The solar industry has taken a beating lately. At their low in November, solar stocks were down 70%. Natural gas and oil prices have plunged, reducing the value of renewable energy. Financing is scarce, making the upfront cost of solar energy a challenge. Perhaps these conditions will encourage innovation. Here … [continued]
As the world approaches peak water, technology to harvest freshwater from non-potable sources becomes increasingly important. Researchers at Yale University have recently developed such desalination technology using the power of osmosis.
Yesterday, Sentilla announced the release of its Energy Manager, a powerful piece of software that works with a microsensor system to detect and manage the energy consumption of data centers. The core of Sentilla’s product is a series of microprocessors embedded in intelligent power strips. Each strip measures power use … [continued]
I don’t have nearly enough information on my hard drive to make the WD Caviar Green a worthwhile purchase, but my inner geek is still excited about its release. The 2TB hard drive features IntelliSeek technology to find the drive’s optimal speed at any given point in time. That means … [continued]
The battle between CFL and LED bulbs may finally be over thanks to researchers at Cambridge University who have developed a $3 LED bulb that lasts for 60 years. The bulb, which is smaller than a penny, is 12 times more efficient than tungsten bulbs and three times more efficient … [continued]
Massachusetts based solar upstart Konarka has developed a low cost thin-film solar material that may one day revolutionize solar power.
Solar energy meets the Outback with Australia’s newly minted AUD$100 million solar research institute. According to the government, objectives of the institute include increasing competitiveness of solar technologies, establishing Australia as a key player in the solar industry, making photovoltaics and solar thermal technology cost-competitive, and attracting international solar experts … [continued]
Scientists from Germany’s Alfred Wegener Institute have been given approval to proceed with a controversial plan to dump several tons of iron into the Southern Ocean. A recent study from the University of Southampton has shown that seeding the ocean with iron can lock carbon away from the atmosphere permanently, … [continued]
Say what you will about the occupation of Iraq— you can’t fault the US Army for neglecting to equip the country with renewable energy. In the northwest section of Baghdad alone, US forces are conducting nearly two dozen solar projects in an attempt to alleviate Iraq’s electricity crisis.
Nuclear power is one of the most controversial alternative energies, partially due to the toxic waste it creates. Now physicists at the University of Texas at Austin have developed a system that uses fusion to eliminate the transuranic wastes created by nuclear plants.
