Hasta La Gadget!

Fuel cells are very much back on the energy agenda. It’s not smartphones this time, however, but vehicles. From Toyota, no less. The company’s fuel cell program is about to bear fruit and it’s revealed a sleek, shiny concept design that’s promising a range of “at least” 500 km and a refuel time comparable to good ol’ gasoline vehicles.The eventual production model car is planned to go on sale in 2015, which would ensure Toyota keeps the promise it made way back in 2010. The blue color scheme and softened design curves are meant to evoke the “key characteristics” of fuel cell cars: turning air into water. There’s even a wave motif fuel cap — it’s all about the details. Once filled and plugged into a compatible home, the FCV is also apparently capable of providing enough electricity to power an average Japanese home for over a week (10 kWh). To accomplish this, two high-pressure hydrogen tanks are stored along the undercarriage, but if you’re depending on the FCV to function as, well… a car, then you’ll be happy to hear that it can carry around three passengers, alongside the early-adopting driver. %Gallery-slideshow122474%

Filed under: Transportation

Comments

Big data is big money, so when the power goes out and data centers go offline, companies like eBay stand to hemorrhage revenue. Which is why the mega auction e-tailer’s been hard at work setting up a “greener” data center in South Jordan, Utah to avoid costly and unpredictable blackouts. The now operational site incorporates thirty fuel cells developed by Bloom Energy, a company with roots in NASA’s Mars program, that turn natural gas into electricity via an electro-chemical process. What’s more, eBay, using recovered energy generation technology provided by Ormat, is also attempting to offset its carbon footprint by harvesting the “heat waste” generated from natural gas pipelines and turning that into energy for its Utah site. Barring any unforeseen power failures, the company’s green data center won’t ever have to rely on the local grid. And that independence should ensure eBay users keep bidding and buying and filling the company’s coffers.

Filed under: Science

Comments

Source: Wired, GigaOm

Hydrogen fuel cell cars have any number of hurdles to overcome, whether it’s widespread adoption or the basic matter of locating a place to fill up. If a Virginia Tech discovery pans out, getting the fuel itself won’t be one of those challenges. The new combination of a polyphosphate with a special blend of enzymes lets researchers extract meaningful quantities of hydrogen from any biological element that includes xylose — in other words, the sugar that’s present in every plant to at least some degree. The process is potentially more eco-friendly than most, as well. While you’d expect it to be renewable given the main ingredients, it also reduces the need for metals and cuts back sharply on the volume of necessary greenhouse gases. Most importantly, the findings could reach the commercial world as soon as three years from now. If they do, they could lower the price of hydrogen fuel by making it more accessible, all the while avoiding much of the guilt trip that comes with using polluting technology to generate clean energy.

Filed under: Transportation, Science, Alt

Comments

Via: The Verge

Source: Virginia Tech, Wiley

The 24 hour race at Le Mans held every year is among the most punishing automotive tests on the planet: race-bred machines running top-speed (or close) for a full day. Recently, gasoline-powered cars have had their dominance usurped by diesels, who themselves are now losing to hybrids. The next step? It could be EVs. The GreenGT H2 will take the grid of next year’s 24 hour race as an experimental entry, driving the full race distance pushing only water vapor out its tailpipe. Hydrogen is stored in the two large tanks running down the sides, while the massive fuel cell stack itself is situated behind the driver. Power output is somewhere north of 500 horsepower, which is quite healthy for a car that the company hopes will be down under 1000Kg (2,200 pounds) by the time it hits the track in anger. Enough to win Le Mans? Almost certainly not, but it’ll be fun to watch it try.

Steve Dent contributed to this report.

Filed under: Transportation

GreenGT H2 eyes-on: the first fuel cell-powered racer to tackle Le Mans originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 10:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Recycling wastewater to generate energy has turned up noses before, but researchers at Oregon State University have developed a microbial fuel cell that can create 10 to 50, or even 100 times more electricity per volume than similar technologies. After refining the tech for several years using new materials, techniques and selecting better microbes, the team can now extract two kilowatts per cubic meter of refuse. As bacteria oxidizes organic matter, electrons — rather than the hydrogen or methane that other methods rely upon — are produced and run from an anode to a cathode within the device to create an electric current. Once implementation costs are cut down, the technology could power waste treatment plants and enable them to sell excess electricity. The contraption isn’t just for processing what comes out of the porcelain throne — it can also utilize materials ranging from grass straw to beer brewing byproducts. For now, however, the cell will tackle a pilot study before it inches closer to your local brewery or water treatment facility.

Continue reading Researchers create super-efficient microbial fuel cell, dream of selling excess electricity

Filed under: Science

Researchers create super-efficient microbial fuel cell, dream of selling excess electricity originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Aug 2012 04:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PhysOrg  |  Oregon State University  | Email this | Comments