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Yearly Archives: 2008
BOINC Software to Cut 20 Years in Solar Cell Development
Everyone knows two are more powerful than one. On the same principle, IBM and Harvard University researchers launched a joint project today in an effort to search for the optimum combination of materials to create the most efficient solar cells ever.
DOE Studying How Concrete Could Absorb Solar Power Better
Some University of Arkansas researchers want to give solar power a new meaning. They want to store the Sun's heat in concrete, and then pass that heat on to generate electricity. Since the US hasn't had many projects involving storing of thermal energy in concrete, it is a good time to start.
Converted Prius to Get Over 100 MPG or Over 40 Miles of Full Electric
Here's some good news for DIYers. If it ever passed through your head to convert your actual car to an electric one, here are some Orange County guys that already did that and sell Prius conversion kits so you can do it at home, too.
Clean Nuclear Fusion Now Possible Using Electromagnetic Waves
Two MIT scientists, physicist Yijun Lin and principal research scientist John Rice, using the university's Alcator C-Mod fusion reactor, proved that electromagnetic waves produced with the help of a Tokamak (pictured above) could be used to keep that plasma hot and make nuclear fusion possible.
New MIT Thin Film Solar Cells Brag 50% More Efficiency
MIT researchers invented new and improved thin film solar cells that present 50% more efficiency, while being much more cheap than classic solar cells. Their price is due to using less silicon than conventional solar cells.
New Biofuel Machine Offers Cheap Heating, Cooling and Electricity for Homes
a super efficient system using biofuels has been invented at Newcastle University: it has the power to cool and heat UK homes, besides providing electricity. The system feeds with seeds of the Croton Megalocarpus, a plant with origins in East Africa.
Air#Maze: Cheapest and Simplest Solar Powered Room Heater
"Environmental Art must work," says artist/inventor Doyle Doss. "As artists, as creative individuals, we must do all we can to make our work actually solve a problem. What we create must make positive impacts on an environment that has been severely damaged. The question for each of us will always remain, 'Is my work a part of the solution, really, or is it just a re-statement of the problem?' "
Solar Balloon to Harness 400 Times More Energy
An image is worth a thousand words. As you may see in the picture above, this balloon, made by Cool Earth, is concentrating the solar power to a focal point, where a photovoltaic solar cell is harnessing the light.
New Nano-Device Could Power Your MP3 Player from Surrounding Sound
Tahir Cagin, from the Texas A&M University, recently discovered that a specific type of piezoelectric material could convert sound waves into electric current 100 percent more efficient than current devices, when it is manufactured at a very small size - 21 nanometers.
Michelin Active Wheel: All-In-One Standard for Engine, Brake & Suspension
The active wheel features an electric motor, a braking and an electric suspension system, which is something only seen in the military about two years ago. The electric suspension is basically the same with a classic one, except the central shock absorbers, that comprise active, step-by-step motors driving a rack-and-pinion system at each wheel, that can cancel out anything the computer tells them to.
