General Electric has been building hybrids for many years. Its Evolution Series of locomotives are some of the most efficient currently on the market, and the giant company has plans for a replacement model using its own batteries soon. Also planned by GE is a move into the large truck market, where diesel hybrids are expected to become increasingly popular in the coming years. With all of this research and development already done for hybrid systems and the growing interest in the technology in the auto realm, Chrysler is looking to tap into some of that knowledge for an upcoming project for a "dual-battery energy storage system."

Though we're not entirely sure what this technology entails, we just reported that GE and Chrysler have gotten a bit of funding from the Department of Energy for further developments of the system. Considering the deep pockets that GE has, Chrysler seems wise to partner up with them, and the auto company already has ties to the energy conglomerate, as current Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli has served as a GE executive in the past. We anxious to see what "good things" this tie-in can bring to life.

[Sources: Automotive News, DOE]

General Electric and British petroleum are teaming up to build new hydrogen-fueled power generating plants. The plan is to use a gasification technology developed by GE to produce a hydrogen rich syngas from fossil fuel feedstocks. The separation process would also produce carbon dioxide which would be captured and sequestered in underground geological formations. This reverses the process that happens with most carbon sequestration projects which capture the carbon from the exhaust stream.

The GE process would start with either petroleum coke or bituminous coal and capture ninety percent of the carbon in the original fuel. The hydrogen gas would then be burned in the power plant to produce 500MW of electricity. The first two of five plants are planned for Carson, California and in Western Australia.

[Source: General Electric and BP]

With all of our eco-conscious viewers who are concerned with the environment, I am sure that a few of you have some questions regarding GE's green technologies. Consider that GE makes jet engines and locomotives, along with a huge number of other products which cover the gamut of most everything each of us use each day. So, their CEO, Jeff Immelt, must have some interesting views regarding "the greening of America". If you have a question you'd like to ask him, why not go ahead and do it? According to this YouTube video, said GE CEO will be answering questions submitted by YouTube users on ecomagination.com at 5 pm ET / 2 pm PT on Thursday, May 24.

[Source: YouTube via Ecorazzi]

The team from MIT has won the ecomagination Challenge with a solar-powered refueling station and biodiesel processor. We told you about the Ecomagination Challenge in January. It's a competition between college teams sponsored by mtvU and General Electric. Students were challenged to propose projects to green up their campus.

MIT will get a $25,000 eco-grant and also be host for a free mtvU Earth Day concert with Angels & Airwaves.

Called biodiesel@MIT, the project was selected by experts and from votes cast online. The idea is to create the nation's first university solar-powered refueling station that converts waste vegetable oil to biodiesel. Needs for the project include a biodiesel processor, building a photovoltaic array and training student-led staff to oversee the operation. The project looks to go online later in the year. Check out the ecomagination Challenge website for videos and more information.

[Source: digital50.com]

Here's a great idea: ask college students to develop new and creative ways to green their campus. General Electric and mtvU have combined to sponsor this unique competition. Of the 10 finalists, two schools are taking on biodiesel projects. MIT is looking at a solar-powered biodiesel processing and filling station while Vanderbilt wants to build a biodiesel production system that is obviously visible to help educate the public. You can view video presentations and fact pages from both schools on the the ecocollegechallenge Web site.

The Vanderbilt project is also designed to operate without electricity from the grid, noting that coal plants generate power to the university. On an interesting note, MIT's annual energy bill is $50 million. That alone should prompt alternative fuel research at the school. Some of the other top-10 finalist projects include holistic composting, solar-powered trash compactor and a human power plant. The winning team gets a $25,000 grant and exposure on mtvU.

[Source: ecocollegechallenge.com]

(Editor's note: to read the rest of Derrick's NextFest coverage, click here)



Overall, Wired's NextFest certainly wasn't the Paris Motor Show, nor was it meant to be. Instead, it was a gathering of new technologies in many different fields. On the positive side, I'd say that if there was any underlying theme other than new technologies, it would had to have been environmental reponsibility or sustainable green culture. Not every exhibit was focused on eco-friendliness, but a large portion of them were. I'd say close to one-third of the exhibits had something environmentally friendly to show which involved nearly half of the floor space (primarily due to the sheer size of GM's and GE's exhibits). What was great to see was that automotive and energy exhibits seemed to lead the way in environmental research and development.

Earlier, I gave focus to GM's portfolio of green machines, the fastest electric car in the world (which was built by Ohio State), Virginia Tech's Challenge X-leading E85-electric hybrid Equinox, Xof1's solar car aimed at breaking the world distance record, Carl Vogel's electric Harley, and Wheelsurf's mono-wheel, cycle-like recreational contraption. However, in this wrap-up, I'd like to at least mention a handful of other advanced vehicles that were present at NextFest: Noland's Bionic Dolphin, Newtsub's Deepworker 2000, General Electric's clean diesel train, AdRide bicycles and last but not least Paul Allen's SpaceShipOne.

Make the jump to keep reading. There are more pictures back there, too.

Ask any pragmatic member of the automotive community when we might see a hydrogen-powered vehicles (fuel cell or internal-combustion engine), and the answer will probably range from "several years" to "several decades". General Electric looks to be trying to push that towards the lower end of the range with a prototype electrolysis device that promises low-cost hydrogen.

GE has replaced certain expensive metal components in the electrolysis process with Noryl, an inexpensive thermoplastic (although not by the standards of the resin world!). We're guessing that this is Noryl GTX, which was developed for use in electrostatic paint processes and thus is electrically conductive by means of embedded carbon fibers. By doing so, the cost of hydrogen may potentially plummet from $8/kilogram to $3/kilogram, or what is said to be in the same realm as current gasoline prices (presumably, this still doesn't include the costs of storing the hydrogen in a practical "fuel tank").

As the saying goes - what should come quickly usually takes a lot longer than anyone thinks, and what looks to be way out on the horizon often appears much more quickly than anyone expects. The category that hydrogen happens to fall into remains to be seen.

[Source: Popular Mechanics]