Information About Electric Cars – Their Safety and Popularity

Tristan Perry asked: An electric car is a vehicle which uses electrical motors and motor controllers to power itself, instead of internal combustion engines that more typical petrol/diesel-powered cars use. Electric cars need to be re-charged roughly ever 150-250 miles, however this is their maximum life. They can be re-charged at home (using special devices) or at electric-car charging stations which are being deployed across the country (San Jose, Calif was the first to test the stations). Whilst their popularity has varied over time, they have recently (since about the mid 1990s) started gaining in popularity again. In April 2009, the United Kingdom Government announced plans to provide a subsidy of up to ?5,000 to people who buy electric or hybrid cars. Electric cars need to be re-charged periodically, as mentioned above. Re-charge times vary depending on the amount of power the socket provides, however a re-charge center can re-charge an electric car battery in anything up to an hour (some batteries can be re-charged in much less time, however). They don’t emit any carbon dioxide, which means that such cars are used favourably by environmentally-friendly consumers. Of course, electricity is currently primarily generated by burning fossil fuels – which does release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Hence the use of an electric car would indirectly release carbon dioxide, although it goes without saying that an electric car is better for the environment than a standard car. Many electric cars use regenerative braking – this process means that the significant portion of energy used when a car accelerates can be gained back when the car breaks. This helps to increase the overall efficiency of the vehicle. Electric Car Safety Electric cars are relatively safe since many have the standard safety features (side impact bars, front and rear crumple zones, safety glass etc), and also they are relatively heavy (compared to standard cars), and it’s been proven that heavier cars tend to see lesser injuries occur to its passengers compared to lighter cars in the event of a crash. Of course, this is on average – safety also comes down to the manufacturer and the safety features they install. But there’s no specific reason why electric cars are less safe than standard cars. Additionally, electric cars have multiple safety layers built in to mitigate any potential possibility of getting a shock from the electric car’s battery. More specifically, the battery pack is known as a “floating system” since it’s kept electrically separate from the car’s chassis. Some other components may simply not function if they detect even a slight fault in the electricity going to the chassis. As with any electrical system, electric cars have numerous circuit breakers, fuses, mains contractors etc. Due to the aforementioned safety layers, it is perfectly safe to use electric cars in the rain. Remember that an electrical car is, on average, heavier than standard cars. This does mean that there will be a slightly adjustment needed when handling the vehicle (for example, just as it would if you put heavy items in the boot/trunk of a standard car). Power steering and power brakes are recommended features to look out for when purchasing an electric car. One problem with the external safety of electric cars is that they are relatively quiet, and in speeds of 20 mph (32 kph) or lower they are especially hard to hear. This will pose a threat particularly to visually-impaired pedestrians who may not be able to hear the vehicle coming. To combat this, the United States Congress and European Union Commission are looking at introducing legislation to ensure that electric cars emit a minimum level of sound. Popularity Of Electric Cars Currently electric cars are seen as quite different, and aren’t very popular (albeit they are growing in popularity). However this hasn’t always been the case. In the early 20th century (1900-1920), electric cars were more popular than standard gasoline-powered cars. However their popularity rapidly diminished from the 1920s to the 1980s, as oil (and so petrol/diesel) prices become relatively cheap. However since the 1980s, oil has started becoming relatively more expensive again, and eco-friendly attitudes have risen. As such electric car popularity is rising again. In an LA car show in 1990, the President of General Motors unveiled the “Impact” electric car – this was a forerunner to the hallmark EV1 electric car. Many car makers started producing various electric car models throughout the 90s, mostly prompted by the California Air Resources Board pledging to push for more fuel efficient vehicles. According to the American Electric Drive Transportation Association, in 2006 there were about 70,000 electric cars in use in America, up from the estimated 56,000 cars just two years before – an increase of 25%. Overall numbers of such cars used are still very low compared to usage figures of gasoline-powered cars, however their usage numbers are rising and the trend towards more eco-friendly views can only benefit electric car usage. Read more on Information About Electric Cars – Their Safety and Popularity…

Read the original post:
Information About Electric Cars Their Safety and Popularity

Solar Financing Program Offered

Share SPG SOLAR ANNOUNCES FORMATION OF STRUCTURED FINANCE GROUP ~Full Suite of Funding Resources and Expertise to be Available to Commercial Solar Market~ Novato, CA September 21, 2010 SPG Solar , a leading US solar installer and recently ranked as the second largest in California, announced today that it will offer access to a full array of financial resources and expertise on public funding and tax credit opportunities for commercial solar projects. SPG Solars Structured Finance Group will be headed by Michael Johnson, the former Managing Director of the Renewable Energy Investment Program for the National Development Council, who joined SPG Solar in June, 2010 as Vice President of Project Finance. Read more on Solar Financing Program Offered… Subscribe to the comments for this post? Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Post this on Diigo Post on Google Buzz Add this to Mister Wong Share this on Mixx Share this on Reddit Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Share this on Technorati Tweet This!

