TPN :: The Cleantech Show

The Cleantech Show will be on Sabatical

Nick Bruse — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 21:26:34 +0000

Dear Listeners,

The time has come for The Cleantech Show to take a Sabbatical. Or more accurately I am heading off for an extended trip around the world starting with the sights of South and Central America for the next 6 months.

During this time I may be bringing a few interviews from places around the world, and if you are part of a cleantech venture we may even have the opportunity to meet face to face. Cameron Reilly and myself also may organise some guest podcasters to do some special shows as well.

I would like to thank all of The Cleantech Show audience who have tuned in over the last year. Its great to hear your comments and feedback on the show. Its been a pleasure producing it.

If you would like to be notified when new episodes are released I would recommend that you sign up to the feedblaster email notification at Subscribe to TPN :: The Cleantech Show by Email. This will let you know when new episodes are realeased. I can be contacted at:

All the best with your endevours!

Kind regards
Nick Bruse
Host, The Cleantech Show

The Cleantech Show #035: The Roadmap to a Global Climate Treaty, Interview with Nick Rowley, Director Kinesis and Former advisor to PM Tony Blair

Nick Bruse — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 07:25:27 +0000

The Cleantech Show #35 (MP3 - 13MB - 36min)
Interview with Nick Rowley, Director of Kinesis and Former advisor to PM Tony Blair

For two week in december last year more than 10,000 participants were brought together by the UNFCCC for the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali, including representatives of over 180 countries together with observers from intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations and the media. The conference culminated in the adoption of the Bali roadmap, which charts the course for a new negotiating process to be concluded by 2009 that will ultimately lead to a post-2012 international agreement on climate change.

On this weeks show we are very lucky to have Nick Rowley Director of Kinesis and former Senior Policy Advisor to Prime Minister Tony Blair, to provide insight into the process, politics and objectives of creating a global climate treaty. Nick was closely involved in the Bali Conferene , and has been involved significantly in the policy field.

On the show we discuss an insiders perspective on bali. The interests, the positions. Expectations and Outcomes. What can we expect over next two years and how to achieving business and political engagement. Then what does this all mean for cleantech industries and companies.

Nick’s business Kinesis is an Australian based consultancy working with business and government on sustainability and climate change. Whist working for Prime Minister Blair he was part of a small team who advised the PM on climate change prior to the G8 Summit at Gleneagles in July 2005 working closely with the likes of Sir Nicholas Stern and the Prime Ministers Chief Scientific Advisor, Sir David King

If you are interested in the global treaty, as nick says on the show there is no shortage of reports and key figures out there to listen to but you can find out more at the UNFCCC website and theres some good summaries on wikipedia

cheers
Nick Bruse

Subscribe to TPN :: The Cleantech Show by Email - More about the host & contact details

The Cleantech Show #034: Exploring Personal Rapid Transportation. Interview with Martin Lowson, Deputy Chairman, ULTra/ATS Ltd

Nick Bruse — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 11:14:29 +0000

The Cleantech Show #34 (MP3 - 13MB - 35min)
Interview with Martin Lowson, Deputy Chairman, ULTra/Advanced Transportation Systems Ltd

Personal Rapid Transport(or Transit) PRT was conceived a numerous decades ago as a way of transporting people in cities quickly and effectively without the need of drivers or a large footprint.

The concept essential involves computer controlled driverless vehicles that move on a single lane track, removing the need for complex intersections, that then travel at steady speed by merging and demerging as required to reach their destination. If your still not sure what I mean, check out the following video

To discuss PRTs and one of the first PRT systems to be installed, my guest today is Martin Lowson, Deputy Chairman of UK based Advanced Transportation Systems Ltd and founder of the ULTra system, .

The ULTra system has been in development for the last 12 years and unlike other PRTs ATS Ltd have focused on integrating many existing technologies to reduce the complexity that has plagued previous PRT systems. You can read more about this history on wikipedia.

On the show we discuss the new installation of the ULTra system at Heathrow Airport, how the technology works and the best niches for its implementation. By having vehicles which are much lighter, travel at a steady yet constant speed ULTra is very energy efficient. The small footprint of the tracks required in the system also that it can fit in existing airports and cities where traditional systems are not feasible.

