Is this the near-future of aviation, since peak oil production is coming sooner than expected?
MIT-Designed Futuristic Airplanes Use 70% Less Fuel Than Current Models
What will the airplanes of the future be like? This is the question that the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT tried to answer for NASA. The goal was to look 3 generations ahead of the current planes (that’s around the 2035 timeframe) and improve substantially on current tech in the areas of fuel-efficiency, noise, NOx emissions, safety, etc. Two plane designs came out of the research project; one to replace the current Boeing 737, and the other to replace the 777. Read on for more details.
180-Passenger D Series [image below, from MIT]
The smaller of the two designs, the 180-passenger D “double bubble” series plane would be used for domestic flights. Built with current conventional aluminum and current jet technology, it would burn about 50% less fuel than a 737. But if it used more advanced materials and jet tech, fuel savings could be as high as 70%. That’s very significant, especially if oil-based fuel is replaced with advanced biofuels made without fossil-fuel inputs.350-Passenger H Series [image at top, from MIT]
The bigger of the two planes is the 350-passenger H “hybrid wing body” series that would replace the 777 for international flights. One interesting result from using the flying-wing approach: “The large center body creates a forward lift that eliminates the need for a tail to balance the aircraft.” The H would also meet NASA’s 70% fuel reduction target, as well as the 75% NOx emission reduction goal.
Using Ice to Cool Down the Grid
Over the next few weeks, a consortium of municipal utilities in California will begin retrofitting government offices and commercial properties with systems that use ice made at night to replace air-conditioning during the day. It’s part of a pilot program for the devices, which are built by Windsor, CO-based Ice Energy. If widely deployed, they could reduce fuel consumption by utilities by up to 30 percent and put off the need for new power plants.
The first devices will be installed on about two dozen city-owned buildings in Glendale, CA, under the plan being coordinated by the Southern California Public Power Authority. Over the next two years, the 11 participating utilities will install 1,500 of the devices, providing a total of 53 megawatts of energy storage to relieve strain on the region’s electrical grid. The project is the first large-scale implementation of Ice Energy’s technology.
Each Ice Energy device is designed to make ice overnight, when demand for electricity is low, using a high-efficiency compressor to freeze 450 gallons of water. Around midday, the cooling mode kicks in, and the device shuts off the building’s regular air conditioner for a six-hour cycle. It pipes a stream of coolant from the slowly melting block of ice to an evaporator coil installed within the building’s heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning blower system. Once the ice is melted, the air conditioner returns to normal operation. Brian Parsonnet, Ice Energy’s chief technology officer, says the Ice Bear can cut a building’s power consumption by 95 percent during peak hours on the hottest days.
Cutting demand for electricity during peak hours reduces the need to build new power plants. It also allows utilities to rely on their most efficient power plants, says Ronald Domitrovic, a senior project manager for electric utilization at the Electric Power Research Institute. He says that when utilities fire up their “least efficient, oldest, and least desirable” generating resources to meet peak demand, every increment of increased power on the grid sends costs surging, whether one is talking fuel costs, greenhouse gas emissions, or service reliability. However, at night, utilities draw on their most efficient power plants, which use less fuel than power plants used only during peak hours. The utility also saves energy at other points in the grid–for example, cooler power lines at night transmit electricity more efficiently.
Mighty River Plans More Investment in U.S. Geothermal Projects
Mighty River Power Ltd., operator of the world’s largest single-turbine geothermal generating unit, has increased funding to help identify and build power projects in the U.S. and Chile.
The company today announced a $107 million investment in a $400 million, 49.9 megawatt geothermal power plant in Southern California, its first in the U.S. The New Zealand government- owned generator said it has also more than doubled to $250 million a fund available for projects identified by its Denver, Colorado-based associate GeoGlobal Energy LLC.
“GGE’s capability in identifying potential projects in the U.S. as well as Chile has really started to bear fruit,” Mighty River Chief Executive Officer Doug Heffernan said in a phone interview from Auckland today. “We think there are some other prospects that they may well bring to the table in the U.S. over the next two or three years.”
