Innovative new panels could extend solar reach « Daily Journal of Commerce: "A transistor technology developed at Oregon State University could literally change the face of building. Solar panels that use the technology could be light, cheap and attractive enough to grace façades.
Colin Williams, CEO of Xtreme Energetics, based in Livermore, Calif., realized he needed better transistors for solar panels his company was developing. A Web search turned up the transparent transistors developed at Oregon State and licensed to Hewlett-Packard.
“They had, by far, the best technology,” Williams said. “HP has a tremendous reputation for high-quality manufacturing and process control, and OSU has very high standards in doing cutting-edge research in this field.”
Researchers hadn’t imagined that the transistors would find their way into solar panels. “We were just trying to create something brand new,” said Douglas Keszler, distinguished professor of chemistry at OSU. “It didn’t come across our minds immediately.”"
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
Alt Codes List of Alt Key Codes Symbols
Alt Codes List of Alt Key Codes Symbols: "Alt Codes, list of alt key codes alt symbols and characters.
This is the alt code characters table from 0-255 decimal numbers.
Check how to use alt code characters to learn the use of alt codes.
Symbol Number
☺ 1
☻ 2
♥ 3
♦ 4
♣ 5
♠ 6
• 7
◘ 8
○ 9
◙ 10
♂ 11
♀ 12
♪ 13
♫ 14
☼ 15
► 16
◄ 17
↕ 18
‼ 19
¶ 20
§ 21
▬ 22
↨ 23
↑ 24
↓ 25
→ 26
← 27
∟ 28
↔ 29
▲ 30
▼ 31
space 32
! 33
' 34
# 35
$ 36
% 37
& 38
' 39
( 40
) 41
* 42
+ 43
, 44
- 45
. 46
/ 47
0 48
1 49
2 50
3 51
4 52
5 53
6 54
7 55
8 56
9 57
: 58
; 59
< 60
= 61
> 62
? 63
@ 64
A 65
B 66
C 67
D 68
E 69
F 70
G 71
H 72
I 73
J 74
K 75
L 76
M 77
N 78
O 79
P 80
Q 81
R 82
S 83
T 84
U 85
Symbol Number
V 86
W 87
X 88
Y 89
Z 90
[ 91
\ 92
] 93
^ 94
_ 95
` 96
a 97
b 98
c 99
d 100
e 101
f 102
g 103
h 104
i 105
j 106
k 107
l 108
m 109
n 110
o 111
p 112
q 113
r 114
s 115
t 116
u 117
v 118
w 119
x 120
y 121
z 122
{ 123
| 124
} 125
~ 126
⌂ 127
Ç 128
ü 129
é 130
â 131
ä 132
à 133
å 134
ç 135
ê 136
ë 137
è 138
ï 139
î 140
ì 141
Ä 142
Å 143
É 144
æ 145
Æ 146
ô 147
ö 148
ò 149
û 150
ù 151
ÿ 152
Ö 153
Ü 154
¢ 155
£ 156
¥ 157
₧ 158
ƒ 159
á 160
í 161
ó 162
ú 163
ñ 164
Ñ 165
ª 166
º 167
¿ 168
⌐ 169
¬ 170
Symbol Number
½ 171
¼ 172
¡ 173
« 174
» 175
░ 176
▒ 177
▓ 178
│ 179
┤ 180
╡ 181
╢ 182
╖ 183
╕ 184
╣ 185
║ 186
╗ 187
╝ 188
╜ 189
╛ 190
┐ 191
└ 192
┴ 193
┬ 194
├ 195
─ 196
┼ 197
╞ 198
╟ 199
╚ 200
╔ 201
╩ 202
╦ 203
╠ 204
═ 205
╬ 206
╧ 207
╨ 208
╤ 209
╥ 210
╙ 211
╘ 212
╒ 213
╓ 214
╫ 215
╪ 216
┘ 217
┌ 218
█ 219
▄ 220
▌ 221
▐ 222
▀ 223
α 224
ß 225
Γ 226
π 227
Σ 228
σ 229
µ 230
τ 231
Φ 232
Θ 233
Ω 234
δ 235
∞ 236
φ 237
ε 238
∩ 239
≡ 240
± 241
≥ 242
≤ 243
⌠ 244
⌡ 245
÷ 246
≈ 247
° 248
∙ 249
· 250
√ 251
ⁿ 252
² 253
■ 254
255"
This is the alt code characters table from 0-255 decimal numbers.
Check how to use alt code characters to learn the use of alt codes.
