The water-powered clock: the most eco-friendly timepiece ever?

By

Anna Leach

on November 25, 2009

It doesn't need batteries, solar panels or winding, it just needs water. The Water Powered Clock sounds like something out of mythology, but it's real and it's turning H2O into energy somewhere near you.

All you have to do to keep the clock ticking is change the water every six months. It uses "the latest electrochemical technology" to power the digital display with water and there are no emissions or waste. Shaped like cans, the clocks are available in four colours.

It's not an alarm - water obviously isn't that powerful yet, but it does look quite cute and displays the time on the digital panel at that front. Pair it up with Efergy's showtime water-use monitor as a green present for the eco-warrier in your life.

Even better, get GreenStamp's water-powered clock making kit and let your green friend experiment with what liquids make the clock run. A good one for kids.

SOURCE

New hydrogen-storage method discovered

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Scientists at the Carnegie Institution have found for the first time that high pressure can be used to make a unique hydrogen-storage material. The discovery paves the way for an entirely new way to approach the hydrogen-storage problem. The researchers found that the normally unreactive, noble gas xenon combines with molecular hydrogen (H2) under pressure to form a previously unknown solid with unusual bonding chemistry. The experiments are the first time these elements have been combined to form a stable compound. The discovery debuts a new family of materials, which could boost new hydrogen technologies. The paper is published in the November 22, 2009, advanced online publication of Nature Chemistry. Read more...

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/ci-nhm112009.php

A Path to Sustainable Energy by 2030

A recent article - "A Path to Sustainable Energy by 2030" authored by Jacabson and Deluchhi, published in the recent issue (November 2009) of Scientific American will be a useful resource for the researchers who do research in the area of energy.

Also visit here to explore more.

Interview of Venkataraman Ramkrishnan by Amit Roy of The Telegraph, Calcutta.

No real reason why it can't be done in India
- Venki on his forthcoming visit, why he loves Cambridge and how crucial luck is.
Amit Roy
Cambridge, Oct. 17: Venkataraman Ramakrishnan, seems happy and settled in Cambridge, where autumn has set in and where the Nobel laureate can admire ancient trees with leaves turning to russet and mauve and gold as he cycles to work every day.

But over the past four decades, he has led an itinerant existence. Fame has come at a price.
Read more...
Courtesy: The Telegraph

Low-cost electrodes for fuel cells

AFC Energy, the developer of low-cost alkaline fuel cells, has successfully completed trials of its non-platinum-based electrodes for fuel cells. Read more...

Source: The Engineer Online

Breakthrough in Battery Technology in the offing

Scientists in advanced materials and electrochemistry have produced electric storage batteries what could be the single most important breakthrough for clean, alternative energy.

It's a new generation of deep-storage battery that's small enough, and safe enough, to sit in your basement and power you home.

Read More...
Source: Daily Herald

Nanotechnology: Lithium-Ion Batteries Have Better Performance With New Electrode Material

Nanotechnology: Lithium-Ion Batteries Have Better Performance With New Electrode Material

Need to store electricity more efficiently? Put it behind bars.
That's essentially the finding of a team of Rice University researchers who have created hybrid carbon nanotube metal oxide arrays as electrode material that may improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries.
With battery technology high on the list of priorities in a world demanding electric cars and gadgets that last longer between charges, such innovations are key to the future. Electrochemical capacitors and fuel cells would also benefit, the researchers said.
The team from Pulickel Ajayan's research group published a paper this week describing the proof-of-concept research in which nanotubes are grown to look – and act – like the coaxial conducting lines used in cables. The coax tubes consist of a manganese oxide shell and a highly conductive nanotube core. REA MORE...
Source: ScienceDaily