PRTs have been a significant interest of mine over the last 15 years so its great to see one finding a level of commercial acceptance. I hope you enjoy the show as much as I did.

cheers
Nick Bruse

Subscribe to TPN :: The Cleantech Show by Email - More about the host & contact details

Bugs for making Butanol

Nick Bruse — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 05:36:42 +0000

BioButanol and other alcohols are looking like becoming increasingly of interest because of their fuel qualities. Especially their water immiscibility which means that unlike ethanol it is suitable for pipe distribution.

clipped from www.technologyreview.com

In a push to find better biofuels to reduce gasoline consumption and lower greenhouse-gas emissions, scientists have genetically engineered E. coli that is highly efficient in producing butanol, a promising new type of biofuel. The new technology could speed up the development of butanol biofuels into a cost-effective alternative to ethanol.

While ethanol is the main biofuel on the market today, energy firms are increasingly looking to alternatives such as butanol. “It has many attractive properties,” says Jim McMillan, manager of biorefining process R&D at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s National Bioenergy Center, in Golden, CO. Because butanol packs more energy per gallon than ethanol does, cars running on butanol get better mileage. And, unlike ethanol, it doesn’t mix with water, so it can be shipped in existing petroleum pipelines without causing problems.

New Ultra Battery for Hybrids

Nick Bruse — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 01:11:23 +0000

Very interesting potential for this technology. 70% cheaper than current batteries, with 50% more power and 4 times longer life cycle. I’m interested to see what its weight comparison is in regards to putting in vehicles - perhaps this comparison is by weight?

clipped from www.csiro.au

The odometer of a low emission hybrid electric test vehicle today reached 100,000 miles as the car circled a track in the UK using the power of an advanced CSIRO battery system.

The UltraBattery combines a supercapacitor and a lead acid battery in a single unit, creating a hybrid car battery that lasts longer, costs less and is more powerful than current technologies used in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs).

“Previous tests show the UltraBattery has a life cycle that is at least four times longer and produces 50 per cent more power than conventional battery systems. It’s also about 70 per cent cheaper than the batteries currently used in HEVs,” he said.

Air Car Preps for Market

Nick Bruse — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 22:37:18 +0000

Interesting to see if this light as air car finds enough of a niche. In the story it states that markets currently slated for launch are India then likely Spain and Australia.

clipped from www.technologyreview.com

A French-designed car that’s propelled by compressed air and claims speeds of more than 60 miles per hour is expected to go into commercial production as early as this summer, although skeptics of the technology aren’t holding their breath.

But the dream lives on. Motor Development International (MDI), based near Nice, France, has developed several prototypes of its Compressed Air Technology (CAT) car since its first engine was created 14 years ago. Now company founder Guy Negre, an aeronautics engineer who developed a high-performance racing engine for Formula 1 in the late 1980s, is counting on India’s largest carmaker, Tata Motors, to bring his highly anticipated Air Car to market later this year.

Cellulosic ethanol better than expected

Nick Bruse — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 02:36:45 +0000

This is good news for the cellulosic ethanol camp. Energy out is 540% the Energy Put into the crops.

clipped from www.technologyreview.com

There’s some more good news about cellulosic ethanol, a fuel derived from grasses and other nonfood sources. It’s long been estimated that the amount of energy in such fuels will be much more than the energy required to make them–which is not the case with corn-grain-based ethanol. Now experimental results are in, and the ratio of energy produced to energy used is even better than expected. The renewable energy produced was 540 percent more than the nonrenewable energy used to make it. Previous studies estimated that the number would be more like 340 percent. The improvement comes, basically, from farmers using less energy than researchers thought they would to grow switchgrass, one of the proposed cellulosic sources.

The Power House for Education

Nick Bruse — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 23:46:36 +0000

Great gift. Beats a barbie travel home anyday.

clipped from www.springwise.com

One day, many new full-sized homes may resemble the Power House. The USD 149.95 miniature model from science-kit distributor Thames & Kosmos comes with a working green house, solar panels, a wind mill and a desalinization system. The kit’s aim: teach children what it’s like to live off the grid, and get them (and their parents) to “consider a life without fossil fuel.” To make the experience more realistic, the user manual incorporates a storyline about high-tech pioneers inhabiting a small island who must make use of limited resources to survive. The 70 experiments and 20 building projects that form part of the kit mimic the tasks the kit’s fictional pioneers must perform.