Symbol Number
☺ 1
☻ 2
♥ 3
♦ 4
♣ 5
♠ 6
• 7
◘ 8
○ 9
◙ 10
♂ 11
♀ 12
♪ 13
♫ 14
☼ 15
► 16
◄ 17
↕ 18
‼ 19
¶ 20
§ 21
▬ 22
↨ 23
↑ 24
↓ 25
→ 26
← 27
∟ 28
↔ 29
▲ 30
▼ 31
space 32
! 33
' 34
# 35
$ 36
% 37
& 38
' 39
( 40
) 41
* 42
+ 43
, 44
- 45
. 46
/ 47
0 48
1 49
2 50
3 51
4 52
5 53
6 54
7 55
8 56
9 57
: 58
; 59
< 60
= 61
> 62
? 63
@ 64
A 65
B 66
C 67
D 68
E 69
F 70
G 71
H 72
I 73
J 74
K 75
L 76
M 77
N 78
O 79
P 80
Q 81
R 82
S 83
T 84
U 85
Symbol Number
V 86
W 87
X 88
Y 89
Z 90
[ 91
\ 92
] 93
^ 94
_ 95
` 96
a 97
b 98
c 99
d 100
e 101
f 102
g 103
h 104
i 105
j 106
k 107
l 108
m 109
n 110
o 111
p 112
q 113
r 114
s 115
t 116
u 117
v 118
w 119
x 120
y 121
z 122
{ 123
| 124
} 125
~ 126
⌂ 127
Ç 128
ü 129
é 130
â 131
ä 132
à 133
å 134
ç 135
ê 136
ë 137
è 138
ï 139
î 140
ì 141
Ä 142
Å 143
É 144
æ 145
Æ 146
ô 147
ö 148
ò 149
û 150
ù 151
ÿ 152
Ö 153
Ü 154
¢ 155
£ 156
¥ 157
₧ 158
ƒ 159
á 160
í 161
ó 162
ú 163
ñ 164
Ñ 165
ª 166
º 167
¿ 168
⌐ 169
¬ 170
Symbol Number
½ 171
¼ 172
¡ 173
« 174
» 175
░ 176
▒ 177
▓ 178
│ 179
┤ 180
╡ 181
╢ 182
╖ 183
╕ 184
╣ 185
║ 186
╗ 187
╝ 188
╜ 189
╛ 190
┐ 191
└ 192
┴ 193
┬ 194
├ 195
─ 196
┼ 197
╞ 198
╟ 199
╚ 200
╔ 201
╩ 202
╦ 203
╠ 204
═ 205
╬ 206
╧ 207
╨ 208
╤ 209
╥ 210
╙ 211
╘ 212
╒ 213
╓ 214
╫ 215
╪ 216
┘ 217
┌ 218
█ 219
▄ 220
▌ 221
▐ 222
▀ 223
α 224
ß 225
Γ 226
π 227
Σ 228
σ 229
µ 230
τ 231
Φ 232
Θ 233
Ω 234
δ 235
∞ 236
φ 237
ε 238
∩ 239
≡ 240
± 241
≥ 242
≤ 243
⌠ 244
⌡ 245
÷ 246
≈ 247
° 248
∙ 249
· 250
√ 251
ⁿ 252
² 253
■ 254
255"
Toyota to release solar charger for electric vehicles
Toyota to release solar charger for electric vehicles: "Toyota Industries Corporation's announcement follows similar press releases in August by Nissan Motor Co Ltd and Showa Shell Sekiyu KK.
Toyota's solar charging station will consist of solar cells capable of generating 100/200V of electricity. The station includes storage batteries to store the electricity generated until it is required to recharge electric vehicles. The station also has a communication facility to authenticate users' identification information, and to communicate the amount of charge and other data to a remote data center. The communication system is expected to use LANs and Mobile networks.
Earlier this year Toyota Industries unveiled a new public charging station for electric vehicles, which went on sale a few months ago at a cost of 450,000 Yen (around 4,600USD). Both the earlier public charging station and the new solar charging system were developed in collaboration with Nitto Kogyo Corporation.
A variety of charging station options is needed to address the potential range limitations of electric vehicles, and a significant network of charging stations will need to be deployed to make electric vehicles viable for longer distance travel. Virtually all major car manufacturers are planning to launch electric or plug-in hybrid cars starting next year.
Charging stations for electric cars are gradually becoming more widespread. In the UK the Department of Transport estimates there will be about two million electric vehicles by 2020. In the US, SolarCity and Rabbobank have created a partnership to provide free electric charging for electric vehicles traveling between San Francisco and Los Angeles along Highway 101. SolarCity has also bought SolSource Energy, which is in the business of installing charging stations for electric cars.
