Solar Powered Device Sterilises Medical Instruments

A French inventor’s design for a device using solar energy to provide heat for cooking in developing nations has been modified by a team of engineering students at America’s Rice University into a potentially lifesaving machine that can sterilise medical instruments. 

Energy Matters Video News – Episode 31 – May 5, 2011

Virginia covers New South Wales’ Solar Bonus Scheme being put on hold, Harry Reid’s vision for a renewable energy future, distributed vs. centralised solar power based electricity generation and NASA’s solar satellite returning to Earth.

Small Scale Solar Thermoelectric Device Prototype Developed

A collaborative research team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Boston College have developed a small-scale thermoelectric solar device that uses flat-panel technology – much like conventional silicon photovoltaic solar panels.

3D Solar Cell Boosts Efficiency By 80 Percent

Scientists at the USA’s Dept. of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have created a three-dimensional solar cell which could boost photovoltaic (PV) light-to-energy conversion rates by 80 percent.

Major Battery Project For Texas Wind Farm

Efficiently storing electricity produced by renewable energy sources is rapidly becoming a reality. Duke Energy has announced further details of a major renewable energy electricity storage project for its Notrees Windpower Project in west Texas.