Energy news

China adopts law to boost renewable energy industry

Technology / Energy

Dec 27, 2009 | 3.5 / 5 (8) | 2

China's national assembly Saturday signalled the country's commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by adopting a law supporting its renewable energy industry.

Panasonic develops direct methanol fuel cell system with high power output and durability

Technology / Energy

Dec 26, 2009 | 4.4 / 5 (26) | 9

Panasonic Corporation announced it has developed a direct methanol fuel cell system which can produce an average power output of 20 W by increasing the output per cubic centimeter twice that of its previous prototype. Using ...

Chicken waste turned to watts

Technology / Energy

Dec 26, 2009 | 3.7 / 5 (16) | 3

A Nevada energy developer says it has developed an environmentally clean way of using animal waste from chicken farms across the state to light up homes and offices. Green Energy Solutions wants to convert ...

Argonne advanced battery research driving to displace gasoline (w/ Video)

Technology / Energy

Dec 21, 2009 | 3.7 / 5 (7) | 3

(PhysOrg.com) -- In excess of seven million barrels of gasoline are consumed by vehicles in the United States every day. As scientists race to find environmentally sound solutions to fuel the world’s ever-growing ...

Smashing trash with solar power

Technology / Energy

Dec 21, 2009 | 3.7 / 5 (3) | 1

They seem to turn heads wherever they're installed: new solar-powered trash compactors that are meant to save time and energy.

Panasonic Starts Mass-Production of High-Capacity 3.1 Ah Lithium-ion Battery

Technology / Energy

Dec 18, 2009 | 2 / 5 (3) | 3

Panasonic Corporation developed a 18650-type high-capacity 3.1 Ah lithium-ion battery and began mass production of the battery this December. The new 3.1 Ah battery has a nickel positive electrode and an energy density of ...

Can Snowmobiles Adapt in the Age of Ethanol?

Technology / Energy

Dec 18, 2009 | 1 / 5 (2) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- By 2022, federal regulations will require a 400 percent increase in the amount of renewable fuel in America’s gasoline, from 9 billion to 36 billion gallons.

STEM gets greener: Promoting critical thinking using renewable energy technology

Technology / Energy

Dec 17, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

Can building model cars really help create the next generation of electric vehicle designers and engineers? Researchers at North Carolina State University think so. Through a recent grant, they will develop a curriculum that ...

Electric cars rolling out

Technology / Energy

Dec 16, 2009 | 4.3 / 5 (16) | 7

(PhysOrg.com) -- Electric vehicles are far from new, but we are still a long way from electric cars being the norm. Now two new electric cars may bring that goal a step closer.

Physicists Demystify Utility of Power Factor Correction Devices

Technology / Energy

Dec 16, 2009 | 4.3 / 5 (8) | 3

(PhysOrg.com) -- If you've seen an Internet ad for capacitor-type power factor correction devices, you might be led to believe that using one can save you money on your residential electricity bill. However, ...

Toward home-brewed electricity with 'personalized solar energy'

Technology / Energy

Dec 16, 2009 | 4.3 / 5 (6) | 1

New scientific discoveries are moving society toward the era of "personalized solar energy," in which the focus of electricity production shifts from huge central generating stations to individuals in their ...

Launch of first operating system for smart grid home automation

Technology / Energy

Dec 16, 2009 | 1 / 5 (1) | 0

Fraunhofer IWES (Germany) presents the OGEMA Alliance, which will offer an open software platform for energy management.

Study expects rising interest in energy saving

Technology / Energy

Dec 16, 2009 | 1 / 5 (1) | 0

(AP) -- Energy-efficient technology for batteries, grids and power storage will be trendy in 2010, according to a study released Wednesday on clean energy technology.

Miracle light: Can lasers solve the energy crisis?

Technology / Energy

Dec 15, 2009 | 4.4 / 5 (14) | 4

Next year will mark the 50th birthday of the laser, one of the most productive and widely used mega-inventions of the last century. Scientists hope that 2010 also will see the launch of laser technology's greatest challenge: ...

Seattle Charges Up for Electric Cars

Technology / Energy

Dec 15, 2009 | 3.3 / 5 (3) | 1

(AP) -- Over the next two years, 2,500 charging stations for electric vehicles will be built in the Seattle area as part of a partnership between Nissan North America and the Electric Transportation Engineering ...

Biodiesel refinery hopes to finally begin soon

Technology / Energy

Dec 15, 2009 | 5 / 5 (3) | 0

Starting up a new business is tough, but starting up in a new industry can be even tougher. That helps explain why the city's cutting-edge biodiesel refinery, one of a handful of its kind in the country, hasn't begun production ...

Lithium to be extracted from geothermal waste

Technology / Energy

Dec 14, 2009 | 5 / 5 (15) | 4

(PhysOrg.com) -- A technique developed by a Californian company, Simbol Mining, will enable the valuable mineral lithium, widely used in high-density batteries, to be reclaimed from the hot waste water produced ...

Toyota aims to roll out plug-in Prius in two years

Technology / Energy

Dec 14, 2009 | 4.5 / 5 (10) | 6

Toyota Motor said Monday that it plans to begin commercial sales of its first plug-in hybrid vehicle in about two years, aiming to meet growing demand for fuel-efficient cars.