New Prototype Home That’s Heated & Cooled Entirely By Fermenting Straw

A new prototype home that is heated and cooled entirely through the action of fermenting straw has been created by researchers at Japan’s Waseda University. It might sound like a strange idea — or perhaps even unbelievable — but the concept has actually been around for a couple of decades now, and has been utilized

New Prototype Home That’s Heated & Cooled Entirely By Fermenting Straw was originally published on CleanTechnica.

To read more from CleanTechnica, join over 50,000 other subscribers: Google+ | Email | Facebook | RSS | Twitter.

MAGNETIDE Project — Purpose Designed Generator For Wave Energy Technologies



The EU’s MAGNETIDE project continues to move forward — 14 months into the projected 24-month development program, the gains are becoming apparent.

The project — which is intended to result in the development of a purpose-designed generator for wave energy extraction — has managed to reduce the cost of the system while increasing the efficiency by up to 30%. These improvements were achieved via the modification of the generator’s design, so that components manufactured using PIM, Powder Injection Moulding, could be installed.

Researchers have modified the generator's design so that components manufactured using PIM, Powder Injection Moulding, could be installed. Image Credit: Universidad Carlos III de Madrid - Oficina de Información Científica

Researchers have modified the generator’s design so that components manufactured using PIM, Powder Injection Moulding, could be installed.
Image Credit: Universidad Carlos III de Madrid – Oficina de Información Científica

“These generators use magnetic components that we are producing using PIM technology, which turns out to be more versatile when it comes to modifying the compositions and makes it possible to get the parts for a lower price,” states professor José Manuel Torralba, the researcher who is coordinating UC3M’s participation in the project.

This powder injection moulding has shown itself to be an available alternative to more-conventional approaches in the (relatively) fast manufacture of complex parts — as a paper the researchers recently published in the International Journal of Microstructure and Materials Properties has shown.

The press release from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid – Oficina de Información Científica provides more:

Powder Injection Moulding is an advanced powder metallurgy technology that combines the advantages of plastic injection moulding and powder technology. It is similar to making bread in an oven but, rather than flour, it uses alloys of metallic powders that “bake” in moulds and produce milimetrically exact parts. In this case, the scientists are studying the best combination of metallic powders with a magnetic character (iron, silicon, cobalt, nickel…) in order to later inject them into a polymer plastic mould that will allow them to create complex parts that are difficult and expensive to produce mechanically.

“The great advantage of this technology is that once you design the material, by modifying the mould, it is easy to manufacture millions of pieces that are exactly the same, in a manner that is simple, fast and quite inexpensive,” Torralba explains.

The MAGNETIDE project is expected to wrap up next year, when the researchers are expected to have created the first prototypes of the new generators made with this technology. These generators — also potentially useful for other energy sources, such as wind — will then be tested in real-world conditions, in locations where there are strong tidal currents.

MAGNETIDE Project — Purpose Designed Generator For Wave Energy Technologies was originally published on CleanTechnica. To read more from CleanTechnica, join over 50,000 other subscribers: Google+ | Email | Facebook | RSS | Twitter.

Nissan LEAF Recall — 2013, 2014 Models Recalled For Airbag Sensor Software Issue

The 2013 and 2014 models of Nissan’s highly popular electric vehicle, the LEAF, are being recalled by the auto giant in order to address an issue with the airbag sensor software. While a large number of LEAFs — approximately 29,165 — are affected by the recall, that number is just a tiny fraction of the

Nissan LEAF Recall — 2013, 2014 Models Recalled For Airbag Sensor Software Issue was originally published on CleanTechnica.

To read more from CleanTechnica, join over 50,000 other subscribers: Google+ | Email | Facebook | RSS | Twitter.

Closure Of Coal-Burning Power Plant In Tongliang, China Led To Great Improvements In Children’s Health, Research Shows

Childhood developmental scores and levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) — a key protein for brain development — are significantly higher with decreased levels of exposure to air pollution in utero, according to a new study that examined the after-effects of the closure of a coal-burning power plant in Tongliang, China. The study — performed

Closure Of Coal-Burning Power Plant In Tongliang, China Led To Great Improvements In Children’s Health, Research Shows was originally published on CleanTechnica.

