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http://www.isis-innovation.com/licensing/3056.html

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:22:51 -0700

- Isis Project No 3056

A lightweight electric motor has been developed that offers increased efficiency for a variety of high torque to low weight applications including hybrid vehicles and renewable energy.
The Oxford Invention

Segmented Armature Torus Motor A new topology of motor featuring a segmented armature and the novel use of materials has been designed and developed by the Electronic Power Group within the Engineering Department at the University of Oxford. The key features of this design applicable to motor and generator applications are:

* Greatly reduced weight - the use of iron and copper is reduced
* High efficiency (up to 97%) through the intelligent use of new materials
* Excellent manufacturing possibilities
* The design allows for the use of novel combinations of materials even for large machines
* Reduced torque ripple due to multi phase winding
* Improved cooling characteristics due to segmented design
* Scalable for large generators such as those used in renewable energy (e.g. low speed wind and tidal) applications.

These features combine to give a motor that is both lightweight and delivers extremely good power to weight performance. An Oxford motor for automotive application weighed just 13kg but delivers a peak torque of 130Nm (10Nm/kg) and peak power of about 50kW. Simulations show that the same motor is capable of achieving a peak torque of over 200Nm and a peak power of over 150kW. Suitable for high torque applications the technology could be applied to regenerative braking systems within hybrid vehicles for example or wind turbines without the requirement for direct drive gearboxes. A prototype has been built which has matched its modelled characteristics.

Is this the right time for a Canadian car?

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:56:50 -0700

http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/this+right+time+Canadian/1755305/story.html

"The advent of bio-composite materials is promising," Armstrong said. "The Alberta Research Council's trials on hemp composites show they are as strong as fibreglass, but lighter."

Armstrong said composite manufacturing reduces tooling costs by as much as half.

Traditional metal stamping dies --the tools needed to form sheet metal body panels--can cost between $500 and $700 million. Composite tooling, he said, could cost less than $250 million...

Armstrong sees an auto industry based on existing Canadian parts suppliers producing components such as springs and seat rails. Actual vehicle production would not require paint, as a coloured film provides the surface finish. Vehicles would be assembled in small batches.

"It's a very clean manufacturing method. No noise, no heavy equipment, you could have a car factory in a neighbourhood," Armstrong said..."

CLEAR Village Foundation

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:28:48 -0700

Our Aim: A Sustainable Village by 2014

C.L.E.A.R. Village Foundation's five-year collaborative design project is working to construct a real-life C.L.E.A.R. Village. By bringing together leading figures from a variety of disciplines, powerful and complete solutions can be developed. The village will offer excellence in social, environmental and economic sustainability to both residents and guests. The village will let businesses test innovative solutions and technologies in a real world situation, showcasing their most innovative work on a world stage.
C.L.E.A.R. Village's Collaborative Design and Thinking Events

By turning aspiration into action through a highly interactive programme, C.L.E.A.R. Village sets itself apart from other sustainable design processes.

At the invitation-only C.L.E.A.R. Village Lab held in the Institute of Advanced Architecture in Barcelona at the 5-7 November 2009, exceptional individuals in their own craft will gather to inspire each other and co-design a framework for a sustainable community.

Story - Technology - Montreal Gazette

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 03:50:34 -0700

MONTREAL - Hydro-Qu�bec and Ford Motor Co. are collaborating on a program to test plug-in electric cars, the two companies said Tuesday.

The auto company, along with the Electric Power Research Institute, picked Hydro as one of nine utilities to join a North America-wide demonstration and research plan for plug-in electric vehicles.

The three-year test program on the Ford Escape is designed to develop and evaluate technical approaches for integrating plug-ins into the electric grid. Hydro-Qu�bec is the only Canadian company participating in the project.

"We have to accelerate the replacement of oil by electricity for individual transportation and public transit. The transport sector accounts for 42 per cent of Qu�bec's greenhouse gas emissions. The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions that could be achieved through the electrification of transport in Qu�bec, where 98 per cent of the electricity is produced from renewable sources, would be considerable. Hydro-Qu�bec will act as a leader in this area," said Thierry Vandal, Hydro president and CEO.

Refueling costs for an average vehicle driven 18,000 kilometres per year would be $244, compared with $1,383, the Electric Power Research Institute estimates. Based in several U.S. states, the non-profit institute conducts research and development into the use of electric energy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Power_Research_Institute

Programs from series: Sustainable Futures|A-Infos Radio Project

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 14:46:42 -0700

Also available as podcast, here:
http://www.radio4all.net/responder.php/podcast/podcast.xml?series=Sustainable +Futures

Weekly series on internet radio or podcasts concerning sustainability.

http://Transitions.stumbleupon.com/review/30436855/

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 08:13:14 -0800

http://ergobalance.blogspot.com/2009/02/low-carbon-retrofit-for-quarter-of.html

Related Reading:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/feb/09/eco-homes-refit-emissions
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/milo_yiannopoulos/blog/2009/02/17/leading_climate_change_cheerleader_james_hansen_has_lost_the_plot

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/columns/c_d_staff/dave_vanderwerp/a_hybrid_that_has_no_batteries_column

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 15:02:53 -0800

More discoveries in the arsenal of the Car Culture:
"..This system makes a lot of sense for the stop-and-go drive cycle of UPS trucks--some 40 percent of the 73,500-truck U.S. fleet never ventures above 45 mph. A fully loaded, 23,000-pound UPS truck traveling at 30 mph has 0.26 kWh of kinetic energy. When brought to a stop, the hydraulic-hybrid system can recover and reuse more than 70 percent of that energy whereas battery-powered hybrids typically reuse only 25 percent of a vehicle's kinetic energy.."

http://Transitions.stumbleupon.com/review/29359638/

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 07:24:04 -0800

http://www.montrealgazette.com/Technology/there+life+after/1188444/story.html

Quote (there are many):
".."All clean energy is in the long run cheaper because you don't have to pay for the fuel," he said. "Renewables are the only thing that can lead to clean and cheap energy forever." So is there really an energy crisis, or is it simply a crisis of ignorance? Human potential is the most overlooked and most important factor in overcoming the problems of peak oil and climate change, Scheer said. "We cannot discuss this question only on cost comparisons. Who has the courage in 20 or 25 years to tell their own children, 'We could have solved the problem but it was too expensive for us. The additional cost of three or four cents per kilowatt/hour was too costly for us.' That's really shabby."

Another link: http://www.montrealgazette.com/story_print.html?id=1188444&sponsor=

http://Transitions.stumbleupon.com/review/29359291/

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 07:06:53 -0800

Examples of installable (removable, portable panels or similar) insulation that allow for flexibility:

http://www.sumcan.com/faq.html (firm based in Alberta, Canada)
http://www.coverflex.net/ (Texas, USA)
http://www.p2000insulation.ca/faq.php (throughout Canada)

http://Transitions.stumbleupon.com/review/28592764/

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 12:24:52 -0800

A Brief History of Oil - a slightly comical depiction of oil on video

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=971_1190748821 Part 1

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=793_1190748891 Part 2 and so on