Scientists at Pennsylvania State University have discovered a solution to the problem of reliable storage for alternative energy: a bacteria that can convert electricity to methane when combined with CO2. [social_buttons] Any surplus power from wind, solar, or tidal sources is fed into the bacteria and combined with CO2 from … [continued]
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a new treatment for silicon photovoltaic solar cells that creates bumps and peaks on the surface that increase cell efficiency in two ways.
Microsoft has announced plans to make both their headquarters and their products more environmentally sound. With energy-conservation, use of renewable energy, improved data center design, and reduction in air travel, the company plans to reduce their carbon emissions by 30 percent compared to 2007 levels by 2012.
Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory released a study this week concluding that the solar industry could use many cheaper and more abundant alternatives to silicon, including iron pyrite — most commonly known as fool’s gold. [social_buttons] In total, the researchers found 23 alternative semiconductors, but only 12 are more … [continued]
The NFL has purchased renewable energy from TECO, the power company in Tampa, Florida. While it’s unclear exactly how much of the power used on game day will be green, a spokesman claims the switch will have the same impact as taking 20 cars off the road for a year. … [continued]
Normally wind turbines lose up to 39.7 percent of potential energy because wind not only flows through the blades, but is also directed away from the turbine. The new FloDesign Wind Turbine takes cues from jet engine designs in order to minimize this wasted energy.[social_buttons]
For the first time in America, a company has developed an efficient battery solution to storing wind power, a clear answer to critics who claim turbines are unreliable. [social_buttons] Xcel Energy‘s “Wind-to-Battery” project is currently being tested on a Minnesota wind farm. The company believes that the 80-ton battery will … [continued]
The Toronto Zoo says their 5,000 animals produce enough dung to easily cover the costs of the proposed $13 million biogas-to-power facility within five years. The plant would produce enough electricity for not only the zoo, but thousands of Toronto households. Similar operations that convert farm animal and human waste … [continued]
A Peruvian engineer has created a device that drops the use of mercury in the gold mining process by instead using “a foam flotation process with simple gravitational techniques” to separate gold from rocks.[social_buttons] The most commonly used process in developing countries uses mercury to separate the gold from the … [continued]
The solar cells, about the size of a 12-point font letter ‘o,’ are being tested to eventually power microscopic machines, such as those used to test chemical leaks in the air. The researchers at the University of South Florida say these are some of the smallest solar cells ever, with … [continued]
