Water Purifier and Generator

from http://www.redferret.net/?p=10222

Sat Mar 29, 2008

Dean Kamen’s Slingshot water purifier and Stirling generator tech - low cost water and power for the developing world

Dean Kamen has unveiled the latest iteration of his power and water package for the third world. The two components are a water purifier called Slingshot that uses a fraction of the power of alternatives and a Stirling engine based power generator that works on cow dung. The $1500 water purifier will produce 1000 liters of water a day, while the $3,700 generator produces around 1 kW, which is enough to deliver light to a small village. The two products have been in development for years, but it looks as though they are now ready for more prime time consideration.

It’s amazing that in this day and age, when investment bankers routinely take home $50 million paychecks, we can’t seem to work out how to help the majority of people on this planet from being at risk through lack of water and power. Astonishing. Here’s hoping things change sooner rather than later.

• Earlier report from 2003
• Video report from this month
• Short blog post from December
• Longer report from 2006

Tags: dean+kamen, slingshot, stirling+engine

Zero X Off Road Electric Motorbike

from http://www.metaefficient.com/electric-bikes/zero-x-motorcycle-100-lithium-ion-electric-40-mile-range-weighs-only-140-pounds.html

Zero X Motorcycle: 100% Lithium-Ion Electric, 40 Mile Range, Weighs Only 140 Pounds

March 28th, 2008 · 1 Comment

The Zero X Motorcycle was designed from the ground up to be a 100% electric bike. What makes this new bike truly different is that it contains 168 individual high-power lithium ion cells and is expected to endure six years of hard riding. Zero Motorcycle’s power grid technology has the highest power density (power storage per weight) battery pack on the market, delivering the full current of the battery pack immediately, safely and without overheating. Riders get the enjoyment of up to 2 hours of quality riding without seeing any impact on performance. To complete the cycle and keep it green, the Zero X battery unit is 100% recyclable and landfill approved. You can see some videos of the bike in action here.

The designer, Neal Saiki, applied his aerospace engineering degree and 15 years as a leading mountain bike designer to the problem. The chassis is made out of aircraft aluminum making it one of the lightest motorcycle frames on the planet at 18 pounds. More than 300 individual parts were custom fabricated and result in a total weight of only 140 pounds. That helps the Zero X weigh in at less than half the weight of a gas powered motorcycle.

According to Saiki, people who initially wanted to buy a Zero X unit decided to do so because the motorbike is silent and emissions-free. However, customers were reportedly also impressed with its performance.

The bike was recently demonstrated in Vegas, here is a reaction:

“I rode the Zero X prototype in a demonstration motocross race in Las Vegas in 2007 and was very impressed,” said National Motocross Champion, Hall of Famer and TV commentator Jeff Emig. “I’m expecting the production version to have a huge impact in the motor sports industry.”

If you are interested, you can buy one from the company’s Web site — a standard bike costs $7,450, plus $300 for shipping across the US.

Wave Powered Boat

from http://starbulletin.com/2008/03/03/news/story01.html

COURTESY SHIGEO YAMADA Japanese sailor Ken-ichi Horie waves from the deck of the Suntory Mermaid II, which sails by converting wave energy into forward thrust. Horie plans to depart from Hawaii on March 16 for Japan, the first time the trip will be attempted by a wave-powered vessel.

Waverider

An adventurer hopes the power of waves sails him to Japan

STORY SUMMARY »

It is counterintuitive that a boat that relies on wave propulsion could move in the direction of oncoming waves.

But that is just what the Suntory Mermaid II does.

Now, Japanese adventurer Ken-ichi Horie is planning to skipper the world's foremost wave-powered vessel 4,350 miles from Hawaii to Japan.

In the process, Horie aims to add a new world record to his collection. In 1992 he set the Guinness record for the greatest distance by pedal-boat after pedaling 4,660 miles from Hawaii to Okinawa. In 1996 he set another record for the first solar-powered crossing of the Pacific. And he sailed 9,943 miles from Ecuador to Japan in a boat made from recycled beer cans.

COURTESY SHIGEO YAMADA The propulsion system of the Suntory Mermaid II is visible with the boat partially lifted out of the water.

