High-speed rail, already kicking ass (in Europe), is set to kick much more ass (in Europe):

Meanwhile, in America ...

That is a very economical plan Jon.  Using the inside lanes on the freeway for commuter rail.

Researchers at Ames Laboratory have designed a new a high-performance permanent magnet (PM) alloy that operates with good magnetic strength at 200° C (392° F) to help make electric drive motors more efficient and cost-effective.

One of the parameters stipulated by automakers for future electric drive motors is the need to operate well at temperatures up to 200° C

New research shows that it could also make a good thermoelectric: a material that converts heat into electricity and vice versa

chemistry professor Peidong Yang and his colleagues report having fabricated silicon nanowires that generate electricity when a temperature differential is applied across them

"GreenGen," the first near-zero emissions coal-fueled power plant with carbon capture and storage (CCS) which is under development in China.  . . .

Scientists have unveiled a super LED powered technology to replace filament models within 3 years. In your home, the less brighter LEDs have been used in most electronic gadgets as indicator lights on computers and cell phones

With the price of crude oil hitting $100 per barrel, European citizens must prepare for large increases in gas and electricity bills in the coming weeks, with major companies in the UK and France already announcing plans to raise prices by as much as 27%

Last month, Stanford University materials scientists unveiled a nanowire electrode that could more than triple lithium batteries' energy storage capacity and improve their safety.

We can use any kind of waste, such as sewage or pig manure, and the microbial fuel cell will generate electrical energy,

2007 was a pretty eventful year for technology. We saw much to provide us with a warm glow of optimism, not least some incredible tech stock valuations and VC plays. On the downside we also saw some gremlins in the mix, most notably the Facebook Beacon fiasco. What will 2008 have in store?

the telecom revolution has touched a Dalit village. However, as they get no electricity, some 40 villagers who now have mobile phones, travel at least 20 kilometers everyday just to get their phones charged.

village in India without electricity, residents have to walk 12 miles to a neighbouring town to charge their mobile phones. Poverty and isolation mean that the phones are key to communicating with the outside world in the event of emergencies

here is just one problem. How did these delegates, from around the world, get to the conference? For the most part, they flew over land and sea in airplanes. Airplanes are known to be one of the bigger offenders of CO2 emissions. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that air travel causes 3.5 percent of global warming. This could increase to 15 percent by 2050.When landed, some potentates traveled by gas-guzzling limousine.

addressed the conference in a 3-D animated avatar version of himself. In doing this, Markey saved an estimated 5.36 tons of CO2 emissions. Citizens from many different countries are reported to have attended the virtual Bali conference the same way Markey chose to attend.

The first solar-powered development in Costa Rica is breaking ground in the remote beach town of Malpais.

We’d love to see real estate developers in Costa Rica starting to compete on how energy efficient and eco-friendly their houses are! Costa Rica is the ideal country for something like that.”

So long as the user writes on paper printed with a special pattern, the smartpen transforms what is written into interactive text. For example, the pen has a recording function, called paper replay, that can record sound and connect it to what the user writes while the sounds are being recorded. Later, the user can tap the pen over what she wrote and replay the associated sounds. "We're starting to make the whole world of printable surfaces accessible and functional,

A Delaware-based startup called WildCharge thinks that it has a better approach. The company is selling a small metal pad, about the size of a sheet of paper, that can simultaneously charge multiple devices laid on top of it--as long as they're equipped with adaptors. WildCharge is now selling an adaptor for Motorola Razr phones, and it's developing others.

Wind Capital Group (WCG), one of America’s fastest-growing independent developers of wind energy, announced today that it has sold its 200 megawatt Buffalo Creek Wind Farm in Franklin County, Iowa, to Interstate Power and Light Co

"We have already announced a commercial contract with Think Electric Vehicle in Norway," Charles Gassenheimer, chairman of Ener1, Inc. (OTCBB: ENEI) added, referring to a $70 million development and supply agreement signed in October. "It's the largest electric vehicle company in Europe. You will see our batteries in their cars by the end of 2008.

With the European Union next year set to launch its Institute of Innovation and Technology, some EU capitals have already started their bids to house the institute. Austria, Hungary and Poland have said they would like to host the new European body, which is being promoted in Brussels as a flagship project to boost innovation, research and higher education.

Goes on Green said today it applied for planning permission to site the first phase of its $61.4 million biodiesel facility

The company plans to produce 30,000 tonnes of biodiesel per year within 12 months of plant commissioning, and 180,000 tonnes when the facility reaches full production within 36 months.

"Algae have great potential as a sustainable feedstock for production of diesel-type fuels with a very small CO2 footprint," said Graeme Sweeney, a Shell executive overseeing the project, in a statement. "This demonstration will be an important test of the technology and, critically, of commercial viability".