Wind powered electric vehicle at US airport

At the Minneapolis Saint Paul International Airport, ten 1kW windturbines (Aerovironment) powers an electric vehicle (Cushman Motors e-Ride exv2 ) which costs 200USD per year to run and has a range of 45-55 miles (72-88km).

www.energyefficiencynews.com

www.mspairport.com

Daimler takes 10% of electric car maker Tesla Motors

Tesla expands the partnership with Daimler and  will equip future Mercedes-Benz vehicles with electric lithium-ion batteries.

www.teslamotors.com

www.daimler.com

Chip to measure electric use from Teridian Semiconductor

A novel chip is presented to accurately monitor power consumption of electrical appliances (power strips, data centers, air conditioners etc). The data (voltage, current and power) can be transfered to a computer via an USB interface.

To save energy, our customers must have the ability to measure their power consumption according to CTO David Gruetter.

A wireless version as planned later in 2009.

www.teridian.com

Eco-Friendly Off Grid Lighting for Developing Countries

At Lake Victoria in Kenya OSRAM has launched a unique project for producing light away from a permanent power supply. At a specially constructed solar station (OSRAM Energy Hub) the local people can recharge batteries for energy-saving lamps, luminaire and other electrical appliances, such as mobile phones, at low cost and without damaging the environment. Off Grid solutions are the way forward for developing and emerging countries that cannot afford to set up a permanent power supply network. The market is huge, as 1.6 billion people throughout the world live without electricity. "OSRAM is a pioneer in the field of Off Grid solutions. We are proud to be the first lighting manufacturer in the world to offer a sustainable lighting solution for regions without power supply networks," said Dr. Kurt Gerl, CSO of OSRAM GmbH at a press conference in Nairobi.

Link to Ceramic Tech Weekly: Helping ‘off-the-grid’ people see the light

Link to pressrelease.

U.S. Spent Nearly $500 Billion on Foreign Oil in 2008

Unveiled on July 8, 2008 by T. Boone Pickens, the Pickens Plan is a detailed solution for ending the United States’ growing dependence on foreign oil. 

More than 1,500,000 people have joined the Pickens Army through the website www.pickensplan.com.

Sunplastics GmbH awarded with product of the year 2009 for the flexible Sunovation photovoltaic module

Sunovation is awarded for combining function and design in an exceptional way by the German Industrial Association of Semi-Finished and Consumer Products made of plastics.

 

www.sunovation.de

ZigBee radio standard connects home networks, neighbour networks and power suppliers

The ZigBee radio standard has become the standard control technology for home automation, commercial building automation, and has emerged as the preferred standard for integrating advanced power metering (AMI) and home area networks (HAN) and neighbour area networks (NAN).

Link to article in Utility Products

Hydro power in slow flowing water

DaVinci studied vortex induced vibrations (VIV) 500 years ago and named it "Aeolian Tones". By maximizing VIV instead of preventing it can be used as a power source in slow flowing waters.

Link to Vortex Hydro Energy

External Combustion Cyclotrone Engine

The Cyclone Engine is a self-starting engine that operates in a low temperature range (225F/110C). This allows the engine to run on waste heat from an external source, such as the exhaust from a combustion engine or burning of biomass. The engine can run on solar heat without the installation of photovoltaic panels.

Link to Engineering TV (1)
Link to Engineering TV (2)
Link to Cyclone Power

Communication platform for SolarMax inverters

To add internet communication to photovoltaic solar cell installations, SolarMax offers the MaxWeb which is a data log, monitor and webserver. MaxWeb can connect up to 100 inverters and transmit data to SolarMax web portal.

Link to SolarMax

Premiere of the MINI E at the LA Auto Show

MINI prepares to release 500 electrically driven cars to American roads (0-62mph in 8.5s and 95mph top speed).

Link to MiniSpace

SunEthanol raise 25 million USD and changes name to Qteros

Venrock, Battery Ventures, BP and Soros Fund Management invest in the company that turn waste and plant into fuel using the microbe Clostridium Phytofermentans.

Link to Qteros