Transportation

DOE announces $57M in new SBIR/STTR programs, $9.6M for ‘transformational energy”

By / September 15, 2010

Makani’s Airborne Wind Turbine (above) project is being funded by a new ARPA-E grant. Credit: Makani. Over the past few days, the DOE has announced nearly $67 million in new…

Read More

DOE awards millions for carbon capture, storage and for solar grid integration

By / September 7, 2010

The Department of Energy made two major funding announcements today. One regards $575 million going to 22 advanced carbon-capture R&D projects. The other announcement is of $8.5 million for projects…

Read More

DOE establishes two of three U.S.–China clean energy research centers

By / September 2, 2010

U.S. and Chinese energy officials announced plans for cooperative clean energy research centers in July 2009. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced the formation of two new joint United States—China…

Read More

A123’s launching new lithium flow battery project: ’24M’

By / August 19, 2010

Chiang at 2009 Materials Challenge for Alternative andRenewable Energy meeting. Credit: ACerS. When I interviewed Yet Ming Chiang, one of the brains behind A123 System’s lithium-ion battery technology, in 2009,…

Read More

Three-in-one diesel honeycomb ultra-high acicular mullite could slash costs for emission systems

By / August 10, 2010

Schematic of a typical, bulky and costly three-part diesel engine aftertreatment system. Credit: Pyzik, Ziebarth, Han and Yang; ACT. Mostly through sheer coincidence, I have been running across several articles…

Read More

NASCAR goes green, racetrack powered by solar

By / August 9, 2010

Sure, it’s kind of an oxymoron: The gas-guzzling motor circuit goes green. But a solar-powered sport racing facility in Pennsylvania might help offset that footprint. According to a Newswire press…

Read More

Volt to sell for $41K, lease $350 a month

By / August 5, 2010

CNN reported that General Motors announced its Chevrolet Volt electric car will cost $41,000 when it goes on sale in November. While the price is about $8,000 more than the…

Read More

Titanium dioxide-coated anti-NOx roof tiles now being marketed in U.S.

By / July 30, 2010

Apparently more folks are jumping on the titanium dioxide’s anti-smog bandwagon. A few days ago I wrote about studies underway in Netherlands where they are testing TiO2-coated concrete roadway pavers…

Read More

Solar sail uses smart glass to steer through cosmos

By / July 27, 2010

Artist’s conception of solar sail. (Credit: JAXA.) Japan has successfully deployed a solar sail on a spacecraft, demonstrating for the first time that such technology can be used to convert…

Read More

Titania–concrete combination in roadways reduces NOx levels 25-45%

By / July 24, 2010

Credit: TU/e Earlier this month, Jos Brouwers, a professor of building materials at Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands), reported that tests on a new stretch of roadway in the municipality…

Read More