CleanTech OC Daily - 7/30/12

The London Olympics’ Big, Recyclable Basketball Arena

Falling in line with the goal to be the greenest Olympics on record, the Basketball Arena of the London Olympics was constructed with some smart visually stunning green features. Composed of a steel frame and wrapped in 20,000 square meters phthalate‐free, recyclable PVC, the arena was constructed to be easily dismantled and subdivided for reuse or recycling.

Scientists Successfully Test Traction Motor for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles

Traction motors are the key ingredient in hybrid and electric vehicles and engineers at GE Global Research have just tested a prototype Interior Permanent Magnet traction motor that could help extend vehicle’s range before recharging or needing fuel. The new GE-designed traction motor is cheaper to build and more powerful and efficient than anything on the market.

California Renewable Energy Forecast Just Keeps Getting Brighter

In California, renewable energy represented 20.6% of the electricity mix from the three biggest utilities at the end of 2011 – that’s up from 17% from 2010. On an even more promising note, a new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists found that it’s not just the state’s big three utilities that are boosting renewables –large-scale hydropower and solar are playing bigger roles than initially anticipated.