Electric car company Tesla can now once again sell cars direct to consumers in New Jersey (via Engadget), after a ban earlier this year based on an old (and mostly irrelevant in this case) law enabled Governor Chris Christie to bow to pressure from local auto dealers to get sales of Elon Musk’s magical future cars put on hold. Read More
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In a small lab, near a lake at the edge of West Berkeley, sits the prototype of what could revolutionize battery power as we know it. The secret to this power? Algae.
OK, just hang with me here. Lots of research has already been done on algae’s possible power capabilities. Prototype creator Adam Freeman says this new kind of battery, the one he’s working on, could power even a Tesla. Read More
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Spor is a portable solar-powered battery charger that wants to shake things up with its fuss-free, compact form factor that’s still capable of delivering a power punch. It’s also aiming to look a lot less boring than the generic competition — with a shell that can be customised via home 3D printing, if that’s your bag Read More
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Google has released some new research about it efforts to maximize performance and minimize energy use at data centers through machine learning today. Long story short: Google is building superintelligent server farms that can learn from their past performance and improve themselves in the future. Google’s AI data centers are a 20 percent project – the result of an employee, Jim… Read More
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Apple has a new patent that could pave the way for future solar-powered mobile devices, according to AppleInsider. The new intellectual property describes a method for embedding a solar array within a layer that includes touch sensors, and which can all be fit within a flexible display module, in order to save space in its ever-shrinking electronic devices. The patent is a modified version of… Read More
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In one of the loveliest paeans to modern technology ever penned on the web, The Oatmeal creator Matthew Inman posted a lengthy comic describing what it’s like to own a Tesla Model S, and it was nothing short of effusive. He did take issue with the car’s name, however, and offered up some helpful suggestions for alternate titles. The final product is easily one of the best and… Read More
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Power is readily available for most people in North America these days, which can make it hard to grasp how annoying it can be when it isn’t – especially if you’re trying to run a business. TechCrunch Battlefield NY 2014 competitor Simply Grid aims to offer power from the established electrical grid in situations where people would otherwise have to use gas-powered generators… Read More
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The use of renewable energy is growing in the U.S., but its adoption has put pressure on old, overtaxed power grids. The intermittency of wind and solar power means that transmission systems need to find a way to store the energy generated from renewables to provide predictable power for grid operators. Read More
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Fresh off its agreement to purchase up to 407 MW of wind power for its Iowa data center, Google today announced that it has committed $100 million to create a new fund to help finance the purchase of residential solar installations with SunPower Corporation. The fund, which will also include $150 million from SunPower, is meant to enable a scheme that is similar to what other residential… Read More
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It’s Earth Day, so there isn’t a company on the Internet that isn’t trying to brandish its green image. Apple led the charge earlier this week and today, Google announced that it has inked a deal with MidAmerican Energy to supply its $1.5 billion Iowa data center with up to 407 megawatts of 100 percent renewable wind energy. Read More
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