Protein Nanotubes Could Make Solar Panels Self-Washable
Scientists at the Tel Aviv University (TAU) are sure that their newest research in the nanotechnology field could lead to the development of a new type of solar panels and glass that need no cleaning and apparently put window washers out of work.
SuperStation: The Superconductor Energy Hub Uniting U.S. Grids
New Mexico may become a hub for this kind of energetic interaction, as Clovis is wanted to host the SuperStation, a hub using superconducting cables to link three networks: The Eastern Interconnection, The Western Interconnection and the Texas Interconnection. The 5GW carrying cables will be cooled down to -300°F and thus energy losses through heat will be infinitesimally close to zero.
Thermeleon: Roof Turning from Black to White as Temperature Changes
While attending a competition for teams of MIT students, Making and Designing Materials Engineering Contest (MADMEC), a team of students and fresh-graduates have shown an invention that could turn the old roof tiles into chameleon-like tiles, turning from black to white and vice-versa as temperatures get low, respectively high.
Redbird Solar Water Purification System Can Process 14,400 gallons/day
The company Chemviron Midwest has developed the world's first solar-powered water purification system. The 25-feet long and 15-feet high water purification system, known as Redbird, can be completely enclosed in a shipping container, being easily transported in various parts of the world.
Better Solar Panels With Newly Discovered Nanometric Butterfly Wings
Researchers at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) and the State University of Pennsylvania (USA) have created a method to replicate biological structures, such as butterfly wings, on a nanometric scale. The resulting biomaterial could be used to make optically active structures, such as optical diffusers for solar panels.
Researchers Make One More Step Towards Metallic Hydrogen as Superconductor
A team of scientists from Cornell University and the State University of New York at Stony Brook announced this week in a specialized publication that they discovered, at least theoretically, how to turn hydrogen into a metal at significantly lower pressures than ever thought and make a superconductor out of it.
Solar-Powered System Refines Magnesium and Uses It as Green Fuel
Researcher Takashi Yabe at the Tokyo Institute of Technology claims that he developed a system that can run on solar energy, to refine magnesium and use it as a source of fuel.
Battery Wizard Can Recharge Your Non-Rechargeable Batteries
The Battery Wizard is a new gadget that tries to re-enable batteries otherwise good to be thrown away. Of course, rechargeable batteries are always handy and ready to be charged, but for ages I've known that trying to charge a normal, single use battery ended up in an explosion.
Small Autonomous Cleaning Robot Makes Ships Faster and Fuel Efficient
The US Office of Naval Research (ONR) has recently conducted tests with a unique ship hull grooming robot called the Robotic Hull Bio-inspired Underwater Grooming (HULL BUG) tool.
Geobacter Microbe Produces Electricity From Mud and Wastewater
Derek Lovley, from the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently experimented with a microbe named "Geobacter", who loves to live in sediments and mud, and whose hairlike filaments can produce electricity from the muddy environment it loves to live in.
