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New MIT metal-mesh membrane could solve longstanding problems with liquid metal displacement batteries; inexpensive grid power storage

Green Car Congress

A battery, based on electrodes made of sodium and nickel chloride and using thea new type of metal mesh membrane, could be used for grid-scale installations to make intermittent power sources such as wind and solar capable of delivering reliable baseload electricity. The work was supported by the French oil company Total S.A.

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IEA: Estonia is pioneering technologies for more efficient and cleaner use of oil shale

Green Car Congress

An article in the latest issue of IEA Energy: The Journal of the International Energy Agency reports that Estonia, which has the most developed oil shale industry in the world, is collaborating in pursuing wider use of oil shale in a cleaner, more sustainable manner. Different that shale oil—i.e., million (US$12.8

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10 Reasons Your Next Car Should Be an EV

Plug in America

EVs Cost Less to Maintain A recent study by Consumer Reports on repair and maintenance data from thousands of drivers shows that EV drivers pay about half of what drivers of fossil-fuel-powered vehicles pay for maintenance and repairs. Being an EV driver means no oil changes, no transmission fluids, and no radiators.

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Global investment in renewable power reached $270.2B in 2014, ~17% up from 2013; biofuel investment fell 8% to 10-year low

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Another challenge was, at first sight, the impact of the 50%-plus collapse in the oil price in the second half of last year. Oil and renewables do not directly compete for power investment dollars. Coping with 25% or more variable generation is more difficult for grids and utilities than managing a 5% proportion.

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Electric Cars and a Smarter Grid - Green Inc. Blog - NYTimes.com

Tony Karrer Delicious EVdriven

Electric cars and a smart electric grid have a bright future, according to panelists at a roundtable discussion on the subject that I attended last Friday in Boston. “I In effect, cars would be acting like tiny power stations. But a large-scale system of electric cars and smart grids is unlikely to be ready soon.

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ARPA-E Awards $151M to 37 Projects for Transformative Energy Research

Green Car Congress

ENERGY STORAGE. Planar Na-beta Batteries for Renewable Integration and Grid Applications. Eagle Picher, in partnership with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, will develop a new generation of high energy, low cost planar liquid sodium beta batteries for grid scale electrical power storage applications.

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