Relying on gas-fired electricity generation “as a serious option” for reducing greenhouse emissions and cleaning up Australia’s power sector could cost up to 40 per cent more than a shift to renewables, and leave Australian households $500 a year worse off, a new report has found. The UNSW report found that rising and uncertain gas prices were likely to create
World’s largest photovoltaic modules manufacturer Yingli Solar has now supplied a cumulative 10 GW of modules worldwide, the company announced recently. The achievement is remarkable when we consider the amount of potential electricity 10 GW of solar power modules can generate. According to the company, when fully operational, these modules can generate 12 billion kWh of electricity every year enough
The USB 3.0 Promoter Group today announced the completion of the USB Type-C specification that defines the next generation USB connector. The USB Type-C specification establishes a new cable and connector scheme tailored to fit mobile device product designs, yet robust enough for laptops and tablets. With this release, the specification has been transferred to the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF)
A new analysis of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline says the project could be far worse for the world’s environment than estimated by the U.S. government. Washington has delayed a decision on approval of the proposed pipeline for further study of its environmental impact. Keystone XL would transport an estimated 820,000 barrels of oil sands each day from the province
What if you could build a brick fence in your backyard that would offset a portion of your daily carbon dioxide emissions, such as those produced on your drive home from work? Would you do it? Ronald Dorn, professor of geography at Arizona State University in Tempe, would. Except the fence he has in mind wouldn’t be just constructed from
NASA has selected four proposals for advanced energy storage technologies that may be used to power the agency’s future space missions. Development of these new energy storage devices will help enable NASA’s future robotic and human-exploration missions and aligns with conclusions presented in the National Research Council’s “NASA Space Technology Roadmaps and Priorities,”which calls for improved energy generation and storage
PowerbyProxi today announced the release of Proxi-2D EVK-1, an evaluation kit for wireless charging of consumer electronic devices. The evaluation kit enables customers to test the capabilities of PowerbyProxi’s resonant technology features such as full spatial freedom, 7.5W power transfer per receiver and multi-device charging up to 15W. PowerbyProxi’s newest evaluation kit includes a transmitter and two receiver modules to
Scientists may have overcome one of the major hurdles in developing high-efficiency, long-lasting solar cells—keeping them cool, even in the blistering heat of the noonday Sun. By adding a specially patterned layer of silica glass to the surface of ordinary solar cells, a team of researchers led by Shanhui Fan, an electrical engineering professor at Stanford University in California has
A new study by a team from Stanford presents a “roadmap” for converting California’s all-purpose energy infrastructure over to renewable sources by 2050. The paper, published in the journal Energy, outlines the state’s expected 2050 energy needs, then proposes several steps to ensure that they can be met by a combination of wind, water and sunlight (WWS). The plan begins
The future is here, or at least it is in China, where the largest second-generation robot restaurant is run by a small handful of humans and 15 robots! Located in Kunshan City, the restaurant owned by a local impresario who designed the eatery to have robots cook, take orders, serve meals and greet customers as they arrive. Robot theme