Google plans mirror technology

Google is disappointed with the lack of breakthrough investment ideas in the green technology sector, but the company is working to develop its own new mirror technology that could reduce the cost of building solar thermal plants by a quarter or more, reports Reuters.

"We've been looking at very unusual materials for the mirrors both for the reflective surface as well as the substrate that the mirror is mounted on," the company's green energy czar Bill Weihl told Reuters Global Climate and Alternative Energy Summit in San Francisco.

Google, known for its Internet search engine, said in late 2007 that it would invest in companies and do research of its own to produce affordable renewable energy within a few years.

With the ability to make 69.7 trillion calculations per second, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's new supercomputers are gearing up to "improve forecast accuracy and extend watch and warning lead times for severe weather, including hurricanes, tornadoes, air quality, wildfires, floods, tsunamis and winter storms," the NOAA says, writes eWeek.

"The new supercomputers, based on IBM Power 575 systems, are four times faster than the previous NOAA system." The supercomputers represent the final implementation of a nine-year, $180-million contract. The primary system is called Stratus, with a backup system dubbed Cirrus.

"This new technology will provide us with more sophisticated models of the Earth's land, ocean and atmosphere, giving meteorologists better accuracy and precision in both long-term and short-term forecasting," says Jack Hayes, director of NOAA's National Weather Service.

Richmond Council has unveiled a pay-as-you-go card that will charge resident drivers for parking and vehicle carbon emissions, says Computing.co.uk.

From 1 October, the council will enable residents to register their cars online to buy the prepaid cards and speed up processes by eliminating the need to use cash at car park ticket machines. Under the scheme, the prepaid cards will store the vehicle registration number and its relevant DVLA emissions banding.

The information will then be used to charge drivers at pay and display ticket machines. The charge for carbon emissions comes on top of normal parking fees and it is expected to generate an estimated £800 000 (R9.8 million) in revenue for the council.