Quick Energy

Brian Westenhaus of New Energy and Fuel points out that using LEDs for lighting could reduce US electricity demands by 10%. His discussion about new affordable LED technologies for lighting is worth a look.

Brian Wang at NextBigFuture points to this article about a new thermoelectric material that should help recover much of the waste heat lost from combustion processes. In a typical gasoline engine, up to 60% of the energy of combustion is lost as heat.

Torrefaction of biomass is a method of roasting biomass in an oxygen-free atmosphere at temperatures of about 300 C. This process allows biomass to be co-fired with coal in power plants, and makes biomass far more practical and economical to transport and use. Much biomass is wasted every year, often requiring expensive disposal. By converting biomass into a useful form, what was garbage can become useful energy.