Ecoconduite : Logica lance un capteur intelligent

Récompenser les automobilistes adoptant une conduite souple en leur faisant payer l'essence moins cher. Une société de service informatique a développé le système qui permettrait de mettre l'idée en place. Les spécialistes sont sceptiques.

De 15 à 18 % de baisse de consommation sont promis grâce à cette technologie. En attendant, la pratique de l'écoconduite permet déjà de réaliser une économie de 10 à 15 % de carburant.

L'idée est toute bête, encore fallait-il y penser : inciter les conducteurs à être raisonnables au volant en leur faisant payer leur carburant moins cher. Le principe est assez simple : le conducteur qui adopterait une conduite souple et moins énergivore se verrait récompensé en arrivant à la pompe via une ristourne sur le prix de son carburant. L'idée vient de la société de services Logica, qui a développé un système dûment breveté, baptisé EMO, présenté la semaine dernière à Paris. Sa genèse est assez classique et révélatrice du parcours de l'innovation dans bien des entreprises. « Un ingénieur trouvait stupide d'avoir à passer au garage pour faire réviser sa voiture et imaginait qu'il serait possible de le faire à distance en transmettant certains paramètres », se rappelle GBS Bindra, directeur international de l'innovation chez Logica. Jugé intéressant, le concept a été et mis à l'étude. Avec une question principale : comment créer de la valeur ? « L'idée a alors surgi de faire le lien avec le prix de l'énergie, précise GBS Bindra. Pour entrer dans une société moins dépendante des sources d'énergie à base de carbone, il faut créer un nouveau modèle économique. Et le seul qui puisse vraiment marcher, c'est de récompenser économiquement le fait d'être vert. »

Les ingénieurs se sont alors mis au travail et ont développé un prototype. Le composant central et essentiel consiste en un capteur (« on board unit ») qui se connecte sur le boîtier électronique de contrôle du moteur (« engine control unit »). Il enregistre en temps réel les données liées à la conduite et aux émissions de polluants et de gaz à effet de serre. A l'arrivée dans la station-service, au moment de faire le plein, le capteur aura repéré les accélérations excessives ou les freinages brutaux et calculé une moyenne de la performance du conducteur depuis son précédent passage à la pompe. Il communiquera alors par radio les données à la pompe à essence. Cette dernière se connectera immédiatement, via le réseau téléphonique GSM, à un ordinateur central, qui en retour indiquera un prix de carburant calculé en fonction de la performance du conducteur.

Testé à Bangalore

Bertrand-Olivier Ducreux, ingénieur au département transport et mobilité de l'Ademe (Agence de l'environnement et de la maîtrise de l'énergie) et spécialiste de l'écoconduite, est intéressé mais tout de même sceptique sur les performances annoncées : « Je ne suis pas convaincu qu'un seul périphérique puisse apporter autant de résultats que Logica le prétend. Quand nous faisons ce type de mesures, le coffre de la voiture est plein d'appareillages. » Un tel système, aujourd'hui testé dans les rues de Bangalore avec une dizaine de véhicules, est-il envisageable à grande échelle, notamment en France, où l'on a bien du mal à promouvoir l'écoconduite ? « Si cela concerne les compagnies pétrolières, voire les compagnies d'assurances, cela peut d'abord intéresser les gouvernements. Rappelons que, dans la plupart des pays, le prix du carburant est composé à 70 % de taxes », insiste GBS Bindra.

De fait, l'idée interpelle les spécialistes. « On pourrait imaginer un constructeur automobile qui, avec l'achat d'une voiture ainsi équipée, vous donnerait des cours d'écoconduite. On pourrait aussi imaginer que cela intéresse certains pétroliers qui, grâce à une baisse de la consommation de carburant, gagneraient des certificats d'émission », explique Alain Besançon, chargé de mission transport et mobilité pour l'Ademe en Aquitaine.

Bertrand-Olivier Ducreux est plus dubitatif : « Les promoteurs du système promettent de 15 à 18 % de baisse de consommation. Cela me laisse perplexe, puisqu'il est démontré qu'en pratiquant l'écoconduite vous gagnez déjà de 10 % à 15 % de carburant. Avant l'instrumentation, il est à notre sens plus judicieux de mettre l'accent sur la formation pour bien montrer que non seulement l'écoconduite n'engendre pas de perte de temps, mais qu'il s'agit d'une nouvelle compétence et d'une meilleure utilisation du véhicule. » Autre souci, le prix. Logica estime le coût d'un tel capteur à environ 60 euros. « Le prix baisserait très rapidement dès lors qu'il serait fabriqué en série et en volume », assure GBS Bindra.

La technologie semble pourtant porteuse de promesses, reconnaît Bertrand-Olivier Ducreux : « Le suivi de la consommation et de l'émission de polluants grâce à l'instrumentation est dans l'air du temps. Les systèmes en développement aujourd'hui permettent d'envisager de l'aide au conducteur en fournissant des informations en temps réel. On peut aussi envisager de comparer les performances avec d'autres automobilistes. »

Source : FRANK NIEDERCORN, Les Echos - 31/12/09

La Chine numéro trois mondial de l'énergie éolienne

La Chine est devenue cette année le numéro trois mondial de l'énergie éolienne, annonce, jeudi 31 décembre, l'agence de presse Chine nouvelle. "La capacité installée chinoise atteint à la fin de l'année 20 gigawatts", selon Shi Lishan, vice-directeur du département des énergies renouvelables de l'administration nationale de l'énergie citée par l'agence officielle.

Ainsi, selon cette source, la Chine dépasse désormais l'Espagne, pour se placer troisième, derrière les Etats-Unis et l'Allemagne. Fin 2008, les Etats-Unis avaient une capacité installée de 25,2 gigawatts, soit 20,8 % de la capacité mondiale, l'Espagne de 16,8 GW et la Chine de 12,2 GW, selon des statistiques officielles chinoises.

FORTE CROISSANCE

La progression chinoise est nettement supérieure à l'évolution mondiale. En 2008, la puissance installée avait doublé pour la quatrième année de suite."En termes d'ampleur et de rythme, le développement de l'éolien en Chine est absolument sans équivalent dans le monde", soulignait le mois dernier Steve Sawyer, secrétaire général du Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). "Au rythme actuel, ils seront premiers au monde en termes de capacité installée d'ici fin 2011, début 2012."

La Chine, qui est le premier émetteur mondial de gaz à effet de serre, souhaite que les énergies renouvelables représentent 15 % de sa fourniture énergétique d'ici à 2020, contre 9 % l'an dernier. Aujourd'hui le charbon, extrêment polluant, fournit environ 70 % de l'énergie utilisée en Chine. A titre de comparaison, l'objectif de l'Union européenne est de 20 % pour 2020.

La Chine, troisième économie mondiale qui s'achemine vers un taux de croissance d'au moins 8 % cette année, a été très critiquée lors de la conférence de l'ONU à Copenhague pour avoir empêché l'adoption d'un texte contraignant de réduction des émissions polluantes.

Source : Le Monde, 31/12/09

Interagissez avec votre TV, grâce à une interface haptique

Par simple gestes, interagissez avec votre TV grâce à une interface haptique.
Alors que la télécommande ne s’est jamais aussi bien vendue, voici ce qui d’ici quelques années pourrait bien lui causer du tort. En effet, SFR et ses partenaires démontrent qu’il est désormais possible de contrôler son téléviseur (jeux ou TV) et des contenus en 3D rien qu’avec les gestes de la main. Comment ?

