Eco Tech: Swedish scientists develop lightweight batteries from algae

Eco Tech: Swedish scientists develop lightweight batteries from algae: "

Eco Factor: High-performance batteries made from algae.

Of all the materials that have been used to make batteries, algae seems the most uncommon, but scientists over at Uppsala University in Sweden have created a lightweight, flexible battery from algae that blooms globally.

Studying Caldophora algae’s potential use as a thickening agent for pharmaceutical uses, they accidentally discovered that the unique nanostructure made it ideal for energy storage. They coated algae cellulose with a conducting polymer to achieve a decent charge time and storage capacity.

The researchers believe that the work can revolutionize energy storage with inexpensive and environmentally friendly batteries.

Via: Discovery

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The Giraffe says this just shows that when looking at a preparation that is man-made that the creator provides us with the answer ,a little God moving in mysterious ways, don`t you think ? G

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Eco Tech: IAUS debuts dual-axis solar tracker for cost-effective renewable energy

Eco Tech: IAUS debuts dual-axis solar tracker for cost-effective renewable energy: "

Eco Factor: Unique thin-film solar panels mounted on dual-axis trackers automatically align toward the sun.

Researchers predict that every hour the sun radiates more free energy than the entire human population uses in a year. Still, with all that technology at our disposal, less than 1% of the energy used worldwide comes from solar power.

International Automated Systems (IAUS) has developed what could be a breakthrough in solar technology. The company has designed unique thin-film solar panels that can be manufactured at a fraction of the cost of today’s PV solar panels.

When mounted on a dual-axis automatic sun tracking system, the panels can be used to generate electricity at competitive prices.

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A great piece of technology extremely well thought out and pricing has been looked at as well to enable it to be available to the masses and not the few rich. G

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3 Important Ways Your Thoughts Can Help You Heal

3 Important Ways Your Thoughts Can Help You Heal

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New report shows China maintains momentum in its clean revolution

New report shows China maintains momentum in its clean revolution: "

Despite economic downturn, China’s domestic markets continue to scale-up low carbon technology

A new report by The Climate Group shows that in an incredibly short space of time China has taken the lead in the race to develop and commercialize a range of low carbon technologies.

On the back of ambitious government policies and a new breed of entrepreneurs, Chinese businesses are amongst the top producers of electric vehicles, wind turbines, solar panels and energy efficient appliances. Even with this growth, the opportunities for Chinese and foreign companies are huge. A successful agreement in Copenhagen later this year will open the door to further collaboration and growth.

Building on The Climate Group’s 2008 report, the new report, China’s Clean Revolution II: China’s opportunity for a low carbon future is a synthesis of the latest information on China’s progress towards a low carbon economy and aims to keep a-pace with a rapidly evolving green agenda in China, as well as expanding to cover new industries including geothermal power.

In the last year, the global economic turndown has hurt China’s exports of renewable and low-carbon technologies and created a new impetus to expand its domestic markets. The Chinese government’s 4 trillion Yuan (US$ 585 billion) stimulus package put a strong emphasis on clean development and is backed by many new laws and policies focused on increasing the uptake of low carbon technologies.

The report examines four key areas of China’s low carbon economy: low carbon vehicles, energy efficiency in industry, renewable energy and low carbon buildings and urban design. In each of these areas Chinese businesses, supported by the Chinese government, are demonstrating solid progress*:

• Thirteen Chinese cities have signed up to a government scheme to purchase 13,000 electric vehicles (EVs) this year in total. The aim is to manufacture half a million EVs in China in 2011;


• The energy intensity of the Chinese economy has fallen by over 60% since 1980, and the government has set a goal of reducing it by a further 20% between 2005 and 2010;


• Internationally, mainland China supplies 30% of the world’s solar PV technology (Greater China, including Taiwan, 40%); domestically, China is the largest wind power generator in Asia and fourth in the world;


• China’s energy conservation goals include a 50% energy conservation standard for all new buildings and a 65% standard for new buildings in some major cities by 2010.

Liu Yanhua, Vice Minister of China’s Ministry of Science and Technology of China says, “Along with the penetration of efforts on energy-saving and emissions reduction in addressing climate change, China has made remarkable progress: China’s installed wind power capacity is doubling annually; China has produced nearly 40% of the world’s solar PV products; China has the world’s largest raw material resource for bio-fuel; and China’s auto industry is working to lead the world’s new energy automotive industry.”

The report also acknowledges the barriers that exist to China realizing its low carbon economy. China is struggling hard to catch up with international peers and to move from lower-end to higher-end technology, but technological and political gaps still exist. Creative, market-based financing mechanisms are also required. It is estimated that China will need to invest 1.8 trillion Yuan (US$ 263 billion) a year to meet its energy conservation and emissions reduction goals.

