December 2011
10 posts
Electricity from the Air →
unexpectedtech:
Flying windmill: Multiple exposures show the flight pattern of the Makani Airborne Wind Turbine, built by Makani Power. The electricity-generating glider is attached to the ground by a carbon-fiber tether. The craft flies “crosswind,” or perpendicular to the direction of the wind, as a kite does. In early tests, prototypes have generated five kilowatts of electric power. Larger...
3 tags
Breakthrough could double solar energy output →
unexpectedtech:
A new discovery from a chemist at the University of Texas at Austin may allow photovoltaic solar cells to double their efficiency, thus providing loads more electrical power from regular sunlight. Not only that, but it’s way cheap. Chemistry professor Xiaoyang Zhu and his team discovered that an organic plastic semiconductor could double the number of electrons harvested out of...
Call for members
I am a bit too busy to regularly keep up with Electric Power, is there anyone who would like to become a member to keep people updated with whats going on in clean transportation?
3 tags
Daimler Tests Cordless Electric Vehicle Chargers →
unexpectedtech:
Having a few electric vehicle charging stations here and there isn’t a big deal. But if they ever become common in cities, they’ll be an eyesore, with their long, tangled black cords clumped onto their sides or sprawling across parking spaces to the outlet on the side of a car. Charging stations could also be a tempting target for vandals.
A much more elegant solution would be...
2 tags
New wave of ocean energy to be trialed off the... →
unexpectedtech:
Anyone who has ever been scuba diving in a bull kelp forest will tell you - the stuff does not stand still. The marine aquatic plant consists of a long skinny-but-tough stem (or stipe) that is anchored to the sea floor and topped with a hollow float, from which a number of “leaves” (or blades) extend to the surface. The result is a seaweed that extends vertically up through the...
1 tag
Gasoline Fuel Cell Would Boost Electric Car Range →
unexpectedtech:
If you want to take an electric car on a long drive, you need a gas-powered generator, like the one in the Chevrolet Volt, to extend its range. The problem is that when it’s running on the generator, it’s no more efficient than a conventional car. In fact, it’s even less efficient, because it has a heavy battery pack to lug around.
Now researchers at the University of Maryland...