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In global green technology news this week, GM and its partner SAIC (News - Alert) have begun testing cars in a climate wind tunnel at the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center in Shanghai; a hybrid superconducting electrical cable has passed its first trials in Russia; a Canadian-American deal has led to the development of “fully loaded” electric bikes— available with telematics, global positioning systems (GPS) and wireless services; and baseball’s Seattle Mariners (just back from Japan) will power through opening day at Safeco Stadium with new solar panels from Panasonic (News - Alert).
“Weather” or not—we count on our cars to negotiate even the worst road conditions safely and reliably. To help meet consumer expectations, on March 27, the world’s first climate wind tunnel operated by a Chinese joint venture automotive partner began testing vehicles at the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC) in Shanghai. The PATAC is operated as a 50-50 engineering and design joint venture between the Detroit-based General Motors (News - Alert) Company and SAIC Motor Corporation Limited, one of the “Big Four” Chinese automakers.
The facility, which represents an investment of nearly $28.5 million, features advanced technologies and equipment—including a test cabin, wind turbines, cooling/heating systems, chassis dynamometers, a sunshine/rain/snow simulation system, a data acquisition system, and a sophisticated road simulation rotating hub system. Breaking seasonal and regional restrictions, the tunnel can replace around 80 percent of climate-related road tests.
Scientists in Russia have successfully tested a hybrid superconducting electrical cable, according to reports from the news agency Pravda. The use of superconductors for cables to meet energy needs could potentially provide solar energy to much of the world—but developers must be able to meet a challenge: Cables made from superconductors have to be cooled constantly. In their experiment, Russian scientists built a10-meter cable with a cavity for the transportation of liquid hydrogen.
It was tested in Voronezh. Pravda also reported that magnesium diboride was cooled and was acting as a superconductor. The cable transmits 25 megawatts (MW) of power; however, scientists say that it could someday carry as much as 10 gigawatts (GW) across long distances. At some point, solar energy could be collected in the Sahara Dessert and transmitted elsewhere. In addition, Pravda said that, if the technology were developed, one or two plants could supply sufficient energy for all of Russia.
Until recently, bicycle riders only had to master a few gears on one handlebar and a bell on the other before they could push back the kickstand and ride into the wind. Those simple two-wheelers still are available, but for the “techmeisters” among us – or the directionally impaired – there are now electric bikes that offer dashboards packed with the same telematics, global positioning systems (GPS) and wireless services that a consumer would enjoy in a fully loaded car.
Vancouver, Canada-based Saturna Green Systems Inc., an automotive wireless technology developer and GPS location-based services (LBS) provider, recently announced an agreement with New York City-based Evolve motorcycles to incorporate Saturna’s wireless communications platform into Evolve’s U.S.-made electric bicycles. The platform will be available on certain evolve 2013 models, representing the first time that LBS and telematics devices have been installed up-front on an electric scooter OEM’s assembly line.
There will be electricity “in the air” at the Seattle Mariners’ stadium, Safeco Field, on opening day, April 13. It takes 300,000 volts to light up the 12-year-old ballpark and a good part of that power will be supplied by solar energy. Panasonic Enterprise Solutions Company, based in Secaucus, N.J., is providing 168 HIT Double solar panels—so-called because they absorb and generate electricity from both their top and bottom sides. The project is part of the baseball team’s ongoing commitment to sustainability, which includes electric vehicle charging stations, 535 metal halide lights, and other eco-friendly measures.
The InSpec Group—an engineering and construction firm with offices in Japan and America—has designed huge solar arrays to be mounted on the elevator canopy of the parking garage; as well as on the roof of the Safeco Field Skybridge, which spans Edgar Martinez Drive in Seattle. (A bit of trivia: The drive is named for the retired Mariners third baseman and designated hitter.) The 32.76-kilowatt system will generate approximately 40,000-kilowatt hours of power annually, which will feed into the Safeco Field distribution grid. Fans will be able to track the amount of power generated by the solar panels on monitors inside the ballpark.
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