VF 247 – Vodafone's First Solar Powered Mobile Handset for India
I order to help India's rural masses who lack electricity, Vodafone Essar Ltd. recently developed a solar-powered mobile phone. According to officials, there are almost 20 million new mobile subscribers each month in India.. The problem is that many of them live in rural areas, where the energy supply can be patchy at best.
Organic Photovoltaic Solar Cells: A New Graphene-Based, Flexible Kind of Cell
A team of researchers from the University of Southern California has published a paper in the most recent journal ACS Nano, revealing a new approach to solar cells. Specifically, they combined graphene, one of the most recent and studied materials discovered, and organic (Graetzel) solar cells. Their project has produced organic photovoltaic cells (OPV).
Japanese Company Suggests Use of Organic Solar Cells in Low Power Gadgets
Photovoltaic solar cells are often used in centralized power harvesting installations, generating large amounts of energy for use in the grid. Rohm Co Ltd, on the other hand, proposes the usage of organic photovoltaic solar cells (dye-sensitized cells) in small appliances and healthcare devices.
Bumpy Nanoparticle Treatment of Solar Cells Making Them More Efficient
Yi Cui, a researcher from Stanford University, about whom we've been talking about many times lately, has discovered how nanoscale wires, pores, bumps and other material textures can improve the performance of solar cells dramatically. They could even serve as self-cleaning coatings, because of their highly hydrophobic properties.
HighDro Power Produces Energy from High Buildings' Falling Waste
The device's working principle is very simple. "HighDro Power works by using the water discharged from appliances such as showers, toilets and sinks in high-rise apartments. The water goes down the pipe and hits four turbine blades that drive one generator."
Sewage Power Plants Could Produce 20 Times More Electricity Thanks to New Discovery
Sewage treatment plants represent an interesting source of electricity. Oregon State University (OSU) have studied and developed a new type of coating that, if applied on the positive electrodes of microbial electrochemical cells used in such plants would raise the electricity production by about 20 times.
New Thermally Elastic Metal Alloy Increases the Efficiency of Air Conditioners
A team of researchers at the University of Maryland have recently created a new "thermally elastic" metal alloy that will significantly increase the efficiency of refrigeration systems and air conditioners by up to 175 percent. This way, it is expected that the U.S. carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced by 250 million metric tons per year.
Fast-Forward Powered Pedals Should Help You Climb Hills Easier
The idea of modding my bike and making it electric excites me every time I think about it. I even wanted to buy one of those kits on from China a few weeks ago. Then, my wife reminded me that biking is not about going fast and sweatless, but rather about pedaling and enjoying the sports. I can hardly wait till she sees this... the "Fast-Forward Powered Pedals"
New Highly Efficient Heat Pumps to Reduce Heating Costs in Cold Regions Discovered
According to a new study, heat pumps are not so efficient in extremely cold climates, only being suited for moderate climates. These provide cooling in summer and heating in winter. Researchers at Purdue University have recently developed a new type of heat pump that allows residents in cold climates to halve their heating bills, due to its high efficiency.
Plasmonic Motor Powered Mechanically and Directly by Light, Developed by UC Berkeley
Researchers from the University of California Berkeley, led by Xiang Zhang, a principal investigator with the university's Materials Sciences Division and director of UC Berkeley's Nano-scale Science and Engineering Center (SINAM), demonstrated for the first time practically how light can actually move material nanometric particles of gold by using surface plasmons.
