Archive for May, 2010
« Previous EntriesPromising fuel cell advance uses nanotech and much less platinum
Monday, May 31st, 2010Scientists at Brown University and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed nanoparticles with a palladium core and an iron-platinum shell that can outperform commercially available platinum fuel cell catalysts. Most current fuel cells use platinum as the catalyst, which is what breaks the fuel down into electricity. But platinum not only is [...]
Nissan Leaf sells out for 2010 – more than 19,000 orders so far
Sunday, May 30th, 2010The Nissan Leaf, the electric car from Nissan due at the end of this year, has received so many pre-orders that Nissan may stop taking Leaf reservations. Nissan’s CEO, Carlos Ghosn, made the announcement this week at a speech before the Detroit Economic Club, where Mr. Ghosn also announced that they are breaking ground [...]
Sharkskin paint reduces drag – can be used on planes, ships, and wind turbines
Sunday, May 23rd, 2010Fraunhofer researchers have been researching the low drag properties of fast swimming sharks, and have come up with a paint that reduces aerodynamic drag by mimicking shark skin. One of the reasons shark can move through water so fast is because their skin is made in a very structured way that includes tiny ridges [...]
Hewlett Packard wants to use cow power for its data centers
Saturday, May 22nd, 2010 HP cow power flow chart
Hewlett Packard is recommending that dairy farmers go into the high tech business by converting cow manure into electricity – and then using that electricity to power a different type of farm – a server farm at a data center.
HP says that the manure from 10,000 dairy cows would provide enough [...]
Aquamarine Power shows off its next gen wave power device – the Oyster 2
Thursday, May 20th, 2010I previously posted an article about Aquamarine Power’s wave power device, the Oyster, which went live off the coast of Scotland, in November 2009. The Oyster is a wave power device that uses the movement of ocean waves to pump water through a pipeline to onshore generators, where the water pressure is used to turn [...]
New MIT airplane design could cut fuel use by 70%
Monday, May 17th, 2010 MIT D-series concept
MIT researchers, under contract with NASA, have come up with a new fuel efficient airplane design that they say would use 70% less jet fuel than current airliners. Their new design would also reduce noise and nitrogen oxide emissions.
Actually, MIT came up with two designs – the first one, called the D series, [...]
Review of the Chevy 2010 Tahoe Hybrid SUV
Sunday, May 16th, 2010 Chevy 2010 Tahoe Hybrid SUV
The San Francisco Chronicle reviewed the Chevy 2010 Tahoe Hybrid SUV this week. The Tahoe Hybrid is a full sized SUV, so an EPA rating of 21 mpg in the city, and 22 mpg on the highway, is really good for an SUV that’s this big and can pull [...]
Light pipes can double the efficiency of organic solar cells
Saturday, May 15th, 2010 FiberCell diagram
FiberCell, a company founded by Wake Forest University researchers, has been able to increase the efficiency of organic solar cells by adding what they call “light pipes” to their cells. The light pipes do just what they sound like – they bring more sunlight to the solar cell. The light pipes, which are [...]
Toyota planning $50,000 fuel cell car in 2015
Sunday, May 9th, 2010 Toyota hydrogen fuel cell test vehicle
Toyota, all set to release a plug-in version of its Prius in 2012, now says that in 2015, they will release a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle for about $50,000. While other companies such as GM and Honda have been testing their own versions of hydrogen fuel cell cars over the [...]
16 really cool looking solar arrays
Wednesday, May 5th, 2010Dvice.com celebrated Earth Day 2010 by posting pictures of some really cool looking solar arrays currently in operation. You’ll need to go to their site to check out all 16 pictures and descriptions, but here’s a couple pictures to whet your appetite. So check out 16 spectacular solar arrays you MUST see!
Solar Station [...]
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