Avadream

Our latest post is now available on our blog. Check it out! http://www.avadream.com/blog/trade-dog-poo-free-wifi/

Pick up After your dog and earn Free WiFi

No matter if you’re a dog owner or not you’ve most likely encountered  one or two dog do-do’s that some owner ‘forgot’ to pick up. Perhaps dog owners sometime forget to bring a bag, or the bag they brought broke OR they were just lazy? Well, no matter what, there are still areas in any city/town that have had its share of natural ‘fertilizer’.

A recent campaign, created by DDB, in Mexico makes us think that someone’s had enough. Yes, whoever came up with the latest idea to fight the dog owner came up with something so innovative that the idea is balancing between madness and genius!  So here it is. For every bag of dog pop placed in a special made pet station will provide the surrounding area with free Wi-Fi! That’s right, you can now trade in your dog’s poop in order to get a set amount of time of free Wi-Fi. And who exactly are the geniuses behind this idea?

Terra Poo is a Mexican internet company called Terra, and the campaign is an attempt to provide free Wi-Fi services to public meeting places – while making down owners pick up after their dogs. As already mentioned, the Wi-Fi will be administered in timed increments based on the amount of  dog poop collected. The more poop that is placed in the special pet stations the longer free Wi-Fi time will be available.

Overall, this is a brilliant idea to try keeping public meeting places clean. We think this could be adapted to the US and perhaps even be further developed  to reward people for doing something good while being out and about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6dB7S5ik51A

Our latest post is now available on our blog. Check it out! http://www.avadream.com/blog/seattle-bullitt-center-sets-green-standard/

The Seattle Bullitt Center sets a new 'green' standard!

A Seattle-based environmental organization named The Bullitt Foundation has announced that the grand opening of their Bullitt Center will be taking place  on Earth Day, April 22, 2013.  Although the building is still under construction, it has already been dubbed the “World’s Greenest Office Building“. Maybe it’s just us but being crowned as the ‘Greenest Office Building’ before even opening the front doors tells you something about it’s ‘alternative features and amenities.  quite the thing. Hence, us digging deeper to see what kind of ‘green’ surprises hide inside of those doors.

The Bullitt Center is a six-story 50,000 square footage building, where a bunch of tenants are scheduled to move in shortly. A report from Triple Pundit,  says about 40 percent of the building was leased out as of mid-January and expect to fill the rest during their grand opening. At the moment, available suite comes in the 2,000 to 8,000 square foot range.

Aside from the Bullitt Foundation headquarters, a couple of confirmed tenants include the University of Washington’s Integrated Design Lab and the Cascadia Green Building Council.

The new Bullitt Center is supposedly such an advanced building that its environmental features that it made the U.S. Green Building Council’s 110-point LEED rating program look too simple. The Bullitt Foundation is therefore aiming for the more prestige Living Building Challenge, sponsored by the International Living Building Institute.

In order to be certified as a Living Building, a structure needs to be self-sufficient for energy and water for no less than 12 continuous months while meeting high standards for green materials and quality of indoor environment, and more.

One of the major ‘green’ attractions of the Bullitt Center is its rainwater collection system on the roof, which will channel Seattle’s enormous amounts of stormwater into an underground system to once again be reused.

  Photo credit to: earthtechling.com

  The building will also include a lot of huge windows that will create natural light as well as solar arrays covering majority of the roof and will generate as much electricity as the building uses.

A fun little side note about the Bullitt center is that the building has banned the use of any major hazardous materials; PVC, lead, mercury. And last but not least, a solar-powered hydronic heating system will be installed under the floors.

The Bullit Center surely is a fantastic piece of green architecture. Let’s hope this building will get the attention it deserves and inspire more investors to build environmental friendly office/living space.

Our latest post is now available on our blog. Check it out! http://www.avadream.com/blog/african-teens-create-pee-powered-energy-generator/

African Teens Create Urine-Powered Energy Generator

Four African teenage girls, Duro-Aina Adebola, Akindele Abiola, Faleke Oluwatoyin and Bello Eniola, recently impressed visitors of Maker Faire Africa by creating a urin-powered generator. By utilizing one of the most common resources on the planet, urine, the girls developed a generator that is able to produce six hours of power by adding one liter of the  ’yellow fuel’.

Keep in mind, these girls are in their mid teens – 14 to 15 years old – and have already come up with an invention that many college grads can’t even design.  According to inhabitat.com, the girls grew  up in a region with limited natural resources and have therefore always  been motivated and inspired to take on the challenge of creating a type of alternative energy system that can be  discovered and thereafter improved, to solve energy solutions in their community and around the world.

