| August 1, 2008 | Vol. 2. No. 12 |
IN THIS ISSUE: U-M NEWS, FACULTY NEWS, ENERGY NEWS, FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES and UPCOMING EVENTS
U-M NEWS
Michigan Solar Car Team wins fifth national title
The University of Michigan Solar Car Team and its vehicle, Continuum, led 15 other teams of students across the North American Solar Challenge finish line in Calgary Tuesday. The team completed the race in 51 hours and 42 minutes on the road. The victory is the team’s fifth championship in the last nine NASC races. It also won the most recent NASC, held in 2005. For additional information on this story .......
FACULTY NEWS
More-efficient OLED lighting
MMPEI's Steve Forrest and Princeton University's Yiru Sun have designed an OLED that boosts illumination by 60 percent using a combination of an organic grid working in tandem with small micro lenses that guide the trapped light out of the device. For an additional story on LED's see this New York Times article.
The Real Question: Should oil be cheap?
MMPEI Fellow, Andy Hoffman, a professor of sustainable science enterprise is interviewed in this BuisnessWeek article.
Cellulosic ethanol fuel gains traction in Michigan
MMPEI Fellow, Tom Lyon, a professor of sustainable science, business economics and natural resources discusses the role of corn ethanol in the development of biofuels. For an additional story on corn ethanol woes visit this New York Times article.
ENERGY NEWS
'Smart' electric grids to ease zap from plug-ins?
A project funded by the Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory will test bidirectional battery chargers and "smart" grids that could prevent U.S. electric grid overload from plug-in vehicles. While the U.S. Department of Energy has said it's confident it can handle a plethora of plug-ins, many still wonder what kind of strain will be put on the U.S. power infrastructure once consumers tap into it as a fuel source to recharge cars. The Department of Energy announced in mid-June that it's giving $30 million to several car companies and research institutes to further develop hybrid plug-in car technology. Some of that funding is earmarked specifically for research on battery packs and charging systems. The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), with sponsorship from General Motors and others, has also announced that it has a grant to study what effects a multitude of PHEVs being charged during peak electricity hours might have on Michigan's state electric grid.
Taking a closer look at U.S. offshore drilling
Push for U.S. exploration gains traction, but big political hurdles remain.
Senate committee votes to protect funding for FutureGen at Mattoon
A key Senate committee approved a measure that would protect $134 million in federal funding slated for FutureGen at Mattoon.
Hybrids by Fisher: Buses would double mpg
Six hundred new jobs and $480 million. In vehicle manufacturing.In metro Detroit. That’s the number of new jobs and the revenue projection by Fisher Coachworks L.L.C., a new company that’s developing a 40-foot ultralightweight hybrid bus designed for urban use, which boasts twice the fuel efficiency of current hybrids
Ocean wind power maps reveal possible wind energy sources
Efforts to harness the energy potential of Earth's ocean winds could soon gain an important new tool: global satellite maps from NASA. Scientists have been creating maps using nearly a decade of data from NASA's QuikSCAT satellite that reveal ocean areas where winds could produce wind energy.
Fuel from food waste: Bacteria provide power
Researchers have combined the efforts of two kinds of bacteria to produce hydrogen in a bioreactor, with the product from one providing food for the other. According to an article in the August issue of Microbiology Today, this technology has an added bonus: leftover enzymes can be used to scavenge precious metals from spent automotive catalysts to help make fuel cells that convert hydrogen into energy.
Research Hybrid Fuel Technology Transit System
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), through the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), hereby requests proposals from public entities that will ultimately result in the award of one or more cooperative agreements to demonstrate, in revenue service, small transit vehicles employing a hybrid propulsion system. For this project, small transit vehicles are defined as less than 30’ in length. The demonstration project will support the development and analysis of advanced propulsion technologies for small transit vehicles. Due to legislative restraints, in addition to the national goals, the project must benefit the state of California specifically. This opportunity can be found in Grants.gov as Funding Opportunity D2008-HEV-STV-TRI.
Visit http://www.mmpei.umich.edu/info/funding.html for other funding opportunities.
Carbon Symposium
When: Friday, September 12, 2008
Where: Rackham Graduate School Amphitheatre, 4th Floor, 915 E. Washington Street , Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States - Phone: (734) 763-0171
What: The Ross Energy Club’s 1st Annual Carbon Symposium will provide educational and professional insights into the emerging importance of carbon in our economy. Regsitration Required
Sponsors: Michigan Ross School of Business
Innovation Event
When: Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Where: Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center
What: In conjunction with the Washtenaw Economic Club's luncheon, featuring Thomas Friedman, author of "Hot, Flat and Crowded," Innovation will highlight Michigan's alt energy development in a visual setting. The most innovative company in Michigan will be awarded.
Sponsors: Michigan Business Review and Washtenaw Economic Club