The Cleantech Show #033: Green Uninterrupted Power and Cooling Systems, Interview with Jim Clishem, CEO, Active Power

Nick Bruse — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 05:50:03 +0000

The Cleantech Show #33 (MP3 - 14MB - 38min)
Interview with Jim Clishem, CEO, Active Power

More and more energy efficiency is gaining focus as a means of reducing carbon emissions, energy consumption and cost. In data centres for instance the power demands in an individual server rack have gone from approximately 1kw to 7kw in the last 10 years. This has a two fold effect. Namely increased electricity directly used by computer hardware, and that used by cooling systems to keep the resulting increased heat dissipation in check.

The other driver for better energy efficiency and energy management is to help cope with availability, reliability and quality of power provision. For instance in China or even parts of the US there are increasing instances of brown and blackouts. Solutions purely aimed at the supply end of the market are only half of the only answer.

The UPS (uniterrupted power supply) forms part of this mix, particularly in locations like Data Centres or high quality manufacturing and fabrication facilities.

On this weeks episode of The Cleantech Show we are going to explore the energy management and UPS industry with Jim Clishem, CEO of Active Power (NASDAQ: ACPW) and in particular their Flywheel based UPS and the company’s CoolAir system, which provides both backup power and cooling. Both of these technologies provide a more energy efficient solution than traditional battery based UPS systems.

Active Power’s CleanSource Flywheel energy storage systems is able to achieve storage and release efficiencies of around 98% when compared with battery based systems operating in the 88% range. Losses of Two percent versus 12 percent equates to average savings of 84% protecting the same critical loads.

One of the interesting things that I learn’t during the interview is that now uninterrupted cooling systems are becoming more and more important in Data Centers. The reason being is that although most UPS systems backup the power provision to server farms, they don’t provide it to the air conditioning systems. Only a few minutes in these conditions and hardware can begin to fry.

Active Power also have their CoolAir DC system for this purpose. Essentially it stores energy in the form of compressed air and heat. During a utility outage, the compressed air is routed through a Thermal Storage Unit (TSU) to acquire heat energy. The heated air spins a simple turbine/alternator to produce electric power.

Enjoy the show.

cheers
Nick Bruse

Subscribe to TPN :: The Cleantech Show by Email - More about the host & contact details

CSIRO Future Fuels Forum

Nick Bruse — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 02:53:38 +0000

For those that might be interested a new forum has been created to look at Australia’s future investment into transport fuels. They are still seeking expressions of interest for parties who want to be involved.

clipped from www.csiro.au

CSIRO’s newly formed Future Fuels Forum (FFF) is bringing together community, industry and government to plan for the future of transport fuels in Australia.

The Future Fuels Forum is designed to provide useful input to decision makers in industry and government on strategic policy and future investment, which will be articulated through the release of a comprehensive report in June 2008.

Future Fuels Forum partners include the Australian Automobile Association, Australian Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas, Biofuels Association of Australia, Caltex, Engineers Australia, Future Climate Australia, National Roads and Motorists Association, National Transport Commission, Public Interest Advocacy Centre, Queensland Rail, Rocky Point Distillery, Sasol Chevron, the South Australian Government, the Victorian Government and Woolworths.

The Future Fuels Forum is still accepting expressions of interest from organisations wishing to join the initiative.

The greening of consumerism?

Nick Bruse — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 23:13:27 +0000

This came my way… an article on some of the initiatives by consumer electronics manufacturers. In the article theres a list of some of the initiatives. Including Z-powers new battery tech which is silver-zinc based and contains significant recoverable metals.

clipped from www.technologyreview.com

NEW YORK (AP) — Consumer electronics are not exactly easy on the environment — they consume electricity that contributes to global warming, and toxins leach out of them when they end up in landfills.

At the world’s largest trade show for consumer electronics, starting Monday in Las Vegas, manufacturers will be talking not just about megapixels, megahertz and megabytes, but about smart power adapters that don’t waste as much electricity, batteries that are easier to recycle, and components made from plants.

One of the 2,700 exhibitors at the International Consumer Electronics Show will be Japan’s Fujitsu Ltd., which will show off a laptop with a plastic case made from corn rather than petroleum products.

The catch with the corn-based laptop is that the material is not biodegradable, meaning it does not decompose any faster than regular plastic.

The plastic still needs to be processed for recycling, after which the corn-based component can biodegrade.