See the rest here:
Solar Financing Program Offered

Obama And McCain on Wind Power Energy Use – Where Do They Stand?

Evangeline Cortez asked: Barack Obama, Democratic Presidential candidate, and John McCain, the Republican contender both continue to address major issues on energy. The topic of Obama versus McCain on Wind Energy Use is quickly gaining increased attention from constituents. Senator Obama has stressed his proposal that the United States sell oil coming from its strategic reserve in the hopes of lowering gasoline prices. He is also pressing for the utilization of alternative sources of energy. Senator McCain, on the other hand, gears towards offshore drilling and an expanded utilization of nuclear power instead. Apparently, Obama is against expanded nuclear power exploration and investment. He has proposed a windfall profits tax policy which will result to a lowered supply and raised prices. Experts have stated that this policy have already been implemented during the Carter administration and it did not work. What is needed instead is higher supply and decreased consumption. The good news, however, on the whole issue of Obama versus McCain on wind energy use is that no matter who wins the election, the so-called green energy industry will surely be on the winner’s side. Obama focuses on the issues of oil. Last October 2007, he had said that when he becomes President, he will help automobile manufacturers to retool their factories in order for the latter to manufacture cars that will use lesser oil. McCain, on the other hand, has leaned more towards using wind power. This is apparent in his desire to cut down greenhouse gas emissions. It is known for its pollution-free nature. Unlike fossil fuels, wind power usage does not emit greenhouse gas. Obama, however, also supports the cap and trade policy for a system that will cut down greenhouse gas emissions. Development to use wind power is an endeavor the new president must look into. Central to this issue of Obama and McCain is the fact that a vast part of the United States is actually prime resource. Canada and Europe are world leaders of wind power projects. Other countries are also looking into building production facilities in the United States. The major wind turbine manufacturers in other world regions have already explored this. This is because the expenses that may be incurred in building the wind turbine systems in the US are far lesser compared to building the wind turbines overseas and then shipping them. These systems are a leading projects in the green energy system that promises to support whoever will win in the Obama versus McCain presidential elections. Another area of the green energy system is the solar thermal power plants. Although the entire Obama versus McCain on wind energy use issue can be a strain, it is at the very least still comforting to know that the country can depend on the green energy system to address the pressing concerns of oil and wind power problems that have arose and may be arising. Solar power Read more on Obama And McCain on Wind Power Energy Use – Where Do They Stand?… Energy Tags: wind power , energy

See more here:
Obama And McCain on Wind Power Energy Use Where Do They Stand?

Types And Features Of Limousines You Need To Know About.

There is a corresponding vehicle in any situation or events that we are present also various technicians approaches to requirements of each people. If you are similar on the adventurous person and want to walk on a deserted zone where to see wild animals, you can go in 4?4 trucks which will help you to travel along all places. It is possible to drive also on the yacht if you wish to study the sea and a romantic supper at fireworks viewing in the sky. It is really healthy for knowing that there are various vehicles which are used for other event or the adventures you wish to have. It can be on the earth, in air or water always there will be a suitable mode transport it is possible to use. It is about the well-known cars which are usually used for participation parties and other important event of the limousine. You can always see a limousine used by the known people who were present on a party or rewarding. It is also the best for those people who will participate in conferences and meetings. Luxury is something which it can bring really surprisingly. Because of the fashion and stylistic sight, a limousine is demanded practically for all events. It better approaches for pair which will have date in a romantic place. And limousine use will give good impression on the person today. Usually a limousine is long a car which can contain less than 4 persons. And in the course of time passes, many limousines which are made can have no more than 30 passengers. It is very convenient for groups of friends, which wish to have experience to go by a limousine together, and can have the car party in a limousine. It also approaches for those who have the big families which will go on a city and wish to be integral with each other. Limousines can also save time especially for the businessman; you can hold session in a limousine during travel. Because of it has more spacious function, you can have at least 5 passengers in one limousine. It is used also by famous persons, as the president of the country where is a measure limousine on fastening of people because there are limousines which are under construction to have bulletproof windows and bodies. Thus, any site murder can be the safe person who goes on it. Knowing all these are things about limousines, we can sweep in a limousine, even if you are not one. There are many companies out of there limousine which offers services in the reasonable price and gives the chance for you to have a limousine go. Enjoy your trip on the limousine! Need top class vehicles? Check out this limo web site. Great prices and best offers from the company with serious reputation. All you need for limo sale issues (and other necessary limo info). Read more on Types And Features Of Limousines You Need To Know About…. Energy Tags: energy resources , wind power

