News
From Kompulsa - Ocean | Weather | Climate
Recent News
This page consists of fairly recent news articles, and older news articles will eventually be archived.
Coal Mine Explosion Kills At Least 25 miners 1,000 Feet Underground
Date: April 6, 2010.
Category: Miscellaneous.
In Montcoal, West Virginia (United States), there was an explosion in a coal mine 1,000 feet (330 m) underground and the death toll is known to be 25 so far, the explosion took place at Upper Big Branch mine, which is 30 miles south of Charleston. This is believed to be the worst coal mine disaster in the U.S since 1984. Due to the increased likelihood of another explosion because of rising methane levels, the rescue operation has been suspended. There are plans to drill holes to help ventilate the mine and monitor gas levels. There are also harmful levels of carbon monoxide in the mine. Large quantities of methane displace oxygen, so that is also a threat to miners.
President Obama said: "The federal government stands ready to offer whatever assistance is needed in this rescue effort," he said at a White House Easter prayer breakfast.
Massey Energy, the owner of the mine, has a history of numerous mining safety law violations and is under scrutiny as a result of that.
Jenny Waycaster told the associated press: "I just started getting all these phone calls. They asked me if Kevin was working the evening or day, that's all they said. When I told him 'evening'... they told me there had been an explosion."
Source: BBC
Update - 10-4-2010: The remaining 4 miners which were missing were found dead, so the death toll has increased to 29.
Porsche Unveils Spyder 918 Plug-In Hybrid Concept Car
Date: March 3, 2010.
Category: Transportation.
Traditionally, you could not have your cake and eat it too, according to the common notion that cars cannot be substantially fuel efficient (and when I say substantially, I don't mean 20, 25, 30, or 35 mpg, but in the 30s, 40s and upwards) and fast at the same time. Porsche has proven that you can have your cake and eat it too. They announced the 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid concept car which is powered by a parallel hybrid propulsion system consisting of two electric motors totalling 160 kW (218 HP), one at each axle, and a 500 horsepower V8 engine. According to Porsche, it has a top speed of 320 km/h (198 MPH), and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (0-60 mph) in 3.2 seconds.
They created a car which combines not only extreme performance with above average fuel economy (for any type of car, especially a sports car), but versatility which permits switching from the more economical electric drive mode (which is not exactly slow, either) to hybrid mode, and sport mode, depending on your mood. You can silently drive in and out early in the morning, or late at night when people are sleeping in electric mode, and you can switch to hybrid or sport mode when on the road.
Source: Porsche Press Release
IBM constructs an improved solar cell using mostly abundant materials.
Date: February 11, 2010.
Category: Electricity Generation.
International Business Machines (IBM), a computer technology giant, has constructed an improved photovoltaic cell using the materials copper, zinc, tin, sulfur (CZTS), and the more rare element selenium.
The importance of this is to the sustainability and affordability of photovoltaic based power generation, which normally requires costly, or rare materials.
The efficiency of their prototype cell is 9.6%, which is a 43% improvement over conventional cells of this type, which were 6.7% efficient.
"Reaching near-commercial efficiency levels is a breakthrough for this technology", said Matthew Beard, a senior scientist at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL.gov).
Two advantages that this technology has over Copper Indium Gallium Selenide cells (CIGS) as well as cadmium telluride (CdTe) cells, is that indium, gallium, cadmium, and tellurium are expensive and rare elements, while copper, zinc, tin, and sulfur are much cheaper. However, CIGS and cadmium telluride solar cells are much more efficient (11%-18%), and silicon cells are more efficient that both types (18%-42%).
These cells can be produced via an ink based manufacturing process. David Mitzi, a member of the IBM research team says that the next key step is to replace the selenium completely with sulfur, especially since the demand for selenium would increase, and so would the cost.
Source: IBM Pressroom
Boeing Dreamliner Takes Off For The First Time
Date: December 15, 2009.
Category: Transportation.
The Boeing Dreamliner 787 passenger jet successfully took off for the first time, today, and is of particular importance to the airline industry, the environment, and for air travelers because of its lower fuel consumption. It consumes 20% less fuel than other planes of the same size, and is expected to lower air fares, the environmental impact of flying, and also help the ailing airline industry which has been hit hard by the global economic recession. The aircraft still has numerous more tests to undergo, before it is commercialized.
The Boeing Dreamliner 787-3 seats 290-330 passengers, has two engines, and has a total cargo volume of 4,400 cubic feet.
More Details:
- Cruise Speed: Mach 0.85 (646.85 MPH)
- Wingspan: 170 feet.
- Height: 56 feet.
- Length: 186 feet.
- Range: 2,500 to 3,050 nautical miles (4,650 to 5,650 kilometers)
- Configuration: Twin aisle
- Cross Section: 226 inches (574 centimeters)
- Maximum Takeoff Weight: 364,000 pounds (165,100 kilograms)
Source: CNN
Hackers Target Climatic Research Unit
Date: November 20, 2009.
