...more recent posts
Thursday, Dec 07, 2006
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Alexander Karsner today announced that with DOE funding, a concentrator solar cell produced by Boeing-Spectrolab has recently achieved a world-record conversion efficiency of 40.7 percent, establishing a new milestone in sunlight-to-electricity performance. This breakthrough may lead to systems with an installation cost of only $3 per watt, producing electricity at a cost of 8-10 cents per kilowatt/hour, making solar electricity a more cost-competitive and integral part of our nation’s energy mix.Here's the +5 slashdot comments.
Friday, Sep 01, 2006
Hard not to be skeptical, but Richard Branson is developing a clean fuel
It will be called Virgin Fuel, yes! It's not ethanol-based as such, but it'll be a clean fuel. And if we've got it right, it could be a very important breakthrough. We think this fuel will work in cars and trucks and trains within a year. And we're hoping that it might work in commercial jet engines within five years, possibly sooner. So it will be able to work in Virgin Atlantic planes one day.
But it's not just that we thought we should do this to try to save the world and the thousands of species that could die if we don't do it. Unless you can generate cash, it's not going to be successful. With oil prices above $70 a barrel, people want to save on the cost of fuel, and so alternative fuels suddenly make business sense.
Monday, Aug 14, 2006
PG&E vows fivefold increase in solar use
CA has its own foreign policy now?
Governor, Blair sign warming accord
UNUSUAL STATE-NATION PACT PUTS DISTANCE BETWEEN LEADERS, BUSH
Guy who works on Boston's Big Dig project is appalled at the wasted materials. So he collects stuff that looks good, hauls it away himself, and uses it all to build this house.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Turn your bicycle into a moped with revopower
The good folks at RevoPower claim they’re re-inventing the wheel. And, let me tell you, I’m wanting to believe them. Here’s the deal. You take your current bicycle (be it a mountain bike, a cruiser or a commuter bike), you remove the front wheel, and replace it with RevoPower’s. A little wiring here and there, nothing too hard, and you’re set. Then, you go out biking, as usual. But, say you’re growing tired, or you hit a slope and you’re just lazy… well, press a button, and the integrated commercial grade, 23cc two-stroke engine will kick in. You get 1.1 HP or 0.8 KW power output with a maximum rpm 7500 to help you along the way. On a flat surface, the engine will even take you up to speeds of 20mph, with a merciful 200mpg.Nothing too amazing here, except click through and look at the picture. It's really slick how integrated it is with the wheel. Seems like it would be really easy to switch front wheels back and forth between this, and your traditional bike wheel.