Eco Green News, Technology, DIY Project and Hacks

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is on the cutting edge of alternative energy technology,

“MIT scientists have developed a self-assembling photovoltaic cell in a petri dish. Phospholipids (think cell membranes) form disks which act as the structural support for light responsive molecules. Carbon nanotubes help to align the disks and conduct electricity generated by the system with 40% efficiency. The assembly process is reversible using surfactants to break up the phospholipids. When filters are used to remove the surfactants the system reassembles with no loss of efficiency even over multiple assembly/disassembly cycles. The results were published September 5th in Nature Chemistry.” [MIT]

Now if only someone could manufacturer some solar cell that are affordable.

In a joint press conference, GM and Segway officially announced the P.U.M.A (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility) at prototype two wheeled urban transport vehicle. With a estimated rage of 35 miles on a single charge and capable of a top speed of 35 miles/hr. The PUMA aims at equipping legions of urbunites a cheep efficient way of commuting in crowded city streets (or golf courses).

The two seat vehicle will feature GM Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) technology, which allows two vehicle to communicate and avoid crashes.

[Engadget]

New customers of the Tesla Model-S Sedan take a ride around a parking lot at the SpaceX rocket factory in LA, during the unveiling party for the new Tesla Sedan. Tesla Model-S is the latest offering from the Silicon Valley electric car maker.

Luxim Plasma technology has a bright future. Being 10x more efficient then the standard incandescent bulb, 2x as efficient as LED bulb technology and almost 2x as bright as a standard compact fluorescent bulb, these 140 lumens/watt bulbs could see their way in to our homes in the not to distant future.

The bulb works by using an amplified RF (radio-frequency) signal to ionize plasma gas, creating an superbright 30,000+ lumen glow.

[Luxim]

Tesla Motors today unveiled its latest addition, the Model S sedan, to its line of electric vehicles. The Model S is its first push to make electric vehicles more affordable. The sedan will ship for $50,000 in late 2011.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk explains the Model S’s three level of removable battery packs, which will propel the electric vehicles 300 mi, 150 mi …. depending on the pack installed. Musk also boasted about the battery packs impressive 45 minute charge time.

[Jason Calacanis]

More great research coming out of MIT, scientists have found a way of improving the charging speed of Lithium Ion batteries.

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) report in Nature today that they devised a way for lithium ions in a battery to zip in and out about 100 times faster than previously demonstrated. “We took a basically great material called lithium iron phosphate [LiFePO4] and we tried to improve it further,”

“In an attempt to pick up the pace, the M.I.T. researchers coated the lithium iron phosphate material with an ion conductor, which in this case was a layer of glasslike lithium phosphate. Sure enough, the charge-carrying ions traveled much faster from their storage medium; a prototype battery the scientists built completely charged in about 10 to 20 seconds.” [Scientific American]

Think about it, being able to stop at a charging station with my electric car and have it topped off in under a minute.

Greener Gadgets 2009, a gathering of innovators, entrepreneurs, visionaries, and eco designers hits New York City for its annual design competition.

After the dust cleared and the discussions subsided, it was decided that the twittering Kill-a-watt (Tweet-a-Watt) design my Make Magazine was the winner.

Top 13 projects:

• Wattblocks, submitted by frog Design
• Bware Water Meter, submitted by Ariel Drach
• Fastonauts, submitted by Sara Paculdo
• Indoor Drying Rack, submitted by Rob Podell [3rd Place]
• Tweet-a-Watt, submitted by Limor Fried, Adafruit Industries & Phillip Torrone, MAKE magazine [1st Place]
• Social Environmental Station (Environmental Traffic Light), submitted by Hernando Barragan
• Power-Hog, submitted by Mathieu Zastawny, Mansour Ourasanah, Tom Dooley, Peter Byar, Elysa Soffer, Mathieu Turpault [2nd Place]
• Thermal Torch, submitted by Gunnar Kramp
• Standby Monsters, submitted by Rachel Turner
• RITI Printer, submitted by Jeon Hwan Ju
• Recompute, submitted by Brenden Macaluso
• Blight, submitted by Vincent Gerkens
• Laundry POD, submitted by RKS Design Team [4th Place]

February 24 – NASA’s Taurus XL rocket carrying global warming equipment to monitor carbon monoxide levels, crashed shortly after takeoff. The $280 million rocket crashed into the ocean near Antarctica.

The initial cause of the failure came when the clamshell-like fairing failed to separate causing excess weight effecting the propulsion system.

The satellite was expected to provide real-time CO2 data to help scientists monitor and study changing levels in the atmosphere.

[NASA]

The leading electronics retailer Best Buy has announced that they will be expanding its e-recycling program to all stores. You can now take in your pile of e-wast siting in the corner of your office to your local Best Buy store for recycling. Here are some of the rules:

• No hard drives
• TVs or monitors bigger than 32 inches
• Anything containing Freon
• Anything classified as an Appliance
• TV, monitor, and laptop costs a $10 fee to recycle
• Only taking two items per household, per day

[Best Buy]

The premium sound manufacture Bose has introduced a sleek energy efficient sound system to be included in the majestic Chevy Volt.

Boosting a lighter design and improved efficiency the Bose system will unveil with the Chevy Volt sometime in 2010.