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Solid state battery powered by magnets

admin /23 May, 2009

inside the battery
 The top is a graphic representation of the overall device structure. The diameter is roughly that of a human hair. The bottom is a magnified image of the central part. The white spots are atoms and the white circles are the nano-magnets, the “working part” of the device.

ScienceDailyResearchers at the University of Miami and at the Universities of Tokyo and Tohoku, Japan, have been able to prove the existence of a “spin battery,” a battery that is “charged” by applying a large magnetic field to nano-magnets in a device called a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ).

The new technology is a step towards the creation of computer hard drives with no moving parts, which would be much faster, less expensive and use less energy than current ones. In the future, the new battery could be developed to power cars.

The study is published in the journal Nature.

New battery uses oxygen

admin /23 May, 2009

A new type of air-fueled battery could give up to ten times the energy storage of designs currently available.

This step-change in capacity could pave the way for a new generation of electric cars, mobile phones and laptops.

The new design has the potential to improve the performance of portable electronic products and give a major boost to the renewable energy industry. The batteries will enable a constant electrical output from sources such as wind or solar, which stop generating when the weather changes or night falls.

Obama leaves solar in the shade

admin /23 May, 2009

by Annie Carmichael and Jim Baak, on Renewable Energy World

For the past eight years solar advocates throughout the United States lamented the lack of federal leadership on renewable energy issues. If only we had a President who fully realized the economic, environmental, and moral obligation to stem global warming and increase our domestic clean energy supply, we said. If only we had a filibuster-proof majority in the U.S. Senate promising sweeping clean energy legislation. If only we had a fervent renewable energy advocate chairing the House’s Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee. Well, that dream checklist is done, done and done.

Largest biochar research project in Australia’s history

admin /23 May, 2009

The Rudd Government today announced $1.4 million for the biggest biochar research project in Australia’s history – and one of the biggest in the world.

The CSIRO will coordinate the three-year project, to look at biochar’s potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and boost farm productivity.

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke announced the funding, under the Government’s Climate Change Research Program.

He said it would be a significant project for Australia and the global community.

Experts in biochar, soil science and emissions management from across Australia will join the national research project.

Biochar is a fine charcoal, produced when organic matter such as wood or crop waste is burnt without oxygen.

It has potential to store carbon from the atmosphere in soil and could be used to help offset greenhouse gas emissions.

Other potential benefits include storing more nutrients and water in soil and reducing acidity.

Expert groups including the CSIRO had called for more research to address substantial ‘knowledge gaps’ in relation to biochar.

An expression of interest for the research proposal was submitted in September 2008 in the first round of applications under the Climate Change Research Program.

The independent Climate Change Expert Panel recommended no decision be made on the proposal until the CSIRO had completed a review to identify major biochar research gaps.

Pearson at odds with city greenies

admin /23 May, 2009

Pearson at odds with city greenies COMMENT: Tony Koch | May 23, 2009 Article from:  The Australian A VISITOR strolling through the Brisbane CBD any weekday will almost certainly be confronted by an earnest-looking university-age youth handing out glossy pamphlets that tell how the Australian Wilderness Society is caring for Aborigines by “protecting their wild Continue Reading →

In landmark vote,House committee approves climate bill

admin /22 May, 2009

In landmark vote, House committee approves climate bill

After months of grueling hearings and deliberations, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed the Waxman-Markey climate and energy bill by a vote of 33-25 on Thursday evening.  It’s a landmark occasion, the first time a serious climate bill has made it this far in the House.

The bill would cut greenhouse-gas emissions about 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020, and about 80 percent by 2050, while promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency.

“We are now one step closer to delivering on the promise of a new clean energy economy that will make America less dependent on foreign oil, crack down on polluters, and create millions of new jobs all across America,” said President Barack Obama in a written statement.

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