According to inhabitat.com, the average person produces around 2 liters of urine per day. And in this case, “one liter is put into an electrolytic cell, which separates the hydrogen. The hydrogen is then purified with a typical water filter, and extracted into a gas cylinder.  is then squeezed into another cylinder of liquid borax, which removes any excess humidity from the hydrogen. The hydrogen, now pure, can then be used in the generator.”

Despite being able of producing six hours of electricity, this device is not a stand-alone generator. It require electricity to initially power the electrolytic cell inside of the completed prototype. As hydrogen isn’t exactly healty, there are still things in  that needs to be improved in the purification process. Having said that, this is definitely a construction that can be improved by the help of scientists and more advanced equipment.

Our latest post is now available on our blog. Check it out! http://www.avadream.com/blog/renewable-energy-leaders-2013/

Here's your renewable energy leaders 2013

Have you ever wondered how ‘green’ your country really is? Although, our world evolves around a tiny fragment the very country we live in globalization has made things much easier to keep up with world news and trends. So, when you look at your surroundings to at least determine if the city/town/village has any ‘green’ renewable energy projects completed, you may or may not have an idea of how the rest of the country is doing. Often times, it all comes down to legislation, city funding and overall budgeting and ‘green’ political power. Some of us may be surrounded with plenty of alternative energy solutions, while others have very few renewable energy options. Sometimes it is all about consumer education. Either way, today, we’re happy to share our take on EcoWatch.org‘s article discussing the world’s ‘Renewable Energy Leaders‘. And no, we’re are not one of them – despite numbers showing that renewable energy has increased in the US by more than 300 percent in the past 10 years.

No, in fact, the United States are still far behind Europe and parts of Asia, Indonesia. And as if that wasn’t enough, we’re only baby steps ahead of Mexico.  Speaking of Europe, Germany – the leader of green renewable energy – gets most electricity from renewable energy sources than any other region in the world. The United States, got around 2.7 percent in 2011, which makes us number 7 of all G-20 nations.

Well done Germany! Here in the US, we can only hope that we’ll do what it takes to climb the list so we can one day be on top of the leader board.

Our latest post is now available on our blog. Check it out! http://www.avadream.com/blog/enviro-logs-winters-green-money-saver/

Enviro Logs - This winter's 'green' money saver

You might be one of many who are trying to figure out how to stay warm this winter, without increasing your heat/electric utility bills. If you are, we might have some good news for you.

As we all know, the long time main source of alternative heat during winter time is the fireplace or wood burning stove - assuming you have one in your home/condo/apartment. Despite being more physically demanding, if you need to chop your own wood, either of the two will most likely end up being a more affordable option during the most freezing season of the year. Something to take in to consideration, before entertaining the idea of a fireplace, is the amount of forest being chopped down just to lower your bill, the time spent starting the fire and the actual time it takes before your home/house heats up. Instead, how about taking a look at the Enviro-Logs!

Compared to the traditional wood log, you are now able to use a product that is made from 100 percent recycled waxed cardboard, the type of cardboard used for transporting vegetables and fruit. Not only will you spare trees but you can also take pride in knowing that it  has a 30-40% lower particle matter emission than firewood WHILE reducing waste that is no longer needed.  You’re basically getting a environmentally better product!

Look at the pros. Here you have a product that is close to odorless, can be used on fireplaces inside and out, spark free (may spark while stirring) a burn time of 3 hours (with a 5 lbs log) and all you need is a match to light it up. And perhaps best of all, you don’t need to chop any wood and yes, you’ll stay warm while saving on your utility bill AND saving the planet. What more can you ask for!

You can find this amazing, energy saving product at any major US retailer.

Stay warm, stay green!

Our latest post is now available on our blog. Check it out! http://www.avadream.com/blog/yeti-grid-losing-power/

The Yeti - Go off the grid without losing power

The sustainable gadgets category is growing. An example of why it is growing may be a combination of consumer education and innovative, stylish designs. No matter what, the hottest items are often shown on trade shows and events. And in this case, by the help of our friends at inhabitat.com, we’ve stumbled across the Goal Zero’s Yeti 150 Solar Generator.

The Yeti Generator apparently became the talk of Sin City during last year’s  Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Back then, Goal Zero promised all CES attendees that its Yeti 1250, a solar energy generator is big enough to run a refrigerator while the power is out. Now that was last year, now the company has unveiled its Yeti 150, a portable, plug-and-play solar generator with plenty of power packed in its compact design.

