Items tagged with electricity
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have announced a new power generating device that is able to use temperature fluctuations to create electricity. The technology is based on principals of thermoelectric devices able to generate power when one side of the device is a different temperature than the other. The device the MIT team has created doesn't require two different temperature inputs at the same time, rather this device harnesses changes in ambient temperature to create electric power as a virtually perpetual renewable energy source. MIT's Thermal Resonator - Virtually Infinite Power Source? The new system is called a thermal resonator and has the potential for...
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We've been playing with Apple's iPad over the past few days (expect a full review soon), and we're amazed by the battery life. But as tech enthusiasts, we're always yearning for more. Hitachi seems to agree with us in thinking that there's really no battery that lasts long enough, and their R&D lab has been working away in an attempt to double the life of convention Li-ion batteries that are used in everything from notebooks to vehicles. A Japanese report notes that the company is using a manganese positive-electrode material to extend the life, with specifics as follows: 1) replacing part of the manganese contained in the positive-electrode material with another element to stabilize the...
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Ken Brill at Forbes does a little arithmetic to examine the true cost of running a server, and the numbers are a bit of a surprise. Since we're in the midst of something of a boom in data center construction, shouldn't someone be figuring out what they really cost before they buy a bunch of servers and roll out the plans? Because of the weird way accounting departments compartmentalize costs, server farms might seem awfully cheap. Until you plug it all in, of course.Data-center building depreciation is often carried separately from data-center mechanical and electrical equipment. Utility bills often go to a centralized energy function. Site operation costs for technicians, security staff, power...
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