US probes China green tech

In its latest salvo against China's trade practices, the US says it is investigating allegations that the Asian nation is unfairly supporting its makers of wind and solar energy products, advanced batteries and energy-efficient vehicles, writes the Wall Street Journal.

"For those allegations that are supported by sufficient evidence and that can effectively be addressed through [World Trade Organisation] dispute settlement, we will vigorously pursue the enforcement of our rights through WTO litigation," US trade representative Ron Kirk said in a statement.

The United Steelworkers union on 9 September petitioned the Obama administration to examine China's green technology practices, saying the country employs export restraints and subsidies, discriminates against foreign companies and imported goods, and engages in other practices that harm US interests and run counter to global trade rules.

The Malaysian Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications Technology will continue to encourage the development of green technology industry in this country consistent with various provisions announced in Budget 2011, says All Voices.

Its minister, Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui says the budget was timely as it is in line with the movement to promote the use of green technologies in the country.

"The budget is consistent with the objectives of the Conference and Exhibition on Green Technology and Ecology Products International to promote the application of green technologies and reduce emissions of carbon dioxide.

An I/O data centre has opened in Phoenix, where temperatures recently topped 109 degrees Fahrenheit; a facility that couples an energy-efficient design with the use of green technologies, reveals PC World.

Those range from an unusual setup for its air handlers to its server-rack design. There are ice balls - water-filled, dimpled plastic spheres a little larger than a softball - that I/O is using to feed the air conditioning system. The Ice Ball Thermal Storage system from San Diego-based Cryogel may be - literally - the coolest technology I/O is using.

The balls float in four huge tanks filled with a glycol solution that's chilled to 22 degrees. The solution is pumped from chillers that surround hundreds of balls, freezing them during the night when electricity rates are lower. During the day, the system pumps the glycol solution surrounding the ice balls through a heat exchanger, which provides cool air to the data centre. That reduces the need to run the chillers during the day, when rates are higher.