Au cœur de cette technologie de contrôle d’une interface TV, se trouve une caméra 3D qui enregistre et analyse les positions du corps humain qui est placé devant elle. Elle perçoit les gestes et fournit en temps réel des repères situés dans l’espace en fonction des déplacements. Ainsi, on peut naviguer entre différents programmes vidéo , changer de chaine, augmenter ou diminuer le volume du son, et cela uniquement en réalisant des mouvements latéraux avec les mains face à la caméra. Pour sélectionner le programme souhaité, déplacez votre main et c’est parti !
Tout cela est possible grâce à une interface haptique, qui donne une véritable impression d’interaction avec le téléviseur. Les commandes deviennent intuitives, interactives et permettent même de jouer à des jeux 3D : c’est tout le corps qui est utilisé pour jouer.

Autre technologie révolutionnaire : un écran de 42 pouces 3D, auto-stéréoscopique, mis au point par Alioscopy et qui permet de voir les contenus en relief sans lunettes. Profondeur et jaillissement des objets sont au programme !

Pour voir une démonstration complète de ce concept présenté lors de l’évènement SFR Player le mois dernier, visualisez la vidéo associée à cet article.

Source: SFR

Twitter rachète Mixer Labs, éditeur de GeoAPI

Twitter aurait-il trouvé comment employer l'argent versé par Google et Microsoft suite à la signature des accords leur permettant d'indexer le contenu généré par ses utilisateurs ? Pas impossible, puisque Evan Williams, CEO de Twitter, vient d'annoncer l'acquisition pour un montant non communiqué de Mixer Labs, éditeur de GeoAPI, une interface de programmation qui permet d'utiliser des informations liées à la géolocalisation dans le cadre du développement d'un client dédié au fameux réseau social.

« Quand la géolocalisation est ajoutée à des tweets (les courts messages publiés sur Twitter, ndlr), de nouveaux services à haute valeur ajoutée, liés aux dernières informations brûlantes ou à la localisation de contacts ou de commerces peuvent être terriblement améliorés », indique Even Williams. « Nos efforts en la matière viennent juste de débuter », laisse-t-il encore entendre. A l'heure du Web en temps réel, nombreux sont ceux qui pensent que la géolocalisation est la tendance à suivre, dans la lignée de services tels que Foursquare.

Entre autres choses, GeoAPI propose un outil de localisation qui permet d'établir, à partir de coordonnées GPS (latitude et longitude) l'emplacement de l'utilisateur sur une carte, en définissant par exemple l'intersection de rues la plus proche de l'utilisateur. L'interface de programmation est associée à une base de données qui liste plus de 16 millions de points d'intérêts, commerces et services de proximité. GeoAPI devrait donc prochainement venir enrichir l'API de géolocalisation que propose déjà Twitter, aujourd'hui utilisée par différents clients, fixes ou mobiles, de Twidroid à Seesmic.

Source: NetEco

Les réseaux mobiles victimes du succès des « smartphones »

L'opérateur mobile britannique O2 a dû présenter des excuses à ses abonnés temporairement privés de communications. Avec la vogue de l'Internet mobile, le trafic de données a explosé et surcharge certains réseaux.

De plates excuses. Ronan Dunne, le patron de l'opérateur mobile britannique O2, a fait son mea culpa hier dans les colonnes du « Financial Times », alors que de nombreux Londoniens n'ont pas pu téléphoner en raison de la surcharge de son réseau urbain. Cela fait maintenant six mois que la filiale de Telefonica multiplie les incidents techniques dans la capitale. Elle a du mal à faire face à l'« explosion » de la consommation de données, multipliée par 18 depuis le début de l'année. La faute aux « smartphones », et notamment à l'iPhone d'Apple, dont O2 était le distributeur exclusif en Grande-Bretagne jusqu'au mois de novembre.

L'iPhone, un gros mangeur...

A ce jour, aucun autre téléphone ne rivalise encore avec celui de la marque à la pomme pour l'accès à Internet mobile, qu'il a réellement démocratisé. Un utilisateur d'iPhone consomme en moyenne dix fois plus de bande passante que n'importe quel autre utilisateur de « smartphone »… qui lui-même consomme environ 450 fois plus qu'un téléphone dédié à la voix. Et selon Admob, 74 % du trafic Internet mobile en Grande-Bretagne était le fait du téléphone d'Apple… alors même qu'un seul opérateur distribuait ce téléphone ! Le phénomène devrait encore prendre de l'ampleur, car à présent Orange UK et Tesco commercialisent aussi ce « smartphone » outre-Manche, en attendant Vodafone à partir du 14 janvier.

La veille, c'est le distributeur américain de l'iPhone, ATT, qui avait attisé les rumeurs dans la blogosphère. Les habitants de la ville de New York n'ont pas pu commander en ligne d'iPhone pendant le week-end. Certains en ont conclu que l'opérateur n'avait trouvé que cette solution pour soulager temporairement son réseau urbain, menacé de congestion. Un pas qu'ils n'ont pas hésité à franchir après les déclarations récentes d'ATT. L'opérateur dénonce régulièrement la surconsommation de 3 % de ses clients, qui utilisent 40 % de ses capacités de transport de données. Il y a trois semaines, le patron des mobiles, Ralph de La Vega, expliquait à Reuters que sa firme travaillait à « contraindre les accapareurs de données à réduire leur utilisation », laissant entendre qu'ils pourraient payer plus que les autres.

Avec ces interruptions de service chez O2 et ces tensions chez ATT, les craintes des opérateurs se confirment : leurs réseaux sont mis sous tension par la croissance exponentielle de l'Internet mobile. Le trafic devrait encore être multiplié par 10, voire par 40, dans les cinq prochaines années. Parmi les facteurs aggravants, n'oublions pas le développement des clefs 3G que l'on glisse dans les ordinateurs portables ou dans les « netbooks » pour se connecter via l'Internet mobile : elles consomment quinze fois plus de bande passante qu'un « smartphone ». Et les premières clefs 4G ont déjà fait leur apparition ce mois-ci chez Teliasonera à Stockholm et à Oslo, avec des débits théoriques de 150 mégabits par seconde, dix fois supérieurs à ceux qu'autorise la 3G…

Une croissance exponentielle

Les opérateurs, qui ont besoin de dix-huit mois en moyenne pour poser une nouvelle antenne mobile en zone urbaine, ont-ils été pris de court ? La plupart jurent leurs grands dieux qu'ils ont fait tout ce qui était possible et assurent que leur couverture réseau est globalement excellente. Il ne faudrait pas effrayer les clients. O2 a ainsi rappelé avoir investi 30 millions de livres (33,3 millions d'euros) dans son seul réseau londonien, et installé 200 nouvelles stations de base pour faire face à la nouvelle demande. Quant à ATT, le groupe a investi 18 milliards de dollars dans son réseau cette année. Pour l'instant, les incidents demeurent relativement circonscrits à quelques villes, et sur quelques réseaux. Mais il est probable qu'ils devraient se multiplier. Car le boom de l'Internet mobile n'a été qu'à moitié anticipé par des opérateurs qui sont allés visiter les labos des Nokia, Samsung et autres Motorola… alors que tout se préparait dans ceux d'Apple et de Google.

Source : Les Echos, 30/12/09

Les tarifs d'achat de l'électricité photovoltaïque ne sont toujours pas fixés

L'arrêté ministériel fixant les conditions d'achat de l'électricité photovoltaïque n'avait toujours pas été signé par le ministre de l'écologie le 29 décembre à 12h00 alors qu'il doit entrer en vigueur le 1er janvier prochain. D'ultimes négociations sont responsables de ce retard.
Dans un premier projet écrit mi-décembre le gouvernement avait décidé de sortir les bâtiments industriels et agricoles de la prime d'intégration au bâti, ce qui revenait à réduire le tarif d'achat de l'électricité produite par ces toitures à 0,45 €/kWh. Une décision motivée par un avis de la Commission de régulation de l'énergie daté du 3 décembre qui dénonçait une rentabilité très élevée des projets, évoquant un taux de rentabilité sur fonds propres de 35 à 45%, ainsi que l'absence d'une prise en compte de la baisse importante du prix des équipements intervenue en cours d'année.