To read more from CleanTechnica, join over 50,000 other subscribers: Google+ | Email | Facebook | RSS | Twitter.

The Soradofarm Project — Tend Your Own Garden At The Station While Waiting On The Train



If you tend to become bored out of your mind and feel like you’re wasting your time when standing around waiting at your train station/bus stop, well, it looks like there may finally be a good solution to that quandary — a means of doing something perhaps a bit more useful than playing candy crush on your phone or thinking about work.

Enter, the Soradofarm project — a new venture that allows you to rent your own small-garden allotment on the rooftop of your train station (if you’re in Japan anyways). You’re provided with everything that you need — garden space, water, tools, and even seeds. Seems like a perfect fit when you consider the situation that many urban Japanese are in — limited space for gardening, lots of time spent commuting, etc.

Image Credit: © Soradofarm

Image Credit: © Soradofarm

The intriguing new project is the result of a collaboration between the East Japan Railway Company and a station entertainment company. As it stands currently, the project is offering garden space at five locations, including Tokyo’s massive JR Ebisu station.

TreeHugger provides further information:

The price isn’t cheap, as some of the plots cost 100,440 JPY per year (~$960 USD), but considering that it may be the best option for many of the people who are interested in it, due to space issues, these urban rooftop garden allotments could be a viable way to get some green in their busy lives.

Aside from the possibility of growing even a tiny amount of fresh food for themselves, these innovative urban gardens may be an effective solution for decreasing stress and increasing the amount of time spent out in the fresh air and sunshine, especially in areas where outdoor space is at a premium, and having a place to call your own is hard to come by.

While the project is currently limited to five locations (as stated previously), there are plans in place to install considerably more of these garden allotments throughout the transportation network in the country within the near future.

The Soradofarm Project — Tend Your Own Garden At The Station While Waiting On The Train was originally published on CleanTechnica. To read more from CleanTechnica, join over 50,000 other subscribers: Google+ | Email | Facebook | RSS | Twitter.

Coercivity Of Material Altered By Patterning Surface — Improved Energy Efficiency In High-Frequency Electronics Likely As Result

The coercivity of nickel ferrite (NFO) thin films can be reduced by as much as 80% via the patterning of the surface of the material, according to new research from North Carolina State University. This finding “opens the door” to greater energy efficiency in high-frequency electronics — such as sensors, antennas, microwave-utilizing devices, etc. “This

Coercivity Of Material Altered By Patterning Surface — Improved Energy Efficiency In High-Frequency Electronics Likely As Result was originally published on CleanTechnica.

To read more from CleanTechnica, join over 50,000 other subscribers: Google+ | Email | Facebook | RSS | Twitter.

New Way To Filter Light — First Directional Selectivity For Light Waves Achieved By Researchers

An entirely new way to filter light, one that has long been sought but until now remained elusive, has been achieved by researchers at MIT. For the first time, it’s become possible to selectively filter light according to its direction of propagation — in other words, to filter it based on where it’s coming from.

New Way To Filter Light — First Directional Selectivity For Light Waves Achieved By Researchers was originally published on CleanTechnica.

To read more from CleanTechnica, join over 50,000 other subscribers: Google+ | Email | Facebook | RSS | Twitter.

San Francisco’s Castro District Getting Rainbow Crosswalks



San Francisco’s Castro district will soon be home to an intersection with rainbow-colored crosswalks. The design for the historically gay neighborhood’s crosswalks was chosen by vote from amongst a number of other options — with the plan being to complete it in time for the Gay Pride march in June.

The move is part of a larger renewal initiative, one which includes: increasing the width of sidewalks, installing bike racks, improving outdoor lighting, repaving roads, and planting trees. A “Rainbow Honor Walk” will also be installed, featuring inlaid plaques with the names of LGBT civil rights activists.