Toyota made the announcement and exhibited the charging station and battery charger at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show being held from October 23 to November 4, 2009 at Makuhari Messe, in Chiba City, Japan. The solar charger is scheduled for release late next year or in 2011 at a price of several hundred thousand Yen.
Via: TechOn"
Toyota's solar charging station will consist of solar cells capable of generating 100/200V of electricity. The station includes storage batteries to store the electricity generated until it is required to recharge electric vehicles. The station also has a communication facility to authenticate users' identification information, and to communicate the amount of charge and other data to a remote data center. The communication system is expected to use LANs and Mobile networks.
Earlier this year Toyota Industries unveiled a new public charging station for electric vehicles, which went on sale a few months ago at a cost of 450,000 Yen (around 4,600USD). Both the earlier public charging station and the new solar charging system were developed in collaboration with Nitto Kogyo Corporation.
A variety of charging station options is needed to address the potential range limitations of electric vehicles, and a significant network of charging stations will need to be deployed to make electric vehicles viable for longer distance travel. Virtually all major car manufacturers are planning to launch electric or plug-in hybrid cars starting next year.
Charging stations for electric cars are gradually becoming more widespread. In the UK the Department of Transport estimates there will be about two million electric vehicles by 2020. In the US, SolarCity and Rabbobank have created a partnership to provide free electric charging for electric vehicles traveling between San Francisco and Los Angeles along Highway 101. SolarCity has also bought SolSource Energy, which is in the business of installing charging stations for electric cars.
Toyota made the announcement and exhibited the charging station and battery charger at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show being held from October 23 to November 4, 2009 at Makuhari Messe, in Chiba City, Japan. The solar charger is scheduled for release late next year or in 2011 at a price of several hundred thousand Yen.
Via: TechOn"
10 Week Old Oil Spill's Rig is Now On Fire : TreeHugger
10 Week Old Oil Spill's Rig is Now On Fire : TreeHugger: "You might recall back, in mid August 2009, when Matthew noted that an oil rig of the NW coast of Australia had sprung a leak. A rather bad leak that was expected to take some time to plug. Well, it's now November 2009, more than 70 days and four failed attempts later, the oil continues to gush into the Timor Sea, at an estimated rate of somewhere between 400 and 2,000 barrels per day. (A barrel contains 159 litres or 42 US gallons.)
But the news gets worse. On Sunday 1 November the West Atlas oil rig caught on fire, and oil company PTTEP Australasia admit they don't know how they are going to put it out. Should the rig collapse, the opportunities to plug the still leaking oil, pouring from the well bore 2.6km under the seabed, decline markedly. And the bad news keeps on coming.
West Atlas Oil Spill Chris Twomey photo
Photo: Chris Twomey, via The Greens>
Bob Brown, leader of the Greens in Australia, has called for the resignation of the government's Resources Minister over the 10 week catastrophe, particularly given that the he has apparently award PTTEP new drilling licenses while all this has been unfolding.
The Australian newspaper reported in mid October that over $5 million AUD of taxpayers' money has been spent at that time, to try an quell the oil spill, and yet PTTEP Australasia had only repaid the Australian Maritime Safety Authority $3.8 million.
Because such little information has been forthcoming on the environment impact of the oil spill in the Montara oil field, from either the government or the oil company, WWF Australia sent their own team to investigate.
They observe that PTTEP, the company responsible for the oil slick, reported high levels of mortality among oil- affected seabirds.
WWF's Director of Conservation Dr Gilly Llewellyn, noted that, 'Clearly, wildlife is dying and hundreds if not thousands of dolphins, seabirds and sea-snakes are being exposed to toxic oil. The critical issue is the long term impact of this slick on a rich marine ecosystem, taking into consideration the magnitude, extent and duration of the event. '
'We know that oil can be a slow and silent killer. Impacts from the Exxon Valdez disaster are still being seen 20 years later, so we can expect this environmental disaster will continue to unfold for years to come.'
Of particular concern is the largely remote north Australian coast line in an area known as the Kimberley. Eariler in 2009, Dr Steve Blake, Chief Executive of the Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI), remarked that, 'Undoubtedly the Kimberley is one of the last true marine wildernesses in the world.' He was commenting on the discovery that the Kimberley region is not only home to oil exploration, but what be one of the largest humpback whale nurseries in the world. Which has moved the West Australian government to look at creating a Marine Park to protect their habitat.
