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Energy Technology
Cobweb wires
Issue Date: Jul 15, 2001
German researchers have developed ultra thin wires from cobwebs. These wires, based on latest technology, could spark revolution in miniature electronics. Spider silk is remarkably strong and can stretch a lot before it snaps. The researchers managed to reduce the silk from it's usual diameter of 3 and 5 micrometres down to 100 nanometres without weakening it. By using laser beams in opposite direction they evenly reduced the diameter of the silk.
Electrifying ride
Issue Date: Jun 30, 2001
revolutionary Electric Vehicle Alternative, or reva, the brainchild of Chetan Maini, managing director of Bangalore-based Maini group of companies, is not another smoke belching fossil fuel guzzler. The noiseless piece of machinery, first developed in 1996, is electrically driven.
Ecofriendly lubricants
Issue Date: Jun 30, 2001
Officials of several states in usa , led by Iowa and Michigan, have been directed to adopt the use of plant-based lubricants. A report issued by the US-based Institute for Local Self Reliance states that these lubricants are better than petroleum-based oils as they are biodegradable, less toxic and safe to handle. Apart from being ecofriendly, they also hold potential for rural economic development.
First solar funicular
Issue Date: Jun 30, 2001
The world's first solar-powered funicular, a type of cable railway, has started operating between Italy's Livorno town and the Montenero sanctuary. Photovoltaic (PV) panels on buildings bordering the funicular's parking lot supply 90 per cent of the electricity drawn by funicular's year-round operation. The PV panels are connected to an electricity grid. An automatic switching system reduces the chances of the grid failure. The system uses a lead-acid battery that is capable of recharging itself using solar power ( Green Futures , March/April 2001, p21).
Running on the right gas
Issue Date: Jun 30, 2001
Nissan Motors Corporation and Renault SA of France have decided to develop cars with fuel cells that run on hydrogen. The fuel cell vehicles will be available in the market by 2005. Fuel cell cars run on electricity produced by fuels such as hydrogen. As the exhaust emissions consist of only water and heat, they have become the focal point of research as the cleaner alternative to the internal combustion engine.
Derailed
Issue Date: Jun 15, 2001
tamil nadu was once a dream state for those wishing to run a wind energy project in India. Not any more.
Beaming with energy
Issue Date: Jun 15, 2001
Electricity generated in space using light from the sun can now be converted into microwaves and transmitted to the Earth using technology developed by National Space Development Agency of Japan and Kyoto University, Japan. It requires a satellite equipped with a huge solar panel developed by the two institutions. The satellite would orbit the earth, exposed to strong sunlight.
Plan for tomorrow
Issue Date: Jun 15, 2001
The US department of energy and the country's building industry has launched a 20-year plan to make homes more energy efficient for their occupants. Under the 'Building Envelope Technology Roadmap', the building industry in the US plans to become net producers of energy, with movable walls and rooms that adapt to changing needs and environmental factors. Intelligent features could adjust the interior climate based on the weather and provide naturally derived lighting and ventilation to enhance comfort and occupant health, envisions the plan.
Solar solution
Issue Date: Jun 15, 2001
Solarica, a privately owned Dutch company, is investing US $11.5 million to bring solar energy to 11,000 families whose houses are scattered alongside the dense foliage of Costa Rica's rainforests. At a monthly cost of about US $10, a family will have access to 50 watts of electricity per day produced from a solar photovoltaic unit. The unit will provide approximately six hours of power. The Netherlands government has agreed to invest about 25-30 per cent of the cost of the project. Private investors will finance the rest.
Biggest windfarm
Issue Date: May 31, 2001
The world's largest windfarm, made up of 450 giant turbines, is to be be built on the Washington-Oregon border in the US. The state of the art technology used will produce 300 mw of power, which will be pooled with the power produced from hydroelectric dams and sold to 11 US states, including California, which has suffered major power crisis in the recent past. Known as the Stateline Wind Generating Project, the facility will use 73 metre high self-monitoring turbines that adjust to wind speed and direction.