More on car sharing. Finding cars by GPS

Nick Bruse — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 01:23:47 +0000

On last weeks cleantech show we talked about some of the more recent developments in car sharing. Here’s a few more about what Zipcar are doing.

clipped from www.springwise.com

We first wrote about Zipcar in 2003, applauding the company’s innovative approach to the staid car rental industry. Catering to urban dwellers in North America and the UK, Zipcar’s car sharing fleet is rentable by the hour, gas and insurance included. Which allows customers to use the vehicles whenever they need them.

Zipcar’s culture of innovation didn’t stop there. In April 2007, we noted that it had partnered with ParkAtMyHouse.com. The UK company acts as a clearing house, allowing people with parking spaces for rent to link up with those looking for a place to stow their cars.

To make finding those cars easier, this fall Zipcar unveiled a mobile tracking system. How it works? Suppose a Zipcar member buys an expensive antique chair at a shop in Soho (be it New York or London). To find a car to haul it home in, they simply access Zipcar with a GPS-enabled cell phone to find the nearest vehicle and make an instant reservation

Seasons Greatings from The Cleantech Show

Nick Bruse — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 00:47:18 +0000

A quick thankyou to all of The Cleantech Show audience who have tuned in over the last year. Its great to hear your comments and feedback on the show. Its been a pleasure producing it.

Wishing you all a great holiday season and happy new year!

And The Cleantech Show episodes will be back in early January 2008.

Download Bali Action Plan

Nick Bruse — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 21:58:59 +0000

For those of you like me wanting to know the guts of the Bali Action Plan, here you go.

The Bali Action Plan is linked to the page:

http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_13/items/4049.php

and can be downloaded direct from:

http://unfccc.int/files/meetings/cop_13/application/pdf/cp_bali_act_p.pdf

The agreement of the Kyoto parties (ie. not including the US) is likely to be
found in due course at:

http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/3878.php

Source: Phillip Sutton, Greenleap Mailing List

The BOM RC becomes the BOMFunkRC

Nick Bruse — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 01:28:54 +0000

The good Ol Bureau of Meterology RC has teamed up with the CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research Group to develop a joint research center. Why am I blogging about this? Well, given australia’s situation with agricultural and water challenges over the next 50 years, as indicated by the research, I think the better we can understand what is happening around us. The quicker and more effectively we can act.

clipped from www.csiro.au

The Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre and CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research have joined forces to focus their weather and climate research efforts into a new joint research centre. Staff are located primarily in Melbourne, Canberra and Hobart, as well as Perth, Brisbane and Darwin.

The Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research will provide a coordinated approach to the critically important areas of weather and climate research in Australia.

The Centre is an equal partnership between the Bureau and CSIRO. Weather and climate researchers from both organisations will work side-by-side to unlock the mysteries of climate change and to investigate the resulting challenges and opportunities.

The Cleantech Show #032: Sharing Cars for our future - Interview with Monique Conheady, CEO, Flexicar

Nick Bruse — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 08:40:58 +0000

The Cleantech Show #32 (MP3 - 12MB - 34min)
Interview with Monique Conheady, CEO and Founder, Flexicar

Many of you in major cities are most likely aware of care sharing programs, albeit under potentially different names. Some of you probably fit the demographic just by listening to this show, and may well be participants. Car sharing has been a system that has been around in varying forms for decades. With the advent of modern wireless and internet technology it is becoming far simpler and cost effective, and showing signs of expanding from its cottage industry status. Evidenced by the recent merger of Zipcar and Flexcar in North America.

On this weeks show, I wanted to explore these developments and the car sharing phenomenon more broadly with a one of the car sharing companies in Australia, Flexicar. Our guest on today’s show is Monique Conheady, co-founder and CEO of Flexicar. In our interview, we discuss the growth challenges, as well as where the tipping points to the car sharing industry lie.

If your part of a car sharing scheme you will certainly find this show of interest, and if your not, well tune in, as the next 10 years may invite a new era for intergrated car sharing and intermodal public transportation.

Flexicar was founded as “Flo Carshare” in 2004. They started the car sharing business with the belief that Australia’s inner city residents needed a sustainable, affordable alternative to car ownership. They provide local residents and businesses with driving freedom and flexibility. The Flexicar car sharing service is now available around corner, around the clock.

Prior to establishing Flexicar Monique was an Assistant Director with the Federal Government’s Department of Health and Ageing. She has worked as a project manager globally for Ove Arup & Partners in Melbourne, London, New York and Cairo, and was involved in the development of an ebusiness venture for UK retailer, Sainsbury’s.