Surpris par cette annonce, le Syndicat des énergies renouvelables a tenté de faire valoir ses arguments auprès du ministère. Dans une lettre a ses adhérents datée du 22 décembre André Antolini, président du syndicat, affirme avoir obtenu du directeur de cabinet de Jean-Louis Borloo de nouveaux tarifs : 0,58 €/kWh pour les panneaux intégrés aux bâtis des bâtiments d'habitation, de bureaux, de santé et d'enseignements ; 0,50 €/kWh pour les autres bâtiments ; 0,45 €/kWh pour les centrales à intégration simplifiée et 0,314 €/kWh pour les centrales au sol.
De plus la dégressivité de ces tarifs serait repoussée au 30 juin 2012. Ce sont ces chiffres qui devraient être entérinés, sauf surprise de dernière minute comme ce dossier n'en manque pas...

FOCUS

En Allemagne, les industriels proposent une baisse des subventions

Les industriels allemands du secteur photovoltaïque vont proposer d'accélérer la réduction prévue des subventions à la production d'électricité solaire, a déclaré l'un d'entre eux au magazine Focus Money de mardi 29 décembre 2009. "Notre fédération a proposé au gouvernement d'avancer de six mois la dégressivité (des subventions) pour corriger les rendements excessifs sur le marché", explique le patron de l'entreprise de fabrication de panneaux solaires Solarworld, Frank Asbeck.
La réduction progressive des lourdes subventions accordée à l'électricité solaire en Allemagne débuterait ainsi le 1er juillet 2010, au lieu du 1er janvier 2011. Selon M. Asbeck, les subventions au secteur baisseraient ainsi de 25% au total en l'espace d'un an.

Le gouvernement allemand a déjà plusieurs fois indiqué qu'il entendait réduire les aides à l'énergie solaire, alors que les prix des panneaux solaires ont dégringolé ces derniers mois mais que les subventions à ce type d'électricité restent très élevées, ce qui garantit de juteux rendements aux opérateurs de champs de panneaux solaires.
La loi en Allemagne garantit jusqu'ici aux producteurs d'électricité solaire, qui représente moins de 1% de l'électricité consommée dans le pays, de pouvoir vendre à des prix élevés pour couvrir leurs coûts, qui sont beaucoup plus importants que pour les modes "traditionnels" de production d'électricité.

Source : Le Moniteur, 29/12/09

Stanford's Entrepreuneurship Corner : Steve Blank

Fall 2009 Quarter Roundup: What Did We Learn? (Entire Talk)

Description Description

Stanford instructor and seasoned serial entrepreneur Steve Blank looks back at the commonalities and quirks of the quarter's previous speakers. Blank outlines a thorough checklist of questions and analysis helpful to any new enterprise leader, and offers insight and case studies from industry giants and new technology plays alike.

Source : Stanford University, 29/11/09

Top 10 Electric Car Makers for 2010 and 2011

Tesla is the first to sell 1,000 electric cars for the U.S. highways. Like its Roadster, the company is going zero to sixty in less than four seconds. In August the company reported its first profits. With $465 million in DOE loans, the company is developing a roomy Model S hatchback that starts at $57,400, about half the price of the Roadster. The Roadster is battery-electric with a 240 mile range; the Model S may have a remarkable electric range of 300 miles per charge.

Nissan will be the first auto maker to put over 10,000 electric cars on U.S. highways. Major cities have already committed to over 10,000 Nissan Leaf and over 10,000 charge stations. Nissan will start taking dealer orders from individuals in the spring of 2010. Nissan plans to make the 5-seat hatchback affordable, but sale and/or lease options have not been finalized. The Nissan Leaf is battery-electric with a 100 mile range per charge.

Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid (PHV) will build on the million car success of Toyota hybrids. At first glance, the PHV looks like another Prius until you spot the J1772 plug for smart charging. Five hundred PHV are now being put into fleet trails from cities to car sharing services. In 2011, U.S. dealer orders should begin. Toyota will initially control costs by only using a 5kWh battery for a 14 mile electric range. In 2012, Toyota will expand its offerings to include a pure battery-electric FT-EV.

General Motors wants to be the plug-in leader with the Chevy Volt, a plug-in hybrid with 40 miles of electric range and up to 500 miles by engaging a small gasoline engine to act as a generator. Bob Lutz says than Chevy hopes to build at least 8,000 in 2011. GM has a complete E-Flex roadmap which envisions added offerings. Converj may become the Cadillac of extend-range electrics. In the future, Opel may offer a diesel plug-in hybrid in Europe. Look for a range versus cost battle with Toyota, as the Volt achieves more electric range by adding to vehicle cost with a 16kWh battery.

Ford will be selling at least three electric cars by the end of 2011. The best seller will be the Ford Focus EV a battery-electric that we expect to aggressively compete with the Nissan Leaf. Ford will be taking orders for a 2012 plug-in hybrid; likely, it will be the Ford Focus available the way the customer wants it as battery-electric, plug-in hybrid, hybrid, or fuel efficient sedan. Ford is already selling the electric Transit Connect compact van. Focus EV Report and Test Drive
BYD has legendary investor Warren Buffet as a major investor over $200 million invested. BYD is now selling its plug-in hybrid and E6 battery-electric car in China. We expect the plug-in hybrid to be a freeway-speed electric car price leader in the U.S. in 2011. The E6 battery-electric is likely to be more expensive with enough batteries for a 250 electric range. These may take longer than expected to be selling in the U.S. due to tough safety, regulatory hurdles, and charging standards. Fleet sales are likely before BYD establishes consumer channels.

Fisker Karma is a luxury sports plug-in hybrid with prices starting around $90,000. With a $528 million DOE conditional loan, Fisker is moving into production with plans to start shipping Karmas to dealers in late 2010. A more affordable family sedan is planned for 2012.

Think has been selling its smaller battery-electric City car in Europe for years. Many of the Copenhagen climate delegates were transported with Think EV. Now Think is evaluating eight U.S. states to determine the best site for a new 16,000 EV per year factory. With new capital from EnerDel, Valmet, and Kleiner Perkins, Think hopes to have its financial struggles in the rear view mirror. Think hopes to have 2,500 on U.S. roads by the end of 2010. Clean Fleet Report

Chrysler has about 40,000 of the GEM 25-mph light electric vehicles (LEV) on the U.S. roads in university towns, fleets, and retirement communities. With federal and local tax breaks, the net cost is often under $10,000. With the growth of electric cars and charging stations, sales may actually increase for cost-leading LEV. Yes, under the new Fiat leadership it was disappointing that Chrysler dropped its ENVI sports car, SUV, and minivan plug-in offerings. We will see if GEM remains part of Chrysler.

Surprise – there is plenty of room for a U.S. start-up or a cost breakthrough offering from Asia. Some plans will see delays; others will accelerate.

Forecasts and Renewable Energy

Accenture forecasts 1.5 million electric vehicles in the United States by 2015. Over 10 million electric vehicles are easily possible by 2020.

Single electric utilities have scenarios for charging over one million electric vehicles in their own service area by 2020. With renewable energy investment required of utilities in 30 states, these utitilies are most interested in night time charging of electric vehicles with wind, geothermal, and hydropower. Utilities are also implementing smart grids and incentives for off-peak charging.

