## The first Nanotechnology & Agriculture National Conference

## Nanotechnology & Agriculture Conference in Tehran

## The Synthesis and Microstructural Properties of Iron Oxide Nanocomposite

## Synthesis of Colloidal Gold Nanoparticles in Two W/O Microemulsions

## Production of Metallic Nanoparticle by Microwave Plasma Process

## A novel method for preparing nano particles of Water-soluble inorganic salts

## Control of Growth and Phase Conditions for Preparation of TiO2 Nanoparticles by Freeze-Drying Method

Water Splitting Group In the Land of Rising Sun

As you may consider, Artificial Photosynthesis is a mankind major challenge in the near future, with this phenomena we will be able to produce new renewable energy and may produce chemicals and materials.
The research of the “Water Splitting Group” focuses on investigation and study about production of highly active thin Films and increasing of Photochemical and photoelectrochemical activities of semiconductors and using these films for special application as Photocatalytic splitting of water to Hydrogen and Oxygen.

Efficient use of the freely available resource of solar energy by conversion of solar energy to electricity and chemical compounds is very important. Conversion of radiant energy into chemical energy by semiconductor Photocatalysis is one of major works we do in this group.
Recently, many studies have been devoted to water splitting reaction to produce H2 and O2 by using various types of powdered photocatalysts aiming at the utilization of abundant solar energy sources and the production of clean H2. However, such powdered photocatalytic systems always yield a mixture of H2 and O2. The second-generation titanium oxide thin film photocatalysts which absorb UV-visible light and work as efficient photocatalysts under irradiation of light in the UV and visible light carried out in our group in the beginning years of the Millennium.
In recent years many research had been done by the members of the group and many Scientific Papers published in this field. The most papers in this field belongs to one of the hard working person I had ever met, “Dr. Masaaki Kitano” whom I had the chance to work with him here, is a highly active scientist with a great scientific ability and working attitude who initiated many works here.
In the photo you can see him beside me; I missed him as I missed the other previous member “Mr. Kazushi Iyatani” who recently joined to one of famous Japanese companies.
This photo took last year and in one of the following posts I will introduce our current members.

Mr. Shohei Fukumoto
Mr. Kazushi Iyatani
Dr. Masaaki Kitano
and me

## Land of Rising Sun can shed new light on climate fight
## In Japan, energy down the ....

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020305.html

VIDEO ## Hydrogen solution to energy costs
## Driving with Hydrogen: Does it Measure Up?

## Japan's consumers risk country's green message at G8 summit
## You can fill 'er up with hydrogen
## Hydrogen storage breakthrough
## Oil-Dependent Japan Tries Turning Rice Into Fuel

## Other photocatalyst for H2 production

## Hydrogen solution

Sun our Life-Giving Star

A planetary system consists of various non stellar objects orbiting a star, such as our Sun. Over the past several years more and more planetary systems have been discovered, with varying masses, orbits and other system characteristics.

The solar system is special . The solar system had to be born under just the right conditions to become this quiet place we see. The vast majority of other planetary systems didn’t have these special properties at birth and became something very different .

Compared with the billions of other stars in the universe, the sun is unremarkable. But for Earth and the other planets that revolve around it, the sun is a powerful center of attention. It holds the solar system together; pours life-giving light, heat, and energy on Earth; and generates space weather.

Earth, our home planet, is the only planet in our solar system known to harbor life. All of the things we need to survive are provided under a thin layer of atmosphere that separates us from the uninhabitable void of space. Earth is made up of complex, interactive systems that are often unpredictable. Air, water, land, and life—including humans—combine forces to create a constantly changing world that we are striving to understand.
Viewing Earth from the unique perspective of space provides the opportunity to see Earth as a whole.
## Analysis of solar chemical processes for hydrogen production from water splitting thermochemical cycles

## A Monolithic Photovoltaic-Photoelectrochemical Device for Hydrogen Production via Water Splitting

## UNLV Uses Sunlight to Make Hydrogen from Water

Hydrogen Production on the earth instead of its consumption on the Sun

Hydrogen should be produce on earth meanwhile it consumed on the Sun; it is very highlighting Idea that I had been engaged with it during last years. About 75 percent of Sun's mass consists of Hydrogen. As we know the Source of energy on the Sun is Nuclear Fusion.
The energy produced by nuclear reactions in the interior of the Sun must equal the amount of energy radiated from the surface, since otherwise the Sun could not have been structurally stable over long periods of time. Evidence for the stability of the Sun comes from several sources. Stability over a period of nearly 3*10E9 years is implied by the relative stability of the temperature at the Earth’s surface (oxidized sediments and fossil remains indicate that water in its fluid phase has been present throughout such periods).
Stability over an even longer time is implicit in our understanding of the evolution of the Sun and other similar stars.
The conversion of energy contained in the atomic constituents of main sequence stars such as the Sun from heat of nuclear reactions which transforms hydrogen into helium) to radiation escaping from the surface is largely understood.

At present the Sun radiates energy at the rate of 3.9*10E26 W. At the top of the Earth’s atmosphere an average power of 1353 WmE-2 is passing through a plane perpendicular to the direction of the Sun. The average distance of the Earth from the Sun is 1.5*10E11 m.

## Fusion in the Sun!

## The future of energy (The Economist)

How can you discover a particle so small that nobody has ever seen one?!

