Briefly Noted: Toyota/GM FC Talks End Toyota Motor Corp. and General Motors Corp. have ended their discussions about possible joint fuel cell development, according to various media reports.
Briefly Noted: AAAS Meeting Papers Noted at the AAAS Annual Meeting Feb. 16-20 in St. Louis: More energy research needed to stabilize CO2 levels, decarbonization of the U.S. energy mix, quantum dots and nano-enabled solar photons.
Briefly Noted: NREL Layoffs/Rehires All's Well that Ends Well: As expected, the National Renewable Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, CO was forced to lay off 32 staffers in early February to help cover a $28 million budget shortfall occasioned by Congressionally mandated earmarks (Jan., Feb. 06). But a couple of weeks later, just before Pres. Bush visited NREL, the jobs were restored.
Briefly Noted: Angstrom Approval Angstrom Power, the Vancouver-based developer of hydrogen-powered micro fuel cells, has won approval from both the U.S. Transportation Department and Canada's equivalent, Transport Canada, to ship these systems by both air and ground in and between the two countries.
Briefly Noted: FuelCell Energy Multi-MW SOFC Project The U.S. Energy Department has selected Danbury, CT-based FuelCell Energy, Inc. as prime contractor of a third project team to develop a coal-based multi-megawatt solid oxide fuel cell system.
Briefly Noted: Greenpeace Uranium Study The world's uranium deposits, the source of nuclear power production, will be exhausted in 65 years at the latest, even with reduced demand. Thus, nuclear power cannot contribute significantly to German - and presumably the world's - long-term energy security, nor to a solution for global warming issues, a new report by the German section of "Greenpeace" says.
Briefly Noted: Shell Plans Royal Dutch Shell wants to develop "at least one" alternative energy field such as wind, hydrogen or advanced solar into a substantial business.
Briefly Noted: Anglo American Future-Gen Anglo American, a UK-based global mining company with operations in both platinum group metals and coal, has joined the FutureGen Alliance.
Briefly Noted: Hannover H2 Ambassadors Sixteen-year-old Liz Youngblood is the youngest participant, member of one of 13 teams to show their winning entries in the 2006 Hydrogen Ambassador Competition during the Group Exhibit Hydrogen + Fuel Cells.
