Copper end use trends

According to Penn State engineers, transmission rates of 100 gigabits per second are possible today over copper. But only on distances of less than 100 meters. And only with high-end Category 7 copper cables. These Ethernet cables are made up of four pairs of twisted wires shielded to reduce crosstalk. The Penn State technology could provide an alternative to glass fiber optics cables in computer datacenters where distances between systems are not too big. In other words, it would be possible to interconnect servers inside a building at speeds similar to the ones provided by more expensive fiber optic cabling.

They have successfully created a solar coating that is the most cost-efficient solar energy source ever. Their PowerSheet cells contrast the current solar technology systems by reducing the cost of production from $3 a watt to a mere 30 cents per watt. This makes, for the first time in history, solar power cheaper than burning coal.

Forever Landfill is a private disposal service for L.A. residents that gives each home a landfill plot for their personal trash. With the average American producing four pounds of trash a day, there’s a dire need to get waste under control. Forever Landfill also knows that being totally eco-friendly and not producing any waste leaves little room for fun, and no room for luxury.

YOU need not be a Wall Street chieftain to feel the anxiety that has wrapped its arms around the American economy.

Would you like to use a light-powered toothbrush which needs no toothpaste and no batteries? It’s already available in Japan and North America and it costs about $30. Its rod contains titanium dioxide that generates a plaque-removing electrochemical reaction. This ’solar’ toothbrush of the future ‘works by releasing electrons that then react with the saliva in the mouth and help to breakdown plaque.’ It just needs some light — so you’ll be able to wash your teeth in your garden or on your balcony. And as it has no batteries, this is a very eco-friendly device. It is currently tested today by 120 students at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, but it’s already available online.

aptains would be able to throttle back the ship’s diesel engine and slash fuel consumption up to 50 percent in optimal conditions. The first cargo ship to be fitted with a kites from SkySails is the 460-foot Beluga SkySails owned by the Beluga Group.

eveals the question that occupies scientists at the end of the day (and the beginning of happy hour): How might the world end?

a service that would enable users to store data from their personal hard drives on its computers

The newspaper also said Google plans to provide some free storage, with additional storage allotments available for a fee.

Almost one in five Europeans have cut off their landlines, relying entirely on cell phones and mobile device to make their calls. A recent Eurostat study included all 27 EU countries except Bulgaria and Romania.

There used to be such a buzz about podcast and now it’s all Facebook this, Twitter-that. David Card points us to a Jupiter stat that suggests that only 13 percent of online users have downloaded or listened to a podcast.

xxonMobil Chemical and ExxonMobil's Japanese affiliate, > Tonen Chemical > have developed a thin film separator for use in lithium-ion batteries, that would enable production of batteries like those found in cell phones and laptops, to power cars and trucks. These new film technologies are expected to significantly enhance the power, safety and reliability of lithium-ion batteries, thereby helping speed the adoption of these smaller and lighter batteries into the next wave of lower-emission vehicles. >

The battery-size product, the M2E, harnesses kinetic energy, or normal physical movement, to generate power. Clipped onto a belt or carried in a knapsack, the entire generator is contained within a regular battery casing. The wearer's walking or shaking moves magnets in the device. Those magnets infuse the wire coils with energy that can be used to power mobile devices

What is urgently needed for renewables to compete head to head with coal is not just lower capacity costs--since their fuel is free--but a low-cost way to store up their output and deliver it to the grid when it's needed.

n some places, it isn’t necessary to have streetlights when the full moon is shining bright. Currently only a design idea, the Lunar-Resonant Street Light is a smart solution to areas that receive a decent amount of moonlight at night. This cool idea, senses the amount of light reflected by the moon and dims according to its moon phase. According to the designers, the lights used are highly efficient white-LED clusters which are 90 to 95 percent more energy efficient than standard street lights.

The UK government has given approval to build the first large scale wave farm on the planet. This highly ambitious method to generate renewable energy will take place off the coast of Cornwall in Southwest England.

peanut husks can potentially remove up to 95 percent of dissolved toxic copper ions from wastewater

It's energy efficient, it's clean, compact and simple, and, above all, it's very cool.