Image Credit: Sean Neild via Flickr CCImage Credit: Sean Neild via Flickr CC

All of this beautification is of course intended to improve the presentation and walkability of the district (as well as bike-ability) — something which should lead to lower levels of automobile use, and improved public health.

Speaking from personal experience, I have to say that the main thing that determines how much I walk is how nice the area and walking experience is — things that this renewal initiative are addressing. :)

Something else to note about rainbow crosswalks (which are also installed in West Hollywood in LA) — many people have reported that they offer improved pedestrian visibility as compared to conventional crosswalks, perhaps helping to reduce car accidents? Hard to say, but something to keep in mind.

Do any of our readers have experience with these? What do you think?

The rainbow crosswalks will be installed at the intersection of 18th and Castro, for a cost of $37,400. So if you’re interested in seeing the crosswalks in person after they are installed, this is where they’ll be. Enjoy. :)

Source: Grist

San Francisco’s Castro District Getting Rainbow Crosswalks was originally published on CleanTechnica. To read more from CleanTechnica, join over 50,000 other subscribers: Google+ | Email | Facebook | RSS | Twitter.

Silicon Solar Photovoltaic Cell That Can Turn Infrared Radiation Into Electricity Created



A new silicon solar photovoltaic cell capable of turning infrared radiation into electricity has been developed by a team headed by researchers at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).

While solar cells capable of taking advantage of the infrared portion of the solar spectrum are nothing new, a silicon solar cell that can effectively do so is.

The new silicon cell capable of absorbing the infrared radiation. Image Credit: Asociación RUVID

The new silicon cell capable of absorbing the infrared radiation.
Image Credit: Asociación RUVID

Here’s the abstract from the new paper:

Silicon is the material of choice for visible light photodetection and solar cell fabrication. However, due to the intrinsic band gap properties of silicon, most infrared photons are energetically useless. Here, we show the first example of a photodiode developed on a micrometre scale sphere made of polycrystalline silicon whose photocurrent shows the Mie modes of a classical spherical resonator. The long dwell time of resonating photons enhances the photocurrent response, extending it into the infrared region well beyond the absorption edge of bulk silicon.

It opens the door for developing solar cells and photodetectors that may harvest infrared light more efficiently than silicon photovoltaic devices that are so far developed.


Lead researcher, professor Francisco Meseguer, explains thusly: “After three years of work, our research team has developed a new concept of silicon solar cells able to absorb infrared radiation from the sun and turning them into electricity.”

Researcher Moisés Garín, from the CSIC and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, adds to that: “What we have done is create photovoltaic cells on silicon micrometer-scale sphere, where infrared light is trapped until it is absorbed turning it into electricity.”

As you can probably tell from the quotes, English isn’t the first language of the researchers. :) But if you like to have some visuals accompany verbal explanation (or are fortunate enough to speak Spanish), then you may still enjoy the video posted below explaining the work.

The new research was published in the journal Nature Communications.

Keep up to date with all of the latest news on solar energy here on CleanTechnica. Subscribe to our free solar energy newsletter or overall cleantech newsletter to never miss a story.

Silicon Solar Photovoltaic Cell That Can Turn Infrared Radiation Into Electricity Created was originally published on CleanTechnica. To read more from CleanTechnica, join over 50,000 other subscribers: Google+ | Email | Facebook | RSS | Twitter.

Qinous — New Plug-&-Play Energy Storage System From Berlin-Based Startup

A new ‘plug-and-play’ approach to energy storage systems was recently unveiled by the Berlin-based startup Qinous at the Energy Storage Conference in Düsseldorf. This new storage system is portable, compact, easy to install, and, perhaps more importantly, can be easily integrated into existing energy systems — with limited effort or costs. The system was designed,

Qinous — New Plug-&-Play Energy Storage System From Berlin-Based Startup was originally published on CleanTechnica.

To read more from CleanTechnica, join over 50,000 other subscribers: Google+ | Email | Facebook | RSS | Twitter.