New Solar Cell Can Be Made With Nail Polish, Pizza Oven, Injket Printer

Australia (TGW) – The inventor of the innovative iJET solar cell has won two Australian Museum Eureka Prizes - the nation's top science awards.

Nicole Kuepper, 23, has patented the cell, which can be made at low temperatures using an inkjet printer, nail polish, and a pizza oven.

Kuepper hopes the cell will be useful the developing world.

However, it could be five years before the cell will be commercially available.

Via :: The Australian

All-Electric ZAP Alias Now Taking Reservations

Zap HQ (TGW) – Zero Air Pollution (ZAP) has announced that it is taking reservations for its 2 seat, 3 wheeled electric vehicle: the ZAP Alias.

The car is projected to be ready for sale in 2009 at $32,500, and on line reservations are being taken for a $5000 deposit.

The car can got 0 to 60 in 7.7 seconds, has an EV range of 100+, and get up to 100 mph.

Via :: Ecototality Life

$7000 Residential Vertical Wind Turbine Can Power Your Whole Home

Your roof (TGW) – Mariah Power is planning a bigger version of its $5000, 30 foot, 1 kilowatt, residential vertical axis turbine.

The new $7000 (without the $3000 US tax credit) version will be able to produce 3 kilowatts, enough to power the average residential home.

The bad news is that the smaller version has a backlog of a few months, it is so in demand.

Via :: Ecogeek

Google to Invest $10 Mil in Enhanced Geothermal

Google (TGW) - Google.org announced today that it will invest $10 million in Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS).

EGS differs from traditional geothermal in that it does not exploit existing wells of steam, but rather uses hot rocks far below the surface to heat water to generate steam.

Google invested in 3 different companies:

• AltaRock Energy

• Potter Drilling

• Southern Methodist University Geothermal Lab

Google posted this video in explanation:



Via :: Dot Earth

NREL Sets New Solar Cell Efficiency World Record at 40.8%

NREL (TGW) – Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have set a world record in solar efficiency, creating a solar cell that is 40.8% efficient at converting light, compared to the previous record of 40.7%.


The scientists used a variety of methods to improve efficiency: “The cell uses compositions of gallium indium phosphide and gallium indium arsenide to split the solar spectrum into three equal parts that are absorbed by each of the cell's three junctions for higher potential efficiencies,” the lab said in a press release.

This lets the cell be efficient at different spectrums.

The cell hit the efficiency under the amount of light concentrated on was equal to 326 suns – the amount of sunlight that hits the earth in 326 days.

Via :: Press Release

Solar Antennas Could Eventually Replace Solar Panels

INL (TGW) - Researchers at the Idaho National Laboratory have developed a way to collect more light for power more efficiently: plastic sheets filled with billions of nanoantennas.

The antennas collect mid-infrared rays, which are not only emmited by the Sun, but also by the Earth. The Earth emits these during the day and at night after absorbing energy from the sun.

The nanoantennas are tiny gold squares or spirals set in a specially treated form of polyethylene, a material used in plastic bags. The gold antennas can harvest 92% of the light.

The antennas are also promising cooling devices. Since everything emits the mid-infrared rays, the nanoantennas could be kept in buildings for cooling purposes.

However, there are still serious problems. "The infrared rays create alternating currents in the nanoantennas that oscillate trillions of times per second, requiring a component called a rectifier to convert the alternating current to direct current. Today's rectifiers can't handle such high frequencies," the laboratory said in a press release.

Once an advanced enough rectifier is developed, solar 'skins' could be developed that power everything from cars to iPods.

Via :: Press Release

Laser Textured Solar Cells Brings Reflective Efficiency to 99%, Are Cheaper

Virginia (TGW) – Researchers at the University of Virginia are creating solar cells with tiny nanoscale surface textures using lasers making the cells cheaper and more efficient.

Current solar cells reflect about 30% of the light that hits them – the tiny nanoscale textures will reduce that number to about 1% over the entire solar spectrum and irrespective of the angle at which sunlight strikes the cell.

The use of lasers could also lower manufacturing costs. Because lasers are already used in the manufacturing of solar cells, the texturing process can be automated, eliminating the need for dangerous chemical treatments currently used to reduce reflectance.

The 30% reflective efficiency gain could lead to a 2 to 3% overall efficiency gain.

Via :: Alternative Energy Info :: Press Release

New ESL Lightbulbs Cheaper, Cleaner Than CFLs and LEDs

Your light socket (TGW) – A new type of energy-efficient lightbulb, ESL (electron-stimulated luminescence) was patented in June by Vu1, according to new reports.

ESL technology uses accelerated electrons to stimulate phosphor to create light, making the surface of the bulb glow.

ESL bulbs do not have harmful mercury, unlike CFLs, and are cheaper than LEDs. As well, it is more efficient than both.

The bulbs are $12, about the cost of a screw in CFL, and will be available by September, 2008.