The Electron, one of the most fundamental particles in nature has discovered in 1897, by J.J. Thomson. Up to now for more than a century since then, the electron has played a key role in physics as well as science and technology. What is the electron?
From the remarkable progress in experimental and theoretical physics in the twentieth century, it has become well known that matter consists of atoms, an atom consists of a nucleus and electrons, a nucleus consists of nucleons (protons or neutrons) and a nucleon consists of quarks. There exist at least twenty four fundamental fermions, the six flavours of leptons including the electron and the eighteen (six flavours and three colors) of quarks. In addition, there exist at least twelve gauge bosons including the photon, the three weak bosons, and the color-octet of gluons. The quarks have the strong interaction with the gluons while both the quarks and leptons have the electroweak interactions with the photon or the weak bosons. In addition, all these fundamental particles have the gravitational interaction with themselves.

In the modeling of electron, the charge of the electron is concentrated at a single point but is never at rest. The charge moves in circles at the speed of light around the centre of mass. The centre of mass does not coincide with the position of the charge for any classical elementary spinning particle. It is this separation and the motion of the charge that gives rise to the dipole structure of the electron.
The spin of the electron contains two contributions. One comes from the motion of the charge, which produces a magnetic moment. It is quantized with integer values. The other is related to the angular velocity and is quantized with half integer values. It is exactly half the first one and points in the opposite direction.
The electron interacts with other particles through its electric charge. The charge itself appears to be point-like, but the spin and magnetic moment of the electron suggest a much larger size.

## Big Oil's Hydrogen Future

Earth's Energy Budget

"Energy is the ability to do work". It is a standard definition of energy. We need to use the energy reach the earth and change it as we need to further uses.
As we believe that the Energy mostly comes from outside of the eart we should consider to "Earth's energy budget".
As a rough estimation about the Earth mean energy balance following figure can be used, it is not very exact and some of data may be uncertain by as much as 20%. But it is still useful for us to have an approximation about the Energy can reach the earth surface.
Recently many studies carried out by environmental related scientists and the investigated about the factors affect the Climate changes, for me as a person who wants to make an approximation about the energy reach the surface some parts of these researches may be useful more.
As I discussed in last post the short wave and long wave Solar radiation flux of energy is constrained by top layers of atmosphere. Partitioning of the radiative energy throughout the atmosphere is achieved through the use of detailed radiation models for both the long wave and shortwave spectral regions.

As you can see in the above Figure, total rate of energy leaves Earth is equal to the 342 W/m2 which is equal of incident sunlight! Thus Earth is in approximate energy balance in this figure. (Although we knew that earth absorb some energy, it means that these approximations are not complete)

Numbers are in watts per square meter of Earth's surface. In other way we can describe it as :

Solar radiation is scattered and reflected by the atmosphere, clouds, and earth's surface, creating an average albedo of 31%.

Atmospheric gases and clouds absorb another 20 units, leaving 49 units of shortwave absorbed by the earth's surface.

## Earth's energy balance (The Encyclopedia of Earth)
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Earth

##Solar Radiation and the Earth's Energy Balance

## Inside the Solar-Hydrogen House (Scientific American)

## Facing the Hard Truths about Energy

How many percent of the Sun's energy can reach the Earth?

The Sun is the source of most of the energy on Earth and the power source for life and plants, the cause of most of phenomena and happenings like flow of atmosphere and of water, the source of the warmth which makes life possible. In the other word is the source of all of Energies we need in future as renewable energy. Sun as a black body illuminates a wide range Electromagnetic radiation we know it as Solar Radiation.
Electromagnetic radiation is the flow of energy at the universal speed of light through free space or through a material medium in the form of the electric and magnetic fields that make up electromagnetic waves such as radio waves, Visible light, and gamma rays. In such a wave, time-varying electric and magnetic fields are mutually linked with each other at right angles. Electromagnetic radiation, including X-rays, ultraviolet and infrared radiation, and radio emissions, as well as visible light, emanating from the Sun.
Of the 3.8 * 10E33 ergs emitted by the Sun every second, about 1 part in 120 million is received by its attendant planets and their satellites. The small part of this energy intercept by our Planet Earth.
We can capture and convert solar radiation into useful forms of energy, such as electricity, heat and recently as we consider Chemical compounds, using a variety of technologies. The technical feasibility and economical operation of these technologies at a specific location depends on the available solar radiation or solar resource.
Always I ask myself that How much of the sunlight total energy can receive by Earth, it means what percentage of the sun's total sunlight or energy does the earth receive during a day?
We knew that our Sun rays spread out in every direction, and we are 93 million miles away from it. Out of all of the sunlight that the sun produces the answer is absolutely interesting, it is shocking to you, is about one part in 2.2 billion of the radiation emitted by the sun.
The percentage of sunlight that passes through the atmosphere varies with wavelength. In visible wavelengths, most light gets through the atmosphere.
Receiving visible light Irradiation by the Earth surface is Base of life. None would exist without it in the earth.
Our humankind life as all of other creatures in the earth is visible light based. I want to discuss more about it here and later in next posts we study more about it.
Incident solar radiation is a vital parameter for estimation of solar energy harvesting and it is defined as:
The amount of solar radiation striking a surface per unit of time and area.

