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News

• Researchers develop artificial leaf

  A research team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) led by Dr. Daniel Nocera, Ph.D., claims to have made a drastic discovery in the world of sustainable energy by developing the first "practical" artificial leaf. These leaves are actually advanced solar cells that mimic photosynthesis, the process by which their real-life counterparts convert sunlight and water into energy. According Nocera, the leaves, although small in size, "could produce enough electricity to supply a house in a developing country with electricity for a day."

• Tokyo faces big power shortages this summer

  Tokyo and surrounding areas face a large shortfall in electricity this summer and blackouts could become more frequent and widespread, Tokyo Electric Power warned on Friday.

• A legacy from the 1800s leaves Tokyo facing blackouts

  East Japan entered its fifth day of power rationing on Friday, with no end to the planned blackouts in sight. The power shortages began last week when a massive earthquake and tsunami knocked nuclear power stations offline. The local electrical utility can't make up the shortfall by importing power from another region, though, because Japan lacks a national power grid, a consequence of a decision taken in the late 1800s.

• Stock market in recovery but AUD slumps

  The stock market on Wednesday showed signs of recovering from a recent run of declines, but the Australian dollar fell to its lowest point since January

• Open-source Kimono Lantern could help tsunami victims

  You are probably all very aware now of the problems facing Japan after an earthquake and tsunami pretty much destroyed a large area of the country. Many of you are wishing there was more you could do than just donate money too. If you are handy at making DIY tech projects, you may be able to help a hacker create humanitarian open source hardware designed to help Japan's disaster victims.

• Wireless tech saves energy - and makes better mousetrap

  Tucked in a dark corner of the Cebit trade show, in Hall 2, lies a mousetrap. Not just any old mousetrap, but a wireless-enabled one.

• Cebit kicks off with talk of openness

  Open democracy, open borders and open standards were the themes to which speakers returned again and again at the opening ceremony for the Cebit trade show in Hanover, Germany, on Monday night.

• Taiwan LCD panel maker to set up solar plant

  A subsidiary of AU Optronics, one of Taiwan's top panel makers, will open a solar factory in Taiwan late this year to save money and increase competitiveness in a growing industry.

• Night Dragon brings security vulnerabilities into the boardroom

  A hacking operation dubbed ‘Night Dragon’ has targeted energy utilities, using tried-and-tested intrusion methods to steal intellectual property related to oil field exploration and bidding plans, according to security company McAfee.

• CLP Group powers up with in-memory computing

  The utilities sector has been quick to adopt the real-time vision, particularly those organisations that have made an early move to smart grid deployments. Australian-born CIO, Joe Locandro, says the organisation has long used real-time monitoring — or what it calls condition-based monitoring — for its power plants and infrastructure. Thousands of sensors measure variables such as vibration, heat and voltage consistency, and feed them into OSIsoft’s PI System enterprise infrastructure management software.

• BP ignored safety software advice, investigators find

  BP ignored the advice of safety critical software in an attempt to save time before the disastrous Gulf of Mexico oil spill, according to a presentation slide prepared by US investigators.

• Two energy & resources M&As kyboshed

  Bendigo Mining (ASX:BDG) has called off its merger with BCD Resources (ASX:BCD), and Northern Energy (ASX:NEC) has rejected a $193m takeover offer from New Hope (ASX:NHC)

• Was Stuxnet built to attack Iran's nuclear program?

  A highly sophisticated computer worm that has spread through Iran, Indonesia and India was built to destroy operations at one target: possibly Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor.

• Siemens: Stuxnet worm hit industrial systems

  A sophisticated worm designed to steal industrial secrets and disrupt operations has infected at least 14 plants, according to Siemens.

• LTE demo will test broadband for oil fields

  LTE is generating excitement in the world of consumer electronics and ever-faster online video viewing, but the 4G (fourth-generation) mobile network technology may have even greater implications for specific industries that lack a good means of connectivity.