tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84521495037046823482011-11-27T16:03:20.500-08:00Energy NewsCurrent Events in the world of energy policyW Thomas Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04968909177096689200noreply@blogger.comBlogger51100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452149503704682348.post-86284317012608217602008-03-09T10:59:00.001-07:002008-03-09T10:59:49.814-07:00Quantum Dots May Lead to Rainbow Solar CellQuantum Dots May Lead to Rainbow Solar Cell from PhysOrg.com For the first time, researchers have created solar cells made of different-sized quantum dots, each tuned to a specific wavelength of light. By arranging these quantum dots in an ordered pattern, the scientists hope that they can one day fabricate “rainbow” solar cells, which can efficiently harvest a large part of the useful spectrum W Thomas Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04968909177096689200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452149503704682348.post-32756718741037838292008-03-06T07:22:00.000-08:002008-03-06T07:25:08.505-08:00Daylight Savings Time an Energy WasterWell, the folks at Congress had their heart in the right place by moving and extending Daylight Savings Time earlier into the spring - but it appears from a recent study that DST actually has a net NEGATIVE effective on energy usage. The culprit - air conditioning.W Thomas Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04968909177096689200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452149503704682348.post-31111147560586796722008-01-08T05:10:00.001-08:002008-01-08T05:10:55.356-08:00Hydrogen Fuel Production Takes Leap ForwardResearchers at Penn State University have developed a method using bacteria and common materials to generate hydrogen at previously unachievable levels according to a press release from the National Science Foundation. This work could pave the way for an efficient and net-energy-positive means of producing hydrogen as a fuel source."We achieved the highest hydrogen yields ever obtained with this W Thomas Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04968909177096689200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452149503704682348.post-56312353458249404352007-12-18T05:30:00.000-08:002007-12-18T05:31:54.684-08:00Concentrated Solar Initiative FundedThe Department of Energy has released details for funding a two year effort to boost the viability of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP). The goal of the initiative is to make the technology cost-competitive with existing electrical generation methods, with the goal of bringing the cost of generating electricity using CSP down to 10 cents per kilowatt hour power. Concentrated Solar Power uses an W Thomas Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04968909177096689200noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8452149503704682348.post-37091573643942860522007-12-16T04:49:00.000-08:002007-12-16T04:51:24.918-08:00Stanford Study Shows Interconnected Wind Farms ReliableA study by two Stanford University scientists published in the November issue of the Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climate shows that wind power can be made a reliable resource for supplying a portion of the electrical needs of the United States, and not necessarily succumb to the vagaries of the winds that power the turbines. The key lies in interconnecting the wind farms. Cristina W Thomas Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04968909177096689200noreply@blogger.com0