Sharp, Sanyo and Gifu University Team Up on Solar Cell Research
Ah, this is something Japan knows how to do, and do well. Research. Sharp Corp. Sanyo Electric Co. and 15 other companies has joined forces with Gifu University to conduct research on nanocrystalline silicon, a promising material for highly energy-efficient thin-film solar cells. The consortium will explore the nanocrystalline silicon as the next-generation photovoltaic material = solar cell. Japan is a leader in ...
Bamboo Bike a Sustainable Transport Solution
Apparently the bamboo is not only good for flooring, salad bowls or cutting boards, but also for building some of the most sustainable commuters, the Bamboo Bike. The project was started by the guys at Calfe Design and was meant to build a "green" bike that wouldn't cost $13,000 like the carbon-fiber bikes we know these days. It costs more ...
US Army to Build a 500MW solar thermal plant
When the US Army takes a small break from those unnecessary and probably unnecessary wars, or don't plan new ones, they manage to amaze us. I'm talking about the latest initiative to build a 500MW solar thermal plant in the Mojave Desert near Fort Irwin, CA, that will help them cut down $21 million a year from their $3 billion ...
Nobel-Winning Japanese Physicists Theorize On Universe’s Origin
Three Japanese physicists theorized on the origin of the universe so loudly that they received a Nobel Prize in Physics for their guesses. Call me stupid, but a theory is nothing more than a best guess. The three physicists are Yoichiro Nambu of the University of Chicago's Enrico Fermi Institute; Makoto Kobayashi at the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization in Tsukuba, ...
2008 TC3 Lights Up Sky Over Africa
A small asteroid (2008 TC3) several feet in diameter will enter the atmosphere over northern Sudan and head for the Red Sea next Tuesday, Oct 14th, says NASA. The event will occur at 5:46am local time and is expected to produce some natural fireworks. "We estimate objects this size enter Earth's atmosphere once every few months," said a spokesman of the ...
Mitsubishi Motors Plans Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle
The president of Mitsubishi Motors Corp., Osamu Masuko, said Monday that that Mitsubishi is currently developing a plug-in hybrid car. The automaker has plans to develop a plug-in hybrid and launch a mass-produced electric vehicle next year in Japan. Speaking at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, Masuko opined that the plug-in hybrid will be a better suit for ...
Japanese Government Wants Energy Firms Weaned Off Fossil Fuels
Tokyo has its eyes on weaning electric, gas, and petroleum companies from fossil fuels. The Japanese government will require the big users to utilize certain amounts of nonfossil fuels - solar, hydraulic and nuclear power. The goal is for the proportion of nonfossil fuels to be 30% of the total energy supplies in Japan by 2030. It was 18% in 2005. ...
McCain Pounds Obama in Presidential Debate in Nashville on Clean Coal
McCain will be the winner in the presidential debate in Nashville when it comes to clean coal, pounding Obama (not your diamond in the rough) into a smoldering ember ready to burn out in a matter of weeks. It won't matter what the two say or do during the debate, the media will present Obama as the leading candidate, the winner ...
Honda’s Fit Best Seller in Japan
Honda Motor Co's subcompact Fit is the best seller in Japan for the April-September period. Next in line were Toyota Motor Corp's Corolla and Vitz models. With Japan paying well over $6/gallon for gas and the mini-cars being the best sellers in the land, it stands to reason that two of Japan's big three would have the best selling mini-cars ...
Car-Free Day in Madrid
Good for you, Madrid. Everyone in the city was required to park their cars for the day and get to work, school, shopping or otherwise by some other means. In Central Madrid the idea was to promote a green lifestyle. Dads with babies, dads pulling babies, dads pulling babies while doing business or checking in with mom on their cell phones, ...