We just can entrap a part of this striking light with or material. The trapping of light inside a semiconductor material by refracting and reflecting the light at critical angles; trapped light will makes further electrical changes in the material, greatly increasing the probability of absorption and hence of producing charge carriers.

## The Encyclopedia of Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living

## Deep Hydrogen

## The hydrogen future

## Hydrogen conference opens in South Pacific

私の大学院での研究

私は、大学院の応用化学科の物理化学実験室で研究しています。可視光を取り入れる特別な TiO2の薄いフィルムと様々なバイオマスの用法、化石燃料への代替としての水素、それらは環境に優しいエネルギー源として非常に魅力的です。燃焼のための水素活用とその仕事を生み出すことは、将来、水素をクリーンエネルギーとして一役を担うことでしょう。水素は、電気の世代に燃料電池として使用されるかもしれません。両方のシステムは副産物として水だけを作り出します。最小量の汚染と酸化窒素は出るでしょう。
半導体の光電子能力を使用した水の光電気化学分解の過程は、１９７２年に藤島氏と本多氏によって報告されました。純粋なTiO2は、容易に水を水素と酸素に分割することができませんでした。二酸化チタンは、ＵＶ光を４１４nmまで吸収するとされています。それは、すべての太陽スペクトルの内のわずかです。私は、この仕事で「薄いフィルム」を生産するのに無線周波数（ＲＦ）マグネトロンスパッタリングを使用します。それは将来、多くの薄いフィルムの生産とドーピングに必要になるでしょう。人工の光合成は、将来、人間の主な挑戦になるでしょう。新しいエネルギーと新素材の生産のために、電気への太陽エネルギーの変換は非常に重要です。
私は次のような研究をしています。
① 薄いTiO2フィルムの準備。準備されたサンプルの電気化学の活動のための調査。
② プラチナのナノ粒子の析出。
③ TiO2フィルムと可視光で分解するアルコール溶液（水素生産）、パラメータ、材料、および過程の変更。
④ 表面特殊化、フィルムの厚みの効果、
スパッタリングパラメタ最適化、共同スパッタリング要素の紹介。
⑤ 薄いフィルム表面の改良、金属のナノ粒子の析出等。そのためには将来、より多くの研究をする必要があります。私は多くの水素を作り出すために、活性触媒を見つけたいと思っています。

アフシン エブラヒミ

Research on high performance Photocatalysts to produce Clean EnergyGraduate School of Engineering, Osaka Prefecture University


研究制造洁净能源的高性能光学催化剂大阪府立大学研究生院工学研究科
청정에너지를 만들어내는 고기능 광촉매 연구오사카부립대학 대학원 공학연구과

I couldn’t buy the first Hydrogen fueled car

I had a dream to have one of the first Hydrogen fueled cars, is it strange or not? It is my thought always. But not me but also none of specialist in this field are not among the first costumers of new hydrogen Fuel Cell-powered that presented by Honda today!
All of the Costumers are from the world of arts or art related but not from Science or technological related persons.

During a ceremony for the start of "FCX Clarity" production at the world's first dedicated fuel cell vehicle manufacturing facility in Japan, American Honda Motor Co., announced five of the first customers for its advanced new FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle and also provided details of the world's first fuel cell vehicle dealership network in the United States.
The FCX Clarity is a next-generation, Hydrogen powered fuel cell vehicle. Propelled by an electric motor that runs on electricity generated in the “Fuel Cell”, the vehicle's only emission is water, and its fuel efficiency is three times that of a modern gasoline-powered automobile. I like this photo very much it has a very deep meaning for us as I think. Here in this photo we can see marvelous irradiation of our lovely Sun behind the new presented car. Hope to harvest and use more Sun's light for future cars.
Although it is very special Car but something and especially one question is remained, I couldnt find anything about it in the recent news. My question is:
How The Hydrogen will be produced for this car and the future vehicles in this case?
It will be great if we can use the renewable energy sources, but using hydrocarbon for production of “Hydrogen” is somehow not a big success for us, but I believe it is a great success for mankind, we should tell congratulation to Honda Motor Co., for their Pioneer work.
From now it is up to the scientists and engineers to find the economical and environmental friendly ways to produce a lot of Hydrogen for future coming Vehicles.
I remember that I hope in future we can see more scientist or the science related based persons in the front line of using novel technological based vehicles.

## Honda FCX Clarity - Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle - Official Web Site

## Honda Announces First FCX Clarity Customers and World's First Fuel Cell Vehicle Dealership Network as Clarity Production Begins in Japan

##How Fuel Cells Work

## http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1213900614/bctid1466838148

## Hydrogen Heaven

ژاپن نخستین اتومبیل هیدروژنی را تولید کرد ##

Persian Sun

"In Persia first arises that light which shines itself and illuminates what is around...The principle of development begins with the history of Persia; this constitutes therefore the beginning of history,''

German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel once wrote about the role of Persia in history, considering ancient Persians" the first historic people.''
Sun is the Earth's principal created source of energy, without which life on earth would be impossible.
The Persian sun-god Mithra or Mehr was widely accepted in the Roman world prior to the period of Christian evangelism. Sunday was dedicated to Mithra (lord), receiving the title of the "Lord's Day".

