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Fuel cell and battery improvements
Octane fuel cells Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have invented a fuel cell that will run on pure Octane (C₈H₁₈), emitting only water and carbon dioxide as exhaust. The fuel cell promises a high efficiency, about 50%, which it achieves by making the system a combined hydrogen reformer and fuel cell. The waste heat from the fuel cell helps power the reformer. The system needs high temperature to operate so is likely to be used as part of a battery hybrid system initially. More "traditional" fuel cells such as those offered by Ballard Systems are far further along the development cycle, but require a hydrogen infrastructure to operate.

Li-ion Batteries Altair Technologies have created a new type of Li-ion battery which has exceptionally high surface area. This allows the battery to be charged substantially quicker as well as discharge quickly as well. Broadening the range of applications substantially. Li-ion type batteries suffer from a limited number of recharge cycles, typically around 400 and this new type of battery would allow for up to 20,000 cycles. These type of batteries could well be used in hybrid vehicles. New Scientist has more detail.
posted by bjelkeman at 19:02

Xenesys charging ahead
As you can see for yourself in today's news posts, Xenesys of Japan are really charging ahead on the OTEC front. They now even have the attention of the head of state of one of the worlds largest economies, Japan. After the US DOE completely lost the plot, the state of Hawaii, NELHA, Sea Solar Power and Pacific International Center for High Technology Research (PICHTR) have been bravely struggling on to try to keep OTEC alive in the US. But it fell to Dr. H. Uehara, of Saga University in Japan to make OTEC into front page news. Good work Dr. Uehara. We are impressed!

- The Editor, OTECnews
posted by bjelkeman at 23:25

Tokyo Governor intends to build OTEC
According to several newspaper quotations from Xenesys, Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara visited the Japanese Prime Minister to gain support for building an OTEC power plant in the vicinity of Okinotorishima Island (under the jurisdiction of Ogasawara Village, Tokyo). The Prime Minister is reported to have said, “I'll leave it up to you.”
posted by bjelkeman at 23:06

Extracts from Mauritius newspapers
Xenesys has translated several extracts from several Mauritius newspapers which I am posting in full here:

January 9, 2005 Newspaper "Week end " - Ocean Energy to produce electricity.
[Article extract] OTEC should be the main attraction of the fair held at Free Port Center. Considered as a revolutionary system for production of renewable energy, the Uehara Cycle surpasses the traditional one by 50 to 70 percent. The system introduced by IOES and many of those who attended the fair predict a bright future for the small developing islands with this "revolution" in the field of energy. Mauritian Authorities show high interest in this project. And some discussions seemed to have been launched with Government of Japan for the allocation of a loan of RS one billion in order to start this project. Several sites would have been already identified around the Island and in the neighboring Islands.Pr. Uehara pointed out " I lived without electricity until graduated from middle school , so I understood how precious energy is. I want to eliminate gaps between countries with energy resources and those without them.

January 8, 2005 le’ Express - Sea is unlimited resource of renewable clean energy, you just have to exploit it.
[Article extract] Basically, Small Island Developing States can enjoy unlimited sea water quantity that should solve their problem of energy. At Free Port Exhibition Center, a Japanese University is demonstrating a reduced model of Uehara cycle, the top in the field of thermal energy conversion. According to the student searcher at the University, they are now at experimental stage but thanks to partnership support of Xenesys company they expect to trade the system within less than five years. In the past extension of the system was handicapped by its high cost however the Prof. predicts the viability of the system owing to other available derivated applications. A panel of UNDP experts is at present working on the study of the system. Its conclusion is vital with regard to the size of the project that requires foreign finance.
posted by bjelkeman at 22:58

Xenesys demonstrates OTEC for several heads of state
Possibly for the first time ever have several heads of state had a demonstration of OTEC. Xenesys exhibited a demonstration OTEC plant at the SIDS 2005 conference in Mauritius (the United Nations conference for Small Island Developing States) held 10-14 January, 2005. Among the visitors to their booth were: United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Assistant to the Japanese Prime Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, Mauritius ministerial officials, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, and the President of Nauru. Read more on the Xenesys site [cached].
posted by bjelkeman at 22:23

Energy Ocean 2005
Richard Meyer of Ocean Energy Council reminds us that Energy Ocean 2005 will happen in in Washington, D.C., 26-28th April. There are many interesting talks on the program. For example: Non-equatorial OTEC applications, Economic risk analysis of ocean energy projects, OTEC film festival, How developments in climate change regulation will impact on the renewable energy market in the United States.
posted by bjelkeman at 19:52