Alternative Energies
Floating Solar Panels: A Viable Solution?

Hydro Power | Photovoltaic Cells | Solar PowerSince 2011, French Company Ciel & Terre has been developing large-scale floating solar solutions. Their innovative Hydrelio Floating PV system allows standard PV panels to be installed on large bodies of water such as: drinking water reservoirs, quarry lakes, irrigation canals, remediation and tailing ponds, and hydro electric dam reservoirs. This simple and affordable alternative […]

France taps QinetiQ in bid to end wind radar deadlock

Aerospace and defence contractor QinetiQ has been tapped by the French government to carry out radar impact assessment work on new wind farm applications, as part of an attempt to “break the deadlock” with national meteorological service Météo-France, whose objections to project siting have frequently resulted in planning refusal.

UAE desert sand can store solar energy up to 1000°c

Researchers have successfully demonstrated that desert sand from the UAE could be used in concentrated solar power (CSP) facilities to store thermal energy up to 1000°C. The research project called ‘Sandstock’ has been seeking to develop a sustainable and low-cost gravity-fed solar receiver and storage system, using sand particles as the heat collector, heat transfer and thermal energy storage media.

Tree Shaped Wind Turbines to be Installed in Paris

Energy Inventions | Wind Power | Wind TurbinesA French company called New Wind is installing tree-shaped wind turbines at the Place de la Concorde in Paris, France. The company’s founder, Jérôme Michaud-Larivière came up with the idea while in a Paris square, when he “saw the leaves tremble when there was not a breath of air.” He hopes the trees can be […]

Oriental Hornet: Expert Solar Power Harvester

Environment and Sustainability | Photovoltaic Cells | Solar PowerDo you know who is the most competent solar power expert, according to a research team from Tel Aviv University? It is the humble common Oriental hornet found in our gardens! Much to the astonishment of the scientists and researchers, the hornet utilizes solar power much like a plant and it produces electricity. Think how […]

Promising new prototype of battery

An alternative technology to Li-ion has been designed for application in specific sectors. The researchers have developed the first battery using sodium ions in the usual “18650” format, an industry standard. The main advantage of the prototype is that it relies on sodium, an element far more abundant and less costly than lithium. The batteries have displayed performance levels comparable to their lithium counterparts, and this new technology is already attracting industrial interest. It could be used to store renewable energies in the future, say researchers.