Argonne helps China create cleaner Beijing for 2008 Olympics
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ARGONNE, Ill. (Oct. 8, 2007) – The U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National
Laboratory is working closely with Chinese scientists and policy makers toward
the goal of creating a cleaner Beijing and developing sustainable technologies
for the 2008 Olympic
Games and beyond.
Recently, DOE and China's Ministry
of Science and Technology announced a
five-year agreement aimed at promoting large scale deployment of next-generation
vehicle technologies. The benefits of the collaboration include clean, energy
efficient transportation, addressing climate change, promoting energy security
and sustaining economic growth.
The United States and China are working together to solve global energy and
environmental problems," said Larry Johnson, Director of Argonne's Transportation
Technology R&D Center. "Our business-as-usual forecast is that
by 2020 China will sell more cars and trucks than the U.S., and by 2030 will
have more vehicles on the road than the U.S. As China and the U.S. become the
two dominant countries in oil use and greenhouse gas emissions, we need to
work together on advanced transportation technologies."
China is ideally situated to adopt alternative vehicles because it must establish
an infrastructure to handle the demands of future transportation — regardless
of fuel source or technology. Since 2003 Argonne and DOE have been working
with the China
Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC) to promote
energy-efficient vehicle technologies and clean transportation fuels in China. The benefits of the partnership, however, go far beyond any one country's
borders. "Helping create energy-efficient and clean transportation benefits
the entire world," explained Johnson.
CATARC, as well as a number of universities and companies, use Argonne's award
winning software, Powertrain
System Analysis Toolkit (PSAT) and Greenhouse
gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation (GREET) models
for evaluation of China's existing vehicles, understanding the interrelationships
among performance, fuel economy and emissions and for the design of new, advanced-technology
vehicles.
"China is making important progress in developing cleaner vehicles,"
said Johnson. "Don't be surprised if China starts meeting some fairly
impressive standards in terms of renewable energy and automotive technology."
Much of Argonne's transportation research is funded by DOE's FreedomCAR
and Vehicle Technologies Program in the Office of Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy which invests in a diverse portfolio of transportation technologies
to provide efficient, clean and renewable energy. Under their sponsorship,
Argonne's is developing more energy efficient and environmentally friendly
transportation technologies designed to use less petroleum and lower emissions.
The long-term aim is to develop "leap frog" technologies that will
enhance our energy security, while lowering costs and reducing the impact on
the environment.
In another study, Argonne has been working with leading institutions, including
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
the University of Tennessee, Tsinghua
University, Peking University and
the Chinese
Academy of Sciences to improve the air quality of Beijing and ensure a
healthy atmosphere for athletes and spectators at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
The team has researched and modeled the local and regional contributors to
Beijing's air quality, leading to a greater understanding of regional air
quality management and development of new emission control strategies. The
modeling study has been widely cited by Chinese policy makers, including the
Beijing mayor, in requesting the government to implement unprecedented regional
control programs to ensure that the air quality goals for 2008 will be met
in Beijing.
This research was funded by the EPA
to promote air quality in developing countries and provide a better understanding
of regional air quality management and emission control strategies. The report, " Air
quality during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games," is available online.
Argonne National Laboratory brings
the world's brightest scientists and engineers together to find exciting and
creative new solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology.
The nation's first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic
and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne
researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities,
and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific
problems, advance America 's scientific leadership and prepare the nation for
a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed
by UChicago
Argonne, LLC for
the U.S.
Department of Energy's Office
of Science.
For more information, please
contact Eleanor Taylor (630/252-5510 or media@anl.gov)
at Argonne.
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