A fermentation technique once used to make cordite, the explosive propellant that replaced gunpowder in bullets and artillery shells, may find an important new use in the production of advanced biofuels. With the addition of a metal catalyst, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have shown that […]
Power Electronic Tips
New Zealand won’t sign ‘Kyoto 2’ climate treaty
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand’s government said Friday that it would not sign on for a second stage of the Kyoto Protocol climate treaty, a stance that angered environmentalists and political opponents. The announcement came the same day that Australia said it would stay the course and commit to “Kyoto 2.” The treaty […]
Power management IC delivers up to 12A from six DC/DC converters
Dialog Semiconductor plc announces the most powerful and most integrated configurable power management IC (PMIC) for ARM quad-core and dual-core application processors. The DA9063 can deliver up to 12A from its six DC/DC converters. It simultaneously powers the processor (the core at up to 5A plus other processor supplies), external memories, wireless communications (WLAN and […]
Ben-Gurion University develops side-illuminated ultra-efficient solar cell designs
BEER-SHEVA, ISRAEL, November 8, 2012 — Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) have developed a radically new design for a concentrator solar cell that, when irradiated from the side, generates solar conversion efficiencies which rival, and may eventually surpass, the most ultra-efficient photovoltaics. The new cell architecture developed at the David Ben-Gurion National […]
PTS, Inc. to develop “Green Energy Park”
Pts Inc. (PINKSHEETS:PTSH) www.ptspi.com is pleased to announce signing Memorandum of Understanding with Green Renewable Technology, Inc. (GRT) www.grtglobalsolutions.com to be part of the effort to clean and protect the environment and produce low cost renewable energy. United Waste and GRT look to generate electricity through various clean technologies. Plans include a methane recapture facility, […]
Top 10 must-see posts from October
Here’s a rundown of the most read, most popular, most awesome articles on the web. Take a look at what you missed the first time around or check up on an old favorite to see the conversation in the comments. Keep checking out the Lead at www.ecnmag.com and follow us on Twitter @ecnonline for our […]
Biofuel breakthrough: Quick cook method turns algae into oil
ANN ARBOR—It looks like Mother Nature was wasting her time with a multimillion-year process to produce crude oil. Michigan Engineering researchers can “pressure-cook” algae for as little as a minute and transform an unprecedented 65 percent of the green slime into biocrude. “We’re trying to mimic the process in nature that forms crude oil with […]
China set to okay nuke plants
BEIJING (AP) — China has announced it is ready to approve new nuclear power plants as part of ambitious plans to reduce reliance on oil and coal, ending a moratorium imposed after Japan’s Fukushima disaster. The government said Wednesday that it hopes to generate 30 percent of China’s power from solar, wind and other renewable […]
EU: Spain, Italy putting EU emissions cuts at risk
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Debt-ridden Spain and Italy could hinder the European Union from achieving its goal of cutting greenhouse emissions under an international climate pact, the EU’s environmental agency said Wednesday. The EU considers itself at the forefront of the fight against climate change and as a bloc it’s on track to meet its […]
November 2012: Power
The November issue of ECN focuses on the power application area. Executive Editor Chris Warner discusses net neutrality, Jon Titus presents his annual Kits for Kids column, and the Brainstorm Q&A section asks “What is the most significant challenge in the miniaturization of medical devices?” See it here.