The Economist reports that a continent-wide DC power network to transmit wind power could be built in Europe. Power could even be stored hydrodynamically by pumping water into reservoirs during times of low power use.
Technology
Greenbox for Green Driving
Three fishing men from Northern Wales have invented a device that removes upwards of 95% of greenhouse gas emissions from an automobile. It’s called the Greenbox and it replaces the muffler of the car and is designed to be removable so new filters can be swapped in. The reason that the Greenbox needs to be swapped is because the gasses that it traps can be used to encourage algae growth – to make biofuel.
Can this invention get any better?
We’ve managed to develop a way to successfully capture a majority of the emissions from the dirtiest motor we could find,” Palmer, who has consulted for organizations including the World Health Organisation and GlaxoSmithKline, told Reuters
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
No this is not a post about that Daft Punk song, this is about car batteries. Wired is reporting that the next generation of car batteries that are currently in development are going to be better, work harder, allow for faster cars, and hold a stronger cars. Essentially car battery technology is improving thus opening up more possibilities for electric cars.
Firefly has replaced the lead plates found inside conventional batteries with a lead-impregnated foam made from carbon graphite –- one of the few materials that can withstand the highly corrosive sulfuric acid inside batteries. The foam increases the surface area of lead inside the battery, delivering more power and slashing the recharge time, says Firefly CEO Ed Williams.
Equally important, Firefly’s approach eliminates the crystals that can build up inside lead-acid batteries. Over time, those crystals reduce the amount of electricity a battery can hold, one of the major reasons electric and hybrid automakers have favored lithium-ion or nickel batteries, even though lead acid is less expensive.
Greener Apple, Nokia Greenest
Greenpeace has released their fourth Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics. Apple has been working kinda hard to improve their previously dismal rating, whereas Nokia continues to hover in the top two places. You can see how all the companies rank.
The electronics ranking guide has been our answer to getting the electronics industry to face up to the problem of e-waste. We want manufacturers to take responsibility for the unprotected child labourers who scavenge the mountains of cast-off gadgets created by our gizmo-loving ways.
We’ve been happily surprised at how quickly many corporations have risen to the competitive challenge. It’s especially rewarding to see more than a few CEOs openly vying for the top green spot, and challenging their competitors to adopt industry-wide policies to reduce the problem of e-waste.
I need to get a new cellphone this week because my Motorola (ranked 6th) died, thanks to Greenpeace I know I should get a Nokia.
Ayiti: The Cost of Life
Yesterday’s post of a controversial videogame didn’t go over so well. It’s good to see that readers will speak up if they question the goodness of an item!
Anyway, today I thought I’d show a different game that is actually educational. It’s the most challenging game I’ve ever played – I can’t win at it all 🙁 Ayiti: The Cost of Life is the game and it’s a creative way to show how hard life can be for some people, it’s a really good educational tool.
What is it like to live in poverty, struggling every day to stay healthy, keep out of debt, and get educated?
Find out now in this challenging role playing game created by the High School students in Global Kids with the game developers at Gamelab, in which you take responsibility for a family of five in rural Haiti.