In Persia sun veneration gave rise to the later Mithraic cult. Among many peoples the sun was regarded as the ancestor of the Kings. The Chaldeans put the sun in the center of "the seven circles of the universe." Later civilizations honored the sun by giving its name to the first day of the week.
The sun was supposed to be the mystic father of the virgin-born sons of destiny who ever and anon were thought to be bestowed as saviors upon favored races. These supernatural infants were always put adrift upon some sacred river to be rescued in an extraordinary manner, after which they would grow up to become miraculous personalities and the deliverers of their peoples.

## TEMPLE OF MITHRAS

## European Hydrogen Association

## Semiconductor splits water with sunlight

Swastika has been used as a Sun Symbol in Persian culture

When I came to Japan, the most interesting thing that I found was very small temples in the streets or alleys that the sign of "Swastika" was on it.
This sign always remind us the Nazi's sign whom ruled Germany before Second World War, because of their vast cruel killing a lot of civil people meanwhile the war and killed many Jewish in the Holocaust.
Firstly I thought maybe it relates to a German soldier who passed away here! But not it is impossible in this case nobody can accept to celebrate this sign for a long time here. After a few days I found more and knew that it belongs to Buddhists temples.
I all of temple they use this sign and this sign also in the maps shows the location of temples.
Then I thought may German borrow it from the Buddhists.Last year when I visited Osaka Museum of history, there was a special exhibition under the name of "Glory of Persia".
More than 200 unique historical relics pre Islamic belonging to the 5th millennium BC to the end of Sassanid dynastic era in 651 AD (Before Arab conquering of Iran) were selected from four Iranian museums to be displayed in exhibition of Glory of Persia in Japan. in 6 selected great cities as Osaka, Tokyo, Nagoya and Sapporo and Fukuoka.To me as an Iranian, visit to the Glory of was a great opportunity to learn about the background of my parent’s country and birthplace, which, until early 20th century, was called Persia. It was very important occasion because also inside Iran we couldn’t see all of these items in a same place.
In that named exhibition I saw a special necklace, with this sign on it! Oh, very strange.
It means Persians use it from about 3000 years ago, as at that time no Buddhist lived at that places and no other reason.
Up to know that it is one of famous sign of Sun for the people in the world. It Is believed that Swastika has been used as Sun symbol with Persian.



#Korea to Exhibit `Glory of Persia'

# Swastika In Ancient Persia (Iran)

موزه شکوه تمدن پارس#

# About Solar Energy

# Mithra

Yalda شب يلدا ## (in Persian)

Renewable Energy Sources

There are five principal renewable sources of energy: the sun, the wind, flowing water, biomass and heat from within the earth.
Heat, electricity and vehicle fuel are the main forms of energy that we use every day. All renewable energy sources can be used to produce electricity. Solar energy and Biomass can supply all three forms of useful energy. Geothermal energy can supply both electricity and heat. Harvesting solar energy for production of vehicle fuel is one of the most important and challenging course that we already engaged with in Osaka Prefecture University.

Sun
Solar energy is energy that comes directly from the sun. The sun is a constant natural source of heat and light, and its radiation can be converted to electricity or use as a source for producing chemicals via Photocatalytic phenomena. This source is the most important source of energy and mother of all other kinds of sources other than energy from a nuclear source.

Biomass
"Biomass" describes, in one word, all plants, trees and organic matter on the earth. Biomass is a renewable source of energy because the natural process of photosynthesis constantly produces new organic matter in the growth of trees and plants. Photosynthesis stores the sun´s energy in organic matter. Biomass is used to make heat, electricity and liquid fuels.

Wind
Natural conditions of climate and geography produce the winds that blow across the landscape. Historically, windmills were used to supply mechanical energy, for example to pump water or grind grain. Modern day wind turbines produce electricity.

Water
Like the winds, flowing water is a product of the earth’s climate and geography. Snowmelt and runoff from precipitation at higher elevations flow toward sea level in streams and rivers. In an earlier era, water wheels used the power of flowing water to turn grinding stones and to run mechanical equipment. Modern hydro-turbines use water power to generate hydroelectricity.

Earth
Heat from deep within the earth is called "geothermal energy." In some locations, geothermal energy is close enough to the surface that, by drilling a well to reach the heat source, the energy can be extracted and used for heating buildings and other purposes. Where the temperatures are hot enough, geothermal energy can be used to generate electricity.

# The Hydrogen Future

#The Hydrogen highway is a dead-end street

#Driving With Hydrogen

Energy Conversion in Semiconductors

Different mechanisms and materials can be employed for the conversion of solar energy into electricity, but all practical devices are based on semiconductors.
Semiconductors are solids and, like metals, their electrical conductivity is based upon movable electrons. The primary consideration here is the level of conductivity. Materials are known as:

– Conductors at a conductivity of σ > 104 (Ωcm)−1;
– Semiconductors at a conductivity of 104 > σ > 10−8 (Ωcm)−1;
–Insulators (Non-conductors) at a conductivity of σ < 10−8 (Ωcm)−1

This simple categorization is, however, hardly an adequate criterion for a definition, and it is predominantly other characteristics, in particular the thermal behavior of conductivity, that form the basis for classification. This is where metals and semiconductors behave in an opposing manner. Whereas the conductivity of metals decreases with increasing temperature, in semiconductors it increases greatly. So what is a crystalline solid? At this point, we wish to differentiate between two separate categories. On the one hand, there are the so-called amorphous substances. In these, the structure of individual atoms and molecules displays almost no periodicity or regularity.
Crystalline solids, on the other hand, are distinguished by a perfect (or near perfect) periodicity of atomic structure. These materials naturally make it much easier to understand the physical characteristics of solids. Therefore, the explanation of semiconductor characteristics and the physical principles of photovoltaics is normally based upon crystalline semiconductors, and in particular crystalline silicon.



