the private sector, through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), Direct Investments, Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) or Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT). Such investments will create a new industry and cause an increase in economic activity which will positively affect the country’s GDP and attractiveness for further investments. Examples of investment options are as follows: (1). Operators of paid parking facilities can install solar powered charging services to persons who own EVs at an additional cost. The cost being charged must be less than what the car owners would pay if they were to charge their vehicles at home. (2) Companies that offer free parking for their workers and customers can gain additional income by also offering solar powered charging services. (3) Hotels, Guest Houses and Motels can also offer charging services which may give them a competitive advantage. (4) Companies with a fleet of vehicles can save millions per year with changing them out for electric vehicles. (5) Taxi operators can offer a reduce price while enjoying an increased profit margin by using EVs. (6) Strategically positioned gas stations can also offer EV charging services.

After the private sector, through the “steering” of government has put into play the EV infrastructure, then the GOJ can turn its attention to upgrading the JUTC fleet with electric buses. The JUTC is presently operating at a lost, however these loses can be drastically reduced if we follow countries like India, the UK, USA, Canada, China and Korea who have electric buses among the fleet of their public bus system. Each JUTC depot along with the Half-Way-Tree bus terminal can install solar and wind power charging capabilities for these buses. The present bus fleet can be sold to private bus companies and the revenue generated can be used to help offset the cost of buying a few of the new electric buses.

The benefits of this recommendation are, but not limited to:

(1) Jamaica will be placing itself in a position of becoming the country that has the most EVs vehicles per 100km square by 2030 if this recommendation is put in effect within the next two years. This will create an entirely new sector which will provide many new jobs and services.

(2) The manufacturers of EV and PHEV can be easily encouraged to view Jamaica as a viable market to do business and to invest in. When they accept, FDIs in the form of outlets, depots and assembly plants can be established in the country. Additionally, they can use same not only to supply the local market but also the Caribbean Region and to a larger extent the Americas. This would allow Jamaica to become a major transshipment port for EVs and PHEVs thus making the Automotive Industry a part of the logistic hub in a way that it had never thought of before.

(3) The technical capacity to build the infrastructure needed to support this new sector can be found in our local Alternative Energy companies. This move would boost the growth of the Alternate Energy Industry by leaps and bounds.

(4) One of the advantages that Jamaica and other small countries have in the adoption of electric vehicles is their size. The average electric vehicle travels 150km per charge, in the Jamaican context, that is roughly from one end of the island to the next. The average Jamaican commuter travels less than 100km per day going to work and back. In this regards, small countries have the comparative advantage over larger countries in the usage of EVs, making them ideal for the electric vehicle market.

(5) The increase in electric vehicles and the simultaneous and gradual reduction in ICEs on our nation’s roads will cause a decrease in the amount of pollution that the transportation sector produces thus reducing its carbon footprint. Our atmosphere will be greatly improved which will in turn increase the quality of life for our citizens. Additionally, an improvement in air quality, if properly marketed by the Ministry of Tourism can also help to improve our tourism product. Jamaica could advertise itself has having one of the best air quality in the western hemisphere.

(6) Jamaica will be consuming far less energy to operate the transport sector which uses 21% of the total oil imported. There were about 500,000 registered motor vehicles in Jamaica in 2008 according to the Insurance Association of Jamaica (there are more now). If 10% of this amount which is 50,000 were EVs the country would save approximately $5.9 Billion Jamaican dollars per annum on imported oil which is calculated as follows; On average Jamaican spends US$2.4 billion for oil annually, multiplied that by the 21% that the transportation sector uses, equals to US$504 million, then multiplied by the 10% (not using oil/gas) would equal US$50,400,000 or J$5,997,600,000. This J$5.9 Billion worth of savings is at no cost to the GOJ or the people and will increase by 2% each year according to the recommendation above.

There are many more benefits to be gained from the introduction of EVs to Jamaican Automotive market and the above expressed is but scratching the surface. The road to economic recovery may be found among the many that we already have, but what is sure, is that traveling in an electric vehicle will improve our chances of getting there.