Energy Industry

The entrepreneurial Audi is planning to take advantage of changes portended in the automobile market with an eye towards emission-free vehicles. Until now Audi has not shown any interest in electric car production but now that there is a growing demand for small and electronically-driven cars, Audi is keen to join the race. 1 Comment

In strict adherence to guidelines released by the Department of Energy, the United States Postal Service gets on a fast track to reach the goal for energy reduction. Green roofs, green buildings and an optimally efficient management system of energy consumption form part of the energy-reduction strategy. 5 Comments

International Green Energy Expo Korea 2010 was chosen as the venue where SunPods SP-300 was first displayed. This is the first factory built-to-order solar-powered integrated electric-vehicle charging station - ready for powering up immediately. This ready-to-use solar power platform from SunPods is called EV Plug-N-Go. 6 Comments

Success greets the research team of National Research Council's National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT) and the University of Alberta. The plastic solar cells have now an operating life of 8 months instead of mere hours. And they are low-cost, environmentally efficient, unsealed plastic dollar cells - a green energy source. Developing economically viable plastic solar panels and to produce them in large scale has been the long time goal for the scientists as the cost of ultra high-purity silicon used in the traditionally manufactured solar cells is quite prohibitive. These are the solar cells of future - to be available to common man easily. A University of Alberta-NINT team has been focusing on this for quite some time. 12 Comments

The Chevrolet Volt is giving its extended range electric vehicle customers a great deal with an eight year/100,000 mile (whichever comes first) warranty for its lithium-ion battery. The battery pack has some 161 components, nine modules and 288 cells. The warranty is offering coverage for all the parts. The battery is basically made up of Chem. cells by LG but almost 95% of other battery components have been designed and are manufactured by GM. The thermal management system, electric drive system and the charging system also come under the warranty coverage. 5 Comments

Today a long-standing electronic dream has become a reality thanks to research done by a team of scientists from Bar-Ilan University, Israel, supported by U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Producing superconducting nano-scale wires to facilitate faster and more powerful electronic devices has been the long-time ambition which had eluded achievement until now. 1 Comment

Today cell-phones have become an integral part of our life and are the most used mode of communication. More prevalent the use of cell-phone, more imperative is the need to curtail eco-pollution that emanates from the huge number of still-in-use and out-of-use cell phones. Toxic products like lead, mercury, cadmium and other materials pose a real threat to our ecosystem. Handset manufactures, recognizing the need of the hour, are showing great interest and emphasis on manufacturing not only environmentally-friendly handsets but also eco-friendly chargers. 6 Comments

Imagine a cool poolside with golden sunlight, lifting music and relaxing time – sounds great, no! Now great music, wireless speakers, and excellent audio quality - all these are possible with Devotec Solar Sound 2 Stereo Bluetooth Speakers. Almost all phones, MP3 players and music players can be connected to these speakers wirelessly to get instant clear, resonant music. 2 Comments

A trip around the eCRP plant headquarters at Modena: The eCRP is the first of its kind of purpose-built electric superbikes, and today it is pitting against the legendary gas-powered Ducati, MV Agusta et al in the Italian TTXGP. With classic gorgeous looks and efficiently designed high performing parts, Moto2 bikes are packed with top-notch specifications. Agni 95 DC twin motors, battery packs from 7.4KWh, Marzocchi D.43 Superbike forks, CRP-built aluminum cast alloy Chassis and other features make the eCRP 1.2 a great bike. CRP has strictly adhered to the TTXGP rules and specifications in the making of eCRP 1.2. 3 Comments

A fresh-water wind farm is taking shape at Lake Erie and when completed will provide 20 megawatts and get on to about one gigawatt power by 2020. Huge individual turbines 300 feet tall, to be built by GE will be erected off Ohio, Cleveland. Better designs: These are special gearless super-efficient turbines, with three 176-foot long blades, which run with the help of a giant ring of magnets. The blades are longer due to strategically placed carbon fibre, and lighter too. Many moving parts like gearbox, coils and starter brushes are eliminated with resultant reduced maintenance. The giant magnetic ring array helps the turbine generate power even at very low speed. Rejuvenating wind energy industry: As land-based turbines are facing a lack of interest and demand, wind energy industry is facing a setback. This new-design turbines to tap ... 5 Comments