A Wikipedia page has been posted on the Montara Oil Spill, providing updates as they come to hand, which were almost weekly, but at the moment seems to be daily, what with PTTEP issuing media statements in a constant flurry."
But the news gets worse. On Sunday 1 November the West Atlas oil rig caught on fire, and oil company PTTEP Australasia admit they don't know how they are going to put it out. Should the rig collapse, the opportunities to plug the still leaking oil, pouring from the well bore 2.6km under the seabed, decline markedly. And the bad news keeps on coming.
West Atlas Oil Spill Chris Twomey photo
Photo: Chris Twomey, via The Greens>
Bob Brown, leader of the Greens in Australia, has called for the resignation of the government's Resources Minister over the 10 week catastrophe, particularly given that the he has apparently award PTTEP new drilling licenses while all this has been unfolding.
The Australian newspaper reported in mid October that over $5 million AUD of taxpayers' money has been spent at that time, to try an quell the oil spill, and yet PTTEP Australasia had only repaid the Australian Maritime Safety Authority $3.8 million.
Because such little information has been forthcoming on the environment impact of the oil spill in the Montara oil field, from either the government or the oil company, WWF Australia sent their own team to investigate.
They observe that PTTEP, the company responsible for the oil slick, reported high levels of mortality among oil- affected seabirds.
WWF's Director of Conservation Dr Gilly Llewellyn, noted that, 'Clearly, wildlife is dying and hundreds if not thousands of dolphins, seabirds and sea-snakes are being exposed to toxic oil. The critical issue is the long term impact of this slick on a rich marine ecosystem, taking into consideration the magnitude, extent and duration of the event. '
'We know that oil can be a slow and silent killer. Impacts from the Exxon Valdez disaster are still being seen 20 years later, so we can expect this environmental disaster will continue to unfold for years to come.'
Of particular concern is the largely remote north Australian coast line in an area known as the Kimberley. Eariler in 2009, Dr Steve Blake, Chief Executive of the Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI), remarked that, 'Undoubtedly the Kimberley is one of the last true marine wildernesses in the world.' He was commenting on the discovery that the Kimberley region is not only home to oil exploration, but what be one of the largest humpback whale nurseries in the world. Which has moved the West Australian government to look at creating a Marine Park to protect their habitat.
A Wikipedia page has been posted on the Montara Oil Spill, providing updates as they come to hand, which were almost weekly, but at the moment seems to be daily, what with PTTEP issuing media statements in a constant flurry."
Fossil Fuel Subsidies More Than Double Those for Renewables - Renewable Energy World
Fossil Fuel Subsidies More Than Double Those for Renewables - Renewable Energy World: "The largest U.S subsidies to fossil fuels are attributed to tax breaks that aid foreign oil production, according to research from the Environmental Law Institute (ELI). The study, which reviewed fossil fuel and energy subsidies for Fiscal Years 2002-2008, revealed that the lion's share of energy subsidies supported energy sources that emit high levels of greenhouse gases.
The research demonstrates that the federal government provided substantially larger subsidies to fossil fuels than to renewables. Fossil fuels benefited from approximately US $72 billion over the seven-year period, while subsidies for renewable fuels totaled only $29 billion."
The research demonstrates that the federal government provided substantially larger subsidies to fossil fuels than to renewables. Fossil fuels benefited from approximately US $72 billion over the seven-year period, while subsidies for renewable fuels totaled only $29 billion."
Energy Tribune- Clean Coal, a Global Failure in the Making
Energy Tribune- Clean Coal, a Global Failure in the Making: "Here’s a bit of unalloyed pessimism for you: Carbon capture and sequestration, more widely known as clean coal technology, is not going to work out. Governments and the coal industry are trying to bite off too much at once.
In theory, clean coal is a fine idea. The process of burning coal releases gases, which all modern plants already “scrub” of harmful substances like sulfur dioxide. To fight global warming, coal mine and plant owners want to do the same for carbon dioxide.
Sounds great, except that a fairly average-sized 1,500 megawatt coal plant produces about three billion tons of CO2 yearly. All that CO2 has to be separated out, a process that uses up a lot of the energy the plant produces. Then, according to current thinking, we must bury the CO2 and hope that it doesn’t come back up.
