Resource World Magazine

Resource World - April/May 2014 - Vol 12 Iss 3

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www.resourceworld.com 59 A P R I L / M A Y 2 0 1 4 Not complying could threaten their ability to sell vehicles in the state, which accounts for more than 10% of US sales. Another advantage of fuel cells is the technology can be scaled up to run large trucks – something that is more difficult with batteries. Hyundai's Tucson SUVs match the range and refueling rate of gasoline-powered cars. "If you look at replacing gasoline without giving anything up, we are further ahead with fuel cells than we are with electric vehicles," he said. Fuel cell skeptics say the US govern - ment already has invested $5 billion in the infrastructure to build and support battery electric cars. Switching to hydrogen would require another big investment. RESEARCHERS IMPROVE ARTIFICIAL LEAF Designing an artificial leaf that uses solar energy to convert water cheaply and effi- ciently into hydrogen and oxygen is one of the goals of the Energy Frontier Research Center at Arizona State University, Tempe (ASU). In a recent online edition of Nature Chemistry, ASU scientists, with colleagues at Argonne National Laboratory, announced they have moved toward perfecting a func - tional artificial leaf. "Initially, our artificial leaf did not work very well, and our diagnostic studies on why indicated that a step where a fast chemical reaction had to interact with a slow chemical reaction was not efficient," said ASU chem - istry professor Thomas Moore. "The fast one is the step where light energy is converted to chemical energy, and the slow one is the step where the chemical energy is used to convert water into its elements hydrogen and oxygen." The researchers took a closer look at how nature had overcome a related problem in the part of the photosynthetic process where water is oxidized to yield oxygen. "We looked in detail and found that nature had used an intermediate step," said Moore. "This intermediate step involved a relay for electrons in which one half of the relay interacted with the fast step in an opti - mal way to satisfy it, and the other half of the relay then had time to do the slow step of water oxidation in an efficient way." They then designed an artificial relay based on the natural one and were rewarded with a major improvement. The team then looked in detail at the atomic level to figure out how this might work. They used X-ray crystallography and optical and magnetic resonance spec - troscopy techniques to determine the local electromagnetic environment of the electrons and protons participating in the relay, and with the help of theory, identified a unique structural feature of the relay. This was an unusually short bond between a hydrogen atom and a nitrogen atom that facilitates the correct working of the relay. They also found subtle magnetic features of the electronic structure of the artificial relay that mirrored those found in the natural system. Not only has the artificial system been improved, but the team understands better how the natural system works. This will be important as scientists develop the artificial leaf approach to sustainably harnessing the solar energy needed to provide the food, fuel and fiber that human increasingly require. This research is funded by the Department of Energy, in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at ASU. SELF-PROGRAMMING WIRELESS LIGHTING REDUCES ENERGY CONSUMPTIO Cree, Inc. [CREE-NASDAQ] has intro - duced its SmartCast™ Technology, the first self-programming wireless lighting control system that reduces energy con- sumption by more than 70% (compared to traditional fluorescent luminaires with- out SmartCast Technology) at half the cost of traditional lighting controls. This technology simplifies the setup and main- tenance processes associated with lighting controls. "Commercial lighting customers have resisted installing traditional lighting controls because of excess cost and com - plexity, and the majority of those who have installed controls stop using them as intended after the first year because they're difficult to maintain," said Norbert Hiller, executive vice president, lighting. "Cree SmartCast Technology eliminates these barriers to adoption and delivers the enormous benefit of significantly greater energy cost savings, allowing customers to finally realize the promise of lighting controls." The OneButton™ Setup luminaires enabled with SmartCast Technology cre - ate their own secure network, learn about their environment, and form groups to maximize savings, all with the push of a button. Cree SmartCast Technology is sold through Cree lighting sales channels throughout the United States and Canada. BAMBOO-FRAMED ELECTRIC MOUNTAIN BIKE RELEASED IN EUROPE Bamboo, a light, strong, and rapid-grow - ing plant could be the all-natural building material of the future. With that in mind, Denmark-based E-Wheels has released the world's first bamboo-framed electric mountain bike, called "the Beast." The Beast uses a Zambia-built ZamBikes bamboo mountain bike frame and attaches a Falco eMotors 250-watt electric motor to thick 26-inch tires and a RockShox sus - pension. Its bamboo frame is held together with natural fibers and glue. The Beast is assembled in Denmark by E-Wheels. The bike is lightweight and strong, and the electric motor can help the rider power up hills and over obstacles. The Beast is for sale in Europe; com - pleted bikes cost € 3,999, while DIY kits that can be shipped anywhere in Europe start at € 3,499, or about CDN $5,300. n

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