Because solar and wind are only available sometimes, GE's new powerplant can quickly cycle on or off to pick up the slack.
Grid-connected solar and wind installations are becoming increasingly common, but they come with a problem: Existing coal and natural gas power plants have a hard time quickly scaling production up or down to accommodate the fluctuations in availability of sunshine and wind, which means a lot of wasted energy. GE's FlexEfficiency 50, a
510-megawatt natural gas power plant, changes all that.
The plant can ramp up energy production at over 50 megawatts a minute (twice the rate of industry benchmarks), and can power up to 600,000 E.U. homes. It's also comparable in price to standard combined cycle natural gas power plants.
The innovative design that allows the FlexEfficiency plant to operate is inspired by GE's jet engines. For
decades, jet engines have been built with nickel-based super alloys,
which are designed to withstand high temperatures (this increases
efficiency) and quickly cycle on and off. But historically, natural gas
power plants have used less-efficient steel components, explains Paul
Browning, vice president of GE Thermal Products. Now GE is taking that jet-engine construction and using it in a power plant--a change that has
dramatically increased efficiency and flexibility.
Why does it matter that a fossil fuel-fired power plant is so efficient? The FlexEfficiency plant is designed to work with renewables--meaning it can produce power quickly when solar and wind production is low, and it can quickly scale down production when renewables are available.
Don't look for the FlexEfficiency plant in the U.S. anytime soon--the first iteration of the technology is designed for countries operating at the 50 Hz power frequency. This includes Europe, China, India, Africa, Australia, parts of the Middle East, and most of Asia--but not the U.S. Eventually, the U.S. will get its own 60 Hz version of the plant. "This will have great applicability in the U.S.," says Browning.
The FlexEfficiency 50 will start rolling out in 2014.
featuring four 'live' elevations, the cubic form is wrapped in a glass skin that modulates between transparent and opaque qualities in response to the orientation of the sun.
Facing the twin problems of global warming and climate change, humankind is inventing new ways everyday to cut down on the amount of carbon it releases into the atmosphere and transportation does play a big role in that. Gas guzzling vehicles are as much a source of greenhouse gases as any other means of human consumption. So in order to make transportation clean and green, auto companies are coming out with new concepts of electric cars almost on a daily basis. These electric cars, not only do showcase the “green” technology being created in the automobile sector, but they also save a lot of money as far as expenses concerning refueling them is concerned. Here we are going to talk about 10 such energy efficient electric cars which will bring a smile to your face by cutting down on your refueling costs and improve your “green ranking” at the same time.
1. The customized Daihatsu Mira:
Built by Japanese automobile company Daihastu, the Mira recently booked its place in the Guinness Book of World Records by being traveling the longest distance on a single charge. The car ran for a mind boggling 623 miles to set the record. The car which broke the record, was custom built by the Japanese Electric Vehicle Club (JEVC). Since this is not a factory-built Mira, but a custom built version by the JEVC, chances are you will not be able to buy it in the market. The custom built Mira was built around 8,320 Sanyo li-ion batteries. The record trip took 27½ hours on the Tsukuba circuit in Shimotsuma, Japan at an average speed of 23mph.
2. Electric Luxgen Neora:
The Neora concept was unveiled by Kuxgen at the Sanghai Auto Show held earlier this year. The Neora is powered by an all-electric powertrain with an 180kW electric induction motor and a front-wheel-drive system. The 48 kWh lithium-ion battery can be charged to 80% of its capacity in just 1 hour and offers a driving range of up to 400 km. Weighing in at 1,600kg, the Neora can accelerate to 62 mph from zero in 6.5 seconds and has a top speed of 155mph (250kph).
3. The Lightning GT all electric sports car:
The Lightning GT concept, unveiled at last year’s British Motor Show, is said to be capable of doing 200 miles on a ten minute charge. The GT is powered by nano-titanate batteries manufactured by Altairnano, a company based in the US. The GT is capable of generating 553lb-ft of peak torque and a combined power output of 643hp. With all this power the GT can reach 60mph from zero in 4 seconds and comes with a top speed of 130mph.
4. SIM LEI by SIM-Drive:
The little SIM LEI electric car developed by Japanese car manufacturer SIM-Drive, has the capacity to run for 200 miles on a single charge.However, at a constant speed of 62mph, the SIM LEI can travel about 190 miles. The SIM LEI can cover this distance by virtue of having 24.5kWh battery. The LEI can reach 62mph from zero in 4.8 seconds.
5. Delta E-4 Coupe all electric sports car:
The Delta E-4 boasts of a range of 200 miles on a single electric charge. The performance of the E-4 will easily outmatch many of the conventional sports cars of today. It has a top speed of 150mph and can reach 60mph from zero in 4.5 seconds.
6. Modified Audi A2:
This vehicle might look like a toy. But don’t get fooled by its looks. This baby packs a real punch. This modified all electric Audi A2 has recently set the world distance record for an everyday vehicle by covering 600 miles on a single charge.
7. BYD E6:
The E6 fully electric vehicle from BYD Auto is capable of going 250 miles on a single charge. The car was introduced at the Beijing Auto Show in 2008. The E6 is a five seater with an acceleration rate of 0-60 in about 10 seconds and a top speed of 100mph. The battery of the E6 is based on BYD’s own lithium-ion iron phosphate technology.
