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Future Of Solar-powered Houses Is Clear: New Windows Could Halve Carbon Emissions

innovation2 — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 21:15:15 +0000

ScienceDaily (Apr. 10, 2008) — People could live in glass houses and look at the world through rose-tinted windows while reducing their carbon emissions by 50%, thanks to QUT Institute of Sustainable Resources (ISR) research.

Professor John Bell said QUT had worked with a Canberra-based company Dyesol, which is developing transparent solar cells that act as both windows and energy generators in houses or commercial buildings.

He said the solar cell glass would make a significant difference to home and building owners’ energy costs and could, in fact, generate excess energy that could be stored or onsold.

Professor Bell said the glass was one of a number of practical technologies that would help combat global warming which was a focus of research at the ISR.

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Nano-breakthrough: Dramatic Increase In Thermoelectric Efficiency Heralds New Era In Heating, Cooling And Power Generation

ron — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:30:17 +0000

photo credit: Ethan Hein

ScienceDaily (Mar. 21, 2008) — Researchers at Boston College and MIT have used nanotechnology to achieve a major increase in thermoelectric efficiency, a milestone that paves the way for a new generation of products — from semiconductors and air conditioners to car exhaust systems and solar power technology — that run cleaner.

The team’s low-cost approach, details of which are published in the journal Science, involves building tiny alloy nanostructures that can serve as micro-coolers and power generators. The researchers said that in addition to being inexpensive, their method will likely result in practical, near-term enhancements to make products consume less energy or capture energy that would otherwise be wasted.

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Money Buys Happiness When You Spend On Others, Study Shows

ron — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:22:12 +0000

photo credit: Randy Son Of Robert

ScienceDaily (Mar. 21, 2008) — In a series of studies, UBC Asst. Prof. Elizabeth Dunn found that individuals report significantly greater happiness if they spend money “pro-socially” — that is on gifts for others or charitable donations — rather than spending on themselves. Her findings will appear in the March 21 edition of the journal Science.

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Windmill With A Twist Can Provide Fresh Water From Seawater Directly

ron — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:35:48 +0000

photo credit: indole

ScienceDaily (Mar. 5, 2008) — A traditional windmill which drives a pump: that is the simple concept behind the combination of windmill/reverse osmosis developed by the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in The Netherlands. In this case, it involves a high-pressure pump which pushes water through a membrane using approximately 60 bar. This reverse osmosis membrane produces fresh water from seawater directly.

No electricity needed!

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Can A Vibrating Mouse Prevent Computer-related Injuries?

ron — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 16:19:38 +0000

ScienceDaily (Dec. 27, 2007) — A chair that undulates, a mouse that vibrates, a monitor suspended over a desk on a movable arm. These are some of the kinds of newfangled ergonomic products that Alan Hedge, international authority on office ergonomics, studies to see if they can prevent repetitive motion injuries among the estimated 100 million people who now use computers in the United States.

This chair with an undulating seat is a prototype of one of the ergonomic products Professor Alan Hedge studies to determine what kinds of products would prevent back and other problems caused by sitting in front of a computer all day. (Credit: Lindsay France/University Photography)

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Software Wrapper For Smarter, Networked Homes

ron — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 15:53:25 +0000

ScienceDaily (Dec. 22, 2007) — Homes today are filled with increasing numbers of high-tech gadgets, from smart phones and PCs to state-of-the-art TV and audio systems, many of them with built-in networking capabilities. Combined, these devices could form the building blocks of the smart homes of the future, but only if they can be made to work together intelligently.

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