I said on a long ago thread, once it made economic sense we'd be on the bandwagon.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/crossing_continents/4693600.stm

Duh. It's all about the money. I'm just glad we're not outsourcing it and having the generators built in Mexico and Canada :roll: (Don't get any bright ideas TXU!)

It's even hit the Wonka. He's involved with a BioDiesel startup. Goto to recycle them hydro-carbs. :cool: No, Not Willy Wonka's B D factory! :roll:

Looks like the Biopower 9-5 may have a good future w/ GM.

http://www.gm.com/company/onlygm/

They've started running commercials for this site.

Well the USA was the "old" enviro leader too, I mean all the forms of "environmental protection" all came out of the USA during the 1960's. :)

Yep! We did invent and impliment the catalytic converter!

Yep! We did invent and impliment the catalytic converter!

Typical american... They invented everything:roll:. One thing that California is the leader in is the engine management system. The laws and regulations that EMS have to meet in california mean that it is easier to design one system that will meet the california regs (which are probably the strictest in the world) then deploy that system across the world.

Why do you think everyone runs a similar or compatible system. And it's not to do with development cost. AFAIK, in California the police can plug in to your EMS and fine you if it reports the engine running too rich or too lean. Can someone from Ca. confirm this?

Kenneth

I know they can do something. I remember reading an article in Turbo magazine where they were testing out a modded car and the cops stopped them and essentially ended up making them remove everything. I don't know how they determined this. Remember, though, emissions have been the buzz word for the last 30 years. Nobody gave a hoot about greenhouse gases until the last 10 years. Even more recent has been the whole remnewable energy thing. In the US, we still say the price of reg. unleaded dip below $1 occasionally until the very recent past.

Before that is was water and air quality. Understandably so, and it should still be the priority. I can brave a bit warmer temp as long as the water and air are clean. Note to all you people removing your cats.:confused::cheesy:

Typical american... They invented everything:roll:. One thing that California is the leader in is the engine management system. The laws and regulations that EMS have to meet in california mean that it is easier to design one system that will meet the california regs (which are probably the strictest in the world) then deploy that system across the world.

Why do you think everyone runs a similar or compatible system. And it's not to do with development cost. AFAIK, in California the police can plug in to your EMS and fine you if it reports the engine running too rich or too lean. Can someone from Ca. confirm this?

Kenneth

CA emissions are the toughest in the world, and the only state in US allowed to set it own guidelines, every other state has to choose from federal or CA regulations.

OBD function tests are part of the smog test here, which is an every 2 years occurance. any aftermarket parts on the vehicle that can affect emmissions output has to be certified by the state as to not be detremental to the vehicles emissions output or it is illegal, regardless of your smog scores. the highway patrol regulalry does drive by smog checks in urban areas in which they monitor at a distance the output of passing vehicles, and if any vehicle spikes then they pull it over and check it right there on the roadside. any thing seems amiss and htey will wirte you a ticket until you have a state inspector check it out. too many violations and they will impound it on the spot.

as for greenhouse gasses and emissions, both are arguably the same. CO, HC and NOx have been regulated from the start and are tightly controlled. CO2 however is more interesting however as an engine running with perfect combustion will only emit H20 and C02, so you ahve to wonder just how much you really want to limit the maount of co2 output, especially when it means decreasing it requires increasing the output put of CO, which is far more deadly and dangerous to the enviroment. currently even an H2 (the current satan of enviromentalist) can not produce enough CO to kill someone if it were left running in a garage, it would run out of gas long before the CO ouput would be enough to kill someone.

Interesting stuff Nemisys. I guess they wouldn't take kindly to the fact that I don't have anything bolted to my downpipe right now then, would they? :lol:

And all I could say in defense is, "Hey, look on the bright side, at least I'm not driving my 351-powered Bronco today!" :p

But when it comes to testing the OBD stuff, firstly do they have OBD-I AND OBD-II testers handy? Or just OBD-II? And how often do they really use them. It sounds to me like just another revenue creator.

Perhaps it is a revenue maker, but when the state's largest city has severe trouble w/ smog thanks to a cruel joke of geography and climate, it makes sense to limit emissions. ubermich, I don't know how often you get down to Houston, but it can get pretty hazy. Los Angeles is 10 times worse.

I accidentally gutted the cat (don't ask how!) on one of my car's one time and I can say I wouldn't do it again just b/c it stunk so bad!:cheesy:

Let me clarify. I don't think the emissions laws are revenue makers. I think the cops checking OBD code are revenue makers. What I'm saying is, even in LA, what's more important: gangs or an OBD code which wasn't cleared months ago?

Perhaps it is a revenue maker, but when the state's largest city has severe trouble w/ smog thanks to a cruel joke of geography and climate, it makes sense to limit emissions. ubermich, I don't know how often you get down to Houston, but it can get pretty hazy. Los Angeles is 10 times worse.



