ISAEST-9

9th International Symposium on Advances in Electrochemical Science and Technology (ISAEST 9) is to be held during December 2 - 4, 2010 at Hotel Green Park, Chennai, India. It is organised by the Society for Advancement of Electrochemical Science and Technology (SAEST) and CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute, Karaikudi (CECRI).

The Symposium will provide a forum for electrochemists and technologists from all over the world to meet and exchange knowledge and research experience. The Symposium will discuss developments in all branches of Electrochemical Science and Technology.

Please visit : www.saest.com to explore more about the Symposium.

Nanotechnology Helps to Develop Solar Cells with Over 65% Efficiency

TU/e researchers want to develop solar cells with an efficiency of over 65 percent by means of nanotechnology. In Southern Europe and North Africa these new solar cells can generate a substantial portion of the European demand for electricity. The Dutch government reserves EUR 1.2 million for the research.

An agency of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, will grant the EUR 1.2 million to researchers dr. Jos Haverkort, dr. Erik Bakkers en dr. ir. Geert Verbong for their research into nanowire solar cells. It is their expectation that, when combined with mirror systems, these solar cells can generate a sizeable portion of the European electricity demand in Southern Europe and North Africa.

The current thin-film solar cells (type III/V) have an efficiency that lies around 40 percent, but they are very expensive and can only be applied as solar panels on satellites. By using mirror systems that focus one thousand times they can now also be deployed on earth in a cost-effective manner. The TU/ researchers expect that in ten years their nano-structured solar cells can attain an efficiency of more than 65 percent. Jos Haverkort: "If the Netherlands wants to timely participate in a commercial exploitation of nanowire solar cells, there is a great urgency to get on board now." The research is conducted together with Philips MiPlaza.

They think that nanotechnology, in combination with the use of concentrated sunlight through mirror systems, has the potential to lead to the world’s most efficient solar cell system with a cost price lower than 50 cent per Watt peak. In comparison: for the present generation of solar cells that cost price is 1.50 euro per Watt peak.

StackingNanowires make it possible to stack a number of subcells (junctions). In this process each subcell converts one color of sunlight optimally to electricity. The highest yield reported until now in a nanowire solar cell is 8.4 percent. Haverkort: 'We expect that a protective shell around the nanowires is the critical step towards attaining the same efficiency with nanowire solar cells as with thin-film cells." Haverkort thinks that at 5 to 10 junctions he will arrive at an efficiency of 65 percent.

Scarcity of raw materialsIn addition, the researchers expect considerable savings can be made on production costs, because nanowires grow on a cheap silicon substrate and also grow faster, which results in a lower cost of ownership of the growth equipment. What is more, the combination of the mirror systems with nanotechnology will imply an acceptable use of the scarce and hence expensive metals gallium and indium.
Source: http://www.tue.nl/

LINK

2010 Global R&D Funding Forecast

The 2010 Global R&D Forecast, created by Battelle analysts and the editors of R&D Magazine, predicts overall global R&D will increase 4.0% in 2010 to $1,156.5 billion from $1,112.5 billion spent in 2009. This increase will mostly be driven by continued spending by China and India, who will drive a 7.5% increase in Asian R&D.

American R&D spending is expected to increase 3.2% to $452.8 billion, while EC spending will only increase 0.5% to $268.5 billion in 2010.
Download the report:
http://www.rdmag.com/uploadedFiles/RD/Featured_Articles/2009/12/GFF2010_ads_small.pdf

Tech Pioneers Who Will Change Your Life

Tech Pioneers Who Will Change Your Life
K.R. Sridhar, Bloom Energy
The Sunnyvale, Calif., start-up says it has developed a fuel-cell system that produces energy that's cleaner and more efficient than oil, gas or coal and more reliable than wind or solar power. "This technology is fundamentally going to change the world," gushes K.R. Sridhar, co-founder and CEO of Bloom Energy. "It's going to have a disruptive impact on the way energy is produced."Read more: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1948486_1948485_1948479,00.html#ixzz0b25Q1sSw

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.