# # From Kites to Hydrogen-Fueled Flight

VIDEO: Hydrogen Generator Boosts Gas Mileage

私は高度な研究をしている有名な教授の元で研究を始めるため仕事を辞め、来日した。

私は、子供の頃から日本のアニメーションや映画を見て日本の文化に親しみ、日本人の習慣、行動、態度なども見てきました。イランでは、日本人は勤勉で有能、そして日本製品は世界でも最高のものとされています。日本人は、お互いに相手の個性、権利を尊重して生活しています。
私は、研究を展開するために来日しました。そして、日本の文化に親しみ、日本人が持っている誠実さや友情の気持ちを、私の家族の中にも育てたいと思っています。
以前、私は、大学と研究所によく協力し、多くの研究者と学生に、実用的な題材で教育セミナーを行ってきました。それは、私の広範囲なナノテクノロジーの知識に基づいています。また、ナノサイズの酸化チタンの生産に携わった経験もあります。
私が日本に来るきっかけとなったのは、2004年10月11日～13日までイランのテヘランで、石油工業におけるナノテクノロジーの国際会議と勉強会に出席した時でした。そこでは、現大阪府立大学・大学院工学研究科長の 安保　正一 教授による勉強会が行われました。彼は「酸化チタンの準備と評価がより良い環境への適用だけでなく光触媒にもとづいている」というテーマで発表されましたが他のスピーカーと比較しても、彼の発表は格別なものでした。私も含めリスナーは、この教授とそのグループの重要な概念と輝かしい科学的背景に基づいた研究に感銘を受けました。
　彼と共に働くのが私の夢だったので、彼の状況を尋ねました。彼は、日本に来るよう私を説得してくれたので私は、住んでいた自分のアパートを売り払い、日本で研究するための資金を準備しました。
　私は、今、彼の指揮のもと、熱心なワーキンググループの中で研究していることに、満足しています。彼は科学工業における21世紀の目標は「環境に調和した、環境に優しい科学技術」であると考えています。私は、私の研究分野の新しい情報とアイデアの発見を目指しています。より良い研究者になるために、仕事の質を上げるように努力しています。そのためには、強いチームと共に働く必要があります。
有効性は、私が将来を決める最も重要な要素です。将来は、研究グループかアカデミックな立場で働きたいと思います。
と同時に私は、家族のことも考えなければなりません。平和で満足な生活を送ることが、私たち家族の願いです。

アフシン エブラヒミ

応用化学科のホームページへ


工学部トップへ


物理化学　研究グループ

## IRIB International Conference Center, Tehran (IICC)

## The second Conference & Workshop on Nanotechnology in Petroleum Industry

Renewable Energy Growing

Global renewable energy markets have grown tremendously in the past decade. Few people realize that some forms of renewable energy have become big business. Annual investment in renewable energy was an estimated $17 billion worldwide in 2002, up from $6 billion in 1995. Cumulative investment of at least $80 billion was made in renewable energy during the period 1995-2002, far surpassing investment in the decade prior to 1995. This growth has been driven first and foremost by supportive national and local policies, many of which have effectively overcome the barriers that continue to put renewable energy at a competitive disadvantage to fossil fuels.

-Technology improvements and cost reductions,
- Better market information,
- Growing awareness of global climate change,
- Local environmental concerns,
and
- Rural development needs in the countries
have also been important drivers of this growth.

The fastest growing renewable energy markets are for wind power and solar photovoltaics in a handful of developed countries, notably Japan, Germany, and Spain, with a recent resurgence in the United States. These markets have seen annual growth rates of 15-40% in recent years. Solar hot water markets in a few countries have been growing equally rapidly, with more modest investments in geothermal, small hydro, and biomass. Overall, technology shares for the $17 billion total invested in 2002 are estimated at wind 42%, solar photovoltaics 22%, solar hot water 17%, geothermal heat production 8%, small hydro power generation 6%, biomass power generation 2%, and geothermal power generation 2%.


# Hydrogen Fuel Cells to Run Future of the World

Four Dollar A Gallon Gas Fueling Hope For Hydrogen

Work on energy diversification

#Hydrogen cars tanked up for six days

Renewables now provide over 5 per cent of global energy generation and 18 per cent of new investment in power generation, Read more in Daily News:

#Kick the habit: Towards a low carbon economy

Conservation of material and energy

The latest round of increases in energy prices has added to the upside risks to inflation.
The conservation of material and energy is one of the famous rules in science although it doesn’t relate to this rule but always I have a model in my mind. If Energy prices increases the food and other prices will increase.
Oil is the lifeblood of the functioning of global economies since it is an important energy source for most industrialized or industrializing countries. As long as demand remains strong while supply scarcity exists, prices are likely to continue up-trending. The bottom line is: oil prices are up because we are running into actual limits on commodity production.
A few weeks ago the crisis commodity switched from oil to rice. Now it’s back to oil again and logically so, one would argue. After all, crude futures surged almost 8.5% on Friday, touching for the first time ever $139 per barrel.
Oil prices have risen by as much as 97% in 12 months and 165% in 3 years - suggesting that something more than just supply and demand are driving oil prices to their current historic record levels.
Increasing of Food prices made a big doubt about one kind of renewable energy that we knew as biofuels or biodiesel.
Many governments acclaimed that they should think about restriction of using food to producing energy.
If we want to live on the earth as mankind need to be alive and the much important thing for us is food. In this case we completely understood that these kinds of renewable energies are not appropriate for future although we can use for a while in special cases.
Which source for energy is better than nature? And what is the source of all energies in the world?
Yes, we should use different source of available energies which initiated from Sun .

