I just realized how many links I have been hoarding on the topic of power production advancements, trying to work up the time to write a post worthy of each. But I don’t see that happening anytime soon, so I’ll have to do it roundup style, sorry for the brevity, but I think it is better to share them than to let them continue to languish and not be passed on.

First up- Toshiba has announced new batteries that can be recharged up to 90% of total capacity in five minutes. The batteries can last 10 years if charged and drained once per day, which sounds pretty good to me. They want to target them for use in “battery-powered bicycles, motorcycles, electric forklift trucks and construction machinery, all of which already use rechargeable batteries”. But we of course all want to see something that charges that fast in our laptops and hybrid cars, don’t we? Via Futurismic.

Next is news that the Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada has turned on a massive 14-megawatt solar panel power production facility which will provide 25% of the power used by the base’s 12,000 employees each year. It is a massive installation of solar panels, at 140 acres, but will soon be dwarfed by an 80-megawatt facility being constructed in California. I am very excited to see so much being invested in renewable energy sources, and at this scale it will certainly start to make at least tiny dents in our overuse of coal and oil. Via Engadget.

And then, news of Great Britain’s plans to build 25-gigawatts of offshore wind power production, which will join the wave-powered systems already being tested to provide 100% of all of the country’s power by 2020. This means that an entire country has committed itself to completely renewable, non- polluting power production. I don’t really need to elaborate much on this one to express how amazing it is to see people taking positive action now, not in 40 years when the oil runs out. Now let’s see America try this! Via Futurismic. Of course, GB did not invent offshore wind farms. This is a great article about how Denmark has cleaned up it’s act and become completely energy independent- to the level that it now sells off its excess power. While this is a small country, the lessons they have learned can easily be applied to larger scale energy projects.

Now, if we do insist on driving cars with combustion engines, why not use biofuel? Most experts agree that to grow the crops required to fuel the current number of cars in the United States would not be realistic, and would deplete the food supply too much. So what if instead of getting biofuel from food crops like corn, we got it from algae? Colorado State University is researching how to farm a pond scum capable of producing 100 times more biofuel than canola or soy in the same acreage. The best part is that the algae can be grown in shallow troughs almost anywhere that there is sunlight- even deserts. As long as they get sun and a little water, the entire country’s oil needs could conceivably be met by this resource. Pointed out by Jess.

While we are on the topic of alternate fuels for our cars, how about hydrogen! Wired recently reported on a new technique of producing hydrogen that uses bacteria to break down biodegradable organic material. It is still early in the research on the technique, but it is incredibly promising so far, and promises to help us solve two problems at once- it would allow us to produce hydrogen from organic waste, helping to meet our trash disposal and hydrogen production needs. So Mr. Fusion may not be so far away after all! And once you get that hydrogen, BMW has the car to use it in, testing now in Japan.

And finally, some news on the future of solar power. Scientists have discovered a new crystalline structure they are calling “nano flakes” that could yield far more efficient solar panels in the future. If properly commercialized, these new panels could harness much more of the sun’s power than existing panels- allowing for smaller, more efficient solar power, which only means good things for everyone.

Now, these stories are not even the tip of the iceberg in terms of new technologies that promise oil-free, Earth friendlier energy production and use. But they provide a general glimpse at some of the things that are going on right now all around us. It kind of feels like there are so many incredibly smart people all around the world working to make sure that we have a future on this planet- it is a little comfort in the endless stream of Global Warming doom-saying that confronts us on a daily basis.