Green Energy News | November 1, 1998

November 1, 1998 – Vol.3 No.31

ENERGIES... week of November 1, 1998

UP AND RUNNING. Aside from sexy or futuristic energy technologies - wind, solar, electric cars, and fuel cells - other more mundane but efficient and effective technologies are proven and working. A sampling...

-- Ford and ZF Freidrichshafen have entered a joint venture to build Continuously Variable Automatic Transmissions (CVT) for Ford and other manufacturers - up to one million units per year for cars and light trucks

The CVT features two variable diameter pulleys connected by a metal belt - variable gear ratios without the complicated shifting mechanism of multiple gears. No “shift” is felt by the driver. CVT’s can improve fuel economy 10-15%, according to Ford.

(ZF is the same company that built the Hindenburg and other Zeppelins prior to World War II.)

-- Orbital Engine Corporation and the China Hainan Sundiro Motorcycle Company (Sundiro) have entered an agreement to use Orbital’s computer controlled direct fuel injection technology on Sundiro two-stroke motorcycles. On prototype scooters, tests showed a 90% reduction in emissions and a 30% improvement in fuel economy.

Sundiro manufactured 553,000 motorcycles in 1997, up to 600,000 projected for 1998. Visit Orbital at http://www.orbeng.com.au/ .

-- Trigen Energy Corporation has been awarded a $200 million Energy Savings Performance Contract by the U.S. Air Force. At Air Force bases in 12 states, Trigen will design and build energy and utility infrastructure projects to conserve energy and reduce pollution. Included are large-scale heating and cooling upgrades, electricity and cogeneration services, lighting retrofits, installation of high efficiency motors and building automation. Visit Trigen at http://www.trigen.com/ .

-- Bombardier Transportation has received a $108 million contract from the Rapid Transit Project 2000 Ltd for 60 advanced rapid transit MKII vehicles to be used on Vancouver, Canada’s SkyTrain System - developed by Bombardier. The energy efficient System has been in operation since 1986. SkyTrains have also been built in Detroit, Michigan; Scarborough, Canada; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and soon in New York to connect the city’s subway system to JFK International Airport. Visit Bombardier at http://www.transportation.bombardier.com .

-- The Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium (GHPC) claims that 450 schools in 30 states now use their GeoExchange (SM) natural thermal energy (or ground source) heat pump systems. More than one million students and 45,000 teachers work and study in a GeoExchange environment.

Because they are quiet and unobtrusive the systems have also been installed in historic buildings - Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia; McGill University in Montreal; and the original home of the American Bandstand television show in Philadelphia. Visit GHPC at http://www.geoexchange.org/