Friday, June 29, 2012

Testing lithium cells for use with a hybrid car - Hack a Day

http://hackaday.com/2012/06/29/testing-lithium-cells-for-use-with-a-hybrid-car/

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Spray-on battery makes power paintable - CNET Mobile

http://m.cnet.com/news/spray-on-battery-makes-power-paintable/57463096

Saturday, June 23, 2012

German solar power plants sets a world record


German solar power plants produced a world record 22 gigawatts of electricity per hour ~ equal to 20 nuclear power stations at full capacity ~ through the midday hours last Friday & Saturday.

Electric moment for Tesla's Model S - SFGate

http://www.sfgate.com/technology/slideshow/Electric-moment-for-Tesla-s-Model-S-44985.php

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Lockheed Martin - Alternative & Renewable Energy

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/what-we-do/emerging/alternative-renewable-energy.html




  • Alternative Energy Generation brochure
  • Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion brochure
  • Solid Oxide Fuel Cells brochure



  • Alternative Energy Generation Solutions in the News

    Secret Clean Energy Stash Discovered in Oceans
    CleanTechnica, February 15, 2012
    Lockheed Martin Jumps on the Clean Energy BandwagonTriple Pundit, September 19, 2011
    Nanotechnology: Into the realm of real
    High-Performance Composites, May 2, 2011
    The Military Adopts Renewables in Hawaii
    MIT Technology Review
    , October 26, 2010
    For ocean’s energy, look leewardHonolulu Star-Advertiser, August 8, 2010
    Harnessing Ocean PowerInternational Herald Tribune, May 17, 2010

    ANSYS Making Electric Vehicle Batteries More Practical And Efficient

    http://www.virtualpressoffice.com:80/publicsiteContentFileAccess/860581/860581.html/?fileContentId=860581&fileName=860581.html&fromOtherPageToDisableHistory=Y
    PITTSBURGH, June 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- One year into a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funded project, ANSYS (NASDAQ: ANSS), General Motors LLC, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and ESim are leveraging engineering simulation technology to optimize electric and hybrid vehicle battery performance. The team achieved significant milestones during the past year in support of the DOE's Computer Aided Engineering for Electric Drive Vehicle Batteries (CAEBAT) project.
    (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110127/MM38081LOGO )
    GM awarded ANSYS a subcontract to develop battery software tools that will help accelerate development of next-generation electric vehicles (EV). The project is a result of a competitive procurement through the DOE's NREL that was presented to GM last year (http://www.nrel.gov/news/press/2011/1472.html).
    The main goal of the CAEBAT project is to incorporate existing and new battery models into engineering simulation software to shorten design cycles and optimize batteries for increased performance, safety and life span. The project is driving EV innovation.
    The GM-ANSYS-ESim team's achievements over the past year include prototyping and validating three electrochemistry modeling approaches. The partners also prototyped a co-simulation feature, which blends battery multiphysics and system simulation technologies that enable engineers to shed unnecessary details and increase simulation efficiency without compromising the accuracy of the model.
    "Traditionally, the EV battery industry depends mostly on the expensive and time-consuming process of design-build-test-break for prototyping and manufacturing these batteries," said Jan Aase, director of the vehicle development research lab at GM Global R&D. "However, the virtual development of engineered products has proven to be an effective way of evaluating many design alternatives. This specific team was selected because of their individual track records of success in their respective fields for providing reliable technologies that lead to efficient products."
    The team is leveraging NREL's considerable experience in multiphysics, multi-scale modeling of lithium-ion battery systems. The resulting design tools will be made commercially available through ANSYS. GM plans to validate and apply the model to its electric vehicles in development.
    "ANSYS is well known for providing reliable simulation technology to enable sustainable design across a wide range of industries, including automotive," said Sandeep Sovani, manager of global automotive strategy at ANSYS. "The recent demands from customers to make vehicles more practical coupled with government regulations are creating unprecedented innovation within the auto industry. ANSYS is proud to be at the forefront of this innovation surge by developing software tools that will accelerate the production of safe, reliable, high-performance and long-lasting lithium-ion batteries for EVs and make vehicles more fuel efficient and sustainable."
    NREL expects that the resulting systems will become commercial offerings in about two years. This initiative is funded by DOE's Vehicle Technologies Program in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
    About ANSYS, Inc.
    ANSYS brings clarity and insight to customers' most complex design challenges through fast, accurate and reliable engineering simulation. Our technology enables organizations ― no matter their industry ― to predict with confidence that their products will thrive in the real world. Customers trust our software to help ensure product integrity and drive business success through innovation. Founded in 1970, ANSYS employs more than 2,200 professionals, many of them expert in engineering fields such as finite element analysis, computational fluid dynamics, electronics and electromagnetics, and design optimization. Headquartered south of Pittsburgh, U.S.A., ANSYS has more than 65 strategic sales locations throughout the world with a network of channel partners in 40+ countries. Visit www.ansys.com for more information.
    ANSYS-G

