EcoGeek News: eBooks, More Photosynthesis vs PV, and Talk-Powered Cell Phones

Shortly on the heels of our two recent articles about artificial photosynthesis is a study to be published in Science magazine that looks at photosynthesis and photovoltaics to determine which is more efficient system. The study looked at the entire range of factors, including life-cycle costs, energy inputs, infrastructure requirements, and greenhouse gas balance to make the determination. Cell Phones Could Be Talk-Powered How cool would it be if your cell phone could gain all the power it needed to fuel your conversations by the actual sound of those conversations? Scientists at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, South Korea think they've developed the technology that could soon have that very application. Photosynthesis Versus Photovoltaics - Which Is More Efficient? A team of reserachers led by Washington University in St. Louis has carried out a study that compares photosynthesis and photovoltaics, and finds that photovoltaics are the more efficient of the two (though that does depend on how you define "efficiency"). But, at the same time, they also point out that there may be opportunities in synthetic biology to improve on photosynthesis. GM Assembly Plants Going Solar General Motors has taken a number of significant steps to make their vehicles greener, and they are doing similar things with their manufacturing plants, as well. This week, the company has made two announcements about using rooftop solar arrays to power its manufacturing facilities. Georgia School Bus Gets Hydraulic Makeover A group of Georgia Tech students are converting a school bus into a hydraulic hybrid, a technology that works best with large vehicles used in stop-and-go driving conditions, like delivery trucks and, of course, buses. The hydraulic hybrid bus uses a diesel engine to power a pump that charges an accumulator. When the bus is accelerating, the accumulator then powers the hydraulic motors with built-up pressure, but when it's braking, the pump motors reverse and recapture that energy. Kindle Books Outselling All Print Books on Amazon Amazon announced today that for its Kindle ebooks are now officially outselling all print books, including paperbacks and hardcover editions. For every 100 print books sold, Amazon sells 105 Kindle books, a trend that the company expects to keep increasing. Follow EcoGeek and some of our writers on Twitter (@EcoGeek, @cornellbox, @mtreacy) as well as on our YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/theecogeek). If you are on Facebook, you can join the EcoGeek: Technology for the Environment group, as well. If you have comments or questions about the Newsletter, you can contact us at Newsletter@ecogeek.org. And be sure to check in for more information about all the latest green technologies at EcoGeek.org

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