http://www.physorg.com/technology-news/energy/ en-us PhysOrg.com provides the latest news on energy sciences, energy technology, energy renovation, alternative energy, and green energy. (PhysOrg.com) -- Whether you call them myths, urban legends, fables or old wives' tales, there's a lot of misinformation out there about plug-in electric hybrid vehicles. These vehicles, abbreviated PHEVs, hold great promise as the key to weaning America from its dependence on imported oil, which represents nearly two-thirds of all the petroleum burned in the United States today. http://www.physorg.com/news177871345.html Technology - Energy Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:45:22 EST news177871345 (PhysOrg.com) -- There's one major drawback to most proposed renewable-energy sources: their variability. The sun doesn't shine at night, the wind doesn`t always blow, and tides, waves and currents fluctuate. That's why many researchers have been pursuing ways of storing the power generated by these sources so that it can be used when it's needed. http://www.physorg.com/news177842619.html Technology - Energy Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:46:21 EST news177842619 The biggest chemical battery in the United States is located near Interstate 90 in the small town of Luverne, Minn. The 80 ton device -- the size of two tractor-trailers stacked on top of each other -- stores as much energy as about 3 million rechargeable AA batteries and can power about 3,000 houses for more than an hour when discharging at its maximum rate. http://www.physorg.com/news177830654.html Technology - Energy Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:25:01 EST news177830654 (AP) -- California regulators adopted the nation's first energy-efficiency standards for televisions Wednesday in hopes of reducing electricity use at a time when millions of American households are switching to power-hungry, wide-view, flat-screen, high-definition sets. http://www.physorg.com/news177765270.html Technology - Energy Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:40:02 EST news177765270 (PhysOrg.com) -- Idaho National Laboratory scientists have set a new world record with next-generation particle fuel for use in high temperature gas reactors (HTGRs). http://www.physorg.com/news177678729.html Technology - Energy Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:00:02 EST news177678729 Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute have converted a 2001 Scion xB into an electric commuter vehicle that will serve as a test bed for a new community-based approach to electric vehicle design, conversion and operations. http://www.physorg.com/news177593173.html Technology - Energy Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:26:55 EST news177593173 Electric cars could help China and other countries reduce their dependency on oil but the government must provide incentive to make the shift, Nissan and Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn said Thursday. http://www.physorg.com/news177257227.html Technology - Energy Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:30:01 EST news177257227 (PhysOrg.com) -- Big things often come in small packages. That's certainly the case with the potential created by recent successes in hydrogen research at Idaho National Laboratory. http://www.physorg.com/news177096285.html Technology - Energy Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:25:39 EST news177096285 A pioneer in solar power in the 1990s before it became "sexy," University of Houston Professor Alex Freundlich recently entered into a collaborative research agreement with U.K.-based start-up QuantaSol for the development of the next generation of super efficient solar cells. http://www.physorg.com/news176999193.html Technology - Energy Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:40:02 EST news176999193 (PhysOrg.com) -- Of the 1.5 billion people in developing countries who do not have electricity, many rely on kerosene lamps for light after the sun goes down. But now, researchers from Denmark have designed an LED lamp that runs on solar cells, which costs less than one-quarter of the annual cost of using kerosene lighting. The solar-LED lamps are expected to last at least a year, making them an affordable alternative to kerosene. http://www.physorg.com/news176991580.html Technology - Energy Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:20:34 EST news176991580 (PhysOrg.com) -- Tesla is becoming synonymous with high performance electric cars. Indeed, the Tesla car company has been making efforts to create a brand of sports car that runs on electricity, and does so in a way that is convenient to motorists. In an effort to prove that it can be done, a Tesla Roadster has gone 313 miles on one charge. This is a new world record -- one that breaks the previous record of 241 miles, set by another Tesla Roadster. http://www.physorg.com/news176990887.html Technology - Energy Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:11:26 EST news176990887 It may sound like a sci-fi vision, but Japan's space agency is dead serious: by 2030 it wants to collect solar power in space and zap it down to Earth, using laser beams or microwaves. http://www.physorg.com/news176879161.html Technology - Energy Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:50:01 EST news176879161 Solar Impulse, the Swiss bid to make the first solar-powered flight around the world, rolled out its prototype on Friday at an airbase near Zurich and powered up the engines. http://www.physorg.com/news176727342.html Technology - Energy Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:10:02 EST news176727342 The new "smart meters" utilities are installing in homes around the world to reduce energy use raise fresh privacy issues because of the wealth of information about consumer habits they reveal, experts said Friday. http://www.physorg.com/news176703307.html Technology - Energy Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:16:07 EST news176703307 (PhysOrg.com) -- A spinoff company from Arizona State University plans to build a new battery with an energy