Your T-shirt's ringing: telecommunications in the spaser age
Melbourne, Australia (SPX) Apr 28, 2014 -
A new version of "spaser" technology being investigated could mean that mobile phones become so small, efficient, and flexible they could be printed on clothing.
A team of researchers from Monash University's Department of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering (ECSE) has modelled the world's first spaser (surface plasmon amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) to be made c ...
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Ahead of Iraq polls, oil still fuelling economic hopes
Baghdad (AFP) April 28, 2014 -
With a budget languishing in parliament, crucial reforms on the back burner and a hamstrung private sector, prospects for Iraq's economy after Wednesday's election hinge heavily on the oil factor.
Iraq has some of the world's largest deposits of oil and gas and aims to boost energy production dramatically, but a slow-moving bureaucracy and poor infrastructure are holding it back.
Complic ...
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Adjustments of Hong Kong property prices "necessary": IMF
Hong Kong (AFP) April 28, 2014 -
The International Monetary Fund said Monday Hong Kong property prices are set to see adjustments following years of boom.
The city's housing market has become one of the most expensive in the world - prices have more than doubled since 2008 - due to an influx of capital from the mainland and record low interest rates thanks to US quantitative easing.
Housing affordability has become a ...
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More oil and gas believed to sit off Israel's coast
Jerusalem (UPI) Apr 28, 2013 -
While less than the Tamar and Leviathan prospects off the Israeli coast, the Oz license area may hold significant deposits of oil and gas, a study finds.
Sewell & Associates, a Dutch oil and gas consulting company, finds the Oz license area, about 30 miles off the coast of Tel Aviv, may hold more than 1.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 93 million barrels of oil.
Roni Halm ...
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Greenpeace sends new protest ship as first Russian Arctic oil arrives
The Hague (AFP) April 28, 2014 -
Greenpeace on Monday sent a protest ship to meet a Russian tanker carrying the first oil drilled offshore in the environmentally fragile Arctic.
The ship, Rainbow Warrior, is captained by Peter Willcox, who was among campaigners detained by Russian authorities last year after staging a high-profile protest against Arctic drilling.
The vessel set sail from Rotterdam on Monday afternoon, G ...
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Europe uses light, CO2 and water to make kerosene
Brussels (UPI) Apr 28, 2013 -
The European Commission said Monday a type of kerosene was manufactured in the laboratory using a process that involves solar power, carbon dioxide and water.
The EU said its so-called Solar-Jet project uses concentrated simulated solar radiation as a power source to convert CO2 and water into a form of kerosene.
"This technology means we might one day produce cleaner and plentif ...
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Gulfsands Petroleum acquires new acreage in northern Morocco
London (UPI) Apr 28, 2013 -
Gulfsands Petroleum, which has headquarters in London, said Monday it planned to spend $3.5 million to develop newly-acquired acreage in northern Morocco.
Gulfsands said it will serve as the operator in the Moulay Bouchta license area alongside a Moroccan state entity.
The company said the area is thought to hold significant deposits of oil and gas. Gulfsands said Moulay Bouchta ...
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Android surging in global tablet market: survey
Washington (AFP) April 28, 2014 -
The Google Android platform extended its dominance over Apple in the tablet market in early 2014, a research firm said Monday.
Strategy Analytics said Android grabbed 65.8 percent of global tablet sales in the first quarter, up from 53 percent a year ago.
Apple meanwhile saw iPad sales slump and its market share tumbled to 28.4 percent from 40.3 percent a year earlier, the survey showed. ...
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Russian government calls for multilateral energy talks
Moscow (UPI) Apr 28, 2013 -
Members of the European Union will join Ukrainian and Russian delegates at the negotiating table for energy talks next month, a Russian official said Monday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned EU heads of state earlier this month the region's energy security was at risk because of Ukraine's mounting gas debts.
Russia meets about a quarter of Europe's gas needs, though most o ...
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DuPont China Holding and Zhenfa New Energy Sign Strategic Cooperation Agreement
Wuxi, China (SPX) Apr 29, 2014 -
DuPont China Holding and Zhenfa New Energy Technology have signed a strategic cooperation agreement to collaborate on improving the performance, reliability and return on investment of solar power installations.
Under the agreement, both companies will cooperate in optimizing the selection of durable solar materials and technologies used in solar panels. All of the solar panels installed b ...
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Microgrid Installs Solar Array on Missouri History Museum
St. Louis MO (SPX) Apr 29, 2014 -
Microgrid Solar installed a 25 kilowatt solar array on the roof of the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park, as a part of an innovative program offered by Microgrid, in partnership with US Bank, that is designed to make it easy for nonprofit orgaations to install solar.
The program, called the St. Louis Nonprofit Solar Leasing Program, enables St. Louis area nonprofit organizations to en ...
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Newark Airport Goes Solar With Rooftop Initiative
Newark NJ (SPX) Apr 29, 2014 -
In recognition of Earth Week 2014, ConEdison Solutions and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey joined on April 24 to unveil one of four new solar installations that will reduce emissions and produce clean energy at Newark Liberty International Airport.
At an overall size of 633 kilowatts, the multi-site solar initiative represents the first solar power installations at any airpor ...
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OPDE finishes construction of new 12MWp solar farm in UK
Alresford, UK (SPX) Apr 29, 2014 -
OPDE has recently completed a new 12MWp solar farm in Alresford, Hampshire.
Commencing in February 2014, construction took only two months, and first connection to the grid was made on 23 March.