By 2011 year end, competition will be intense for electric car leadership. The above Top 10 describe our best guess about the market share leaders for delivered plug-in vehicles on the United States roads in 2011, although not necessarily in order of 2011 installed market share.

Battery electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and electric vehicles with range extended by engines or fuel cells were all considered.

Over 100 competitors will be fighting for U.S. share by 2012. Some may be struggle to get significant share due to the time and cost of safety and other regulatory approvals, delays in funding, unpleasant surprises from a battery, drive system, or component supplier. It’s a tough business. Even Tesla had to add 700 pounds and two years to get the first Roadsters in customers’ hands.

Volkswagen may teach everyone how to extend range by making vehicles light. The concept Up Light weighs just over 1,500 pounds, but we don’t expect U.S. sales in 2011. Zenn might be there with a commercialized EEstor ultracap.

China could have several price leaders being delivered to U.S. customers. India might bring us a Reva or Nano EV that under prices everyone. Mitsubishi or Subaru could make bigger U.S. electric plans.

Don’t count out the good old United States “can do” entrepreneurs with exciting innovation and venture capital backing. Some think that V-Vehicles, Aptera, or Miles will be on the list.

Source : Clean Fleet Report, 14/12/09

Is clean tech the next bubble?

The past decade saw investors do a tap dance to the tune of Boom and Bust. First there was the dot-com bubble and the slew of other technological breakthroughs that came with it. Then we witnessed the supposedly invincible housing market complete a jaw-dropping boom-bust cycle. The young 21st century even delivered a notable financial bubble, as well as its inevitable bust.

Sidling along in the background were the seedlings of an industry on the verge of taking flight — alternative-energy technology.

Despite a drop in the overall volume of venture-capital deals last year, investments in clean-technology companies totalled US$8.4-billion, up nearly 40% from 2007, says a 2008 report by Cleantech Group, a San Francisco-based trade organization. In the third quarter of 2008 alone, venture capitalists poured US$2.65-billion into clean technology, a quarterly record. In the fourth quarter, they invested US$1.7-billion.

Public and interest-group furor over climate change has escalated in the past decade. The result? Major governments are waking up from their long slumber and pumping dollars into the clean-tech industry. Leading this pack is Barack Obama, the U.S. President, who recently vowed to triple investment in the United States’ clean-tech industry over the next four years.

This is significant, says Donald Dewees, an environmental economist and professor at the University of Toronto.

“Governments are pouring millions or billions of dollars, euros or pesos on green-energy technology,” said Prof. Dewees. “Then there is the added factor of expectation of more aggressive public policy on global warming after Copenhagen. Stocks of alternative-energy producers will rise as investors anticipate these growing subsidies. We are definitely going to see a clean-tech bubble in the first few years of the next decade.”

Should breathless clean-tech investors be worried? Technological booms, after all, do not seem to have a history of sustainability.

“Whether or not this alternative-energy technology boom will last depends on how far we will go initially and how much we invest, and hence how disappointed we will be by the underperformance,” says Vaclav Smil, a leading environmental researcher and professor at the University of Manitoba.

Prof. Smil is skeptical. He says there is just too much hype about renewable conversions, while the reality is that they simply cannot supply as high a share of electricity consumption as is now widely, and mistakenly, assumed.

“We are not going to be able to heat our houses, power our industries and cars and grow our food with wind- or solar-generated electricity any time soon,” he says.

That overestimation, and the sky-high costs of generating alternative energy, seem to be the two main factors that may catalyse the burst of this bubble in the next decade. Alternative energy costs at least four times more than conventional energy. Thus, it cannot survive without subsidies.

“Where the subsidy is in the form of a feed-in tariff, the cost of the electricity that is generated will rise to unpopular levels. Public outrage will cause share values in alternative energy firms to drop as the bubble bursts,” said Mr. Dewees.

There is some optimism, however.

Kerry Adler, chief executive of Skypower Inc., an Ontario-based solar-panel energy firm, believes that next decade’s bubble will not be an alternative-energy technology one.

“I won’t call it a bubble. It’s more of a flower garden — some [innovations] will wilt and some will sprout,” said Mr. Adler. “We will definitely see a form of consolidation of the best technology.”

Mr. Adler is confident alternative energy is in for the long haul.

“This is not like the dot-com bubble. In that industry, it was all about traffic and revenue. This industry has the look and feel of dot-com, but it is much more advanced than that. When you are in a world that is energy-starved, there is no bubble — it is serious. Venture capital is going in but it is going to stay in.”

Source : National Post, 28/12/09

Adidas Turns the Sneaker Into an Augmented Reality Device

Can’t find your Nintendo DS? Try one of the new Adidas sneakers instead.

Adidas has created a virtual 3-D world that can be accessed using an upcoming line of five men’s sneakers in an idea that ties into one of the technology trends of the year: augmented reality.

“The foundation of augmented reality lies in adding a layer to the real world,” says Chris Barbour, head of digital marketing for Adidas Originals. “That’s what we have done. We have taken a real world item and added a fantastic virtual world on top of that”

All users have to do is go to the Adidas site and hold up their sneaker, which has a code embedded in its tongue, in front of their computer webcam. A virtual world then pops out in front of them and they can navigate it using their sneaker as a controller.

“We are not trying to mimic a real-world look, we have a more stylized, pop-up book creative approach,” says Barbour. “The neighborhood is displayed on a two dimensional computer screen, but you can use your shoe to control the angle and depth of view and zoom in and out, giving a 3-D sense of perspective.”

Over the next few months, Adidas plans to introduce three augmented reality games developed by game developer xForm into the virtual neighborhood. The sneakers will then serve not only as the key to get in, but also act as the controller for the games. Among those available will be a skateboard game, where the sneaker acts as the controller to navigate the virtual city’s alleys, a Star Wars-like game with the sneaker and a music-based game.

The shoes with the augmented reality codes will cost between $65 and $95 and will be available starting February.

Sure, a large part of this is a marketing gimmick and Adidas is not the only company to try out augmented reality in its products. But that doesn’t take away from that this is an idea that makes an ordinary physical object fun and injects some technological pizzaz to it.

Source : Wired, 23/12/09

The Exhaustive Guide to Apple Tablet Rumors

The Apple tablet is almost here. We hear. Actually, we're hearing a whole lot lately. With this exhaustive guide to every tablet rumor, we've got the clearest picture of the Apple tablet yet.

Uh, What's It Called?

The iPhone was called the iPhone years before Steve Jobs ever took the stage to announce it. We don't have the luxury of such clarity here. I would think the name has no more than two syllables, personally.

Overwhelmingly what "evidence" there is points to some form of Slate. Not only did Apple register the domain iSlate.com through an intermediary to keep it a secret (discovered by Mark Gurman), they've trademarked it through a shell company called Slate Computing (signed for by Apple's Senior Trademark Specialist) and registered domains and trademarks in Europe through their usual IP law firm, utilizing their standard secret trademark practices, last used with the iPhone. They've also registered "Magic Slate" through the same company. And, while we initially blew off NYT editor Bill Keller referencing an "Apple Slate" in a speech as meaningless, it's a whole lot curiouser now.

Update 12/29/2009: Another shell company, iGuide Media—using Apple Senior Trademark Specialist Regina Porter as the signatory—applied for a trademark on iGuide, which seems, from the trademark description, to a be service less so than a piece of hardware:

Downloadable electronic publications in the nature of books, magazines, newsletters, journals, and blogs in the fields of entertainment, sports, science, history, culture, celebrities, news, current events, politics, technology, and education

Borders referenced an "Apple iPAD" in a survey, but it sounds like the sad invention of a survey copywriter who hit caps lock instead of shift, not to mention a digital feminine hygiene product. Apple also registered a trademark for TabletMac, but most likely to protect the Mac brand name from modders (it sounds unwieldy and gross).

