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With this new impetus, engineers and start-up companies have jumped at the challenge, and while beamed power is still in its infancy, three viable options seem to be emerging. The use of radio waves to transmit electricity is perhaps the most obvious solution, since you can in principle use the same kinds of transmitters and receivers used in Wi-Fi communication. Powercast, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has recently used this technology to transmit microwatts and milliwatts of power over at least 15 metres to industrial sensors. They believe a similar approach could one day be used to recharge small devices like remote controls, alarm clocks and even cellphones. A second possibility, for more power-hungry devices, is to fire a finely focused infrared laser beam at a photovoltaic cell, which converts the beam back to electrical energy. It's an approach PowerBeam has adopted, but so far its efficiency is only between 15 and 30 per cent. While that could serve more power-hungry appliances, it would in practice be too wasteful. The technology has been used to power wireless lamps, speakers and electronic photo frames that require less than 10 watts to function. Over time, as both the lasers and photovoltaic cells improve, the company hopes efficiencies of up to 50 per cent will be possible. "There's no reason we couldn't power a laptop eventually," says Graham. Unlike some other possible techniques, a sharply focused beam loses minimal energy over large distances, preserving its efficiency: "A hundred metres is no big deal."

Following the devastating earthquake in Chile, Anglo American is pleased to announce the donation of US$10 million (equivalent to just over Ch$5 billion), which will be allocated to projects to rebuild houses and schools and implement emergency water and electricity services. The company will work with the Chilean government to formulate the aid and reconstruction plans.

Chemists at the University of Illinois at Chicago have found that nano-sized water droplets can act as molecular chaperons that guide graphene into precise nano-shapes including capsules, knots, rings and even sandwiches.  Graphene is a futuristic nanomaterial that forms sheets the thickness of one atom.

Assuming successful safety assessments and regulatory approval, the development of more muscular trout could boost commercial aquaculture because aquaculturists could grow larger fish without increasing the amount of food the fish are fed.

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc (FCX.N) sees a tighter global supply base for copper and strong demand from China and the developing world favoring the industrial metal's longer-term outlook.

Growth in the market is projected to emanate from emerging economies in Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe and Middle east. Despite slowdown in the global economy, these markets are expected to increase significantly over the next few years owing to continuing economic development. China represents the largest as well as the fastest growing market for copper pipes and tubes in the world. Ongoing industrialization and urbanization activity in the region are acting as major growth drivers for copper as well as copper pipes and tubes market.

The deal, OZ's largest 100% acquisition since it emerged from the wreckage of the merger between Oxiana Ltd. and Zinifex Ltd. after the global financial crisis, could more than double the company's resources of copper and gold and consolidate its land holdings in the Gawler Craton, a geological region of South Australia which also holds OZ's main Prominent Hill asset and BHP Billiton

In ROW, our strategy of introducing a broader product range into developing markets helped to offset the impact of lower-than-expected volume across a number of countries. The uneven demand experienced during the second quarter is largely episodic, as the fundamental growth drivers remain solid, and GDP rates for many emerging markets continue to outpace those in the developed world. Sequentially, our second quarter results reflect the impact of stronger demand in Venezuela, Brazil and Zambia. In Venezuela, the company benefited from higher spending on electrical infrastructure as the country works to reinforce a weak power grid. In Brazil, our results reflect the aerial transmission shipments and the introduction of specialty products as the country continues to industrialize while at the same time preparing for the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games in 2016. In Zambia, our results reflect the shipment of aerial transmission products as the government invests in expanding its power grid. In addition, we strengthened our market position and product range in Colombia, Peru, Australia, South Africa and Mexico. In Mexico, we recently qualified and supplied our first high-voltage cables. Our market penetration into Mexico continues ahead of expectation, and is supported by a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility with high-voltage capabilities ranging up to 225 kilovolts and a comprehensive line of products for electric utilities and contractors. Overall, our results in ROW continue to demonstrate the non-linear nature of our business in the short-term, as construction, mining and utility products are moved between reporting periods, government appropriations are authorized and infrastructure investment plans are advanced.

At its essence, a nanogrid is simply a small microgrid, typically serving a single building or a single load.  Nanogrids, however, have the ability to fill increasingly important niches within the larger power sector, serving as modular building blocks for energy services that support applications ranging from emergency power for commercial buildings to the provision of basic electricity services for people living in extreme poverty.