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Monthly Archives: January 2009

Ian`s Solar-Heated Air Balloons Could Harness 500kW Each

How would you like an engine producing your dear electricity? How would you like that engine to have pistons as high as heat-powered balloons? Well, an environmental consultant from Solartran in Brisbane, Australia, by his name Ian Edmonds, has designed such an energy producing "engine" from the classic and romantic air balloon.

Is Nitrogen a Climate Savior?

National Science Foundation proved after a long study that nitrogen added to soil can make forests absorb more dioxide carbon. But even if nitrogen is one of the most abundant element in the atmosphere, it's still a pollutant and can have a dramatic influence on the planet's environment.

Home Wind Turbines Prove To Be Less Efficient

Though many would have though that having installed home wind turbines, electricity would not be a problem anymore it seems things do not look that encouraging.

StARS: Start-Stop Hybrid System Reducing Fuel Consumption Up to 25%

In the battle to have the most efficient engines, one of the biggest allies is the European Union and the laws they make to force the car companies to lower the harmful emissions. By 2012 they set a maximum of 130 g/km carbon-dioxide (CO2) emission.

Aberdeen Researchers to Find Low-Temp Fuel Cell Solutions

Current hydrogen fuel cells work at temperatures for up to 100°C for PEM types, and up to 300°C for SAFC (solid acid). The problem with these, although I don't agree with their developmental direction, is that they don't tolerate carbon very easily, and pure hydrogen is very hard to obtain from carbon-rich sources, such as methane or petrol.

I Charge My Batteries With Water. How About You?

You go somewhere for the holidays. You have your mp3 player to forget about the "dead times" during not-so-interesting-travels. But what? Suddenly your mp3 player stops working! Noooo!

Freshwater and Electricity Through Osmosis

Robert McGinnis, Yale doctoral student and Menachem Elimelech, Chair of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, have developed systems that can harness the power of osmosis to transform non-potable water sources like seawater to freshwater and generate in the same time electricity.

Who Killed The Electric Car? (full movie)

The EV1 has been a dream that ended up quickly and painfully for everyone to forget it. Although it's an oldie, this movie shows the facts that stood behind the decision of not only shutting down the EV1 production line, but also destroying all of them altogether.

Ford hybrid and electric cars vs GM Volt electric car

Nowadays, the Japanese constructors are well ahead others in having electric cars. Honda and Toyota have the dominating positions in our top and they are announcing more to come in the following year. US manufacturers are late, one probable reason was that in the US the fuel price is not as high as in other parts of the globe.

BlueZERO, Mercedes Green Project Unveiled at NAIAS in Detroit

Mercedes presented their latest fuel cell car, BlueZero, at NAIAS in Detroit. The vehicle is built on modular architecture with a range of powertrains including fuel cells.