Mighty River is among the world’s 10 largest operators of underground steam fields. It’s investing internationally to profit from its experience building large-scale geothermal power projects, its relationships with bankers and plant manufacturers, and increasing global demand for non-polluting energy.
Geothermal plants tap heat from the earth to power turbines and generate electricity 24 hours a day with minimal emissions. New Zealand, Chile and the west coast of the U.S. lie on the 40,000-kilometer (25,000-mile) chain of active volcanoes that surrounds the Pacific Ocean. The zone, known as the Ring of Fire, also includes Japan and Indonesia.
Obama proposes $800M fund to clean, redevelop shuttered GM plants
The Obama administration announced plans today to create an $800 million fund to clean up and redevelop more than 90 former General Motors Co. plants shuttered during the automaker’s restructuring.
The plan still needs approval from state officials and the bankruptcy court overseeing Motors Liquidation, the “Old GM” that was broken off during the bankruptcy process, but the administration said it hopes to have the trust up and running by the end of this year.
The fund would include roughly $530 million for environmental cleanup with another $300 million available for other costs, such as demolition of unwanted buildings, property taxes and plant security. It would be paid for with money set aside during the restructuring process, which was overseen by President Obama’s auto task force, and is not expected to require additional federal cash.
The cleanup fund will be overseen by U.S. EPA and the White House Council on Auto Communities and Workers.
“We are making a significant investment in better health, a cleaner environment and a brighter future in communities that need our support,” EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said. “Supporting the restoration of polluted sites not only protects human health and the environment, it also fosters new economic possibilities, makes these communities more competitive and opens pathways to long-term success.”
The fund is only for former GM plants and does not cover shuttered sites owned by Chrysler Group LLC, which also received billions of dollars in federal aid to undergo massive restructuring.
Google searches for smart, green energy investments
Google is looking to expand into the energy smart meters business and to invest in renewable generation projects in Europe, the head of green business operations at the internet giant said on Tuesday.
The aim of smart metering technology is to let customers view real-time electricity and gas consumption and allow them to optimize usage and therefore cut energy waste and save money by using energy during low demand periods.
Through Google.org, the philanthropic arm of the internet firm, the company has developed a free web-based application called PowerMeter which collects data from smart meters and displays the data on a customizable customer webpage.
“We’re looking at getting more utility partners and more device partners. We’re always looking for a broader reach and we’re talking to utilities in all the major markets,” Ben Kott told Reuters on the sidelines at a news briefing in London.
In partnership with British independent energy retailer, First Utility, Google is providing an opt-in service to the utility’s 30,000 smart meter customers.
“I think in the UK, people are relatively open to this, not only focusing on cost but also efficiency. It is also a highly liberal energy market, so there are opportunities for companies like First Utility who wouldn’t be able to operate in other markets,” Kott said.
He said there were no plans to charge for the PowerMeter web application.
“There’s no money going backwards and forwards,” First Utility chief executive Mark Daeche said.
Google is also looking at investing in renewable power generation projects in Europe, following a $38.8 million U.S. wind farm investment in North Dakota in early May.
Malaysia Spearheads Clean Energy Bank for Islamic Nations
Malaysia is prepared to spearhead the creation of a clean energy development bank for Islamic countries, Prime Minister Najib Razak today.
Clean energy and security of energy supply are “becoming a priority for countries with few, if any, hydrocarbon resources,” Najib said in a speech at the World Islamic Forum in Kuala Lumpur today. “There is tremendous potential for the development of alternative energy sources.”
The so-called Clean Energy Development Bank would accelerate the development of clean energy-related industries in developing countries of 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference, he said, adding that the initiative will be further discussed at the forum tomorrow.
The Kyoto climate-protection treaty expires in 2012 and negotiators are trying to work out new mechanisms to cut greenhouse-gas emissions. The Copenhagen summit last year failed to lead to a binding agreement, with negotiators settling for a more limited political accord.