Peugeot just announced plans to introduce a new hybrid car that does away with lithium-ion batteries entirely and instead uses compressed air to provide zero-emissions driving. The new compressed air car that will be powered by a hybrid system that combines a gas motor with compressed air storage.

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Post tags: citroen, citroen hybrid car, compressed gas, green car, green transportation, hybrid car, Peugeot, peugeot hybrid car, zero-emissions driving

Developed by Dean Benstead, a graduate RMIT University in Melbourne, the O2 Pursuit is a pretty extraordinary bike. With a range of about 62 miles per ‘tank’ and top speeds of 87 mph, the modified Yamaha WR250R is powered entirely by compressed air. A canister with a compression of 3000 PSI, the same as those used by scuba divers, appears to power the bike as effectively as many electric motors—and Benstead’s technology has been nominated for a James Dyson Award.

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Post tags: air powered cars, airpod, compressed air, dean benstead, james dyson award, o2 pursuit, rmit, scuba power, tasa

Dr. Steven Chu, head of the US Department of Energy, gave an information-packed, 50-minute speech at the World Renewable Energy Forum in Denver on Wednesday. Speaking to a crowd of renewable energy leaders, Dr. Chu patted the industry on its head but didn’t have many bones to feed a hungry audience. The talk felt more like a college lecture than a political stump speech, with the energy secretary discussing the economics of renewable energy without addressing the cost of carbon.

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Post tags: DOE, energy policy, green energy policy, steven chu, WREF

Toyota subsidiary Toyota Industries Corp. just set a new record for compressed air vehicles that proves this green technology really could be a viable option for powering production vehicles. The Ku:Rin compressed air vehicle set a new compressed air speed record of 80.3 miles per hour at the Japan Automobile Research Institute’s test track in Japan. Toyota says it will submit the results to the Guinness Book of World Records. Read on to learn how a car can run on air alone!

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Post tags: air car, air car speed record, alternative transportation, compressed air car, compressed air vehicle, green automotive design, green transportation, Ku:Rin, speed record, Toyota Industries, Toyota Kurin

One of the major issues with renewable energy technologies like solar and wind power is that energy generation tends to be intermittent — i.e. the sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow. Therefore, in order for such technologies to be capable of meeting our needs without the support of fossil fuels, we need to find effective and commercially viable ways to store energy. That’s why the guys at Highview Power Storage are getting particularly excited about their most recent technology – the CryoEnergy System (CES). CES takes excess energy generated and uses it to run refrigeration units which cool air down to a temperature of -196C (-320.8F), at which point it liquefies. The liquid air, also known as cryogen, can be stored in an insulated tank, and at times of peak-demand, when the direst output of existing energy sources cannot meet the demands of a power grid, this liquid air is released to generate energy.

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Post tags: "wind power", ces process, cryoenergy systems, daniel c jones, emission-free power generation, energy storage, highview power storage, power generation, regasification process, solar

Energy storage is one of the greatest milestones facing the renewable energy industry. You can’t control the winds or the sun’s rays, so intermittency is a problem and you can’t flood the grid when you most need an electric boost. This also means that a lot of the power that is ready for the grid isn’t used, and is lost. Southwest Solar Technology is developing a totally clean Compressed Air Energy Storage System (CAES) that looks quite promising. The system uses clean technology during the day to pump heated and compressed air into an airtight chamber, which is released through a turbine to create power when it is needed the most.

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Post tags: "wind power", alternative energy, compressed air energy storage, green design, renewable enery, Solar Power, sustainable design