We must harvest more Light from Sun.

Dependency of Energy and food

Global economic growth particularly in China and India has pushed demand for energy dramatically upward. There is an overwhelming lack of investment and production levels have hardly increased over several years in the world.
Since 2005, world oil production has stalled at about 85 million barrels per day.
Here In Japan although I dont have a private car but I see the prices of Gasoline everyday.

In Osaka, regular gasoline jumped about 20 yen per liter at most stations in beginning of June, costing about 170 yen and the high octan Gasonine is about 180. In the beginning of May it increased by about 30 yen per liter. I think it is very strange for the people who use car in their daily life.
If this increasing limited just to these Energy related Items may be able to tolerate but it has a lot of turbulences in other fields. Rocketing energy cost may lead to agricultural problems and it make danger for all of th people in the world.

Energy saving and efficiency is one of the quickest, greenest, and most cost-effective way to address energy security, climate change, and ensuring economic growth but I think it is not enough. we should think about new energies seriously and invest a lot of money for serious research in these fields.

Let read next post, I will discuss more about it.

Oil Price Shock, Energy Prices and Inflation

Experts indicate that world oil prices have reached new highs - the low prices of the past are notexpected to return because worldwide demands continue to surge.

Emerging energy technologies can increase the use of renewable resources through conversion to hydrogen-rich liquid or gaseous fuels as energy carriers, stimulating more economic growth, while making the state more self-reliant. With advanced hydrogen technologies,renewable resources can be stored, distributed, and used in a variety of clean, efficient power and transportation applications.

Solar Energy is the most basic and direct form of renewable energy. Depending on the type of platform used, sunlight is converted directly into electricity or heat. Solar energy is considered a renewable energy because it will exist for as long as the sun, which should be over 4 billion years. Once the sun burns out, we will have much larger problems than energy!

Energy ministers call for measures to stabilize oil market

http://www.oil-price.net/

Towards a Low Carbon Economy

Kick the Habit!
Towards a Low Carbon Economy.

Our living earth has a lot of challenges, increasing of population and consuming a lot of energy increased Environmental problems drastically. Yesterday June 5 was the World Environment Day. Each year, the United Nations agency responsible for coordinating World Environment Day activities UNEP, selects a city as the main venue for the international celebrations. World Environment Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Another resolution, adopted by the General Assembly the same day, led to the creation of UNEP.

An article on the United Nation's website quoted Secretary-General “Ban Ki-moon” as saying:
"Our world is in a grip of a dangerous carbon habit. Addiction is a terrible thing. It consumes and controls us, makes us deny important truths and blinds us to the consequences of our actions." This statement was in observance of World Environment Day. Read in detail here or download the PDF file.

U N I T E D N A T I O N S
THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
MESSAGE FOR WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2008

KICK THE CARBON HABIT (click for PDF File)

Addiction is a terrible thing. It consumes and controls us, makes us deny important truths and blinds us to the consequences of our actions. Our world is in the grip of a dangerous carbon habit.
Coal and oil paved the way for the developed world’s industrial progress. Fast-developing countries are now taking the same path in search of equal living standards. Meanwhile, in the least developed countries, even less sustainable energy sources, such as charcoal, remain the only available option for the poor.
Our dependence on carbon-based energy has caused a significant build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Last year, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change put the final nail in the coffin of global warming sceptics. We know that climate change is happening, and we know that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that we emit are the cause.
We don’t just burn carbon in the form of fossil fuels. Throughout the tropics, valuable forests are being felled for timber and making paper, for pasture and arable land and, increasingly, for plantations to supply a growing demand for biofuels. This further manifestation of our carbon habit not only releases vast amounts of CO2; it also destroys a valuable resource for absorbing atmospheric carbon, further contributing to climate change.
The environmental, economic and political implications of global warming are profound. Ecosystems -- from mountain to ocean, from the Poles to the tropics -- are undergoing rapid change. Low-lying cities face inundation, fertile lands are turning to desert, and weather patterns are becoming ever more unpredictable.
The cost will be borne by all. The poor will be hardest hit by weather-related disasters and by soaring price inflation for staple foods, but even the richest nations face the prospect of economic recession and a world in conflict over diminishing resources. Mitigating climate change, eradicating poverty and promoting economic and political stability all demand the same solution: we must kick the carbon habit. This is the theme for World Environment Day 2008. “Kick the Habit: Towards a Low Carbon Economy”, recognizes the damaging extent of our addiction, and it shows the way forward.
Often we need a crisis to wake us to reality. With the climate crisis upon us, businesses and governments are realizing that, far from costing the Earth, addressing global warming can actually save money and invigorate economies. While the estimated costs of climate change are incalculable, the price tag for fighting it may be less than any of us may have thought. Some estimates put the cost at less than one per cent of global gross domestic product -- a cheap price indeed for waging a global war.
Even better news is that technologies already exist or are under development to make our consumption of carbon-based fuels cleaner and more efficient and to harness the renewable power of sun, wind and waves. The private sector, in particular, is competing to capitalize on what they recognize as a massive business opportunity.
Around the world, nations, cities, organizations and businesses are looking afresh at green options. At the United Nations, I have instructed that the plan for renovating our New York headquarters should follow strict environmental guidelines. I have also asked the chief executives of all UN programmes, funds and specialized agencies to move swiftly towards carbon neutrality.
Earlier this year, the UN Environment Programme launched a climate neutral network -- CN Net -- to energize this growing trend. Its inaugural members, which include countries, cities and companies, are pioneers in a movement that I believe will increasingly define environmental, economic and political discourse and decision making over the coming decades.
The message of World Environment Day 2008 is that we are all part of the solution. Whether you are an individual, an organization, a business or a government, there are many steps you can take to reduce your carbon footprint. It is message we all must take to heart.