Via :: CleanTechnica :: Vu1

Green Wikia - The Green Wiki

Just a little link love to Green Wikia, the Green Wiki. The site "is being spearheaded by Jimmy Wales (founder of Wikipedia)", and just passed its 500th article milestone. From its mission statement:

Why Green Wikia?
In light of the climate crisis and other ecological challenges increasingly facing us, people are becoming more aware than ever about environmental problems and taking more actions to lessen their impacts. However, learning about the environment can often be confusing and overwhelming. There are lots of voices talking about the environment -- activists, governments, companies, advisory groups, and non-profits, to name a few -- all of whom have different ways of explaining things and advising people. They also make their points through a variety of different media from articles to blogs to films to white papers to position papers. It can be hard to find what you are looking for! To compound things, information can also be contradictory: are biofuels good or bad? To what degree?

How Green Wikia Helps
Green Wikia strives to become a trusted central place to share our growing and evolving body of knowledge about environmental topics and issues with people who want to inform themselves and live in a more sustainable way.

The Green Wikia community also believes that the threats to our environment are real and that they require action. However, the wiki also strives to foster a community where respectful debate and informed viewpoints can be heard.

Kite Energy Could Power 100,000 Homes

Netherlands (TGW) – Researchers at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands have tested using kites tethered to a generator as a new source of renewable energy.


The 10 square meter kite generated 10 kilowatts of power, enough to power 10 homes.

A kite generates power by pulling on a string attached to generators on the ground. When it has reached its maximum height, it is reeled back down to repeat the process.

Kite power requires minimal land use and minimal materials, as well as being more efficient than standard wind turbines.

A full scale commercial model would power 100,000 homes

Via :: Inhabitat

New Fuel Cell Cheaper, Longer Lasting, Just as Effective

Australia (TGW) – Scientists in Australia have revolutionized the design of fuel cells which could make hybrids more reliable and cheaper to build.

In the new design, the fuel cell does not need expensive platinum coating. The team of Monash University scientists have designed and tested an air-electrode, where a fine layer - just 0.4 of a micron thick, or about 100 times thinner than a human hair – of highly conductive plastic is deposited on the breathable fabric. The conductive plastic acts as both the fuel cell electrode and catalyst.

Testing has shown no sign of material degradation or deterioration of performance.

"The important point to stress is that the team has come up with an alternative fuel cell design that is more economical, more easily sourced, outlasts platinum cells and is just as effective,” Professor Doug McFarlane said.

Via :: Gas 2.0

"Nuclear-in-a-Box" Technology to be Commercially Ready by 2013

See also "$2000 Wind Turbine in a Box"
Your backyard (TGW) – Hyperion Power Generation’s “nuclear-in-a-box” technology will be available for commercial deployment in 2013, CEO John “Grizz” Deal said.

Hyperion’s nuclear power reactor units are about the size of a typical backyard hot tub, and are able to generate 70 megawatts of heat energy, or 27 megawatts of electricity from a steam turbine – enough to power 20,000 homes.

The nuclear battery is sealed and buried at the generation site, and taken back to the factory for refueling every five years.

The reactor unit’s size is supposed to bring down capital costs 30% and operating costs 50%.



Via :: Earth2Tech

New Solar Cell Material Is 23% More Efficient, Captures Infrared Light

Spain (TGW) – Researchers in Spain have developed a new material that can absorb infrared light, in contrast to today’s solar cells which only absorb visible light.
Because infrared light makes up half of the sun’s output that reaches the Earth, current solar cells that can only absorb visible light have a theoretical absorption limit of 40%, and only 30% in practice.

The new material, because it can capture both types of light, has a theoretical limit of 63%.

Researchers led by Perla Wahnon added titanium and vanadium into a conventional semiconductor, giving the material its special properties.

Via :: New Scientist

World's Largest Wind Farm To Date Approved in Oregon

Oregon (TGW) – The construction of the world’s largest wind farm to date took a big step forward this week when the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council gave its approval of the project.


The Shepherd's Flat Wind Farm will have 303 wind turbines and a peak capacity of 909 megawatts.

The current largest wind farm in the world is Horse Hollow in Texas at 736 megawatts and 421 turbines.

Oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens has plans to build a 4000 megawatt farm by 2014.

Via :: Portland Business Journal

First Driver-Caused Tesla Crash

San Francisco (TGW) – The unnamed owner of Tesla #6 crashed his $98,000 car last Friday, it has been revealed.


The Tesla ended up between a Mercedes and a Toyota Camry, according to pictures taken by eyewitness Alex Volkov.

It was originally believed a Tesla engineer caused the accident, not according to Darryl Siry, Tesla’s Vice President of Marketing: “It was a Tesla customer who got into that accident. We're aware of it because we service our vehicles.”

Volkov said in an interview that those who were around at the time of the accident told police officers that the Tesla was silent, unnoticed, and small. However, Volkov noted, the front car’s “sudden stop ignited it [the accident]”. As well, the Tesla driver was trying to “go bumper to bumper between the cars.”

“The rear-ending caused [the Tesla driver] to go under the car in front of him -- my guess is that's why the airbags didn't deploy,” said Siry.

Via :: Hey! :: EVcast :: Wired




Photos via Alex Volkov