I would say that LA's actual pollution level may be higher than many other cities, but to me the "smog ring" has definitely improvedcompared to others. I remember being there in the early 90's and thinking how awful it was, but on my more recent trips to LA I am noticing an improvement. A city of comparison I am thinking of is Phoenix. I was just there a few months ago, and could not believe how bad the smog was in the city. To me it was as bad, if not worse than LA in it's "prime".

Actually CA has has something like 10x the number of cars as we did int he 80s and something like half the smog of the 80s, the emissions controls are working, it is gettting cleaner. soemthing like 10% of all emissions come form the 2-3% of cars still being driven form 76-82, which is why the froze the rolling emissions exemption at the 1976 model year. regardless of model year a vehicle is require to have all factory and state mandated retrofit emissions control items in place and operational if ti is being driven on public roads. they just no longer check on cars 1975 and older on a regular basis. i does mean however your big block 68 camaro could get you in trouble for the lack of PCV, cats, etc, if the cop felt like pushing it hard enough (and none do).

CHP (highway patrol) does not check OBD ont he side of the road, they don't have to. all they have to do is issue you a fix it ticket to see a smog referee, where they then can do all the checks they feel need to be done to insure the vehicle is incompliance with state regs.

Looks like the Biopower 9-5 may have a good future w/ GM.

http://www.gm.com/company/onlygm/

They've started running commercials for this site.

Yeah, I started a thread about this already.
http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68695

Too bad they only show their pickup trucks and a couple of undesirable Chevy cars (Monte Carlo and Impala, I believe). On their slate for next year they only show the 2007 Chevy Avalanche (pickup truck). No mention of SAAB's ambitious plans anywhere and they don't even mention that SAAB appears ahead of the curve overseas already and is emerging as THE leader in ethanol-powered vehicles.:confused:

Yep! We did invent and impliment the catalytic converter!

Not the best invention ever but a simple and easy fix to pollution problems by stuffing it up the exhaust. The Japanese were working on the far superior lean burn technology (reducing emissions and increasing efficiency) but a few words in the politians ears from the American auto makers who really didn't want to go through the effort and cost of designing new engines produced a set of emission requirements that could only be met through the use of a cat.

Yeah, but let's remember who implimented standards to begin with? :cheesy:

Not the best invention ever but a simple and easy fix to pollution problems by stuffing it up the exhaust. The Japanese were working on the far superior lean burn technology (reducing emissions and increasing efficiency) but a few words in the politians ears from the American auto makers who really didn't want to go through the effort and cost of designing new engines produced a set of emission requirements that could only be met through the use of a cat.

Lean burn... like the old Plymouth Volares! :lol:

Or you mean stratified-charge setups like the Honda CVCC? In any case their problem was NOx emissions, there was too much heat.

Actually CA has has something like 10x the number of cars as we did int he 80s and something like half the smog of the 80s, the emissions controls are working, it is gettting cleaner. soemthing like 10% of all emissions come form the 2-3% of cars still being driven form 76-82, which is why the froze the rolling emissions exemption at the 1976 model year. regardless of model year a vehicle is require to have all factory and state mandated retrofit emissions control items in place and operational if ti is being driven on public roads. they just no longer check on cars 1975 and older on a regular basis. i does mean however your big block 68 camaro could get you in trouble for the lack of PCV, cats, etc, if the cop felt like pushing it hard enough (and none do).

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7091492525320672012&q=saab

Saab cleans the air as it drives! :lol:

Not the best invention ever but a simple and easy fix to pollution problems by stuffing it up the exhaust. The Japanese were working on the far superior lean burn technology (reducing emissions and increasing efficiency) but a few words in the politians ears from the American auto makers who really didn't want to go through the effort and cost of designing new engines produced a set of emission requirements that could only be met through the use of a cat.

the honda did bring lean burn to the market in the 90's running A:F ratios of 20:1 or more, problem is running that lean makes for some very hot combustion temperatures, which is what forms NOx emissions. quite frankely if the regulations could only be met through use of a Cat, then it only shows that leanburn on its own was insufficent. besides every manufactor had issues with producing power in the early emissions days anyways, as no one knew how to develop a clean enough engine or effcient enough smog devices. Cat technology continues to improve, the reason the original c5 z06 was 385hp and the next year z06 was 405 was due to breakthrough in cat design, and the result power it freed up.

