New Beijing Traffic Laws Take 800,000 Cars Off the Road in China

Andrew Williams — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 16:52:15 +0000

Around 800,000 fewer cars were on the road in Beijing, China this Monday, following the introduction of radical new traffic laws aimed at reducing pollution in the city.

The new laws came into force today, and stipulate that 70% of government vehicles, as well as all private and corporate cars, take turns off the roads on one out of five weekdays.

‘Black Silicon’ Could Revolutionize Solar Cell Technology

Andrew Williams — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:17:36 +0000

A newly discovered material called ‘black silicon’ is between 100 and 500 times more sensitive to light than conventional silicon, and could be used to revolutionize solar energy generation.

The material was discovered when a team of Harvard University scientists shone an ultra-powerful laser (briefly producing the same amount of energy as the sun falling on the entire surface of the Earth) on a silicon wafer, before adding sulphur hexafluoride. The result was a silicon wafer that looked black to the naked eye, but when examined under an electron microscope turned out to be covered with a massive amount of ultra-tiny spikes.

Green Options » October 13

New Beijing Traffic Laws Take 800,000 Cars Off the Road in China

Around 800,000 fewer cars were on the road in Beijing, China this Monday, following the introduction of radical new traffic laws aimed at reducing pollution in the city.

‘Black Silicon’ Could Revolutionize Solar Cell Technology