Changhua Wu, Greater China Director at The Climate Group says, “It’s a 70-30 situation. We have 70% of the solutions today, but they are not all proven technologies and none are at the scale we need. 30% of the solutions will be found in the future. Therefore we still need foreign investment to drive the revolution.”

As both a major emitter and provider of the solutions to climate change, China’s role at the heart of the international climate negotiations is essential to their success and their ability to accelerate the transition to a prosperous low carbon global economy.





Speaking from the launch event in Beijing, former UK Prime Minister and partner of The Climate Group’s Breaking the Climate Deadlock initiative, Tony Blair says, “To beat climate change, we all can and must do more. As well as extending the technologies we already have, we need to speed up the development of important new ones, like carbon capture and storage, large scale solar power and smart grids that will all be essential after 2020. A new global climate agreement will set a route map for this to happen and for our journey to a prosperous low carbon 21st century. As one of the world’s major economic powers, China will have to be at the forefront of this journey. This report shows that it can be.”


[ENDS]

* China’s Clean Revolution II draws on a wide range of sources, including government reports, independent academic analysis, news reports, interviews and informal conversations. While every effort has been made to present a balanced account with information corroborated where possible, some evidence – in particular the most recent information – is inevitably circumstantial.

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The Roving Giraffe says that anything we can do to reduce China's impact on this worlds carbon use will be greatly received by all of us, l am sure G

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Australia: Eastern states’ emissions down 4 per cent this winter

Australia: Eastern states’ emissions down 4 per cent this winter: "

Greenhouse gas emissions from energy use fell by more than three million tonnes or 4 per cent across Australia’s eastern states this winter compared with the previous winter, according to a new report released today by The Climate Group. This is the equivalent of taking almost 3 million cars off the road over winter.





Total emissions for the season were 74.69 million tonnes. Emissions were down across all states included in the report with South Australia recording the largest relative fall in winter emissions of more than 8 per cent compared with 2008.





The Climate Group’s Greenhouse Indicator Winter Report tracks the main sources of greenhouse emissions (those produced by coal, natural gas and petroleum) in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia.





Emissions fell across all three major sources of energy in all four states: overall coal emissions were down 4.4 per cent, gas emissions were down 5.7 per cent and petroleum emissions dropped 2.7 per cent.





The drop in emissions was because of a fall in demand for both electricity and petroleum across the four states of 3.4 per cent and 2.7 per cent respectively compared with winter 2008, rather than from significant changes in the way states generated their electricity. On average across the four states the overall share of electricity generation from coal, gas and renewables remained the same as in winter 2008, although there were some differences in individual states.





“The extraordinarily warm winter is likely to be the major contributing factor to the drop in greenhouse emissions,” said Rupert Posner, Australia Director of The Climate Group.





This winter has been one of the warmest ever recorded in Australia with average temperatures at least one degree higher than the long-term average across all four states: Victoria was 1.0 degree higher, New South Wales 1.48 degrees higher, Queensland 1.52 degrees higher and South Australia 1.76 higher than the long term average. The average maximum daily temperatures were also the highest ever recorded in Australia in each of the four states during winter. Greenhouse emissions traditionally peak in winter and summer due to increased heating and air conditioning use. A milder weather means people did not use their heaters as much.





“While this winter’s reductions in greenhouse emissions are good news there is an unfortunate irony as this is because of unseasonably warm winter. Reducing demand is an important step in cutting our greenhouse emissions but we also need to change the way we produce energy.





“Significantly slowed economic growth rates are likely to have eased pressure on emissions growth,” said Posner.

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The Roving Giraffe says a little bit of good news in the darkness of our everyday lives.

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How Many Solar Panels Would It Take to Power The Entire World? [Data]

How Many Solar Panels Would It Take to Power The Entire World? [Data]: "

After seeing how many nukes would it take to obliterate humanity instantly, I wanted some good news. Like, how many solar panels would it take to power the entire world? The entire surface of Africa, maybe? Actually, it's surprisingly less.

Click on the image to enlarge

Just 496,905 square kilometers. That's really nothing compared to the total world area: Less than the surface of Spain (504,030 square kilometers) covered with solar panels, distributed across deserts and areas with almost 24/7 sun, all year around.

The Roving Giraffe - says take a look and share this good news as the writer says great statistics G

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California Wildfires

California Wildfires: "

A wildfire in the mountains north of Los Angeles nearly doubled in size overnight and continues to threaten a broadcasting antenna complex and thousands of homes. Spokeswoman Dianne Cahir said the fire had burned 134 square miles of brush and trees by early Monday. At least 18 homes have burned and 12,000 are threatened in a 20-mile stretch from Pasadena to Acton. Two firefighters died when their vehicle rolled down a mountain.

