Affordable Renewal Energy

Author Archives for ENN: Sci/Tech

ASUS Introduces Bamboo-Cased Computers


Bamboo is an ideal material to fashion into gadgets — it’s tough but lightweight, and it wears well, acquiring a patina to complement any knocks and scratches.

US$4.6 million bonus to broaden global health network


A Mexican institute and a Chinese university are among those receiving funding as part of the expanded Framework Programs for Global Health initiative of the Fogarty International Center, part of the US National Institutes of Health.

The 2009 Jetta TDI: A Clean Diesel Car


The new 2009 Jetta TDI is an efficient vehicle— this quiet-running, diesel-powered car has a cleaner tailpipe than most cars on the road.

70 Years of “Miracle Fiber”


This October marks the month 70 years ago when the U.S. chemical giant DuPont announced “one of the most significant developments in the history of industrial research”: nylon. It was, they said, as strong as steel and fine as a cobweb.

Plant Tweak Could Let Toxic Soil Feed Millions


Thanks to a genetic breakthrough, a large portion of Earth’s now-inhospitable soil could be used to grow crops — potentially alleviating one of the most pressing problems facing the planet’s rapidly growing population.

Scientists Develop Solar Cells With a Twist


CHICAGO – US researchers have found a way to make efficient silicon-based solar cells that are flexible enough to be rolled around a pencil and transparent enough to be used to tint windows on buildings or cars.

Netgear Introduces Green Routers


Netgear didn’t get much of a mention in our recent post “The Greenest Routers of 2008“. But now the company has released two green routers — the NetgearWNR2000 router, and its DSL modem-equipped DGN2000. Both these routers comes with EnergyStar-rated power supplies, and they come in new packages made with 80 percent recycled content.

Electric cars to dominate green car race


SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – It will be years before demand for hybrid cars in the United States and Europe is big enough for battery manufacturers to make money from that business, but electric cars are nevertheless poised to dominate the market for greener vehicles, the world’s largest car battery maker said on Tuesday.

Johnson Controls Inc’s hybrid battery business will be profitable “within five years,” according to its president, Alex Molinaroli. He added that demand for fuel-sipping hybrid cars, while strong, must get much bigger before the company’s investment in the technology will pay off.

Kenya elephants text rangers


Elephants in Kenya are sending text messages to warn wildlife rangers that they are heading for the crops of neighbouring villages.

Exotic climate study sees refugees in Antarctica


Refugees are moving to Antarctica by 2030, the Olympics are held only in cyberspace and central Australia has been abandoned as too dry, according to exotic scenarios for climate change on Monday.

British-based Forum for the Future, a charitable think-tank, and researchers from Hewlett-Packard Labs, said they wanted to stir debate about how to avert the worst effects of global warming by presenting a radical set of possible futures.