Driving me wild!



Vauxhall Ampera

 It comes of no surprise to those that know me that I’m somewhat of a ‘petrol-head’. And, as much as I like to ogle the odd supercar that passes my way, it’s true that with the rising price of oil, diminishing natural fuel resources and increasing worries about carbon emissions, the need for green solutions to our 4-wheeled friends is high.

Seeing the Vauxhall Ampera on the front cover of many a magazine at the moment has got me thinking about how far we have come with green cars, in a relatively short space of time. MOSI has its own battery powered vehicles including a Berlingo Electrique and a Sinclair C5 – a far cry from what’s being produced today. Green cars have finally shaken off their dull image and can now actually be considered - well, rather cool!



E-Wolf

German electric vehicle specialist e-WOLF has been developing a new sports car called the e-WOLF Alpha-2. The company has been renowned for producing electric vehicles for some time and, by using two electric motors to power the rear wheels, they claim they can get 0-100km/h in just 3.9 seconds and a full-charge will offer a range of around 300km!

In Britain, the founder of Gloucestershire-based wind energy company Ecotricity, Dale Vince OBE and his team built the 'Nemesis' - an electricity-powered supercar which can accelerate from 0-100mph in 8.5 seconds. It is powered entirely by 100% green electricity made by Ecotricity’s UK network of windmills!

Ecotricitys 'Nemesis' 

I was also delighted to see one of the new generation electric hybrid double decker buses in the flesh this week. It’s good to see that Greater Manchester is leading the country in the drive to get cash for greener buses, with grants totalling more than £11.9m to get them all on the road by next year. Low carbon buses emit around 30 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than standard diesel buses and use around a third less fuel.

But with this shift towards electric vehicles, for both domestic and commercial use, what impact will this have on our power grid and the originating fuel source? Answers on a postcard please – carrier pigeons accepted.

Confessions of a Curator #3

When clumsy contractors broke the glass of a historic gas lamp at MOSI, it set me on a voyage of discovery. This recuperative gas lamp dates from the 1890s and was used outside shops to throw light downwards onto the pavement to sell goods in the evenings. They used a fascinating piece of pre-mantle technology, a heat exchanger which preheats incoming air to maximise the brightness of the flame and the flame is also inverted. 

After over a hundred years of existence, the lamp had a bad year in 2008. It lost one borosilicate glass reflector panel and its globe, and generally needed some serious TLC! The first challenge was to raise funds for repairs – which came through thanks to the enthusiasm of 2010 IGEM president Bill Maclean.

Dorron Harper of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway supplied a long-saved British Railways 7" globe to replace the one that had been smashed. Next, University of Manchester engineering department technician David Jones worked with amazing precision to manufacture a new burner out of stainless steel to replace the original ceramic unit. Finally, many hours of careful work were put in by gas contractor David Lane to repair the injector, reassemble the unit and re-fit it on site.

 

It's been a labour of love by many people to get this fascinating lamp back in gas and we think it's the only one of its kind both in gas and on public display in the UK.

The Next Generation of Nuclear

Last Thursday Coalition Government announced plans for the next generation of nuclear power stations in the UK as part of its new Energy National Policy Statements. The strategy laid out the framework for investment in a range of new energy sources, including eight nuclear sites which are all set to be built by 2025.

Whatever your opinion on nuclear power, there is no doubt that the UK faces challenging times ahead to achieve a secure, reliable and low carbon electricity supply. As MOSI plans its new energy gallery, in the light of this interesting announcement about nuclear developments, we will make sure that our visitors get the chance to learn as much as possible about nuclear energy and make up their own minds.

We must consider both the pros and the cons: the hidden benefits for the local economies, the rejuvenation of the supply chain, utilisation of other service companies needed to build and run large facilities, plus the creation of secure jobs. Do these help to neutralise some of the more negative public perceptions of nuclear energy - fears of its safety, concerns about the disposal of waste?  

For those with an interest in the history of nuclear power, then why not join the Newcomen Society for the study of engineering and technology?  They are holding a conference at MOSI on the subject in the autumn of 2012: get in touch with them via the Newcomen Society website if you'd like to attend. http://newcomen.com/

Confessions of a Curator #2

It’s been a productive 2 weeks for the Energy Galleries development – and may I say, a thoroughly interesting one for an Energy Curator!

I spent a fascinating afternoon with Dave Darlow, Sales Manager for Renewables and CE Electric at Garforth, Leeds. Siemens are thinking of donating some high voltage switchgear to MOSI, and I went to have a good look at what they had to offer. Indeed, there was lots of impressive switchgear which we might be able to use in the gallery, but the challenge is finding ways of adapting it so that visitors who are not engineers can understand it.

I also met with 2 members of the delightful team at Clicks & Links – Richard and Olli – as we discussed the possibility of acquiring some equipment and software to give real-time information of energy use in the Gallery. Their software, Greenica, stores energy data allowing the user to analyse their usage in real-time, compare their usage with their own historical data and also compare their usage with other users. Hopefully there’s an interactive to be made somewhere there!

Energy expert Tim Ternent from Tetra Marketing paid us a visit to talk about reaching out to the Energy sector for partnership opportunities. He had some great advice about events to attend, who we should be talking to and how we should spread the word. It’s great to see someone who is so passionate about the Energy sector and we look forward to working more closely with Tetra Marketing – and thanks again for the Energy in Buildings and Industry mag!

Confessions of the Curator

Last week, we were tasked to move our 1920s gas holder weighing nearly a tonne! Unfortunately, because it had to go via an extremely difficult and awkward route into the Gas Gallery (including the added obstacle of stairs!), it was beyond the museum’s in-house equipment. However, thanks to National Grid, we managed to do it! A kind word from NG National Operations Director John Butterworth MBE led to a team coordinated by Pat Jordan making light work of the tricky task. Once MOSI's photographer's back from holiday, we'll post some photos of its new location.

A huge thank you also needs to go to Phil Oldfield and the apprentices from Perkins Engines who came to finish the reassembly of the gas holder. To get the item into the gallery we took off all the vulnerable parts, and Perkins helped to piece it back together. They were up and on the road at 5am to get to Manchester on time, and did a fantastic job. 



The streetlamp-lit entrance to MOSI's Gas Gallery



I’ve also been working hard on MOSI’s brief for the Energy Galleries with the Head of Collections at MOSI. We’re excited about the project and the next step is a space audit and measurement of what might fit and where. Onwards and upwards! Time to start work with the Development Team on fundraising schedules.