Energy Highlights
An energy news update from MMPEI at the University of Michigan
July 16, 2008
Vol. 2 No. 11
INTHIS ISSUE: MMPEI NEWS, MMPEI IN THE NEWS and ENERGY NEWS
MMPEI NEWS
Carl Simon Named MMPEI Director for Social Science and Policy
An expert in public policy, economics and mathematics and known for innovative modeling of social phenomena, Carl Simon strengthens MMPEI's unique approach to solving global energy challenges.
MMPEI Welcomes Director of Marketing and Communications
A veteran science communicator has been named marketing and communications director of the Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute at the U-M. Sue Nichols comes to lead the communications effort that supports the broad spectrum of energy research at the university; a topic she says is among the most critical science issues facing the world today.
MMPEI -Rackham Announce 2008 Energy Fellowship Recipients
This year's winners of the Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute-Rackham Energy Fellowships are a metaphor for energy innovation's future---defined less by titles and majors and more by ideas and with whom they collaborate.
MMPEI IN THE NEWS
Solar Industry Holds Promise for Michigan
Michigan's quietly budding solar energy industry could generate a thousand new jobs over the next five years, despite a recent federal decision to reassess the industry's impact on the environment, a state economic development expert said. Gary Was, director of the University of Michigan's Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute, said the environmental
University of Michigan Researcher Urges 'Energy Security'
Ann Arbor Business Review's Nathan Bomey interviews MMPEI Director, Gary Was.
Michigan's Future Depends on Alternative Energy Development
Michigan Business Review announces their third annual Innovation Event and outlines Southeast Michigan's role in alternative energy research and development.
ENERGY NEWS
The Future of Energy: The Power and the Glory
The next technology boom may well be based on alternative energy, says Geoffrey Carr (interviewed here). But which sort to back?
GM's Volt: Electro Shock Therapy
When one of the world’s mightiest corporations throws everything it’s got at a project, and when it shreds its rule book in the process, the results are likely to be impressive. Still, even for General Motors, the Volt is a reach.
Feds Backtrack on Solar Energy Moratorium
Solar companies went ballistic last month when the federal Bureau of Land Management slapped a moratorium on new applications to build solar energy plants on the 258 million acres that the bureau manages, mostly in California and 11 other Western states. On July 2nd, the bureau reversed itself -- lifting the moratorium. For background information on this subject ....
Uni-Solar to Power GM Rooftop Solar System, World's Largest
Rochester Hills-based Energy Conversion Devices Inc. (NASDAQ: ENER) said Tuesday that its Uni-Solar thin-film flexible solar laminates will power the world's largest rooftop solar power system. The 12-megawatt system is being installed on GM's assembly plant in Zaragoza, Spain and will become operational in the fall of 2008. ECD will supply the solar laminates through its subsidiary United Solar Ovonic LLC.
From Lead Batteries to Flow Batteries, Energy Storage Is An Important Component of Energy Supply
A panel of experts, organized by the New England Clean Energy Council, said that the utility storage field has enormous potential. But rapid deployment of storage devices is held back by concerns over technology risk and financial complexity. Technology optimists say that wide-scale energy storage will change the face of the transmission grid and make wind and solar power more compelling economically.
Europeans Reconsider Biofuels
Until recently, European governments had sought to lead the rest of the world in the use of biofuels, aiming to derive 10 percent of Europe’s transportation fuels from biofuels by 2020. But the allure has dimmed amid growing evidence that the kind of goals proposed by the European Union are contributing to deforestation, which speeds climate change, and helping force up food prices
France to Build Second New-Generation Nuclear Reactor
France will build a second new-generation nuclear reactor, President Nicolas Sarkozy said, pledging a "new industrial revolution" in an era in which fossil fuels have grown too expensive. Already, 77 percent of France's electricity comes from nuclear power, Sarkozy said. "We, the French, can become exporters of electricity, though we have no oil and no more natural gas," Sarkozy said. "This is a historic chance for development."
Ultracapacitors: The Key to Effective Electric Vehicles?
While they still can’t store as much total energy as a fuel cell or a battery, ultracapacitors—also known as electrochemical capacitors—can supply the burst of energy needed to accelerate up a hill or around another car on the highway.
No Gloom in Green Energy
A new report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) says this about the (renewable energy) sector, “UNEP study says clean energy investments charge forward despite financial market turmoil.” The report "Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2008" speaks of worldwide investment with the US playing a strong role
Coal War: Georgia Court Halts Construction of New Coal-Fired Plant
A Georgia court this week halted construction of a new 1,200-megawatt coal-fired power plant on the Chattahoochee River, dubbed Longleaf, because backers failed to provide a plan to limit climate change–causing carbon dioxide emissions from it. The decision marks the first time that potential greenhouse gas pollution has been cited as a factor in denying permission to build a new coal-fired power plant; it is also the first that hinges on a Supreme Court ruling issued last year that found the Clean Air Act gives the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the power to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions
New 'Anaconda" Wave Generator Converter Could Help Wave Power Get A Bite Of The Energy Market
The Anaconda, is made of rubber and is much lighter than other wave energy devices which are primarily made of metal. The new wave generator dispenses with the need for hydraulic rams, hinges and articulated joints, reducing capital and maintenance costs.
Farming Solar Energy in Space
In a recent spin-off of the classic Japanese animated series Mobile Suit Gundam, the depletion of fossil fuels has forced humanity to turn to space-based solar power generation as global conflicts rage over energy shortages. The sci-fi saga is set in the year 2307, but even now real Japanese scientists are working on the hardware needed to realize orbital generators as a form of clean, renewable energy, with plans to complete a prototype in about 20 years.
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