The Engineer
9 November 2009
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Meeting the energy mix challenge
19 Nov 2009
Switching to low carbon will require a holistic approach to energy production and use. Stuart Nathan reports.
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Paul Newsome of Lotus Engineering
18 Nov 2009
Lotus is much more than a manufacturer of affordable supercars.
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Urban planning engineers explore anti-flood options
18 Nov 2009
The UK is considering new techniques to deal with the recent rise in localised flooding.
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Where next for the IC engine?
18 Nov 2009
The internal combustion engine may still have a few surprises up its sleeve for the automotive industry.
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Solar industry boost for jobs and exports
17 Nov 2009
The UK solar industry should be well placed to reduce carbon emissions, create jobs and boost exports, says Robin Godfrey.
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Are there mechanics on Mars?
16 Nov 2009
NASA’s attempts to free the Mars Rover ‘Spirit’ begin this week; it has been bogged down in sandy soil on the Red Planet for the past seven months.
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Efficiency gains for wind turbines
12 Nov 2009
An alternative transmission system may improve the efficiency and reliability of wind turbines. David Wilson reports.
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Take good care of your clean-tech IP
11 Nov 2009
Innovators in low-carbon technology should work with specialists to maximize the value of intellectual property, says IIya Kazi.
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Vertical axis tidal turbine
11 Nov 2009
A tidal stream energy turbine that would be attached to a mooring rather than a rigid foundation could cut the cost and complexity of tidal energy installations.The concept, from UK start-up company Cormarent, is being promoted this week in the US by the SETsquared Partnership, an organisation that aims to foster early-stage technology businesses spun out from universities in Southern England.Cormarent’s vertical axis device concept, which has been analytically ...
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Biofuel for mass production
11 Nov 2009
An EU-backed project to produce a sustainable diesel mixable biofuel (DMB) could signal the end of imported fossil fuels for use in car engines.The DIBANET (Development of Integrated Biomass Approaches Network) project is a 42-month global initiative aimed at reducing Europe and South America's reliance on imported fossil fuels while minimising the growing amounts of waste sent to landfill.With a total budget of €3.7m (£3.3m), researchers hope they will do this by developing ...
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Picking up night waves
10 Nov 2009
Future solar cells could operate 24 hours a day by collecting radiation emitted from the Earth at night and turning it into energy.
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OLEDs light the way for efficiency
10 Nov 2009
Energy-efficient flat-screen televisions, mobile-phone displays and lighting could be less expensive to manufacture with a new technology developed by academics at Hull University.Professors Steve Kelly and Mary O'Neill are commercialising new materials and a more cost-effective method for manufacturing organic light emitting diode (OLED) screen displays and other devices.A company called Polar OLED, which was formed with funds from venture capitalist IP Group, will ...
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This week in 1957: Zero-energy nuclear reactor goes critical
9 Nov 2009
With America’s USS Nautilus already three years old and the Russian navy just a year away from launching its own nuclear-attack submarine, The Engineer reported on the effort to bring UK technology up to speed.
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A sound idea for electric vehicles
9 Nov 2009
Advanced loudspeaker technology designed to alert pedestrians and road users to the approach of otherwise silent electric vehicles is to be launched on production vehicles for the first time next month.Jointly developed by engineers at Lotus and audio specialist Harman International, the system — which allows users to choose from a range of engine sounds — has already been demonstrated on a Toyota Prius and will be launched on a low production run of unspecified electric ...
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Dilemmas lie behind the biggest choices
9 Nov 2009
The issue of expert advice given to the government and how it is acted on, or otherwise, by the ministers who receive it has been a hot topic over the last few weeks. A political storm ensued when a senior adviser on the use of illegal drugs was removed from his post for, in the government's view, going too far in his public pronouncements on the issue. According to the expert and his supporters, he was sacrificed for doing his job and telling it as he saw it, even though the result ...
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Composite wings near to major assembly
9 Nov 2009
Airbus is claiming that the A350 — its first airliner with composite wings and fuselage — will reach airlines in 2013. Siobhan Wagner reports
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A drive for efficiency
9 November 2009
Gordon Murray Design and Zytek Automotive Technology have embarked on a 16-month project to develop what they claim will be the world’s most efficient electric passenger car.
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Hybrid MR/PET scanner
9 November 2009
A medical scanner capable of earlier diagnosis of some of the most fatal diseases could be available in hospitals in the next three years.
