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Posted on Sunday, June 3, 2012, 5:59am - 2 years ago
Photo by spanginator
Newswise — Solar power must become more efficient and less expensive to compete with energy produced by fossil fuels. Silicon-based solar cells are the dominant technology in the field, but the widespread adoption of these cells has been slowed by their high costs. Solar cells that use inorganic nanocrystals or "quantum dots" could be a cheaper alternative, but they are generally less efficient at turning solar energy into electricity.
Technion-Israel Institute of Technology researchers have now found a new way to generate an electrical field inside the quantum dots, making them more suitable for building an energy-efficient nanocrystal sol... Continue »
Posted on Sunday, May 6, 2012, 9:57am - 2 years ago
By Yinnon Shraga, NoCamels ·
While solar energy companies throughout the world are competing for the relatively few vast land areas required to house solar farms, Israeli startup Solaris Synergy has found a new terrain to use. Instead of a land-based solar system, the company decided to develop a water-based technology. In other words: a floating solar power plant.
The company’s founders say they realized that the large lands required for thousands of solar panels are nearly impossible to find, especially in a small country like Israel. Solaris Synergy’s Business Development Manager, Dr. Elyakim Kassel, tells NoCamels: “In many countries there is a competition between land for construct... Continue »
Posted on Sunday, March 4, 2012, 10:47am - 2 years ago
Seeds Of Peace: Botanical Gardens To Connect Jews And Arabs
By Hanna Szekeres
The Botanical Gardens in Jerusalem, Israel is a 30-acre oasis where you can see, smell and even taste over 10,000 species of flowers from around the world. But the educational department of the gardens also focuses on another type of seed: “the seeds of peace.”
Five years ago the department started a project called “Coexistence” that brings together nine- to 11-year-olds from the city’s Jewish and Muslim schools and teaches them about the production of spices, olive oil and herbal remedies in the gardens.
The project consists of 10 sessions throughout the school year and ends with the chi... Continue »
Posted on Thursday, February 16, 2012, 8:48am - 2 years ago
By TechIsrael Staff
Photo by Sustainable sanitation
It may look like mud, but sludge – the “leftover” semi-solid part of the stuff we flush down the toilet or pour down the drain, is a creature unto itself. Far more toxic than plain old mud, sludge has the potential to bust a city's budget, as it needs to be treated and disposed of. But it doesn't have to be that way; in the hands of Israeli startup Global Recycling Projects Ltd. (Ecoarrow), sludge pulls its own weight – providing “free” energy by turning sludge into – electricity!
It's a neat trick that GRPL pulls off using solar power – giving the system the distinction of being truly “green,” using solar energy to produce the... Continue »
Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2012, 5:27am - 2 years ago
By David Allouche, NoCamels
Photo by Gates Foundation
Israeli agro-biotechnology company, Rosetta Green, has developed a new technology to develop plants that are better able to withstand prolonged periods of severe drought. The company aims to develop new plant varieties resistant to harsh climatic condition, maintaining an increased yield.
The company, based in Rehovot, Israel, experimented on tobacco plants that were irrigated with seawater instead of freshwater. The genetically modified plants created by the company were able to grow under seawater irrigation, as opposed to the control group of plants.
According to the company’s CEO, Amir Avniel, “the frequent drough... Continue »
Posted on Thursday, December 29, 2011, 3:58pm - 2 years ago
New Food Packaging Made Of Natural, Fruity Repellents
By TechIsrael Staff
Photo by yumtan
There are now seven billion people in the world, and as in the past, experts are wringing their hands over the possibility that Malthus could finally have his day. Malthus was the English philosopher who expected the world to starve eventually because of a lack of resources, and so far he's been wrong. But seven billion, now... that's a lot of people!
All those people do have to be fed. So far, the world has been able to (more or less) supply its population with food, and in fact most people – even in many third-world countries – are better fed today than ever. But still, the system ... Continue »
Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2011, 5:48am - 2 years ago
By Abigail Klein Leichman for Israel21C
Photo Courtesy of Tel Aviv University http://www.tau.ac.il/index-eng.html
Leave it to Israeli scientists to figure out a way of growing trees in the barren sands of the Arava Desert.
The trees aren't just meant to look pretty. This pollution-reducing forest planted over the summer is soaking up harmful excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and releasing beneficial oxygen. Another "green" bonus is that the trees are nurtured with recycled sewage water and saltwater.
The project is a research collaboration between Tel Aviv University's Porter School of Environmental Science (http://www.environment.tau.ac.il/mainen.asp), the Hebrew University in Jerusale... Continue »
An interesting subtext of this article is that the TAU professors last name 'Eshel' is also the Hebrew word for the Tamarix tree. On a more practical note, I would love to know if there are any urban trials in process or in plan to see what species might be useful in purifying and rehabilitating industrial soils, air, etc. Have you heard any news about that?
Posted on Sunday, December 4, 2011, 10:15am - 2 years ago
By Ran Bushuhrian, for Maariv
From the first moment I heard about the WaterHackathon (an exclusive event at the Tel Aviv University that brought together dozens of engineers, program developers and other professional, who worked for three full days on solutions to problems in the water field) it was clear to me that I will take part in it.
The reason was obvious, this special event brings out the three biggest advantages of Israel: The trial and understanding of material, infrastructure, and water resources management – derived from years of water shortage; the successful hi-tech industry; and the creativity and achievement hidden deep inside the Israeli DNA.
As a member of ... Continue »
Posted on Wednesday, November 30, 2011, 5:43am - 2 years ago
By Aviva Grunpeter for NTD News
Photo by Anat Markram, CDEGlobalTags:
Environmental legislation and its enforcement require industrial plants to take care of the sludge created during the purification of their waste, which at times can be poisonous and dangerous.
So far, disposal of the harmful materials in Israel included transfer to the southern, less inhabited part of the country, where they were burned and buried.
“Ecology Serviced,” an Israeli plant, has readjusted an existing technology to work towards reducing the harmful substances and recycling another part of them.
And the cost of treatment was lowered in the process.
[Alexander Mangold,... Continue »
Posted on Thursday, November 24, 2011, 8:11am - 2 years ago
By TechIsrael Staff
Batteries make the world go round. Not just in cellphones and laptop computers, but in all sorts of other devices, many of which need to run 24/7. There are two problems with batteries, though – they cost money, and they need to constantly be replaced or recharged.
While this isn't such a problem for consumer devices and gadgets, it is a major issue for always-on monitoring systems, used in hundreds of venues – security systems, utility monitoring, farms and factories. In those venues, managers are forced to keep strict track of when batteries were installed and when they need to be changed, and a foul-up could cost an organization time and any money.... Continue »