Archive for the 'Energy' Category
German Institute Successfully Tests Underwater Energy Storage Sphere
March 7th, 2017Viable anytime soon? No. Cool idea anyway? Yep. Via: Ars Technica: A German research institute has spent years trying to tailor pumped storage to ocean environments. Recently, the institute completed a successful four-week pilot test using a hollow concrete sphere that it placed on the bottom of Lake Constance, a body of water at the […]
Electronic Energy Meters’ False Readings Almost Six Times Higher Than Actual Energy Consumption
March 4th, 2017Via: Science Bulletin: Some electronic energy meters can give false readings that are up to 582% higher than actual energy consumption. This emerged from a study carried out by the University of Twente (UT), in collaboration with the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS). Professor Frank Leferink of the UT estimates that potentially inaccurate meters […]
Lithium Ion Like Battery with 3X the Energy Density, Sodium Glass Electrolyte
March 1st, 2017Disclosure: I sell solar power systems in New Zealand. — I’ll reiterate the usual warning when posting about battery technology “breakthroughs.” Laboratory experiments have virtually nothing to do with finished products that you and I can buy. Indeed, DO NOT hold your breath waiting for this. That said, it’s VERY interesting, if you’re like me […]
All New Taxis in Beijing Must Be Electric
March 1st, 2017Great, now don’t charge them with electricity generated by burning coal. Via: National Business Daily: All newly added or replaced taxies in the city of Beijing will be converted from gasoline to electricity, according to a draft work program on air pollution control for Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, and surrounding areas in 2017.
Cobalt Hoarding Ahead of Assumed Electric Car Boom
February 25th, 2017Via: Reuters: Investors are buying up physical cobalt anticipating that shortages of the metal, a key component of lithium-ion batteries used in electrical cars, will spur prices to their highest levels since the 2008 financial crisis. Prices for cobalt metal have climbed nearly 50 per cent since September to five-year peaks around US$19 ($NZ26.50) a […]
How EV West Recovers Battery Modules from Wrecked Tesla Vehicles
February 25th, 2017Ever wonder what the highest power density battery modules in the world look like? Via: Jehu Garcia:
Tesla Will Double Number of Supercharger Locations in North America in 2017
February 22nd, 2017Via: The Verge: Tesla will double the number of Supercharger locations in North America in 2017, the company revealed today in its quarterly letter to shareholders. The company currently has 2,636 Superchargers at 373 locations across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and plans to have twice as many locations open by the end of […]
U.S. Solar Capacity Nearly Doubles in One Year, Blows Away Previous Records
February 15th, 2017Disclosure: I sell solar power systems in New Zealand. — Via: Green Tech Media: In its biggest year to date, the United States solar market nearly doubled its annual record, topping out at 14,626 megawatts of solar PV installed in 2016. This represents a 95 percent increase over the previous record of 7,493 megawatts installed […]
Daimler to Convert Engine Production to Electric at Its Largest Factory
February 14th, 2017The simplicity of EV powertrains, compared to internal combustion, means that, “The plant will require significantly fewer employees.” Via: Electrek: Daimler has ambitious plans for electric vehicle production. It is among the few major automakers that not only have accepted the transition to fully electric propulsion in the auto industry, but who have also committed […]
For the First Time, Wind on the Plains Supplied More Than Half Region’s Power
February 14th, 2017Via: Bloomberg: Wind turbines across the Great Plains states produced, for the first time, more than half the region’s electricity Sunday. The power grid that supplies a corridor stretching from Montana to the Texas Panhandle was getting 52.1 percent of its power from wind at 4:30 a.m. on Sunday, Little Rock, Arkansas-based Southwest Power Pool […]