density 11 times greater than that of lithium-ion batteries for just one-third the cost. With a $5.13 million research grant from the US Department of Energy awarded last week, Fluidic Energy hopes to turn its ultra-dense energy storage technology into a reality. http://www.physorg.com/news176646131.html Technology - Energy Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:23:03 EST news176646131 (PhysOrg.com) -- A Californian company, SolarReserve, is developing a solar power system that can store seven hours' worth of solar energy by focusing mirrors onto millions of gallons of molten salt, allowing the plant to provide electricity 24 hours a day. http://www.physorg.com/news176632405.html Technology - Energy Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:34:37 EST news176632405 (PhysOrg.com) -- Europe has long been interested in developing alternative energy sources. And, one of the more interesting places that some Europeans are looking for solar power is the Sahara. With the vast amounts of sun beating down on the Saharan desert, it seems an ideal place for solar panels. The Desertec Industrial Initiative, a consortium of 12 companies, including Siemens and Deutsche Bank, aims to make Saharan solar power for Europe a reality. But it won't exactly be easy. http://www.physorg.com/news176541300.html Technology - Energy Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:00:02 EST news176541300 (PhysOrg.com) -- As electric cars begin breaking into the short-distance vehicle market, one French company thinks that it has an alternative to the electric vehicle: a car that runs on compressed air. Motor Development International (MDI), located near Nice, France, unveiled its bubbly-looking AirPod last year, and has ambitious plans to begin manufacturing the car by early 2010. But some of its critics think that's a bold claim that will be extremely difficult to realize, especially considering that the company has yet to bring a car to market despite several past attempts. http://www.physorg.com/news176466717.html Technology - Energy Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:32:31 EST news176466717 (PhysOrg.com) -- A new breed of rechargeable zinc-air batteries is soon to be available, and may replace lithium-ion batteries in cell phones, laptops and other consumer items. Lithium-ion batteries store only a third of the energy and cost around twice as much as the new batteries. http://www.physorg.com/news176034001.html Technology - Energy Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:21:57 EST news176034001 A Japanese zero-emission "hybrid" scooter to be released next year runs 10 times as economically as a petrol engine bike and can be assisted by human pedal power, its maker said Thursday. http://www.physorg.com/news176014667.html Technology - Energy Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:20:01 EST news176014667 A Japanese sun-powered car won the World Solar Challenge on Wednesday after averaging speeds of more than 100 kilometres (62 miles) per hour in a four-day race through Australia's desert Outback. http://www.physorg.com/news175930898.html Technology - Energy Wed, 28 Oct 2009 06:50:01 EST news175930898 Budding US hybrid car maker Fisker Automotive will reopen a shuttered General Motors plant in Delaware to build fuel-efficient, plug-in cars, the White House announced Tuesday. http://www.physorg.com/news175884098.html Technology - Energy Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:00:03 EST news175884098 President Barack Obama Tuesday announced the largest modernization of the US electricity grid in history, in a 3.4-billion-dollar bid to launch a new era of renewable energy consumption. http://www.physorg.com/news175870357.html Technology - Energy Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:53:45 EST news175870357 (PhysOrg.com) -- Toyota is developing a solar charging station for electric cars and plug-in hybrids, making a green technology even greener. It has also designed a battery charger for mounting inside an electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid to recharge the storage batteries. http://www.physorg.com/news175848652.html Technology - Energy Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:51:38 EST news175848652 SunCore is a little known Irvine, Calif.-based company that's on the cusp of shipping some potentially revolutionary technology. http://www.physorg.com/news175809705.html Technology - Energy Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:10:01 EST news175809705 Imagine a car that can be refuelled in minutes but emits only water. Sounds like science fiction? In fact it already exists -- Hollywood star Jamie Lee Curtis has one. So does Honda president Takanobu Ito. http://www.physorg.com/news175693235.html Technology - Energy Sun, 25 Oct 2009 12:50:03 EST news175693235 (AP) -- Greg Bove steps into his pickup truck and drives down a sandy path to where the future of Florida's renewable energy plans begin: Acres of open land filled with solar panels that will soon power thousands of homes and business. http://www.physorg.com/news175584369.html Technology - Energy Sat, 24 Oct 2009 06:26:50 EST news175584369 Sharp Corporation has achieved the world's highest solar cell conversion efficiency (for non-concentrator solar cells) of 35.8% using a triple-junction compound solar cell. http://www.physorg.com/news175452895.html Technology - Energy Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:55:22 EST news175452895 Just when you were finally warming up to the idea of swapping out your old light bulbs with compact fluorescent ones, you may soon find a new alternative at your local hardware store. http://www.physorg.com/news175412870.html Technology - Energy Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:10:01 EST news175412870 (PhysOrg.com) -- For people fed up with their mobile telephone or iPod batteries running out, Japan's Toshiba Corp. announced Thursday the launch of a portable fuel-cell that can power up digital gadgets on the move. http://www.physorg.com/news175412573.html Technology - Energy Thu, 22 Oct 2009 06:44:51 EST news175412573