Sol Chip’s Everlasting Solar Battery is a World First
Israeli’s Sol-Chip has developed an everlasting solar battery that can power mobile and remote devices continuously using energy from the sun.
Green Tech and Gadgets
Zayed Prize-Winning School Inches Closer to Zero Carbon
The school was the first in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates to scoop the prestigious $100,000 Zayed Future Energy Prize in the Global High School category and they have already put the money to good use. The Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Bangladesh Islamia School installed an 11.52 KW rooftop solar array.
Powdered Water Hydrates Drought-Stricken Farms
Mexican farmers have been fighting drought with Solid Rain for more than a decade, but the powdered water designed by chemical engineer Sergio Jésus Rico Velasco only hit the American market last year. A highly absorbent substance with a potassium base, Solid Rain stores one liter of water in just 10 grams!
SunOven Provides Off-Grid Cooking in 40 Developing Countries
Westerners take access to electricity for granted, but a ridiculous portion of the global population has to scramble for twigs and other unsustainable fuel sources to cook their food. SunOven is an off-grid solution to that problem, and the distributors have set up an NGO to help 40 developing countries gain access to them.
Tiny “Water Chip” Desalinates Water With the Power of a Store-Bought Battery
Water scarcity is probably the most pressing environmental concern in the Middle East region and current desalination technologies are too costly and energy-intensive to rely on as a sustainable solution. But a new nano “water chip” that uses the power of a store-bought battery holds promise.
3-D Printed Plastic Gun Breaches Israeli Parliament Building Undetected!
Israel’s security is renowned for being particularly tight, but officials failed to detect a 3-D printed gun when a local TV show snuck it into the Knesset – the country’s parliament building in Jerusalem. Twice.
Negev Energy Wins Bid for Israel’s Largest Concentrating Solar Power Plant
Spain’s super solar giant Abengoa has teamed up with Israel’s Shikun & Binui Renewable Energy (SKBN) to build a concentrating solar power plant in the Negev desert. When the company announced their win of the BOT tender of the Ashalim plant, they also claimed it will be the largest of its kind in the country.
DESERTEC Leaves its Industrial Partner Dii
More setbacks for Middle East solar or the only way a big dream can move ahead? DESERTEC has canceled its commercial partnership to build a solar super-grid with Dii GmbH, according to a press release issued by DESERTEC.
World’s First ‘Tablet Cafe’ Circumvents Chronic Power Cuts
The world’s first tablet cafe has opened in Dakar and already Google’s latest experiment is turning out to be a major game changer. Bordered by Mauritania and Mali in West Africa, Senegal battles with frequent power outages and sluggish internet connections that cut into any cyber cafe’s bottom line, but tablets circumvent both problems.
Israel’s Blue I to Detect Floating Dead Pigs in China’s Water
Pollution of fresh water supplies in large Asian countries is becoming more and more serious due to increasing populations and rapid industrialization. This is especially true in countries like India, where it’s largest river system, the Ganges, is one of the world’s most polluted. China, the world’s most populated in now in serious “water” trouble. […]
16-year-old Turkish Teen Makes Bioplastic from Banana Peels
Meet Elif Bilgin, the latest in a string of wunderkids from the Middle East and North Africa, who invented a bioplastic made from banana peels.
$10 Recycled Cardboard Bike Indiegogo Campaign Raises Nearly $20,000 in Two Days
When news of a $10 bicycle made of recycled cardboard first reached our desk, we didn’t think it would ever see the light of day, but in two days, Cardboard Technologies has already raised a whopping $16,070 on its Indiegogo campaign to mass produce what Popular Science Magazine called one of the best inventions of 2013.
Turkey: Whopping 9GW of Solar Projects Submitted in Five Days
While political unrest continues to simmer in Turkey, elsewhere business continues apace. The country recently invited expressions of interest to participate in a Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) clean energy pricing scheme for solar energy generation projects larger than 1MW. Within a mere five days, 500 applications poured in.
Masdar Launches the Seychelles’ First Renewable Energy Plant
The Middle East’s leading clean energy developer, Masdar has launched the very first renewable energy plant to be built in The Seychelles – the 6MW Port Victoria Wind Farm.
Dubai Imports NASA-Developed In’Flector Solar Deflectors for Greener Glass Buildings
Tall glass buildings have come to dominate the Dubai and Abu Dhabi skylines, which makes absolutely zero sense given that summer temperatures consistently burst their seams in the region. But now the UAE has imported NASA-developed transparent panels that deflect heat back into the atmosphere.
Alexandria Enters PV Solar Project with a Catholic School in Egypt
Once the most powerful seat of learning in Egypt, Alexandria has some catching up to do when it comes to renewable energy. Which may be why the governor has entered into an agreement with a Catholic technical institute to bolster photovoltaic education and installations.
Masdar Buys Inkjet Printer for 3D Printing Solar Cells!
The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) in Abu Dhabi, which is affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has purchased a Fujifilm Dimatix DMP283 inkjet printer – the learning institute’s first step towards printing its very own solar cells!
Qatar’s First Saltwater Barley Crop Sprouts in the Desert
Water scarcity combined with desertification makes for a scary combination in the Middle East, but The Sahara Forest Project (SFP) is pioneering a promising solution: greenhouses that use saltwater to grow food in the middle of the desert.
Can Captain Sunshine Save Better Place?
Better Place’s sudden bankruptcy announcement only a week ago left more than 900 electric car owners in Israel uncertain about the future of the cars they bought. But Captain Sunshine, a solar energy pioneer in Israel says he might be able to help save Better Place.
Another Sustainable Development Report from Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi has been a leader in harnessing the power of the sun, clean technology and alternative sources of energy in the past few years. A new report form the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) has shown that efforts are progressing quite positively for the Arab Gulf country.
MENA Will Need 120 Gigawatts of Energy by 2017, Masdar Expert Warns
The Middle East and North Africa region is going to need 120 gigawatts of energy by 2017, according to a leading figure at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) and board member of the Emirates Solar Industry Association (ESIA).
Following Oman Success, GlassPoint Wants to be the IKEA of Solar
New life for old oil fields? Last year Oman inaugurated a 7MW solar pilot plant that produces steam to loosen thick, stubborn oil. Petroleum Development Oman has since hailed the four acre complex of glass houses a scorching success, and the supplier GlassPoint is preparing to become the “Ikea of solar,” Forbes reports.
Gulf Inventor Creates “Alma” – a 20 Square Mile Saltwater and Dew Collector
Abdullah al-Shehi from the United Arab Emirates has shown his worth in environmental technology by patenting his sea-borne water collector that he hopes will help deliver clean water to desert regions across the Middle East and the world.
Kuwait Prepares for the End of Oil
While the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have been outspoken about their shift to renewable energy to shore up for when oil supplies start to wane, Kuwait has largely remained in the shadows. Kuwait has the best solar irradiation along the Arabian Peninsula, which means they are well poised to bring solar energy on […]
Turkey’s Largest Wind Plant to Power 170,000 Homes
Turkey’s largest wind power plant has broken ground and is expected to generate enough clean energy to electrify up to 170,000 homes.