Australian scientists at CSIRO’s Victorian Organic Solar Cell Consortium (VICOSC) are on a quest to make solar cells as easy to print as money. Trials of the flexible, large area, cost-effective, reel-to-reel printable plastic solar cells will even be conducted by Securency International — a banknote printing company.
Mitsubishi has broken its own photovoltaic cell efficiency record in a seeming attempt to ensure domination over the solar energy industry. The company has improved the conversion efficiency rate of its PV cells to 18.9 percent— only a slight increase from the previous record of 18.6 percent.
Corn is beginning to seem more and more like the has-been-that-never-was of the biofuel feedstock scene. An inedible, weedy-looking plant called crambe is the latest competitor to come along and stick a fork in it. Never heard of crambe? Then you haven’t been spending enough time in North Dakota.
The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) recently developed a surprisingly attractive solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC). The sugar cube-sized SOFC, which is made up of 25 needle-like modules measuring 0.8 mm, packs a serious punch due to a high ratio of electrode area to volume. And since … [continued]
The largest stimulus package in US history was signed today, and it’s putting a smile on the face of the solar industry. President Obama returned to Denver, where he accepted the Democratic nomination, to sign this landmark legislation–this time in front of solar panels, not neoclassical pillars. “I don’t want … [continued]
It seems like new plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) are being announced every day. If Coulomb Technologies has its way, you’ll be powering your next PHEV with the help of “Smartlet Charging Stations”— curbside plug-in charging machines that activate with “ChargePoint Smart Cards”.
A Swedish town announced last month that it will use cremated bodies to provide heat, and now the British town of Reepham has decided to heat many of its buildings by burning oil made from melted cow and pig carcasses. Are dead bodies— human or otherwise— the next big thing … [continued]
We’re already harvesting methane from sewage and spreading treated sewage solids on farms and open space, so it’s not a stretch to imagine running our cars on biofuel from sewage, too. Specifically, running our cars on sewage grease. An enormous amount of grease enters our sewer systems – about 495 … [continued]
Electronics companies that produce quality products and can claim energy-efficiency have a serious advantage these days, and VIA Technologies knows it. Yesterday, the company announced the release of the NSR7800 2U rackmount server. The network storage device is powered by a 1.5GHz C7 processor, and supports up to a gigabyte … [continued]
In what is purported to be the world’s largest solar deal, Southern California Edison and BrightSource Energy signed a series of contracts yesterday to give California 1,300 MW of solar energy— enough power for 845,000 homes. The project will produce 3.7 billion KWH of power and avoid over two million … [continued]
