Monthly Archives: September 2010
Two German scientists, Juergen Pfitzer and Helmut Naegele, have inventted a new material called Arboform which is a bio-degradable plastic that can be moulded into any form which is normally made using non-biodegradable petroleum-based plastics. Products made from the material look and feel like wood. Arboform is produced by combining lignin, a by-product of paper making which is normally discarded, with natural resin and flax and other plant fibres. The product biodegrades into safe by-products like water and carbon dioxide. Arboform can be used in a huge variety of products including flooring, furniture, automotive interiors, consumer goods, toys and musical … Continue Reading
The Tibetan plateau is being destroyed by rising temperatures, excess livestock and plagues of insects and rodents – and the changes are having a profound impact on the world’s ecology. Without its grasslands the high plateau is less able to absorb moisture and more likely to radiate heat and this is accelerating climate change. Partly because of this, the Tibetan mountains have warmed two to three times faster than the global average and the permafrost and glaciers are melting. To make matters worse, the towering Kunlun, Himalayan and Karakorum ranges that surround the plateau act as a chimney for water … Continue Reading
Take a look at our new video about the amazing amount of coal and water that it takes to run a coal-fired power station – and the huge volume of carbon dioxide emitted, as well as all of the other pollutants.
Ford has shipped its first all-electric Transit Connect van for the American market. The Ford Transit Connect can achieve a range of up to 125 kilometres on a single charge and has a top speed of 120 kilometres per hour. It can be recharged at a 120-volt outlet in 12 to 16 hours or at a 240-volt outlet in six to eight hours. The van is targetted at fleet owners that have well-defined routes of predictable distances and a central location for recharging. The Transit Connect Electric is to be released in Europe in 2011. Ford has also announced that … Continue Reading
Florida-based New Energy Technologies Inc has demonstrated a spray-on solar PV product that enables electricity to be generated from glass and other surfaces. The company claims that, in commercial applications such as the building facades of office towers, its "SolarWindow" can generate more than three times the energy of conventional rooftop solar systems because the product can be applied to the extensive glass surfaces on commercial skyscrapers, rather than just the rooftops. The electricity-generating coating can be applied at room temperature and glass remains transparent after being coated with the product. New Energy Technologies expects to publish comprehensive performance data … Continue Reading
Chemical engineers at the Massechusetts Institute of Technology have found a way to concentrate solar energy 100 times more than a regular photovoltaic cell. Carbon nanotubes were used to form antennas that capture and focus light energy, potentially allowing much smaller and more powerful solar arrays. Solar cells are usually grouped in large arrays, often on rooftops, because each cell can generate only a limited amount of power. “Instead of having your whole roof be a photovoltaic cell, you could have little spots that were tiny photovoltaic cells, with antennas that would drive photons into them,” says Michael Strano, Associate … Continue Reading
A musical interlude from They Might Be Giants:
A team of researchers at the University of Sydney has developed crystals full of microscopic holes that can capture gases like carbon dioxide. The scientists designed them to be used in facilities like power stations but they could have many other applications such as storing hydrogen or separating methane from nitrogen and carbon dioxide in natural gas.. According to Dr Deanna D’Alessandro, the chief researcher on the project, "You could think of them a little bit like your kitchen sponge but in our case they are actually metal centres linked by organic bridging ligands and basically they form this massive … Continue Reading
BMW’s Smart and Daimler’s Mini divisions are both plannig to show concept electric scooters at the Paris Motor Show in October. Both are rumoured to have litium batteries giving a range of 100 kilometres. The Smart scooter is said to include an airbag. Both companies have released sketches of their designs: Mini scooter Smart scooter
A study, led by Tad Patzek, chairman of the Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, says that the world will face "peak coal" as soon as 2011. (The study defines "peak coal" as the peak in the amount of energy produced globally from coal.) In contrast, the U.S. Energy Information Administration projects coal consumption for electricity growing more than 50 percent by 2035 unless policies are put in place to stop the growth to prevent greenhouse gas emissions. Professor Patzek argues that the reserves estimates of the United States and other countries overstate … Continue Reading
Videos
Renewables News- Dysol Aiming to Print Storage with Solar CellsAustralia's Dyesol Limited has acquired an equity stake in Printed Power Pte Ltd, a spinoff company of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Printed Power is focussing on integrating dye solar cell technology with printed storage and power management systems to … Continue Reading → […]
- CSIRO Printer Makes 10m of Solar Cells a MinuteCSIRO researchers have built a gigantic printer that spits out solar cells at a rate of about ten metres a minute. The printer system uses existing technology to embed polymer solar cells (also known as organic solar cells) in thin … Continue Reading → […]
- New Aussie Technology to Clean Polluted WaterScientists from Deakin University, together with French colleagues, say that they have manufactured a lightweight and reusable material that can absorb up to 33 times its weight in a wide range of spilt oils, chemical solvents and dyes, while repelling … Continue Reading → […]
- Dysol Aiming to Print Storage with Solar Cells
