[16 Sep 2009 | No Comment | ]
Technology.am (Sept. 16, 2009) — The Japanese are preparing to develop a 2 trillion yen ($21 billion) space solar project that will beam electricity from space to around 300,000 homes in Japan within three decades.
The planned solar station will produce 1 GW of electricity from its four square km array of solar panels in the heavens, which is enough to power just under 300,000 Tokyo homes. Since the array will be in orbit some 36,000 km above the earth’s surface, it will be unaffected by weather conditions. …
[14 Sep 2009 | No Comment | ]
Technology.am (Sept. 14, 2009) — Reducing Americans’ average intake of sodium could save the nation as much as $18 billion annually in avoided health care costs and improve the quality of life for millions of people, according to a new RAND Corporation study.
The study estimates that meeting national sodium guidelines could eliminate 11 million cases of high blood pressure nationally and extend the lives of thousands of people each year.
The monetary value of the improved quality of life would be an estimated $32 billion annually. …
[14 Sep 2009 | No Comment | ]
Technology.am (Sept. 14, 2009) — Researchers from the Center for the Environmental Implications of Nano Technology (CEINT), based at Duke University, argues for a new look at the way nanoparticles are selected when studying the potential impacts on human health and the environment.
They have found that while many small particles are considered to be “nano,” these materials often do not meet full definition of having special properties that make them different from conventional materials.
A particle is deemed nano if its diameter is between 1 and …
[12 Sep 2009 | No Comment | ]
Technology.am (Sept. 12, 2009) — Google Inc plans to develop its own new mirror technology that could reduce the cost of building solar thermal plants by 25 percent and making more affordable for widespread commercial and utility use.
Google wants to make a very unusual material for the mirrors both for the reflective surface as well as the substrate that the mirror is mounted on.
Google wants to cut the cost of making heliostats, the fields of mirrors that have to track the sun, by at least a factor of two to …
[12 Sep 2009 | No Comment | ]
Technology.am (Sept.12, 2009) — University of Washington (UW) researchers have discovered a new source of electricity by trees.
This study is a follow up of MIT last year’s study that plants generate a voltage of up to 200 millivolts.
Now researchers used nails on the trees and connected a voltmeter to find that big leaf maples generate a steady voltage of up to a few hundred millivolts.
The team then developed a boost converter that takes a low incoming voltage and stores it to produce a …
[11 Sep 2009 | One Comment | ]
Technology.am (Sept. 11, 2009) — Panasonic has launched a new lightest and smallest LED EverLed light bulbs in Japan that it claims can save energy and last about 19 years if used 5.5 hours per day. That’s 40 times longer than incandescent bulbs.
The new line-up consists of eight types of bulbs. By applying alumite treatment to the surface, Panasonic successfully increased heat dissipation to lower the temperate of the LED package.
The bulbs use only an eighth the power of incandescents. That means a 60-watt-equivalent LED bulb …
[10 Sep 2009 | No Comment | ]
Technology.am (Sept. 10, 2009) — Scientists in Germany reported that a combination of LED light exposure and green tea extract reduces skin wrinkles ten times faster when compared to treatment with LED light alone.
The new treatment for facial wrinkles could emerge as an alternative to Botox and cosmetic surgery.
Researchers have used light-therapy for more than 40 years to help heal wounds. But recent study showed that use of high-intensity LEDs, could help reduce skin wrinkles when applied daily for several months.
But exposure to intense LED …
[9 Sep 2009 | No Comment | ]
Technology.am (Sept. 09, 2009) — US energy group First Solar has signed a deal with China to build a 2,000-megawatt power plant in Ordos City, Inner Mongolia, which will be one of the largest solar power plants in the world in terms of megawatts.
When completed, the Ordos solar farm would generate enough electricity to power about 3 million Chinese homes, according to First Solar.
The First Solar Company manufactures thin-film solar cells from cadmium telluride and builds solar power plants.
The 10-year project will be completed …
[9 Sep 2009 | No Comment | ]
Technology.am (Sept. 09, 2009) — Norway energy giant StatoilHydro said that the world’s first floating full-scale offshore 2.3-MW wind turbine, known as Hywind has been inaugurated in the North Sea off the coast of Norway. It is set to start producing electricity in the next few weeks.
The Hywind measures 65 metres tall, weighs 5,300 tonnes and rests upon a floating stand that is anchored to the seabed by three cables. Water and rocks are placed inside the stand to provide balast.
Hywind can be used where coastal waters are …
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