http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit skipped a planned communication session on March 30 and, as anticipated from recent power-supply projections, has probably entered a low-power hibernation mode. http://phys.org/news189317892.html Space & Earth Thu, 01 Apr 2010 05:18:32 EST news189317892 (PhysOrg.com) -- A new technique developed by Princeton University engineers for producing electricity-conducting plastics could dramatically lower the cost of manufacturing solar panels. http://phys.org/news189183104.html Chemistry Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:52:11 EST news189183104 What do shells, solar panels and DVDs have in common? At the atomic scale they are 'amorphous', that is -- unlike crystals -- they are built from irregular arrangements of atoms. http://phys.org/news188666658.html Physics Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:25:42 EST news188666658 The United States could source 10 percent of its electricity from solar power by 2030, a report said Tuesday, winning support from a US lawmaker who wants to boost the number of US solar panels. http://phys.org/news187445269.html Technology Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:08:02 EST news187445269 French energy giant EDF is building the world's biggest photovoltaic solar power plant at an abandoned NATO air base and plans to have it open by 2012, a spokesman said Tuesday. http://phys.org/news186770590.html Technology Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:44:08 EST news186770590 Mars rover Spirit has tenaciously swept, scraped, and squeezed secrets from the forbidding surface of Mars for 6 years. Now at an impasse, up to its belly in sand, it has struggled to tilt its solar panels toward the sun and collect just enough power to survive the perilously cold Martian winter. If Spirit can make it through to spring, the feisty robot will prove it's still in the game--by solving the mysteries of the Martian core. http://phys.org/news186415686.html Space & Earth Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:08:32 EST news186415686 At least 10 times a day Andrew Kin clicks onto the Internet for the pure joy of watching his electricity meter run backward. http://phys.org/news186398769.html Technology Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:00:01 EST news186398769 At a nondescript office park in San Jose, solar panels from manufacturers around the world are going through tests of extreme endurance to make sure they are safe to put on your roof. http://phys.org/news186348870.html Technology Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:20:01 EST news186348870 A skipper hoping to become the first to sail round the world using solar power said his catamaran could carve a wake for pollution-free shipping as he unveiled the record-breaking yacht Thursday. http://phys.org/news186331842.html Technology Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:51:14 EST news186331842 The German government wants to slash its support to the solar energy industry to prevent the market from overheating, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU party said Tuesday. http://phys.org/news186151900.html Technology Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:51:59 EST news186151900 "Nanotechnology could aid the future of development of the Arab region," says Mohamed H.A. Hassan, executive director of TWAS, the academy of sciences for the developing world, and president of the African Academy of Sciences. Hassan made his remarks at a panel session, "Re-emergence of Science, Technology and Education as Priorities in the Arab World," taking place at the AAAS's annual meeting in San Diego. http://phys.org/news185942342.html Nanotechnology Sun, 21 Feb 2010 02:39:30 EST news185942342 (PhysOrg.com) -- Solar arrays of the future may be more energy efficient and reliable, thanks to one researcher's efforts to reconfigure the way panels are connected. http://phys.org/news185536743.html Technology Tue, 16 Feb 2010 09:59:22 EST news185536743 When we needed a new "pre-owned" car, we knew the drill. We searched the Web, visited the auto mall, settled on a model, did some haggling, vetted the price by phone, and haggled a bit more. Within a couple of days, we had a deal. http://phys.org/news185207891.html Technology Sun, 14 Feb 2010 08:40:01 EST news185207891 Despite a sharp drop in public concern over global warming, Americans—regardless of political affiliation—support the passage of federal climate and energy policies, according to the results of a national survey released today by researchers at Yale and George Mason universities. http://phys.org/news184506774.html Space & Earth Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:53:18 EST news184506774 (PhysOrg.com) -- Smart control units that learn householders' energy habits and provide immediate feedback on consumption could give home energy savings of up to 20% without compromising