Scientists at the University of California Davis are working to develop a technology that will allow sailing ships to generate electricity from the ocean while they are far from the shores. This fleet of sailing ships would then turn wind power into hydrogen, which would be stored onboard, to be unloaded later and used.
San Diego wind farm developer Cannon Power Group and Spanish wind turbine builder Gamesa are planning to build one of the largest wind farms in North America. The companies have started to build a wind farm South of the Border to supply clean power to a quarter of a million households in both Mexico and California from 500 MW of power until 2015. Cannon also said that the potential capacity of the site is ultimately 1,000 MW.
We have to realize that we're not alone on Earth and that our actions compete with those of the (other) animals, and while we're seeking to make our lives more and more unnaturally comfortable, we destroy the very ecosystems that sustain our growth. Such can be the case with the light that solar panels reflect, as Michigan State University scientists say.
Bugatti has developed a new electric supercar that generates 800 BHP from onboard batteries. The prototype of this car is based on the chassis of a Bentley Continental GT and includes two powerful electric motors that are able to deliver 2200Nm of torque and an advanced battery pack.
Cinergy, an Irish company, wants to equip cell phone companies in developing countries with alternative energy sources, such as wind turbines and solar panels. Because in countries like Africa, Asia and Latin America mobile networks are expanding quickly, the local power grids often don't keep up with the loads and the operators need diesel backup generators.
Silicon is hardly the most efficient material for use in solar cells, but it is used because it's cheaper to make silicon solar cells. Gallium arsenide, for example, is a much more efficient semiconductor than silicon, but has a high manufacturing cost. Now, a team of scientists from the University of Illionis, devised a technology that builds gallium arsenide solar cells in a much cheaper fashion, making them more cost-efficient.
Holland has been targeted as the first European country that will sell Nissan's Leaf, the first mass-produced electric car with an affordable price (under $30,000). It is logical, then, that Holland is also the first European country to adopt fast-charging EV stations.
Spire Semiconductor, a subsidiary of Spire Corporation based in Massachusetts, has announced that they have matched world's record 41.1 efficiency for a concentrator solar cell (the sources don't mention it, but that's probably the one achieved by Fraunhofer researchers we talked about a week ago).
Dr. Georgia Antonopoulou, a biochemical engineer from the University of Patras in Greece, has discovered that whey coming from cheese factories can be used by cultures of bacteria contained in microbial fuel cells to generate electricity. Whey is a lactose-rich organic material, and it is usually disposed.
I've always admired people who managed to do several things at once, focus on totally different directions and still act like they believed in each and every one of them. Likewise is Toyota, which has made hybrid cars a worldwide success, and now are aiming towards pure electric cars by collaborating with Tesla Motors. Still, Toyota has another surprise in the pocket.