Read more here:
Types And Features Of Limousines You Need To Know About.

New York Power Authority – Great Lakes Offshore Wind Project

NYPA has announced a major step forward on its Great Lakes Offshore Wind Project. On December 1, President Richard Kessel released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the development of utility scale (120 MW to 500 MW) wind generating projects in New York State waters of Lake Erie and/or Lake Ontario. Read more on New York Power Authority – Great Lakes Offshore Wind Project… Energy Tags: solar energy , wind power

The rest is here:
New York Power Authority Great Lakes Offshore Wind Project

All The Way With Resources Renewable Energy Systems

In his first 100 days, President Obama has taken bold moves to create a comprehensive resource renewable energy policy to help America reduce its dependency on foreign sources of power, while also responsibly reducing our carbon footprint on the planet. (…)

View post:
All The Way With Resources Renewable Energy Systems

Mixed Signals & Federal Funding for Alternative Energy Research

There have definitely been some mixed signals on alternative energy research recently. At the same time President Bush’s State of the Union address called for a 22 percent increase in federal spending to develop alternative energies, dozens of staffers and contractors for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, were being laid off. The disconnect was a political embarrassment for the president, so federal officials restored the laboratory’s funding, rehiring the workers who had been laid off just in time for President Bushs scheduled speech at the NREL. In his speech the President acknowledged the confusion, I recognize that there has been some interesting mixed signals when it comes to funding,” President Bush said. This comes at a time when a new national public opinion survey demonstrates overwhelming public support in the United States for government policies and investments that will support development of alternative energy sources. The survey of 1,000 registered voters was conducted by Public Opinion Strategies of Alexandria, VA, for the Energy Future Coalition. The surveys findings included: According to the survery there is nearly unanimous support for a national goal of having 25% of the United States domestic energy needs met by alternative energy by the year 2025. Ninety-eight percent of voters see this goal as important for the country, and three out of four (74%) feel that it is “very important.” Ninety percent of voters believe this goal is achievable. Similar majorities support government action to encourage greater use of renewable energy. Eighty-eight percent of voters favor financial incentives, and 92% support minimum government standards for the use of renewable energy by the private sector. Nearly all voters (98%) say the costs, such as the cost of research and development and the cost of building new renewable energy production facilities, would be worth it to get the United States to the 25% by 2025 goal. Voters consider energy to be an important issue facing the country, rating it similarly with health care, terrorism and national security, and education, and ahead of taxes and the war in Iraq. Half (50%) of voters believe America is headed for an energy crisis in the future, and 35% believe the country already is facing a crisis. So just how much is the United States government spending on alternative energy research? After the 22% increase the budget will stand at $771 million. This amounts to less than one percent of the $55,000 million the federal government spends annually on research, nearly half of which is devoted to healthcare. Its time for action. Source for figures on federal funding for alternative energy research President Bush’s speech at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory America’s Energy Future