Solargenix Breaks Ground on Large Solar Power Plant in Nevada

Solargenix Energy LLC broke ground this weekend in Boulder City, Nevada, on
a 64-megawatt solar thermal power plant, the largest of its kind to be
built since 1992. Called Nevada Solar One, the power plant will employ
trough-shaped mirrors to focus the sun's energy onto "receiver" tubes that
carry oil. The hot oil will be used to boil water into steam, which will
drive a turbine and generator to produce power. According to Schott, which
is providing 19,300 receiver tubes for the plant, its new efficient
receiver tube design will heat the oil to more than 750 degrees Fahrenheit.
Acciona Energia, a Spanish renewable energy company, is investing $262
million in the plant, which should begin power production next year. See
the <http://www.solargenix.com/>Solargenix Web site, the press releases
from
<http://www.acciona-energia.com/site_i/noticias/ficha.asp?id=108>Acciona
Energia and
<http://www.us.schott.com/english/news/press.html?NID=150>Schott, and a
<http://www.eere.energy.gov/troughnet/technology.html>description of solar
trough technology on DOE's Troughnet Web site.
[]

Photo of a rectangular array of lenses installed on a complex m


The solar collector from International Automated Systems focuses sunlight
using plastic Fresnel lenses.
Credit: IAUS

More solar thermal plants could be coming to Nevada. International
Automated Systems, Inc. signed a $150 million contract last week to install
a 100-megawatt power plant for Solar Renewable Energy-1 LLC of Nevada. The
company has developed an innovative technology based on thin acrylic
Fresnel lenses that focus sunlight onto receiver tubes, and it intends to
combine that technology with a bladeless turbine driven by steam passing
through rocket nozzles. See the <http://www.iaus.com/news02092006.htm>press
release and the <http://www.iaus.com/solar-new.htm>solar and
<http://www.iaus.com/turbine.htm>turbine technology pages on the
International Automated Systems Web site.


Nevada to Host the World's Largest Photovoltaic Power Plant

[]


Photo of two rows of large solar panels mounted on an angle on


SunEdison has experience building large solar power installations,
including this 118-kilowatt system in Englewood, California.
Credit: SunEdison

Powered by Renewables (PBR) announced last week that it will partner with
SunEdison to develop the world's largest solar photovoltaic (PV) project in
Clark County in southern Nevada. The proposed 18-megawatt project is nearly
double the size of the current world-record holder, a 10-megawatt solar PV
project in Germany. It will be privately owned, and its power will be sold
to the U.S military. PBR and SunEdison are also planning to develop another
18 megawatts of solar PV projects at locations throughout Nevada. According
to PBR, construction on the Clark County installation should begin in July,
with other projects following next year. See the
<http://www.pbrcorp.com/news.php?id=3&ref_id=7>PBR press release.

Smaller solar power projects are popping up across the country. In New York
State, local chapters of the International Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers (IBEW) are intending to install small solar power systems on their
union buildings. The New York State Energy Research and Development
Authority (NYSERDA) recently provided $740,000 to install a 60-kilowatt
system on the union trading center in Harriman and to install a total of 90
kilowatts of solar power on three other IBEW buildings. In New Jersey,
Dome-Tech Solar installed a 250-kilowatt solar power system at a Johnson &
Johnson subsidiary. And in California, Chevron Energy Solutions worked with
the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to install 185 kilowatts of sun-tracking
solar panels; 100 kilowatts of flexible, thin-film solar panels; and a
250-kilowatt fuel cell system at the San Francisco Processing & Distribution
Center. Chevron Energy Solutions also installed energy efficiency
enhancements at the facility and at the nearby Embarcadero Postal Center.
See the press releases from
<http://www.nyserda.org/Press_Releases/PressRelease.asp?i=100&d=2006>NYSERDA,
<http://www.dometechsolar.com/solar/about/news_1_25_2006.asp>Dome-Tech
Solar, and <http://www.chevron.com/news/press/2006/2006-02-10_1.asp>Chevron
Energy Solutions.


BP and Edison Plan a 500-Megawatt Hydrogen Project in California

BP and the Edison Mission Group announced last week that they plan to build
a $1-billion hydrogen-fueled power plant in southern California. The
500-megawatt plant would be located next to BP's Carson refinery, about 20
miles south of Los Angeles, and would generate hydrogen from petroleum
coke, a byproduct of the refining process. Carbon dioxide would also be
generated by the process and will be separated, transported to an operating
oilfield, and injected into the reservoir to stimulate more oil production.
The hydrogen will be burned in a gas turbine to produce electricity.

Although the project remains largely speculative because of the many
agencies, companies, and other stakeholders that would be involved, the
companies hope to complete detailed engineering and commercial studies this
year, finalize project investment decisions in 2008, and bring the new
power plant online by 2011. The plant is the second large-scale hydrogen
project announced by BP; the first is a 350-megawatt project fueled with
natural gas and located in Scotland. See the
<http://www.edison.com/pressroom/pr.asp?id=6125>press release from Edison
International*the parent company for the Edison Mission Group*and the
project description on the
<http://www.bpalternativenergy.com/liveassets/bp_internet/alternativenergy/next_generation_hydrogen_carson.html>BP
Alternative Energy Web site.

See, when we DO do things, we do em' big!:lol: