LED lighting
Home and office lighting could see a revolution in the next five years, according to Colin Humphreys, a materials scientist at Cambridge University. Humphreys says the key lies with gallium nitride (GaN), a substance already used for some lighting applications such as camera flashes, bicycle lights, mobile phones and interior
manufacturing technology
Be on the watch for MANTRA as you drive around the country — it could soon be coming to a school or business near you. No, it’s not a yoga operation on tour or a character from the latest Transformers film: MANTRA (for Manufacturing Technology Transporter) is an engineering and
desertification
Climate change will bring — is already bringing — numerous changes across the globe … one of which is likely to be a range of new desert areas around the planet. So which regions are expected to go from lush, or even marginal, to outright desert in coming decades? Let’s take a
IT and communications firm Kingston Communications (KC) says it’s provided the wireless technology for a unique street-lighting central monitoring system set to “revolutionise the street-lighting industry.” KC’s communications experts have partnered with Harvard Engineering from Beeston in Leeds to provide the data communication for Harvard Engineering’s LeafNut
offshore wind
Round one and two offshore wind farm operators have the opportunity to extend their lease terms by up to 50 years, according to plans announced today by The Crowne Estate. The extensions are aimed at enabling developed wind farms to produce green electricity for longer periods of time than would
carbon sequestration
A project described as “an open source solution to climate change” aims to use lime to boost the oceans’ ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Cquestrate’s idea: heat limestone to a very high temperature, breaking it down into lime and carbon dioxide. Then dump the lime into
smart cities
IBM will help the Czech Republic city of Pilsen “go smart,” under a four-year agreement to develop a strategic information system for the municipality. Together, IBM and Pilsen plan to build the foundations of a “smart city” that will use state-of-the-art information technologies to improve the efficiency of internal processes
In the global rankings of well being and environmental impact, the country of Costa Rica comes out on top, according to the new economic foundation’s (nef’s) “The Happy Planet Index (HPI) 2.0.” The second-ever set of ratings finds, among other things, that: * Costa Ricans report the highest
carbon emissions
With today’s release of a report showing how world leaders can tackle climate change through technology, Tony Blair is expected to call for immediate action on energy efficiency, as well as a definitive commitment to develop next-generation, low-carbon technologies. The Climate Group’s “Technology for a Low-Carbon Future” report
energy security
The current heat wave is putting a strain on UK energy supplies, in part because France has had to reduce its nuclear power output, requiring it to import more of its electricity from Britain. As reported in the Times Online, EDF has been forced to slow down many of its
Environmental group Global Action Plan has called on the Government to create a £1 billion IT stimulus package to create smarter, more environmentally efficient, higher quality public services. Through its partnership with the Society for Information Technology Management (Socitm) and Logicalis UK, the organisation is pursuing the objective in association
IEEE
Editor’s Note: This article by IEEE Member Frank Shinneman is the first in a series of six special features the IEEE is preparing for Greenbang. Perhaps the most fundamental technology developed by man was his control of fire, and with it, the availability of light. Hundreds of thousands of
