23Jan

Army and Air Force Push Solar Power into Quantum Territory

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Army and Air Force Push Solar Power into Quantum Territory

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The Department of Defense has been on a roll with new solar energy installations, but the real action is going on behind the scenes in laboratories where DoD is quietly supporting research into low cost, lightweight solar cells enhanced with quantum dots. In the latest project, researchers from the Army Research Laboratory and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research have teamed up with the University of Buffalo to create a quantum-enhanced technology that could boost existing solar cell efficiency by up to 45 percent, and possibly more.

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23Jan

Toyota 2000GT swapped into a solar electric vehicle

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The classic Toyota 2000GT has managed to carve an everlasting image in the minds of people, thanks to its style and of course James Bond. Japanese engineers have given James Bond getaway car a new lease of life by remodeling a Toyota 2000GT for a recent car show. The car will roar like an angry beast but not by a gas-guzzling engine. It has been swapped into a 100 percent electric and solar-powered coupe under the ‘Crazy Car Project,’ which definitely shows some care for the environment.

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23Jan

Energy-Efficient Ant-Snake Robots to the Rescue!

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Researchers from Georgia Tech University are working along two parallel tracks to develop energy-efficient robots based on the teamwork of ants and the movement of snakes. Envisioned for use in developing search-and-rescue robots, the technology could also be adapted to swell the ranks of robots with green jobs, for example in designing and fabricating solar cells, performing environmental monitoring or remediation, or subbing in for humans to perform potentially dangerous work such as wind turbine maintenance.

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17Jan

Taking cues from the master: Solar energy systems inspired by natural forms

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Taking cues from the master Solar energy systems inspired by natural forms

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Solar power: Green but inefficient

While green energy like solar power can be the answer to our power needs, there are certain hindrances to its success. First, it is expensive building the necessary equipment for harvesting the sun’s power. Next, sufficient land needs to be made available to set up a solar energy systems. Lastly, modern methods don’t allow for maximum harvesting of sunlight, which is why a lot of it goes to waste. These drawbacks pose a huge problem in attempts to replacing conventional energy with green sources. Considering solar energy systems cost about $45,000 each, most towns can’t afford to invest in them, as maximum benefits of this green energy source will be reaped only when several such systems will be installed. This is why the world still relies on conventional power even though fuel supplies are fast depleting.

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12Jan

Top 7 Green Gadgets To Debut at This Week’s 2012 CES

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Top 7 Green Gadgets To Debut at This Week’s 2012 CES

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The year is sure starting off with a bang, bringing with it a whole slew of new green tech to be unveiled at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. While past years have been a little thin when it comes to eco-friendly tech, this year’s show promises to be packed with innovative green gadgets. After a little bit of sleuthing, we’ve managed to get a sneak peek of some of the coolest designs set to make a statement this week in Sin City. From a solar sleeve to power and protect your Kindle to an incredible Eco ATM that gives you cold hard cash in exchange for recycling your unwanted electronics to a low-energy 22-inch HD USB-based monitor from AOC, hit the jump for 7 of our favorite picks — and be sure to keep checking back for more as we report on all the latest and greatest at CES 2012!
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11Jan

Germany Installs More Solar Panels in December 2011 Than US Did All Year

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Germany Installs More Solar Panels in December 2011 Than US Did All Year

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Some more astonishing stats on the progress Germany is making on solar power thanks to good, steady and predictable renewable energy policy: Greentech Media shares the astonishing fact that in the month of December alone Germany installed 2 GW of solar PV. For the whole of 2011, Germany installed 7 GW.

The US managed to install 1.7 GW in the same time period—which isn’t to knock US installation rates so much as to further highlight the massive Germany push to install more PV before the feed-in tariff for it drop as planned.

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11Jan

The World’s 6 Coolest Solar Powered Projects

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The World’s 6 Coolest Solar Powered Projects

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Solar power is arguably the cleanest and most abundant renewable energy source available to us. It is therefore no surprise that all around the world, architects and designers are incorporating solar technology into new buildings and projects to make them as green as possible. We scoured the globe for some of the coolest solar projects constructed or in the works — from the largest solar-powered office building in the world to Enviromission’s solar towers to the PVs that top off the Vatican. Hit the jump for our 6 favorite projects!
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10Jan

Is Google looking to revive the ailing planet with investments in clean energy?

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Is Google looking to revive the ailing planet with investments in clean energy

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Renewable resources and non renewable resources are at two ends of a tug-of-war battle. While the latter is presently being used to an exhaustive extent, the former is still trying to find a prominent place in the list of energy sources. Conventional sources like coal have been used for a number of decades to power industries and homes. Its abundance and cheap cost is what propelled many to turn to it in the first place. The Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries saw huge amounts of coal being used to drive countries like Britain to the forefront of progress. Earlier, this natural resource was used in small quantities and coal could be mined from close to the surface of the earth. However, as demands increased, there was a need to drill ever deeper.

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9Jan

Powering insect cyborgs with an implantable biofuel cell

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Research into developing insect cyborgs for use as first responders or super stealthy spies has been going on for a while now. Most research has focused on using batteries, tiny solar cells or piezoelectric generators to harvest kinetic energy from the movement of an insect’s wings to power the electronics attached to the insects. Now a group of researchers at Case Western Reserve University have created a power supply that relies just on the insect’s normal feeding.

Recognizing that using a real insect is much easier than starting from scratch to create a device that works like an insect, Case Western Reserve chemistry professor teamed up with graduate student Michelle Rasmussen, biology professor Roy E. Ritzmann, chemistry professor Irene Lee and biology research assistant Alan J. Pollack to develop an implantable biofuel cell to provide usable power for the various sensors, recording devices, or electronics used to control an insect cyborg.

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6Jan

Five creative sculptures designed to run on solar energy

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Five creative sculptures designed to run on solar energy

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With the ever-increasing environmental awareness, design houses and architects from around the globe are looking for new and innovative ways to give an eco friendly touch to their creations. Every other day, we get to see and hear of amazing examples of solar energy being integrated into residential, commercial and industrial applications. The efforts are on to exploit the solar power in every possible way for the benefit of Mother Nature and the human race. Some designers have even come up with creative sculptures that are designed to run on solar energy. Check out some of the best solar powered sculptures after the jump.

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