R&D magazine covers the newest, nerdiest gear from inventors and scientists. The R&D 100 awards are hailed as the “Oscars of Invention” by the Chicago Tribune. The prestigious award helps push the most promising inventions into the market. Other winners include specialized microscopes and super-hydrophobic coatings. EMCORE is the proud … [continued]
Solar power means more than solar panels. These days it can also mean collectors, towers, dyes, oh my! Here’s a guide to (most of) the different kinds of solar technologies that are out there today. First, the basics: Anything that uses solar energy as a source of power is solar-powered. … [continued]
MIT has perfected a dye technology that could change the solar world as we know it. The most efficient form of solar technology today is (arguably) extreme concentrated photovoltaics, essentially solar panels placed under a magnifying glass. But the problem with these systems is heat. Concentrated sunlight can … [continued]
Great Balls of Geothermal Fire! Everyone knows that volcanoes have plenty of heat to spare, and normally we prefer that they keep it to themselves. Now, with energy prices rising, some communities are starting to reconsider their rumbling neighbors. Geothermal energy relies on heat and water beneath the earth’s crust. … [continued]
As far as green gadgets go, this little desktop computer will give Dell and (to a lesser extent) Apple a run for their money. The CherryPal promises to be affordable, efficient, and powerful enough for the average PC user. At first glance, that stats on the system look modest, and … [continued]
Not exactly washing without water, but with less than 2% of a normal washing machine. That’s only 1 cup of water for those sweaty gym clothes, grubby kid-wear, and foul socks. Washing with soap and water has been THE WAY to clean most clothes for so long, it’s hard to … [continued]
… for production of renewable energy and maybe carbon sequestration. Carbon neutral is gaining popularity these days, but Mantria Corporation is taking it a step further. “We pledge Mantria Place will be the first carbon negative community in the nation by 2011,” states Troy Wragg, Mantria Corporation Chairman and CEO. … [continued]
Geo-Engineering is “the deliberate modification of Earth’s environment on a large scale “to suit human needs and promote habitability”‘ (via Wikipedia). Until recently it was the stuff of science fiction, a god-like power regulated to unseen aliens or super-futuristic societies. Occasionally planetary catastrophe also ensued. Yet with climate change and … [continued]
(Quote shamelessly borrowed from Star Wars via Lucasfilm Ltd.) There’s a basic law of physics that everyone can agree on: you can’t create energy from nothing. So when an invention comes along and seems to do exactly that, scientists are skeptical. Some get downright prickly. The problem is, these inventions … [continued]
I ran across this article at The Oil Drum and thought it was too tasty to pass up. It describes a new design to help concentrated solar power (CSP) increase efficiency and reduce cost. Here’s the problem: solar thermal collectors focus the sun’s heat onto a clear tube of fluid … [continued]
