Spectrolab is Starting Mass-Production of 39.2% Efficient Concentrating Solar Cell
November 24, 2010 No Comment
Image: Spectrolab Evolutionary, Not Revolutionary Spectrolab , a subsidiary of Boeing, has announced that it is starting mass-production of a very efficient concentrating solar cell, the C3MJ+ (the datasheet above is for the C3MJ, the “plus” version is a newer, slightly more efficient model). With an efficiency at converting sunlight into electricity of 39.2%, this cell would be the most efficient on the market. “Last year we set a new world record for efficiency with a test cell that peaked at 41.6 percent. We now have entered production with ess… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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The Friday after Thanksgiving, shoppers will—as they do every year—line up in front of stores, poised to descend en masse on the goods housed within. Some do it for the deals, others for the excitement, and some avoid it all together. The
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Image credit Platform 21 Fast Company contributor and industrial designer Ravi Sawhney writes an important essay on designing for repairability. Once again, it is an example of learning from the past to prepare for the future. It seems so simple: Spend a little more money to purchase products that are designed and built to last through years of use, repair, and changing fashions, and in the long term we save money and the environment. As sensible as this may sound, it still represents a significant shift in consumer b… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Image: Nissan Tactile Feedback FTW Nissan’s ECO Pedal is a great idea. We’ve known for a while that giving drivers some feedback on their fuel consumption helps them drive more efficiently (and more sanely!). The most obvious example is the LCD screen in the Toyota Prius, but there are other ways of providing that feedback. Ford has an instrument cluster that grows leaves to ‘reward’ you for effici… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Image credit: White House As Brian has noted, In Ohio, the new Governor says “Passenger rail is not in Ohio’s future, That train is dead.” High speed rail is under attack by Republicans across the country. As people line up to get irradiated by the pornoscatter machines, or felt up by the TSA inspectors, perhaps they should give a thought to writing to the leaders they just elect… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Photo: Haldini , Flickr, CC So it’s not exactly news: Scientists have known for years that China’s greenhouse gas emissions have surpassed that of the United States . But it’s telling that China, typically very guarded about pollution issues and climate impacts, has openly admitted as much. Here’s what China’s chief climate negotiator, Xie Zhenhua, told a news conference in Beijing, just days before he’s set to travel to the next round of international talks on glo… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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As holiday season approaches, gift giving is on most peoples mind. So ladies, if you want to buy one item that will dramatically affect the look of your man then buy him a cardigan. As you can see from this shot, this gentleman would look great with just the shirt and jacket. However, he looks so much more refined (while maintaining a casual feel) by adding the cardigan. The cardigan can also be very slimming. It eliminates that hard visual line where the shirt meets the pants and reigns in the visual paunch of a shirt that blouses out too much at the waist. I was thinking about doing a set of “gift giving” posts. Little gifts that have a huge impact on a man’s look. I guess I’m getting ahead of myself because a good cardigan would be at the top of my list.
Continue reading …India Climate Tribunal Gives Voice to People Affected by Climate Change, Demands Action from Governments
November 24, 2010 No Comment
Prabhati Devi gathers fodder for her buffalo in Rajasthan. Image: Ami Vitale/Oxfam Ask Ajantha about the effects of climate change on her village in southern India and she can give you numbers—estimates of how far the shoreline has moved inland and how many fish species are disappearing from local waters—but she can also tell you how her lifestyle and family life, and longstanding traditions throughout the region, are all changing…. Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Photo credit: Ross Tucknott / Creative Commons It’s not often that a book inspires you to go out and shovel steaming piles of horse poop on a cold November afternoon. But that’s exactly what happened to me after reading Gene Logsdon’s Holy Shit , and I mean it as a resounding compliment to the author. I should note, of course, that it doesn’t take much to get me thinking, and writing, about poop, pee, co… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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