The Yeti 150 is suitable for those who like to go camping, head to the country side or just somewhere, where it is practically impossible to get the electricity you often times need. Aside from being portable, it comes with an outlet so you can plug it in and recharge it. As already mentioned, the yeti 150 is small, 12 lbs small, so don’t count on powering up any homes with this gadget. Having said that, most of your portable essentials, like a light, a phone, and possibly a laptop or GPS will all be powered up with this puppy.

The Yeti Solar panel collects a full charge in between 5 and 10 hours of direct exposure to sunlight. A comparison to what that amount of energy will light a lantern for fifty hours or power a smartphone for fifteen hours, and recharge your laptop twice.

The Yeti 150 is still not available on the market but is scheduled for 2013 with a MSRP landing around $400.

Source: http://inhabitat.com/yeti-150-goal-zero-unveils-a-plug-and-play-solar-generator-for-emergencies-or-off-grid-adventures-at-ces-2013/

Our latest post is now available on our blog. Check it out! http://www.avadream.com/blog/lg-release-big-screen-oled-tv-month/

LG to release the first big screen OLED TV next month

You may have heard about the technology, or seen the type of technology, that makes it possible to have paper-thin smartphone and touch screen device and wondered when you’ll get to experience that thin screen in a larger format? Well, it’s time to stop wondering. According to LG newsroom, that technology will soon be available in television size. Yes, that means you’ll have the option to buy/order a paper thin television and enjoy the latest energy efficient technology straight from your living room, shortly! The first dated release will take place in South Korea in February, 2013.

In case you’re unfamiliar with OLED technology, it stands for organic light emitting diode and will be rocking a 4 millimeter (.16″) screen. The 55 inch television, that’l be sold in 1,400 retail stores in South Korea, will weigh less than 22 lbs. That, for 55 inch show how the OLED tv’s razor thin screen eliminate a lot of weight that exists on the LED TV of same size.  Aside from it’s measurements, uber-thin design, and energy efficiency, the OLEDs pixel illuminates itself and therefore eliminates the need for a backlight, that you can find on certain LCD screen.

According to earthtechling.com, LG, claim that its Color Refiner delivers even greater tonal enhancement, resulting in images that are more vibrant and natural than current technology.

According to AfterDawn.com, the first LG TV to hit the US market will be retailing for a whopping $12,000 and can be find in selected stores starting March of this year.

Our latest post is now available on our blog. Check it out! http://www.avadream.com/blog/douglas-fir-christmas-tree-sterilize-medical-devices/

The Douglas Fir (Christmas Tree) may be used to help sterilize medical devices

As many of us are back at work, the holiday season and possible vacation days have come to an end. Here’s a little green news, especially for those of us that celebrate Christmas. As we all know, Christmas trees are one of the main icons of the  holiday season and now with January being here, they are headed to the landfill/wood chipper. At least that’s usually the case but now it seems like there seems to be an additional need for them. According to inhabitat.com a paper published in the  in the International Journal of Biomedical Nanoscience and Nanotechnology show evidence that the needles of the the Douglas fir, may be able to help sterilize nano devices destined for the human body.

A research team led by chemist Poushpi Dwivedi of MNNIT situated in Allahabad, India are working on a compound derived from the needles of the Douglas fir to help coat nano medical devices and fight infection. One of the biggest problems for biomedical devices is that bacteria can still invade implant sites, prosthetics, and tissues. However, there may be a way to reduce the past problems with the douglas fir. Apparently, its bionanocomposite may be able to cover implants and avoid/protect from microbial growth.

So how did the research team in Allahabad make this discovery? Turns out they were combining extract from the Douglas fir needles with silver nitrate solution, and created something called silver nanoparticles. These silver nanoparticles can be dispersed in a chitosan polymer to make a coating. The extract, which is extracted from the Douglas Fir needle, serves as a natural chemical reducing agent that is able to convert silver ions in the nitrate solution into tiny nanoscopic silver metal particles. Pretty neat, huh? Let’s see the progress and the continued research of the Douglas Fir needle extract and hope it may be the optimal cure for future infections!

Our latest post is now available on our blog. Check it out! http://www.avadream.com/blog/happy-green-2013-apps-improve-green-2013/

Happy Green 2013! - Apps to improve your green 2013

Happy new year and happy start of 2013! We hope you all had a lovely holiday with tons of  joyous moments with friends, family and loved ones. Hopefully the fantastic amount of holidays helped you recharge your batteries and you are now ready to take on 2013.