Enjoy the show.

cheers
Nick Bruse

Subscribe to TPN :: The Cleantech Show by Email - More about the host & contact details

Hunting for Geothermal Power

Nick Bruse — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 23:36:58 +0000

clipped from www.technologyreview.com

Helium isotopes reveal hidden stores of geothermal energy.

Smelling land: Elevated levels of helium in the water pumping through this geothermal power plant in Nevada’s Dixie Valley could be a clue into finding hidden geothermal hot spots.

Most geothermal power plants exploit the relatively rare but easy to spot hot water associated with volcanoes, limiting geothermal energy to a niche role in meeting global energy demand. It works well in Iceland and a few other places, but geothermal energy is a largely untapped resource in much of the world, in part because, in the absence of a volcano or hot springs, it’s hard to find the right spot to tap into the resource. Last week, a pair of geochemists published a report in Science showing that the ultrasensitive detection of traces of helium at the surface using mass spectrometers may hold the key to sniffing out the best sites of this hidden heat.

The Cleantech Show #031: Base Load Wave Power, Interview with Dr. Michael Ottaviano, MD, Carnegie Corporation & CETO

Nick Bruse — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 08:01:57 +0000

The Cleantech Show #31 (MP3 - 8MB - 22min)
Interview with Dr. Michael Ottaviano, MD, Carnegie Corporation & CETO

Wave Power seems to be reaching a level of acceptance in the market such that I think its time in the sun i think is rapidly approaching. This is the case Particularly here in Australia where companies developing ocean power technologies are looking to couple power generation with desalination and colocating facilities close to capital cities.

My guest on today’s Cleantech Show is Dr Michael Ottaviano, MD of Carnegie Corporation a company that has been developing the CETO ocean power technology. One of the really interesting aspects of their technology is that it provides high pressure sea water, rather than electricity back to the shoreline. In their view this makes it the most efficient and cost effective way to desalinate freshwater from wave energy, and allow the production of electricity through traditional hydro electric turbine technology.

On the show we discuss in depth how the CETO technology operates, and the benefits it has in comparison to other forms of renewable energy. Michael explains the massive energy availability that is available in the 2m wave environment where the CETO technology operates efficiently. This is another great technology to watch, as the company aims to have a commercial product ready in the next 18 months. Make sure you listen in.

There are also some great animations on the CETO website that explain visually how the technology operates.

Listed on the Australian Stock Exchange since 1993, Carnegie (ASX:CNM) is a dynamic company focused on clean energy investment and development. Carnegie is currently involved in developing two clean energy technologies: the CETO Wave Energy technology & its 100% owned clean coal technology, Cleaner Coal Power.

Prior to joining Carnegie, Michael was a Senior Manager specializing in Technology and Innovation consulting at a global accounting and advisory firm. He has advised companies on new product development, intellectual property, innovation portfolio management and technology commercialization across various industries and ranging from start-ups to ASX-listed companies with market capitalizations in excess of $1billion.

Enjoy the show.

cheers
Nick Bruse

Subscribe to TPN :: The Cleantech Show by Email - More about the host & contact details

The Cleantech Show #030: Cleantech at the Nanoscale - Interview with Dr. Peter Binks, CEO, NanoVic

Nick Bruse — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 10:16:56 +0000

The Cleantech Show #30 (MP3 - 12MB - 34min)
Interview with Dr. Peter Binks, CEO, NanoVic

The cleantech sector contains solutions incorporating elements of novel integration, novel technologies and novel business models

In the novel technology area, nanotechnology solutions are becoming significant contributors to solving energy, water, waste and climate problems. On todays show we explore nanotechnology and cleantech, with Dr Peter Binks CEO Nanotechnology Victoria Ltd an expert in the field to understand where nano cleantech science is progressing.

On the show we explore the historical evolution of the nanotech research space, and how it has progressed from the realm based around silicon fabrication to a world of biomimicry and natural systems replication. We discuss the foundation of Nanotechnology, that being in a realm where the benefits of both classical and quantum physics can be exploited. We explore the role of nanotech in the energy and water industries, and more broadly how it can act as a foundation technology in other cleantech sectors.

If you want to understand how nanotechnology connects with the cleantech space, and where the future is going, make sure you tune in.

