The March 25, 2010 edition of the Swiss science TV magazine "Einstein" featured solar panels that are installed on cables so that they can follow more easily the path of the sun. Solar panels generate the most power when they face the sun right-angled, and the flexible installation on cables allowed them to do so more easily. Read on...
A new type of hybrid engine could accelerate the 
world-wide spread of hybrid engines in general. The current hybrids with combustion engine and electric engine are very complex, expensive, heavy and have a battery to be taken care of once the car reached its end of life. The new hybrid, developped by Prof. Dr. Lino Guzella and his team at the technical university (ETHZ) in Zurich, uses compressed air to increase the efficiency of a combustion engine. The air would be pumped in a tank when braking and used when accelerating. Read on...
Co-operatives (co-ops) are companies where most of the customers are also in part the owners of the company. These companies are much harder to sell (a good thing for diversity and keeping jobs around), and their focus automatically is on their customers and less on profit. In short: their whole attitude is different than the ones of large shareholder companies. Read on...
On May 15 and 16, 2009, you can return your old cell phone for recycling and you receive a chocolate cell phone instead. This incentive should inspire people to recycle instead of throwing the cell phones away. Many cell phone components are highly toxic if burned, and raw materials like copper should rather be re-used. According to Swico Reycling, so far only 15 % of all sold cell phones are being recycled.
Where exactly you are going to receive the chocolates is currently being investigated.
If you miss the dates above, you can still always return your old cell phone to a Swiss dealer for recycling; with the new cell phone, you already paid a recycling tax.
Check out at http://www.solardays.eu if there are activities planned in your country. For Switzerland, the list of events can be seen here in French, German or Italian.
Europe's highest Solar Plant was inaugurated today on the Little Matterhorn, Switzerland. The power plant is located at an altitude of 3'883 meters (approx. 12440 feet) and has a size of 200 square meters (approx. 2150 square feet). It produces 22 kilowatts per year which is equivalent to the annual consumption of 12 households. It is said that the power production is twice as much as comparable plants in lower altitudes due to the lack of air pollution, the presence of lower temperatures and snow reflection. Read on...
Many organisations, cities and individuals are going to switch off their lights again next Saturday, March 28, 2009, at 8:30 pm local time for one hour as a statement against climate change. We're planning to do the same - and you?
Follow this link for more information: http://www.earthhour.org
In September 2008, a Swiss House at Leimgrubenweg 90 in Riehen near Basel received one of the Swiss Solar Awards 2008. That house produces 120 percent more energy than it consumes! It achieves this with superior insulation and solar energy. Imagine now what you could do in places where the sun shines more than in Switzerland. Conclusion: the technology exists already; now ways have to be found how to apply this to existing buildings. This would also end discussions about new nuclear plants! Read on...
According to Reuters, the US Congress lets the offshore drilling ban expire:
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE48N6AF20080924?sp=... Read on...
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) declared this day as the World Environment Day. Time to reflect on the following points: Read on...
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