    Tuesday, June 19, 2012

    Fwd: Join us tomorrow for an MITEF talk on "Renewable Energy"

    ---------- Forwarded message ----------
    From: "MIT Enterprise Forum Central Coast" <mitcentralcoast@gmail.com>
    Date: Jun 19, 2012 10:31 AM
    Subject: Join us tomorrow for an MITEF talk on "Renewable Energy"
    To: <john.sokol@gmail.com>

    CCMIT Banner
    The MIT Enterprise Forum of the Central Coast 
    presents:
     
    The Weakest Link in Renewable Energy:
    Clean Energy Storage 
     
    TOMORROW 
    Wednesday, June 20, 2012 | 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. 

     

    Cabrillo Pavilion Arts Center 

    1118 E. Cabrillo Blvd, Santa Barbara, CA 93103    

     

     Site parking $3, or street parking where available.   

     

          


    Enjoy networking with top investors, entrepreneurs, media, owners, and community builders.

    Premiere Sponsors 

    BankoftheWest
    CIO
    ExpressEmployment

    hayes logo

    ML Black

    NasifHicks

    PacBizTimes

    Riviera Insurance

    SoCalLawGroup
    Stradling Yocca
    Visus
    pwc logo

     

    Supporting Sponsors 

     

    AlmaRosaWinery 
    EVC
     NoozHawk new Logo
    Ventura Venture Incubator

    TMP logo
    Event Speakers & Panelists 

    Presenter: 

    Daniel E. Morse, Professor Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry,Biomolecular Science & Engineering at UCSB

     

    Panelists: 

    Dave H. Auston, Executive Director of the Institute for Energy Efficiency at UCSB

    Daniel Weiss, Managing Partner & Co-Founder of Angeleno Group 

     

    Moderator

    Leslie Edwards, Director of Corporate Business Development, Science and Engineering, UCSB   

     

     

    View the complete biographies of the Presenter and Panelists.

     

     

    Program Description

     

    Renewable energy is unpredictable...flooding the grid one day and abandoning it the next.  One answer to the grid challenge could be to store these peaks of energy.  However, today's batteries do not have nearly the capacity and they are an environmental fiasco. This Forum will bring one of the leading cleantech venture groups in California, Angeleno Group, a start-up in high powered  batteries, LifeCel Technology, and an expert in the flaws in the current technologies together to discuss recent breakthroughs in energy storage. LifeCel Technology Inc. is a Santa Barbara start-up spun out of UCSB to scale-up and commercialize recent breakthroughs from Professor Morse's lab.  LifeCel's new materials are enabling major improvements in next-generation batteries and fuel-cells. 
     

    Event Info

     

    Wednesday, June 20, 2012

     

    5:00 p.m. - Networking hour; wine, beer, light buffet

     

    6:00 - 8:00 p.m.- Formal program and Q & A

     

     

     

    Meeting Location

     

    Cabrillo Pavilion Arts Center

    1118 E. Cabrillo Blvd. 

    Santa Barbara, CA 93103

       

      

    PARKING is available on site for $3, or on street where available.  

     

     

    Cost

     

    Online Pre-registration*:  $30.00

     

    General (at door or online 'pay at door'):  $40.00   

     

    Students (w/ ID):  $15.00

       

    (*Online discounted pre-registration is now open. Note, if you registered online but select the 'pay at door' option, you will require to pay 'at door' fee.)

     

    If you have any trouble registering online, please e-mail mitcentralcoast@gmail.com with details of issue and how you initiated the registration.  