Apple's put a lot of effort into iSlate it seems. Is that the name of the Apple Tablet?

When's It Coming?

Well, obviously everybody who picked a day before today is wrong. Which leaves everyday after today! The overall consensus is that's being announced in late January—note, though, that a lot of the people who're part of the new January cabal were the same people convinced it was coming in the fall.

iLounge predicted awfully specifically back in September that "Apple is currently planning to announce it on or before January 19, 2010." The Financial Times
said two days ago that Apple is expected "make a major product announcement on Tuesday, January 26th" at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, where Apple's rented a stage for "several days." Silicon Alley Insider says that Apple is going to demo a tablet in January.

But when can you actually hold one? From most to least specific: The Wall Street Journal says the tablet is actually going to ship in March, and an analyst said it's coming in March or April. iLounge says it'll hit stores in May or June, like the iPhone. Digitimes reported Foxconn is supposed to have almost half a million of 'em shipped by April. Little emperor of Apple analysts Gene Munster says the first half of 2010. A bunch of connected Mac people just say 2010.

Everybody from the WSJ to Apple fan sites are convinced the tablet is being announced sometime late next month, shipping 2-6 months afterward, so hype and development can bloom, like the iPhone. (Though most of 'em were wrong three months ago.)

How Much Is It Gonna Cost?

The iPhone was $600. Then sales stopped being a-mazing and it dropped to $400. When the iPhone 3G came out, it went to $200 and everybody bought one. So, uh, how much is the tablet gonna be?

Everybody says roughly the same thing: AppleInsider has said it's "expected to retail for somewhere between the cost of a high-end iPhone and Apple's most affordable Mac notebook." Our insider told us it would "cost $700 to $900," or "more than twice as much as a netbook." Taiwan Economic Times says it's between $800 and $1000. China Times, while they got the date pegged to the price horribly wrong, said 800 bucks. And then there's DigiTimes, who says the whole reason the tablet was "delayed" was because it was getting an OLED upgrade, so it'd be a whopping $1500 to $1700. The final word comes from Steve Jobs who said "we don't know how to build a sub-$500 computer that is not a piece of junk."

Survey—and logic—says it'll be pricier than an iPhone and more expensive than a MacBook. Which doesn't say a lot. If you had to pick a number, $800ish seems like the safest bet.

How Big Is It?

The most important spec—and maybe the biggest mystery—is, well, how big the tablet is. Three sizes dominate rumors, tied to the size of panels produced by display manufacturers: 7 inches, 9.6 (or 9.7) inches, and 10.6 inches.

Let's go from least to most specific. Apple reportedly told publishers it's "small enough to carry in a handbag but too big to fit in a pocket." A company discovered in its traffic logs an "unannounced Apple product with a display somewhere between an iPhone and a MacBook," reported the NYT. The WSJ reported it's "smaller than [Apple's] current laptop computers but bigger than the iPhone or iPod Touch."

Apple analyst king of the dweebs Gene Munster, after speaking to "component contacts" in Asia, says it's between 7 and 10 inches. TechCrunch says it's 7 or 9 inches. Digitimes says there's two tablets, one that's 9.6 inches (with OLED) and another that's 10.6 inches. Taiwan Economic News says 9.6 inches too. Actually respectable news organization Dow Jones says Apple ordered displays from Wintek that are "between 9.7 and 10 inches." Oh, and there might be ginormous tablets somewhere out there.

The Financial Times and Reuters both say it's 10 inches. So does our insider.

iLounge presents a unified theory of the tablet universe that would explain the multiplicity of sizes: There have been three prototypes, and the initial one had a 7-inch screen, which was too small, so the latest version is 10.7 inches. Whatever the exact size, they say, it has "7x the touchable surface area" as the iPhone

Let's just stick with bigger than an iPhone, but smaller than a MacBook.

What's Inside

There's been surprisingly little discussion of the actual specs beyond the size of the screen—storage, memory, processor, etc. Most of what little talk there has been has revolved around the networking capabilities.

There could be versions with 3G and without. Specifically, HSDPA (meaning it would only work on AT&T or T-Mobile in the US). Oh look, a SIM card tray! But maybe it'll be on Verizon said BusinessWeek. Hey, maybe even Verizon LTE 4G wireless!

As for the processor, Intel Germany CEO passed gas about a bigger "version of the iPhone" powered by Atom. Dean Takahashi says that the tablet will be the first device using chips that Apple's designed in-house through PA Semi, the chip company Apple bought a while ago, and that the chips are possibly ARM-based.

Aaaaaannnd it coooooooould have an OLED screen, if it cost 1500 bucks.

A 3G option seems very possible, as does a secret-sauce processor, but who knows?

Who's Involved?

Um, Steve Jobs, duh. A whole bunch of new multitouch engineers. Oh, and the Newton guy is back.

Quanta might be making it. Or Foxconn (who makes the iPhone and got a guy killed over a leaked prototype). With a display made by LG (who makes the gorgeous, if flaky, panel inside the 27-inch iMac.) Or maybe the display's from Wintek, according to Reuters and Dow Jones. The battery might be made by Dynapack.

Besides Apple, again, who knows?

Patent Soup

The thing about patents is that, besides the fact they're patenting something, they don't say a whole lot, at least not about actual products. But here's a few interesting ones pertaining to a tablet.

This patent for a "display housing for a computing device" sure sounds like a tablet, which might fit into the tablet docking station in this patent, and you might use two hands, as shown in this patent, to interact with a multitouchable OS X, generously illustrated in this patent, unless you use a pen (ha ha ha). And it might be bumpy, in a cool way.

Patents don't mean a whole lot, so don't expect any of them to actually make it into a tablet. They could, though.

The Backstory

It's fairly well known the iPhone was born from efforts to develop a touchscreen tablet computer. It was simply miniaturized, and uses tech from FingerWorks, a touch interface company Apple bought. The NYT reported Apple's been working on it since 2003, when they built several prototypes using a battery-slaying PowerPC processor. Our insider said that Apple's been working on it for 4-6 years, and that the first prototype of the current version was developed in 2008. Steve Jobs killed the PowerPC tablet, according to the NYT, because Jobs asked what tablets were good for besides surfing the web while sitting on the toilet. The WSJ reported he's killed it twice already.

What's It Going to Do?

Perhaps the most important question of all: What's it actually like?

Well, it depends on the OS. iPhone OS 3.1 had clear traces of new Apple iProducts, and some people say it's a bigass iPod touch, or at least running iPhone OS, which sorta fits with iPhone app developers supposedly being asked to make higher res versions of their apps for demonstration. It apparently fits in with the iTunes remodeling Apple's got going on.

The NYT reported "You will be very surprised how you interact with the new tablet," whatever that will come to mean. As much as Steve Jobs saying they've got some "interesting ideas" about small computers, presumably. Martha Stewart is hyped about it, maybe 'cause it has something to do with diners.

Most of the excitement lately is that it's going to redefine newspapers, books and magazines, which we heard from some publishers, and maybe textbooks, which an insider told us. We're not the only ones who've heard it's got an ebook bent.

Everybody pre-conceived the iPhone based on the iPod and, to a lesser extent, the Newton. Everybody was wrong. Today, most everybody is pre-conceiving the tablet based on the iPhone. Maybe we're all wrong again, or maybe the leaks are better this time.

Your Turn

You know our mantra about rumors: Never trust them. But putting all of them together, we've definitely got some ideas now.

If there's any rumor we missed—or you have a tip (we're good at keeping secret identities)—let us know.

