It can get windy over there in Egypt. Now, Egypt plans on making renewable energy 20% of its national energy goals. The Egyptian government has announced plans to generate 1,000 megawatts of wind power this year. Speaking at the energy forum for the Middle East and North Africa 2010, Egypt’s Electricity Minister Hassan Younis said […]
Today, laptop users are normally tethered to an electrical outlet as batteries only last a few hours. Dr. Amos Sharoni hopes to change the efficiency of processors so they last longer. He works at Bar Ilan Univeristy, a school that’s established a name for itself in battery technology (meet Doron Auerbach), and the University’s young […]
Driving to Venice from Trieste? Your car will power the electronic signs along the highway. (Image courtesy Lee Coursey via flickr) Israel-based Innowattech, which develops technology to convert mechanical energy from vehicular or rail traffic into electricity, has landed its first commercial contract: Italian infrastructure and civil engineering contractor Impregilo SpA has selected Innowattech as […]
What will Israel do if the Nile Delta becomes submerged from climate change? Brainstorming at the Climate Change Mitigation Policy Workshop today at Ben-Gurion University. (Image courtesy of Ophir Shoham) In his opening remarks at the Climate Change Mitigation Policy Workshop at Ben-Gurion University today, Prof. Alon Tal, one of Israel’s most revered environmentalists, referred […]
TaKaDu’s software solution can help a city identify and home in on leaks so they can be plugged. You’d think that a country like the US, that can send ultra sophisticated rockets into space, would have no problem with a low-tech issue like plugging leaks in city waterways. And yet, despite water delivery oversight by […]
A new alternative plant growth method for biofuel, Israeli streams, drinking water and more. Image by Or Hiltch. During the week of May 16, 2010, Pythagoras Solar continued to attract media attention for its new transparent photovoltaic glass unit that can be used as windows or skylights while doubling as solar panels. Israel dedicated the […]
This solar rooftop in Saudi Arabia, shown here during construction, is now complete and connected to the grid. (Image via Flickr) The world’s largest oil producer is now generating electricity from the sun. Saudi Arabia’s National Solar Systems (NSS) and Conergy, a German-based solar consortium, last week announced the completion of a solar park on […]
Pythagoras Solar’s new photovoltaic glass unit can lower the cost of energy in commercial buildings and find strong markets in China and India. Israel’s Pythagoras Solar recently unveiled its new photovoltaic glass unit. The clear glass panes that can be used as windows, curtain walls or skylights double as solar panels and are intended to […]
About 50% of the waste in the UAE is organic. A new converter launched at conference aims to reduce this amount by 90% within a day. For years, composting has been considered as the environmentally best method for disposing of organic waste material, especially ones like the NatureMill Urban Composter, we wrote about in January. […]
Testing to begin on device developed by Kevin Costner and Brother to separate oil from water In their desperate search for a way to clean up the gulf oil spill, BP has just announced they will begin testing a device nicknamed “Ocean Therapy.” The Ocean Therapy device is based on an invention bought by Kevin […]
Is the sun setting on Israel’s plans to build solar power plants at Ashelim in the Negev Desert? (image via inisrael.com) Clal Industries and BrightSource Industries are the latest companies to drop out of the competition to build two solar energy plants at Ashelim, in Israel’s Negev desert. The $1 billion tender to supply some […]
Bring in the mycorrhiza fungi to help crops grow in the desert, suggests new study for the Middle East. Image via DGSgardening Oil rich Persian Gulf states do not have enough arable land suitable for growing food and animal fodder crops; but they at least have the money available to find ways to improve the […]
Israel and China’s cleantech partnership, Better Place, Multimatrix and more headlines related to Israeli cleantech this past week. During the week of May 9th, Israel was invited to join the OECD and its impact on the environment was explored. China’s Suntech and Israel Electric might work together and Better Place closed its $350 million round. […]
Looking at the proteins that “talk” between shoot and root of plants, Tel Aviv University unlocks a new tool for the biofuel industry. Plant geneticists are on a quest: they want to find out how to control auxin, a plant growth hormone which is very powerful. Auxin tells plants where to lay down roots, how […]
The algae for biofuel company TransAlgae is developing a new superbreed of algae for biofuels that is more resistant to the pests and the diseases that plague algae producers today. New varieties of wheat, oats and barley are constantly being produced to meet the world’s demands for grains that can grow faster, be hardier and […]