Preserving all life on earth

World Environment Day calls for end to CO2 addiction

Renewable energy in the past, at present and in the future

The major part of the present demand on Energy is satisfied with fossil energy (Oil , Coal and natural Gas) because of their ample, steady and comparatively cheap availability, their easy storage and easy distribution. The technical potential of Renewable energy in total would allow enlarging its contribution to the still rising worldwide demand on energy. But in many to most cases, the cost, especially the investment cost of the relevant energy technologies, are noticeably higher than the present cost to provide electricity, heat and fuels for the transportation sector by making use of fossil fuels.

Before industrialization renewable energy had been the only source of energy available:
- Firewood to provide heat;
- Biomass for food, for horses and other animals for hauling transportation vehicles;
- Wind for propulsion of sailing boats;
- Wind and water power to run mills.
The onset of industrialization (about 300 to 200 years ago) caused an extraordinarily fast rise of the demand on energy and a severe shortage of firewood in many countries. Fossil fuels soon became the dominant source of primary energy. The abundant and steady availability of fossil fuels and especially their low cost satisfied the newly arising additional demand on energy to provide any required fast rising amount of
- Heat,
- Electric power and
- Fuels for propulsion in the transportation sector.
At present, renewable energy can be used to provide only a rather limited amount of secondary energy. A more extended use of renewable energy at present is mainly handicapped by:
- Restricted availability (e.g. hydro power, biomass),
- Strongly fluctuating and intermittent availability of Hydro River and wind power and of sunlight,
- Comparatively high investment cost and cost of energy provided (e.g. sunlight, geothermal energy).
On the other side, it is of utmost importance to fight climate change caused by further greenhouse warming due to the increasing content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from the exuberant burning of fossil fuels. All these implications should be regarded as a challenge for proper R&D of renewable energy technologies making best uses of:
- Interdisciplinary science and technology and
- Nano sciences and nano technologies for design and production of new materials
To achieve economically attractive solutions like e.g. photovoltaics, storage of electric energy in batteries, production of hydrogen par example via solar catalytic water splitting, fuel cells, conversion of Hydrogen together with Carbon dioxide CO2 extracted from the atmosphere to a synthetic hydrocarbon fuel.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Home Page

Vision for the future

This week We will have one of the most important day related to Renewable energy, It is WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY. Here in Osaka Prefecture University there are a lot of rojects relates to Increasing the Renewable energy production, Decreasing the Air and environment pollutants.
Our Dean Prof. Anpo is one of the Great scientists who works in this field for more than 40 years, His vision about Our mankind future is optimistic and applicable.

Vision for the future

What is Photochemistry?

Photochemistry is the study of light-induced chemical reactions and physical processes. A photochemical event involves the absorption of light to create an excited species that may subsequently undergo a number of different reactions. These include unimolecular reactions such as dissociation, ionization, and isomerization; bimolecular reactions, which involve a reaction with a molecule or atom to form a new compound; and reactions producing an emission of light, or luminescence. A photochemical reaction differs notably from a thermally, or heat, induced reaction in that the rate of a photochemical reaction is frequently greatly accelerated, and the products of the photochemical reaction may be impossible to produce otherwise. With the advent of lasers (powerful, single-color light sources) the field of photochemistry has advanced tremendously over the past few decades. An increased understanding of photochemistry has great implications outside of the laboratory, as photochemical reactions are an extremely important aspect of everyday life, underlying the processes of vision, photosynthesis, photography, atmospheric chemistry, the production of smog, and the destruction of the ozone layer.The absorption of light by atoms and molecules to create an excited species is studied in the field of spectroscopy. The study of the reactions of this excited species is the domain of photochemistry. However, the fields are closely related; spectroscopy is routinely used by photochemists as a tool for identifying reaction pathways and products and, recently, for following reactions as they occur in real time. Some lasers can produce a pulse of light that is only "on" for 1 femtosecond (10 -15 seconds). A femtosecond laser can be used like an extremely high-speed strobe camera to spectroscopically "photograph" a photochemical reaction.

