Chinese developers unveiled the world’s first full-permanent magnetic levitation (Maglev) wind power generator at the Wind Power Asia Exhibition 2006 held June 28 in Beijing.
Regarded as a key breakthrough in the evolution of global wind power technology—and a notable advance in independent intellectual property rights in China—the generator was jointly developed by Guangzhou Energy Research Institute under China’s Academy of Sciences and by Guangzhou Zhongke Hengyuan Energy Science & Technology Co., Ltd. The Maglev generator is expected to boost wind energy generating capacity by as much as 20 percent over traditional wind turbines. This would effectively cut the operational expenses of wind farms by up to half, keeping the overall cost of wind power under 0.4 yuan ($US 5 cents), according to Guokun Li, the chief scientific developer of the new technology. Further, the Maglev is able to utilize winds with starting speeds as low as 1.5 meters per second (m/s), and cut-in speeds of 3 m/s, the chief of Zhongke Energy was quoted as saying at the exhibition. When compared with the operational hours of existing wind turbines, the new technology will add an additional 1,000 hours of operation annually to wind power plants in areas with an average wind speed of 3 m/s.
Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com
full article
Wednesday 1 August 2007
Energy Saving Trust - top 10 tips
THE energy saving measures below could help you shave up to £300 off your annual energy bill and enable you to reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by two tonnes. Here’s how you do it.
ONE: Eliminate draughts and wasted heat by fitting a cheap, easy brush or PVC seal on your exterior doors. Letterboxes and keyholes should be covered too.
TWO: Draughts also get in through gaps in floorboards and skirting boards, which let heat escape in winter. Filling them with newspaper, beading or sealant will help you stop throwing heat (and your money) away.
THREE: Trade your ordinary lightbulbs for energy saving ones. Costing from just £3.50, energy saving light bulbs last 12 times longer and for each bulb you fit, you could save up to £9 on your annual electricity bill or £100 over the bulb’s lifetime.
FOUR: An insulating jacket for a hot water tank costs only a few pounds and pays for itself within months. Fit one that’s at least 75mm (3in) thick and you could save £20 a year.FIVE: Insulating your loft is one of the simplest ways to save energy and you can even install it yourself. In a year you could save £180 to £220.
SIX: About 33% of the heat lost in your home is through the walls, so insulating them could save £130 to £160 on your annual heating bills. Cavity wall insulation will also keep you cool in the summer and warm in winter.
SEVEN: If your boiler is more than 15 years old, it’s probably time to replace it. By law, new boilers must now be of the high-efficiency condensing type. They can help you save up to a third on your heating bills and even more if you upgrade to modern controls.
EIGHT: When replacing appliances, look for ones displaying the energy-saving recommended logo. They could save you up to £45 a year.
NINE: Double-glazing cuts heat loss through windows by 50% and could cut your heating bill by £80 to £100.
TEN: Still not sure which are your home’s weak spots? Why not complete an online home energy check at www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/check
full article
ONE: Eliminate draughts and wasted heat by fitting a cheap, easy brush or PVC seal on your exterior doors. Letterboxes and keyholes should be covered too.
TWO: Draughts also get in through gaps in floorboards and skirting boards, which let heat escape in winter. Filling them with newspaper, beading or sealant will help you stop throwing heat (and your money) away.
THREE: Trade your ordinary lightbulbs for energy saving ones. Costing from just £3.50, energy saving light bulbs last 12 times longer and for each bulb you fit, you could save up to £9 on your annual electricity bill or £100 over the bulb’s lifetime.
FOUR: An insulating jacket for a hot water tank costs only a few pounds and pays for itself within months. Fit one that’s at least 75mm (3in) thick and you could save £20 a year.FIVE: Insulating your loft is one of the simplest ways to save energy and you can even install it yourself. In a year you could save £180 to £220.
SIX: About 33% of the heat lost in your home is through the walls, so insulating them could save £130 to £160 on your annual heating bills. Cavity wall insulation will also keep you cool in the summer and warm in winter.
SEVEN: If your boiler is more than 15 years old, it’s probably time to replace it. By law, new boilers must now be of the high-efficiency condensing type. They can help you save up to a third on your heating bills and even more if you upgrade to modern controls.
EIGHT: When replacing appliances, look for ones displaying the energy-saving recommended logo. They could save you up to £45 a year.
NINE: Double-glazing cuts heat loss through windows by 50% and could cut your heating bill by £80 to £100.