According to OPDE sources, the new farm, featuring 47,616 PV modules, will generate 11,844MWh a year and supply electricity to 5,000 homes in the UK.
The connection of the new 12MWp far ...
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Oil and gas found in Central Asian basins for Premier Oil
London (UPI) Apr 28, 2013 -
Premier Oil, which has headquarters in London, said Monday it made a gas discovery in Pakistan and found oil while drilling off the coast of Indonesia.
The company said it ran into an oil layer measuring 183 feet thick while drilling into its Kuda Laut-1 well off the coast of Indonesia. Final results to determine the full reserve potential are due in late May.
For the K-36 well o ...
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Taiwan uses water cannon to disperse anti-nuclear protesters
Taipei (AFP) April 28, 2014 -
Taiwan police on Monday used water cannon to dislodge hundreds of demonstrators blocking a main road in the capital to demand the scrapping of a controversial nuclear power plant.
An estimated 28,500 anti-nuclear demonstrators had blockaded one of Taipei's busiest streets Sunday, forcing the ruling Kuomintang party to yield and halt construction work at the nearly completed plant.
The co ...
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Foundations set for Gwynt y Mor wind farm
Holywell, England (UPI) Apr 28, 2013 -
German energy company RWE said Monday it finished installing foundations off the British coast for what will be one of the largest wind farms in the world.
The company said it finished 160 foundations set for the Gwynt y Môr wind farm, located about eight miles off the coast of North Wales.
"With this achievement behind us we can focus on installing the final 19 turbines, commis ...
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ET Solar Completes PV Power Plant In Israel For EDF
Munich, Germany (SPX) Apr 29, 2014 -
ET Solar has announced that its German EPC subsidiary ET Solutions AG, based in Munich, Germany has successfully engineered and commissioned a 7.8MW PV power plant in Israel for EDF Energies Nouvelles.
Located in Mishmar Hanegev, approximately 100 km south of Tel-Aviv, the project was constructed in cooperation with ET Solar's Israeli partners G-Systems and Elmor. ET Solar provided electri ...
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GE's Energy Investing Unit Exceeds Renewable Energy Milestone
Stamford CT (SPX) Apr 29, 2014 -
GE Energy Financial Services has announced it has exceeded $10 billion in renewable energy investment commitments worldwide to become one of the industry's leading investors. The projects generate twice the electricity consumed in Los Angeles annually, avoid greenhouse gases equivalent to the annual car emissions in Massachusetts, and create an estimated 10,000 US jobs.
GE Energy Financial ...
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Iran, Russia seek ways to update Iran's grid
Tehran (UPI) Apr 28, 2013 -
Iranian Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian said his government was hoping to work on modernizing the nation's energy grid with help from Russia.
Chitchian met Sunday in Tehran with Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak to discuss upgrading Iran's power plants and electrical transmission lines.
"Iran and Russia enjoy long-time joint experiences in the power industry and therefore, ...
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Google says driving forward on autonomous car
San Francisco (AFP) April 28, 2014 -
Google said Monday it has made progress on its self-driving car and was "more optimistic" about its goal of developing a vehicle that can operate "without human intervention."
In a blog post, Google said that since its last update in August 2012, "we've logged thousands of miles on the streets of our hometown of Mountain View, California" to refine the software needed for autonomous vehicles ...
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US, EU slap sanctions on Russia as violence surges in Ukraine
Kostyantynivka, Ukraine (AFP) April 28, 2014 -
The United States and Europe Monday hit Russia with fresh sanctions for failing to stop soaring tensions in Ukraine, where a pro-Moscow mayor was shot and badly wounded and rebels seized another town.
As Western powers stepped up the pressure on Moscow over the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War, the White House imposed sanctions on seven Russian officials and 17 firms close to Presid ...
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Taiwan stages largest drill since 2000 in Spratlys: legislator
Taipei (AFP) April 28, 2014 -
Taiwan this month mobilised hundreds of marines for its largest military exercise since 2000 near disputed islands in the South China Sea, a legislator said Monday.
Lin Yu-fang said the landing drill was held on the Taiwan-administered island of Taiping, part of the Spratlys - a chain which is also claimed in whole or in part by China, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei.
Lin, ...
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Raytheon advancing cruise missile capabilities
Tucson (UPI) Apr 28, 2013 -
A new passive seeker for Tomahawk Block IV cruise missiles has been put through a captive flight test by Raytheon, the company said on Monday.
The multi-function processor, developed by Raytheon using its own funding, will enable the missile to navigate to and track moving targets that are emitting radio frequency signals.
"Completion of this test is a significant milestone in Ra ...
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Moscow assures US it will not invade Ukraine: Pentagon
Washington (AFP) April 28, 2014 -
Russia has assured the United States that it will not invade Ukraine, the Defense Department said Monday.
"Secretary of Defense (Chuck) Hagel spoke today by phone with Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu (and) Shoigu reiterated his assurance that Russian forces would not invade Ukraine," spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said in a statement.
Kirby said the two discussed a range of ...
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Northrop Grumman Completes Preliminary Design Review for B-2 Bomber Software Upgrade
Oklahoma City OK (SPX) Apr 29, 2014 -
Northrop Grumman NOC) has successfully completed a major U.S. Air Force review of a new software upgrade for the B-2 stealth bomber.
The upgrade is part of the Air Force's Flexible Strike Phase 1 program. It is the first step in a process that will help increase the jet's mission capabilities and reduce its maintenance costs.
Northrop Grumman is the Air Force's prime contractor for t ...
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