Microbial Fuel Cell Could Propel Navy Ships for Years, Feeding on Sea Microorganisms
The microbial fuel cell is meant to use naturally occurring fuels and oxidants in the sea to power ships, replacing batteries and fossil fuels.
Micro-Bubbles Injected Into Oceans Reduce Global Warming, Physicist Says
Russell Seitz, a physicist at the Harvard University, has thought of an ingenious way to fight global warming by cooling the planet by parts. The ingenious way Seitz wants to do this is by pumping vast swarms of tiny bubbles into the sea to increase its reflectivity.
Hair Conditioning Shampoo Component Captures 90% of Coal Plants' CO2
Aminosilicones are regularly used in hair-conditioning shampoos and fabric softeners, but recently they show usefulness in fighting global warming by filtering carbon dioxide out of flue gases from coal plants.
First Solar Signs Agreements With Major Energy Utilities to Provide Solar Power
First Solar Inc. has recently announced that it will start working on a huge photovoltaic project called Desert Sunlight in Southern California. The facility will produce 550 MW from solar power, of which 300 MW will be sold to California's Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and 250 MW to Southern California Edison (SCE).
New California Assembly Bill May Benefit Clean Energy Storage Manufacturers
The California Assembly has just proposed a new bill that would impose utilities to have incorporated energy storage equipment that can store 2.25% of daytime peak demand by 2014 and 5% of peak demand by 2020.
IBM and Stanford Discover Chemical Recycling of PETs at Low Temperatures
Usually, plastic bottles, (aka PETs) are recycled by mechanical technologies, and they get several other uses afterwards: carpets, sweaters, etc. They don't ever return to their original water bottle use.It is possible to chemically recycle PETs, but the method has been so far very expensive and the industry doesn't want that option.
New Kind of Magnetic Solder Eliminates Toxic Lead
A group of scientists at the Yale University have created a new type of magnetic, lead-free solder that could be used to manufacture electronics more efficiently and cheaply.
Arctic Emissions of Methane Could Trigger Abrupt Climate Warming
Researchers concluded that the release of just a fraction of the methane held in the East Siberian Arctic Shelf sediments could lead to a sudden warming of the climate.
China's Biggest Renewable Energy Project to be Launched Soon
China is planning to reduce its carbon footprint by 40-45% from the 2005 level and until 2020 to generate 15% of its electricity from low-carbon technologies. According to Zhang Guobao, head of the National Energy Administration, a national program consisting of billions of dollars of investments in solar, wind and nuclear energy would be launched very soon.
Indian Government Proposed a Coal Tax for Using in Renewable Energy Projects
This tax would produce an annual revenue of around $600 million. According to the National Clean Energy Fund, Mukherjee, the coal is the "mainstay of India's energy sector", being 75% of the country's power generation.
