One of the nation's biggest home builders, Lennar Homes, has announced the completion of 275 solar powered homes in Windemere community of San Ramon (near San Francisco). The homes will be powered by solar tiles integrated into their roofs. The tiles … [Continue Reading]
Plug-In Cars That Power Your Home
April 9, 2007 by 3 Comments
Soon, in California, you may be able to power your home with your car during a blackout, or even have the utility company pay you for the power that your car produces. San Jose Mercury News reports that PG&E, a Californian utility company will … [Continue Reading]
Wind Turbine Art: Portable, Wind-Powered Lights
April 9, 2007 by 3 Comments
Young Dutch designers demakersvan have created a wind-powered outdoor light inspired by windmills. Called Light Wind, the freestanding design is topped by a 2m-diameter propeller. The blades are made out of sail fabric, so there's no possibility … [Continue Reading]
Report: Solar Costs To Match Coal By 2010
April 9, 2007 by Leave a Comment
The cost of producing solar power will fall to that of coal-fired electricity by the end of the decade, according to a report by Europe's Photon Consulting. However, falling costs of production won’t lead to substantially cheaper prices for … [Continue Reading]
Blueberries Used To Capture Solar Power
April 8, 2007 by 1 Comment
We just reported on the breakthrough in solar dyes in New Zealand. Now, researchers in Italy have discovered that blueberries have natural pigments that absorb sunlight extremely well. Apparently, dark-colored berries outperform most other plant … [Continue Reading]
Efficient Concrete Replacement: Blocks of Trash
April 6, 2007 by 8 Comments
From Live Science: Last year’s trash could become next year’s model home, thanks to the invention of a new type of construction material made entirely from waste products. “Bitublocks,” created by engineer John Forth of the University of … [Continue Reading]
Innovative Solar Dyes: Inexpensive Liquid Solar Power
April 5, 2007 by 31 Comments
Researchers from the Nanomaterials Research Centre at Massey University in New Zealand have developed synthetic dyes that can be used to generate electricity at one tenth of the cost of current silicon-based solar panels. These photosynthesis-like … [Continue Reading]
San Francisco To Ban Styrofoam
April 5, 2007 by Leave a Comment
The city of San Francisco is planning on banning the use of Styrofoam, or more technically, polystyrene containers. The ban would take effect on June 1st, and would require city restaurants and government agencies to stop using polystyrene … [Continue Reading]
Australian Island Using Flow Batteries To Store Wind Power
April 5, 2007 by 4 Comments
King Island is a small island off the Australian coast, near Tasmania. King Island isn't connected to the mainland power grid, and apart from its own small wind farm it relied for a long time on diesel generators for its electricity. That changed in … [Continue Reading]
0 to 60 MPH in Under 1.5 Seconds, Electric KillaCycle Sets New World Speed Record
April 5, 2007 by 3 Comments
The KillaCycle, the world’s electric motorcycle, and the official world record holder in the ¼ mile drag, broke the world record again using its lithium-ion batteries. The official record for any electric vehicle worldwide in the ¼ mile is set … [Continue Reading]
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