November 6, 2009
04:20 pm | 0 recommendations | Be the first to comment
The U.S. Army has proven its dedication to sustainability through biofuels and alternative energy, but we still never thought the day would come for a hybrid Humvee. It's coming thanks to a partnership between between lithium ion battery maker EnerDel and the Army.
EnerDel recently signed a $1.29 million, 18-month contract to build hybrid batteries for the clunky High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV, or Humvee). As part of the contract, EnerDel will send potential batteries through extreme performance simulations at the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center (TARDEC). The company is focusing on two battery chemistries: lithium-manganese spinel, which is ideal for extending an EV's range, and lithium-titanate, a chemistry designed for hybrids that require hard acceleration and braking.
The Army isn't just building a hybrid Humvee for green cred. The vehicle could potentially be used as a temporary power plant in emergency situations, and the nearly silent hybrid engine is ideal for hiding from the enemy, as anyone who's nearly stepped out in front of a hybrid taxi cab in a busy urban metro will attest.
Army contract aside, EnerDel parent company Ener1 is already a major player in the lithium-ion battery industry. The company has partnerships with Think Global, Fisker, and Volvo, and EnerDel runs the two only commercial-scale, automotive-grade, lithium-ion battery manufacturing facilities in the U.S.
[Via CNET]
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November 6, 2009
03:29 pm | 0 recommendations | 1 comment
Is hooking up electronics to a phone jack unethical? Maybe, but the RJ11 lamp can at least save some cash. The lamp, which features 8 LED bulbs, gets power from your phone socket instead of the grid or a USB port.
It's a sneaky way to skirt around power meters, but it does siphon cash from the local telco. Still, the RJ11 does bring a new use to increasingly-abandoned landline jacks. And while the lamp may be incredibly ugly, the $4.69 product is a worthwhile science experiment at the very least.
Before trying to hook up all your electronics to the phone line, think twice: the voltage that runs through phone lines isn't intended to provide significant amounts of current, and your phone service could get terminated for abuse. But if you're still interested, the video below provides some more details on just how the RJ11 (and similar devices) work.
[Via Wired]
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November 6, 2009
02:58 pm | 0 recommendations | Be the first to comment
Geothermal technology is the ugly duckling of the renewable energy industry--it's not nearly as flashy as wind or solar, and it deals with the most unsexy of materials: rocks. But Australian company Geodynamics just got a big push to make its geothermal technology a reality, with $90 million from Australia's Renewable Energy Demonstration program.
The company's Hot Fractured Rock (HFR) technology, which is based on a method previously used by the oil industry, siphons off heat from broken granite three kilometers down into the earth's crust. Geodynamics plans to pump high-pressure water into a heat exchanger, which sends the water back up to the surface into another heat exchanger once it hits 200 degrees C.
Geodynamics' technology might not be as sexy as a shiny silicon solar panel. But unlike both solar and wind, it can operate 24/7 because rocks are always hot. HFR isn't suitable for just anywhere, however. Only certain locations (like Australia) have enough underground hot rocks, but Geodynamics could potentially bring HFR to the American southwest, which has already seen geothermal success. Of course, the Australian government's grant is only good for that country. So hint, hint, U.S. government: Consider giving this company some cash if all goes well Down Under.
[Via VentureBeat]
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November 6, 2009
11:48 am | 0 recommendations | 6 comments
The world's most efficient electric car isn't much to look at--yet. Designed by Gordon Murray (the design mind behind the tiny T25 city car) and Zytek Automotive, the T27 EV will supposedly be incredibly efficient thanks to its low weight (1,653 lbs), "clean sheet design," and bank of lithium ion batteries that can deliver a 60- to 70-mile range.
The vehicle will be manufactured using Murray's iStream process, which uses computer designs and welding instead of stamped-together metal sheets. The process is so streamlined that iStream factories can be just a fifth of the size of normal plants. Overall, Murray believes that the process can lower the T27's life-cycle emissions by 67% compared to an average car and 27% compared to the closest EV rival.
The T27 isn't quite ready to go to market, though--Murray still has to design a motor, gearbox, mounting system, and inverter for the three-seat vehicle. And of course, the T27 needs a body. But Murray and Zytek have a $7.48 million boost from the U.K.'s Technology Strategy Board that will help them produce four prototypes in the next 16 months. That means we probably won't see a commercial version for at least 2-3 years. Considering the fact that Murray is still working on getting his T25 vehicle to market, it might take even longer.
