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. Surplus biomass from the production of flax shives, and generated from Brassica carinata, a yellow-flowered plant related to those which engulf fields in spring, can be used to produce bioethanol. This has been suggested by two studies carried out by Spanish and Dutch researchers and published in the journal Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. http://www.physorg.com/news177936316.html Technology - Energy Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:48:10 EST news177936316 (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) -- Energy adviser and former Honeywell executive Maxine Savitz says there are enormous energy savings available through increased efficiency, as much as 30 percent by 2030. http://www.physorg.com/news177845679.html Technology - Energy Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:35:02 EST news177845679 (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 The energy generated in places where fresh water and salt water meet is known as blue energy. This is a relatively new but highly promising renewable energy source. Piotr Długołęcki of the University of Twente and the Wetsus centre of excellence for sustainable water technology has further refined the method that is most commonly used to generate blue energy in the Netherlands. This method produces three to four times as much energy as previous processes. http://www.physorg.com/news177786214.html Technology - Energy Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:20:02 EST news177786214 (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) -- Driving hydrogen fueled SUVs for 431 miles per fill-up is no longer a California dream. Researchers from NREL and Toyota recently completed a 331 mile round trip drive between Torrance and San Diego in two Toyota Highlander Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicles. And, with the fuel remaining, those SUVs easily crossed the 400 mile mark. http://www.physorg.com/news177688856.html Technology - Energy Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:33:07 EST news177688856 (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 Alternative fuels could power 15 percent of global air traffic by 2020 and 30 percent by 2030, European aircraft-maker Airbus said at the Dubai Airshow on Tuesday. http://www.physorg.com/news177674889.html Technology - Energy Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:20:03 EST news177674889 Initiatives to provide geothermal heating or power at the Pueblo of Jemez and the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology campus are receiving Los Alamos National Laboratory assistance, thanks to recent American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) funding. http://www.physorg.com/news177604342.html Technology - Energy Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:20:03 EST news177604342 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 Taiwan and China are looking into developing electric cars together and will hold a conference here next week to seek areas where they can cooperate, a Taipei official said Monday. http://www.physorg.com/news177573621.html Technology - Energy Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:10:01 EST news177573621 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 Automakers around the world continue to slowly infuse their cars and trucks with greener, more efficient technology, but researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute contend that technology alone will not solve the puzzle of sustainable transportation. Through incentives for nighttime deliveries, real-time traffic reporting, and improved safety, professors William Wallace and José Holguín-Veras are seeking to address the critical human elements of where, when, and how we drive. http://www.physorg.com/news177060747.html Technology - Energy Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:33:28 EST news177060747 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 Home builder Lance Schmidt hears it all the time: Green building costs more. But he and his colleagues are out to prove otherwise. http://www.physorg.com/news176975204.html Technology - Energy Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:47:14 EST news176975204 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 Germany, Mexico and the United States have crafted some of the world's smartest policies for improving energy use, according to a study released on Thursday on the sidelines of the UN climate talks here. http://www.physorg.com/news176650364.html Technology - Energy Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:00:01 EST news176650364 (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 Generating energy on a large scale by mixing salt and fresh water is both technically possible and practical. The worldwide potential for this clean form of energy - 'blue energy' or 'blue electricity' - is enormous. However, it will be necessary to work actively on several essential technological developments and to invest heavily in large-scale trials. On 3 November, Jan Post hopes to obtain his doctorate on this subject from Wageningen University, The Netherlands. http://www.physorg.com/news176125611.html Technology - Energy Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:00:02 EST news176125611 President Barack Obama announced on Tuesday that his administration plans to spend $3.4 billion on producing a safer, more efficient electrical grid. Obama underscored the need to find clean forms of energy by making his announcement at a solar energy facility in Arcadia, Fla. http://www.physorg.com/news176060337.html Technology - Energy Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:50:02 EST news176060337