Some of us have made new years resolution  to live a cleaner, greener life this year and our goal is help out! So, to kick off your green 2013, and by the help of earthtechling.com we’ve found  4 mobile apps for a greener living.

App – GroceryHero

Hate to spend money that only ends up in the waste? This app reminds you of expiration dates of groceries in your store while helping you discovery innovative recipes based on the ingredients you buy. Free – Android only

App – Get There By Bike

Here’s an app for all of you folks who are committed to skip using the car and consider bike commuting. Users can find bike friendly directions in traffic, hills and off-street bike paths. You can choose from Google “Bike There” directions or OpenStreetMap bike routes provided by Mapquest. The app also provides full support for bike share programs in Boston, DC, Denver, Miami, Toronto, Montreal and London with map purchase. Free – iPhone and iPad.

App – EnergySaver

EnergySaver educates its app users about the energy consumption and costs of each of their household devices/appliances based actual usage.  The app allows users to input the utility rates and find the appliances that are costing them the most money. $2.99 on both the App Store and Google Play.

App – yerdle

Use this app to post items you are ready to give away and/or request things you would like to add to your household. The key is to share your items and receive others in return, once you find something you like or someone who wants your give-away item. This app is able to integrate with any major social media app. Free – iPhone only.

Our latest post is now available on our blog. Check it out! http://www.avadream.com/blog/calorie-belt-convert-calories-energy/

How to convert your calories into energy that can power your home electronics

In case you’re putting on some extra pounds during the holiday season like the rest of us, here’s an interesting, calorie burning prototype. Dutch designer Emmy van Roosmalen, has designed a belt that can turn thos extra pounds, or any extra weight you’d like to get rid of, into pollution-free electricity.

Despite the similar appearance of the old school type of ab stimulator belt, Van Roosmalen’s concept is a completely different story. By the help of nanotechnology, Van Roosmalen claims that her device can convert calories into chemical energy that is thereafter used to power your personal electronics. Van Roosmalen says that the device will remove white fat and and convert it into Adenosine-triphosphate (ATP). Emmy seems quite sure her belt will be the next big thing and claims that you can “Eat what you want at dinner, and give up that gym membership for good. Energy Belt cuts down on electricity costs while you cut down on size,”.

Now, we’ll see what happens with this device but if it actually works, it’ll most likely be something we’ll all consider. After all, who doesn’t want to charge their smartphone while loosing weight?

Our latest post is now available on our blog. Check it out! http://www.avadream.com/blog/414/

The Re-Cycle prototype, is the first bike in the world to be made from nearly 100 percent recycled materials. With a revolutionary design that improves the efficiency and comfort of the bike, the Recycle bike prototype is definitely one of a kind.

The design is meant to minimize waste without sacrificing aesthetic. Hence, the contemporary minimalist look. According to Urban Velo, the Re-Cycle comes in three different styles,without seat tube, where two models have a dropped chainstay design that allows for a belt drive without the joint in the rear triangle.

With aluminum being one of the most recyclable materials known to man, the recycled bike by team Re-cycle could easily make use of the  100 billion aluminum cans sold in the U.S. – among other trash. Creator of Re-Cycle, Bryce Edmonds, seems to have realized the possibilities that trash has and simply decided to make use of it. Despite being a fantastic idea, Bryce and his bike project is still in the beginning of what we hope to be a long profitable journey. And as such, he still needs funding to make the first commercial run of his 100% recyclable aluminum bike.

If you’re interested in helping Bryce and his Re-Cycle prototype making it to a bike shop near you, head over to Kickstarter and donate anything from $1  and up!

Our latest post is now available on our blog. Check it out! http://www.avadream.com/blog/3-green-gifts-holidays/

3 Green Gifts for the Holidays

The holiday’s are around the corner and most  of us have already taken care of the gift shopping. In case you haven’t, or in case you just want to squeeze in one more gift, we’ve been doing some research to find 3 green gifts to give your loved ones. We’re fully aware of the fact that there aren’t many days left, but we’re sure there are some hardworking procrastinators out there that’ll appreciate our post. So, if you’re looking for a gift that’ll cut energy usage and reduce your carbon footprint, look at the Voltaic Solar Charger Kit, Maestro Vacancy Sensing Switch and Honeywell WiFi Thermostat.

