Hybrid Living

The ocean isn’t the only focal point for wave-generated electricity. The Kiskiminetas River in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania is about to be home to a new way to create electricity from water.

Reserachers have devised a new system that encompasses a grid of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) placed on the bottom of the river, the undulating movement of which will generate electricity. The electrical current generated would pass to substations along the river bank, ultimately charging a group of batteries. The city is looking to harness enough power from the river to cover 20-40% of its needs.

The first system is going to be a grid about 30 yards wide by about 1 mile long, but the details on the precise make-up are still in the works. Laying the grid at the bottom of the river will help maintain the integrity of the area, which is used for fishing, boats, and so on.

How plant life might affect the system is not detailed, but researchers feel that this is a much more eco-friendly system, leaning more towards biomimicry, than damming a river ever was.

Via Discovery; photo via mhoppe

So okay. It is not a hidden fact that we all do need to recycle. We should be able to help our planet greatly if we recycle. That would mean less garbage in our dumpsites and that would mean less products contaminating our groundwater.
Now in a study that has been recently disclosed, it does look [...]

Just as the two major American political parties are announcing their vice-presidential nominations, another significant running mate selection in the green transportation sector has been decided, although an announcement of the selection has not yet been made.

General Motors has reportedly settled on which bettery maker it will use for the forthcoming Chevy Volt, but they are not announcing their choice yet according to GM’s Vice Chairman, and leading Volt advocate, Bob Lutz. GM has been working with two major battery manufacturing teams, A123/Continental and CPI/LG Chemical, on the development of the batteries for the Volt.

In addition to being ready with their battery selection, development of the Volt has been proceeding, and an unveiling of the production version of the Volt will be "fairly soon" according to Lutz.

"The Volt is real … and test work is progressing nicely," Lutz said. "We haven’t hit any obstacles so far for the batteries. They are all performing flawlessly. It’s almost scary we are not seeing any problems with the batteries."

An announcement of the battery partner selection will be made by the end of the year. The Volt is expected to be available late in 2010.

via: Detroit Free Press

The inside talks between Google and Makani Power must hold a lot of details, because Makani’s website doesn’t say much of anything at all about the wind power product that Google has just committed $5 million to – on top of a full $10 million they gave to the company in October of 2006.

Makani claims to have a kite-based wind technology that can create energy cheaper than coal, and says their system creates as much as 10 times more energy than conventional turbines. Makani, however, is keeping its cards close to its chest, and neither Makani nor Google are giving away the goods.

It’s tough to weasel $15M out of a company like Google without a relevant product, though it has been two years since they received their previous investment, so we’re eager to find out more soon.

Via GoodCleanTech

Elephant seals swimming under Antarctic ice and fitted with special sensors are providing scientists with crucial data on ice formation, ocean currents and climate change, a study released on Tuesday said.

The seals swimming under winter sea ice have overcome a “blind-spot” for scientists by allowing them to calculate how fast sea ice forms during winter.

Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) plans to set up as many as 200 recharging stations for electric cars around the Japanese capital next year, the Nikkei business daily reported on Friday.

The jury is still out on whether hydrogen will ultimately be our environmental savior, replacing the fossil fuels responsible for global warming and various nagging forms of pollution. Two main hurdles stand in the way of mass production and widespread consumer adoption of hydrogen “fuel-cell”� vehicles: the still high cost of producing fuel cells; and the lack of a hydrogen refueling network.

US wind capacity is expected to increase 45% in 2008 although Congress’ failure to extend the production tax credit (PTC) for the renewable energy industry threatens to derail further development, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).

When Adam D. Haddad says painting at his Worcester auto body shop has gone green, it does not mean cars are done in the 40 shades of Ireland.

It means Accurate Collision at 1051 Millbury St. has switched to water-based paints from petroleum-based paints, making it one of the first shops in Massachusetts to be in compliance with new federal laws to cut down on air pollutants from auto painting and stripping.

When I asked Bob Lutz almost a year ago whether he thought other car companies would be adopting the Chevy Volt’s "extended range electric vehicle" platform, he said that they were welcome to join in the fun.

But he may not have expected that other car companies would be so quick to the punch. While GM has been pushing like crazy to get the Volt out of the door, it looks like Mazda (Ford) has had a little bit of work going on as well.

While all eyes have been on the Volt, Mazda outfitted a Mazda MPV with an electric engine, some batteries, and an onboard Wankel engine to re-charge the batteries. Basically, this is the same set-up as the Volt with two big differences.

1. The batteries are probably small and cheap, and Mazda will need to do a lot of work before matching the Volt’s 40 mile range
2. Mazda is, quite cleverly, using the Wankel engine that they have some experience with. Wankel rotary engines are much smaller and lighter than piston engines, and so will be less of a burden to haul around while the car doesn’t need it.

Oh, and the other difference is that this is all very hush hush. And, generally, that means that "hopefully ready in two years" means "if absolutely everything goes right and nothing at all goes wrong."

Generously, I say we’ll wait for another four years before Mazda has an Extended Range EV in showrooms.

Via WIRED