Better solar panels and printed electronics with new material discovery
Melbourne, Australia (SPX) Jan 19, 2015 -
University of Melbourne researchers say their discovery of the highly sought-after 'nematic liquid crystals' can now lead to vastly improved organic solar cell performance.
Lead author Dr David Jones of the University's School of Chemistry and Bio 21 Institute, said these cells will be easier to manufacture, with the new crystals now able to work in cells that are double in thickness on th ...
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Tycoon Li Ka-Shing losing status as China business 'bellwether': paper
Beijing (AFP) Jan 14, 2015 -
A Chinese newspaper close to the ruling Communist Party on Wednesday said Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-Shing's days as a "bellwether" for China's economy were probably over, downplaying a major corporate reshuffle.
Billionaire Li, 86, last week announced a sweeping re-arrangement of his vast business empire.
Hong Kong developer Cheung Kong Holdings, his flagship firm, will take over its separa ...
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Perovskites provide big boost to silicon solar cells
Stanford CA (SPX) Jan 19, 2015 -
Stacking perovskites onto a conventional silicon solar cell dramatically improves the overall efficiency of the cell, according to a new study led by Stanford University scientists. The researchers describe their novel perovskite-silicon solar cell in this week's edition of the journal Energy and Environmental Science.
"We've been looking for ways to make solar panels that are more efficie ...
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Schneider Electric launches Conext Insight
Burnaby, Canada (SPX) Jan 19, 2015 -
Schneider Electric Solar Business, a global leader in solutions for the solar power conversion chain, is pleased to announce the launch of Conext Insight, a remote monitoring and asset management platform for distributed PV plants.
The Conext Insight web portal gives you detailed insight into the performance of your distributed PV plants from any Internet connected device-anytime, anywhere ...
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China to Start Building Five Nuclear Reactors in 2015
Moscow, Russia (Sputnik) Jan 19, 2015 -
China will launch the construction of at least five new nuclear reactors with a total capacity of more than five gigawatts in 2015, the deputy secretary general of the Chinese Nuclear Society (CNS) said Thursday as reported by Bloomberg.
Shen Lixin told journalists in Beijing that currently China has 22 reactors in operation and 26 under construction. In 2014, China launched the constructi ...
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Peugeot sales power ahead; China now biggest market
Paris (AFP) Jan 14, 2015 -
Peugeot Citroen on Wednesday reported a turnaround in sales in 2014 after three years of decline, spurred by runaway growth in China, now the carmaker's leading market ahead of France.
Europe's second-biggest carmaker sold 734,000 vehicles in China, up 31.9 percent on 2013, taking its share of the Chinese car market to 4.4 percent.
The group's global sales grew at a more stately pace of ...
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Mexico invites new bids for bullet train
Mexico City (AFP) Jan 14, 2015 -
Mexico's government reopened the bidding process for a bullet train project on Wednesday, two months after a Chinese-led consortium's winning tender was controversially canceled.
The transport ministry published the preliminary terms to enter the contest to build Mexico's first high-speed railway, linking Mexico City to the central manufacturing hub of Queretaro.
China Railway Constructi ...
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EDF says can extend life of French nuclear reactors by 20 years
Paris (AFP) Jan 14, 2015 -
EDF's new chief executive said Wednesday that he is confident that it will obtain approval to extend the service life of its reactors in France by up to 20 years.
The comments by Jean-Bernard Levy came a day after Energy and Environment Minister Segolene Royal endorsed building new reactors to replace ageing plants in the first signal that the Socialist government will keep nuclear a major c ...
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British fracking takes early steps
Preston, England (UPI) Jan 16, 2015 -
British shale pioneer Cuadrilla Resources was granted the environmental permits necessary to carry out at shale work in Lancashire, the government said Friday.
"After completing a rigorous assessment of Cuadrilla's application and the public consultation responses, we are confident the permits issued will ensure people and the environment are protected," Steve Molyneux, environment mana ...
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ADB backs India's solar power ambitions
Manila (UPI) Jan 19, 2015 -
The Asian Development Bank said Wednesday it was extending loans of up to $100 million to help India develop a solar power sector.
The bank said it would extend the loan to solar power developer ACME group, which is working with French renewable energy leaders to develop more than 350 megawatts of low-carbon energy options.
"Solar and other renewable power sources are essential f ...
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The sound of chirping birds in the control center
Bielefeld, Germany (SPX) Jan 19, 2015 -
When the alarm light starts blinking in the control room of a factory, the problem has already occurred. Computer scientists at the Cluster of Excellence Cognitive Interactive Technology (CITEC) at Bielefeld University and the University of Vienna have developed a method that allows control room staff to monitor several processes at the same time, which enables them to take preventative action. ...
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Integrating with multiferroic materials and devices silicon chips
Raleigh NC (SPX) Jan 19, 2015 -
A research team led by North Carolina State University has made two advances in multiferroic materials, including the ability to integrate them on a silicon chip, which will allow the development of new electronic memory devices. The researchers have already created prototypes of the devices and are in the process of testing them.
Multiferroic materials have both ferroelectric and ferromag ...
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Crush those clinkers while they're hot
Houston TX (SPX) Jan 19, 2015 -
Making cement is a centuries-old art that has yet to be perfected, according to researchers at Rice University who believe it can be still more efficient.
Former Rice graduate student Lu Chen and materials scientist Rouzbeh Shahsavari calculated that fine-tuning the process by which round lumps of calcium silicate called clinkers are turned into cement can save a lot of energy. Their new f ...
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Bulgaria: We're here to serve EU energy
Washington (UPI) Jan 16, 2015 -
Bulgaria can serve as an important energy bridge for members of the European Union, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov said.
Bulgaria's decision in August to back away from the South Stream natural gas pipeline, envisioned by Russian energy company Gazprom, led in part to a derailment of the project. This week, the country's prime minister told European leaders Bulgaria could becom ...
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