Photochemistry, base of life

Photochemistry is concerned with reactions which are initiated by electronically excited molecules. Such molecules are produced by the absorption of suitable radiation in the visible and near ultraviolet region of the spectrum.
Photochemistry (فتو شیمی) is basic to the world we live in. With SUN as the central figure, the origin of life itself must have been a photochemical act. In the primitive earth conditions radiation from the sun was the only source of energy. Simple gaseous molecules like methane, ammonia and carbon dioxide must have reacted photochemically to synthesize complex organic molecules like proteins and nucleic acids.

Through the ages, nature has perfected her machinery for the utilization of solar radiant energy for all photobiological phenomena and providing food for the propagation of life itself.
Photobiology, the photochemistry of biological reactions, is a rapidly developing subject and helps the understanding of phenomena like: Photosynthesis (فتوسنتز), Phototaxis, Phototropism, Photoperiodism, Photodynamic action, Vision and Mutagenic effects of light. In doing so it tries to integrate knowledge of physics, chemistry and biology.


What is Photochemistry?
Photochemistry is the study of light-induced chemical reactions and physical processes. A photochemical event involves the absorption of light to create an excited species that may subsequently undergo a number of different reactions. These include unimolecular reactions such as dissociation, ionization, and isomerization; bimolecular reactions, which involve a reaction with a molecule or atom to form a new compound; and reactions producing an emission of light, or luminescence. A photochemical reaction differs notably from a thermally, or heat, induced reaction in that the rate of a photochemical reaction is frequently greatly accelerated, and the products of the photochemical reaction may be impossible to produce otherwise. With the advent of lasers (powerful, single-color light sources) the field of photochemistry has advanced tremendously over the past few decades. An increased understanding of photochemistry has great implications outside of the laboratory, as photochemical reactions are an extremely important aspect of everyday life, underlying the processes of vision, photosynthesis, photography, atmospheric chemistry, the production of smog, and the destruction of the ozone layer.
The absorption of light by atoms and molecules to create an excited species is studied in the field of spectroscopy. The study of the reactions of this excited species is the domain of photochemistry. However, the fields are closely related; spectroscopy is routinely used by photochemists as a tool for identifying reaction pathways and products and, recently, for following reactions as they occur in real time. Some lasers can produce a pulse of light that is only "on" for 1 femtosecond (10-15 seconds). A femtosecond laser can be used like an extremely high-speed strobe camera to spectroscopically "photograph" a photochemical reaction.

## Sunshine-to-Petrol Project Seeks Fuel From Thin Air

## A Solar Grand Plan (Scientific American )

## 13 Cutting-Edge Solar Energy Orgs

New Creation of previously manufactured Cell

Water splitting

A team of Italian scientists has created a sunlight-powered cell that produces pure hydrogen from water.
The team from the University of Milan and the University of Pavia are studying environmentally friendly ways to generate hydrogen, which could in future replace fossil fuels as a major energy source.
The new cell has two compartments filled with water and separated by an electrode made of platinum and titanium dioxide. .........
Please Read the full News from here: Chemical Technology

This Kind of Cell has been using for a long time here in our laboratory (Professor Anpo M. Lab., Osaka Prefecture University) for a long time.
Many Scientific Papers already published with using this kind of H-shape cell.

Electrochemical Photolysis of Water at a Semiconductor Electrode

Photoelectrochemical splitting of water is an environmentally friendly method of hydrogen generation based on renewable and apparently unlimited natural resources such as water and solar energy. Assisted by solar radiation, direct splitting of water into molecular hydrogen and oxygen was demonstrated for the first time in 1972 by Fujishima and Honda in a photoelectrochemical cell PEC with an n-type semiconductor TiO2 photoanode. (A. Fujishima and K. Honda, Nature 238 (1972), pp. 37–38. )
Since that time, many efforts have been undertaken to improve the conversion efficiency of the process but more than 30 years later this method is still far from commercialization. The reasons for this are fundamental and come as a consequence of a considerable mismatch between the spectra of light absorption in TiO2 and that of solar radiation. Many other semiconductors such as GaAs had been tried as a replacement for wide-band-gap TiO2 (3.0 eV rutile, 3.2 eV anatase) before it was realized that severe requirements imposed on the photoanode material could not be met simultaneously by any existing semiconductor. These requirements include:
(i) High stability and resistivity to corrosion and photocorrosion;
(ii) Low cost and availability;
(iii) Conduction band minimum, EC, above the H2O/H2 electrochemical level of water reduction
(iv) Valence band maximum EV below the O2/H2O electrochemical level of water oxidation
(v) Effective absorption of photons of the solar spectrum related to the band gap in the photon energy range of 1.6–1.9 eV.


As titanium dioxide fulfils all but the last one condition, it has been admitted that the best way to the improvement of the performance of the photoelectrochemical devices would be to modify the absorption spectrum of TiO2.
This can be achieved by shifting the fundamental absorption edge to longer wavelengths or by creating additional absorption features within the band gap. The methods tried up till now include:
1. Cation doping,
2. Sensitization with organic dyes
3. Composite materials
4. Anion doping with N, C or S.
However, whereas it is relatively easy to affect the absorption spectra of TiO2 by these methods, this is not in general true for the photocatalytic efficiency. The limiting factor is the recombination rate of the photoexcited electrons and holes.

## U.S. sees renewable energy use doubling by 2030

## Solar cell speeds hydrogen production