Mercedes Releasing Fuel Cell Powered B-Klasse, Pessimistic About Diesel Future
Recently, Thomas Weber, Head of R&D at Mercedes, said that the upcoming Euro 6 is expected to skyrocket the prices of diesel cars. This is because the automakers are forced to use expensive technology in making the new fine injectors and filters, and this is going to be felt in the customers' pockets.
80MW Sarnia Solar Project to Power About 12,800 Homes
Last week, First Solar Inc. and Enbridge Inc. announced an agreement to expand the Sarnia Solar Project in Canada from its current generation capacity of 20 megawatts to 80 megawatts (MW), costing about CDN $300 million.
New MEMS Element Transforms Vibration Into 85μW of Electricity
Two Europe based research institutes (IMEC and TNO), have developed a new MEMS element capable of converting vibration energy into electric power.
Extremophile Bacteria Transform CO2 and Light Into Fuel Better Than Photosynthesis
Someone has to fund experiments in this world, to accelerate the rhythm of their success, and that is currently ARPA-E. The "electrofuels" program is...
Jay Whitacre’s New & Cheap Sodium-Ion Batteries Funded by DOE
Sodium is several orders of magnitude more available than lithium, and that makes it cheaper to use in batteries. Taking into account the destination of the projected batteries, to act like a buffer for storing renewable electricity, low voltages are enough, so making the technology cheaper by using a water-based electrolyte wasn't hard to think of.
New Technology Extracts Lithium from Geothermal Waste Water
The new technique developed by California-based Simbol Mining could make geothermal wells even more valuable. Extracting lithium with old technologies has up to now been considered impractical.
Oyster – World's Largest Hydro-Electric Wave Energy Device Goes Online
Queen's University Belfast, Aquamarine Power Ltd. and the Scottish government have recently launched the largest working hydro-electric wave energy device, taking an important step for global wave energy industry.
U.S. Troops Powered by Solar Cells in Innovative GREENS Project
The 300-watt photovoltaic/battery system provides continuous power to Marines in the field. The widely dispersed units need constant power for their computing devices, targeting systems and communications. GREENS will even cut fuel use, cost and risk of ambush on the supplying convoys.
Friction-Drive Wind Turbine Can Withstand Powerful Windstorms
In standard wind turbines, the blades turn a drive shaft which engages the gearbox. The gearbox is the most vulnerable part, as in wind blasts it has to withstand very high mechanical stress. In time, it will wear down or break some metal teeth making it in short time unusable.
New Nanomaterial Could Serve for Dust-Proof Solar Cells and Supercapacitors
The new material is made up of molecules of peptides that "grow" to resemble small forests of grass. And as if the coincidence wouldn't had been enough, supercapacitors could also benefit from this nano-coating.
