Posted on September 20th, 2010 by axb
Installing solar panels on the roof of buildings has become very en vogue recently. But in a few years charging up your home might be cheaper and easier than ever.
The Norwegian company EnSol AS has developed a thin, transparent solar film that can be sprayed onto windows and other surfaces, rendering them able to absorb the sun’s energy just as efficiently as solar panels.
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Filed under: Chemical, e-News, Environmental | 2 Comments »
Tags: Chemical, Energy, Environmental, Nanotechnology, Solar
Posted on September 19th, 2010 by axb
Winter temperatures in Astana, the new capital of Kazakhstan, are extremely frigid, averaging around negative 31 degrees Fahrenheit. But in summer, the mercury regularly soars to a sizzling 95 degrees. So when top British architect Norman Foster designed Astana’s newly-opened Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center, he opted for a unique energy-efficient material that would accommodate both seasonal extremes.
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Filed under: Architectural, e-News, Environmental, Materials | 9 Comments »
Tags: Architectural, Environmental, Materials
Posted on September 13th, 2010 by jxh
Your apartment is heated by the warmth of human bodies in a nearby Metro station – creepy or cool?
We’re not sure, but French engineers are moving ahead with plans to install the experimental heating system in a public housing project in Paris.
The caloric heat collected from Metro passengers, as well as the heat collected from the train itself, will funnel through an underground corridor to heat exchangers that will push warm air through the building’s pipes.
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Filed under: Civil, e-News, Environmental, Transportation | Comments Off on Metro Passengers Will Heat Apartments
in Paris
Tags: Civil, Energy, Environmental, Green Technology, Green Transportation, Technology, Transportation
Posted on September 9th, 2010 by axb
Swedish researchers are making photovoltaic technology come alive – literally. Zackary Chiragwandi and his colleagues at Chalmers University of Technology have found a way to create cheaper solar cells using special proteins harvested from bioluminescent jellyfish.
These glowing proteins, known as green florescent proteins (GFP), are inserted between two aluminum electrodes, where they form strands connecting the two plates. When exposed to UV light, the GFP generates current by absorbing photons and emitting electrons.
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Filed under: e-News, Environmental | Comments Off on Solar Cells from Bioluminescent Jellyfish
Tags: Energy, Environmental, Solar
Posted on August 30th, 2010 by axb
Mont Blanc from 10,500 ft.
In 1892, an immense amount of floodwater broke free from an Alpine glacier, engulfing a nearby village. Today, after the discovery of more water accumulated beneath the glacier, engineers in France are taking novel steps to prevent such a disaster from recurring.
The team of specialists plans to drill beneath the Tete Rousse glacier and extract about 65,000 cubic meters of water (that’s enough to fill about 26 Olympic-sized pools!).
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Filed under: e-News, Environmental, Ocean | 4 Comments »
Tags: Environmental, Ocean