comfort. http://phys.org/news184494565.html Technology Thu, 04 Feb 2010 08:50:01 EST news184494565 As if designing an energy-neutral, self-sustaining home for four was not enough for Scott Specht and Louise Harpman, of the NYC/Austin-based architectural firm Specht Harpman, the zeroHouse™ has even more appealing features... zeroHouse is prefabricated! http://phys.org/news183747199.html Technology Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:54:39 EST news183747199 (PhysOrg.com) -- The presence of fine dust on the Moon and Mars may present problems for explorers, such as coating solar panels, penetrating seals and interfering with machinery. Human explorers would also be endangered if there was a possibility of inhaling the extremely fine dust particles. Now scientists at the University of Vermont are considering a novel solution: acoustic levitation. http://phys.org/news183631431.html Physics Mon, 25 Jan 2010 08:45:50 EST news183631431 Installing wind turbines and solar panels in people's homes is "eco-bling" that will not help meet Britain's targets on cutting carbon emissions, engineers warned Wednesday. http://phys.org/news183226688.html Technology Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:30:01 EST news183226688 (AP) -- Will Phoenix rise from the dead? Don't bet on it. http://phys.org/news182970491.html Space & Earth Sun, 17 Jan 2010 17:08:50 EST news182970491 (PhysOrg.com) -- Beginning Jan. 18, NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter will listen for possible, though improbable, radio transmissions from the Phoenix Mars Lander, which completed five months of studying an arctic Martian site in November 2008. http://phys.org/news182539220.html Space & Earth Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:40:04 EST news182539220 Taiwan has unveiled what it calls Asia's biggest solar power plant as the island, which imports almost all its energy, seeks to tap into clean renewable resources, the government said Wednesday. http://phys.org/news180766588.html Technology Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:40:03 EST news180766588 They seem to turn heads wherever they're installed: new solar-powered trash compactors that are meant to save time and energy. http://phys.org/news180617265.html Technology Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:40:02 EST news180617265 (AP) -- Panasonic Corp. said Monday that it had taken majority control of Sanyo Electric Co., officially forming one of the world's largest electronics makers. http://phys.org/news180616855.html Technology Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:21:26 EST news180616855 On Tokyo Bay, at the edge of the largest urban sprawl on Earth, sits what may be an environmentalist's dream home. http://phys.org/news179995608.html Technology Mon, 14 Dec 2009 07:10:02 EST news179995608 Chip giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is planning its first foray into solar energy with an investment in the island's largest producer of solar cells, a spokesman said Thursday. http://phys.org/news179652960.html Technology Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:36:33 EST news179652960 (AP) -- Solar technology is going where it has never gone before: onto the shelves at retail stores where do-it-yourselfers can now plunk a panel into a shopping cart and bring it home to install. http://phys.org/news179647607.html Technology Thu, 10 Dec 2009 06:34:36 EST news179647607 Taiwan plans to boost its use of solar panels by a factor of 200 over the next decade and a half in an effort to increase clean energy, a ranking official said Friday. http://phys.org/news179160316.html Technology Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:20:02 EST news179160316 (PhysOrg.com) -- Kepler experienced a safe mode event on Nov. 18, 2009. http://phys.org/news178271539.html Space & Earth Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:53:13 EST news178271539 (PhysOrg.com) -- Europe has long been interested in developing alternative energy sources. And, one of the more interesting places that some Europeans are looking for solar power is the Sahara. With the vast amounts of sun beating down on the Saharan desert, it seems an ideal place for solar panels. The Desertec Industrial Initiative, a consortium of 12 companies, including Siemens and Deutsche Bank, aims to make Saharan solar power for Europe a reality. But it won't exactly be easy. http://phys.org/news176541300.html Technology Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:00:02 EST news176541300 A road trial of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), which could one day end up in every Australian driveway, is underway. Over the next three months, staff from Victorian energy distributor SP AusNet will use the PHEVs for their daily drive to work and for leisure as part of CSIRO and SP AusNet trial. http://phys.org/news175874789.html Technology Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:30:06 EST news175874789