Electravia : Driving the silence

Electra is the first electric aircraft with batteries which will have an airwothiness certificate (and not a glider, motoglider,...). Its autonomy (48 mn ) is the most important never reached on batteries (and not thanks to photovoltaic systems). One of the challenge was to scale up electric drive to equip passenger - carrying conventional aircraft of the kind flown by recreational pilots. The French engineers team who is behind this project use the experience and skills of the ACV Aero Service and ELECTRAVIAfirms, and the APAME (association for the promotion of Electrical engine aircrafts). These innovative works are managed by Anne Lavrand, Electra project manager. 

The single-seater Electra is the first conventional airplane to run entirely on batteries. The plane has a very traditional design, the only difference being the method for turning the prop. It shows that as the energy density of batteries increases, so too does their potential application

More information on : www.electravia.fr

Source : Le Journal Innovation

A new Carbon storing powder

French-led technologists said they had beefed up the performance of a nano-powder that stores carbon dioxide (CO2) in what could be a step forward in tackling global warming caused by road traffic.A cubic metre (35 cubic feet) of the new substance, called MIL-101, is able to capture 400 cu. metres (14,125 cu. feet) of CO2, thanks to pores 3.5 nanometres (billionths of a metre) across, the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) said in a press release.

It outperforms current commercial nano-powders which have maximum pores of 2.2 nanometres.

The powder could have a potential use one day as a filter to help reduce CO2 emissions by road vehicles, lead researcher Gerard Ferey at the Lavoisier Institute in Versailles, near Paris, said. Capturing and storing CO2 has become one of the most eagerly-explored areas of research in global warming.The idea is to sequestrate the gas as it is being burned by power plants, factories and vehicles, rather than let it escape into the atmosphere where it will contribute to the greenhouse effect.

The CNRS team is to report on MIL-101 in a forthcoming issue of Langmuir, a journal of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

Ceram Hyd : Hydrogen storage

Ceram Hyd is a French Company focusing on hydrogen technolgies. It was created in September 2005. The company’s core activities are R&D in the domains of hydrogen production, storage and re-conversion into electricity. Ceram Hyd has, to date, been financed by private investors and innovation grants in France. Ceram Hyd has developed a range of technologies that address various aspects of the hydrogen economy : - a novel ceramic proton exchange membrane that works in a temperature range between 0 and 200°C - an innovative process of ionic transport and absorption -a nano-structured ceramix developed specifically for hydrogen storage. Ceram Hyd’s aim is to bring its breakthrough technologies to market and to become the number one provider of CeraPEM membrane, hydrogen storage materials and integrated hydrogen production and storage processes.         More information : www.ceramhyd.com                                                                                                                   Source : Ceram Hyd

Kilowattsol : Solar Resource Expert

Calculate the potential photovoltaix from any point on the planet, particularly of course from a roof is the performance of the system developed by Kilowattsol, a start up crated by Xavier Daval in Lyon - France.The system integrates in a box apparatus to acquire data which are then exploited when loading via the Internet using a system of calculation. The box, placed on a roof, calculates the greatest slope, records the GPS, took a photo to 360 degrees in the horizontal direction, and 180 degrees in the vertical direction. It records masks the effect of which will then be calculated by simulating the course of the sun. " In summary, the system records that the roof "sees (and receives) and not what the artisan, the client, the architect who remain on the ground calculate. 

The data are used to distance after loading onto a site. A simulation software can calculate, with a margin of error of 5%, the amount of solar energy received by a roof or roof several elements in the case of complex architecture.

More information on : www.Kilowattsol.com

Source : Translation from Enviscope