Original post:
Mixed Signals & Federal Funding for Alternative Energy Research

China to Spend Billions on Alternative Energy

China is to spend billions on alternative energy and many times more on oil and coal. Tim Johnson of Knight Ridder reports that barely a dozen years ago the country didn’t need deep-sea oil ports, massive tank farms and a brawny foreign policy to procure oil in far-flung spots. Today, China is an oil-guzzling dragon with a voracious thirst, much like the United States. Supertankers stretching three football fields in length now wait to enter China’s deep-sea ports. The busiest oil terminal is at Ningbo on the East China Sea. Shipping records show that in November, supertankers arrived there from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iran, Yemen, Equatorial Guinea, Angola and Congo to feed a craving that’s helped drive up crude oil prices, rattle global politics and put China and the United States at odds in some of the world’s most unstable regions. China’s thirst for oil has emboldened Iran and complicated the refugee crisis in Sudan. With its economy growing at a 9 percent annual rate, China is also courting many of America’s oil suppliers, including Canada and Venezuela. Increasingly, the United States and China are throwing elbows as global rivals for energy. The tussle could get more aggressive if the two nations can’t manage to co-exist in the global energy contest. “We’ve got to start those discussions before the race for oil becomes as hot and dangerous as the nuclear arms race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union,” Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., said in a Nov. 30 speech to the Council on Foreign Relations. “If we let it go, this could end up in real military conflict, not just economic conflict.” It is interesting to note that this “race for oil” is framed as a zero sum game in which one country wins and another loses. An alternative would be international cooperation to maximise energy efficiency, minimise pollution and radically increase renewable energy. Compared with the United States, which consumes 25 percent of the world’s annual oil output, China burns only 6 percent of the world’s production. Yet its energy use is rising steeply. China exported more oil than it imported until 1993, when imports began to surge. This year, it’s importing 3.4 million barrels a day, and some estimates say that within a decade it’ll need 7 million barrels a day. Within two decades, demand could reach 12 million barrels a day, which would equal U.S. imports today. China’s oil thirst since 2000 has accounted for 40 percent of the global demand growth for crude oil. Senior Chinese officials grow testy at the suggestion that China’s rising needs are roiling oil markets, saying the nation is following a natural path to prosperity. “Some people complain that China is driving up oil prices. They think the reason lies in China’s high consumption of oil,” said Zhang Guobao, the vice-chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission. But Zhang said that China’s per capita energy consumption is one-sixth of developed countries and deserves to rise. “Chinese people want to live a prosperous life. So the world should respect China’s right to development,” Zhang said. In other words Zhang is saying the Chinese have a right to an energy rich lifestyle, sound familiar? China still wastes energy, leaving huge potential savings from efficiency. To generate $1 million in economic output, China needs eight times more oil — or its energy equivalent — than Japan does. Chinese officials claim a turnabout in efficiency is under way. Last summer, China made fuel standards for cars more stringent than those in the United States, and a campaign is afoot to ramp up reliance on renewable energy. The United States and other western nations have an opportunity to help China to become as energy efficient as possible as fast as possible rather than trying to sell Chinese consumers gas guzzling SUVs. Some experts suggest long-term projections on China’s energy needs may be premature because the nation is capable of rapid adaptation and change, and of greater reliance on its vast coal reserves. Some 68 percent of China’s power comes from coal, and the nation is building electric power plants at a rate never seen before on Earth, fueling them from unsafe shafts where thousands of miners are killed each year. China built power plants this year generating 68 gigawatts of electricity and plans 80 more gigawatts of capacity in 2006, equal to the entire capacity of Britain. “It took the U.K. 110 years to build those 80 gigawatts,” said James M. Brock, an expert who advises the Beijing office of Cambridge Energy Research Associates, a U.S. consultancy. Nonetheless, China is seeking oil security differently than other countries in East Asia. It has sent its three major state-owned oil companies to scour the globe and invest in foreign oil companies and oil fields. China, a relative newcomer to capitalism, allegedly deeply mistrusts the global oil markets, viewing them as distastefully volatile. Some analysts believe China’s strategy has led it to bid heavily — and even to overpay — for some assets. It’s adapted a very 19th century approach to energy security, where you seek an almost mercantilist lock-up of energy sources,” said John J. Hamre, the president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington public policy organization. China has some reason to be nervous. While imported oil makes up only about 12 percent of China’s total energy needs, its energy lifelines increasingly lead to the volatile Middle East. Some 60 percent of China’s oil imports come from the Persian Gulf region. Supertankers carrying the oil must pass through the pirate-infested Malacca Straits off Malaysia, where China’s oil is protected by the