[Via UK Daily Mail]
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November 5, 2009
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Your employees have agreed to sacrifice their comfort in exchange for energy savings. You turn down the thermostat, everyone dons a sweater, and it's all good, right? Not so fast. A new study from energy efficiency company Johnson Controls shows that while 69% of U.S. office workers (in an 800-person survey) are willing to forgo comfort for the sake of energy conservation, 78% of workers feel that their productivity lowers when the temperature is uncomfortable.
That's a whole lot of uncomfortable, unproductive people--98% of workers surveyed also said that their office is too hot or too cold at some point. And in the end, a turned-down thermostat often doesn't even save energy, since many employees turn to quick fixes like space heaters and personal fans. And when it's really hot or cold, 30% of workers will take a walk. So what can be done to gain back all that lost productivity without giving up on energy efficiency?
According to Johnson Controls, the answer is simple: Separate a building into different zones, and allow employees in each zone to use individual workstation controls to tweak the temperature, air flow, lighting, and other environmental conditions as necessary. Sure, the study is biased--Johnson Controls sells a Personal Environments desktop control unit (we've also recently reported on EcoFactor, a wireless thermostat rigged up to a DSL or cable box that adjusts to weather info). But the zoned approach makes sense. And in the end, it could save big bucks--3% productivity gain in a 500,000-square-foot office translates into $2,925,000 in productivity savings, nothing to sneeze at.
[Via Business Green]
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November 5, 2009
02:06 pm | 0 recommendations | 1 comment
Lithium-ion batteries will most likely power the next generation of electric vehicles, but Arizona-based startup Fluidic Energy is already looking further into the future. The company, which is betting on a metal-air ionic liquid battery, has received a $5.13 million research grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to kickstart its plan.
Metal-air batteries aren't exactly new, but existing models use water-based electrolytes that are prone to evaporation, and in turn, premature battery failure. Water-based batteries also start to decompose when the cell exceeds 1.23 volts, making existing metal-air models virtually useless for EVs.
But Fluidic Energy thinks a simple fix-- swapping water-based electrolytes for liquid salts (AKA ionic liquids)--can supercharge metal-air batteries so that they have 11 times the energy density of lithium-ion batteries and cost a third of the price. A car running on metal-air could potentially travel 400-500 miles on a single charge, making an extensive EV charging infrastructure a luxury rather than a necessity.
Still, metal-air ionic liquid batteries aren't quite ready for prime-time. Ionic liquids are expensive because they are often made in small quantities. That could easily change if metal-air becomes the battery of choice for EVs, but until then, Fluidic Energy faces a cost barrier. And with lithum-ion battery facilities ramping up production around the world, it's unlikely that an entirely new type of EV battery will find its way into facilities any time soon.
[Via MIT Technology Review]
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November 5, 2009
01:13 pm | 0 recommendations | 3 comments
When BP gave itself the tagline "Beyond Petroleum" in 2000, few environmentalists took the company seriously. Just one year later, Mother Jones magazine named BP as one of the 10 worst corporations for its environmental and human rights records, and in 2006, the company faced criminal charges for spilling 270,000 gallons of crude oil in the Alaskan tundra. Even more recently, BP was nominated for a Climate Greenwash Award. But despite all this, BP might actually live up to its tagline with a plan to become the first major energy company to initiate commercial-scale production of cellulosic ethanol.
The company claims it could launch commercial-scale production as early as next year, in a partnership with Verenium Corporation, which does the dirty work of breaking down cellulose into sugar. Verenium already has a demonstration plant, and the company plans to use grass as a feedstock when the commercial plant comes online.
The Verenium partnership may be BP's most immediate biofuel endeavor, but it's far from the only one. The company is also engaged in a biobutanol pilot project with DuPont using wheat as a feedstock. The $200 million project is expected to have the same emissions and cost as ethanol. And BP is working on a $10 million project with Martek Biosciences for microbial biofuel production (either using algae or another efficient microbe).
BP isn't the only oil company with biofuel aspirations. Exxon recently invested $600 million in a partnership with algae fuel manufacturer Synthetic Genomics, and Chevron has invested in both Solazyme and LS9.
[Via Reuters]
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November 5, 2009
12:18 pm | 0 recommendations | Be the first to comment
The Empire State Building may be set to become the world's most famous green office building, but the Taipei 101 building in Taiwan is gunning for the title of "World's Tallest Green Building," with $1.8 million in upgrades that could save $20 million each year and earn the structure a LEED Gold rating.
