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]
Researchers at Georgia Tech recently discovered that hamsters running on wheels are good for more than just a laugh— they can also drive nanogenerators to produce electric currents. While the electricity produced from hamster biomotions is small (one nanowatt), it may be enough to drive nano-sized devices.
Residents of Donegal County, Ireland, will soon get their evening light from water-powered street lamps. LH Ecotech’s “hydro light” is being installed for a test run on a footbridge over the River Finn in Ballybofey. The €3,000 light works when water flowing downstream passes through a 110 watt turbine, which … [continued]
The American Chemical Society reports that aerogel or “frozen smoke” may be the holy grail of sponges for capturing oil from wastewater and soaking up oil spills. Unlike other costly and inefficient sponges, hydrophobic silica aerogels are both highly porous and absorbent.
Attention, farmers: New Holland introduced the world’s first fuel cell tractor today in Turin, Italy, and it looks like a fun ride. The tractor’s fuel cell generates 106hp, and its hydrogen tank can hold enough to power the tractor for 1.5 to 2 hours.
Hydrogen (H) fuel cell technology could perhaps become the cleanest form of energy, both in terms of generating the gas and in terms of combustion products (which are just heat and water). The biggest problem has been making the process of H generation clean, efficient, and cheap, as the current, … [continued]
In a news update that should surprise no one, officials now say that the destruction of a £1 million wind turbine in the UK last month was not caused by a UFO. Despite local reports of a “massive ball of light with tentacles going right down to the ground”, the … [continued]
It’s a full-on insulation war between Australia and the UK, with the former announcing free insulation for 2.2 million homes last week, and the latter announcing a program yesterday to give 7 million homes free retrofits.
Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G) asked New Jersey regulators today to approve an ambitious $773 million plan to bring 120 MW of solar power to the state. The plan, which will use brownfields and underdeveloped properties for solar generation, will eliminate 1.7 million tons of CO2 emissions. It will … [continued]
One of the biggest problems with wind power is that it’s often trapped in low-density rural areas. ITC Holdings wants to bring wind energy to major US city centers with the “Green Power Express”, a network of transmission lines that will move 12,000 MW of power from the Midwest to … [continued]
