4 new projects in Advance Fuel Cell Technology

The U.S. Department of Energy today announced more than $7 million to fund four projects in California, Washington, and Oregon to advance hydrogen storage technologies to be used in fuel cell electric vehicles. The 3-year projects will help lower the costs and increase the performance of hydrogen storage systems by developing innovative materials and advanced tanks for efficient and safe transportation. These investments are a part of the Department's commitment to U.S. leadership in advanced fuel cell technology research to help domestic automakers bring more fuel cell electric vehicles into the mainstream market.
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Researcher develops nanotube-reinforced PU turbine blades

More on the Wind Turbine front...

PLASTICS NEWS REPORT

Posted August 30, 2011

CLEVELAND (Aug. 30, 2:20 p.m. ET) -- A post-doctoral researcher at Case Western Reserve University has spearheaded an effort to build the world’s first polyurethane wind turbine blade reinforced with carbon nanotubes.
Marcio Loos, at Cleveland-based CWRU’s department of macromolecular science and engineering, worked with colleagues at the university and from Bayer MaterialScience LLC in Pittsburgh and Molded Fiber Glass Co. in Ashtabula, Ohio, on the project.
“The idea behind all this is the need to develop stronger and lighter materials which will enable manufacturing of blades for larger rotors,” Loos said in a news release.
Loos built the blade on weekends.
Lighter blades help to maximize energy output from wind turbines. In a comparison of reinforcing materials, the researchers found carbon nanotubes are lighter per unit of volume than carbon fiber and aluminum and had more than 5 times the tensile strength of carbon fiber and more than 60 times that of aluminum.
Fatigue testing showed the reinforced PU lasts about eight times longer than epoxy-reinforced fiberglass. The new material was also about eight times tougher in delamination fracture tests.
Performance was even better compared to vinyl ester-reinforced fiberglass, the researchers said.
“Results of mechanical testing for the carbon nanotube reinforced polyurethane show that this material outperforms the currently used resins for wind blades applications,” said Ica Manas-Zloczower, professor of macromolecular science and engineering and associate dean in the Case School of Engineering.
The research is funded by a U.S. Department of Energy stimulus grant and Bayer MaterialScience.

Electric Vehicles in 24 States and Train a Workforce for Advanced Vehicle Development

after speaking to our Mechanic who apparently has been taking some courses, there is a distinct need for EV specialists the near future particularly in the third party realm. Otherwise much of the work is going to land back into the dealerships with the inherent costs.

EERE article: U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced 16 projects supporting activities in 24 states and the District of Columbia to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in communities across the nation, and seven additional projects in seven states to help prepare college students for careers designing and building advanced vehicle technologies.
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Department of Energy to Invest $50 Million to Advance Domestic Solar Manufacturing Market, Achieve SunShot Goal

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced a $50 million investment over two years for the SUNPATH program, aimed to help the nation reclaim its competitive edge in solar manufacturing. SUNPATH, which stands for Scaling Up Nascent PV At Home, represents the second solar Photovoltaic Manufacturing Initiative (PVMI) supporting the Department of Energy's SunShot Initiative.
"This investment provides a necessary boost to domestic solar manufacturing businesses, encouraging them to keep jobs here and establish America's leadership in the world's growing clean energy economy," said Secretary Chu. "In addition to invigorating clean energy manufacturing, this program will help achieve the SunShot goal of making unsubsidized utility-scale solar cost-competitive with other forms of energy by the end of the decade."
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Green jobs pay better as clean-tech sector booms - USATODAY.com

No surprise here on the Clean & Green Sector....
Green jobs pay better as clean-tech sector booms - USATODAY.com

Green building wave gains momentum globally

Rising energy prices, government incentives and enhanced brand image are three of the main motivators that are driving energy-efficiency investments in buildings to new levels, according to a new global study. The fifth annual Energy Efficiency Indicator survey of nearly 4,000 building owners and operators around the world was carried out by Johnson Controls' Institute for Building Efficiency, the International Facility Management Association and the Urban Land Institute. As a result, owners have set an average energy reduction target of 12pc. Respondents also reported a growing interest in green building certification, with four in 10 respondents in 2011 stating that they had a certified green building. The report says that, for the first time, green building certification efforts were more prevalent in existing than in new buildings.http://businessandleadership.com/sustainability/item/30798-green-building-wave-gains/