Energy Highlights
A bi-monthly energy news update from MMPEI
November 1, 2007
Vol. 1 No. 4
U-M News
Running on Empty: LSA Magazine Examines Ethanol, Hydrogen and Fuels Cells, and What Consumers Really Want
U-M researchers in the College of Engineering and the Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute are working to develop new fuel technologies and to improve the reliability and performance of alternative fuels like ethanol and hydrogen. U-M experts caution that the transition from fossil fuels to cleaner, renewable sources of energy won't be easy and won't be cheap.
Solar Car Team Rises Above Early Crash, Finishes 7th in Challenge Class
A heartbreaking crash within the first hour of the five-day Panasonic World Solar Challenge couldn't stop the U-M team from finishing the race with heads held high. The 2007 team had high hopes for their innovative "solar concentrator system" which used mirrors to track the sun across the sky and intensify its rays.
Energy News
City of Ann Arbor Becomes First LED City, Kicks Off Solar City Initiative
October was a busy month for the City of Ann Arbor Energy Office. Ann Arbor will be the first city in the United States to convert all of its downtown street lights to LED, the technology that uses less than half the energy of traditional bulbs and could save the community $100,000 a year over the long haul. The City also announced plans to use their Solar America City Initiative award to power the downtown Farmer's Market with solar energy.
A Game of Leapfrog: IAC Report Lighting the Way to a Sustainable Energy Future
The Amsterdam-based InterAcademy Council—a group that represents 150 national scientific and engineering academies—released a report detailing how countries can shift from burning coal and other greenhouse-gas emitting fuels to cleaner energy while also introducing modern forms of energy to the billions worldwide who rely on charcoal, firewood or even dung as their fuel. The report lays out the science, technology and policy roadmap for developing energy resources to drive economic growth in both industrialized and developing countries while also securing climate protection and global development goals.
Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles Under Development in China
The BYD Automobile Company in China plans to begin producing and selling a plug-in hybrid sedan in China in the second half of 2008. The gas/electric hybrid will use iron-based batteries rather than the lithium-ion batteries now favored by other manufacturers because of their low cost and safety. The automaker will showcase its advanced EV technologies at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
New Plastic Could Reduce Greenhouse Gases
A plastic tweaked to mimic cellular membranes can separate carbon dioxide from natural gas and could help reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, scientists at the University of Texas at Austin say. Thermally rearranged, or "TR" plastic as it is called, allows carbon dioxide but not methane to pass through its pores. The new plastic has the potential to transform natural gas processing plants and isolate natural gas from decomposing garbage.
Faculty News
Current, Former U-M Professors Receive Fulbright Scholar Awards
Two faculty members affiliated with the University of Michigan will teach and conduct energy-related research abroad as recipients of Fulbright Scholar grants. Steven Wright, the Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, will go to Concepcion, Chile, where he will carry out ecological studies on hydroelectric power in Patagonia. Thomas O'Donnell, who taught at U-M from 2001 to 2007, will travel to Caracas, Venezuela to compare that country's oil markets and politics with those in Algeria.
Funding Opportunities
GESI Graduate Studies Development Program Announced
The Graham Institute is pleased to announce a new funding opportunity. The purposes of this funding program are to foster the development of new cross-disciplinary graduate programs and enhance existing cross-disciplinary graduate programs that focus on environmental sustainability. Qualifying efforts include, but are not limited to, dual or joint degree graduate programs, interdisciplinary certificate programs, and integration of interdisciplinarity and sustainability into existing graduate programs. Requests of up to $25,000 per year for up to three years will be considered pending availability of funds.
Hydrogen Education Development - Due Date 12/12/2007
Current public knowledge and awareness levels of hydrogen and fuel cells are low and prevalent misunderstandings of hydrogen properties have affected negative opinions about the safe use of hydrogen as an energy carrier. The DOE’s Hydrogen, Fuel Cells, and Infrastructure Technologies (HFCIT) Program seeks to facilitate near-term market transformation and future commercialization by providing technically accurate and objective information to key target audiences.
Additional funding opportunities are listed on the MMPEI Opportunities Page.
Upcoming Events
Reminder: William Clay Ford, Jr. Presents the Seventh Annual Peter M. Wege Lecture on Sustainability
When: Tuesday, November 13, 2007 - 5 p.m.
Where: Rackham Auditorium
Sponsored by the Center for Sustainable Systems and the School of Natural Resources and Environment
Energy Expert Amory Lovins to Deliver Goff Smith Lecture
When: Wednesday, November 14, 2007 - 4 p.m.
Where: Biomedical Research Science Building Auditorium
Amory Lovins, Co-founder, Chairman, and Chief Scientist of the Rocky Mountain Institute and "one of the Western world's most influential energy thinkers," according to Newsweek magazine, will deliver Michigan Engineering's 2007-08 Goff Smith Lecture. Free and open to the public.
