Archives for November 2010
Scientists Managed to Extract Hydrogen from Water Using Solar Power
30 November 2010 | Solar Power | No Comments
MIT professor Daniel Nocera came up with a new way to use solar energy during night (a solar power system that converts solar energy to hydrogen). Instead of storing the energy in batteries, he found a way to split water into hydrogen and oxygen in order to use hydrogen in a fuel cell for night use.
Solar energy has become a real star among today’s alternative energy sources. Using solar power at night involves some issues and most of them are related to those high costs of batteries. Now, it seems that Daniel Nocera found the Holy Grail. “We have the capability to power a household with just two bottles of water from any source” he said.
The Wing Wave Energy Generator Could Provide Half of Florida’s Electricity
30 November 2010 | Alternative Energy | No Comments
American scientists have developed the Wing Wave Generator, which consists of eight-foot-tall aluminum wings able to convert the motion of swell waves into electricity. They planed to test the prototype by placing it two miles northeast of Fort Pierce. “That’s all we’re looking at right now, proving the concept,” said Lee Marcum.
The new device was designed to harness wave energy at 30 to 60 feet deep, by converting the elliptical motion of waves into linear mechanical motion. That motion will be directly used to drive generators in order to produce enough energy for few hundred homes.
Purple Painted Wind Turbines are Less Dangerous for Bats and Birds
3 November 2010 | Wind Power | No Comments
One of the most important problems of wind turbines is about to be solved. Painting wind turbines in different colors makes them less dangerous for birds and bats.The discovery was made by a team of researchers at Loughborough University in the UK who tested many colors on wind turbines, in order to make them less dangerous for wildlife.
After many experiments they concluded that a purple wind turbine for example, keeps away many birds and bats from its blades. Now, you may wonder how this thing is possible. Researchers used a very simple concept and I would like to explain it for you.
Bees Solve Traveling Salesman Problem Faster than Computers
1 November 2010 | Green Technology | No Comments
A group of scientists at University of London have discovered that bees can be more effective than computers at solving some math problems. Researchers have demonstrated that brain function at high levels in some animals, making them consume less time and energy.
I guess you heard that bees can also recognize individual human faces. This is just another argument proving that bees are intelligent beings.
Nissan Fuga Hybrid Goes on Sale in Japan Starting at $72,000
1 November 2010 | Green Cars | No Comments
It seems that Nissan Motor Co. have no breaks in promoting their new green cars. Some weeks ago they announced the launch of a luxury hybrid, Infiniti M, called Fuga in Japan. As I said before, the company did not hesitate too much and in less than a month the car was ready for sale. The new car Fuga is a gas-electric hybrid which delivers double the mileage of the gasoline-engine version.
The starting price is higher then the regular gasoline version, somewhere around around 5.8 million yen ($72,000). In the U.S., the car is planned for sale early next year.