Germany To Store Power From Renewable Sources In The Mountains
If we are to rely on clean energy from wind and solar resources, then we have to find a way to have them constantly at hand. The wind and the sun are unreliable by their nature and power cuts are not an option in this era of speed and global communication.
New Sodium Imide Battery Doesn't Overheat, Features 50% More Capacity
One of the biggest hurdles lithium ion batteries face is to overcome is heat. Today's electric cars use complex and bulky cooling systems to get rid of the heat, fact that also lowers the batteries' storage capacity and put weight on the car, lowering its mileage per charge. A new type of battery chemistry that doesn't overheat is now emerging from Leyden Energy's labs.
BMW, Ford, GM to Test Thermoelectric Devices on Real Cars This Summer
Thermoelectric materials are used to convert heat into electricity. These devices have applicability in all kinds of industries and machinery, ranging from cars to coal-fired power plants. The world's greatest automobile manufacturers, BMW, Ford and GM have committed themselves to equip test cars with prototype thermoelectric devices by the end of this summer and see how they'll behave.
Nuclear Power Plants Vulnerable to Effects of Climate Change
Lately, nuclear power has proven itself vulnerable not to terrorist attacks, but to nature itself. Disasters such as the well-known from the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in Japan raise questions about how safe nuclear power really is and how current and future plants will be able to cope with climate change.
Wadebridge to Become UK's First Town Powered by Solar Energy
There are towns in the UK which dream of sustaining themselves out of their own production of electricity. Wadebridge in Cornwall is one of them: 10 solar systems installed, 100 more to go! The town has already begun the 2015 race, meaning 15,000 MWh each year. If they manage that, then they become eligible for feed-in tariffs: profitable contracts that buy the clean energy and add it up to the grid at a good price.
SolarReserve Receives Funding for CSP & Molten Salt Energy Storage in Nevada
Besides being very pricey, solar power plants simply discourage by the fact that the sun is not always there when you need it: what happens if you need to switch on the light in your kitchen to drink water at 2 A.M. in the morning? Or on a cloudy day, for that matter?... Thanks to SolarReserve and the Obama administration funding it you may never have to go through that.
U.N. Report Says 80% Energy Production From Renewables Possible by 2050
A recent United Nations report says that by 2050 up to 80 percent of the global energy could be supplied from alternative resources if public policies will come up with proper incentives.
New Japanese Homes May Have to Install Rooftop Solar Panels
The Japanese who will want to build up a new home will probably be forced to install solar panels on their rooftops. Naoto Kan, the Japanese Prime Minister, is about to announce this intention at the G8 summit in Deauville, France.
Japan Says Farewell to Nuclear Power and Welcomes Wind Power
Japan is planning to switch from nuclear power to renewable energy in the near future. This news probably doesn't come as a surprise, given the country's recent nuclear disaster. The population itself is so shaken with the events that two thirds of it are now supporting the government's project to invest in wind and solar power. The idea is to make Japan rely entirely on renewable sources by 2050, which is a pretty high standard from what it has today.
Plants vs Solar Cells: Which is The Most Efficient Energy Converter?
Both solar cells and plants process sunlight one way or the other, but there's a catch: one of them is more efficient. Guided by common sense, we'd say that the plants' billions of years of "experience" in capturing and storing energy will win. Is it so?