Source : Guizmodo, 30/12/09

Mobiles offer new view of reality

The organisation behind Firefox - Mozilla - has designed the Aurora project to predict how we may use the web in future.

Virtual Reality has been a mainstay of sci-fi for decades but 2010 could see a pared-down version become mainstream.

Augmented reality (AR) has had a quiet launch on mobile handsets but it is set to explode next year, experts say.

AR is a technology that allows data from the web to be overlaid on a view of the physical world.

Although a relatively small sector at the moment, analyst firm Juniper Research predicts that AR will generate incomes of $732m (£653m) by 2014.

AR allows mobile operators to combine the increasing functionality of smartphones, such as GPS, video and accelerometers, with the increasingly available number of location-based apps.

Already mobile phones use location technology to help people find their way around, such as an iPhone app developed by UK firm Acrossair to help people find their nearest tube station.

New look

US location-based social network Brightkite allows users to find friends in their vicinity simply by turning on the camera on their mobile phone and pointing it around them.

If any of their friends are in the same location, they can see their posts and photos.

Augmented reality could help people find a bite to eat

Futurologist Ian Pearson predicts an explosion of such services next year.

"I'm surprised we haven't got there yet. But it makes a lot of sense if a friend is a street away then you can meet up for coffee," he said.

And it won't end there as the physical and virtual worlds increasingly blur, he says.

"Instead of seeing people as they are you might well be able to see their Facebook profiles appearing as bubbles above them," said Mr Pearson.

This is likely to raise some very important privacy issues but Mr Pearson thinks users will be in control of what others see.

"It will be up to individuals to set the privacy levels," he said.

Next year will see a range of "experimental" services rolled out as mobile firms grapple with how to make money from AR, thinks Martin Garner of analyst firm CCS Insight.

"It is an exciting area for mobile. It is a way for them to define a new area of the internet because phones can do it in a way that the desktop can't," he said.

Consumer power

The most obvious way to turn AR into a money-spinner would be via advertising, thinks Mr Garner.

In the US, Brightkite has partnered with US electronics retailer BestBuy to run augmented reality advertisements during December.

MIT's Sixth Sense project aims to turn the world into a computer

The service, available on both the iPhone and Android-based handsets, highlights BestBuy stores to anyone nearby.

Local information service Yelp has a tool called Monocle which allows users to hold up their phones and locate nearby coffee shops while search firm Thundre offers an AR product finder, showing users where to find a particular item in any given location.

"This ability to find out what a store is selling without having to actually set foot inside the store is brilliant, especially if you want to avoid going in and out of every single shop in town to find the item you're looking for," said Paula Abrahamson, chief executive of Thundre.

As applications like these become mainstream, consumers will be bombarded by stores telling them about their products and services, predict experts.

But Mr Pearson thinks it could also give power to consumers.

"If you are in M&S looking at a rack of dresses you would be able to see the equivalent rack of dresses in other shops," he said.

"Or in a store where the assistants are useless it could provide a video demonstrating how a particular product works or allowing you to call up all the specs," he said.

Future browser

Google is unsurprisingly keen to jump on the AR bandwagon and in December launched Google Goggles, an application for Android mobile phones that allow people to search for more information about a famous landmark or work of art by taking a photo of that object.

Real goggles could be the next step for AR, thinks Mr Pearson.

"They won't be cumbersome things like virtual reality headsets. It could simply be a pair of glasses with lasers built in. I'd be surprised if they are more than a year or two away from market," he said.

The blending between the physical world and digital interfaces is already far advanced at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Its SixthSense project is working on incorporating computer information into the real world, by developing a wearable gesture-driven computing platform that can provide digital information in any part of the physical world.

Browsers too are looking to blend data with the real world.

The Aurora concept browser is the brainchild of Mozilla, the firm behind the Firefox browser and was dreamed up in 2008.

It is intended to be a glimpse of how we may interact with our PCs in the near future.

It envisages a world where interaction with data becomes indistinguishable from how we interact with objects in the physical world, pulling, pushing, dropping and lifting content onto machines.

While the future looks rosy for AR it has not entirely been a smooth path for its development.

In December Dutch firm Layar, which runs some of the most popular AR apps, withdrew its browser from the iPhone apps store due to constant crashes.

And some in the business dismiss the current tranche of services as mere gimmicks.

Blake Callens, a AR software engineer at interactive marketing agency Zugara, is a fierce critic.

"At least once a week, I see someone else pimping their new, 'totally awesome' AR app that's nothing more than a 3D model dancing around. For people, like me, who develop AR, they are old news, or even worse, a joke," he wrote in his blog.

Source : BBC, 29/12/09

10 Clean Energy Stocks for 2010

Today, complacency and greed have returned to the markets, and good values are very hard to come by. The following 10 are mostly the result of culling through our Alternative Energy Stock lists for companies in my favored sectors that look ready for the premature end of the recovery: Companies with strong balance sheets, good cash flow and profitability at not-too-expensive multiples.

Electric Grid & Electricity Storage (30%)

• General Cable (BGC)
• MasTec (MTZ)
• C&D Technologies (CHP)

-or-

• Smart Grid Infrastructure Index Fund (GRID)

Efficient/Clean Transportation (30%)

• New Flyer Industries (NFI-UN.TO, NFYIF.PK)
• Firstgroup PLC (FGP.L)
• Portec Rail Products (PRPX)

-or-

• Powershares Global Progressive Transport ETF (PTRP)

Energy Efficiency (30%)

• Waterfurnace, Inc. (WFI.TO, WFFIF.PK)
• Linear Technology Corp (LLTC)
• Flir Systems, Inc. (FLIR)

Biomass, Waste to Energy, Recycling - 10%

• Waste Management (WM)

Simplified Portfolio

I've provided an alternate, simplified portfolio by substituting the clean energy sector ETFs GRID and PTRP for the stocks in the Electric Grid / Storage and Efficient Transport sectors. This simplified portfolio is better suited for investors who have smaller accounts and want to control transaction costs by making fewer trades. Some investors may also find it difficult to buy London-traded FirstGroup PLC. Such investors may choose to substitute PTRP for FGP.L or for all three efficient transport stocks.

Notes on Stocks

I plan to write about many of these stocks in more depth over the next few months, but here are some links to relatively recent articles for those who want more information before they invest:

• John Petersen on C&D Technologies (December 2009)
• New Flyer Industries update. (October 2009)
• MasTec and General Cable. (June 2009)
• Flir Systems (March 2009)
• Portec Rail Products (February 2009)

Source : Tom Konrad, Seekingalpha, 29/12/09

iSuppli Exclusive: The Connected Car Arrives at CES

Automotive systems provider Visteon Corp. at the upcoming 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January is set to unveil its connected car demonstrator that sports a flexible approach to providing Internet access in motor vehicles, according to iSuppli Corp.

“Visteon provided iSuppli with an exclusive preview of its connected car demonstrator, which can link to the Internet through a variety of means,” said Richard Robinson, principal analyst, automotive electronics, for iSuppli. “This approach will allow the Visteon system to capitalize on all growth opportunities in the Internet car market.”

An estimated 62.3 million global consumers will have Internet access in their cars by 2016, up from 970,000 at the end of 2009, iSuppli predicts. The United States is expected to be the leading region for car Internet access during the next six years, with 28.3 million users in 2016.

In parallel with the connected car demonstrator, Visteon has been developing a production-ready, open architecture, automotive-grade infotainment and Internet development platform. This development platform will embrace many features from the connected car demonstrator project.