      

        

     

     

     

    If you are not already on our mailing list, please click on the following link to subscribe and receive information about our events and other related programs.
     
    This email was sent to john.sokol@gmail.com by mitcentralcoast@gmail.com |  
    MIT Enterprise Forum of the Central Coast | 1036 State Street | Santa Barbara | CA | 93101

    Thursday, June 14, 2012

    Fwd: Best Opportunities in: CPV Solar, Optical Silicone Molding, and Reverse Osmosis

    ---------- Forwarded message ----------
    From: "Nicholas Meyler" <nickm@wdsearch.com>
    Date: Jun 14, 2012 5:32 PM
    Subject: Best Opportunities in: CPV Solar, Optical Silicone Molding, and Reverse Osmosis
    To: <sokol@videotechnology.com>


    If you cannot view this email,
    please Click Here to view an online version.
    Unsubscribe/Update Profile | Share With Friends | Subscribe
                            Wingate Dunross, Inc. June 14, 2012
    My client  is a clean energy company located in the Research Triangle Park area of North Carolina that produces very high efficiency concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) modules. They are now scaling up to volume production, and seek candidates with experience in PV field applications to support its market entry, align with BOS suppliers and manage field deployments. The environment is entrepreneurial, exciting, fast paced, and focused on excellence.
    #1) Senior CPV Applications Engineer

    Responsibilities:
    • Identify and work with balance of system providers to evaluate, develop and provide solutions using company's module arrays
    • Qualify suitable cost effective trackers for their CPV module arrays; integrate these modules with trackers and identify installation solutions

    • Identify best practices in CPV system deployment

    • Collect and analyze field performance data and develop optimized system solutions

    • Serve as a senior technical resource and direct response to customer technical inquiries

    • Develop and maintain product and system related technical documentation

    • Manage the deployment of test systems in the field; provide technical support in customer CPV projects.

    • Participate in the development of  technology roadmap

    Candidate Requirements:

    • Bachelor's or advanced degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent
    • 10+ years of engineering experience, at least 3 years of PV experience; CPV experience preferred

    • Hands-on experience with commercial PV installation; tracker installation experience a strong plus

    • Detailed understanding of balance of system components in a PV system

    • Experience and interest in solving customer problems and root cause analysis

    • Ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally

    • Self-motivated and willing to work long hours in a cross functional organization

    • Excellent written and oral communication skills
     #2) Silicone on Glass Lens Molding Engineer
    In an effort to scale-up production, same company as above is seeking candidates for a silicone on glass lens injection molding engineer. The engineer will aid in the development of the lens molding processes, then transfer from engineering to manufacturing to transition the process from R&D into pilot production. The pilot line facility is located in Henderson, NC. The environment is exciting, fast paced, and focused on excellence.
    Responsibilities:
    • Lead the development of a molding process to produce silicone on glass lenses
    • Identify machinery, automation, material and processes that will scale well from pilot line volumes to full production volumes
    • Work with material vendors and tool suppliers to prototype new concepts
    • Work with reliability and quality groups to qualify new manufacturing techniques
    • Transition lens making process into production with associated control plan
    Candidate Requirements:
    • Bachelor's or advanced degree in Materials Science & Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Chemical Engineering, or related field Experience with silicone molding in a manufacturing environmentUnderstanding of silicone chemistry for optically clear RTV grades
    • Experience in automated manufacturing processes, especially dispense and robotic material handling
    • Solar experience preferred but secondary to other skills
    • Excellent written and oral communication skills
    • Interest in learning more about CPV technology and in working with a talented dynamic team     
    #3) Polymer Membrane Scientist
    My client in Los Angeles is a young VC-funded startup that enhances current polymer-based membranes with a nano-structured material that allows additional control of key membrane properties. The result is a wide array of advantageous membrane characteristics including improved throughput at requisite salt and contaminant rejection levels, passive and active fouling resistance, and the flexibility to address specific water chemistries.  They have recently received $61million in funding from several venture capital firms.

    You will be developing a suite of innovative products based on current nanocomposite RO membrane chemistry as well as second generation membrane materials. Directing and working hands on to ensure quality and commercial viability of reverse osmosis products including hand cast and commercial reverse osmosis membrane testing and synthesis, prototype membrane testing and new product design. Work with other R&D team members to ensure highest quality laboratory procedures.
     
