Eco Trees

The burning hot sun at the equator is a far cry from the weak sunlight that reaches higher latitudes. To make the most of such different conditions you need specially tailored solar cells, according to UK firm Quantasol.

NGK Insulators Ltd developed a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) that achieved a lower heating value (LHV) of 63%, one of the highest in the world and uses hydrogen gas as fuel. The SOFC features an operating temperature of 800°C and  a power output of 700W.

ATS has developed this week in Germany a new wind tower. It’s new design increases wind output by 20%. “This is a great day for wind energy.” said Frans Brughuis, Managing Director of the tower construction specialist Advanced Tower Systems (ATS). “Now the pilot project can demonstrate the high cost-effectiveness and efficiency of the ATS [...]

Volkswagen has officially launched Leipzig Motor Show, Germany, the Golf Plus BiFuel powered by LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas). The new Golf comes with two modes of operation, gas or LPG. When the car is powered by LPG, its environmental balance sheet shows a 10 percent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to a gasoline engine.

The mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa, announced recently that the city will have 10% electricity from solar energy. Nicknamed „Solar A”, the mayor’s ambitious plan would develop the world’s largest solar installation.

Israel’s largest solar installation has been inaugurated Monday, marking the cooperation between China and Israel in the clean energy field. According to official estimates, the solar project will generate up to 85,000 kilowatts of electricity per year. It was built by the Chinese company Suntech Power Holdings and was incorporated in the Israel’s national energy [...]

Concrete could be used for thermal energy storage, according to researchers from Arkansas University. They have won a prize worth 770,000 dollars from the U.S. Department of Energy, within a programme for supporting the projects of cheap solar energy accumulation. Solar panels are used to pull the heat that to be stored than in concrete. [...]

Hawaii will be the electric cars paradise until 2012, said the Electric Company representatives. The battery charging will be made through a “intelligence” network of chargers. The network’s project uses the latest technologies in the field of electric transport, coupled with a Internet network aimed to follow up the few tens of thousands of rechargeable [...]

The world’s first chlorophyll organic battery was created by professor Chungpin Hovering Liao of National Formosa University in Taiwan. To power up, this amazing battery can use any liquid, even urine. The battery starts providing power in only 10 seconds of being doused with liquid. Besides its advantages, the battery has a disadvantage : it [...]

A professor at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland, named Hansjürg Leibundgut, said that he will start the construction of a apartment block equipped with carbon free technology. The apartments will contain cooling, heating and solar energy systems.  These systems are different from those of private homes. The entire apartment block will run [...]