Youth Must be Served
“Visteon said its market research highlighted the requirements of the younger consumer demographic, which is increasingly looking for downloadable and customizable applications on all hardware platforms, including the vehicle,” Robinson said. “Visteon’s research found that while some demographics were looking for a straightforward ‘turnkey’ connectivity solution (i.e., connectivity embedded in the vehicle), other consumers were interested in choosing from a range of connectivity options.”

Flexibility is Key
Visteon clearly has put flexibility center stage by designing an open architecture automotive-grade in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) development platform that is capable of connecting to the outside world through various methods, including the use of embedded phones, tethered mobile devices or USB connectivity cards.

"Clearly, vehicle OEMs have their own preferences for how connectivity and Internet access should be enabled in the vehicle," said Upton Bowden of Visteon’s connected car development team. "Our research shows some consumers did not necessarily want to be tied to an OEM’s choice of wireless service provider. Rather, they want to use their current connected device, with the intent of using the subscription package they already have."

Software and Hardware Choices
The connected car demonstrator currently uses the Linux-based Moblin2.0 open source software platform optimized for mobile Internet devices. This enables Visteon to use existing open source features and applications to reduce development costs and develop new features in parallel. When a feature is ready, it can be ported to the specific platform. Another advantage of the open source approach is software upgradability, which will provide a level of future-proofing for the platform and allow the system to be upgraded after launch. iSuppli has learned that Visteon plans to migrate the Moblin 2.0 Operating System (OS) to the automotive-compliant GENIVI OS as soon as it is released.

Along with the connected car exhibit at CES 2010, Visteon will present its open architecture IVI development platform aligned with the GENIVI reference design. This hardware platform will drive three displays, each with its own touch-screen-controlled HMI, plus a cluster display for driver-centric information. Each display will be driven by Low Voltage Differential Signaling (LDVS), a digital protocol that can run very high-speed audio and graphic information over a simple twisted copper pair.

The Visteon IVI development platform will be demonstrated using the combination Atom/Xilinx coprocessor configuration for In-Vehicle-Infotainment (IVI) that was announced by semiconductor supplier Intel Corp. in the third quarter of 2009.

Visteon’s Connected Car Portal
As part of the connected car demonstration, Visteon will show how users can access third-party applications from its portal as well as configure the in-vehicle experience from their home PC environment. Visteon confirmed that the connected car platform is able to handle most Web pages using the systems browser.

The Visteon team at CES 2010 will demonstrate some of the following features:

• Multi Media Source capability, which allows users to select and display media and information from multiple sources. This means users can search by track, album or playlist, regardless of the number of storage sources (i.e., the system catalogs and normalizes audio information for selection and playback), allowing users to seamlessly select tracks regardless of their location.
• Multiple USBs: The current hardware configuration will allow up to four USB devices to be connected, such as an iPod, iPhone or flash drive.
• Multiple display capability. The connected car platform allows users to control and play back media from multiple sources, using each of the touch-screen interfaces and creating a zoned concept for media access.

Other general applications on display include weather, song tagging, streaming media, navigation Skype and live traffic cameras. Visteon collaborated with North American road traffic camera company Trafficland to provide live images from traffic cameras within the vicinity of the vehicle or along a desired driving route. This will allow drivers to view live traffic cameras to aid their routing choice.

Source : iSuppli, 30/12/09

Department of Energy to Invest $366M in Energy Innovation Hubs

U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu today outlined the Department’s plans to invest up to $366 million to establish and operate three new Energy Innovation Hubs focused on accelerating research and development in three key energy areas. Each Hub, to be funded at up to $122 million over five years, will bring together a multidisciplinary team of researchers in an effort to speed research and shorten the path from scientific discovery to technological development and commercial deployment of highly promising energy-related technologies.

“Given the urgency of our challenges in both energy and climate, we need to do everything we can to mobilize our Nation’s scientific and technological talent to accelerate the pace of innovation,” said Secretary Chu. “The DOE Energy Innovation Hubs represent a new, more proactive approach to managing and conducting research. We are taking a page from America’s great industrial laboratories in their heyday. Their achievements—from the transistor to the information theory that makes modern telecommunications possible—are evidence that we can build creative, highly-integrated research teams that can accomplish more, faster, than researchers working separately.”

The Hubs are part of a broad-based clean energy research strategy by the Obama Administration that will harness America’s innovation machine to achieve the breakthroughs we need.

This strategy includes three new initiatives which are designed to complement each other:

1. The first approach is the Energy Frontier Research Centers launched by the Department’s Office of Science to support multi-year, multi-investigator scientific collaborations focused on overcoming hurdles in basic science that block transformational discoveries.
2. The second approach is spearheaded by the Department's recently-formed Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy ("ARPA-E"), which uses a highly entrepreneurial funding model that supports America's passionate energy innovators to explore high-risk, high-reward potentially transformative technologies that are too risky for industry to fund.
3. The third novel funding model, Energy Innovation Hubs, will establish larger, highly integrated teams ideally working under one roof, conducting high-risk, high-reward research and working to solve priority technology challenges that span work from basic research to engineering development to commercialization readiness.

The three DOE Energy Innovation Hubs will focus on:

• production of fuels directly from sunlight;
• improving energy-efficient building systems design; and
• computer modeling and simulation for the development of advanced nuclear reactors.

The Department will provide $22 million in the first year for the establishment of each Hub and up to $25 million per year for the following four years to support the operations of each Hub—for a total award of up to $122 million per Hub. Important information on the DOE’s Hub implementation plan and strategy for managing the Hubs can be found on the Energy Innovation Hubs website: http://hubs.energy.gov.

Fuels from Sunlight Energy Innovation Hub

The objective of this Hub is to accelerate the development of a sustainable commercial process for the conversion of sunlight directly into energy-rich chemical fuels, likely using mechanisms based on photosynthesis, the method used by plants to convert sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water into sugar. The Fuels from Sunlight Energy Innovation Hub will provide researchers with significant new resources to accelerate basic and applied research in the drive toward a potentially transformative new energy technology. Achievement of an efficient, cost-effective means to convert solar energy directly to fuel could have significant impact on U.S. energy security and on energy production globally.

Modeling and Simulation for Nuclear Reactors Energy Innovation Hub

This Hub is intended to produce a multi-physics computational environment that will be used by engineers to create improved understanding of issues with current and future nuclear energy technologies. The Department’s Office of Nuclear Energy hosted a workshop on the Modeling and Simulation for Nuclear Reactors Energy Innovation Hub on December 7, 2009 to provide an opportunity for those interested in this Hub and its upcoming FOA to fully understand the Hub vision, program objectives, and the procurement process for the establishment and operation of the Hub.

Energy Efficient Building Systems Design Energy Innovation Hub

The objective of the Energy Efficient Building Systems Design Energy Innovation Hub is to develop highly efficient buildings components, systems, and models. Achieving the Hub's main goal of reducing energy use for indoor space conditioning will require a focus on advances in core technologies, such as advanced refrigeration cycles, as well as on development of fully instrumented infrastructure aided by buildings system design and modeling. Such solutions could have a major impact on national electricity consumption, as the nation’s buildings consume approximately 70 percent of all electric power.

A Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) inviting proposals for the Fuels from Sunlight Energy Innovation Hub has been issued, and a link to the FOA is available at the Energy Innovation Hubs website. The deadline for proposals for the Fuels from Sunlight Energy Innovation Hub is March 29, 2010. Funding opportunity announcements for the other two Energy Innovation Hubs are expected to be issued early next year. The Energy Efficient Building Systems Design Hub will also be the central component of a regional innovation cluster funding opportunity which will include coordinated grant opportunities from other agencies.

Universities, national laboratories, nonprofit organizations, and private firms are eligible to compete for an award to establish and operate a Hub and are encouraged to form partnerships. Awards, based on evaluation by scientific peer review, will be announced next summer. The Hubs are expected to begin work in 2010 and will be fully operational by 2011.

