A global public/private sector cooperative – Solving the E-waste Problem (StEP) – aims to curb the environmental and health problems associated with the disposal and recycling of electronics.
Invention Turns Toxic Waste into Electricity
Environmental engineers at Pennsylvania State University have developed a technology that could both clean contaminated water and produce energy in the process.
Navy, Environmentalists Await Sonar Ruling
A federal judge in California is scheduled to release a decision this week that will outline what the Navy must do to protect marine mammals from the loud blasts of its sonar equipment.
Hypercar: The Car That Pays You To Drive It
The Rocky Mountain Institute is hoping to transform car culture with their Hypercar, a light-weight streamlined vehicle with an expected minimum fuel efficiency of 100-200 mpg that could be so efficient, drivers could potentially sell the excess energy their car generates.
$1 Dollar a Watt Solar
San Jose, California based company, Nanosolar, believes it can market its new solar panels profitably at just 99 cents per watt which would make solar power cheaper than coal.
New Plastic Decomposes Faster
Scientists at Cornell University have created a type of plastic that combines the bacteria-formed compound PHB and nanoclay to create a petroleum-free plastic that completely and safely biodegrades much quicker than petroleum-based plastics.
Energy Tower: Power for 15 Earths?
Researchers at Israel’s Technicion have developed an energy tower they say could produce 15 to 20 times the total electricity the world uses today, be used as a desalination device and even reverse some of the adverse effects of global warming.
Technology From Sticky Mussels, Biomedical Engineer Inspired Again
Northwestern University scientist Philip Messersmith and his team – inspired by mussels – have developed a unique coating application method that mimicks the mollusks’ uncanny ability to stick to virtually anything. Potential uses include medical devices, biosensors, as well as culture and expansion of stem cells.
New Solar Technology Sets World Record
US based solar technology firm, Plextronics, Inc., has set the world record for solar light to power efficiency with a result of 5.4 percent using their single layer organic solar cells less than two years in the making.
Carbon Electrodes Could Slash Cost of Solar Panels
Researchers in Germany have found how to use transparent electrodes made from atom-thick carbon sheets in the manufacture of solar panels and LCDs, a breakthrough that will ease the depletion of natural resources currently used.