The 101-story building, completed in 2004, will undergo an 18-month renovation to upgrade lighting, heating, cooling, and ventilation systems with help from Siemens, EcoTech International, and SL+A International Asia. Taipei 101 already has a comprehensive waste recycling program, gray-water recycling system, and low energy glass curtain wall. And unlike other LEED-certified buildings, Taipei 101 will be judged on its actual performance instead of its predicted performance.
Even with the renovations, Taipei 101 will be far from the greenest building in the world. But its iconic status as the second tallest building on the planet (after the Burj Dubai) means that its performance as a green building will be judged and emulated by developers across Asia.
[Via Inhabitat]
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November 4, 2009
03:25 pm | 0 recommendations | 1 comment
What will the gadget-obsessed youth of tomorrow want in a vehicle? The design studios at Audi, GM, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, and Toyota set out to find the answer for the YouthMobile 2030 Design Challenge, which challenged Southern California-based auto designers to come up with cars that teenagers of the future will covet. The winner will be announced on December 3 at the L.A. Auto Show. Check out some of the wild ideas below.
Audi eOra and eSpira
These vehicles use some sort of "next-generation vehicle control logic" to sync the body movements and gestures of the driver with the car's movement. In other words, the driver's body is a like a human joystick.
The Car Hero
GM's entry into the competition is both a vehicle and a game, challenging drivers to outdrive the car's autonomous system. If the driver succeeds in proving their skills, a new level of outrageous driving scenarios is unlocked. It's an interesting concept, but it sounds like a way to ensure that teenage drivers get in even more accidents.
Honda Helix
Honda's concept incorporates human DNA with adaptive polymers that can supposedly shift shape, color, and material properties based on the owner's needs and wants. Over time, the vehicle forms a creepy-sounding "singular bond between both human and machine DNA".
Mazda Souga
This electric vehicle is based on a virtual reality Web site, dubbed VMazda, that allows users to design their own vehicles at no cost. The vehicle is manufactured at a custom manufacturing plant and sold to the user for $2,000. After that, a monthly bill takes care of electricity costs. This is perhaps the most realistic design of the lot, though getting an EV down to a base cost of $2,000 is a bit of a stretch, to say the least.
Nissan V2G
Nissan wistfully imagines that the V2G will be the best-selling EV of all time thanks to its affordable range of cell phone-like access plans. In Nissan's vision, solar skins cover all major urban structures and provide power directly to the grid, allowing for cheap and easy access to EV juice.
Toyota Link
The Link is a customizable mass transit vehicle--imagine your own personalized autonomous taxi cab and you get the basic idea. Students meet at transportation hubs to pick up their link and communicate with other drivers on a "transportation social network". Instead of using wheels, the Link drives on spheres that are made out of a mystery electroconductive material that converts friction into energy and recharges the vehicle's batteries.
[Via Core77]
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November 4, 2009
02:14 pm | 0 recommendations | 2 comments
It's easy to shrug off climate change deniers who use incomplete or inaccurate data in their arguments, but it's a harder pill to swallow when supposedly reputable organizations dupe us with exaggerated claims. Yet that's exactly what happened recently with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which purportedly stretched the truth by claiming that deforestation is responsible for 20% of all CO2 produced by people.
In a new study published in Nature Geoscience, researchers from VU University in Amsterdam write that the IPCC's widely quoted statement is actually based on outdated and exaggerated information on tropical deforestation. Instead, the researchers claim that deforestation is actually responsible for approximately 12% of carbon emissions. That still makes deforestation the second highest emitter of CO2 behind fossil fuel combustion, but it's a significant enough reduction to potentially lower the price of carbon credits sold for forest protection. If the researchers are correct, it's also an embarrassing gaffe on the part of the IPCC, which was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 (the same year that the 20% figure was released).
This doesn't mean we should start razing forests. The VU University study found that previously unexamined emissions from the deforestation of tropical peatlands could be responsible for as much as 3% of all CO2 emissions. That's a higher rate of emissions than the aviation industry.
The moral of the story, then, isn't that deforestation is unimportant. But we should take claims from both sides of the climate change debate with a grain of salt. Even the VU University researchers admit that their 12% figure is an estimate--the real number could be anywhere between 6% and 17%. And that means we should allow for a wide margin of error in deciding just how much a forest protection-based carbon credit is worth.
[Via UK Guardian]
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