Researchers Find New Way To Create Low-Cost Solar Cells

By newswise 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 ...

Israeli Startup Develops Floating Solar Farm

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: ...

Seeds Of Peace: Botanical Gardens To Connect Jews And Arabs

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 ...

Israeli Technology Turns Sludge Into Electricity

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 ...

Genetically Modified Plants To Resist Intense Drought

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...

New Food Packaging Made Of Natural, Fruity Repellents

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 ...

Growing Forests In The Desert

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 ...

Sending Out An SMS: Online System To Warn About Floods

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 ...

Israeli Engineers Come Up With Way to Recycle Industrial Sludge

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 ...

Israeli Technology Develops a Better, Cheaper, Greener Battery

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 ...

Gadget attaches to faucet to measure each use of water

By NoCamels Team Photo by Joe Shlabotnik How many drops of water does it take to wash your hands, or a single glass? Bware, a new Israeli Patent by a2design, is a simple digital device to be installed on any faucet and can count in real time the amount of water in liters or gallons for every use. The Bware not only shows how much water you have used on the LED display, it can also also help detect different kinds of leaks, say its creators, Ariel Drach and Alex Sudak. The device, made from recycled materials, uses flow of water to generate enough electricity for the LED display. a2design is still looking for investment for the ...

Israeli pump technology uses air to heat water instantly

By Alona Volinsky Photo stevendepolo Phoebus Energy, an Israeli startup, has come up with an innovative technology to heat water, by using air. Hydra is an intelligent heat pump that delivers energy to heat water in large complexes such as hospitals and hotels that need enough energy to sustain hot water in all rooms, pools etc. Hydra technology absorbs the energy from the air turning it from thermal to kinetic energy. On its own, the traditional methods to heat water, such as gas and heating oil are costly and polluting. Phoebus Energy’s system works as a hybrid; connecting its network of heat pumps with the traditional systems, ...

Israeli company brings light to third world countries

By Eva Levin Photos by Irene2005 and Globe Light & Water Systems Inc. The giant structures line most of our major roads and have become an integral part of the urban landscape. Yet to most Westerners, streetlights are so common they hardly get noticed by anyone. That is not the reality for most third world countries. Many African countries, for example, have a complete lack of street lighting on major streets, making it extremely dangerous to drive in anything but clear and sunny conditions. That is why Globe Light and Water Systems (GLW,) an Israeli company, has developed a new standalone light fixture that relies solely on ...

New System Tells You How Much Electricity Every Plug In Your House Is Using

By Alona Volinsky Photo by Rennett Stowe It doesn’t matter which country you live in, the price of electricity is high. So let’s say you want to reduce the monthly electricity bill for your home, or your office — how do you know where to start? Does a fridge consume more electricity than a dishwasher? A dishwasher more than a television? Does it cost anything to leave a device plugged in overnight? These are all questions most of us don’t know the answer to, because our electricity bills don’t break down electricity consumption for the various devices. That is why Dr. David Almagor, co-founder of ...

New Superheroes In Kids Animated Series Are All About Saving The Environment

By Alona Volinsky Photos by Amir and Liat Shahar Could children be taught to think that being environmentalists is super cool? Israeli couple, Amir and Liat Shahar, a kindergarten teacher and a Yoga instructor, believe they have found the formula. The couple is working on a animated children’s series, Leafers, which tells the story of 4 super-powered siblings and their friend, who protect and save the world from environmental disasters. In each episode the kids go to a different location in the world that requires an urgent interference in order to save the natural habitat. By using their super-powers in a non-violent way, the ...

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