Laser fusion – the safe, clean way to produce nuclear energy

www.guardian.co.uk:
A multinational project led by British researchers aims to use a high-power laser to reproduce the physical reaction that occurs at the heart of the sun and every other star in the universe – nuclear fusion. If the project succeeds it has the potential to solve the world energy crisis without destroying the environment.

The scientists admit that a commercial reactor is a long way off, but
they believe the laser approach to producing fusion shows great
promise. The EU is considering a proposal to fund the set-up costs for
a seven-year research project called HiPER – high powered laser energy
research – that would build a working demonstration reactor. Preparing
for the seven-year project alone, which is a collaboration of 11
nations, is expected to cost over €50m (£34m). Actually building the
reactor itself will cost over half a billion euros.
…..
Problems
The biggest challenge will be to build a
powerful enough laser that can fire rapidly enough. The world’s most
powerful lasers need several minutes to reset for a second shot. A
laser fusion reactor will need to fire several times a second.
Scientists will also need to develop materials durable enough for the
laser bombardment.

Low-cost LEDs to slash household electric bills

www.physorg.com:
A new way of making LEDs could see household lighting bills reduced by up to 75% within five years.

Gallium Nitride (GaN), a man-made semiconductor used to make LEDs (light emitting diodes), emits brilliant light but uses very little electricity. Until now high production costs have made GaN lighting too expensive for wide spread use in homes and offices.

However, with funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the Cambridge University based Centre for Gallium Nitride has developed a new way of making GaN which could produce LEDs for a tenth of current prices.

GaN, grown in labs on expensive sapphire wafers since the 1990s, can now be grown on silicon wafers. This lower cost method could mean cheap mass produced LEDs become widely available for lighting homes and offices in the next five years.

Toshiba’s Fuel-cell Charger Is Coming This Quarter

www.pcworld.com:
Toshiba is set to deliver on its promise to commercialize direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) technology during the current quarter.

Outlining business development plans in Tokyo on Thursday the company confirmed that it would launch a DMFC-based battery charger before the end of March. It is also aiming to commercialize DMFC packs for cell phones and personal computers sometime in the year from April.