Japanese Water-Filled Solar Power System Produces Electricity and Heat More Efficiently

Ovidiu Sandru, February 25, 2011 in Solar Power

The term of “co-generation” is often heard in the crowds of biofuel scientists and generally burnable fuels, because it provides both heat and electricity, through an intermediate mechanism. Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp (NTT) redefines this term, linking it to solar power in all of its meaning.

New Rigid Sails Harvesting Solar and Wind Power to Propel Future Ships

By Mike Sandru, February 24, 2011

The Japan-based company Eco Marine Power, is planning to develop a solar power system for ocean-going vessels and ships. Currently, the company is designing rigid sail panels fitted with solar modules, dubbed The Aquarius, that are able to collect solar and wind energy on board ships. Read more...

Colder Winters Bring Higher Pollution Levels, Swedish Researchers Say

By Ovidiu Sandru, February 23, 2011

A strong link between the coldness of the winter and air pollution has just been established by a group of researchers from the University of Gothenburg. Nitrogen oxides levels have been much higher than usual in the Swedish city during the last two harsh winters. Read more...

Startup Company Makes Cheap Solar Panels With a Third The Silicon Needed Normally

By Ovidiu Sandru, February 23, 2011

High performance single-crystalline solar cells have historically been expensive, mostly due to the materials used in the manufacturing process. A Santa Clara, CA, startup company, Crystal Solar, has developed an innovative process of manufacturing solar cells that have the same efficiency but cost a lot less. Read more...

Sharp Develops Vehicle-to-Grid-Like System That Uses EVs to Store Cheap/Green Electricity

By Mike Sandru, February 23, 2011

Researchers have used a battery pack from an EV to provide 8 kilowatts of energy, enough for many kinds of appliances found in an average household. The Intelligent Power Conditioner is also capable of delivering 4 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity for the recharging of the electric vehicle’s battery pack. This process took about 30 minutes. Read more...

Rolls Royce's First Electric Car To Be Unveiled At The Geneva Motor Show

By Mike Sandru, February 22, 2011

Luxury car maker Rolls-Royce is planning to unveil its first electric vehicle at the Geneva Motor Show on March 1. According to the UK-based company, the fully electric-powered car dubbed Phantom 102EX, will then go on a global tour taking in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Read more...

Toyota to Release Home-Based EV Charging Stations in 2012

By Mike Sandru, February 21, 2011

Toyota Motor is planning to launch home battery chargers for plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles by the end of 2012. According to the company, the chargers will be compatible with any type of EV and will come in two types. One would be for setting up in a garage and the other would protrude from the exterior wall of a home. Read more...

Japan Planning 310mph Magnetic Levitation Trains by 2027

By Ovidiu Sandru, February 21, 2011

I’ve been admiring the Japanese and their technological achievements since forever. They have some of the fastest trains on earth, and it looks like they’re on their way to build a faster one by 2027. Stretching along 178 miles between Tokyo and Nagoya, the future train will run at approximately 310 miles per hour. Read more...

Stanford Researchers Get Threefold Efficiency Gains by Binding Organic Layer to Solar Cells

By Ovidiu Sandru, February 21, 2011

While studying quantum dot solar cells, chemical engineering Professor Stacey Bent and associate Professor Michael McGehee of the department of Materials Science and Engineering coated a titanium dioxide semiconductor in their quantum dot solar cell with a very thin single layer of self-assembling organic molecules. Read more...

Toyota iQ EV Prototype to Be Presented at The Geneva Auto Show

By Mike Sandru, February 20, 2011

The new prototype will be equipped with an electric powertrain based on the current Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive system, which actually equips the Prius for more than a decade. Read more...

Microwave-Burnt Biomass Could Help "Black" Energy Industry Become Cleaner

By Ovidiu Sandru, February 19, 2011

James Clark, the director of the University of York’s Green Center of Excellence, will present some of the newest chemical technologies that could help producing clean biofuels and at the same time eliminate waste, at the Annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Read more...

Wastewater-Grown Algae Yield Biodiesel and Clean the Water, Too

By Ovidiu Sandru, February 18, 2011

Finding new methods of processing wastewater really impresses me every time. Using a combination of wastewater and algae to produce biodiesel is even more touching, because it’s “doubly green”, as the algae neutralize water pathogens as they feed and eat out carbon dioxide to produce fuel. Read more...

New Cement Production Technology Absorbs Carbon Dioxide, Receives Award