That’s a hell of a challenge. A report released Thursday by the pro-CCS Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute helps outline just how much. A few bullet-points:
* Clean coal research is currently moribund; only seven CCS projects exist today, and all are attached to gas plants
* The GCCSSI expects national governments to coordinate to give $100 billion yearly to CCS research
* Provided the money is forked over immediately, we might have 20 plants by 2020
* And if those initial plants work out as expected it will take until 2030 to have a significant number operating
* If the technology works as expected, it will add an average of 78 percent to the cost of electricity from coal
Anyone familiar with the basics of risk wouldn’t bet on that many “ifs”, especially given the looming difficulty of not only coaxing governments to throw trillions of dollars into research, but also share the technology as it develops.
Nevertheless, everything could work out perfectly and clean coal could be spreading in 2030. By that time, CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere may be over 500ppm. That’s no problem if the climate change skeptics are right; if the 97 percent of climatologists who study climate change are right, that number would mean we’re in for some major upheaval.
In other words, we need better solutions, right now. For coal, there are already some available. Old, inefficient plants can be shut down in favor of new ones that operate at a much higher thermal efficiency, and work onnew concepts like underground coal gasification could be accelerated.
The $2.4 trillion the International Energy Agency says we should spend researching clean coal sould also be spent other ways; research and investment into renewables like geothermal and solar power come to mind, and it’s also enough money to buy several hundred nuclear plants.
If we do insist on clean coal, the concept needs a rethink. Trying to figure out the most cost-effective way to scrub CO2 is enough of a challenge. The additional problem of permanently sequestering it underground adds too much expense and uncertainty.
There are better ways. One would be to use the CO2 to create liquid fuels for transportation. Oddly, this idea is rarely brought up in the debate over clean coal, although scientists are already working on ways to use CO2 they captured from ambient air for fuel."
In theory, clean coal is a fine idea. The process of burning coal releases gases, which all modern plants already “scrub” of harmful substances like sulfur dioxide. To fight global warming, coal mine and plant owners want to do the same for carbon dioxide.
Sounds great, except that a fairly average-sized 1,500 megawatt coal plant produces about three billion tons of CO2 yearly. All that CO2 has to be separated out, a process that uses up a lot of the energy the plant produces. Then, according to current thinking, we must bury the CO2 and hope that it doesn’t come back up.
That’s a hell of a challenge. A report released Thursday by the pro-CCS Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute helps outline just how much. A few bullet-points:
* Clean coal research is currently moribund; only seven CCS projects exist today, and all are attached to gas plants
* The GCCSSI expects national governments to coordinate to give $100 billion yearly to CCS research
* Provided the money is forked over immediately, we might have 20 plants by 2020
* And if those initial plants work out as expected it will take until 2030 to have a significant number operating
* If the technology works as expected, it will add an average of 78 percent to the cost of electricity from coal
Anyone familiar with the basics of risk wouldn’t bet on that many “ifs”, especially given the looming difficulty of not only coaxing governments to throw trillions of dollars into research, but also share the technology as it develops.
Nevertheless, everything could work out perfectly and clean coal could be spreading in 2030. By that time, CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere may be over 500ppm. That’s no problem if the climate change skeptics are right; if the 97 percent of climatologists who study climate change are right, that number would mean we’re in for some major upheaval.
In other words, we need better solutions, right now. For coal, there are already some available. Old, inefficient plants can be shut down in favor of new ones that operate at a much higher thermal efficiency, and work onnew concepts like underground coal gasification could be accelerated.
The $2.4 trillion the International Energy Agency says we should spend researching clean coal sould also be spent other ways; research and investment into renewables like geothermal and solar power come to mind, and it’s also enough money to buy several hundred nuclear plants.
If we do insist on clean coal, the concept needs a rethink. Trying to figure out the most cost-effective way to scrub CO2 is enough of a challenge. The additional problem of permanently sequestering it underground adds too much expense and uncertainty.
There are better ways. One would be to use the CO2 to create liquid fuels for transportation. Oddly, this idea is rarely brought up in the debate over clean coal, although scientists are already working on ways to use CO2 they captured from ambient air for fuel."
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Ford's new electric chief offers glimpse of future projects -- chicagotribune.com
Ford's new electric chief offers glimpse of future projects -- chicagotribune.com: "Ford said it expects to manufacture as many as 2 million electric and gas-electric cars and trucks over the next decade to meet what it sees as increased consumer interest in the fuel-friendlier segment as oil prices push higher.
The battery-powered Focus will be built in Michigan on the same assembly lines that put together the traditional gas version, and it is slated to be released in 2011."
The battery-powered Focus will be built in Michigan on the same assembly lines that put together the traditional gas version, and it is slated to be released in 2011."
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