MORE NEWS, 8-26: EFFICIENCY WILL RAISE THE SOUTH; WIND STILL INNOVATING; HONDA BRINGING ITS EV; SPRAY-ON SUN

EFFICIENCY WILL RAISE THE SOUTH
Study: Energy efficiency could boost South
Greg Blustein, August 24, 2009 (AP via Houston Chronicle)

"An aggressive strategy to replace aging equipment with more energy efficient products throughout the South would reduce the need to build more coal-fired power plants in the region through 2020, according to a Georgia Tech study…

"Advocates are taking [Meta-Review of Efficiency Potential Studies and Their Implications for the South], funded by the Energy Foundation and the Turner Foundation, to state legislators and regulatory agencies hoping it will bolster their calls for more incentives for energy efficient products as an alternative to new power plants…"

click to enlarge

"The study distilled 19 separate reports published across the region over the past 12 years. It found that better use of energy-efficient products could bring consumption 9 percent below the levels now projected for 2020…It found that the South has been one of the last regions in the country to embrace energy efficiency programs and to foster a culture where consumers value energy efficiency…[and that] the South — which it defines as a 16-state area that extends from Texas to Maryland — accounts for 44 percent of the nation's total energy consumption…[while] the region's population share…[is] around 37 percent.

"The brunt of the energy efficiency upgrades would take place in the private sector. It advocates homeowners and contractors to install heat pumps along with efficient window treatments and insulation… the commercial sector to embrace new lighting standards and more efficient cooling systems…[and industry to replace] aging boilers and burners…[with] newer and more efficient versions."

click to enlarge

"The technology to make the changes already exists…[but will require] a host of more aggressive incentives to prod residents and business owners into action…[Southern] leaders have not yet show the "visionary investment" such as tax breaks and subsidies that other parts of the country have enjoyed.

"Environmental advocates are already using the report's findings to push for those changes. A group met with utility executives a few weeks ago…[and are meeting] with lawmakers and regulatory agencies…The challenge, though, will be proving that policy encouraging more efficiency can pay economic dividends…"


WIND STILL INNOVATING
Powerful Ideas: Wind Turbine Blades Change Shape; A wind turbine that adapts to windy conditions may harness more energy.
Charles Q. Choi, August 24, 2009 (LiveScience via U.S. News & World Report)

"Morphing blades made of advanced composite materials that can rapidly change their shape depending on the wind could help lead to advanced wind turbines that perform better and last longer.

"Wind energy is growing more and more popular worldwide. The United States is currently the world's largest generator of wind energy by total megawatts, and by 2030, the Department of Energy predicts that as much as one-fifth of the nation's power might come from wind. On a per capita basis, other nations are even further ahead…Denmark, for instance, already gets one-fifth of its power from the wind."

click thru for detailed research info.

"…[M]orphing blades…rapidly change their aerodynamic profile to best suit the prevailing wind conditions…[Flying and swimming animals are more efficient because they have geometric adaptability to varying flow conditions]…[Teams at San Diego State University and the University of Bristol in England are working on morphing blades that use the wind to their advantage rather than fighting it, increasing their efficiency and durability]…

"Modern wind turbine blades are typically made from a combination of glass and carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics. During manufacture, the plastic resin is heated and cooled in a controlled manner so that it bonds with the fibers and sets to form a rigid structure."

click thru for detailed research info.

"By carefully controlling the direction and tension of the fibers, the researchers at the University of Bristol note it is also possible to create a composite that can snap between two distinct rigid shapes. For instance, when given an electric signal, the blade might flex one way instead of another, showing more or less of its surface to the wind…[They made] a working demonstration of a morphing helicopter rotor blade...[and] entered into an agreement with Denmark-based Vestas Wind Systems to develop composite materials for future products.

"…[The San Diego State team leader] envisions morphing wind turbine blades made out of plastic materials similar to urethane rubber that flexibly bend and twist shape to reach the optimal angles that get as much energy from the wind as possible, depending on the wind's strength…[T]hey have completed [promising] lab tests with a number of roughly 3-foot-wide (meter-wide) rotors made from a number of different materials…"


HONDA BRINGING ITS EV
Report: Honda to sell electric cars in US
Tomoko A. Hosaka, August 22, 2009 (AP)

"Honda Motor Co. plans to introduce electric vehicles in the U.S. early next decade, joining a growing number of automakers vying for the lead in clean technology development…

"Japan's second-biggest car maker, which has focused on gas-electric hybrids so far, is building an all-electric prototype to be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in October…[and will] begin sales of electric vehicles in the United States in the first half of the decade…"

Add Honda to the list. (click to enlarge)

"Honda released its new Insight earlier this year, billing it as the cheapest gas-electric hybrid on the market, to compete with Toyota Motor Corp.'s top-selling Prius…But with U.S. environmental regulations expected to toughen, automakers are stepping up efforts to release zero-emission cars.

"Honda has leased a small number of its FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to customers in Southern California since last year. Their high development cost, however, prompted Honda to consider adding electric cars to its lineup…"

(From an American Solar Energy Society report on climate change - click to enlarge)

"…Nissan Motor Co. is set to begin selling its Leaf electric hatchback in the U.S., Europe and Japan next year. Toyota Motor Corp. has said it plans to launch electric models by 2012…In June, Mitsubishi Motors Corp., launched its own electric vehicle, the 4.59 million yen ($48,300) i-MiEV. Ford's first battery electric vehicle, the Transit Connect commercial van, is to be available next year… General Motors Corp. is set to release its Chevrolet Volt next year, a rechargeable electric car with a small internal combustion engine that the company says will get up to 230 miles per gallon…

"The Obama administration in June said Ford, Nissan and Tesla Motors Inc. would be the first three beneficiaries of a $25 billion fund to develop fuel-efficient vehicles."


SPRAY-ON SUN
Powerful Ideas: Spray-On Solar Cells
Jeanna Bryner, 24 August 2009 (LiveScience)

"Solar cells soon could be painted onto the sides of buildings or rooftops with nanoparticle inks…The new nano-ink process could replace the standard method of manufacturing solar cells, which requires high temperatures and is relatively expensive…

"…[Photovoltaic solar cells] convert sunlight directly into electricity and are typically made from silicon, although other materials that are flexible are gaining steam. Solar panels used to power homes and businesses each consist of 40 or so of these cells…Rather than silicon, the inks developed by Korgel's team are made up of copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) — sunlight-absorbing nanoparticles that are 10,000 times thinner than a strand of hair…"

The ultimate dream of solar researchers is nearer reality. (click to enlarge)

"…[A University of Texas at Austin research] team envisions printing such inks in a newspaper-like process…So far, they have developed solar-cell prototypes that can convert 1 percent of the sunlight that hits the cell into electricity…[and belive the concept will be commercial if they get to 10 percent, something they see as possible within 3-to-5 years]…"

How much is a bottle of sun? (click to enlarge)

"The prospect of painting these inks onto a rooftop or building is not far-fetched…In addition, the inks are semi-transparent, and so could some day be used to develop windows that double as solar cells…

"The research, which was published in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, was funded by the National Science Foundation, the Welch Foundation and the Air Force Research Laboratory."