Archives for February 2010
E300 BlueTec Hybrid – The First Diesel-Eelectric Mercedes Hybrid
26 February 2010 | Green Cars | No Comments
I think you have noticed from some recent posts my attraction to Mercedes cars and this thing happens because I like the way they combine the eficiency with comfort. In this post we will talk about another Mercedes hybrid vehicle, but this time it is about a real project not only a concept. As I was saying, Mercedes-Benz has announced that its first ever diesel-electric hybrid will be launched later this year.
Bacteria Could Grow Nanowires to Create a Giant Living Biogeobattery
25 February 2010 | Green Technology | 1 Comment
Researchers have analyzed several years Geobacter microorganisms and they found that this type of bacteria can produce electricity when mixed with seawater and mud. Bacteria that live in marine sediment are able to produce electrons and then to transfer them in the upper layers of the sediments. The distance between the two layers is a few inches, which means that bacteria can transfer electrons on a distance of up to 20.000 times their body size.
New Paper Batteries and Supercapacitors Created Using Nanotechnology
23 February 2010 | Green Technology | 1 Comment
Nanotechnology represents all those technologies which are useful in building complex structures and which take into account many specifications at an atomic level, using mechanical synthesis. In other words, nanotechnology deals with the properties of nanoscale structures. Until now all new inventions based on nanotechnology have far exceeded the efficiency of old products and I think the same will happen with the invention of Stanford engineer Yi Cui. He managed to create some lightweight paper batteries and supercapacitors by dipping ordinary fabric or paper in a special ink infused with nanoparticles.
The Eficiency of Organic Solar Cells was Improved by 2% Using Quantum Dots
22 February 2010 | Solar Power | No Comments
To improve the efficiency of organic solar cells, some scientists at the Freiburg Materials Research Center and the Department of Microsystems Engineering, have developed a new method for treating the surface of nanoparticles. By using cadmium selenide in a new way (quantum dots), researchers managed to improve the eficiency of organic solar cells by 2 percent. These new hybrid solar cells have a photoactive layer composed of an organic polymer and a mixture of inorganic nanoparticles.
India Plans to Generate 13GW of Renewable Electric Power
21 February 2010 | Alternative Energy | 1 Comment
Some of world’s largest solar and wind power plants are located in big countries like China or Africa. But recently, I have noticed that some smaller countries have also big plans related to an efficient use of renewable energy sources. For example, India recently announced that they will build the world’s largest renewable energy power plant that will generate 13GW of electric power. Currently, these figures are just part of some plans but if the project will be completed, India could even surpass China’s wind energy development.