Category: Environmental.
The security of the e-mail system of the Climatic Research Unit of the University of East Anglia, in the United Kingdom has been breached by hackers, and countless e-mails were reportedly stolen and posted on the internet.
Researchers at the CRU, one of the world's leading natural and human-induced climate change research centers, played a key role in the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change's (IPCC) fourth assessment report, which is considered to be the most authoritative report of its kind. This has stirred up controversy because people are passionate about their views on climate change.
The information stolen includes personal conversations. The university has not confirmed the integrity of the information which was reportedly stolen and posted on the internet due to its sheer volume.
University Spokesperson:
"This information has been obtained and published without our permission and we took immediate action to remove the server in question from operation.
"We are undertaking a thorough internal investigation and we have involved the police in this enquiry."
When more information is provided, I will post it here.
Source: BBC
A new, low cost, and long lasting battery technology
Date: September 15, 2009.
Category: Energy Storage.
Researchers at Uppsala university in Sweden have invented a battery technology which has some qualities which are uncommon in batteries. They are cheap, flexible, have a long lifespan, and they can be charged within seconds. Most conventional batteries take hours to charge, and have lifespans ranging from 2-10 years.
They also contain only environmentally benign substances which are abundant and renewable. This could be very useful for UPS, as well as residential wind and solar power applications.
Maria Stromme: "You don't need advanced equipment to make the batteries," Stromme says, "so they could be made on site in developing countries."
Salt and paper batteries are especially promising for low power applications requiring very thin batteries, such as smart cards, wireless sensors, and medical implants.
Sara Bradford, an energy and power consultant at Frost & Sullivan said:"For these applications, the thinner and smaller the battery, the better."
As with all technologies, there are drawbacks. They have a very low energy density, and don't expect to buy any soon, because it takes years for technologies to enter the production (and especially the mass production) stage.
Source: Technology Review
Chevy Equinox Fuel Cell Fleet Passes 1 Million Mile Mark
Date: September 11, 2009.
Category: Transportation.
Today, the Chevrolet Equinox fuel cell electric-drive vehicles were confirmed to have been driven more than 1,000,000 miles by 100 participants as a part of Project Driveway. The Equinox fuel cell powered vehicle is a part of Chevrolet's endeavor to electrify the automobile.
The Chevrolet Equinox has a range of 168 miles after the tank is filled with 4.2 kg of compressed hydrogen. The estimated refill time is five to seven minutes. It is powered by a fuel cell stack which converts hydrogen into electricity, and emits only water vapour. The fuel cell stack supplies electricity to the vehicle's electric propulsion system.
"It has never been our focus to get a million miles, but it's given us an incredible learning experience," said Mark Vann, who manages Project Driveway for Chevrolet. "This says a lot about the viability of fuel cell vehicles - that they are not one or two decades away but are doable today."
"I think when people first hear about the car, they expect something that looks like an experiment," said Stephanie White, an Equinox fuel cell electric driver in Southern California. "So when they see how real the car is, particularly after driving it, they want to know, 'Where can I buy one?' or 'When can I buy one of these cars?'"
"One million miles shows that people are driving the Equinox FCVs as part of their everyday lives," said California Fuel Cell Partnership executive director Catherine Dunwoody. "Many of those miles were on California roads, including hundreds I put on one as a Project Driveway driver. Fuel cell vehicles like the Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell will provide regular people with the range and convenience of a conventional vehicle plus zero emissions, a low-carbon footprint and a sustainable, domestic fuel."
Source: General Motors
Tesla Motors Releases The Lower Cost Model S
Date: March 27, 2009.
Category: Transportation.
Tesla Motors unveiled a new electric-drive vehicle called the Model S. It has a $49,900 USD base price (after a US tax credit of $7,500), it seats 7 people (five adults and two children), it has a hatch in which you can place large items such as mountain bikes, a second trunk under the bonnet, it can travel a long range of up to 300 miles (depending on the battery pack you chose), and it can be charged with any 120, 240, or 480 volt power outlet and in 45 minutes provided that you are using a 480 volt outlet, which means that the charging infrastructure that it needs for normal charging already exists in every home, for trips which are shorter than 300 miles. This means that it can easily be charged during a stay at a restaurant. It can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 60 mph) in 5.6 seconds, and it has a top speed of 120 MPH (electronically limited).
The liquid cooled and floor mounted battery pack can be swapped in five minutes and you can choose from three different battery pack options when purchasing the vehicle. According to Tesla Motors, it costs approximately $4 to fully charge this vehicle's battery pack. It has an aesthetically pleasing and sporty looking chassis with a panoramic roof. Tesla Motors claims that it is twice as efficient as hybrid cars and that it has more cargo space than station wagons. Tesla Motors is accepting orders for this vehicle now.