Nanovic also has a pretty expansive website you can browse as well, so make sure you check it out.

Dr Peter Binks has been Chief Executive Officer of Nanotechnology Victoria Limited since May 2003. From the original concept, he has steered the implementation of an ambitious business plan and built a highly capable organization delivering valuable nanotechnology solutions to Victorian industries.

Peter was the 1983 Rhodes Scholar for Tasmania, and has a PhD in Theoretical Physics from Oxford University. Prior to joining Nanotechnology Victoria, Peter worked as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company, with BHP as a strategic planner and as General Manager at BHP’s Research Laboratory in Melbourne, and with Telstra Mobile as General Manager Strategy and Business Development.

Enjoy the show.

cheers
Nick Bruse

Subscribe to TPN :: The Cleantech Show by Email - More about the host & contact details

Termites gut bacteria genes mapping for cellulostic ethanol

Nick Bruse — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 00:36:49 +0000

A further breakthrough on cellulosic ethanol research, this time looking at bacterial genes living in the gut of termites.

clipped from www.technologyreview.com

A massive genomic study of the microbes living within the termite gut has identified close to 1,000 possible enzymes that break down wood. The plethora of cellulose-digesting proteins could shed light on the insects’ renowned wood-eating capacity and suggest cheaper, more efficient methods for generating cellulosic ethanol.

“The hard part [in producing cellulosic ethanol] is obtaining the metabolic intermediates from things like wood, but that’s the problem the termites have solved,” says Frances Arnold, a scientist at Caltech in Pasadena who was not involved in the research. “This paper provides an explosion of information about the genes involved in wood degradation in the termite.”

New hybrid battery for solar and wind power storage

Nick Bruse — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 03:08:56 +0000

Another new energy storage technology. interestingly this integrates with existing lead acid batter production. here’s the wwwiki on lead acid

clipped from www.csiro.au

CSIRO and Cleantech Ventures have invested in technology start-up Smart Storage Pty Ltd to develop and commercialise battery-based storage solutions.

Director of the CSIRO Energy Transformed National Research Flagship Dr John Wright said the Smart Storage battery technology aims to deliver a low cost, high performance, high power stationary energy storage solution suitable for grid-connected and remote applications.

The Smart Storage technology is a hybrid battery which combines an asymmetric ‘supercapacitor’ electrode and a lead-acid battery in a single unit cell. Advanced materials used for the electrodes and current management absorb and release charge rapidly and at efficiencies well above conventional battery types.

It is expected that the discharge and charge power of the Smart Storage battery will be 50 per cent higher and its cycle-life at least three times longer than that of the conventional lead-acid counterpart.

Bring on the Negawatts

Nick Bruse — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 02:42:55 +0000

For those of you requiring a fix of stories about negawatts. This is definitely the way things have to go to reduce consumption or more importantly reduce the need for more base load and transmission infrastructure. Soon however I’m guessing we will have devices that automatically decide to power down themselves. I believe there are demand side control systems like this already in energy intensive industrial applications.

clipped from www.technologyreview.com

Red alert: The red glow of the Joule meter from ConsumerPowerline and Ambient Devices tells participants in an energy-conservation program that their local power grid is jammed and that their utility will pay them to power down.

Can glorified glow lamps stop blackouts and slash energy costs? Manhattan-based ConsumerPowerline thinks so. This winter, about a thousand participants in the company’s energy-conservation program will receive small plug-in boxes that glow red when power demand peaks, urging them to turn off space heaters, defer dishwasher runs, or otherwise save electricity.

Energy suppliers respond to spikes in demand by gearing up extra production capacity. That can be so expensive that many utilities are willing to pay to promote conservation during periods of peak use. ConsumerPowerline pays apartment complexes, companies, and institutions to conserve on cue, then resells the resulting “negawatts”–reduction in demand–to utilities in New York, Massachusetts, and California.

A better way of making hydrogen?

Nick Bruse — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 02:38:13 +0000

clipped from www.technologyreview.com

Gassing up: This aluminum alloy quickly pulls oxygen from water, in the process forming aluminum oxide and releasing hydrogen gas. The hydrogen could be used in place of gasoline in cars.
Credit: Jerry Woodall, Purdue University

A new process for using aluminum alloys to generate hydrogen from water could make fuel-cell vehicles more practical, says Jerry Woodall, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue.