Monthly Archives: February 2009
The UK Government has adopted the radical policy of using open-source, in preference to commercial, software. Under the new policy, agencies will be required not only to consider open source solutions and make the choice soley on the basis of value-for-money, but will give peference to open source solutions where there is no cost difference and will actively seek to avoid becoming locked in to proprietary software. The Minister for Digital Engagement, Tom Watson, said that “The world of technology has moved on hugely since we last set out our thinking on open source, which is why it was so … Continue Reading
The Chery Automobile Co., China’s largest maker of own-brand cars, has unveiled its first plug-in hybrid. Chery claims that its S18 can travel 150 kilometres using just its batteries – compared with 64 kilometres claimed for General Motors’ Chevy Volt, due to go on sale next year. The S18 can be fully charged in as little as four hours and be 80 percent powered via a quick charge at a specialist station in 30 minutes. Chery will be China’s second mass manufacturer of plug-in hybrid cars, following BYD Electronics which already has a model on sale. BYD’s F3 DM can … Continue Reading
California’s per capita electricity use has remained constant since the 1970s – despite ever-larger homes, more electric gadgets and almost doubling of the State’s economy. In the rest of the United States, per capita consumption has increased by 50%. On average, Californians emit 20% less greenhouse gases than people in such "green" countries as Germany and Denmark, How did California do it? In part, by promoting strong building standards and aggressively deploying energy-efficient technologies, including such obvious measures as better insulation, energy-efficient lighting, heating and cooling. But some of the strategies are less obvious. The State found that the average … Continue Reading
The CSIRO’s Future Manufacturing Flagship is developing flexible, large area, cost-effective printable plastic solar cells. The research is based on the polymer technology which the CSIRO developed for printing plastic banknates and which is now used in 21 countries as well as Australia. The initial printing trials are being conducted at Securency International, a banknote printing company. Launching the trials, Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources, Peter Batchelor, said “These solar cells are cutting edge technology and offer advantages over traditional solar technology because of the potential to mass produce the cells cheaply and install them over large areas such … Continue Reading
Google has launched a number of initiatives related to climate change and renewable energy. In the lead-up to the Climate Change Convention (officially called the 15th Conference of Parties or COP15) in Copenhagen in December, Google and the Danish Government have launched a YouTube COP15 channel. On the channel, you can submit your thoughts and questions on climate change. These videos will be broadcast on screens around the conference in December and rated by viewers of the channel. The top-rated contributions will be aired globally during the COP15 CNN/YouTube debate on December 15th, and the top two submissions will win … Continue Reading
Compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs do contain mercury, which is a harmful substance – but does that mean that they worse than incandescent light bulbs? According to the US Environmental Protection Agency:, CFLs contain an average of about 4 milligrams of mercury sealed within the glass – that’s less than one percent of the mercury in mercury thermometers, which average about 500 milligrams. The amount of mercury in CFLs is continually being reduced. The best CFL bulbs now contain as little as 1.4 milligrams. During its 8,000 hour lifetime, a 13-watt CFL will use 104 kilowatt hours of electricity. Producing … Continue Reading
While rivals such as General Motors have scored major publicity coups with planned electric vehicles like the Chevrolet Volt, Ford has been quietly pursuing a pure battery-powered electric vehicle in tandem with plug-in hybrids. Ford has now announced plans to bring an electric car to market in 2011. Ford’s car will be based on the new global Focus platform, due out in 2010, with the electrics being developed by a Canadian Company, Magna International. Ford says that its electric Focus will have a range of 160 kilometres on a single full charge – which Ford says is ample for most … Continue Reading
Scientists at the CSIRO’s solar cooling research project have developed a method of using solar thermal collectors, such as are used in solar hot water systems, to generate cooling for building air-conditioning. Dr Stephen White, the project leader, says that “The solar cooling technology we are developing directly uses the natural heat from the sun to power a thermally-driven cooling process. While using heat to cool sounds like a strange concept, the technology we are developing is able use that heat in conjunction with an absorbent material – or desiccant – to dehumidify and cool air. This new type of … Continue Reading
The world’s wind power generating capacity grew by 28.8%, or 27,000 megawatts, in 2008. This is easily the largest growth ever recorded and almost matches the total generating capacity of all of the coal-fired power stations in Australia. The biggest growth was in the United States, where 8,358 megawatts of new wind generating capacity was installed – putting the US ahead of Germany with the largest installed capacity. China doubled its installed capacity for the fourth year in a row. With 12,210 megawatts, China now has about half the wind generating capacity of the United States. New Zealand, with just … Continue Reading
Michael Palin, a student designer at the University of Western Sydney, has been shortlisted for an Australian Design Award for a neat and attractive way of adding double glazing in a rental property. The "inflatable window" is actually a clear polycarbonate sheet which has the same look and feel as glass. The clear sheet is fitted to a frame that that. uses an inflatable rubber tube to seal it into the window reveal. The rubber tubing provides a 100% air tight seal without damaging the building in any way. The frame hides the inside of the existing window and the … Continue Reading
Videos
Renewables News- Vic Council Approves Wind Farm with Community SharesBuloke Shire has approved a planning permit for a five-turbine wind farm spanning 5.t hectares at Coonooer Bridge, west of Bendigo..It is the first wind farm planning permit approved since 2011 when the Victorian Government introduced tough planning laws that … Continue Reading → […]
- NZ Electricity Co Offers Solar PV with BatteryVector Limited, the largest electricity and gas distribution company in New Zealand, is offerring a "home solar power solution", incorporating intelligent battery storage into a traditional solar PV system. In the introductory phase of the programme, a limited number of … Continue Reading → […]
- Sydney City Revises Trigen Power PlanThe City of Sydney has decided not to pursue its plan for a trigeneation power precinct at Green Square at this time but has re-affirmed its commitment to cutting carbon emissions using trigeneration, among other technologies, The decision to halt … Continue Reading → […]
- Vic Council Approves Wind Farm with Community Shares
