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lithium ion battery-new technology

Yonhap News AgencyMay 23, 2013 20:46

SEOUL, May 24 (Yonhap) -- A group of South Korean scientists has developed a new technology that can triple the efficiency and capacity of lithium-ion batteries, the science ministry said Friday. The team, led by Prof. Hyun Taek-hwan of Seoul National University, said the capacity of a lithium-ion battery increased by up to three times when they used a nano structure of iron oxide and manganese oxide, instead of lead, as the cathode of the battery.

Brazil to hold 1st pre-salt auction in October

Agencia EFEMay 23, 2013 17:33

Rio de Janeiro, May 23 (EFE).- Brazil's first auction of contracts to develop offshore oil and gas reserves in the pre-salt region will be held in October, or earlier than previously scheduled, the government said Thursday. The government's National Council for Energy Policy authorized the change. Rights to develop blocks in the Libra field, which is estimated to hold between 8-12 billion barrels of recoverable oil, will be on offer in the first bidding round. Brazil currently has 14 billion barrels of proven reserves.

Keystone makes TransCanada more cautious about future U.S. forays: executive

The Canadian PressMay 23, 2013 17:01

CALGARY - A senior TransCanada Corp. executive says the resistance to the approval of the proposed Keystone XL oilsands pipeline has made the company more cautious about future cross-border endeavours. Alex Pourbaix, president of energy and oil pipelines at the Calgary-based pipeline and utility company (TSX:TRP), said the long delays getting Keystone approved in the U.S. has been an education.

IAEA calls for defining "end state" of crippled Fukushima plant

Kyodo News InternationalMay 23, 2013 11:00

The International Atomic Energy Agency has called for the "end state" following decommissioning of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to be defined, indicating it would help the plant operator to deal with the difficult issue of waste management at the site, a report unveiled by the Japanese government showed Thursday.

Solar plane sets distance record on US tour

Agence France-PresseMay 23, 2013 08:05

The first manned aircraft that can fly day and night powered only by solar energy set a new distance record Thursday when it landed after the second leg of a cross-country US tour. The Solar Impulse project, founded and led by two Swiss pilots, aims to showcase what can be accomplished without fossil fuels, and has set its "ultimate goal" as an around-the-world flight in 2015.

Solar plane sets distance record on US tour

Agence France-PresseMay 23, 2013 08:00

Iran seeks to speed up nuclear activity: IAEA

Thomson ReutersMay 23, 2013 06:08

By Fredrik Dahl VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran is trying to accelerate its uranium enrichment program, a U.N. nuclear report showed, but experts said it was unclear when Tehran's new machines could start operating and how efficiently they would work. The Islamic state's progress in introducing next-generation centrifuges is closely watched in the West and Israel as it would enable Tehran to speed up accumulation of material that could be used to build atomic bombs. Iran denies any such aim.

LS Industrial-HVDC project

Yonhap News AgencyMay 23, 2013 02:00

SEOUL, May 23 (Yonhap) -- LS Industrial Systems Co., a leading South Korean manufacturer of electric components, said Thursday that it will provide equipment and parts for the country's ambitious high-voltage direct current (HVDC) project. Last year, state-run Korea Electric Power Corp. set up a joint venture with Alstom to secure the French power equipment maker's HDVC technology, a top-tier power transmission technology. The joint venture will carry out the HDVC project aimed at stabilizing power supply and demand in the country.

Iran pushes ahead with nuclear plant that worries West

Thomson ReutersMay 22, 2013 15:15

By Fredrik Dahl VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran is pressing ahead with the construction of a research reactor that Western experts say could eventually produce plutonium for a nuclear weapon if Tehran decides to make one, a U.N. report showed on Wednesday. In another development likely to worry the United States and its allies, the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran had added to its capacity to refine uranium, which can also provide the fissile core of a bomb if enriched to a high level.

EU leaders face up to shale challenge

Agence France-PresseMay 22, 2013 14:01

EU leaders agreed Wednesday to face up to the challenge posed by the shale oil and gas revolution which has slashed US energy prices, undercutting Europe's competitive edge. "All leaders are aware that sustainable and affordable energy is key to keeping factories and jobs in Europe," European President Herman Van Rompuy said. "Industry finds it hard to compete with foreign firms who pay half the price for electricity, like in the United States," Van Rompuy said at the close of an EU summit focused on energy and tax evasion.