U.S. Navy. China is beefing up its own navy, but it still can’t protect faraway sea-lanes. To diversify its suppliers, China has gone oil shopping in Central Asia, West Africa and even in South and North America. Sometimes, Chinese oil companies simply bid high, as CNOOC, one of the national oil companies, did last summer when it offered $18.5 billion for the California oil company Unocal, a deal that was derailed by Capitol Hill critics who suggested that it threatened U.S. national security. At other times, Chinese diplomats trail the state oil companies, sweetening investment bids with offers of few-strings-attached aid packages, hands-off political support and weapons. “Everywhere the Chinese go in the developing world, they go with a lot of development money” said Gal Luft, a Washington-based analyst and the executive director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, a non-profit organization that focuses on the relationship between energy needs and the economy and national security. China has offered large amounts of development aid in Africa, where it gets 28 percent of its imported crude and plays an increasingly important diplomatic role. Last year, China gave Angola, its second-largest oil supplier after Saudi Arabia, a $2 billion oil-backed loan to help repair its war-ravaged national infrastructure. China has courted oil-rich nations such as Sudan, Venezuela and Iran that are officially out of favour with Washington, even dangling the possibility of using its United Nations Security Council veto to protect them against sanctions. China last year repeatedly blocked U.N. attempts to punish Sudan for failing to stop atrocities in its Darfur region. China owns a 40 percent stake in the major oil consortium drilling in Sudan, and it buys half of Sudan’s crude exports. Eyeing Nigeria’s oil fields, China has offered Lagos some $7 billion in investments and said it may sell the country fighter jets too. Iran which won pledges from China last year for $70 billion worth of oil and natural gas deals, also enjoys vital support from Beijing. Iran now appears confident that it can resist pressure from the European Union and the United States over its nuclear program, certain that China will veto any attempt to impose U.N. sanctions. Reuters resports that a Chinese state-owned energy firm plans to invest at least $2.48 billion over the next five years in biomass, garbage treatment and other alternative energy projects. China Energy Conservation Investment Corp. made the plans to take advantage of a new law promoting renewable energy, which sets tariffs in favor of non-fossil energy such as wind, water and solar power and is due to take effect in January. “We see tremendous business opportunities from the new law,” the China Daily quoted Wang Yi, a senior company official, as saying. Coal provides some 70 percent of electricity in China, the world’s second-largest energy consumer and producer of greenhouse gases. The state-owned company has started building two wind farms and a new facility that would harness steam generated from garbage and sewage treatment to produce power, the newspaper said. The firm had budgeted about $1.1 billion to build the garbage-powered plant underway in eastern China and 10 others like it in other parts of the country over the next five years, Wang said. Another $1.1 billion would go toward constructing up to 30 biomass energy projects in major agricultural provinces, which use organic or woody material such as straw to make fuel or generate power. China has set a goal of getting 15 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, though it has acknowledged that coal will remain its primary source of electricity for decades to come. Comment Within the overall context China’s $2.48 billion investment in alternative energy seems insignificant. China is spending huge sums expanding dirty coal fired electricity production. These new plants are not “clean” coal plants and are certainly not carbon neutral (at least not before 2020 ). Huge amounts of energy is being wasted in China and this looks set to continue. China has some of the world’s worst industrial pollution. It doesn’t have to be this way. There is an opportunity for international development and cooperation to help China and the rest of the world avoid some of the worst negative consequences of rapid industrialisation. It won’t be cheap and it won’t be easy. Or we can seek to deny the Chinese the energy rich lifestyle that many in the west believe is their birthright. China – An Energy Timebomb? Watthead – Is Red China Going Green?

Read the original post:
China to Spend Billions on Alternative Energy

Alternative Energy in Central America

Managua, Nicaragua Cancn, Mexico – With the signing of an energy partnership with Mexico, Central America is poised to see a steady supply of oil and natural gas from its northern neighbor. Mexico’s focus on hydrocarbons was clear in the plan, drafted by Mexican officials, which ranked development of alternative energy as only the seventh out of eight priorities for the region. “Petroleum is an addiction; it’s like a drug,” Costa Rican President Abel Pacheco retorted during the meeting. “We have to understand that it’s not going to be available forever.” Costa Rica has led the region in alternative energy, with 90 percent of its electricity from hydroelectric, geothermal and wind-powered generators, according to Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, Costa Rica’s energy and environment minister. Nicaragua and El Salvador have also been investing in alternative energy projects. El Salvador gets 50 percent of its energy from renewable energy sources, according to Ismael Snchez, a professor of energy sciences at the Universidad Centroamericana Jose Simeon Caas in El Salvador.

Read more from the original source:
Alternative Energy in Central America