THIN FILM SOLAR PANELS

Archive for October, 2008

Are you an electric vehicle-loving balance guru? Then you should get in line for Focus Design’s self-balancing unicycle (SBU). The unicycle can blaze down the street at 8.5 MPH, and can go for 12 miles on a single charge. At 25 pounds, it can easily be carried to a charging station.

Read more of this story »

Propeller planes aren’t exactly known as the pinnacle of aircraft luxury, but a new propeller engine currently being designed by Rolls-Royce makes up in efficiency what it lacks in comfort. The company claims that the engine could save an airline three million dollars and 10,000 tons of CO2 per year if it is introduced on 100-200 seater planes.

Read more of this story »

A major tidal power developer has confirmed it is in the early planning stages of developing an off-grid data center in Northern Scotland to be powered by only by tidal energy.

According to BBC Scotland, Atlantis Resources Corporation and Morgan Stanley said they are in the early stages of planning a tidal power project located in Scotland’s Pentland Firth, which separates the Orkney Islands from the Scottish mainland, and has huge potential tidal energy resources.

>>More on tidal power at CleanTechnica

“Given that data centres need to be built somewhere, it makes sense to place them as close as possible to renewable energy sources that are currently grid-constrained,” said John Woodley co-head of Morgan Stanley’s European and Asian power, gas and related businesses. Morgan Stanley is aiming to attract customers such as Google, who have fast growing computing capacity needs.

Several companies interested in tidal energy at Pentland Firth

The straights in the Pentland Firth have tidal flows that reach speeds of up to 16 knots every day of the year—leading some to call it the Saudi Arabia of marine power. The data center itself would require about 150 megawatts of power. Officials have also said they’d like to use the excess heat from the data center to warm greenhouses.

In August, the Crown Estate made the Pentland Firth the first UK marine site to be opened up for commercial scale development. And as we previously reported at CleanTechnica, ScottishPower Renewables has designs on developing tidal energy at the Pentland Firth site. But Atlantis’ plan may give them a step-up on their competitors at ScottishPower by side-stepping one of the most substantial hurdles to installing any large-scale renewable energy project, and that is connecting to the national grid.

Atlantis says the first series of turbines would be operational in 2011, at a projected cost between £250m-£300m (US$400-600 million). But the developers must still secure planning permission, another hurdle for renewable energy projects. Projects a fraction the size of the Pentland Firth proposal, such as the Marine Current Turbine’s SeaGen project took 13 years to gain regulatory approval.

Atlantis and other potential developers can apply for seabed leases beginning in January 2009. Leases will be awarded next summer.

Images: 1. © Eimantas Buzas | Dreamstime.com; 2. Wikipedia

A recent study from the University of Texas at Austin puts a wrench in the recent advancements of the biofuel world. According to researchers at the university, producing biofuels or hydrogen en masse may require the use of much more water than conventional petroleum-based fuels.

Read more of this story »

Written by Alex Felsinger, courtesy of Gas2.org

The BMW Group is about to become the first manufacturer of premium automobiles to deploy a fleet of nearly 500 all electric vehicles for private use in daily traffic. Powered by a 150 kW (204 hp) electric motor and fed by a high-performance rechargeable lithium-ion battery, the vehicle will be nearly silent and emissions free.

The Mini E will have a range of about 150 miles and will initially be offered to select private and corporate customers in California, New York and New Jersey, but will first be given its world premiere at the LA Auto Show on November 19th and 20th, 2008.

As for its speed, BMW claims that it will offer acceleration to 62 mph in 8.5 seconds with a top speed that is electronically limited to 95 mph.

Editor’s Note: According to CNN.com, the new Mini E model will be able to travel 150 miles on a single charge with a top speed of 95 miles per hour. Also, for this test fleet of vehicles, BMW will reimburse customers for the cost of charging. But at a monthly cost of $850, driving the Mini E will not be cheap.  Read the full CNN article here.

Related Features

Chrysler to Sell Electric Cars in U.S. as Early as 2010
Sick of Gas? Convert Your Car To Run On Electricity
Toyota Prius to Get Solar Power
Volkswagen to Produce Plug-In Hybrid Electric Cars
Plug-in Hybrid Drivers Are Charged Up