Hybrid Cars As The Answer To The Growing Cost Of Gas | Electronics …
Earlier I came across a great article by Gary Krause, posted earlier today, and entitled Hybrid Cars As The Answer To The Growing Cost Of Gas | Electronics … that I suggest you all read. Here’s a few little extracts to whet your appetites!
More οf thеÑе commuters аrе looking fοr ways tο stretch thеÑr fuel dollars, including considering hybrid cars. A hybrid car combines thе traditional gas engine wÑth аn electric motor аnÔ a Lithium ion battery. One hybrid car consumer ÑÑ Emily Callahan, a 24-year-ancient landscape architect. Shе bουÉ¡ht hеr first car Ñn Spring οf 2007, аnÔ ÑhοÑе thе Nissan Altima Hybrid. Shе wÐ°Ñ one οf thе first purchasers οf thÑÑ hybrid, a mid-sized sedan thаt hÐ°Ô οnÆÑ come out January οf thаt year. Callahan ÑаÑÑ thаt Ñhе wÐ°Ñ influenced Ñn hеr ÑhοÑÑе bÑ various factors, including fuel efficiency, environmental impact, size, аnÔ tax incentives. Callahan, bÑ being one οf thе first purchasers οf a hybrid car, qualified fοr tax refund οf $2300 whÑÑh equaled thе full sales tax οn thе car. Thе tax perks аrе ÑеrtаÑnÆÑ beneficial, bυt thе real savings comes аt thе pump.
Now, reading Gary Krause’s article started me thinking so I had a quick search around for more posts on the subject and discovered some more greats! i.e. Lithium-Ion battery technology, scalable to megawatt sizes … posted yesterday, by Paul Dvorak, on a blog called Wind power design, wind turbine construction, renewable energy news | Windpower EngineeringWindpower Engineering ? Wind Power Design | Construction | Maintenance resource »:
_ IBM software lets Ikerland-IK4 and Alstom reuse and customize code that controls turbine function. The arrangement works so well that the two energy companies say they cut 90% off some software generating tasks. Energy-system supplier Alstom and energy R&D firm Ikerlan-IK4 say they are using IBM software to develop wind-turbine controls that significantly improve the performance of renewable-energy power systems. New wind turbines will leverage a complex system of electronic sensors combined with software from IBM to gather inputs regarding wind direction, speed, temperature and other factors for best performance. A central control collects and analyzes data from each turbine to remotely control individual turbine subsystems, perform diagnostics, and manage wind farm power generation. Alstom and Ikerlan-IK4 say they are using IBM software to help develop and automate the “system of systems” that controls the turbines and their interconnected communications systems. “Using IBM software helps us automate the design and development of Alstom Wind control systems,” says Alston VP Alfonso Faubel. “The program lets us deliver tailored solutions that are adapted to emerging standards, markets, and client needs.
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” The two energy companies also use the Gears Software Product Line Lifecycle Framework, from BigLever Software, to customize their control software to accommodate varying climates and geographies where the wind turbines will operate. Alstom and Ikerlan-IK4 estimate their use of IBM and Big Lever Software reduces their development costs by as much as 25% and decreases development time by a whopping 90%. “The fact that the wind turbines can be customized to accommodate geographic differences and adjust to ambient environmental changes adds a layer of complexity to an already a complex software-development process,” says Dr. Salvador Trujillo, chief product line engineer at Ikerlan-IK4. “By using IBM Rational Software for model-driven development combined with BigLever Gears for product line engineering, we can reuse software assets and manage these variations at a pace that lets us keep up with market requirements.” Wind power is growing as a sustainable energy choice and is expected to make up as much as 12% of the global power supply by 2020. For example, Denmark supplies more than 20% of its total electricity consumption with wind power, by far the largest share of any country in the world. On some windy days, wind has generated over 40% of the electrical power produced in Spain.
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Likewise, American Wind Energy Association reports similar trends stating that the U.S. wind industry broke all previous records by installing close to 10,000 MW of new generating capacity in 2009, making the year the strongest yet. Ikerlan-IK4Ikerlan.es AlstomAlstom.com IBMIBM.com About Paul Dvorak Windpower Engineering Editor Paul Dvorak is an experienced mechanical engineer. Paul has seven years of hands on mechanical engineering experience and 23 years of technical writing. Paul is constantly in correspondence with wind turbine manufacturers and wind power researchers.
Finally, another fine article came from John Skrhak on Skrhak | Skrhak.net posted earlier today, entitled Sanyo eyes tenfold increase in lithium ion battery capacity … which is also definitely worth reading.
Sanyo aims to raise that capacity to 10 million cells by 2015. Sanyo did not say how many vehicles 10 million cells could supply. But it could be enough for 125,000 hybrid vehicles a month, judging by the output of its Tokushima factory. The Tokushima plant, which opened last year for trial production, was Sanyoâs first facility making lithium ion batteries for cars. It has enough capacity for 100,000 cells a month, or enough for 15,000 hybrid vehicles a year. There are roughly 80 cells per battery pack.