CleanTechnica

Elusive Graphene Butterfly Finally Spreads Its Wings

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Tina Casey

researchers create Hofstader butterfly in graphene

Graphene is an ultra-thin, ultra-conducting, ultra strong material that could spawn a whole new generation of ultra-efficient electronics, and hundreds if not thousands of researchers around the globe are racing to unlock the secrets behind its unique properties. It looks like the latest match will end in a draw, as two international research teams have both succeeded in manipulating graphene to produce a phenomenon that until now has only been known in theory, the Hofstadter … Read More

The Next Apple Will Be Found In LED Lighting

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Guest Contributor

This article first appeared on Technica Communications. by Lisa Ann Pinkerton Who doesn’t wish they had invested in Apple when it was $16 a share? Quite often, timing the market is more intuition than science. Those who know analog to digital inflection points are watching LEDs. Get it right, and enormous wealth can be created. Time it wrong and you’re left in the dust, like Polaroid. It’s easy to look back on digital film, the … Read More

Solar And Lithium Ion Car Race Winners Announced

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Guest Contributor

Ninety-seven teams from 28 Colorado schools participated in today’s car competitions hosted by the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The student teams raced solar and lithium ion powered vehicles they designed and built themselves. Trophies for the fastest lithium-ion powered model cars were given to Colorado students from University School, Greeley, “Lucky Charms,” first place; Southern Hills Middle School, Boulder, “Fat Albert,”, second place; and Southern Hills, “Green Spartan,” third place. … Read More

Elon Musk Quits Zuckerberg’s Immigration Advocacy Group

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Nicholas Brown

Photo Credit: jdlasica / Foter.com / CC BY-NC

Elon Musk has decided to leave the immigration reform advocacy group FWD.us after it funded advertisements for senators supporting oil drilling in Alaska and the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline from Canada. The FWD.us group was founded by Mark Zuckerberg and it is supposed to advocate for educational and immigration reform to increase the influx of highly skilled and educated workers into the US, citing the fact that the United States is a nation of … Read More

Clean Energy Companies Launch Alliance To Protect Solar Choice & Rooftop Solar, Combat Monopoly Utilities

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Guest Contributor

This article was originally published on the website of The Alliance for Solar Choice. The nation’s leading rooftop solar companies today announced the formation of The Alliance for Solar Choice (TASC). TASC believes anyone should have the option to switch from utility power to distributed solar power. Founding members represent the majority of the US rooftop solar market and include SolarCity, Sungevity, Sunrun, and Verengo. TASC is committed to protecting the choice for distributed solar. … Read More

Fluorescent Solar Cells The Future?

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Guest Contributor

Scientists at Yale have improved the ability of a promising type of solar cell to absorb light and convert it into electrical power by adding a fluorescent organic dye to the cell layer. (Image by Teng-Hooi Goh and Jing-Shun Huang)

This article was originally published on the Yale News website. For some solar cells, the future may be fluorescent. Scientists at Yale have improved the ability of a promising type of solar cell to absorb light and convert it into electrical power by adding a fluorescent organic dye to the cell layer. This squaraine dye boosts light absorption and recycles electrons, improving the conversion of light into energy. The results suggest a new route for … Read More

Printing Australia’s Largest Solar Cells

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Guest Contributor

(L-R) Dr David Jones, Professor Andrew Holmes and Dr Scott Watkins.

This article was originally published on the website of CSIRO. Scientists have produced the largest flexible, plastic solar cells in Australia – 10 times the size of what they were previously able to – thanks to a new solar cell printer that has been installed at CSIRO. The printer has allowed researchers from the Victorian Organic Solar Cell Consortium (VICOSC) – a collaboration between CSIRO, The University of Melbourne, Monash University and industry partners – … Read More

South Korea May Launch World’s Most Ambitious Cap And Trade Market

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Silvio Marcacci

South Korea historical and forecast emissions

With roughly 18 months until launch, South Korea appears on the path to launch the world’s most ambitious cap and trade market, with the highest global price on carbon.

The government is still finalizing system design, set to launch in January 2015, but it could ultimately cover 70% of national emissions and reach $90 per ton of carbon.

Tesla Model S Sales Much Higher Than Similarly Priced Cars From Mercedes, BMW, & Audi

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Nathan

It’s near impossible to deny the success that Tesla Motors has been having as of late. The Model S has been selling extremely well. Its stock has been climbing to new heights, it has turned a profit, it has announced that it will be repaying its DOE loan five years early, and the company is gearing up for the release of several new models over the next few years. And now, new data from LMC … Read More