8. Tesla Roadster:
Here is another electric car with a distance record under its belt. Driven by two electric car lovers Simon Hackett and Emilis Prelgauskas, the all electric Tesla Roadster travelled a distance of 501km on a single charge. The record was set by driving the car at a constant speed of 55kph during the entire trip.
9. Artega SE (Sports Electric) sportscar:
The Artega SE is known to travel more than 200 miles on a single charge under “normal driving conditions”. The power to the vehicle comes from a total of 16 lithium-ion battery modules, with each of the modules containing 12 battery cells. They can produce a total of 37KWh and a nominal voltage of 350V. The car has a top speed of 155mph (250 kph) and can reach 62mph (100kph) from zero in 4.3 seconds.
10. The Nissan Esflow concept:
The Nissan Esflow all electric concept car promises a range of 150 miles on one charge. The car is powered by two 80kW (107hp) electric motors that independently control the left and right wheels under the hood of the new Esflow concept. With a top speed of 150mph (240km/h) the Esflow is surely going to be the “blue eyed baby” of car lovers in the future.
by: Ecofriend, 2011-05-25 09:55:35 UTC
Madhurima_writer:
The world will soon witness Abu Dhabi harvesting water from air. This may sound strange, but this is a fact soon to be realized. The farmers of Abu Dhabi are in the way of arming themselves with the technology that can draw water from dense air.
Well-known for its extreme scarcity of water and lack of energy, Abu Dhabi’s climatic conditions pose several constraints to residents (farmers especially). Moreover, the two most important factors that make life almost impossible in the summer in Abu Dhabi are the scorching sun and very high levels of humidity. But these two problematic factors are going to become boon for the Abu Dhabi farmers.
The mean humidity levels in Abu Dhabi ranging from 61-85 percent when maximum, the G-earth will be extracting condensation from this saturated air of Abu Dhabi. This would provide water to the greenhouses in Abu Dhabi. Both these steps will ease out the lives of the farmers who have to otherwise rely on expensive water and energy.
All this will be made possible by Abu Dhabi Farmers’ Services Center(FSC)that aims at removing the present constraints in farming by introducing new technologies and, thus, making the lives of the farmers easy. In partnership with a Swiss consultancy group called Anexo Emirates, the FSC is getting ready to equip the farmers with the technology of hydroponic farming where plants are grown in water instead of soil. The FSC claims that this new technology will free the farmers from worrying about energy and water.
by: The Design blog, 2011-05-25 09:09:15 UTC
Cooshalle:
With heart diseases claiming more and more lives every year, Ford’s newest creation could prove a boon to those of us who have a moody heart. Developed by the Ford European Research and Innovation Center, Aachen, Germany, in collaboration with the RWTH Aachen University, the company claims to have designed a car seat that can actually monitor the condition of your heart as you drive.
According to Ford, the driver’s seat is able to achieve this due to six embedded sensors on its backrest, which detect “electrical impulses generated by the heart” without actually contacting the skin. The company is already planning to collaborate with “remote medical services” that can access and evaluate this data in real time and act on “alerts of imminent cardiovascular issues such as a heart attack.”
Dr. Achim Lindner, medical officer at the Ford research center, explained in his statement,
As always in medicine, the earlier a condition is detected, the easier it is to treat, and this technology even has the potential to be instrumental in diagnosing conditions drivers were previously unaware they had.
But it will be a while before you can sit in this unique seat, because, as of now, it is in its stationary testing mode, where it could successfully read the heart rate of 90 to 95 per cent of the testers. During on-the-road testing, the system could accurately monitor the heat rate of 98 per cent of the testers.
by: TreeHugger Design, 2011-05-24 15:18:21 UTC Photos: Ana Mitrano.Feria Puro Diseño (FPD), the largest design fair in Buenos Aires, is taking place this week in the city with some interesting finds -plus the bunch of crap that's always present at these types of events-.
One of such findings is the work of Ana Mitrano, an Argentinean architect that builds these organic-shaped chairs and furniture pieces from recovered cardboard.... Read the full story on TreeHugger
by: FEED STOP, 2011-05-13 13:00:00 UTC
This is the first in three installments of an in-depth look at the future of design education... the designer as social entrepreneur.
J. Gregory Dees (Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship) wrote in his introduction to his 1998 landmark article The Meaning of Entrepreneurship (PDF):
“The time is certainly ripe for entrepreneurial approaches to social problems. Many governmental and philanthropic efforts have fallen far short of our expectations. Major social sector institutions are often viewed as inefficient, ineffective, and unresponsive. Social entrepreneurs are needed to develop new models for a new century.”
Designers are best known for their [...]
by: Gizmodo , 2011-05-23 11:00:00 UTC
A Boston apartment complex is undergoing one of the largest deep-energy retrofit projects in the U.S. that is expected to cut energy use by about 70 percent.
by: Design 4 Sustainability, 2011-05-03 11:26:44 UTC
Henkel's MiraFoil liquid coating is an environmentally responsible and sustainable alternative to foil board laminating and hot foil stamping; that ...
Photos: Ana Mitrano.
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