Beijing, China (XNA) Nov 23, 2006 - An agreement on the construction of the world's first international thermonuclear experimental reactor (ITER) was signed in Paris on Tuesday.
Moscow (AFP) Nov 23, 2006 - Russia's environmental regulator proposes stripping by the end of the year about 140 licenses held by foreign and Russian energy companies, a supervisory official said Thursday. Our service has proposed the withdrawal of about 140 licenses, said Oleg Mitvol, deputy head of Russia's environmental monitoring agency Rosprirodnadzor. A final decision depends on Russia's subsoil agency Rosnedr, he told AFP.
Geneva (AFP) Nov 23, 2006 - The peak of the Jungfrau in the Swiss Alps could be the home to the world's highest solar-energy power station if tests prove succesful, Swiss electricity company FMB said on Thursday. Test panels have been installed at 3,700 metres (12,139 feet) above sea level, making them the highest in the world, according to FMB spokesman Antonio Sommavilla.
Fargo ND (SPX) Nov 23, 2006 - The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded North Dakota State University (NDSU), Fargo, $1.25M in funding to undertake the initial six months of an effort to demonstrate a direct power conversion boron carbide diode battery. The total value of the effort, if all phases are completed, could be up to $3.5 million over 1.5 years.
Manila (AFP) Nov 22, 2006 - The Asian Development Bank said Wednesday it would set up a carbon market trust fund to encourage more clean energy projects in the Asia-Pacific region.
Moscow (RIA Novosti) Nov 22, 2006 - Russia will not ratify the Energy Charter as it stands, because it would damage the country's economic interests, the president's top adviser on EU affairs said Wednesday. The European Union has called on Russia to sign the agreement, which would force it to open up its pipelines to European companies and provide safeguards for investors.
Rochester NY (SPX) Nov 22, 2006 - Black gold is not just an expression anymore. Scientists at the University of Rochester have created a way to change the properties of almost any metal to render it, literally, black. The process, using an incredibly intense burst of laser light, holds the promise of making everything from fuel cells to a space telescope's detectors more efficient-not to mention turning your car into the blackest black around.
Paris (AFP) Nov 21, 2006 - The EU and six nations signed a treaty Tuesday launching a multibillion-dollar experimental nuclear fusion research project, aimed at emulating the power of the sun to provide limitless, clean energy. This is a new step in an exceptional adventure, French President Jacques Chirac said after leading the signing ceremony in Paris that ended decades of tortuous negotiations.
London UK (SPX) Nov 21, 2006 - The largest superconducting magnet ever built has successfully been powered up to its operating conditions at the first attempt. Called the Barrel Toroid because of its shape, this magnet is a vital part of ATLAS, one of the major particle detectors being prepared to take data at CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the new particle accelerator scheduledto turn on in November 2007.
Dania Beach FL (SPX) Nov 21, 2006 - Florida Atlantic University has been selected by the Florida Technology, Research and Scholarship Board to receive $5 million to establish The Florida Center of Excellence in Ocean Energy Technology. Ranked in second place, FAU is among six Florida universities that have been selected out of 32 proposals submitted to the Board. This new center will be FAU's second Center of Excellence-its first Center of Excellence in Biomedical and Marine Biotechnology was established in 2003.
Paris (AFP) Nov 20, 2006 - French President Jacques Chirac is to lead a signing ceremony Tuesday to develop a new breed of experimental nuclear fusion reactor that mimics the energy-producing process powering the sun, officials said. The event in Paris will see representatives from China, the European Union, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States setting pen to paper to formally set up the structure of the 10-billion-euro (12.8 billion dollar) reactor.
Moscow, Russia (RIA Novosti) Nov 20, 2006 - Russia controls 29 trillion cu m of proven gas reserves and over 1.2 billion metric tons of gas condensate. This is about one third or one fourth of the world's total reserves, depending on which estimate is used.
Vyngayakhinsk, Russia (AFP) Nov 19, 2006 - For an hour, the helicopter flew over a frozen wasteland where gas flares were the only sign of human life, before landing in a swirl of snow on a deserted track. A few hundred meters away lay the giant Vyngayakhinsk gas deposit run by Russian behemoth Gazprom in a corner of western Siberia where temperatures fall to minus 60 degrees Celsius in deep winter.
Plymouth Meeting PA (SPX) Nov 17, 2006 - Lithium Technology has announced that it has received a purchase order from Lockheed Martin for 1070 ultra high power lithium-ion cells to be used for the ATLAS V Launch Vehicle. The order is valued at $171,200. LTC leverages its unique and proprietary technology, to provide state-of-the-art lithium-ion cells with superior performance at extreme conditions.
Moscow (AFP) Nov 17, 2006 - Lukoil, the biggest Russian oil company, said Tuesday it will continue to work in Iran despite the problems caused by US-inspired sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear development programme.
Columbia MO (SPX) Nov 17, 2006 - The answer to one of the world's largest problems - the need for clean, renewable sources of energy - might just come from some of the world's smallest inhabitants - bacteria - according to a new report, Microbial Energy Conversion, released by the American Academy of Microbiology.