1. 16.8-Watt Voltaic Solar Charger Kit

the 16.8-Watt Solar Charger Kit from Voltaic features a V60 battery capable of charging everything from laptop to cameras to cell phones at once. This little puppy is rocking a portable lightweight design that makes it easy to move around to wherever you need power. This gift is an extremely cool gift to give to anyone who wants to use an alternative energy source to power his/her electronic belongings.

  2. Maestro Occupancy/Vacancy Sensing Switch

Our second gift that we recommend comes from Lutron with their Maestro Occupancy/Vacancy Sensing Switch . This energy saving gadget is designed for all of us who tend to forget the lights on just a bit too often for our own good. It also adds convenience and will save energy in your home by automatically turning lights on when you enter the room and off after a period of inactivity. By installing the Maestro with  sensing technology the sensor’s ambient light detection can sense natural light in all rooms of your house and turning lights on/off when needed  to.

  3. Honeywell Wifi Programmable Thermostat

Our third and last gift we suggest as the perfect green holiday gift is a programmable thermostat from Honeywell. The Honeywell WiFi Programmable Thermostat is a low-cost installation thermostat. If you’re a gadget freak like us  you’re probably going to like this one a lot! One of the main features of this thermostat is the ability to adjust the temperature remotely using any type of tablet or smartphone with an internet connection. That way you can make sure you’re home is nice and cool or hot – depending on the season – every time you’re about to come home, rather than leaving it on or setting it for a time that you may not keep. Hence, cutting the true cost of usage each day.

Our latest post is now available on our blog. Check it out! http://www.avadream.com/blog/waka-waka-solar-power-solar-light/

Waka Waka Solar Power and Solar Light.

Nowadays, a simple thing as electricity is often taken for granted. After all, why wouldn’t it be when we live in an industrialized country like  the United States? Here, with  the exception of those affected by extreme poverty or natural disasters, nearly all of us have access to electricity.

the International Energy Agency says that about 20 percent of the planet’s inhabitants are still without something as simple as a light switch.  Instead, these individuals depend on dangerous, outdated lighting alternatives such as kerosene lamps, open wood fires etc. So today, are there any safer methods available on the market? We believe so. There’s a new toy, called the WakaWaka Solar Light.

The Waka Waka is a solar powered LED lamp that can easily replace expensive fossil fuels – without the traditional need of  infrastructure or technical support.  The lamp is rocking an innovative solar powered management technology that provides for superior charging capabilities – 16 hours reading light on less than a full day of sunlight. The most appropriate thing about the Waka Waka is that it is will be available for those who really need it.

Aside from the this amazing and giving invnetion, the Waka Waka power device is now available for most types of smartphones. This devices is a mini power station with efficient solar cells and a power management system that is up to 200% more efficient than any competitor product on the market.  Apart from charging your smartphone, WakaWaka Power is still a light source which can provide you with up to 100 hours of light on a single day solar charging.

For a limited time, putting down parts of the total retail value will assure you to receive your very own waka waka power as soon as it hits the market. Now, the best part about pledging about $50 is that the company will be giving away one WakaWaka solar light to a family in Haiti, currently living without power for every consumer deposit made.

Our latest post is now available on our blog. Check it out! http://www.avadream.com/blog/engineer-builds-gingerbread-house-cad-based-laser-program/

Engineer Builds Gingerbread House - With CAD-Based Laser Program!

Dutch engineer Johan Von Konow  just created a a gingerbread house by the help of a laser engraver with and a CAD program! The first step for Von Konow was to create a miniature 3D representation of his own summer house in CAD on his computer, that way learning how to cut his gingerbread blocks into tasty ‘lumber’. Thus, that way excluding conventional utensils.

The next step of Johan’s gingerbread construction was then to cut the gingerbread into properly measured pieces and thereafter carefully use the icing to glue the pieces together. When discussing the project, Johan Von Konow said: “This also eliminated the risk of warping the parts during baking in the oven. To get even thickness, 2mm distances were added to the edges on the baking roller. The dough was placed on sheets of PTFE (Teflon) and then rolled to large sheets of 2mm thickness. After baking the sheets become approximately 4mm.”

“It was quite easy to cut out the parts; I set the laser to 80% for the cut out lines and 20% for the decoration lines. These lines did not cut all the way through and were used as guide for the frosting. Even for the cut out lines the laser didn’t go all the way through, but it was easy to snap of the parts. The biggest problem with the cutting was the smell. Lasers tend to create a lot of smoke, and this one was worse than usual. It was something between burned cake and burned hair… After tasting a piece of the left over we become aware that this house is never going to be eaten!”