TEN: Still not sure which are your home’s weak spots? Why not complete an online home energy check at www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/check
full article
U.S. needs to be a clean-energy leader
Energy prices, the conflict in the Middle East and growing concern over the progress of global warming have jump-started a long-stalled national conversation about the direction of America's energy policy. The U.S. House of Representatives will take up that conversation as its members debate energy legislation as early as this week. There has never been deeper public support for increasing the amount of power we get from renewable energy.
Americans have begun to demand that their elected officials plot a course for U.S. energy independence. Weary of the nation's reliance on unstable and limited foreign energy sources and Enron-crafted national energy policy, the public has concluded that America must develop environmentally and economically sound solutions to quell our voracious thirst for energy.
The U.S., once the world leader in renewable energy technology, has fallen behind Japan, Germany and Spain. Germany, a country with a land mass the size of Oregon, employs more than 40,000 workers in its wind energy industry; Denmark employs another 20,000. Both of these countries have wind resources that are only a fraction of those in our nation's windiest states. In Germany, the wind energy industry is the second-largest consumer of steel next to the automotive industry.
Communities, counties and states have realized how immense the potential benefits are. Twenty-three states have passed renewable-energy standards, committing to renewable energy targets as high as Oregon's 25 percent by 2025.
Developing our renewable energy resources will create jobs, save consumers money and bolster rural economies. The Union of Concerned Scientists has found that a national standard requiring 20 percent of electric generation from renewable energy sources by the year 2020 will save consumers tens of billions of dollars in lower electricity and natural gas bills; by 2030 those cumulative savings would balloon to $31.8 billion. It also will create more than 180,000 new jobs -- nearly twice as many as generating the same amount of power from fossil fuels -- and cut global warming pollution by 263 million metric tons in 2030, the equivalent of taking 43 million cars off the road.
full article
Americans have begun to demand that their elected officials plot a course for U.S. energy independence. Weary of the nation's reliance on unstable and limited foreign energy sources and Enron-crafted national energy policy, the public has concluded that America must develop environmentally and economically sound solutions to quell our voracious thirst for energy.
The U.S., once the world leader in renewable energy technology, has fallen behind Japan, Germany and Spain. Germany, a country with a land mass the size of Oregon, employs more than 40,000 workers in its wind energy industry; Denmark employs another 20,000. Both of these countries have wind resources that are only a fraction of those in our nation's windiest states. In Germany, the wind energy industry is the second-largest consumer of steel next to the automotive industry.
Communities, counties and states have realized how immense the potential benefits are. Twenty-three states have passed renewable-energy standards, committing to renewable energy targets as high as Oregon's 25 percent by 2025.
Developing our renewable energy resources will create jobs, save consumers money and bolster rural economies. The Union of Concerned Scientists has found that a national standard requiring 20 percent of electric generation from renewable energy sources by the year 2020 will save consumers tens of billions of dollars in lower electricity and natural gas bills; by 2030 those cumulative savings would balloon to $31.8 billion. It also will create more than 180,000 new jobs -- nearly twice as many as generating the same amount of power from fossil fuels -- and cut global warming pollution by 263 million metric tons in 2030, the equivalent of taking 43 million cars off the road.
full article
League of greenest cars revealed
A Volkswagen Polo has been named the greenest car on sale, beating environmentalists' favourites such as the Toyota Prius.
The BlueMotion manages 74 miles to the gallon, meaning it can be driven from London to Edinburgh for just £20 and travel more than 700 miles on one tank of fuel.
Unfortunately, its passengers are likely to be sweating by the time they get there, because the road tax-exempt version doesn't come with air-conditioning. Fitting air-conditioning uses more energy and pushes the car into a higher band of road tax, which is calculated by how much carbon dioxide a vehicle produces.
But chilled-out owners will still only have to pay £35 a year - a snip compared with the £300 imposed on drivers of many gasguzzling off-roaders.
full article
The BlueMotion manages 74 miles to the gallon, meaning it can be driven from London to Edinburgh for just £20 and travel more than 700 miles on one tank of fuel.
Unfortunately, its passengers are likely to be sweating by the time they get there, because the road tax-exempt version doesn't come with air-conditioning. Fitting air-conditioning uses more energy and pushes the car into a higher band of road tax, which is calculated by how much carbon dioxide a vehicle produces.
But chilled-out owners will still only have to pay £35 a year - a snip compared with the £300 imposed on drivers of many gasguzzling off-roaders.
full article
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
