LONDON (AFP) - Progress in the battle against climate change will continue despite economic woes around the world, the head of the United Nation's Nobel Prize-winning scientific panel wrote on Monday.

WASHINGTON: The World Bank on Tuesday agreed to establish two investment funds to help developing economies switch to clean-energy technologies to curb carbon emissions and help poor countries adapt to climate change.

Magnetic sensor that brooks no interference A novel magnetic sensor for the first time detects tiny fluctuations in a small magnetic field – even when there is a strong magnet right beside it. The sensor can thus be utilized even in places where power cables generate an interference field – for instance in a car’s side mirror.

Production of Thick-Film Thermoelectric Devices Using Centrifugal Force - One step forward to realization of high-efficiency thermoelectric devices -

A thermoelectric generation device comprising thick films is characterized by its ability to function as a cooling fin and keep a sufficient temperature difference for thermoelectric generation even by natural cooling, and the ability to be applied to curved structure such as exhaust pipes. The newly developed centrifugally pressurized solidification not only produces thermoelectric thick films close to a single crystal but also simplifies the manufacturing process drastically and increases the yield dramatically as compared to the conventional method.

Q-Cells AG has reached an agreement to build a production complex for thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules in Mexicali, Mexico the state capital of Baja California, close to the U.S. border. The agreement implies that Q-Cells will invest up to US $3.5 billion in the mid- to long-term. The agreement implies that Q-Cells will invest up to US $3.5 billion in the mid- to long-term, although the expansion plans are contingent upon the development of the PV markets in the US, Mexico and Latin America that will be supplied from Mexicali.

At the end of 2007, China's installed base of wind power totaled just over 6 gigawatts (GW), making China the fifth largest producer of wind power, after Germany, the U.S., Spain and India. As a consequence of the rapid build-out of wind power projects in China, in April 2008 the National Development and Reform Commission revised its 11th Five Year Plan Period plan for wind power development from 5 GW to 10 GW by 2010.

O PIB do primeiro trimestre cresceu 5,8% sobre o mesmo período de 2007. Somente a construção civil teve crescimento de 8,8% de janeiro a março, na comparação com igual período em 2007, a maior taxa desde o segundo trimestre de 2004 (10,6%). "A construção civil foi o segmento que mais cresceu de toda a indústria, a qual apresentou expansão de 6,9% no primeiro trimestre de 2008, em comparação com o mesmo período de 2007.

Brazil's economy grew at an annual rate of 5.8% in the first quarter of the year, boosted by a construction boom and high world food prices.

According to the recently released SCHOTT Solar Barometer report, a majority of Americans, across all political parties, overwhelmingly support development and funding of solar energy. Ninety-one percent of Republicans, 97 percent of Democrats and 98 percent of Independents agree that developing solar power is vital to the United States, the survey results said.

NEW DELHI: The UN’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) program is inviting the wrath of critics across the world. The criticism is gaining momentum even as the US Congress preparing to check global warming with a cap on greenhouse gases — and then allows firms to pollute if they buy ‘carbon offsets’ elsewhere. The UN started CDM to help companies in industrialised countries invest in projects in poorer nations that cut greenhouse gas emissions as part of their countries’ commitment under the Kyoto Protocol or the European Union’s emissions plan.

Researchers are working on a thermoelectric generator that converts the heat from car exhaust fumes into electricity. The module feeds the energy into the car’s electronic systems. This cuts fuel consumption and helps reduce the CO2 emissions from motor vehicles.

The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) presents its latest industry research reports, Utility Solar Business Models: Emerging Utility Strategies & Innovation. As solar electricity moves into boardrooms and executive meetings across the United States, leading utilities begin to make concrete decisions for major solar deployment. This report provides a compendium of emerging utility innovations that will provide valuable information both across utility departments and into upper management. A copy of the full report can be downloaded from the SEPA website at www.solarelectricpower.org.

A recent boom in Chinese wind power development has surpassed the government's original target and forced policymakers to set a new goal that might still be too modest.

A riqueza de recursos naturais no Brasil pode fazer do país um grande exportador de painéis solares. É o que acredita Hamilton Moss, do Centro de Pesquisas em Energia Elétrica (Cepel). Segundo ele, o grande gargalo da indústria de painéis solares atualmente é o fornecimento de silício, matéria-prima utilizada na fabricação das placas.

Discredited strategy Increasing allegations of corruption and profiteering are raising serious questions about the UN-run carbon trading mechanism aimed at cutting pollution and rewarding clean technologies, writes Patrick McCully, executive director of US thinktank International Rivers

BISBEE, Ariz (Reuters) - With energy prices going through the roof, an alternative lifestyle powered by solar panels and wind turbines has suddenly become more appealing to some. For architect Todd Bogatay, it has been reality for years.

Climate change could cost Andean countries US$30 billion per year by 2025, according to a study.The study was commissioned by the Andean Community of Nations and carried out by the Peruvian University of the Pacific, with the support of specialists from Bolivia, Colombia and Ecuador.