Thanks to myride.com for this great video:
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Army looks to fuel cells for tanks, UPI Reports
WASHINGTON, June 21 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army is looking into fuel cell technology to boost electrical power in its M1 Abrams battle tanks, the service said.
In an article on its Web site, the Army said more electrical power on board would allow more computing, battle command technologies, sensors and other equipment.
"Currently it (fuel cell technology) is only being tested in a lab but it is being designed for the Abrams," said Steven Eick, a chemical engineer at the Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center.
"Our goal is to generate more on board power to help support radios and other equipment."
Eick said Army engineers are also experimenting with fuel cell technology for non-combat vehicles.
The technology would be for an auxiliary power unit that converts JP8 diesel fuel into hydrogen and then generates electricity through a fuel cell.
Eick said use of fuel cells involves a chemical in which electrical current is generated by the breakdown of a hydrogen atom.
In an article on its Web site, the Army said more electrical power on board would allow more computing, battle command technologies, sensors and other equipment.
"Currently it (fuel cell technology) is only being tested in a lab but it is being designed for the Abrams," said Steven Eick, a chemical engineer at the Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center.
"Our goal is to generate more on board power to help support radios and other equipment."
Eick said Army engineers are also experimenting with fuel cell technology for non-combat vehicles.
The technology would be for an auxiliary power unit that converts JP8 diesel fuel into hydrogen and then generates electricity through a fuel cell.
Eick said use of fuel cells involves a chemical in which electrical current is generated by the breakdown of a hydrogen atom.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Don’t get discouraged…
Solar struggles in U.S. market
Mon, 06/14/2010
Lack of national policy keeps sun power in shadows.
It sounds so simple: Take a clean, free and endlessly renewable resource — the sun — and use it to power your homes and businesses.
Yet even as the Gulf oil disaster offers yet another reminder of the drawbacks of fossil fuels, solar power remains on the fringes of the energy industry, especially here in the United States.
Solar power accounts for less than 1 percent of U.S. energy usage, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association, a trade group. And although many industry watchers see big potential, the giant U.S. market currently ranks fourth in solar electric capacity — behind Germany, Italy and Japan.
While the U.S. has spent decades developing competitive solar technology, efforts to translate that research into the marketplace have faltered because of a lack of national strategy, experts say.
Read the full story on MSNBC.com. By Allison Linn. June 14, 2010.
It sounds so simple: Take a clean, free and endlessly renewable resource — the sun — and use it to power your homes and businesses.
Yet even as the Gulf oil disaster offers yet another reminder of the drawbacks of fossil fuels, solar power remains on the fringes of the energy industry, especially here in the United States.
Solar power accounts for less than 1 percent of U.S. energy usage, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association, a trade group. And although many industry watchers see big potential, the giant U.S. market currently ranks fourth in solar electric capacity — behind Germany, Italy and Japan.
While the U.S. has spent decades developing competitive solar technology, efforts to translate that research into the marketplace have faltered because of a lack of national strategy, experts say.
Read the full story on MSNBC.com. By Allison Linn. June 14, 2010.
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