    Essential Functions: 
    • Defining laboratory experiments and creating comprehensive R&D plans
    • Hand-casting polymer and nanocomposite (mixed-matrix) membranes
    • Performing advanced membrane characterization and desalination performance testing
    • Synthesizing and characterizing new monomers and polymers
    • Track the project mgmt process for experiments
    • Robust analysis of data from lab experiments, manufacturing trials and field results
    • Provide general assistance and expertise to manufacturing team members on building differentiated products that maintain company's competitive edge
    Education/Training/Experience:
     
    Required: 
    • M.S. or Ph.D. in polymer chemistry, chemical engineering, or material science.
    • Minimum of 5 years demonstrated successful planning, execution and analysis in moving research work from the laboratory bench to a commercial product.
    • Demonstrated excellence in application of analytical tools (UV-VIS, FT-IR) in quantitative and qualitative analysis.
    • Thorough and demonstrated knowledge of analytical, inorganic, organic and physical chemistry.
    • Ability to work with short cycle times for delivering results.
    • Proven ability to lead scientific and engineering projects.
    • Ability to thrive in an interdisciplinary environment.
    • Good written and verbal English communication skills (MUST HAVE FLUENCY) 
    Desirable:  
    • Experience coating or casting polymer films, membranes or mixed-matrix materials
    • Experience performing and interpreting AFM, SEM, TEM, XRD, EDX, XPS, FTIR, DSC, contact angle, and zeta potential
    • Experience synthesizing monomers and polymers and characterization with NMR, GCMS, FTIR
    • Adhesion and interactions between particles and surfaces in liquids, dispersions, and colloidal systems
    • Mechanistic understanding of interfacial polymerizations
    • Experience using micro and meso-scale characterization to explain macroscopic behavior
    • Competitive product knowledge and industry trends
    • RO membrane development including casting and coating processes
    • Water analysis including ICP, ion chromatography, TOC Laboratory QA/QC
    • SPC, DOE and Statistical Analysis of Laboratory Data
    General Skills/Abilities: Proven attention to detail, excellent organization, written and verbal English communication skills. Competent in using Microsoft Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
    Physical Requirements: Standing, sitting, walking, climbing stairs, light lifting up to 45 pounds, computer operation, travel if/as required by air/rail/auto, ability to work in office and manufacturing environment. 
    #4)  Electrochemists and Chemical Engineers -- Just a reminder to the readers that I spent years in the electrochemistry industry and have a chemical engineering degree.  Please feel free, any and all electrochemists, to submit a resume for my files... and that goes as well for any Chemical Engineers who would like have their resume on file with me.  Confidentiality is guaranteed! 

    IF you interested in pursuing any of these excellent opportunities, please respond with a confidential resume and cover letter, addressing which position is the best fit and why.  Recommendations and referrals are welcomed.
     
    Best Regards,
     
    Nicholas Meyler
    GM/President, Technology
    Wingate Dunross, Inc.
                          
                                                   From Palau... Heading Back Soon!                     
    Note:
    This information is non-confidential and may be shared as widely as you wish.                           
    PLEASE APPLY TO: nickm@wdsearch.com with resume and cover letter.You are welcome to connect with me on LinkedIn at: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=290004&trk=tab_pro                            
    www.thesite.com/updates/ Share this Email »
    28632 Roadside Drive #203, Agoura Hills CA 91301

    Tuesday, June 12, 2012

    Solar panels atop Narmada Canal ,Gujarat.

    Solar panels atop Narmada Canal ,Gujarat.
    The western Indian state of Gujarat is all set to become the first state in the country to generate solar power through panels mounted on a water body. Installation of panels on the canal will help in doing away with the need to acquire land. Evaporation of lakhs of litres of water will be prevented since the canal will be covered. And will generate clean energy. Generated solar power will be supplied to villages alongside the canal, which will lead to lower transmission losses and also helping to reduce the evaporation of water.
    ~This is Gujarat. This is Narendra Modi. This is Development.~


    This also would help solve one more problem, as solar panels heat up they loose efficiency, being over water would actually keep them cooler.