According to a press release, several Fraunhofer institutes have signed a strategic partnership agreement with the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company – representing the Masdar City Project – that aims to embark on a collaborative deal to establish renewable energy projects for the region. The ecocity planned for the United Arab Emirates will be located…
Read MoreAccording to a newly released report from Innovative Research and Products Fuel Cells, Hydrogen Energy and Related Nanotechnology – A Global Industry and Market Analysis, the fuel cell and hydrogen energy industry is highly fragmented. According to IRAP, nearly 4,000 organizations worldwide are involved in fuel cells, hydrogen energy and related nanotechnology and spent an…
Read More
This was the lead lecture at the PACRIM8 conference in Vancouver in June 2009. How often does a major company publicly explain and acknowledge its past mistakes, and reveal – in depth – how it is turning itself around? In this excellent video, Miller describes how Corning fought its way back from a “near-death experience”…
Read MoreThe dangers of Poneman-style closed-door meetings on nuclear energy policy are clear: People are still nervous about this stuff. The latest evidence is a new poll from Sacred Heart University that shows the public is very divided on nukes, are yet to be convinced on nuclear waste dangers and link the growth of nuclear energy…
Read MoreBack in April I posted about concerns I had about the Obama administration appointment of Daniel B. Poneman as deputy secretary for the DOE. Just to recap, Poneman isn’t a scientist but does have expertise in the areas of arms control, nuclear proliferation and export controls. He is also an “insider” with the inside-the-beltway think-tankers,…
Read MoreUPDATE: Funds are rolling in daily under the ARRA Act. For the most recent facts and figures, check out the DOE’s website. The Obama administration has recently awarded over $400 $800 million for state energy programs in 16 23 states. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, among other things, supports energy efficiency and renewable energy…
Read MoreConventional thinking says that a block of salt can’t stretch, but researchers from Sandia National Laboratories and the University of Pittsburgh are saying they aren’t so sure anymore. In an article published in Nanoletters, members of the group describe how they were poking around a small piece of salt with an interfacial force microscope when…
Read MoreAustralia’s national science agency says it has developed a new, strong fire-blocking material. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization calls the material HIPS (‘hybrid inorganic polymer system’). According to the Melbourne-based CSIRO, construction materials given a coating of HIPS can withstand temperatures of over 1000°C. CSIRO describes HIPS as a geopolymer: It contains an…
Read MoreAdmittedly, we are honking our own horn here, but allow us to brag a little bit about the growing influence of the two peer-reviewed journals of The American Ceramic Society. The new “Impact Factor” numbers are out and the Journal of the American Ceramic Society remains the highest impact journal in the field. The 2008…
Read MoreAccording to a press release, researchers at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst have developed a “chemical nose” that can sniff out cancer. It’s a tool that could revolutionize cancer detection and treatment, according to chemist Vincent Rotello and cancer specialist Joseph Jerry. An article describing the chemical nose method of cancer detection appears in the…
Read More