Let’s hope that we get to see more of Johan’s amazing work for the upcoming holidays!

Our latest post is now available on our blog. Check it out! http://www.avadream.com/blog/mothership/

Delay expected on Apple 'mothership'

The massive spaceship-looking building that’ll soon become Apple’s new headquarters in Cupertino, CA is currently being delayed. According to Venture Beat the late design changes that were requested by Apple, in November, will likely postpone the planned completion what some has grown to call the Apple “mothership” a.k.a.  Apple Campus 2 Project. The waiting time, is based on whenever the city’s environmental impact review can be performed. Right now it seems as it won’t happen until June, 2013.

As a result, the massive 176 acre property site may not bee fully completed until 2014-2016. Despite the delay, Apple’s new headquarter is expected to house over 13,000 employees, be using 100% renewable energy with green power coming from fuel cells,biogas and last but not least, photovoltaic panels. It doesn’t end there either, Apple plans to provide 300 electric vehicle charging stations, native drought tolerant vegetation and 6,000 newly planted trees.  job creation will also increase as a 60,000-square-foot restaurant fitting 2,100 employees, plus multiple outdoor dining locations for another 1,750 workers.

From a renewable energy persperive, this is undoubtedly an amazing building and we are looking forward to how the project develops.

Our latest post is now available on our blog. Check it out! http://www.avadream.com/blog/wave-powered-robot-return-9000-mile-journey/

Wave powered robot return from 9000-mile journey

A Silicon Valley startup called Liquid Robotics, announced  today that their latest robot invention, Papa Mau, completed a trip across the Pacific Ocean – California to Australia. For over 365 days,  the robot reportedly survived everything from shark attacks to storms to crazy water current. Eventually, the wave-powered robot it reached its destination. The amazing part about the Papa Mau is that it was setting a new world record for the longest distance traveled by an autonomous vehicle.

In 2011, Liquid Robotics sent four wave gliders across the Pacific Ocean, starting in San Francisco. The initial purpose of the wave gliders were to measure oil spills, while also testing the endurance of the gliders. On their way to Japan, two of the robots experienced rudder problems that were headed for Japan experienced rudder problems, causing them to cancel their mission.

The record-setting glider, Papa Mau did however complete its mission but not without facing most of the dangers you can expect when setting sails for a 9,000 mile journey. Aside from storms and sea life, the robot ran into several days of cloudiness, which affected its ability to produce enough energy to power its sensors.

Liquid Robotics are also known for their surfboard-sized robots known as Wave Gliders.

Our latest post is now available on our blog. Check it out! http://www.avadream.com/blog/dirt-add-heat/

Take Dirt, Add Heat!

Researchers at Michigan State have developed a thermoelectric material using common minerals found in dirt. Yes, you heard me, dirt! If you compare the thermoelectric material to a car engine, the car’s tail pipe rids itself of most of the heat.  In the thermoelectric material case, it does the opposite. It takes that heat and transforms it into electricity. Hence using what is often lost – dirt.

The research team that created the new material were led by professor Donald Morelli of chemical engineering and materials science at Michigan State University. The new thermoelectric material was developed based on natural minerals called tetrahedrites.

According to earthtechling.com, Donald Morelli said “What we’ve managed to do is synthesize some compounds that have the same composition as natural minerals…” who also directs Michigan State’s Center for Revolutionary Materials for Solid State Energy Conversion. The synthetic compound mimic  one of the most rich minerals that exist—tetrahedrites.

“By modifying its composition in a very small way, we produced highly efficient thermoelectric materials.”

The search to develop new thermoelectric materials has been going on for quite some time. Although newer, more efficient, materials have been found in today’s research and science industry, majority of those will not be appropriate for large-scale applications as they derive from strange/rare and/or toxic elements, or the synthesis procedures are complex and costly.

“Typically you’d mine minerals, purify them into individual elements, and then recombine those elements into new compounds that you anticipate will have good thermoelectric properties,” he says. “But that process costs a lot of money and takes a lot of time. Our method bypasses much of that.”

In the online journal  Advanced Energy Materials, the new method involves the use of common materials that are being grounded, then using pressure and heat to compress into useable sizes “It saves tremendously in terms of processing costs,” Morelli says.

The hope is that this low-cost thermoelectric discovery will create opportunities with applications that include waste heat recovery from industrial power plants and conversion of vehicle exhaust gas heat into electricity.

The research and work was done University of Michigan and UCLA and is supported by a grant from the US Department of Energy/Office of Science.