BAE Systems Demonstrates Hybrid-Electric Drive System for Ground Combat Vehicles 15 August 2007 The NLOS-C self-propelled howitzer is the first application of the common hybrid drive system. BAE Systems demonstrated the first hybrid-electric drive system for ground combat vehicles as part of the US Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) program. The Traction Drive Subsystem (TDS) for the FCS program is a diesel series-hybrid drive system that will provide vehicle propulsion, steering and braking, and regenerate electrical power from braking and downhill grades for use in vehicle electrical systems

The world's largest stadium-integrated photovoltaic system went into operation this week on the STADE DE SUISSE Wankdorf Bern. After the additional installation of 2,808 solar modules, the stadium now has 7,930 modules from the Japanese technology company Kyocera, providing an overall output of 1,346.774 kWp. The expanded system will produce 1,134,045 kWh per year and save on the emission of 630 tons of CO2 annually

Hydrogen is a better source of energy than you think, according to Fujitsu. The Japanese electronics giant inaugurated a 200-kilowatt hydrogen fuel cell from UTC on Friday that will provide electricity as well as heat to the buildings on its campus here. The fuel cell--which sits in the parking lot and looks like a pair of giant green dumpsters--provides two types of energy to the facility. First, a unit heats methane with steam to create hydrogen. The hydrogen is passed through a proton exchange membrane (PEM). The electricity produced by the reaction with the PEM runs lights, computers and other equipment

The comprehensive annual report provides an analysis of global demand for photovoltaic products and five year application forecast, including a detailed analysis of the market for PV technologies and products by selling channels, application segments, module size and regional markets.

Just 50 miles west of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) off Interstate 40 near Crossville, Tenn., 6,000 acres of woodland are about to be transformed into the kind of community that Jeff Christian once only dreamed of.

Metrolight, which has just received $9 million in a third round of funding from Gemini Israel Funds and Richard Branson's Virgin Fuels, has been riding a surge of demand for its high-frequency electronic ballast, a device for controlling high-intensity discharge (HID) lights--those bright lights used for illuminating department stores, large interior spaces and freeways. The system effectively provides the same amount of light as more traditional magnetic or electromagnetic systems, but requires less overall power, the company says. Additionally, the HID lights can be dimmed when no one is present or, if the light fixture is connected to the Internet, dimmed by a utility to prevent a brown-out. Some customers have seen their electric lighting and maintenance bills drop by around 50 percent, according to Metrolight.

Metrolight, which has just received $9 million in a third round of funding from Gemini Israel Funds and Richard Branson's Virgin Fuels, has been riding a surge of demand for its high-frequency electronic ballast, a device for controlling high-intensity discharge (HID) lights--those bright lights used for illuminating department stores, large interior spaces and freeways. The system effectively provides the same amount of light as more traditional magnetic or electromagnetic systems, but requires less overall power, the company says. Additionally, the HID lights can be dimmed when no one is present or, if the light fixture is connected to the Internet, dimmed by a utility to prevent a brown-out. Some customers have seen their electric lighting and maintenance bills drop by around 50 percent, according to Metrolight.

A typical solar cell generates only one electron per photon of incoming sunlight. Some exotic materials are thought to produce multiple electrons per photon, but for the first time, the same effect has been seen in silicon.

Chinese scientists claim to have discovered a new clean energy source - simply by using dry air. "The breakthrough makes it possible to use dry air, instead of electricity, to cool down the water and the indoor air, and be applied at least to power large-scale air-conditioning equipment in office buildings," Jiang Yi, director of the university's architecture science department, who leads the research project, told China Daily.

The device is a piece of paper infused with carbon nanotubes and a salt, which serves as an electrolyte. Because it stores energy and conducts it, the device can act like a battery. A number of corporate labs and universities have come up with flexible batteries in the past. Power Paper from Israel makes a flexible battery printed on polymers that relies on zinc as an electrolyte. It sells it to the cosmetics industry. Japan Inc. also has trotted out a lot of prototypes. Still, these things haven't gone commercial so any advance is welcome.

The device is a piece of paper infused with carbon nanotubes and a salt, which serves as an electrolyte. Because it stores energy and conducts it, the device can act like a battery. A number of corporate labs and universities have come up with flexible batteries in the past. Power Paper from Israel makes a flexible battery printed on polymers that relies on zinc as an electrolyte. It sells it to the cosmetics industry. Japan Inc. also has trotted out a lot of prototypes. Still, these things haven't gone commercial so any advance is welcome.

Corporations are mishandling their data center energy consumption to the point that they risk disruptive failures of their technology infrastructure

Corporations are mishandling their data center energy consumption to the point that they risk disruptive failures of their technology infrastructure

The secret to producing thin-film solar cells comes in part from the snack food industry, says Ascent Solar. The Littleton, Colo.-based company says it will deploy high-speed thermal evaporators--the same equipment used to seal Doritos bags--to produce copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) solar cells.

General Motors has announced it will work directly with A123 Systems, a start-up based in Watertown, MA, to develop batteries that are fine-tuned for the Chevrolet Volt, an electric vehicle scheduled for production in 2010 or 2011. The new agreement between the companies is designed to speed the vehicle to market.

The low manufacturing cost of photovoltaics that employ thin films of cadmium-telluride semiconductor have long been seen as having the potential for lifting solar power from its niche status as a very expensive power source, delivering less than a twentieth of 1 percent of U.S. electricity.

A futuristic hydrogen-powered renewable energy research centre is being proposed for a site in Fife.

A futuristic hydrogen-powered renewable energy research centre is being proposed for a site in Fife.

The whole idea stinks. But generating heat and power from livestock manure is appealing. The compost is placed into an oxygen-free machine that separates the methane gas and then uses it to create electricity to power farms or transport over the grid.

What can be done to dramatically accelerate-or at the very least evaluate the potential for-a true evolution/revolution in solar energy?

The UK renewable energy industry can meet the European Union target of generating 20 percent of the region's electricity from renewable resources by 2020 with effective government support, said the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA)in a recent statement.

The UK renewable energy industry can meet the European Union target of generating 20 percent of the region's electricity from renewable resources by 2020 with effective government support, said the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA)in a recent statement.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed a fast way to convert sawdust and waste biomass directly into a mixture of gases that can be burned to generate electricity or made into liquid fuels such as diesel. If the process can be scaled up, it could be a more energy-efficient method for making biofuels by allowing for small, fast reactors located close to biomass sources.

In neighborhoods across the country, there's a battle brewing: the environmentalists vs. the aesthetes. As "green"-minded homeowners move to put in new energy-efficient windows, solar panels and light-reflecting roofs, they are bumping up against neighbors and local boards that object, saying the additions defy historic-district regulations, will look ugly or damage property values.

The North Carolina Senate [last week] voted 47-1 for final passage of Senate Bill 3, which includes a renewable electricity standard (RES) of 12.5% by 2021 with up to 40% of the standard being met through efficiency.

The North Carolina Senate [last week] voted 47-1 for final passage of Senate Bill 3, which includes a renewable electricity standard (RES) of 12.5% by 2021 with up to 40% of the standard being met through efficiency.