CleanEnergy@Harvard (new boinc project)

[NeoGen]

Here's yet another new boinc project in its early stages. Does registration, but no work to be seen yet.


http://boinc-prd.lsdiv.harvard.edu/energy

AMD Users Team here:
http://boinc-prd.lsdiv.harvard.edu/energy/team_display.php?teamid=19


EDIT: The above links are not working anymore.
The project website now seems to be
http://cleanenergy.harvard.edu/go/ (http://cleanenergy.harvard.edu/go/)

[AMDave]

There is a linux application only.
There are 30 WUs in the queue but the project is disabled.
The front page (top-left) says they are moving to another site.

[Nflight]

You just know I had to join the Team, this is my kind of project! :blob3:

[NeoGen]

The project is changing to another website. I believe the change is not yet complete, there are alot of things not yet working. But here it is

http://cleanenergy.harvard.edu/go/

[meshmar]

and I've got our team started ...

http://cleanenergy.harvard.edu/go/team_display.php?teamid=15

[roboa]

Hi
I couldn't help but see this page. We're managing the cleanenergy project. We're just getting things started right now, but things seem to be going fast. Just bear with us, while we finish setting up the project and go through the necessary tests.
We're just basically pretty excited for the response of the whole BOINC community (at least from the teams that are signing up!).
So keep posted and hopefully soon you will be able to help us out to find these interesting molecules that will definitely lead the way in clean energy research.

[gamer007]

Awesome. This sounds like an interesting project. I'd be glad to help whenever it is possible. :D

[AMDave]

G'day roboa!
Thanks for honoring us with a post in our forum.

You can be assured that you will receive a serious amount of support from the DC communities such as ours and, I am sure, joe-public as well.

Your topic of research is high in the list of modern-day priorities and many of us are keen here to pursue avenues of cleaner energy generation and usage.

We look forward to taking part in your project and helping you in your quest to help us to help ourselves.

[meshmar]

I actually grabbed some credits and am in first place for the team right now! Of course, I'm the only one with credit right now, so it's not going to last long.

[Bender10]

Hello Roboa,
Welcome to AMD Users. Your project (as mentioned earlier) is of great intrest to everyone. Thanks for stopping by and don't be a stranger, stop in any time.



I just tried a project update from inside BOINC, and got a 'Comm deferred...for 1 day!!' message.....lucky you!



Holy Crap!!...More Latin Geeks....nice meshmar

[BobCat13]

This project has gone live as one of the subprojects available from World Community Grid.

WCG Announcement:
http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/forums/wcg/viewthread?thread=22540

[Nflight]

Dated December 8th 2008. Originally reported by Reuters.

Same article web link: http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE4B70QS20081208

Daily News Article: http://www.dailytech.com/IBM+Harvard+Solar+Research+Hits+the+Clouds/article13615.htm

Scientists at Harvard University and IBM are hoping to harness the power of a million idle computers to develop a new, cheaper form of solar power that could revolutionize the green energy world.

Researchers have launched the project using IBM's World Community Grid, which taps into volunteers' computers across the globe to run calculations on a myriad of compounds -- potentially shortening a project that could take 22 years to just two years.

Harvard scientists are hoping the project will allow it to discover a combination of organic materials that can be used to manufacture plastic solar cells that are cheaper and more flexible than the silicon-based ones typically used to turn sunlight into electricity.

The technology could be used to coat windows, make backpacks or line blankets to produce electricity from the sun's rays.

Technology to make the plastic cells already exists, but they are not yet efficient enough to be rolled out in commercial products.

"It is not now cost efficient, although the materials are cheap because it's plastic," said Alan Aspuru-Guzik, a chemistry researcher at Harvard University.

The most efficient silicon-based photovoltaic solar cells convert about 20 percent of the sunlight that strikes them into electricity. For now, the organic cells can turn only about 5 percent of the sunlight into power -- half the level needed to make the low-cost cells a viable energy source.

The researchers plan to publish results of the work once they have discovered a possible combination of compounds.

TAPPING THE MATRIX

IBM developed its World Community Grid to advance research of humanitarian projects, such as fighting cancer, dengue fever and AIDS. The grid connects computers in homes or offices via the Internet with program on each machine to run calculations that feed back to the database.

"It's a way for people that have computers to do some good for the world," said IBM engineer Joe Jasinski.

With more than a million volunteers currently linked to the World Community Grid, IBM said it had created a network with a massive calculating capability that would rank it among the top 10 most powerful supercomputers in the world.

Members of the grid download software to their personal computers that run the calculations as a screensaver program on the machine when it is turned on but not in use.

IBM includes security software to protect the participants' computers.
Such virtual networks are also in place to crunch data for other projects, such as SETI's effort to sift through radio telescope signals for signs of extraterrestrial life in the universe.