EU to import Sahara solar power
Europe will import its first solar-generated electricity from North Africa within the next five years, European Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger has said, reports Reuters.
The European Union is backing projects to turn the plentiful sunlight in the Sahara desert into electricity for power-hungry Europe, a scheme it hopes will help meet its target of deriving 20% of its energy from renewable sources in 2020.
"I think some models starting in the next five years will bring some hundreds of megawatts to the European market," Oettinger said after a meeting with energy ministers from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.
Siemens places bets on green tech
Amid the hysteria of America's worst environmental disaster on record, Siemens chief executive Peter L"oscher will likely be looking at the longer game, states The Telegraph.
L"oscher is far too guarded to say it, but green technology companies will be waiting with keen expectation to see the results of the Deepwater Horizon spill. As the backlash against big oil builds, there will be winners.
The CEO is visiting the UK to talk about Siemens' £30 million environmental 'pavilion' project in east London, and the company's plans to spend £80 million on an offshore wind turbine factory on the east coast of Britain.
Hybrid tech offers car makeovers
Two companies in India say they have designed the hybrid technology to produce a passenger car that is environmentally friendly, cheap, fuel-efficient, and offers good performance, according to The National.
Earlier this month, Bharat Forge, a machine-parts supplier, and KPIT Cummins, an engineering and IT consulting firm for car companies, formed a joint venture to develop and market their technology to convert conventional models into relatively low-cost hybrids.
The technology, called Revolo, was developed in India after two years of research. The conversion kit includes an electric motor that is mounted on the crankshaft of a car. Revolo can be fitted on a car in four hours and promises to augment fuel efficiency by as much as 60% and reduce greenhouse gases by 35%.
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