Horie, 69, arrived in Honolulu over the weekend to begin preparations for his latest eco-adventure aboard the Mermaid II, a 3-ton yacht propelled by wave energy. Its two parallel fins translate the vertical motion of the waves into an effect resembling the lobes of a dolphin's tail, providing a backward "kick."

The trip should take 14 weeks.

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FULL STORY »

COURTESY SHIGEO YAMADA The Suntory Mermaid II, which is powered by wave energy, will sail from Hawaii to Japan under the control of Japanese sailor Ken-ichi Horie. Horie will depart March 16 from the Hawaii Yacht Club in Waikiki and expects to take about three months to compete the voyage.

Star-Bulletin staff

Japanese sailor Ken-ichi Horie is planning to captain the world's foremost wave-powered vessel 4,350 miles from Hawaii to Japan and in the process set a new world record.

Horie, 69, arrived in Honolulu over the weekend to begin preparations for his latest eco-adventure aboard the Suntory Mermaid II, a 3-ton yacht propelled by wave energy.

Yutaka Terao, a mechanical engineering professor at Tokai University, designed the wave technology.

"One day, fossil fuel will run out," Terao said in a news release.

Terao has researched wave technology for decades and sees wave propulsion as a promising system to save energy.

The technology works by way of two fins, side by side, at the bow of the Suntory that absorb the vertical energy of waves and produce a "dolphin kick" to propel the boat forward and against waves.

As an added benefit, the fins absorb the wave motion and stabilize the boat.

Horie is making his trip as green as possible.

The Suntory, a 30-foot catamaran, is equipped with solar panels to power Horie's equipment and cell phone. The hull is made of recycled aluminum.

While the Suntory has a 35-foot mast and an engine on the stern, the equipment is intended for emergency use only.

COURTESY SHIGEO YAMADA Ken-ichi Horie

Horie's voyage is the latest in a string of eco-adventures that started in 1962 when he sailed solo across the Pacific. In 1992 he set the Guinness record for the greatest distance by pedal-boat after pedaling 4,660 miles from Hawaii to Okinawa.

In 1996 he set another Guinness record for the first solar-powered crossing of the Pacific. He sailed 9,943 miles from Ecuador to Japan in an aluminum boat made from recycled beer cans. If his next trip is a success, he will have a world record for the greatest distance traveled in a wave-powered boat.

On March 16, Horie will depart from the Hawaii Yacht Club in Waikiki. With the Suntory traveling at a top speed of 5 knots, it will take about three months for Horie to reach Japan, something a diesel-powered boat can do in about 10 days.

But speed is not the point. Horie hopes the voyage will prove that the technology really works.

"Innovation is very important," said his spokesman, Ken Dota. He said Horie hopes the shipping industry will take notice, improve the technology and eventually adopt it.

Suntory Mermaid II

COURTESY KEVIN HAND / POPULAR SCIENCE
It is counterintuitive that a boat that relies on wave propulsion could move in the direction of oncoming waves, but that is just what the Suntory Mermaid II does. Its two parallel fins translate the vertical motion of the waves into an effect resembling the lobes of a dolphin's tail, providing a backward "kick." In the process, the fins gather energy from the clumsy pitch and roll of the hull, increasing stability. The twin hulls help channel the energy into forward motion.

It is not a new concept. In fact, the first description of a wave-power boat dates to 1895, when an English patent application described a craft that could move at 4 knots (5 mph). The Suntory Mermaid II tops that speed by 1 knot.

Volvo & Saab Join EV Forces

from http://www.evworld.com/news.cfm?newsid=17769 Volvo and Saab Join Forces to Develop Plug-in Hybrid Cars Source: Volvo [Mar 15, 2008] SYNOPSIS: A fleet of 10 plug-in hybrids will be produced that can be recharged directly from the mains wall socket.

There are now some 18 plug-in vehicle programs that have been announced both both major and small OEMs. You can help guide their development by taking a minute of your time and completing the Join the Plug-In Revolution consumer survey on Plugin.EVWorld.com.

