Tag Archives: efficiency
In Focus: Hybrid SUVs
No auto encapsulates the term “gas guzzler” more than the gigantic SUVs feeding American in-sensibilities, but popular car makers have made attempts at going green by offering hybrid varieties of standard favorites. While none of them are reaching the 40+ mpg point, many have cut down on the gas usage of their traditional counterparts. The [...]
Microscopic Folds that Increase Solar Cell Performance
Microscopic folds are claiming to improve the power output of cheap plastic solar cells. This folding mechanism has been inspired from the structure of leaves with tiny folds that allow better photosynthesis. The underlying principle that makes this technology more efficient is that the addition of curves will create more opportunities for the absorption light. [...]
Hybrids Less Carbon-Intensive Than EVs in Most States
The U.S.’s continued reliance on coal and natural gas to generate electricity makes efficient gasoline-powered vehicles a lower-carbon alternative to electric vehicles in most states, according to a new report by Climate Central. In an analysis of life-cycle emissions from vehicles, based on how electricity is generated in each state, researchers found that the hybrid [...]
Intel: Corporate Renewable Energy Consumption Leader
Intel ranks first in the nation for using renewable energy, holding onto its position since 2008. In 2011, Intel consumed 2.5 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of clean energy - 88% of its electricity use – up from 1.4 billion kWh the previous year. The company gets renewables from biomass, geothermal, small-hydro, solar and wind by buying certificates and from on-site generation. Intel [...]
In Focus: Photochemical Upconversion
In recent years, the efficiency of the traditional silicon solar cells has been improving, but the challenge technology faces is the natural theoretical limit at about 33 percent. The law of Physics doesn’t allow the cells to absorb photons below a certain level of energy, which means this low energy is simply lost as it [...]
Top 20 Ways to Conserve Energy
Conserving energy does not have to be a chore. By taking a few simple steps, you can not only achieve savings on your electricity bill but can help to save the planet too. Here are twenty things you can do to conserve energy: 1. Insulate Your Home To save around 30% on your home heating [...]
IBM’s New Green Optical Microchip
When people think about green energy, typically solar, electric vehicles, wind, biofuels, and LED lighting come to mind; however, much of the world’s energy is consumed from electronic devices and computers, and the industry has been researching new, faster, power-saving microchip technology that consumes dramatically less energy than prior generations. Recently, IBM scientists announced the [...]
Portland, Oregon: Getting Energy Efficiency Right
Portland, Oregon’s Climate Action Plan is working – greenhouse gas emissions are now 6% below 1990 levels and down 26% per person, even though population has grown 26% over that time. Over the same period, US emissions rose 12%. Portland and Mutnomah County released a 2-year progress report on their 3-year Climate Action Plan, which [...]
G24 Innovations Announces 26% Efficient Dye-sensitised Solar Cells
I have no idea exactly how good 26 per cent efficiency is in the overall scheme of things, but apparently it whipped the old record of 15 percent and means we are at last knocking on the door of small power heaven. Which also means that as soon as these solar cells, which work indoors [...]
Energy Efficient Chips as Mini Internets
The speed of computer chips isn’t getting faster, so in order to keep computational power of chips increasing additional processing units or ‘cores’ are being given to the chips by the chipmakers. A typical chip used presently has a maximum of eight cores, which communicate over a single bundle of wires, generally called a bus. [...]
BREAKTHROUGH: Natcore Black Solar Cell Absorbs 99.7% of All Light
There is absolutely no doubt regarding the popularity of solar energy compared to many other forms of alternate energy sources. It is easy to install, is not a visual distraction, a lot more reliable and photovoltaic panels can be pretty much integrated into most surfaces. But, one of the major breakthroughs that will help in [...]
Top 10 Ways Microsoft Keeps it Green
Microsoft Corporation, just known as Microsoft to the masses, is a multinational corporation headed up in the United States and is known for the development, manufacturing, support, and licensing of a broad range of services and products relating to the computer industry. Aside from its operating system and Microsoft Office supplies, it is known for [...]