In the Sierra foothills town of Auburn, more than 60 structures -- many of them homes -- were destroyed in a fast-moving fire, officials said. CalFire spokesman Daniel Berlant said Sunday it is unclear how many of the burned structures were homes and how many were industrial buildings, and it was likely to remain uncertain until daylight. The fire broke out at about 2:40 p.m. Sunday and had burned some 275 acres. (21 images)

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A United States Forest Service air tanker drops fire retardant next to a line of fire as the Station fire burns in the hills above a home in Acton, Calif. on Sunday, Aug. 30. AP / Dan Steinberg

MORE IMAGES

A helicopter drops water on hot spots while fighting the Station Fire Aug. 30, in Acton, Calif. The out of control Station Fire has burned more than 35,000 acres and is burning towards homes from Pasadena to the Antelope Valley. Getty Images / Justin Sullivan

A Los Angeles County fire fighter sprays water on burning trees as he fights the Station Fire Aug. 30, in Acton, Calif. The out of control Station Fire has burned more than 35,000 acres and is burning towards homes from Pasadena to the Antelope Valley. Getty Images / Justin Sullivan

Los Angeles County fire fighters mop up hot spots as they fight the Station Fire Aug. 30, in Acton, Calif.Getty Images / Justin Sullivan

Los Angeles County fire fighters mop up hot spots as they fight the Station Fire Aug. 30, in Acton, Calif. Getty Images / Justin Sullivan

A Los Angeles County fire fighter monitors hot spots as he fights the Station Fire Aug. 30, in Acton, Calif. Getty Images / Justin Sullivan

Spot fires glow after the Station Fire burned through Aug. 30, in Acton, Calif. Getty Images / Justin Sullivan

Los Angeles County fire fighters Kevin Klar, right, Eric Tucker, center, and homeowner Henrik Hairapetian, who stayed behind to protect his home, are illuminated by the glow of the Station Fire as it scorches a hillside on Bristow Drive in the La Canada Flintridge foothills on Aug. 29, above Los Angeles, Calif. Getty Images / Kevork Djansezian

Los Angeles County Sheriff deputies and residents help evacuate horses as the Station fire burns in the hills above Acton, Calif. on Sunday, Aug. 30. AP / Dan Steinberg

Residents help Roberto Bombalier evacuate a 2-year-old horse on foot as the Station fire burning in the Angeles National Forest above Acton, Calif. on Sunday, Aug. 30. The horse had not been trained for trailer travel yet. AP / Jason Redmond

A woman carries personal belongings while evacuating her home as the Station Fire burns through the Angeles National Forest towards her home Aug. 30, in Acton, Calif. Getty Images / Justin Sullivan

A Fire Chief from El Dorado County in Northern California waits as flames from the Station Fire blows over Aliso Canyon Road near Acton, Calif., Sunday, Aug. 30. AP / Mike Meadows

The remains of burned cars and structures are seen after a fire hit the area on Friday, Aug. 28, in Soledad, Calif. Hundreds of residents near Soledad remain evacuated as firefighters battle a blaze that's also threatening Pinnacles National Monument. AP / The Californian / Richard Green

In this photo taken from Monterey Park, smoke billows from a fire in the foothills above La Canada Flintridge, Calif. in the San Gabriel Valley Sunday Aug. 30. AP / Nick Ut

Marla Gordon with her daughter Chaniah Gordon, 12, take a first look at their home which was destroyed in in the Auburn fire on Sunday, Aug. 30. The Sacramento Bee / Bryan Patrick

A firefighter works on the blaze at the the Auburn fire on Cedar Mist Lane in Auburn, Calif. on Sunday, Aug. The Sacramento Bee / Bryan Patrick

Ema Lujan carries a hose to help firefighters save what's left of her Harley Davidson business destroyed in the Auburn fire in Auburn, Calif. The Sacramento Bee / Bryan Patrick

A resident walks along homes burned in the Auburn fire on Aug. 30 in Auburn, Calif. The Sacramento Bee / Bryan Patrick

Rachel Varquez, left, who's house burned down on Creekside Place is comforted by neighbor Coleen Beldner in Auburn, Calif. on Sunday. The Sacramento Bee / Bryan Patrick

Lyle Swesey sits in a lawn chair across the street from his burned down home on Creekside Place in Auburn, Calif., Sunday Aug. 30, as a helicopter drops water on hots spots. The Sacramento Bee / Bryan Patrick

Marla Gordon holds her daughters as they looked at their burned down home on Oak Mist Lane in Auburn, Calif. The Sacramento Bee / Bryan Patrick

"What great images from my follower/followed member Jonathon Thank you G

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