Source: www.teslamotors.com.
MIT Professor Designs Fast Charging Lithium Ion Battery
Date: March 11, 2009.
Category: Energy Storage.
Gerbrand Ceder, which is an MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) professor of materials science and engineering, discovered a new but simple way to design lithium ion batteries which would allow them to charge in less than 20 seconds. One of the problems with conventional lithium ion batteries is that they lack the ability to allow electrons and ions to pass through them quickly. These batteries do not require the excess material which is normally put into conventional Li-ion batteries to compensate for energy losses because they don't lose as much energy as the conventional ones do, permitting the manufacture of smaller and lighter batteries.
Gerbrand Ceder: "If transport of the lithium ions was so fast, something else had to be the problem."
They can also discharge energy quickly, which would be good for providing the short bursts of energy needed for electric and hybrid electric vehicles to accelerate and to higher top speeds (the power density of these batteries is 73 times greater than today's lithium ion batteries. Power density means power to weight ratio). This means that manufacturers will no longer have to use heavy and excessively expensive battery packs to compensate for their slow discharge rate and improve performance. Electric vehicles need to be provided with more power in a given period of time in order to move faster, and the slow discharge rate of conventional batteries complicates the design of these vehicles. Electric and hybrid vehicles are limited by the low power density and weight of their batteries, so this will lead to improvements in their range, handling, and efficiency. Supercapacitors are still more environmentally friendly and they last much longer (even though Li-ion cells are environmentally benign), but this Li-ion breakthrough is very significant. Most battery powered devices could benefit from this technological leap. When this new manufacturing method becomes mainstream, you can expect to see lighter and smaller cellphones, hybrid and electric vehicle batteries (more trunk space in some cases), PDAs, laptops, smartphones, and mp3 players. It may take a few years for this manufacturing method to become mainstream.
Source: BBC.
IBM Joins EDISON Project To Build Smart Grid For Electric Vehicles
Date: February 25, 2009.
Category: Electricity Transmission.
IBM said that they would join the EDISON (Electric Vehicles in a Distributed and Integrated Market using Sustainable Energy and Open Networks) research consortium which is a Denmark based joint effort including DONG Energy, Technical University of Denmark, Siemens, Eurisco, Danish Energy Association, and Oestkraft, to develop an intelligent infrastructure capable of supporting electric and plug in hybrid electric vehicles. This project is also partly funded by the Danish government.
Tim Mondorf (IBM Energy and Environment Business Development Executive): "Electric vehicles have enormous potential for creating a cleaner energy system as well as a cleaner transport system. We look forward to creating a working, intelligent management system first on the real-life test laboratory of the island of Bornholm, and in the longer term for Denmark as a whole."
Connie Hedegaard (Danish Minister of Climate and Energy): "Electric vehicles are one of the technologies we can use to incorporate renewable energy into transportation. That is why we are making it possible for electric cars to enter the market in order to replace conventional fuel. Projects like Edison show how it's possible to create sustainable solutions in real life."
A battery technology with a higher energy density than the conventional type
Date: February 6, 2009.
Category: Energy Storage.
There is a fairly recent type of battery called the lithium sulfur (Li-S) battery. It has the potential to be much lighter, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly than conventional batteries because no heavy metals are used in it's construction. This new battery technology may or may not at some point become suitable for electric vehicles. It has an energy density of 350-400 Wh/kg and 350 Wh/l, which is much more than that of conventional batteries, such as:
Lead-acid: 30-40 Wh/kg
Nickel-metal hydride: 30-80 Wh/kg
Lithium Ion (This is what the Tesla Roadster uses): 160 Wh/kg
Alkaline: 85 Wh/kg
Nickel-cadmium: 40-60 Wh/kg
Air New New Zealand successfully flew a jet partially powered by a biofuel
Date: December 30, 2008.
Category: Transportation.
Air New Zealand successfully flew a Boeing 747-400 jumbo jet which had one of it's four engines powered by a Jatropha derived second generation biofuel for two hours, and the fuel worked well. That test was a joint initiative between Rolls-Royce, Air New Zealand, and Honywell's UOP. Jatropha is a hardy type of plant which can grow almost anywhere and it does not require intensive care, and it's seeds contain oil which can be refined and used as a biofuel. Jatropha plants are inedible and the use of Jatropha plants for biofuel production has no effect on environmentally important land nor food production/prices. Jatropha plants grow to approximately three feet high and each of their seeds produces 30%-40% of it's mass in lipid oil.
Air New Zealand CEO Rob Fyfe: "It's going to go down as a historic day for aviation. These are the first steps on an inspiring journey to ensure that air travel becomes more environmentally sustainable."
Source: Television New Zealand, Wikipedia and Air New Zealand.
| Whos here now: Members 0 Guests 0 Bots & Crawlers 1 |
