Martian rock arrangement not alien handiwork
At first, figuring out how pebble-sized rocks organize themselves in evenly-spaced patterns in sand seemed simple and even intuitive. But once Andrew Leier, an assistant geoscience professor at the U of C, started observing, he discovered that the most commonly held notions did not apply. view more (2009-01-08)
Electricity grid could become a type of Internet
In the future everyone who is connected to the electricity grid will be able to upload and download packages of electricity to and from this network. At least, that is one of the transformations the electricity grid could undergo. view more (2007-10-25)
Flower power
A plastic "energy flower'' that collects solar and wind energy that can then be used to power appliances in the home for free has won a Northumbria University student a top award. Paul Richardson, a third year design student, won a £1,750 Design International Attachment Award from the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts,... view more... (2002-05-24)
The future of solar-powered houses is clear
People could live in glass houses and look at the world through rose-tinted windows while reducing their carbon emissions by 50% thanks to QUT Institute of Sustainable Resources (ISR) research. view more (2008-04-10)
Drought Solution Could Be Blowing In The Wind
Generating rainfall for deserts using wind power and seawater is the subject of a new research project. The idea involves the installation at sea of specially designed wind turbines. The turning motion of the rotors would be harnessed to pump seawater along the turbines' hollow blades. The water would then be forced out through slits as a fine... view more... (2002-11-04)
A change in the wind
Climate model simulations for the 21st century indicate a robust increase in wind shear in the tropical Atlantic due to global warming, which may inhibit hurricane development and intensification. view more (2007-04-18)
Optimising the control of wind generators by means of intelligent microsensors
The School of Engineering at Bayonne (ESTIA) is working on a research project on control optimisation for the latest-generation wind generators using intelligent microsensors. view more (2006-04-25)
A New Russian Meteorite?
On Thursday 3 October, residents of the village of Bodaibo in the Irkutsk region of Siberia witnessed the fall of a large glowing object from space. Witnesses saw a large fireball in the sky, followed by a thunder-like sound, a flash of light, and a small earth tremor. Scientists from the Institute of Solar and Earth Physics of the Russian Academy... view more... (2002-10-04)
Voyager data may reveal trajectory of solar system
Nearly 30 years after launch, the two Voyager spacecraft are still operational and returning useful data. In their early years they produced some of the first close up images of the large outer planets. view more (2006-05-31)
Scientists accurately simulate appearance of sun's corona during eclipse
The most true-to-life computer simulation ever made of our sun's multimillion-degree outer atmosphere, the corona, successfully predicted its actual appearance during the March 29, 2006, solar eclipse, scientists have announced. view more (2006-06-27)
Star on a Hubble diet
How heavy can a star be? This conundrum has haunted astronomers for decades. Theory indicates that there should be an upper stellar mass limit somewhere between 120 and 300 solar masses. Even though heavy stars are very bright, measurements of their masses can be complicated. view more (2006-12-12)
NASA's Swift Looks to Comets for a Cool View
NASA's Swift Gamma-ray Explorer satellite rocketed into space in 2004 on a mission to study some of the highest-energy events in the universe. view more (2008-12-04)
Industrial collaboration on Uppsala solar cells
In five years' time, the first factory-made solar cell panels developed in Uppsala will be on the market. This can become a reality thanks to a new agreement between three major companies, two investment funds, and a spin-off company from the Uppsala University Ã"¦ngström Solar Center. Swedish solar cell technology has long been on the... view more... (2003-06-27)
NIST evaluates firefighting tactics in NYC high-rise test
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) fire protection engineers turned an abandoned New York City (NYC) brick high-rise into a seven-story fire laboratory last month to better understand the fast-moving spread of wind-driven flames, smoke and toxic gases through corridors and stairways of burning buildings. view more (2008-03-19)
Solar Cycle Driven by More than Sunspots; Sun Also Bombards Earth with High-Speed Streams of Wind
Challenging conventional wisdom, new research finds that the number of sunspots provides an incomplete measure of changes in the Sun's impact on Earth over the course of the 11-year solar cycle. view more (2009-09-18)
Swells Neutralised During Offshore Maintenance
In future, the maintenance of, for example, wind turbines at sea, will be made easier and safer by a Delft invention, the 'Ampelmann', which compensated for swells at sea. Tests with scale models have shown that by mounting the working platform of maintenance ships on an Ampelmann, the platform will remain still and work can take place more... view more... (2005-02-16)
University of Alberta and NINT researchers make solar energy breakthrough
The University of Alberta and the National Research Council's National Institute (NINT) for Nanotechnology have engineered an approach that is leading to improved performance of plastic solar cells (hybrid organic solar cells). view more (2009-02-26)
Keeping an eye on fatigue in wind turbines
Wind farms are springing up everywhere like mushrooms. Business in this alternative sector of the energy industry is booming, thanks in part to federal and former state subsidies. The total output of the wind turbines installed in Germany today is theoretically enough to supply the whole capital of Berlin with electricity. But the durability of... view more... (2003-09-18)
Space shows way to Europe's renewable energy future
How can we more effectively harness the free and endless energy resources of the Sun, wind and water? One answer is orbiting above us. Satellites provide us with a wide variety of data that can help with many aspects of the building and management of renewable energy plants. ESA recently held a workshop at its Frascati-based centre in Italy,... view more... (2003-07-31)
Clues To Supernova Origin Found In Dusty Stellar Wind
Scientists from Imperial College London have detected a dusty wind emitted by a star that, at the end of its life, turned into a white dwarf and then exploded as a supernova. This is the first time that a wind from this type of supernova precursor has been observed and it is also the first time that associated dust has been detected. The... view more... (2005-03-30)
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