Solar panels are gaining more recognition as key ingredients to produce eco-friendly and renewable source of energy. With growing need for more energy, there will be in future, a plethora of solar panels all over the world. Now this has become a source of eco-conservative concern, according to Mr. Bruce Robertson, Research Associate, from Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University. 10 Comments

Japan's Sanyo Electric Company is creating a record by powering the largest solar pant in Italy with its HIT solar cells. The Project funded by a consortium led by Deutsche Bank is expected to be completed by September 2010. Sanyo is successfully on its way to make the dream of a clean-energy society a reality. 2 Comments

This has been the slogan that GE, one of the leading power suppliers and energy delivery technology pioneers, propagated all through the 'Capture the Wind' tour across US. GE Energy, comprised of GE Power& Water, GE Energy services and GE Oil & Gas is on an all out effort to promote wind industry’s growth in USA. GE, largest supplier of wind turbines producing some 40% of US' wind power, has been sponsoring the 'Capture the Wind' tour for garnering support at grass-root level for a cleaner energy in future. 4 Comments

The NASA Research Program 'N+3' has thrown open a challenge for exploring the potential to develop quieter subsonic commercial planes as well as supersonic commercial aircraft that burn less fuel and pollute less. The team led by MIT are working on developing two models to meet the NASA criteria as well to accommodate the demands created by increased air traffic by 2035 A.D. 1 Comment

EU's 'Clean Sky' - the 1-6 billion euro research project - with 86 participating partners from 16 nations - has goals like developing unique application-specific technologies and evaluation and advancement of the entire aeronautic system. Aviation experts from ACARE (Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe) are expecting to achieve 50% reduction of noise and carbon dioxide emission and 80% reduction of nitrogen oxide output by 2020. Thanks to better drive concepts and better adapted logistical designs and innovative and newer manufacturing of structural concepts and aerodynamic profiles, European aviation history will be rewritten under ACARE's new guidelines. Air travel will soon get more environmental-friendly, quieter and cleaner. 1 Comment

Pushker Kharecha and his colleagues believe that we should follow some practical methods to do away with coal and conventional fossil fuel emissions. We all know that use of fossil fuels leads towards carbon emissions that cause immense damage to our environment. Pushker Kharecha and colleagues voiced similar sentiments in the American Chemical Society's semi-monthly journal Environmental Science and Technology (ES and T). 10 Comments

Now big companies are going green and proudly proclaiming it too from rooftops. Google Inc. has invested $38.8 million in two North Dakota wind farms. This is the first direct investment by Google in utility-scale renewable energy generation. These two wind farms produce 169.5 megawatts of power. These two wind farms can light up around 55,000 homes. These wind farms are designed by General Electric Co and created by NextEra Energy Resources. They generate power from one of the world's richest wind resources in the North Dakota plains. There is no need to lay down extra infrastructure for the two wind farms. Current transmission facilities are able to transmit power to the nearby areas. Google's official blog claims, "Through this $38.8 million investment, we're aiming to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy — in a way that makes good business sense, too." 15 Comments

Backed with a $3 million assistance from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) Wilbraham-based FloDesign Wind Turbine Corp. will expand its operations in the state. The company is recognized as the developer of a U.S. Department of Energy-recognized "transformative" wind energy technology. It will maintain its aerodynamic research center in Wilbraham along with establishing a new corporate headquarters and product development center in the historic Waltham Watch Factory. The company also intends to assemble its first wind turbines in Massachusetts. If everything goes according to the plan, the company will establish a new benchmark for other wind energy technology companies to look up to and aspire to. 17 Comments

Queen's University Applied Sustainability Research Group located in Kingston, Canada comes out with two studies that claim solar power in southeastern Ontario can be created in abundance. The natural question is how much abundance? The answer is mind-boggling. Southeastern Ontario has the potential to produce almost as much power as all the nuclear reactors in the United States! Queen's mechanical engineering professor Joshua Pearce is the first person to find out the astounding possibilities of the region's solar energy potential. He says, "The number is enormous. Solar can no longer be laughed off as something that can only power your cottage." 17 Comments

A team of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is working on lithium-air batteries that could help in generating more powerful, lightweight batteries than available currently. Yang Shao-Horn is an MIT associate professor of mechanical engineering. According to him many research groups are trying to improve on lithium-air batteries. But they have difference of opinions about the types of electrode materials to be used. It has to be noted that electrode materials are responsible for electrochemical reactions happening inside these batteries. 7 Comments