Media contact(s):
(202) 586-4940

SOURCE : DOE, 22/12/09

Smart Grid Investment to Total $200 Billion Worldwide by 2015

Ubiquitous electricity has served as the foundation for numerous technological innovations in the modern world, but the electrical grid itself is based on decades-old technology and has suffered from low levels of investment for many years. Now, however, governments and industry leaders are coming together with newfound urgency to drive an overhaul of grid infrastructure and according to a new report from Pike Research, these efforts will yield cumulative global spending of $200 billion on Smart Grid technologies during the period from 2008 to 2015.

“Smart meters are currently the highest-profile component of the Smart Grid, but they are really just the tip of the iceberg,” says managing director Clint Wheelock. “Our analysis shows that utilities will find the best return on investment, and therefore will devote the majority of their capital budgets, to grid infrastructure projects including transmission upgrades, substation automation, and distribution automation.”

Pike Research forecasts that these grid automation initiatives will capture 84% of global Smart Grid investment through 2015, compared to just 14% for advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and 2% for electric vehicle management systems. The cleantech market intelligence firm also anticipates that Smart Grid revenues will peak in 2013 after several years of a strong push by key governments, and will thereafter be a smaller, albeit still very substantial, market.

Pike Research’s report, “Smart Grid Technologies”, analyzes the global market opportunity for Smart Grid technologies and applications. The report examines utility business models, regulatory factors, technology issues, and the dynamics of end-user demand. It includes profiles and analysis of 70 key players in the rapidly evolving Smart Grid industry ecosystem, as well as detailed global market forecasts through 2015, segmented by region and application. An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the firm’s website.

Pike Research is a market research and consulting firm that provides in-depth analysis of global clean technology markets. The company’s research methodology combines supply-side industry analysis, end- user primary research and demand assessment, and deep examination of technology trends to provide a comprehensive view of the Smart Energy, Clean Transportation, Clean Industry, Corporate Sustainability, and Building Efficiency sectors. For more information, visit www.pikeresearch.com or call +1.303.997.7609.
Source: Pike Research, 28/12/09

China enacts law to promote renewable energy

China's utilities will be required to buy all the power produced by wind farms and other renewable sources under a new law meant to promote the industry and reduce heavy reliance on coal.

Legislators approved the measure Saturday as an amendment to China's 2006 renewable energy law, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

Beijing has set ambitious goals for wind, solar and other renewable energy in an effort to clean up its environment and curb surging demand for imported oil and gas, which communist leaders see as a strategic weakness.

The measure also could help Beijing fulfill promises to restrain growth in emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases blamed for changing the climate.

"The legislation on improving the consumption of clean energy contributes to the global fight on climate change," said Wang Zhongying, director of the renewable energy development center of the Cabinet's main planning agency, according to Xinhua.

Other countries such as Germany and Spain also promote solar, wind and other renewable power sources by requiring utilities to buy it and to pay higher prices than for electricity from coal and other traditional sources.

Xinhua gave no details of pricing but said companies that operate China's power grid could be fined if they refuse to buy renewable power, which suggested the cost might be higher. It said grid operators would be required to improve their technology and capacity to absorb power from renewable sources.

China is one of the biggest users of wind power and the government is trying to promote use of solar by promising to pay up to 70 percent of the cost of new systems.

China faces the challenge that its windiest areas are far from populous cities, requiring costly transmission lines that in many areas have yet to be built. Wind farm construction has raced ahead so fast that 25 percent are not connected to the national power grid.

Government goals issued in 2005 call for at least 15 percent of China's power to come from wind, solar and hydropower by 2020, up from 9 percent now. Officials say that target may be raised to 20 percent because the industry is developing so fast.

Coal provides two-thirds of China's power and is expected to remain the dominant energy source in coming years.

China is the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse bases but is not bound by global agreements on curbing emissions because it is a developing economy. But the Cabinet promised last month to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide for each unit of economic output by 40 percent to 45 percent from 2005 levels by 2020.

Source : Associated Press quoted by Deseret News, 27/12/09

iPhone servira bientôt de billet de train...

Une application désormais disponible sur l'App Store, et gratuite, permet d'acheter un billet de train à la SNCF à l'aide de l'iPhone. Pour l'instant, le service est limité mais, dès le début 2010, le billet papier pourrait être supprimé.

La SNCF aime l'iPhone. Au mois de novembre, l'entreprise lançait SNCF Direct, une application pour le téléphone d'Apple permettant de consulter les horaires. De son côté, Voyages-SNCF en lance une autre, Horaires & Résa, avec laquelle on peut en plus acheter un billet, du moins pour un départ immédiat. Un code-barres est téléchargé dans le mobile et il faudra ensuite se rendre à une borne, en gare, pour imprimer une version papier du billet.

Horaires & Résa en fait un peu plus, reconnaissant les cartes de réduction, permettant de poser une option à confirmer ou d'annuler le voyage. Si l'usager a un compte personnel sur le site de Voyages-SCNF, l'iPhone s'y connectera automatiquement pour y consulter les voyages enregistrés comme favoris, ce qui simplifie la réservation.
Toutes les explications sont détaillées sur le blog de Voyages-SNCF et l'application est déjà disponible, gratuitement, sur l'App Store, à la rubrique Voyages.

Améliorations à venir

Selon Pierre Alzon, directeur général adjoint de Voyages-SNCF, interrogé par Le Figaro, ce lancement n'est qu'une étape. « Fin février ou début mars », explique-t-il, il ne sera plus nécessaire d'imprimer le billet. Il suffira de présenter au contrôleur une pièce d'identité et l'écran de l'iPhone qui affichera le code-barres de la transaction.

Le choix du téléphone d'Apple se justifie, selon Pierre Alzon, parce qu'il représente « 40 % du trafic sur le site d'Internet mobile de Voyages-SNCF ». Mais l'entreprise envisagerait de porter l'application sur les modèles utilisant Android, le logiciel système de Google. D'autres étapes sont promises, comme la possibilité de suivre sa position pendant le voyage (« la fin du "on est où, là ?" »...) ou une alerte en cas d'incident sur la ligne, une option qu'aurait sans doute appréciée les clients de Eurostar les 19 et 20 décembre derniers...
Source : Futura-Sciences.com, 25/12/09

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Copenhagen’s new Bike Sharing System!

OPENbike

Copenhagen is about to get a new Bike Sharing system (finally), and of course the ambitions where high for the new system that will brand the world’s leading bicycle city. Therefore they set out an international competition to get the most modern and intelligent system. And it looks like they’ve got it. Yesterday the winners were announced, and here are the two first prices. I must admit OPENbike looks most appealing in my eyes, but as long as they’re more comfortable than the existing ones, we should be happy….

OPENbike

OPENbike (Jury’s report)
The jury hereby awards OPENbike a First Prize for its superior ambition to be a floating bike share system wherein the bicycle is virtually a system unto itself and the technology is integrated in the bicycle. OPENbike opens up for an exciting perspective relative to how a modern bike share system can allow itself to be swallowed up by the city’s spaces and become an integral part of everyday mobility in a larger city.

MYLOOP

MYLOOP (Jury’s report)
The Myloop entry distinguishes itself with a brilliant balance between design, user-friendliness and interaction with the urban landscape. The bicycle itself possesses a strong and iconic identity which manages to signal a rare combination of futurism and accessibility. Myloop uses a docking station that provides electricity to the bicycle’s energy demanding functionality and secures the bicycle when not in use.

The implementation of the system is estimated finished in 2013.

Source : veloslo.wordpress.com