Together with electricity provider Vattenfall, Saab Automobile, ETC and the Swedish state, Volvo Car Corporation is launching a joint broad-based research venture to develop spearhead technology in the area of plug-in hybrid cars. Sweden will be the arena for the field tests.

"I see this project as a positive further development of sustainable personal transport. We have a unique opportunity to take the lead when it comes to innovations for advanced green-car technology", says Fredrik Arp, President and CEO of Volvo Car Corporation.

The aim of the project, which is being carried out jointly by Volvo Car Corporation, Saab Automobile, Vattenfall and ETC, is to develop and demonstrate the next-generation hybrid cars. A fleet of 10 plug-in hybrids will be produced that can be recharged directly from the mains wall socket.

Volvo has long experience of cooperation with a variety of society's actors and with this project the company aims to participate in and shape decisions and initiatives that are taken both within and outside the car industry.

"We want to be involved in setting up the rules for the future and to help build up broad-based competence in Sweden in this vital area," says Fredrik Arp.

Over a five-year period, Volvo Cars will invest just over 11 billion SEK in development aimed at reducing fuel consumption and emissions. Volvo already offers its customers one of the industry's widest ranges of Flexifuel engines. In parallel the company is continuing to enhance the efficiency of its petrol- and diesel-powered cars. 2008 will see the launch of car models that release less than 120 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre.

Volvo Cars is also focusing intensively on hybrid technology. In the medium term the company will introduce hybrid variants where an electric motor supports the combustion engine. In the longer term, plug-in hybrids will be introduced. One example of this was presented in autumn 2007 with the Volvo C30 ReCharge Concept. Used in the most effective way, this concept car cuts emissions of carbon dioxide by about 65 percent compared with the hybrid cars available on the market today. And if the electricity comes from CO2-sustainable sources such as hydropower and windpower, this figure improves still further.

"Within the next decade, we will see more electric vehicles on our roads," says Fredrik Arp.

Project Better Place Takes A Step Further

from http://www.eetimes.com/news/design/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=206903397

Electric car venture gains momentum
EE Times Europe (03/13/2008 10:15 AM EDT)
NETANYA, Israel — Project Better Place, the Israeli venture focusing on electric cars, has named three more partners for its planned project of an electric recharge grid network infrastructure for electric vehicles. Strategic design firm NewDealDesign (San Francisco, Calif.) will develop the industrial design for the charging stations and other consumer touch points for the grid; Aran Research and Development Ltd. (Caesarea, Israel) and Nekuda DM Ltd. (Tel Aviv, Israel) will develop and install the electric vehicle recharging stations in Israel. The startup also named Moshe Kaplinsky to head its operations in Israel, which was established as its primary research and development center to help develop the technology for mass deployment of electric vehicles. Before joining Better Place Israel, Kaplinsky most recently served as deputy chief of staff of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). He will report to Shai Agassi, founder and CEO of Project Better Place. In January, Better Place announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Renault-Nissan to build the Electric Recharge Grid Operator (ERGO) model for clean transportation in Israel. Under the agreement, Better Place will build the electric recharge grid, and Renault-Nissan will provide the electric vehicles. Next year, Better Place expects to deploy hundreds of charging stations as the company moves toward wide-scale deployment in 2011.

Solar Building Will Generate Extra Energy

from http://www.metaefficient.com/architecture-and-building/stunning-solar-building-will-generate-more-power-than-it-needs.html

Stunning Solar Building Will Generate More Power Than It Needs

March 14th, 2008 · 10 Comments

The Masdar Headquarters building will produce more power than it needs (an energy positive building). In fact, the solar roof (one of the largest in the world) will be constructed first, and it will power the construction of the rest of the building. The video link on this page has a great view of the sun-infused interior.

The 1.4 million square foot building was designed by Chicago architecture firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill.

It will serve as the centerpiece of Masdar City, which will end up being about a $22 billion development in Abu Dhabi.

Masdar Headquarters will have the lowest energy consumption per square foot, it will feature the largest photovoltaic system and also the largest cooling and dehumidification system. This building will also consume about 70% less water than a typical mixed-use building of its size.

The building will have integrated wind turbines and outdoor air-quality monitor and the construction will be completed by the end of 2010 and while the entire city will be finished by 2016.