Charge while cycling

Mobile phone company Nokia has unveiled a pedal-powered battery charger to enable people to keep their handset powered up while they are on the move, reports ComputerWeekly.

The device is designed to be mounted on the handlebars of a bicycle and generate power from the front wheel using a dynamo.

Nokia's new charger is likely to appeal to people who are environmentally conscious or live in developing countries where access to electricity is limited, according to the Financial Times.

Silicon Valley solar company Solexant has raised $41.5 million to pursue technology it says can slice the costs of solar power with a printing-like manufacturing process, states CNET News.

The company's technology, which was developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, takes raw semiconductor material and creates nanoparticles which, once dissolved in a solvent, create an ink that can be printed.

Initially, it plans to use cadmium telluride to make solar cells, but in the future it hopes to use materials more efficient at converting sunlight into electrical energy, said CEO Damoder Reddy on Friday.

The 2010 World Economic Forum on East Asia discussed yesterday how Asia can promote green technology, with representatives from the ministries of natural resources and environment of Vietnam and the Republic of Korea and big business leaders, such as Metro, Dupont and GE, says VOVNews.

Asia is considered a key point for the world's economic growth but is very vulnerable to climate change and a polluted environment. Therefore, sustainable environmental campaign growth should be applied in the region.

Some Asian countries have begun changing their growth models towards green growth, gas reduction and saving energy, such as the Republic of Korea and Japan. Others have committed to cutting gas exhaustion and transferring green technology over time.